After the ten initial defenders were determined,
The forty challengers below the arena began carefully observing these ten defenders, seemingly considering which one to challenge.
For a moment, the scene fell into silence.
"Haha, since everyone is being so polite, let me go first."
At that moment, a figure shot toward the eighth arena.
This person's action seemed to trigger a chain reaction, as several more figures swiftly followed.
In the blink of an eye,
All nine arenas except the first had challengers facing their respective defenders.
On these nine arenas, fierce battles erupted, accompanied by continuous explosions.
Only the first arena remained eerily quiet, standing out starkly.
Wang Jianqiang couldn't help but glance at the figure meditating on the first arena.
"Name: Ye Lingyun
Gender: Male
Cultivation: Qi Refinement Perfection
Age: 30/100
Spiritual Roots: Dual Metal-Earth Roots
Favorability: 0"
"So it's him—no wonder!"
Upon seeing this information, Wang Jianqiang's pupils contracted.
This name was thunderously famous in the outer sect.
Ye Lingyun had joined the sect ten years ago and reached Qi Refinement Perfection in just nine years.
Shortly after his breakthrough, he ventured out on a training mission, where he single-handedly killed three Qi Refinement Perfection demonic sect disciples in a battle.
He was widely recognized as one of the strongest in the outer sect, unrivaled in reputation.
Even before the grand competition began, he was considered the top favorite to win.
No wonder no one dared to challenge him.
While Wang Jianqiang was observing Ye Lingyun, the battles on the nine arenas gradually subsided.
Regaining his focus, Wang Jianqiang looked around.
Four of the nine arenas had new defenders.
Su Yutong, however, remained dominant, effortlessly defeating her challenger.
Next came a half-hour recovery period.
Once the defenders had recuperated, the second round of challenges commenced.
This cycle repeated until, after five rounds, only the first and ninth arenas still had their original defenders.
Ye Lingyun remained unchallenged the entire time.
Su Yutong, meanwhile, had easily defeated five challengers.
Soon, the sixth round arrived.
This time, Wang Yuyao, who had yet to challenge anyone, finally made her move.
A flash of purple light at her feet propelled her at astonishing speed toward the ninth arena.
Seeing Wang Yuyao's action, Wang Jianqiang couldn't help but smile.
Su Yutong was formidable, firmly within the top ten of all participants and possibly even competing for the top six.
Challenging her wasn't the wisest choice.
Someone as sharp as Wang Yuyao would surely realize this.
Clearly, she remembered the conflict between Su Yutong and him and wanted to help him vent his frustration.
"Wang Yuyao, it's you!"
Upon seeing the new challenger, Su Yutong's eyes narrowed before she sneered.
"You're truly foolish. Did you really think reaching Qi Refinement Perfection and getting two high-grade artifacts from that trash would let you defeat me?"
"Whether I can defeat you or not will be decided in battle."
Wang Yuyao's expression was equally cold, her words sharp and unyielding.
People were different.
To Chen Jiaojiao, her relationship with Wang Jianqiang might have been a simple exchange, with no debts owed.
But to Wang Yuyao, it was entirely different.
She came from humble origins, enduring hardship from a young age. Had it not been for a benefactor's help, she might have died in childhood.
Thus, she had always been someone who valued gratitude.
Originally, with her talent, her chances of reaching Foundation Establishment were slim.
But now, thanks to Wang Jianqiang's aid, her cultivation had soared, and Foundation Establishment was within reach.
Once she achieved it, her power would leap forward, her life essence would transform, and her lifespan would double.
This kindness was akin to rebirth.
Wang Yuyao had no prior grudge against Su Yutong.
But since Su Yutong despised and insulted Wang Jianqiang, enmity had formed between them.
"Hmph, how presumptuous!"
Su Yutong's expression darkened.
At her core, she looked down on Wang Yuyao.
Even if Wang Yuyao's current cultivation matched hers, Su Yutong saw it as temporary.
Their backgrounds and talents were worlds apart.
Compared to her, Wang Yuyao was nothing but an ugly duckling.
In the future, Su Yutong's achievements would far surpass hers.
Thus, even though Wang Yuyao had merely responded on equal footing, Su Yutong took it as disrespect—an insult.
"You wretch, I'll make you regret this."
With a cold snort, she flicked a finger, sending a flying sword streaking toward Wang Yuyao with a fierce momentum.
Wang Yuyao showed no hesitation, summoning her own flying sword in response.
Boom!
The two swords collided midair before being flung backward simultaneously.
The backlash sent Wang Yuyao stumbling several steps, while Su Yutong merely swayed slightly.
"She's too strong! She's suppressing Wang Yuyao with just a low-grade artifact!"
"Fairy Su is incredible."
"True skill comes from oneself. Wang Yuyao's aura is unstable—she's only made it this far by relying on artifacts. Against ordinary opponents, she might manage, but against a true prodigy, she's outmatched."
The spectators erupted in chatter, especially a fat man near Wang Jianqiang, whose words were particularly cutting.
"That wench Wang Yuyao must have latched onto some rich young master."
"Did she really think she could transform into a phoenix? Facing a real genius will knock her back to reality."
The fat man's face was twisted with scorn as he glared at Wang Yuyao, as if they shared some deep-seated hatred.
Beside him stood a gaunt figure who immediately chimed in, "Brother Bu is absolutely right. Wang Yuyao just got lucky. How dare she look down on you? Disgusting."
"Even if she somehow becomes an inner disciple, she still wouldn’t be worthy of disrespecting Brother Bu."
The fat man—Brother Bu—seemed pleased by the flattery, a smug grin spreading across his face.
"Might I ask your name, brother?"
A voice suddenly interrupted.
Brother Bu turned to see a frail, elderly figure who had somehow sidled up to him.
The man had white hair, deep wrinkles, and an aura of decay—as if death were already knocking.
"Trash Wang?"
Brother Bu's eyes flashed with disdain. "What do you want, old man? I don’t have time for a useless waste like you."
Wang Jianqiang ignored the insult, smiling amiably. "You don’t seem to think highly of Wang Yuyao?"
"Obviously," Brother Bu scoffed. "Anyone with eyes can see she’s doomed."
Wang Jianqiang shook his head. "I, on the other hand, believe she can win."
"You know nothing, trash." Brother Bu burst into laughter. "If that bitch wins, I’ll eat shit!"
"Hahaha, you’re killing me!" Ma Gan couldn’t hold back either. "A worthless old man lecturing us? If Wang Yuyao wins, I’ll join in with another serving!"
"Splendid." Wang Jianqiang grinned. "Care to make a bet?"
"Get lost! What could a piece of trash like you possibly wager? I bet your—"
The fat man began cursing loudly, but his voice abruptly cut off mid-sentence.
Beside him, Ma Gan also froze in shock.
Both of them stared wide-eyed at Wang Jianqiang’s feet, their gazes gleaming with greed.
There, piled on the ground, was a massive heap of spirit stones.
Wang Jianqiang grinned at the two of them.
"Here are ten thousand spirit stones. If Wang Yuyao loses, they’re yours."
"But if Wang Yuyao wins, I won’t take a single stone from you."
"Just as you said—how about eating shit instead?"
"So, do you dare to bet… or not?"
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
