Since he was already exposed, he saw no point in wasting more time.
Lin Xuan then looked toward the referee not far from the platform—the Great Elder of the Yangyuan Sect.
The Great Elder was also stunned. Feeling Lin Xuan’s gaze, he snapped back to reality and glanced at Lin Xuan with a complicated expression.
This time, Lin Xuan’s sudden rise had exceeded his expectations.
Now, even though Lin Xuan was still only at the Spirit Opening Realm, he could threaten Zhang Yuchen’s title as the top young talent of the Chiyang Domain.
Moreover, from this moment on, the title of the number one genius of the Chiyang Domain had already been taken by Lin Xuan.
He was deeply shaken, his emotions tangled and beyond words.
Then, he leaped onto the platform and announced loudly:
“This match, Lin Xuan wins! Lin Xuan advances to the top three!”
The words spread, jolting everyone present back to reality.
Another wave of uproar and commotion erupted.
Lin Xuan remained calm, stepping down from the platform.
Under the gaze of the crowd, he walked back to his seat on the southern stands.
Only then did the others look away, but the intense shock in their hearts lingered, refusing to settle.
On the platform.
The Great Elder continued:
“The fourth round ends here. Zhang Yuchen, Lin Xuan, Chen Feng! The three advance to the top three. They are the most outstanding geniuses of our Chiyang Domain and will receive generous rewards jointly bestowed by the eight major powers of the Chiyang Domain. Congratulations to them!”
This time, the Great Elder notably placed Lin Xuan ahead of Young Master Chen Feng.
The implication was unmistakable.
But this time, no one voiced any objections.
Even the Wind Flame Valley and Chen Feng himself looked dejected, saying nothing.
Because the battle with Zhou Wenhao had already proven that, whether in talent, potential, or true strength, Lin Xuan had surpassed Chen Feng, one of the Four Young Masters.
As the words fell, thunderous applause erupted across the arena.
Almost everyone’s gaze converged on Lin Xuan, Zhang Yuchen, and Chen Feng.
But the most attention was on Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan had burst onto the scene, rising rapidly without a single defeat.
Everyone was awed by his talent, potential, and strength, and they eagerly anticipated his next moves.
He had already snatched the title of the number one genius of the Chiyang Domain from Zhang Yuchen.
Could he also take the title of the top young talent of the Chiyang Domain?
Everyone was filled with anticipation.
On the platform, the Great Elder continued:
“Next is the fifth round of the competition—the top three ranking matches. Considering that both Lin Xuan and Chen Feng have just fought intense battles and are not at their peak in stamina and focus, there will be a thirty-minute rest period. After thirty minutes, the fifth round—the top three ranking matches—will officially begin.”
The arena quickly quieted down.
Everyone waited for the final round of the competition.
On the northern stands, Chen Feng cast a deep glance at Zhang Yuchen and Lin Xuan, took out a few pills, swallowed them, and closed his eyes to rest and recover.
On the southern stands, Lin Xuan remained indifferent, unconcerned.
In his battle with Zhou Wenhao, he hadn’t even used his spiritual power or intent.
He had only used a fraction of his physical strength.
So he had no exhaustion to speak of and no need to recover.
Still, he didn’t want to waste the thirty minutes of free time.
He closed his eyes and began to comprehend the *Golden Scale Barbarian Elephant Art*.
Time flowed like water.
Soon, thirty minutes passed.
The Great Elder’s voice rang out again:
“The fifth round of the competition officially begins! First match: Lin Xuan versus Chen Feng!”
Hearing this, the crowd perked up.
Another match between young masters.
In the previous match, Lin Xuan had defeated Young Master Zhou Wenhao in just two moves.
How many moves would Chen Feng last this time?
Everyone grew interested, silently speculating.
Before long, Lin Xuan and Chen Feng both arrived on the platform, standing opposite each other.
The Great Elder glanced at them and announced:
“The match begins!”
With that, he turned and leaped off the platform.
On the platform.
Lin Xuan looked calmly at Chen Feng, whose expression was stern.
His attribute panel appeared before Lin Xuan’s eyes.
It was similar to Zhou Wenhao’s.
He also had an eighth-rank cultivation technique.
Since Lin Xuan had plenty of energy points on hand, he naturally wouldn’t let this opportunity slip.
“Ding, consumed 20,000 energy points, replication successful. Obtained [Mystic-grade Cultivation Talent].”
“Ding, consumed 20,000 energy points, replication successful. Obtained [Wind Flame Vacuum Art (Eighth-rank Lower Grade, Minor Completion)].”
“Ding, consumed 10,000 energy points, replication successful. Obtained [Wind Spirit Sword (Seventh-rank Upper Grade Spirit Artifact)].”
“...”
In an instant, he replicated all the valuable treasures from Chen Feng that caught his eye.
Then, Lin Xuan nodded slightly.
He didn’t want to waste words and was about to strike to defeat Chen Feng.
Since he had already revealed some of his strength, there was no need to wait any longer.
At that moment, Chen Feng spoke up.
“Brother Lin, your strength is formidable—I am no match for you. But may I unleash my strongest move? If Brother Lin can withstand it, I will admit defeat wholeheartedly!”
Chen Feng said solemnly.
As one of the Four Young Masters of the Chiyang Domain and originally among its top geniuses, his pride wouldn’t allow him to concede.
Yet he knew he couldn’t beat Lin Xuan.
Still, he wanted to test how big the gap between them was.
So he made this request.
Lin Xuan nodded in agreement.
This suited his intentions perfectly.
Crushing Chen Feng’s strongest move and then defeating him would cause the greatest stir and yield the most energy points.
He had planned to do this anyway.
Chen Feng’s proposal was just right.
He naturally wouldn’t refuse.
“Alright, go ahead.”
Lin Xuan said calmly.
“Lin Xuan, take this!”
Chen Feng shouted, unleashing his full power as a peak first-layer Spirit Yuan Realm cultivator without reservation.
The force spread across the entire square, creating visible waves of wind.
Only then did everyone realize.
Among the Four Young Masters, Chen Feng’s strength was actually a notch above Zhou Wenhao and Wu Xin.
But unfortunately, he was facing Lin Xuan, who had easily crushed Zhou Wenhao.
He was destined to lose.
In any other competition, Chen Feng would at least be second place.
But this time, he could only settle for third.
And this move, barring surprises, wouldn’t defeat Lin Xuan.
At best, it might wound him.
On the platform, Chen Feng ignored these thoughts.
In his dantian, spiritual energy surged wildly.
Forty percent sword intent, forty percent wind intent, forty percent fire intent, and thirty-five percent metal intent!
These four intents also manifested, stirring up an even more terrifying momentum.
This time, Chen Feng held nothing back.
It was all for this one full-powered strike.
“Wind Flame Vacuum Slash!”
With a loud cry, he swung the Wind Spirit Sword.
Instantly, winds and clouds swirled around, seas of fire spread in all directions, nearly turning the entire platform into a blazing inferno.