"No." Xu Anlan shook his head, hesitated for a moment, then said, "But in this battle, I will still be the victor!" Her words carried a resolute tone. The Grand Elder, however, remained unmoved: "I heard you've been trying to break through in your cultivation technique to reach the mid-stage of the Opening Spirit Realm?" "Yes." Xu Anlan nodded. "If I can break through, I will surely win this battle!" The Grand Elder countered, "If that's the case, I can say with certainty that you will lose this battle!" "I..." Xu Anlan felt a surge of defiance. The Grand Elder spoke unhurriedly: "You're too impatient. If you keep this up, you won't break through in three months; instead, you might suffer backlash from your technique, severely weakening your strength. That's why I say you'll lose." Xu Anlan lowered her head, silent. The Grand Elder continued: "Your vision is too narrow. Luo Feixue may be the top genius of the Cold Snow Sect, but she hasn't fully grown yet. On our Cangyuan Nation's potential rankings, she can't even crack the top twenty. To defeat Luo Feixue, you'd risk technique backlash just to break through. If you encounter an even stronger opponent, what will you do then?" After the Grand Elder's string of words, Xu Anlan had no retort and could only remain silent. "What about Xiang Mingxuan of the Green Maple Valley? He's also at the second layer of the Opening Spirit Realm, yet even those at the fourth or fifth layer can't withstand a single move from him! If you faced him, what would you do?" "You are the most talented disciple of our Flowing Cloud Sect in this generation, aside from Liu Qianyu. Don't let the sect down!" Hearing this, Xu Anlan's expression shifted, as if struck by realization. She cupped her hands and said, "Disciple understands!" The Grand Elder nodded. "Watch carefully. This competition might bring some surprises!" ... Inside the Puppet Tower, on the sixth floor. Lin Xuan looked at the wreckage scattered around and muttered in exasperation, "Are they all this fragile? This first-round elimination round is really boring." "Only that last big guy was a bit tougher." Lin Xuan grumbled as he made his way from the first floor to the sixth, feeling no resistance at all. Even the final guardian—a three-meter-tall puppet that seemed imposing—couldn't hold up for more than a couple of moves before he dismantled it. It took less than ten seconds in total. So simple and effortless, it was no wonder Lin Xuan felt this way. At the same time, he was a bit startled. He finally had some understanding of his own strength. He estimated that there was no opponent in the Qi Gathering Realm; even a peak Qi Gathering cultivator would likely fall to him in just a few moves. As for the stronger Qi Transformation Realm, he had no idea. In that realm, one's physical constitution and acupoints were further fortified, and true qi became more powerful, capable of leaving the body to attack. Killing an enemy from a hundred paces away was no longer a legend. Its power far surpassed that of the Qi Gathering Realm. Shaking his head, Lin Xuan walked toward a side passage and left the Puppet Tower. Soon after, a large group of outer disciples rushed up. Seeing the wreckage everywhere, they were utterly shocked and burst into clamor. "Damn, even the sixth floor is destroyed!" "How is he this strong?!" "Is he really a new disciple?" "I bet only the three top experts of the outer sect—Chen Yuze, Zhou Lei, and Guan Yuanshuang—could possibly fight Lin Xuan." "No wonder he's the number one genius of the outer sect!" ... The disciples of the seventh group were all stunned. Their group had barely fought at all, just running straight up. It took less than a minute. Yet even so, they still couldn't catch up to Lin Xuan. On every floor, they saw puppet wreckage. Now, even on the final, strongest sixth floor, it was the same. The disciples were deeply shaken, unable to believe it. Their hearts couldn't calm down for a long time. They knew the outer sect was about to produce an extraordinary top-tier genius. Witnessing this firsthand, they were both awed and thrilled. Then, they turned and headed down the stairs together. The side passage was for disciples who had cleared the tower to leave, only fitting two or three people at a time. With nearly two hundred of them, they couldn't use it. Besides, they had only made it to the sixth floor thanks to Lin Xuan. Apart from a brief moment on the first floor, they hadn't even fought, so they weren't considered to have cleared it. They felt too embarrassed to take the passage. ... On the open ground. All the outer disciples had gathered. The center was left empty, with the disciples surrounding it. In the middle stood three people: Chen Yuze, Zhou Lei, and Guan Yuanshuang—the three top experts of the outer sect. "Chen Yuze, you win this time," Zhou Lei said reluctantly. "But the Puppet Tower is just a minor skirmish. The real highlight is the duels to come. This time, I won't lose!" "Exactly!" Guan Yuanshuang's expression was cold, her fighting spirit blazing. "The duels later in this competition are what matter. Just wait!" "No need." Chen Yuze chuckled lightly, dismissively. "I'll leave the outer sect's top spot to you. I won't compete with you anymore. Because we're no longer on the same level. After the competition, I'll be leaving the outer sect." With that, he flicked his finger. Swish! A streak of light shot out, leaving a thumb-sized black hole in the ground several meters away. "Is that... true qi leaving the body?" "Have you already broken through to the Qi Transformation Realm?" Zhou Lei and Guan Yuanshuang were stunned, exclaiming in shock as they stared at Chen Yuze with disbelief. "Yeah, just broke through a few days ago," Chen Yuze said calmly, though his smile grew even brighter. He had already reached the Qi Transformation Realm but still participated in the competition—not just for the rewards, but for this very moment. Right now, Chen Yuze felt an immense satisfaction. Zhou Lei and Guan Yuanshuang stood frozen for a few breaths, their gazes trembling as they looked at Chen Yuze. Then, their expressions turned dejected, their fighting spirit gone. "Chen Yuze, you win after all." They let out a long sigh, their faces complex. Even in the Qi Gathering Realm, they might not have been a match for Chen Yuze. Now that he was in the Qi Transformation Realm, there was no point in fighting. As Chen Yuze said, they were no longer on the same level. There was no need to compete. "What? Senior Brother Chen has broken through to the Qi Transformation Realm!" "Senior Brother Chen truly lives up to being the top expert of the outer sect, breaking through so quickly!" "It looks like Senior Brother Chen is a sure bet for first place in this competition." ... The surrounding disciples buzzed with excitement, discussing animatedly. As for the Puppet Tower, few were paying attention anymore. In their eyes, the results of the outer sect's three top experts were already out. With Chen Yuze reaching the Qi Transformation Realm, the competition's outcome was settled, with no suspense. There was no need to keep watching the Puppet Tower. Just then, a slender figure emerged from the Puppet Tower. A few people glanced over, instinctively checking the time, and suddenly remembered—hadn't this batch just gone in? Not even a minute had passed?