The arena fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone stared wide-eyed, frozen in place, looking at Lin Xuan and the Elite List token in his hand, their hearts shaken to the core, disbelief filling their eyes.
After a few breaths, someone finally snapped out of it.
Hisses...
Instantly, accompanied by the sound of sharp intakes of breath spreading through the crowd, the arena erupted like an explosion, boiling over completely.
"Is that really Lin Xuan? No way—isn't he a new disciple?"
"Yeah, he's only been here a little over a month, and he's already made it onto the Elite List? That's too fake, right?"
"No, on my way here, I heard a rumor that after Lin Xuan defeated Li Quan in the dueling arena, Senior Brother Hu Yuanhua challenged him. Then, Senior Brother Hu went all out, even using his intent, but Lin Xuan beat him in two moves and destroyed the entire dueling arena! I didn't believe it at first, but now Lin Xuan is holding the Elite List token that originally belonged to Senior Brother Hu—so it seems a bit credible!"
"Now that you mention it, I remember passing by the dueling arena on my way here and noticing it looked different. Everyone was saying the whole place was covered in cracks, and one of the platforms had collapsed! Could Lin Xuan have done that?"
"Damn! Not only did he defeat Senior Brother Hu Yuanhua, but he also wrecked the dueling arena. If that's true, Lin Xuan's strength must be terrifying!"
"Yeah, if it's true, even if Lin Xuan doesn't meet the standard for a true disciple, he'd still rank high on the Elite List!"
"We'll know for sure if we go check the dueling arena later. And if something this big happened, it'll definitely spread like wildfire—we'll find out when we head back!"
"..."
The crowd buzzed with noise, exclamations unending.
Yet their gazes remained fixed on Lin Xuan.
And as the discussions continued, the looks they cast at Lin Xuan grew even more awestruck.
If that rumor was true, Lin Xuan's strength was terrifying!
Not only had he defeated Elite List expert Hu Yuanhua in two moves, but he'd nearly destroyed the entire dueling arena and collapsed one platform!
Keep in mind, the dueling arena was built with the consideration that peak Condensation Whirl Realm inner disciples might fight there. So, even peak Condensation Whirl cultivators would struggle to damage it.
Yet Lin Xuan had wrecked it.
That showed just how far his strength had reached!
Even if he wasn't on par with a true disciple, he was likely close, maybe even capable of breaking into the top ten of the Elite List—or higher!
And considering Lin Xuan had only been a disciple for a little over a month, not even two months, to have such power...
It highlighted just how terrifying his talent must be!
The crowd was utterly stunned, their hearts churning like a massive wave, unable to calm for a long time.
Beside him, Wu Mengna snapped back to reality as the arena grew lively.
Hearing the murmurs around her, her heart pounded wildly, her face turned pale, and fear flickered in her eyes, all traces of her earlier arrogance gone.
Behind her, Zhang Chen remained dazed, his mind buzzing, too shocked to think clearly.
Lin Xuan, however, wore a faint, calm smile.
He hadn't expected the events at the dueling arena to spread so quickly.
But that wasn't a bad thing—it meant he could gather more energy points.
Then, Lin Xuan turned to Wu Mengna and said coldly, "Well? Do you still want me to kneel and apologize?"
Wu Mengna snapped out of it, her face shifting between pale and red.
Though she couldn't confirm the truth of the rumors the disciples were spreading, she dared not make a move anymore.
Compared to Lin Xuan's unwavering calm and his clearly formidable presence, she felt even more wary.
"Hmph! You win this time! I don't want this Spirit Condensation Pill anymore!"
Wu Mengna snorted coldly and started walking away.
"And remember, Zhang Chen is now my friend, Lin Xuan's. If you cause trouble again, don't blame me for being rude. If you're not satisfied, you can always go find your big brother, Wu Jie, and have him challenge me. I'll be waiting anytime!"
Lin Xuan's cool voice came from behind.
Wu Mengna paused mid-step but, oddly, didn't retort.
Instead, she quickened her pace, as if fleeing.
The crowd grew even more astonished.
Lin Xuan showed no fear at all—his words even suggested he was ready to take on Wu Jie, ranked ninth on the Elite List!
As a top-ten Elite List member, he was a peak inner disciple, far surpassing other Elite List experts, with a high chance of becoming a true disciple.
Yet Lin Xuan was still so confident.
Could his strength really rival or even surpass the top ten of the Elite List?
The crowd was utterly shocked, unable to believe it.
At the same time, they couldn't help but feel that the rumor about Lin Xuan wrecking the dueling arena must be true.
Because, from Lin Xuan's tone and attitude, destroying the dueling arena and defeating Hu Yuanhua seemed like no big deal.
Lin Xuan, however, paid them no mind.
After Wu Mengna left, he turned to Zhang Chen, who was behind the alchemy furnace, and said with a faint smile, "Senior Brother Zhang, how about it? Two thousand contribution points for this one-mark Spirit Condensation Pill?"
Zhang Chen snapped back to reality at that.
He looked at Lin Xuan, his heart filled with awe and deep emotion.
Then, he let out a bitter laugh.
He was hailed as the sect's number one alchemy genius.
But compared to Lin Xuan, his genius status seemed to plummet, becoming utterly ordinary.
He recalled how the sect had quietly dubbed Lin Xuan the number one genius of Flowing Cloud Sect.
Now, it seemed Lin Xuan truly was that.
Even that title might not be enough to describe him!
In his view, Lin Xuan was likely the number one genius in all of Cangyuan Kingdom.
Thinking this, Zhang Chen's shock deepened.
He shook his head again.
Why was he comparing himself to such a monstrous anomaly?
Wasn't that just asking for trouble?
Zhang Chen gave a wry smile and replied, "Alright, and thank you for stepping in this time, Junior Brother Lin."
"No need! Wu Mengna went too far—I couldn't stand it either. Don't worry, I've made it clear she won't dare come again. If she does, I won't let her off. Others might fear her big brother, Wu Jie, ranked ninth on the Elite List, but I don't!"
Lin Xuan said with a light smile.
His words made it seem like he didn't care about the so-called ninth-ranked Elite List expert at all.
And that was true.
His current physical strength was enough to crush almost any Condensation Whirl cultivator.
Not to mention, he had several intents at his disposal.
He could even fight an Opening Spirit Realm cultivator if needed.
Of course, he still had some caution toward the top three of the Elite List.
According to sect tradition, the top three of each Elite List would inevitably become true disciples.
And they'd even become strong among true disciples.
For instance, the current senior true disciple, Liu Qianyu, was once the number one on the Elite List.
No one could guarantee what strength or hidden trump cards the top three might possess.
Lin Xuan naturally didn't have absolute confidence either.