Among the disciples, many had originally wanted to challenge Lin Xuan. Because Lin Xuan was a new disciple, clearly appearing to be the weakest among the top twenty. But at this moment, after witnessing Wang Kui’s miserable fate, they couldn’t help but feel immensely grateful. Good thing they hadn’t acted; otherwise, they would have ended up like that. Only then did they realize that Lin Xuan’s talent could no longer be measured by their own standards. It had already surpassed their understanding and imagination.
The three top experts of the outer sect also wore solemn expressions. Except for Chen Yuze, who had already broken through to the Qi Transformation stage, the other two, Zhou Lei and Guan Yuanshuang, looked extremely grave. Even if they had made a move, they might not have been able to finish Wang Kui as cleanly and swiftly as Lin Xuan did with a single strike. But Lin Xuan had done it. This already indicated that Lin Xuan’s strength was likely no less than theirs, and might even surpass them by a margin. Thinking of this, the three couldn’t help but feel shocked by Lin Xuan’s talent. Without a doubt, Lin Xuan’s level of genius far exceeded theirs. With such strength now, it probably wouldn’t be long before they were completely no match for him, right? It seemed they needed to break through to the Qi Transformation stage and enter the inner sect as soon as possible. Otherwise, they might really be crushed by a new disciple like Lin Xuan. As the three top experts of the outer sect, they had their own pride. Even if Lin Xuan could be considered a top genius throughout the entire Flowing Cloud Sect, he was still a new disciple, and they didn’t want to be used as a stepping stone by a newcomer. The three exchanged glances, seeing a hint of determination in each other’s eyes.
On the high platform. Xu Anlan’s gaze fell on Lin Xuan, his eyes narrowing slightly, as if lost in thought. The Great Elder nodded, a look of satisfaction in his eyes. “Not bad, not bad.” The Great Elder couldn’t help but praise twice, a full smile on his face. Lin Xuan’s talent ranked among the top even among the true disciples. If he grew, his potential would be limitless. This would bring considerable benefits to the entire Flowing Cloud Sect. As a high-ranking member of the sect, he was naturally delighted.
On the arena. “Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining 3000 shock energy from Xu Anlan, a Qi Opening Layer 2 martial artist.” “Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining 700 shock energy from Chen Yuze, a Qi Transformation Layer 1 martial artist.” “...” Lin Xuan listened to the cold, clear prompts ringing in his ears, glanced at the rapidly increasing energy points on the attribute panel floating before him, and showed a satisfied expression. Another tens of thousands of energy points had been credited—pretty good. In the upcoming competition, he would perform well again. If possible, it would be best to take first place. That way, not only would he reap a large amount of energy points, but he would also get three thousand contribution points. That was equivalent to at least three hundred inferior-grade spirit stones. Converted into cultivation resources, it would probably be enough for him to break through to the Qi Transformation stage, right? His cultivation talent had now been elevated to the Spirit rank, and his other talents were not lacking, even surpassing Xu Anlan, a true disciple, by a notch. From the Qi Gathering stage, all the way through to the Qi Transformation stage and then to the Condensing Whirl stage, there would be no bottlenecks. No matter how fast he broke through, there wouldn’t be any issues with an unstable foundation. What he lacked was a large amount of cultivation resources. This time, perhaps he could just make up for that? Lin Xuan calculated silently in his mind. Then, he turned to the referee beside him and said, “Elder Zhang, shouldn’t you announce the result?”
Referee Elder Zhang was also stunned, shocked by the outcome of this match. He hadn’t expected the fight to end so quickly. It wasn’t until Lin Xuan’s reminder that he snapped back to reality. He glanced around with a complex expression, knowing that the sect might have another top genius rising. Afterward, he announced loudly, “This match, Lin Xuan wins!” As the words fell, a considerable stir arose in the arena. No one dared to underestimate Lin Xuan even a bit just because he was a new disciple. This wasn’t like the puppet tower, where it was proven indirectly through various pieces of evidence. Instead, Lin Xuan had displayed his true strength in front of everyone. They had no choice but to be convinced. As for the new disciples, they regarded Lin Xuan as an idol to worship. They no longer had any thoughts of comparing themselves to Lin Xuan. Because Lin Xuan had already left them far behind. They could only look up to him from a distance, and perhaps after some time, they wouldn’t even have the right to do that. Naturally, there was no point in competing. All that was left was admiration, awe, and envy.
The challenges continued. After Lin Xuan, several others challenged the top twenty. Before the half-hour ended, all challenge opportunities were used up. But in the end, only three succeeded in breaking into the top twenty. The rest all failed. And those three were also well-known outer sect experts at the peak of the Qi Gathering stage. This showed just how difficult it was.
From the high platform, the Great Elder’s voice came. “The challenges are over! The top twenty list is confirmed! Next is the second round, still an elimination match: pairs face off, winners advance, losers are eliminated! We’ll decide the top ten! The list is with me; Elder Zhang, come and get it. Let’s begin!” After he finished, Elder Zhang jumped off the arena and walked toward the high platform to retrieve the match list. The other disciples fixed their gazes on Lin Xuan, Chen Yuze, Zhou Lei, and the other top twenty, their eyes full of envy. Entering the top twenty meant being at the pinnacle of the outer sect, far surpassing them. Moreover, just making it into the top twenty came with a competition reward of one hundred contribution points. That was equivalent to at least ten inferior-grade spirit stones. Even for the top ten of the outer sect, ten inferior-grade spirit stones were no small amount. For ordinary disciples like them, it was an enormous figure. But they had no chance at it. Naturally, they were extremely envious.
Among the top twenty, only Lin Xuan was clearly not at the peak of the Qi Gathering stage and was a new disciple who had only been in the sect for a month, making him especially conspicuous. More people paid attention to Lin Xuan than to Chen Yuze, the top expert of the outer sect. This earned Lin Xuan another batch of energy points. As for Chen Yuze, he was quite frustrated. He hadn’t expected to be overshadowed by a new disciple. Originally, he thought that after breaking through to the Qi Transformation stage and participating in the competition, he would be the center of everyone’s attention, shining brilliantly. But then Lin Xuan, such a freak, had appeared. He had snatched away most of the spotlight. Yet Chen Yuze could do nothing about Lin Xuan. He could only stew in his own anger.
Before long, Elder Zhang came down from the high platform, returned to the arena, and announced loudly, “The second round of elimination matches begins now! First match: Wang He versus Ye Feng!” The matches among the top twenty were all peak-level battles of the outer sect. They were not to be missed, so they proceeded one by one. As Elder Zhang’s voice fell, the arena quieted down. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the arena, eagerly anticipating the upcoming fight. Two outer sect disciples stepped out from the top twenty group, came onto the arena, and began a fierce battle. Both were at the peak of the Qi Gathering stage, with not much difference in strength. For a time, they were evenly matched. It took over ten minutes before, due to excessive consumption of true qi, a winner was decided. Then, the second match began.