On the arena stage.
Across from him, Zhou Wenhao was also momentarily stunned.
He had only been making a polite gesture of humility, never expecting Lin Xuan would actually dare to accept.
Could it be that Lin Xuan, merely at the eighth layer of the Opening Spirit Realm and not even at its peak, was confident enough to defeat him, a Spiritual Origin Realm cultivator?
If that were true, then Lin Xuan's talent would be far too formidable, wouldn't it?
At the very least, not even he, let alone Zhang Yuchen, could compare!
Zhou Wenhao's heart trembled violently.
After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he said, "Brother Lin, please!"
With that, he wasted no more words. The full might of his Spiritual Origin Realm first layer erupted without reservation.
Instantly, waves of air surged across the arena stage.
But strangely, as these air currents approached within a few meters of Lin Xuan, they seemed to encounter an invisible barrier.
Unable to advance further, they dissipated.
They couldn't affect Lin Xuan in the slightest.
This only further demonstrated Lin Xuan's extraordinary strength.
Seeing this, Zhou Wenhao grew inwardly cautious, no longer daring to underestimate Lin Xuan based on his cultivation level alone.
"Cloud-Soaring Sword Strike!"
With a low shout, his spiritual energy surged as he swung his sword.
A sword beam shot forth, incredibly sharp, as if it could pierce through the void itself.
At the same time, three levels of Sword Intent, three levels of Wind Intent, and two levels of Metal Intent erupted simultaneously!
The three intents exploded together, greatly amplifying the power. The sword beam grew rapidly, expanding to dozens of meters in size.
It seemed to tower above the clouds, gazing down upon the heavens.
Truly terrifying.
Its might radiated outward, stirring up a fearsome shockwave.
On the square, the spectators who hadn't reached the Spiritual Origin Realm felt their hearts quiver and cold sweat pour down their backs.
As if a great terror had descended, they stumbled backward repeatedly.
Only after retreating several hundred meters did they feel somewhat better.
Looking at Zhou Wenhao on the stage, they were filled with shock.
If even the mere shockwave possessed such power that they couldn't withstand it, they would likely be slain on the spot if they got any closer.
It was hard to imagine the true might of that sword strike.
Meanwhile, the onlookers from various major powers on the surrounding stands nodded slightly.
The power of this sword strike had clearly surpassed the Opening Spirit Realm, reaching the level of the Spiritual Origin Realm.
Moreover, even a first-layer Spiritual Origin Realm cultivator would find it hard to block.
A second-layer Spiritual Origin Realm cultivator wouldn't have an easy time dealing with it either.
No wonder he was one of the Four Young Masters of the Red Sun Domain.
Zhou Wenhao's strength was already comparable to some veteran experts.
Then, everyone's gaze shifted to Lin Xuan.
Faced with such a powerful sword strike, how would Lin Xuan, merely at the eighth layer of the Opening Spirit Realm, respond?
They saw Lin Xuan still wearing a calm expression, completely unfazed.
This sent a shock through the crowd.
Could it be that even such a sword strike wasn't worthy of Lin Xuan's notice?
Everyone found it hard to believe.
At the same time, they grew even more eager for this duel.
On the stage.
After Zhou Wenhao unleashed his three intents, the Cloud-Soaring Sword Beam reached its peak power.
The dozens-of-meters-long sword beam descended from the sky, pressing down toward Lin Xuan.
It cast a massive shadow over the stage, as if the heavens were collapsing, a truly awe-inspiring sight.
Across from him.
Lin Xuan remained expressionless, shaking his head slightly.
"Though it has reached the power of the Spiritual Origin Realm, unfortunately, it's still not enough."
Then, he casually threw a punch.
This punch, like before, used no spiritual energy, no intent, no martial technique.
It was just an ordinary punch, relying solely on physical strength.
But the power it unleashed was several times greater than before.
In an instant, the punch was thrown, and the winds and clouds shifted!
The endless air currents stirred up by the dozens-of-meters Cloud-Soaring Sword Beam shattered and dissipated in the blink of an eye.
The terrifying force, like towering waves, poured out endlessly, driving through the void.
It formed a fist-sized air cannon, several meters across, hurtling toward the descending Cloud-Soaring Sword Beam.
In terms of sheer presence, Lin Xuan's fist-shaped air cannon was utterly incomparable to the Cloud-Soaring Sword Beam.
Yet, as everyone watched this scene, no one dared to underestimate it in the slightest.
The next moment, under the gaze of nearly everyone present.
The fist-shaped air cannon, from below, struck the dozens-of-meters Cloud-Soaring Sword Beam head-on.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out.
A terrifying shockwave spread outward, forcing the spectators on the square to retreat again and again, their shock deepening.
Even the martial artists on the surrounding stands who hadn't reached the Spiritual Origin Realm felt their ears ringing and their blood surging, stunned by the strength of the two on the stage.
This only confirmed that Lin Xuan possessed Spiritual Origin Realm-level power.
Everyone grew even more eager to see the outcome of this clash.
Their gazes converged on the stage.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The wind howled as the dust and smoke cleared.
The scene on the stage came into view.
They saw that in the midair, the dozens-of-meters Cloud-Soaring Sword Beam was intercepted by a semi-transparent fist-shaped air cannon, clearly more than ten times smaller, only a few meters across.
It couldn't descend any further.
It seemed like a draw, but it was far from that...
Some martial artists above the mid-stage of the Spiritual Origin Realm, watching from a distance, couldn't help but narrow their eyes.
Crack, crack...
A crisp sound rang out.
They saw that the Cloud-Soaring Sword Beam was already covered in fine cracks.
Now, those cracks were widening.
Suddenly.
Boom!
Another terrifying explosion sounded.
The Cloud-Soaring Sword Beam burst apart, stirring up an even more fearsome shockwave.
Yet Lin Xuan's air cannon fist print only shrank by half and continued hurtling toward Zhou Wenhao.
Across from him.
"This... how is this possible?!"
Seeing this, Zhou Wenhao couldn't help but cry out in shock, his face full of disbelief.
This sword strike, though not his full power, was still most of his strength, amplified by three intents.
Even a second- or third-layer Spiritual Origin Realm cultivator couldn't easily withstand it.
But Lin Xuan had casually thrown a punch, not only enduring it but shattering the Cloud-Soaring Sword Beam and even counterattacking him.
The gap was like a chasm.
How could he bring himself to believe it?!
Yet the biting wind, sharp as a blade, and the force pressing down as if crushing the void made his body tremble.
No matter how unwilling he was to believe, he had to accept it.
What he saw before him was the truth.
He only then realized he had still underestimated Lin Xuan.
Such strength was not inferior to his own.
It might even surpass it.
He was utterly shocked by Lin Xuan's power.
But at this moment, he couldn't dwell on it.
Because the semi-transparent air cannon fist print from Lin Xuan's punch was already upon him.
Though part of its power had been blocked by his Cloud-Soaring Sword Beam,
the remaining force was still at the Spiritual Origin Realm level.
It posed a considerable threat to him.
If he didn't take it seriously and receive it properly, he might be seriously injured.
And facing a Lin Xuan of unfathomable strength, if he were wounded,
this battle would almost certainly end in defeat.