Hiss... hiss...
The sound of sharp intakes of breath echoed throughout the area.
The arena instantly erupted into a boiling, clamorous uproar.
"Senior Brother Lin Xuan truly lives up to being the sect's number one genius—he instantly killed Zheng Yuan!"
"And that's not all; with that one move, he probably crippled Zheng Yuan on the spot!"
"Yeah, his cultivation was directly destroyed, turning him into an ordinary person. At Zheng Yuan's age, even if he tried to rebuild, it would be nearly impossible to reach the Condensing Whirlpool Realm again!"
"So ruthless! Just as the rumors say, whenever Senior Brother Lin Xuan makes a move, at the very least, it ends in severe injury!"
"Zheng Yuan tried to exploit a loophole and angered Senior Brother Lin Xuan; getting crippled is only natural."
"Also, Senior Brother Lin Xuan's palm strike actually cracked the arena platform—such immense power!"
"The rumors are true; Lin Xuan's strength is indeed on par with the top ten of the Strong Ranking. And he made it back just in time. The third round of the ranking matches is going to be interesting!"
"Yeah, yeah! It's even more exciting now!"
"..."
The crowd buzzed with lively discussion.
Everyone was deeply shaken by Lin Xuan's ruthless attack and formidable strength.
Yet no one blamed Lin Xuan for crippling Zheng Yuan.
Because Zheng Yuan had incurred public wrath.
Plus, Lin Xuan's reputation was stellar, and his potential was boundless.
Moreover, he hadn't violated any rules—it was just a bit brutal.
Naturally, no one would oppose Lin Xuan over a crippled man.
Such was the cruelty of this world.
On the high platform, the inner sect elders nodded slightly, faint smiles of approval in their eyes.
Although Lin Xuan hadn't displayed his true strength in this match,
their keen insight could already discern some clues.
Lin Xuan's foundation was indeed remarkable.
It surpassed most core disciples by a significant margin.
But it still fell short of the senior core disciple, Liu Qianyu.
However, since Lin Xuan was hailed as the sect's number one genius, with his fame spreading throughout the sect, there should be more to him—much hidden potential.
They looked forward to his performance in the upcoming matches.
On the arena platform.
Lin Xuan glanced at Zheng Yuan, who had been sent flying by his palm strike and had his cultivation instantly crippled, then couldn't be bothered to pay him any more attention.
This time, he had deliberately struck hard.
His goodwill wasn't something to be taken advantage of so easily.
Since someone dared to harbor such thoughts, they had to be prepared to pay the price.
At the same time, he wanted to leave an impression of ruthless decisiveness.
So that no one would assume he was gentle and easy to bully, daring to step on him.
This would save him a lot of unnecessary trouble in the future.
Then, Lin Xuan shifted his gaze toward the crowd.
The referee in the distance, sensing Lin Xuan's look, gave an awkward smile.
He quickly stepped out from the crowd, leaped onto the arena, and announced loudly:
"This challenge, Lin Xuan wins!
Lin Xuan's ranking remains unchanged, still at twenty-eighth on the Strong Ranking!"
As he finished, his peripheral vision swept over the cracks on the arena platform, and he felt a lingering fear.
Good thing he had been quick-witted enough to escape the platform in time.
Otherwise, he would have been in trouble.
At the very least, his physical resilience couldn't compare to the special material of the arena.
If the platform itself had cracked, breaking a few bones would have been the least of his worries.
And this was clearly far from Lin Xuan's true strength.
Lin Xuan's power was truly monstrous.
The referee couldn't help but tremble inwardly.
But Lin Xuan paid no heed to this. Upon hearing the announcement, he leaped off the arena.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, he arrived at the small high platform.
After scanning the top of the small high platform, he walked toward the empty seat in the middle of the lowest row.
The Strong Ranking disciples in the same row quickly stepped aside to make way for Lin Xuan.
Not daring to show any arrogance.
Because Lin Xuan's strength was so overwhelming that even the top ten might not be his match, and he might even have the power to challenge the top three.
As for them, the disciples at the bottom of the Strong Ranking, even if they all fought together, they wouldn't be enough for Lin Xuan to handle with one hand.
They naturally dared not show any defiance.
They respectfully invited Lin Xuan to take his seat.
They estimated that after this ranking match, he would at least enter the top ten, with a strong chance of breaking into the top three.
Being able to sit alongside the top three of the Strong Ranking was an honor for them.
Several of them silently sighed.
Then, Lin Xuan, with a calm expression, sat back down in his rightful place.
Only then did the others dare to sit.
On the high platform, the Spirit Origin Realm elder in charge of the proceedings saw this and announced loudly:
"This concludes the second round!
The thirty-six members of the Strong Ranking have been decided!
They are the thirty-six strongest inner sect disciples of our Flowing Cloud Sect.
They will receive the sect's focused training, and after the ranking matches, they will be rewarded generously by the sect!
Congratulations to them!"
As his words fell, a thunderous round of applause erupted across the arena.
After a moment, the arena quieted down.
The elder continued:
"Next is the third round, the ranking match battles.
The rules are the same as usual.
The thirty-six on the Strong Ranking will challenge each other.
But only those with lower rankings can challenge those with higher rankings.
Each person has only one challenge opportunity.
At the same time, each person can accept up to three challenges.
However, when challenging the same person, there must be a gap of two matches.
Additionally, the ranking matches are far more important than the previous two rounds.
Therefore, they will all take place on Arena Number Three, one match at a time.
Alright, that's all.
Let's begin!"
As his voice trailed off, the arena remained silent for a moment.
After a while, a Strong Ranking disciple stood up, leaped onto the arena, and cupped his hands:
"Disciple Yu Yu, ranked twenty-fourth, challenges Shen Lianshan, ranked twenty-first!"
Since challenges could not be refused, only conceded.
Soon, Shen Lianshan leaped onto the arena.
An inner sect elder at the mid-stage of the Opening Spirit Realm also jumped onto the arena to serve as referee.
He announced loudly:
"The challenge begins!"
Then, the two engaged in a fierce battle.
Both were at the peak of the Condensing Whirlpool Realm, with close rankings and not much difference in strength.
They fought for a full several dozen minutes before a victor emerged.
Then, match after match proceeded.
Time slowly passed, and before they knew it, an hour had gone by.
During this time, Lin Xuan and the top three of the Strong Ranking had yet to make a move.
No one dared to challenge them either.
By now, in the eyes of the inner sect disciples, Lin Xuan was already on the same level as the top three.
"It's about time. I should issue a challenge!"
Lin Xuan looked at the distant arena, where another match had just concluded, and was about to stand up.
At that moment, a tall, exceptionally handsome figure in white robes had already taken his place on the arena.
"Senior Brother Zhao, please. I've been wanting to test your skills!"
The calm, gentle voice fell, instantly stirring a wave of commotion across the square.
Countless inner sect female disciples burst into loud cheers.
Unlike Lin Xuan, although this white-robed figure's face was slightly less striking, his humble demeanor and warm voice earned him great admiration from the female disciples.
"He beat me to it, the third-ranked one."
Lin Xuan muttered in mild annoyance.
The white-robed figure on the arena was Bai Yunfei, ranked third on the Strong Ranking.