On the field. Xu Guangzhen suddenly attacked Xu Anlan, who had the lowest cultivation level on the field, catching the others off guard. Xu Guangzhen himself was at the seventh layer of the Spirit Opening Realm, four layers higher than Xu Anlan. He also hailed from the Wind Flame Valley, a sect more powerful than the Floating Cloud Sect. His strength far surpassed Xu Anlan’s. This time, it was a sneak attack, and the others were too late to intervene. Xu Anlan was already facing mortal danger. Xu Guangzhen let out a cold, sinister smile, as if he could already see Xu Anlan’s tragic end. Xu Anlan’s heart trembled with fear and terror. Under these circumstances, he had no way to defend himself. His whole body shook, feeling the threat of death descending, and despair crept into his heart. But just as the black, filthy sword light Xu Guangzhen slashed was about to land— Whoosh! A crimson sword light, as if forged from molten magma, descended, tearing through the void, and struck the black, filthy sword light directly. Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle... A harsh sound rang out. The black, filthy sword light melted away rapidly under the crimson sword light, like snowflakes meeting the sun, utterly powerless to resist. And after annihilating the black, filthy sword light, the crimson sword light only shrank by a circle, its momentum slightly diminished, and continued its assault toward Xu Guangzhen. “Damn it!” Xu Guangzhen’s face darkened as he saw this, and he slashed out another sword. Clang! A metallic clash echoed. The crimson sword light shattered. Xu Guangzhen also felt a surge of immense force, stumbling back three steps before steadying himself, his expression growing even darker. Watching this scene, the field fell into dead silence. Everyone’s eyes were filled with disbelief. Were they seeing things? Xu Guangzhen had been forced back by a sword light flying through the air? Xu Guangzhen was at the seventh layer of the Spirit Opening Realm, reaching the late stage of the Spirit Opening Realm. Aside from a few at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm, who else could do this? But in the Cangyuan Kingdom, those top ten prodigies at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm on the potential rankings had already entered the secret realm. The crowd was deeply shaken. They turned their gazes back, wanting to see who had made the move. Then they saw a strikingly handsome youth walking slowly forward. “Senior Brother Xu, are you alright?” The handsome youth looked at Xu Anlan, letting out a light laugh. “Lin Xuan? Is it you? How is that possible?” Xu Anlan stared at the handsome youth, his pupils suddenly dilating, his eyes filled with disbelief, and his heart overwhelmed with shock. “Yeah, I heard about the puppet secret realm opening, so I came right after leaving seclusion. I saw Senior Brother Xu seemed to be in trouble, so I made a move. You don’t mind, do you?” The handsome youth said calmly. This handsome youth was Lin Xuan. After learning about the puppet secret realm from the Fifth Elder, he rushed over at full speed. Just in time to see Xu Anlan in danger, he casually swept out a sword strike. Although he was only at the first layer of the Spirit Opening Realm, thanks to his solid foundation, exceptional talent, and high-grade martial arts, in terms of the quantity and quality of his spiritual power, he was not far behind those at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm. Coupled with his physical strength, now at the level of three oxen’s power, a casual sword strike, with some added force, was astonishingly powerful. Just now, even Xu Guangzhen, at the seventh layer of the Spirit Opening Realm, couldn’t withstand it and was forced back repeatedly. That was proof enough. Lin Xuan was quite satisfied with his current strength. Beside him, Xu Anlan snapped out of it after hearing this, only to freeze again: “Junior Brother Lin, are you saying... that sword strike was yours?” Xu Anlan looked at Lin Xuan, sinking into even deeper shock. The other young martial artists at the mid-stage of the Spirit Opening Realm also froze upon hearing this. They stared at Lin Xuan in disbelief, thinking they were hallucinating. On the opposite side. Xu Guangzhen, as a seventh-layer Spirit Opening Realm cultivator with sharp senses, naturally heard it too. But he immediately dismissed it. What a joke! He was at the seventh layer of the Spirit Opening Realm, in the late stage, a top prodigy from the Wind Flame Valley. He would even dare to fight those so-called potential-ranked prodigies at the peak of the Spirit Opening Realm in the Cangyuan Kingdom. How could he be forced back by a mere first-layer Spirit Opening Realm cultivator? The one who made that move absolutely couldn’t be this person! “Kid, you must be another useless martial artist from the Cangyuan Kingdom, right? Since you dare to step forward, be prepared to die! Die!” Xu Guangzhen’s face darkened, and with a cold laugh, he directly attacked Lin Xuan. Since the one who made the move earlier hadn’t shown himself, he would use this kid’s life to lure them out. And while he was at it, he’d use this guy’s life to re-establish his own authority. “Filth Devouring Spirit!” He shouted low, slashing out a sword. A pitch-black, filthy sword light flew out, and a stench spread in all directions. Everyone around felt the flow of their spiritual power stall and slow down. Fear flickered in their eyes, and they couldn’t help but step back repeatedly. This sword strike was far more powerful than before. Clearly, Xu Guangzhen was truly enraged this time. Beside him, Xu Anlan and the others also felt the power of this strike, their scalps tingling and hearts trembling. None of them could possibly withstand this blow. “Junior Brother Lin, be careful!” “Dodge!” “Danger!” “...” Xu Anlan and the others quickly shouted warnings to Lin Xuan. But Lin Xuan remained unmoved, his gaze growing even colder. Instead of dodging or evading, he slashed out a sword. “Wind Fire Shakes the Sky!” In an instant, a flame sword light condensed and shot toward the incoming black, filthy sword light. The surrounding crowd gasped in shock. Xu Guangzhen on the opposite side sneered with contempt, looking at Lin Xuan as if he were a fool. A mere first-layer Spirit Opening Realm cultivator daring to take his sword light head-on—truly seeking death! The next moment. Under the gaze of everyone on the field. The flame sword light struck the black, filthy sword light. A crisp crack sounded. Everyone thought the flame sword light had shattered, lamenting Lin Xuan’s overestimation of his abilities. But then, their eyes widened, and they froze on the spot. The black, filthy sword light split in two. What broke wasn’t the flame sword light, but the black, filthy sword technique Xu Guangzhen had slashed! Everyone stood dumbfounded, unable to believe it. And on the field, the flame sword light, like a natural enemy, after cutting through the black, filthy sword light, instantly annihilated it into nothingness. Then, it continued its assault toward Xu Guangzhen. “This... how is this possible?!?” Xu Guangzhen’s eyes bulged, unable to believe what he was seeing. He was at the seventh layer of the Spirit Opening Realm, while the other was only at the first layer. Not only had he blocked his strike, but he was now counterattacking? This was way too fake! He simply couldn’t bring himself to believe it! But at that moment, his hair stood on end, and his whole body trembled. A deadly threat washed over him. And that threat came from the incoming flame sword light. Now, no matter how much he wanted to deny it, he had to accept the truth. And he couldn’t afford to dwell on it. He quickly channeled his spiritual power and intent, slashing out another sword to attack instead of defend. Clang! A deafening explosion echoed.