The next instant, fist met palm. Boom!! Tian Guangliang felt a surging, almost boundless force crashing into him like a vast ocean, and terror filled his heart. Yet he had no power to resist. In an instant, an unbearable, excruciating pain erupted. The sound of brittle bones cracking rang out. He knew—the bones in his arm had been shattered! But it didn’t stop there. After his fist went limp, the palm continued forward, landing on his chest. Crack, crack, crack... A chilling series of bone fractures echoed. A palm print sank into his chest. Tian Guangliang felt a sharp, searing pain assault him, and he could no longer hold on. With a scream of agony, he flew backward dozens of meters. He crashed into the ground, creating a large crater with a thunderous boom. Blood flowed, staining his clothes red. His aura grew faint—he was now severely injured. On the other side, Lin Xuan stood still, his expression still calm. He tossed the black staff he held in his right hand aside and dusted off his palms. As if he had just done something trivial. The arena fell into dead silence. Everyone stood frozen, staring at the scene before them. Lin Xuan, still composed, and Tian Guangliang, gravely wounded—their eyes wide with disbelief. After a few breaths, they finally snapped out of it. Hiss, hiss, hiss... Gasps of shock rang out continuously. The crowd erupted into commotion. “Instant kill! Damn, that was an instant kill!” “How the hell is he this strong?!” “And he didn’t even use martial arts or true energy to take down Tian Guangliang!” “Is this really a new disciple? No way, right?” “Looks like the roster wasn’t lying!” “No, the roster underestimated Lin Xuan. He might not just be close to the top ten—he might already have the terrifying strength to break into it!” “...” The surrounding disciples exclaimed in shock, their awe unending. Their gazes locked onto Lin Xuan, pupils dilated, hearts pounding. Even after coming to their senses, they couldn’t calm down. They hadn’t expected this outcome. Though they had anticipated Tian Guangliang might lose—after all, Lin Xuan had effortlessly crushed Hu Yuanhua in the betting arena. Tian Guangliang, despite ranking higher on the strength list than Hu Yuanhua, wasn’t that much stronger. So it was unlikely he’d be a match for Lin Xuan. But they hadn’t believed the roster’s description of Lin Xuan’s combat power being close to the top ten. Because they had witnessed the might of the top ten—none of them could rival those at that level. Even the weakest of the top ten could defeat them in just a few moves. Though Lin Xuan’s talent was unmatched, breaking countless records, he had only joined recently. In their eyes, he couldn’t possibly compare to the top ten. Thus, they thought Lin Xuan could beat Tian Guangliang, but not easily—it would take a grueling fight. But they never imagined Lin Xuan would directly withstand Tian Guangliang’s full-force strike, powered by his trump card—a tenth of the Earth Intent—and then send him flying with a single palm, leaving him severely injured. And Lin Xuan, from start to finish, remained calm, not even breathing heavily. This was clearly an instant kill! The disciples were stunned, realizing they had underestimated Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan was even more terrifying than the rumors suggested! He surpassed even what the strength roster recorded. Taking Tian Guangliang’s full-force blow without a scratch. Such strength meant he could break into the top ten, not just approach it. And Lin Xuan’s cultivation aura clearly hadn’t reached the Condensing Vortex Realm yet. That meant, still at the Qi Transformation Realm, he already possessed the terrifying power to enter the top ten. It highlighted just how monstrous his talent was! Far beyond what the rumors spread! The disciples were utterly shaken. Not far away, Tian Guangliang, lying wounded on the ground, was equally stunned. He hadn’t expected Lin Xuan to be this strong! He had been completely powerless to resist. After all, his strike, empowered by a tenth of the Earth Intent, was incredibly powerful—few among the top twenty would dare claim they could withstand it. Yet Lin Xuan, without using true energy or martial arts, had caught it with his bare hand. And emerged unscathed. Such physical strength—probably few in the top ten could match it, right? The power Lin Xuan displayed was far greater than the rumors suggested. And he hadn’t even used true energy, martial arts, intent, or spiritual weapons. Clearly, this was just a fraction of his true strength. Thinking this, Tian Guangliang was even more horrified. “Young master, are you alright?” Only when his steward came over and helped him up did he snap back to reality. But the shock in his heart hadn’t subsided at all. On the other side. Lin Xuan, seeing this scene, curled his lips into a faint smile. “Not bad.” He murmured to himself, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes. The Golden Scale Wild Elephant Art, though costly, was impressively effective. Over these four days of seclusion, most of his cultivation resources had gone into this art, not into raising his cultivation level. But fortunately, it wasn’t wasted. Though he still hadn’t mastered the Golden Scale Wild Elephant Art, it had increased his strength by another 300,000 jin, reaching a massive 800,000 jin. With 500,000 jin of force, he could easily suppress most Condensing Vortex Realm peak cultivators. Now, with 800,000 jin, he could crush nearly all Condensing Vortex Realm peak cultivators with one hand, and even go toe-to-toe with ordinary early-stage Spirit Opening Realm cultivators. His defense had also improved significantly. At least now, Condensing Vortex Realm cultivators couldn’t break through his defenses. He had just tested it on Tian Guangliang. Tian Guangliang’s full-force strike, even with a tenth of the Earth Intent, was caught with one hand, leaving not even a white mark on his palm. He hadn’t felt a thing. Then, with a single palm strike, he had held back some power and still easily crippled Tian Guangliang. That said it all. Lin Xuan was quite pleased. He then walked toward Tian Guangliang, who had just been helped up by his steward. “Senior Brother Lin, here is my strength list token. Please take it. I admit defeat—I’m thoroughly convinced!” Seeing Lin Xuan approach, Tian Guangliang took out his strength list token and handed it over respectfully. After this battle, he had witnessed Lin Xuan’s formidable strength and even more terrifying potential. He dared not harbor any other thoughts—only awe and admiration remained. But then, Lin Xuan’s words left him stunned. “I don’t need your strength list token, and I don’t plan to change residences for now. You can keep it. But tell me, how much do you think this token of yours is worth?” Lin Xuan’s calm voice fell. The arena fell silent once more.