In front of the crowd lay Hu Yuanhua, collapsed on the ground, his breath faint. Though sharp pain wracked every part of his body, he had not yet lost consciousness. Gazing into the distance at Lin Xuan, standing atop the rubble of the shattered arena, his expression was dazed, his pupils dilated, and his heart was filled with sheer terror.
"I was too arrogant, or rather, I underestimated Lin Xuan too much," Hu Yuanhua muttered with a self-deprecating smile.
Originally, he had stepped forward as a ranked disciple to challenge Lin Xuan, a mere new inner disciple, hoping to leverage Lin Xuan's reputation for his own gain. But he never expected Lin Xuan's strength to be even more terrifying than the rumors suggested. In just two moves, Hu Yuanhua had unleashed his full power, even resorting to his trump cards prepared for the upcoming ranked competition—two artistic conceptions—yet he was nearly instantly defeated by Lin Xuan. If he hadn't retreated early, he might have died on the spot.
Only then did he realize how utterly reckless he had been, trying to take advantage of Lin Xuan. Now, not only was he severely injured, but he would likely face endless mockery and ridicule. At the same time, he witnessed the terrifying extent of Lin Xuan's talent. As a ranked disciple, Hu Yuanhua had known Lin Xuan's cultivation level before the challenge—Qi Transformation Stage, seventh layer. His foundation was solid, making him seem like an ordinary inner disciple. Yet, despite that, Lin Xuan's strength was enough to crush Hu Yuanhua, a peak Condensation Whirl Stage disciple ranked on the list with hopes of becoming a true disciple, in a devastatingly overwhelming manner. It was utterly astonishing.
Lin Xuan's public identity was merely that of an ordinary inner disciple. Even if the higher-ups valued him, he hadn't been taken as a disciple by any sect powerhouse, so the special treatment he received was limited. In terms of cultivation resources and martial arts techniques, he likely only matched inner elite disciples at best, far inferior to ranked disciples like Hu Yuanhua. Yet Lin Xuan still possessed such strength, and there could only be one reason: the boost from his talent.
Talent wasn't limited to auxiliary traits like cultivation aptitude; it also included combat-enhancing talents like strength, speed, and swordsmanship. Lin Xuan, an ordinary inner disciple with insufficient resources and mediocre techniques, only at Qi Transformation Stage seventh layer—barely entering the late stage—could effortlessly crush a peak Condensation Whirl Stage cultivator like Hu Yuanhua. This showed how unimaginably high his talents were across all aspects.
Moreover, Hu Yuanhua remembered that just a few days ago, the rumors about Lin Xuan had him at Qi Transformation Stage fourth layer. In the same betting arena, to defeat Chen Xiao, an inner elite at Condensation Whirl Stage third layer, Lin Xuan had to use a sword technique and unleash a tenth of his sword intent to win. But now? He hadn't even revealed his sword intent or used a treasured sword. With just two palm strikes, he had shattered Hu Yuanhua's full-powered attack, which incorporated two artistic conceptions. The gap in strength was immense—several times at least, perhaps even ten or twenty times. And this leap occurred in just a few days, showcasing the terrifying growth of Lin Xuan's talent, leaving Hu Yuanhua even more horrified.
Hu Yuanhua finally understood that the rumors subtly hailing Lin Xuan as the number one genius of Flowing Cloud Sect were entirely true. Not only was there no exaggeration, but they might have even underestimated him. In his view, Lin Xuan wasn't just the top genius of Flowing Cloud Sect; he far surpassed all geniuses the sect had seen in decades. At least in the last few decades, not only in Flowing Cloud Sect but across the entire Cangyuan Kingdom, no one had possessed strength like Lin Xuan's. No, not even close. Thinking this, Hu Yuanhua was utterly shaken, unable to compose himself.
Meanwhile, on the betting arena, atop the rubble of the former platform, Lin Xuan stood silently, staring at the scene before him, equally stunned. He hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Originally, when Hu Yuanhua unleashed his full strength, combining two artistic conceptions into a single strike, its power far exceeded the peak of Condensation Whirl Stage. Lin Xuan dared not underestimate it. Since he had recently trained in the *Golden Scale Elephant Art*, his physical strength had skyrocketed, and he wanted to test how powerful he had become. So he poured all his physical power into two palm strikes, hoping to block Hu Yuanhua's attack. Even if he couldn't, he could retreat safely. But he never imagined his current physical strength was far beyond his expectations.
With two palms, the unleashed power surged like an ocean, unstoppable in its path. Hu Yuanhua's full-force attack crumbled instantly without resistance. It even frightened Hu Yuanhua into retreating, using the recoil to flee. Yet even so, he was severely injured by the shockwave. This released power was so immense that even Lin Xuan, its master, couldn't fully control it. In the end, he could only let the surging force land on the arena. Unsurprisingly, the arena, built to withstand battles among peak Condensation Whirl Stage cultivators, collapsed without resistance into a pile of rubble. Even the square below was cracked, covered in a spiderweb of fissures, as if struck by a massive earthquake. It was terrifying.
Lin Xuan looked at the destruction, hardly believing he had caused it. Only now did he realize how fearsome the *Golden Scale Elephant Art* truly was. With this strike, unleashing his physical power, few at Condensation Whirl Stage could withstand it, let alone those at Opening Spirit Stage. And he was only at Qi Transformation Stage seventh layer, a full major realm and over a dozen minor realms below, yet he possessed such strength. More importantly, he hadn't even reached the initial mastery level. Unbelievable!
"It seems the *Golden Scale Elephant Art* has an even greater origin," Lin Xuan mused inwardly. After this battle, he understood that this technique was definitely not an eighth-rank martial art but something of a higher grade. Moreover, it wasn't something the Red Sun Domain could possess. Its origin was beyond his current imagination. His only consolation was that he had trained in it. He believed this powerful martial art would become a key trump card for him for a long time to come.
After a moment, Lin Xuan let out a long breath, composed himself, and turned to walk down from the rubble of the former arena. He looked at the crowd gathered outside the square. By now, the disciples and stewards assembled there were all watching him, their shock reaching an indescribable peak, but they had also snapped back to reality. Seeing Lin Xuan's gaze fall on them, the previous referee stepped forward and announced loudly, "This betting match, Lin Xuan wins!"