Duanmu Tong Was Not Worth Half of Him

Shen Qiu let out a long howl, and four white jade pillars flew from his Sea of Qi, landing with a boom at the four corners of the Profound Ice Platform.

The pillars stood three zhang and three chi tall. Flying muddy dragons were engraved upon their silvery-white bodies, baring fangs and brandishing claws, their furious eyes wide as they spewed golden divine fire.

The sky suddenly darkened. Firelight burst from the white jade pillars as though they had absorbed all the sunlight, golden flames rising from their bodies. The Profound Ice Platform gave off sizzling sounds as it melted.

"Four Directions Fire Dragon Pillars—I never thought he possessed even such a magic treasure."

The eyes of those with broad knowledge lit up, and they cried out in amazement.

It was said that in ancient times, humanity had used stone pillars as totems to worship divine fire. The earliest Way of Fire magic treasures had been stone pillars.

The Four Directions Fire Dragon Pillars had been born in the ancient era. They could absorb Solar Power and transform it into a domain of flame, their might beyond measure.

"The refining method for this treasure was lost long ago. Where did Shen Qiu get it?"

"His Four Directions Fire Dragon Pillars are actually forged from Nine Yang Essence Wall. If a Golden Core expert refined them day and night, they could absolutely become a third-rank magic tool."

"No matter what, Shen Qiu's combat strength cannot be underestimated. This will surely be a battle between dragons and tigers."

"..."

Shen Qiu stood within the domain of flame, his aura rising step by step until it finally settled at the peak of the eighth layer.

"This was the trump card I saved for dealing with Shen Yun. I never thought I'd have to use it now."

His results in the Second Round had placed him at the bottom. This round, he had to leave everyone in the dust and earn Elder Yaoguang's favor before he could have even a sliver of a chance at obtaining a spot.

Kill!

Duanmu Tong shouted inwardly and charged in savagely without another word.

His speed was terrifying, like a streak of silver lightning. He kicked up gust after gust of fierce wind, even sweeping the massive ice blocks off the ground and sending them flying wildly through the gale.

The silver spear shot out like a spirit serpent leaving its burrow. Threadlike Metal Element Spiritual Energy surged forth, condensed to the utmost extreme as it stabbed straight for Shen Qiu's throat.

"What is this supposed to mean?!"

Shen Qiu found it utterly baffling. Stirred by the Killing Intent, he felt as though he had fallen into an ice cave and hurriedly cast the Fire Wall Technique to block it.

The four fire dragons spewed flames at once, raising a fire wall three meters thick. The surrounding ice instantly turned to vapor. Even a Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator could hardly cast a spell more powerful than this.

Break for me!

Duanmu Tong ignored everything else. With a turn of his silver spear, Metal Element Spiritual Energy spun madly at the tip like a top, forcibly tearing apart the fire wall.

Too fast!

The tall figure moved like shooting stars and flashing lightning, passing through the fire wall in an instant. The power of the silver spear concentrated at a single point and erupted in dazzling Golden Light, charging straight for his opponent's fatal point.

Before Shen Qiu could catch his breath, an even fiercer killing strike had arrived. From the silver spear, he could smell the aura of death.

"Are you targeting me?!"

He cursed inwardly and could only strike out with Fused Spiritual Power despite his battered Physical Body.

Crackle!

The Nine Nether Spirit Body groaned under the unbearable strain. Enduring the agony of being sliced apart inch by inch, Shen Qiu blasted Gold-Fire Spiritual Power straight at the silver spear.

He and Duanmu Tong collided again and again, metal ringing sharply. The profound ice cracked, blast waves surged, and in the blink of an eye, they had exchanged dozens of moves.

The spectators watched with their eyes wide and mouths agape. Compared to this, the earlier battles had been nothing more than children playing house.

"When did Shen Qiu offend Duanmu Tong?"

Discussion broke out all around them. Even Murong Xue furrowed her brows, seeming to feel that he had gone too far.

Shen Yun was not surprised in the slightest. He lifted his gaze toward Elder Yaoguang, only to meet the elder's eyes.

Seeing the unfathomable smile on the other man's face, Shen Yun looked away. He knew Elder Yaoguang had already seen through the entire situation.

On the Icefire Battlefield, Duanmu Tong had been unable to take Shen Qiu down for so long that he simply went all in.

The silver spear's trajectory became more and more elusive, feinting east and striking west, pointing south and attacking north. Every step was calculated, carrying the flavor of deploying troops and setting formations. He truly lived up to the name of the Wise Spear.

