Lin Xuan's eyes showed satisfaction.
This punch was naturally the result of him holding back on purpose. Otherwise, if Zhang He hadn't used that trump card of his, he wouldn't have been able to withstand a single blow from Lin Xuan. He would have been blasted off the arena long ago. The purpose of doing this was also to prepare for the upcoming plan to harvest a large number of energy points.
On the opposite side.
Zhang He got up, shook his right arm, and felt a continuous throbbing pain. When he looked at Lin Xuan, his eyes were full of shock.
Although he had witnessed Lin Xuan's previous matches and knew that Lin Xuan was very strong, and that he himself was likely no match, he never expected the gap to be so huge. He couldn't even withstand a single punch and almost lost. Moreover, seeing Lin Xuan's calm and composed demeanor, it was clear that he had held back a lot and hadn't gone all out.
Thinking of this, Zhang He was even more shocked. Both were at the early stage of the Acupoint Opening Realm, having recently broken through, yet Lin Xuan's strength far surpassed his. It was evident that Lin Xuan's talent was much greater than his. Although he didn't want to admit it, faced with such solid evidence, he had no choice but to concede.
"Fortunately, I still have a trump card," Zhang He muttered to himself, trying to comfort himself. In reality, by now, he had lost the absolute confidence he had before.
He looked at Lin Xuan and said coldly, "Lin Xuan, you are very strong! But today, the winner will still be me!"
With those words, he began to activate the *Boiling Blood Art*.
The surrounding spectators couldn't help but laugh. Earlier, he couldn't even take a single punch from Lin Xuan and nearly fell off the arena in defeat. Now he claims he can still win? Where does Zhang He's confidence come from?
But the next moment, they couldn't laugh anymore.
On the arena, Zhang He's aura was steadily increasing. From the early stage of the Acupoint Opening Realm, it rapidly rose to the middle stage. And it didn't stop there. It only stabilized when it barely reached the late stage of the Acupoint Opening Realm. His aura spread across the arena, stirring up gusts of wind.
However, Zhang He's body seemed to have swollen a bit, and his eyes were bloodshot. But the crowd didn't notice these details; what they truly focused on was Zhang He's aura and cultivation level.
Incredulity flashed in their eyes. Just moments ago, Zhang He was at the early stage of the Acupoint Opening Realm, and now he had reached the late stage? Could it be that Zhang He had been hiding his strength all along? But that didn't match his previous fierce battles, did it?
While shocked, the crowd was also puzzled. Then, they looked at Lin Xuan with a hint of regret and pity. Although Lin Xuan was talented and deserved the title of the top genius of Qingyu City, in this competition, he could only settle for second place. They didn't know what method Zhang He used to leap two realms and reach the late stage of the Acupoint Opening Realm, but late stage was late stage, far beyond the early stage. Even though Lin Xuan had shown formidable combat power earlier, defeating all peers in a single move, no one believed he could be a match for Zhang He now.
On the eastern viewing platform.
The Lin family members fell silent. The family head, the great elder, and other high-ranking members had grim expressions. They could clearly see that this was a special secret technique, a temporary boost in strength. It was essentially cheating. But if they could see it, the envoy from the Flowing Cloud Sect on the high platform certainly could too. Since the envoy didn't respond, it meant tacit approval. They could only remain silent, suppressing their anger.
They had finally managed to secure first place in the competition, but now they could only settle for second. Still, Lin Xuan's title as the top genius of Qingyu City could be maintained. Lin Shiyun looked at Lin Xuan with a face full of worry. She didn't care whether Lin Xuan won or took first place; she only hoped he wouldn't get hurt.
The Wu and Chen families all wore smug smiles. The Zhang family from the city lord's mansion was beaming, their previous dejection gone, as if they had already won first place. In their view, Lin Xuan was bound to lose this match.
At this point, whether it was the Wu family, the Chen family, the city lord's mansion, or even the Lin family, none of them believed Lin Xuan could win. After all, the gap between the early and late stages of the Acupoint Opening Realm was enormous, far beyond what could be compared in the Body Tempering Realm. Lin Xuan could cross realms in the Body Tempering Realm, but in the Acupoint Opening Realm, it would be very difficult.
On the high platform.
Zhang Wenyong smiled when he saw Zhang He activate the *Boiling Blood Art* and boost his strength to the late stage of the Acupoint Opening Realm. He refused to believe that Lin Xuan, no matter how talented, could cross two realms and, at the early stage of the Acupoint Opening Realm, contend with the late stage. He had never even heard of such a genius, and he certainly didn't believe Lin Xuan was one.
Then, Zhang Wenyong turned to look at Lin Qiyuan, expecting to see him furious and frustrated. But he was disappointed. Lin Qiyuan, like the envoy Zhao Quxin, wore a calm expression, as if the scene before them wasn't worth their attention.
Suddenly, a bad feeling surged in Zhang Wenyong's heart. But he suppressed it, believing that Zhang He would win. In his view, Lin Qiyuan's attitude was merely due to his cold nature and lack of concern for the family, not because he had faith in Lin Xuan. After all, there had long been rumors in Qingyu City about Lin Qiyuan's indifferent temperament. Otherwise, with Lin Qiyuan's unmatched strength in Qingyu City, the other three major forces combined wouldn't be his match, and the Lin family would have long dominated the entire city, rather than being one of four competing forces, ranked only second, not first. This was the basis of Zhang Wenyong's speculation.
Unfortunately, Zhang Wenyong was wrong. Not only was he wrong about Lin Qiyuan, but he also misjudged the envoy Zhao Quxin's attitude. What Zhang Wenyong didn't see was that Zhao Quxin and Lin Qiyuan were still focused on the match on the arena. A cold glint even flashed in Zhao Quxin's eyes. How could he not see such cheating? The reason he didn't stop this despicable act was that, like Lin Qiyuan, he had faith in Lin Xuan.
As Condensation Whirl Realm martial artists, three major realms above the Acupoint Opening Realm, they could see things more clearly. They could both tell that Lin Xuan's foundation was solid and his strength far surpassed all the younger disciples on the field. Throughout the match, Lin Xuan had never revealed his true strength. That's why they didn't intervene. It was rare to find a promising talent in a small city like Qingyu City. Zhao Quxin wanted to see just how far Lin Xuan's true strength and talent could go, using Zhang He, who had reached the late stage of the Acupoint Opening Realm, to test him.
If Lin Xuan could hold his own, that would be best. If he couldn't, Zhao Quxin would step in to save him. In his view, the value of the other nine spots combined couldn't match Lin Xuan's alone. Afterward, he would severely punish the Zhang family as a warning to others. This trend of cheating must not be allowed to grow; it had to be eradicated!