On the arena stage, two fist lights shattered into fragments, dissipating as spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The two combatants also separated from each other.
This time, Lin Xuan merely swayed slightly, not retreating a single step, and remained unscathed. He stood calmly in place, slowly withdrawing his fist, as if he had just done something trivial.
Across from him, Zhang Kuishan’s expression shifted again. He involuntarily flew backward, retreating dozens of meters before barely stabilizing himself. His fist was slightly reddened.
At this moment, the two had clashed head-on once more, and the disparity was stark and unmistakable. Watching this scene, the spectators on the field froze in shock once again. After snapping out of it, they erupted into fervent discussion.
“How is this possible? This time, Senior Brother Zhang unleashed his true formidable power, didn’t he? And he’s still at a disadvantage!”
“Moreover, this time, Senior Brother Lin Xuan’s advantage is even more pronounced!”
“Senior Brother Zhang went all out, but didn’t Senior Brother Lin do the same?”
“It seems Senior Brother Lin Xuan is stronger after all!”
“This is our Flow Cloud Sect’s top genius—too monstrous!”
“This time, Senior Brother Lin Xuan will likely win, and he might become the new second on the Strong List, right?”
“Not necessarily. Although Senior Brother Zhang used his true strength this time, he hasn’t revealed his intent yet, so it’s clearly not his full power. If he unleashes everything, he still has a chance to win.”
“True, Senior Brother Lin Xuan has been in the sect for a shorter time, so his cultivation level is still somewhat lacking.”
“...”
The disciples buzzed with discussion, their hearts shaken. They hadn’t expected that even when Zhang Kuishan employed his strength as the second on the Strong List, having defeated all inner disciples without a rival, the result of clashing with Lin Xuan would still be this way. Not only did he fail to turn the tide and gain the upper hand, but he was pushed back even farther. Instead, it highlighted Lin Xuan’s terrifying power.
From this, it seemed Lin Xuan’s physical strength was far greater than Zhang Kuishan’s, who, as the second on the Strong List, was even inferior to the top-ranked Chen Yu. If so, in terms of physical strength, wasn’t Lin Xuan the number one among inner disciples?!
And Lin Xuan’s swordsmanship was already impressive enough to break into the top ten, possibly even the top three. Now, with such formidable physical strength, his overall power was simply too terrifying!
All of this had been achieved in less than two months since joining the sect. Remember, when Lin Xuan entered, he was only at the Aperture Opening Realm, a full three major realms away from the Condensation Rotation Realm!
Thinking of this, the disciples’ hearts trembled violently, reaching the peak of shock. This further illustrated the horror of Lin Xuan’s talent. To make such progress in such a short time was truly astounding!
Calling him the sect’s top genius was far from sufficient to describe Lin Xuan, was it? But they were only living within the sect, with limited experience, and couldn’t find a better way to express it. They could only say that Lin Xuan’s talent was so high it was beyond their ability to look up to, exceeding the scope of their imagination.
The disciples’ hearts were even more shaken. At the same time, their attitude toward this challenge shifted. After witnessing Lin Xuan and Zhang Kuishan clash twice, with Lin Xuan gaining the upper hand both times, the disciples believed that this challenge would likely end with Lin Xuan winning and becoming the new second on the Strong List.
Although Zhang Kuishan hadn’t yet revealed his intent as a trump card, neither had Lin Xuan. At the very least, Lin Xuan’s stronger swordsmanship hadn’t been displayed yet. However, Zhang Kuishan had held the second spot on the Strong List for a year, defeating all opponents with his iron fists. They couldn’t be certain that Lin Xuan would ultimately win. But if Lin Xuan did win and became the new second, it would break another sect record. The crowd’s hearts trembled again in shock.
On the high platform, several inner sect elders at the Spiritual Origin Realm watched this scene, their eyes flashing with sharp light, and they couldn’t help but feel a hint of astonishment. At the very least, in their decades as sect leaders, they had never seen an inner disciple at the Condensation Rotation Realm possess such combat power. Even the current top true disciple, Liu Qianyu, hailed as a once-in-decades genius of Flow Cloud Sect, was far inferior to Lin Xuan at the Condensation Rotation Realm.
This showed that Lin Xuan’s talent likely surpassed Liu Qianyu by a significant margin. In comparison, Lin Xuan could be called a once-in-a-century super genius of Flow Cloud Sect. They were also more optimistic about Lin Xuan. However, Lin Xuan was still only at the Condensation Rotation Realm, not yet reaching the Spirit Opening Realm, let alone the Spiritual Origin Realm. He could only be called a genius, not a powerhouse. So, they dared not make a definitive judgment. After all, the martial path held infinite possibilities. Still, this didn’t stop them from paying more attention to Lin Xuan.
On the arena stage, Zhang Kuishan looked at his slightly reddened fist, which still throbbed with pain, and was greatly shaken, exclaiming in disbelief: “How is this possible? This... how can this be?!”
In this punch, he had unleashed all his physical strength. Combined with his true qi and martial arts enhancements, it carried nearly a million jin of terrifying force. Even a weaker early-stage Spirit Opening Realm cultivator might not withstand it. In his view, this should have been his chance to reverse the disadvantage, at least gaining the upper hand and blasting Lin Xuan back. But what happened? He was still at a disadvantage, and this time it was even more pronounced. He retreated farther, while Lin Xuan was even more relaxed, not retreating a single step. The gap was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth.
How could he believe it? He almost thought he was hallucinating. But after repeated checks, the scene before him didn’t change. Coupled with the clamor around him, it all confirmed this was reality. Instantly, Zhang Kuishan was stunned, plunged into deep shock.
He hadn’t expected that even after unleashing all his physical strength, he was still no match for Lin Xuan. Was Lin Xuan really this terrifying? Was he truly a new disciple who had joined less than two months ago? This talent was too horrifying! In just two months, he had surpassed years or even decades of their cultivation! He too was utterly shocked by Lin Xuan’s monstrous talent.
After a long while, Zhang Kuishan recovered, letting out a long breath of turbid air. He looked at Lin Xuan, his pupils still wide, the shock in his heart undiminished. But at least he had regained his clarity. At the same time, a guess formed in his mind. However, he dared not confirm it, nor did he dare to ask Lin Xuan. Because if this guess was correct, it would only further highlight Lin Xuan’s terrifying talent and, in comparison, his own mediocrity. He didn’t want to, nor was he willing to, believe this fact. And in this match, he didn’t want to lose like this, defeated by a new disciple. Even though he knew his chances of winning were slim.