Shen Qiu was toyed with until he spun in circles. At last, he revealed a massive opening and was swept away by a single spear strike, crashing with a boom through a huge block of ice and becoming buried within it, unable to move.

Only then did the match come to an end.

Duanmu Tong let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and pretended to rescue Shen Qiu.

Then he walked before Elder Yaoguang and said, trying to cover up the truth, "When I encountered a Heavenly Pride like Shen Qiu, this disciple was overcome with the joy of meeting worthy prey and failed to hold back. Please punish me, Elder."

Elder Yaoguang glanced at him without saying much. Only then did Duanmu Tong breathe a sigh of relief.

After several more rounds, Duanmu Tong seemed to restrain himself, performing in a proper and unremarkable manner.

It was not until Shen Wude took the stage that he revealed his fangs once more.

The silver spear no longer struck in broad, sweeping arcs. Instead, it became sinister and unpredictable, impossible to tell where it would land the next moment.

Having learned his lesson, Duanmu Tong condensed all his power into a single point, making the heavy seem light and bringing his control to the utmost limit.

The scene appeared calm and peaceful, but it was even more perilous than before.

Unfortunately, he had chosen the wrong opponent. Being hunted down was almost an everyday occurrence for Shen Wude, and his ability to flee had long been tempered a thousand times over.

No matter how Duanmu Tong unleashed every method at his disposal, Shen Wude remained at ease. He was slipperier than a loach, as though not even a feather could touch his body.

Feng Zizai watched until tears streamed down his face, his Dao Heart even being reforged. "My path was not wrong. Shen Wude should be my teacher."

As time continued to slip away, Duanmu Tong grew anxious. The kid across from him had brought escaping to perfection and was even harder to deal with than Shen Qiu.

"This kid is still smiling while fighting me!"

He was already numb. These people were more bizarre than the last. Aside from that useless undercover Shen Feng, every one of them had made him suffer bitterly.

"This can't continue!"

Duanmu Tong gritted his teeth fiercely and stopped holding back in the slightest. The silver spear brought wind and fire into mutual generation, flowing like clouds and water, surpassing even his battle against Shen Qiu.

Awooo!

Shen Wude failed to dodge in time and took a vicious hit to the backside, springing three zhang into the air.

Seeing Duanmu Tong with Killing Intent filling the sky, he immediately shouted, "I concede!"

Duanmu Tong had thrust out with nearly all his strength. Hearing those words, he could only forcefully pull back his power.

The extreme reversal made him feel awful, as though a mouthful of foul air had failed to escape. His face flushed bright red from holding it in.

Shen Wude strolled down from the stage. He had already lasted thirty breaths, so why would he risk his life any longer?

Any extra points would be wasted. As long as he could slip into the Sword Sect, that was enough.

Granny Aramaki was still rejoicing over Shen Qiu's defeat, but upon seeing this, she immediately put on an extreme face-changing performance.

After scheming everything so thoroughly, she had still allowed members of the Shen Family to enter the Sword Sect. It was simply a joke.

Shen Wude put away his frivolous manner and said seriously, "Duanmu Tong is probably targeting the Shen Family."

Though he laughed and joked all day as if he were playing through life, his thoughts were actually exceedingly meticulous. He had been the first to notice Shen Yun's unusual nature.

Shen Yun understood the unspoken meaning and replied calmly, "He will never have another chance to make a move."

"Next, Shen Yun!"

As those words fell, Shen Yun stood up and walked step by step toward the stage.

Shen Qingruo watched his back, her delicate fists clenched so tightly that her nails were about to dig into her flesh. Am I causing him trouble again?

She knew very well that with Shen Yun's strength, passing the assessment would be as easy as turning his hand over. There was no need for him to confront Duanmu Tong head-on.

Shen Wude shook his head and said earnestly, "Big Brother's strength is far beyond anything you or I can imagine. Duanmu Tong is not worth half of him!"

Watching Shen Yun approach, Duanmu Tong focused completely. Several unexpected incidents had already made him jump at the sight of a bow, and he decided to defeat Shen Yun with thunderous methods.

Elder Yaoguang slowly opened his eyes, his gaze locking onto Shen Yun's figure. Snake or dragon—let me see.

Countless gazes turned toward them, silently witnessing this match.

None of them realized that Shen Yun did not regard this as a match at all.

It was a true fight to the death!