On the eastern viewing stand, the high-ranking members of the four major forces were also stunned for a long time, unable to believe it.
This included the Lin family. Although they had already learned at the Lin family training ground that Lin Xuan had broken through to the Aperture Opening realm and were deeply shaken by his cultivation speed, they never expected his strength to be so formidable.
Both had broken through to the Aperture Opening realm within a month, so their cultivation levels should have been similar, with the same martial arts and the same level of mastery. Yet Wu Qili, one of the original Four Geniuses of Qingyu City, was instantly killed by Lin Xuan. This far exceeded their expectations.
Lin Yun, seeing this, couldn't help but show a bitter smile. After witnessing Lin Xuan's strength, he no longer had any thoughts of competing with him. He would let Lin Xuan have the honor of being the Lin family's top genius. He no longer needed to think about reclaiming it.
On the viewing stand, aside from the Lin family disciples cheering in shock after their initial astonishment, the disciples of the other three forces were utterly terrified, trembling with fear. Even Wu Qili had been instantly killed—what were they, who were inferior to Wu Qili, in front of Lin Xuan? They too had witnessed Lin Xuan's strength. The title of Qingyu City's top genius was truly well-deserved. They no longer had any other thoughts, only admiration and awe.
In the city lord's mansion area, seated, Zhang He, who had been very confident against Lin Xuan earlier, now clenched his fists tightly, his face pale and his lips trembling slightly. The strength Lin Xuan displayed in this battle was far too great. How could he be considered a peer of their generation? He might as well be a martial artist of the previous generation. Zhang He was also badly frightened, losing all trace of confidence.
"I still have the 'Boiling Blood Art,' right, the 'Boiling Blood Art,' I can definitely win!" Suddenly, a glimmer of light flashed in Zhang He's eyes, and his heart shook violently, like a drowning man grabbing the last lifeline.
On the high platform, City Lord Zhang Wenyong, the two clan ancestors of the Chen and Wu families, were also greatly shocked. After coming to their senses, their faces darkened like water. The strength Lin Xuan displayed once again exceeded their expectations. How could this be someone who broke through to the Aperture Opening realm within a month? Even many at the mid-Aperture Opening realm might not match him, right? It seemed only those at the late Aperture Opening realm could have a sure chance of winning? Faced with Lin Xuan's strength, how could their disciples possibly contend? This plan seemed to have failed.
However, deep in Zhang Wenyong's eyes, a faint light still flickered, inadvertently falling on Zhang He.
On the field, only Zhao Quxin, who had come from Flowing Cloud Sect, and Lin Qiyu, the strongest in Qingyu City, remained unchanged in expression, their smiles undiminished. Both were at the Condensing Rotation realm, several major realms above Lin Xuan, and could roughly gauge Lin Xuan's aura and strength. They were not surprised by the outcome of this match, only adding a bit more amusement.
On the arena.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining 1000 shock energy points from Zhang Qixing, a seventh-layer Qi Transformation realm martial artist." "Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining 500 shock energy points from Wu Long, a peak Qi Gathering realm martial artist." "..."
Lin Xuan stood still, looking at the attribute panel in the void before him, where the energy points were growing at an even faster rate, a smile in his eyes.
"It's already 230,000." Lin Xuan nodded slightly, even more satisfied. Indeed, his method was effective. Instantly killing one of the original Four Geniuses of Qingyu City yielded the best results and the most energy points.
Next, there was one more person, Zhang He. He should be able to harvest another large batch of energy points. He already had a plan for dealing with Zhang He. After the competition, before leaving Qingyu City, he estimated he could accumulate 300,000 energy points. These points would be enough for him to replicate extensively and establish a foothold in Flowing Cloud Sect. Lin Xuan made his plans inwardly.
At that moment, Zhang Ping's voice came.
"This match, Lin Xuan wins, advancing!" Zhang Ping announced loudly, looking at Lin Xuan with a complex gaze. The match had ended so quickly, and the strength Lin Xuan displayed once again exceeded his expectations. Only now did he truly snap out of it, remember his duty, and announce the result. Yet the shock in his heart had not diminished much.
As his words fell, everyone on the field came back to their senses. Immediately, an even greater uproar spread. All eyes were fixed on Lin Xuan, filled with shock. Under everyone's gaze, Lin Xuan jumped off the arena and walked toward the viewing stand.
"Brother Lin Xuan, congratulations." Back at his seat, Lin Shiyun greeted him with a beaming smile, incredibly excited, as if she had won herself.
"Haha, just lucky," Lin Xuan replied with a smile.
The two of them got close again, chatting and laughing.
The second round of elimination continued. With Lin Xuan defeating Wu Qili, Lin Xuan advanced to the top three, while Wu Qili fell outside the top three. Similarly, Zhang He also advanced to the top three.
Next were the matches between Chen Yu and Lin Yun, and Chen Yu and Wu Qili. Since Lin Xuan had not controlled his strength well in his earlier one-hit victory, breaking Wu Qili's arm and rendering him unable to fight, Chen Yu's match against Wu Qili was won by default. Similarly, Lin Yun had expended a lot of energy in his match against Zhang He, weakening his strength. Chen Yu, also one of the Four Geniuses, was at his peak. Naturally, Chen Yu won their match. Both matches ended quickly. Chen Yu advanced to the top three.
With that, the top three were decided. Zhang Ping announced loudly:
"The second round ends here, and the top three are determined. They are Lin Xuan, Zhang He, and Chen Yu! They are also the strongest geniuses of Qingyu City. They will receive generous rewards. Congratulations to them!"
As his voice fell, warm applause erupted on the field. Everyone looked at Lin Xuan, Zhang He, and the others with awe, admiration, and envy. Of course, most eyes were on Lin Xuan. After all, from the previous match, anyone with discerning eyes could see that Lin Xuan's strength had already surpassed the other two by a considerable margin. Barring any surprises, he would basically be first.
After a while, when the lively atmosphere on the field had calmed down a bit, Zhang Ping continued loudly:
"Next, there will be a half-hour break before the final match of this competition."
This was also the standard procedure for the competition. The previous matches might have consumed a lot of energy. Half an hour was set aside for recovery to ensure fairness. Everyone understood this and waited eagerly.
Lin Xuan continued chatting and laughing with Lin Shiyun beside him, completely unconcerned. All his previous matches had ended in instant kills, so he didn't need to recover. Not far away, Zhang He cast a solemn glance at Lin Xuan, then swallowed a pill and closed his eyes to recover. Next, he would face Lin Xuan. He dared not be careless in the slightest.
Similarly, not far away, Chen Yu also swallowed a pill, glanced at Zhang He, and rested to recover his strength. As for Lin Xuan, he didn't even spare him a glance. In comparison, the difference was clear. Chen Yu knew he was no match for Lin Xuan and didn't aim for first place, treating Zhang He as his main rival for second place. Zhang He, on the other hand, saw Lin Xuan as his opponent, hoping to rely on his final trump card to win first place. Meanwhile, Lin Xuan remained calm and indifferent, not taking either of them seriously.