Whoosh! Whoosh!
The fierce, cold wind surged with force, blocking Zhang Mingliang ahead, unable to advance a single step.
Suddenly, Zhang Mingliang felt the windstorm ahead dissipate into nothing.
At the same moment, his vision blurred, and Lin Xuan's figure appeared right before him.
A palm descended.
"Wind-Dispelling Palm!"
It was the same technique, its power undiminished.
But now, caught off guard, Zhang Mingliang could barely defend himself.
He could only instinctively raise a block.
Yet Lin Xuan was faster, dodging past his arm and striking him square in the chest.
Boom!
A thunderous blast!
Zhang Mingliang felt as if a boulder had slammed into his chest, an excruciating pain surging through him.
Ugh!
Unable to hold back, he spat out a mouthful of blood, flying backward like a torn sack for dozens of meters.
He crashed to the ground with a dull thud, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
At this moment, Zhang Mingliang's breath was faint, blood spilling from his lips, his chest caved in—he was gravely wounded.
Whoosh!
Witnessing this, the arena fell into a dead silence in an instant.
Everyone stood frozen, their faces blank, eyes filled with sheer disbelief.
It took several breaths before people gradually snapped out of it.
Hiss, hiss, hiss...
A wave of sharp intakes of breath spread through the crowd.
The arena erupted into chaos.
"Holy crap, holy crap, am I dreaming or what?"
"An outer sect expert, Zhang Mingliang at the Qi Gathering Realm, just lost like that?"
"This is way too fake, right?"
"Crossing a major realm from the Aperture Opening Realm to defeat a Qi Gathering Realm opponent—how is that even possible?"
"This isn't just the top potential in the outer sect; this is the number one genius of the outer sect!"
"..."
The crowd buzzed with exclamations and shouts.
Their gazes remained fixed on Lin Xuan, but now they were filled with endless shock and disbelief.
Even as they came to their senses, the feeling didn't fade.
Before this duel, they all believed Lin Xuan would lose.
But what happened? First, Lin Xuan effortlessly dodged Zhang Mingliang's fierce assault with his movement technique.
Then, in the head-on clash they thought would leave Lin Xuan severely injured, Lin Xuan emerged unscathed while Zhang Mingliang was sent flying, heavily wounded.
Such a vast gap was hard for them to accept.
At that moment, they couldn't help but feel a sense of unreality, as if in a dream.
Because this scene was too improbable.
Crossing a major realm from the Aperture Opening Realm to defeat a Qi Gathering Realm opponent and even gravely wound them in return.
Such a feat was likely only achievable by the top three among the inner sect's most elite geniuses when they were at the Aperture Opening Realm.
And even they weren't as decisive as Lin Xuan.
In the four or five years since, no one else had managed it.
Yet today, it happened again, and with a new disciple who had only joined three days ago!
How could they not be utterly stunned, as if in a fantasy?
On the other side, Zhang Mingliang's group of lackeys were completely dumbfounded.
Even with their leader gravely injured, none dared to step forward to help.
They just stood there, frozen, faces pale with fear.
They never imagined that their goading of Lin Xuan into a head-on clash with Zhang Mingliang would end with Lin Xuan unharmed and Zhang Mingliang severely wounded.
Among the crowd, Zhang Tao's heart trembled, terror reaching its peak.
He never expected Lin Xuan's talent to once again surpass his imagination, and in an even more terrifying way.
Even his cousin, an outer sect expert who had spent years in Liuyun Sect and reached the Qi Gathering Realm, was so utterly powerless against Lin Xuan.
Outmatched in movement, unable to keep up.
In a direct confrontation, he was blasted into severe injury.
This scene filled Zhang Tao with sheer horror.
This wasn't just top potential or true disciple material.
This was a terrifying existence with the potential to become one of the top three true disciples!
What did the top three true disciples mean?
The current sect leader, the grand elder, and the supreme elder—the three strongest in the sect and the top experts of Cangyuan Kingdom—were once the top three true disciples.
That spoke volumes about its significance!
Thinking this, Zhang Tao's shock deepened.
At the same time, his fear and regret grew even stronger.
With such formidable talent, Lin Xuan's future was limitless.
This kind of top-tier genius wasn't just something he couldn't afford to provoke.
It was something his entire family couldn't afford to provoke!
Once Lin Xuan grew—not even fully, just a bit accomplished—a wave of his hand could likely annihilate their family.
And if the so-called prominent clan in the prefecture behind him learned that he had offended a genius like Lin Xuan with boundless potential, they would probably hand him over, the legitimate son, without hesitation.
They'd strip his father of the clan leader position, cast out their entire branch, and demote the main line, all to beg for Lin Xuan's forgiveness, wouldn't they?
Thinking of all this, Zhang Tao was filled with regret.
Why had he been so impulsive, over a trivial matter of face, to provoke such a terrifying figure as Lin Xuan?
If his actions led to his family, his father, and his entire household being cast into the abyss, he would be burdened with immense guilt.
Immediately, Zhang Tao suppressed his fear and walked toward Lin Xuan.
He no longer cared about saving face.
He would beg for Lin Xuan's forgiveness, even if it meant enduring humiliation.
He only hoped to resolve the grudges from these past encounters.
Otherwise, he would be a sinner to his family.
And without his family's support, what was he worth?
Face would cease to exist altogether.
...
At this moment, Lin Xuan was unaware that his performance had startled everyone present.
But seeing the attribute panel rapidly surging with numbers, he nodded in satisfaction.
Then, he walked toward Zhang Mingliang, who lay not far away, breathing weakly and still spitting blood.
It was time to collect his wager.
As for Zhang Mingliang's miserable state, Lin Xuan felt no ripple of emotion.
During the head-on clash earlier, Zhang Mingliang had shown no mercy.
He had even increased his force later on.
For someone like that, Lin Xuan naturally wouldn't hold back.
With one palm strike, he showed no restraint, instantly gravely wounding him.
Of course, he hadn't aimed at the heart.
Otherwise, that strike would have shattered his heart and killed him on the spot.
Liuyun Sect had rules: minor scuffles, competitions, and sparring were allowed.
But if anyone dared to kill, severe punishment would follow.
After all, Liuyun Sect wasn't a demonic sect; it emphasized fair competition over survival of the fittest.
That's why Lin Xuan didn't finish him off.
Besides, their conflict was just a minor dispute, not a life-or-death feud, so there was no need to go that far.
Then, under the gaze of everyone present, Lin Xuan approached Zhang Mingliang and said calmly:
"Zhang Mingliang, where's my prize? Hand it over."
Cough, cough...
Seeing Lin Xuan draw near, Zhang Mingliang couldn't help coughing twice, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.
Fear flickered in his eyes.
How could he not be afraid of a top-tier genius who could crush him at the Aperture Opening Realm?
Hearing this, Zhang Mingliang, enduring the searing pain in his body, ran his fingers over his storage ring.
Three thumb-sized, faintly glowing stones fell before Lin Xuan.