Rules are only meant to bind the weak

Onlookers see more than the players. At first, Su Yutong didn’t understand what was happening until she heard the murmurs around her.

"You actually have another high-grade magic artifact!"

Her gaze fell on Wang Yuyao’s right hand, where the Perfect Mystic Water Ring gleamed, and her expression darkened.

That old bastard was far too generous!

To think he’d lavished four high-grade magic artifacts on this lowly woman at once!

Especially this blue ring—it possessed the rare and formidable ability to enhance the power of other artifacts.

Such a treasure was far more valuable than ordinary artifacts of the same tier!

Wang Yuyao remained silent.

An invisible force from the Perfect Mystic Water Ring merged into the Perfect Cloudwater Frostblade.

The sword trembled.

A biting cold mist spread, enveloping the blade entirely before condensing into a layer of solid ice over its surface.

In an instant, the Perfect Cloudwater Frostblade transformed into a crystalline ice sword.

A terrifying chill radiated from the blade, causing the temperature on the arena to plummet.

Whoosh!

A sharp whistling sound pierced the air.

The ice sword shot forward, appearing before Su Yutong in a flash.

As it closed in, the bone-numbing cold intensified.

Su Yutong felt her body stiffen, as if she might freeze solid at any moment.

Her expression shifted.

Channeling her spiritual energy rapidly, she managed to slightly loosen her frozen limbs.

She clasped her hands together, fingers interlaced in a seal.

Golden Light Seal!

A golden glow emerged from her palms and fused into her flying sword, turning it into a golden blade.

The next moment, the two swords clashed.

A wave of icy mist swept across the arena, freezing and shattering the golden sword energy.

Moments later, as the mist dissipated, a disheveled figure was revealed.

Su Yutong knelt on one knee, her hair in disarray.

A gruesome, bloody hole marred her shoulder, a horrifying sight.

The terrifying cold had crystallized into frost on her hair and skin.

Blood that seeped from her wound froze instantly, shattering into icy shards as it hit the ground.

"You’ve lost."

Wang Yuyao’s hair fluttered as the Perfect Cloudwater Frostblade hovered above her, its icy energy aimed squarely at Su Yutong.

"No—impossible!"

"How could I lose to a wretch like you?"

Su Yutong’s face twisted in disbelief before contorting into madness.

"A lowly woman like you isn’t fit to stand against me!"

"Impossible!"

Wang Yuyao frowned slightly and flicked her finger forward.

The Perfect Cloudwater Frostblade shot straight toward Su Yutong.

With Su Yutong’s strength nearly depleted, this strike would leave her either dead or crippled.

Whoosh!

At that moment, a blazing beam of light streaked across the sky like a meteor, striking from outside Arena No. 9.

Beside Yun Zhongque, an inner sect elder frowned and moved to intervene—but Yun Zhongque raised a hand, stopping him.

The elder hesitated briefly before ultimately standing down.

In that split second of hesitation, the radiant beam had already reached Arena No. 9, colliding precisely with the Perfect Cloudwater Frostblade.

A surge of scorching energy erupted, instantly melting the sword’s frost and sending it flying back.

Boom!

The beam struck the ground.

A wave of blistering force exploded outward.

Wang Yuyao, caught off guard, was struck squarely by the impact. She coughed up blood and staggered back several steps.

When the dust settled, a half-foot-deep crater lay in the center of the arena.

Embedded within it was a golden jade talisman, standing upright like a blade.

"Yutong, you forgot to bring this."

A calm voice echoed across the plaza.

Wang Jianqiang narrowed his eyes, his gaze shifting to Arena No. 1.

The golden jade talisman had been thrown by none other than Ye Lingyun.

Arena No. 1 and Arena No. 9 were hundreds of yards apart.

Even if Wang Yuyao’s strike hadn’t been at full power, intercepting it from such a distance was proof enough of Ye Lingyun’s strength.

"It’s Ye Lingyun!"

"He actually intervened!"

"To block Wang Yuyao’s attack from so far away—his power has grown again!"

The crowd erupted in murmurs, their attention now fixed on Arena No. 1.

Meanwhile, Su Yutong snapped out of her daze.

When she saw the golden jade talisman, her face lit up with delight.

With a wave of her hand, she summoned the talisman to her grasp.

"You wretched woman, die!"

With a furious scream, she poured the last of her spiritual energy into the talisman.

In the next instant, the golden jade talisman dissolved into countless specks of light before reforming above her head—taking the shape of a massive golden blade.

A formidable aura radiated outward, growing stronger as the blade solidified.

The crowd’s attention snapped back to the arena.

Gasps of shock rippled through the plaza.

"Heavens, it’s a Treasure Talisman!"

"That golden jade talisman is a Treasure Talisman?"

"Wang Yuyao is finished!"

Treasure Talisman!

Wang Jianqiang frowned as he observed the glowing blade formed from the talisman.

Treasure Talismans were a unique type of spiritual charm, forged using the essence of powerful artifacts or magic treasures combined with talismanic techniques.

Because they could only retain up to 30% of the original artifact’s power, and because the essence was difficult to replenish, crafting them was often seen as wasteful.

They were typically made only by elders to protect favored juniors, making them exceedingly rare.

"Treasure Talismans have limited uses—once expended, they shatter completely."

"What kind of relationship do Ye Lingyun and Su Yutong have for him to lend her such a treasure?"

Wang Jianqiang studied the two thoughtfully before standing and addressing the three figures hovering in the air.

"Elders, doesn’t this violate the tournament’s rules?"

His voice, amplified by spiritual energy, carried across the entire plaza.

Silence fell.

All eyes turned to him in astonishment.

Wang Jianqiang—the most infamous good-for-nothing in the outer sect—dared to question the inner sect elders now?

"That item belongs to Su Yutong. I merely returned it to her."

Before the elders could respond, Ye Lingyun from Arena No. 1 turned his gaze toward Wang Jianqiang, his sharp eyes like piercing arrows.

"Exactly, he was just returning what was hers. Perfectly reasonable."

"Right? If Wang Yuyao can use multiple high-grade artifacts, why can’t others use their own treasures?"

Nearby, Bu Yueban and Xiong Zhuang, who had been on the verge of despair, now saw a glimmer of hope.

A Treasure Talisman!

Even the weakest Treasure Talisman was forged from the essence of a spiritual artifact—far surpassing ordinary magic artifacts.

No matter how many high-grade artifacts Wang Yuyao had, she stood no chance against Su Yutong wielding a Treasure Talisman.

Wang Jianqiang ignored the three, keeping his eyes fixed on the figures in the sky.

Bu Yueban and Xiong Zhuang snorted in disdain at his dismissal.

Ye Lingyun’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of coldness passing through them.

Above, Yun Zhongque glanced indifferently at Wang Jianqiang before turning his gaze to Ye Lingyun.

A calm voice finally broke the silence.

"Let it be the last time."

"Yes, Elder."

Ye Lingyun clasped his hands toward the sky in a mocking salute before turning his gaze back to Wang Jianqiang, his face brimming with disdain.

Wang Jianqiang fell silent at his words.

Though Yun Zhongque’s remarks seemed to criticize Ye Lingyun, they tacitly endorsed his actions.

As expected, no matter which world one lived in, strength reigned supreme.

Rules… were nothing but chains for the weak.

He smirked indifferently.

His eyes returned to the arena.

The battle was far from over.

Victory or defeat still hung in the balance.