Around them, the expressions of Yangyuan Sect Leader Zhang Xing, the Grand Elder, and other high-ranking members froze, their eyes filled with disbelief. They knew that Fire Yuan True Person was sent by the major forces of Fengwu Domain, the core of Fengwu Prefecture, to oversee this qualification competition. His vision was far beyond what they could imagine. In previous sessions, when he came to Chiyu Domain, he had always been cold and dismissive, as if no one in the entire domain was worth his notice. Even the prodigy Zhang Yuchen, ranked on the Xuan Yuan List, was treated the same. But today? Fire Yuan True Person had voluntarily praised Lin Xuan. Did that mean Lin Xuan had caught his eye? And Zhang Yuchen was inferior to Lin Xuan? The high-ranking members of Yangyuan Sect widened their eyes, utterly incredulous. They stood frozen, deeply shocked, unable to calm down.
On the fifth arena, bangs, bangs, bangs—several more explosive sounds rang out. This snapped everyone back to reality, and their gazes dropped down. They saw Duan Feichen seize the opportunity to sweep the remaining survivors off the arena. Of course, Duan Feichen was clever enough to know not to provoke Lin Xuan, so he avoided Liu Qianyu and Chen Hanshuang. Now, only four people remained on the fifth arena, marking the end of the first round of the melee. The other four arenas had only just begun. The gap was immense, beyond words. Watching this scene, the crowd sighed in amazement. No one had expected it to turn out this way. The high-ranking members of the various forces whose disciples had been blasted off the arena by Lin Xuan’s palm wore grim expressions. Being eliminated so quickly was too embarrassing. But they had no choice but to let it go, not daring to trouble Lin Xuan. After all, the strength Lin Xuan had displayed was already on par with the Four Young Masters. Such a top-tier prodigy, with unimaginable potential, was not someone they could afford to provoke. They could only chalk it up to bad luck.
Not far away on the square, the referee, snapping out of his daze, quickly leaped onto the arena and announced loudly, “Arena Five, first round melee is over! Lin Xuan, Duan Feichen, Liu Qianyu, Chen Hanshuang—four advance to the next round!” As his words fell, the crowd erupted in clamor. On the arena, Chen Hanshuang and Liu Qianyu were both dumbfounded. “It’s over? We advanced?” The series of changes had happened too fast and too drastically; they hadn’t fully processed it yet. Only when the referee announced the results did they come to their senses. Looking at Lin Xuan, their expressions were filled with extreme shock and complexity. “Thank you, Senior Brother Lin!” “Brother Lin Xuan, thanks a lot this time.” Both bowed to Lin Xuan in gratitude. After recovering, they felt quite pleased. In the previous session, both had been eliminated in the first round. They hadn’t expected that this time, thanks to Lin Xuan, they would advance without even lifting a finger. Regardless, they had made it to the second round and secured a spot in the competition, which was worth celebrating. At the same time, they were once again astounded by Lin Xuan’s strength. This was different from the puppet secret realm last time. Back then, Lin Xuan had used the inheritance he obtained to unleash that devastating sword strike, killing nearly a hundred Kai Ling realm cultivators in one blow. But this time, Lin Xuan had casually sent over fifty Kai Ling realm martial artists flying with a single palm strike, and they, standing within ten meters, hadn’t been affected at all. The gap was like a chasm. It showed how much Lin Xuan’s strength had grown. And this had happened in just ten days. Such a surge in power highlighted his terrifying talent. Both were deeply shaken, unable to stay calm.
“Mm, it’s nothing,” Lin Xuan replied, waving his hand as if it were a trivial matter. Glancing at the attribute panel floating before him, with its steadily increasing energy points, he nodded slightly. “Let’s go.” With that, he leaped off the arena and headed toward the southern stands. Chen Hanshuang and Liu Qianyu quickly followed, returning to the stands under the watchful eyes of the high-ranking members from various forces. Only after Lin Xuan sat back down did the crowd shift their attention to the other arenas. Yet the astonishing scene from before lingered in their minds, their shock still unresolved.
The first round of the melee continued. On the other four arenas, the Four Young Masters were each stationed—the top four prodigies of Chiyu Domain. Seeing that Arena Five had already concluded, they, as young master-level talents, refused to fall behind. They stopped waiting and took the initiative to act. “Wind Yuan Fierce Flame Palm!” “Lingyun One Sword!” “Blazing Fire Everywhere!” “...” The Four Young Masters, as Ling Yuan realm cultivators, were unstoppable once they made their move. In just a few breaths, they eliminated most of the martial artists on their arenas, leaving fewer than ten. Soon, all four arenas had their results, with four advancing from each. Most were disciples of Yangyuan Sect, Fengyan Valley, and the Red Flame Kingdom’s royal family. Additionally, there was Sun Yuwen and one other disciple not from the eight major forces. The referee then announced the results, and the crowd buzzed with amazement. No one had expected this session to turn out this way. With Lin Xuan’s sudden rise, he had ignited the fighting spirit of the Four Young Masters, causing the first round to end early—much sooner than in previous years. Although the Four Young Masters had acted and displayed impressive strength, they still fell slightly short compared to Lin Xuan. While both had eliminated over fifty participants in one move, Lin Xuan’s palm strike on Arena Five hadn’t even used martial arts, spiritual power, or intent. The Four Young Masters, however, had employed martial arts and Ling Yuan. In comparison, the difference was clear. The crowd was once again shaken by Lin Xuan’s strength, and they eagerly anticipated the upcoming battles, especially the clash between Lin Xuan and the Four Young Masters. Who would emerge victorious?
On the eastern stands, the Grand Elder of Yangyuan Sect stood up, leaped down, and landed on Arena Three. Scanning the entire venue, he paused briefly on Lin Xuan before announcing loudly, “The qualification competition, the Chiyu Domain Grand Tournament. The first round, the melee, is now concluded. The list of those advancing: Zhang Yuchen, Chen Feng, Zhou Wenhao, Wu Xin, Lin Xuan... twenty in total. They will also earn the right to participate in the Xuan Yuan List ranking competition. Additionally, they will receive generous rewards from our eight major forces. Congratulations to them!” As his words fell, a wave of applause erupted across the venue. Everyone’s gaze fell on the twenty who had advanced, with most attention focused on Lin Xuan and the Four Young Masters.