Time flew by swiftly.
Before long, four matches had passed.
"Next match: Lin Xuan versus Yan Ziping!"
Another match concluded, and Referee Elder Zhang's voice rang out from the high platform.
Everyone's spirits jolted, their gazes converging on Lin Xuan.
Their eyes gleamed with light.
Though they knew Lin Xuan was sure to win and could even make it into the top ten, or even the top three, it wasn't impossible.
Still, they had to see it with their own eyes to be certain.
The new disciples cheered excitedly.
Although Lin Xuan's talent was remarkable, having fought his way into the top twenty, he was still a new disciple at heart.
Now, in the eyes of the new disciples, Lin Xuan represented them all.
The higher his achievements in the grand competition, the more face the new disciples would have.
Naturally, they were thrilled and elated.
Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lin Xuan and Yan Ziping, another top-twenty disciple with an ordinary face, stepped onto the arena stage.
"Begin the match!"
Elder Zhang announced.
He cast a pitying glance at Yan Ziping.
Of all the opponents to draw, he had to draw Lin Xuan.
From the previous match, he had already seen that Lin Xuan possessed strength at least comparable to the top three outer sect experts.
Facing Lin Xuan meant certain defeat.
And it would be a swift defeat at that.
One could say he was quite unlucky.
On the opposite side, just as Elder Zhang had predicted, Yan Ziping also lamented his bad luck.
If he had drawn anyone else, he might have had a chance at the top ten.
But against Lin Xuan, it was basically a loss.
Especially recalling the previous match, where Lin Xuan had severely injured Wang Kui with a single move.
The thought of that miserable outcome made his heart tremble.
His strength wasn't even necessarily a match for Wang Kui's.
If Wang Kui ended up like that, how could he fare any better?
With that thought, Yan Ziping made a decision and immediately cupped his hands in salute:
"Brother Lin, your strength is formidable; I admit I'm no match.
For this match, I concede!"
With that, he leaped off the arena stage and walked toward the crowd.
In Yan Ziping's view, since defeat was inevitable and he couldn't make the top ten, the reward of one hundred contribution points for being in the top twenty was good enough.
If he stubbornly fought on, not only would there be no benefit, but he'd end up injured, needing months to recover and unable to improve his strength.
That would be a huge loss.
By comparison, he knew exactly what to choose.
Meanwhile, the crowd was stunned, not quite processing what had just happened.
A match between top-twenty disciples, and someone just conceded like that?
Was this a joke?
After a few breaths, they snapped back to reality, and the arena erupted in noise again.
Making a top-twenty disciple—at least a peak Qi Gathering realm outer sect elite—concede was a treatment even the top three outer sect disciples might not receive.
That a new disciple like Lin Xuan had earned it left everyone utterly surprised.
Some couldn't understand it.
Lin Xuan had only been in the sect for a month—did he really have such authority?
Voluntarily conceding in the outer sect grand competition was a huge loss of face.
Outer sect disciples had mostly come from the mundane world not long ago, at most a few years, and they still valued their reputation highly.
So, few ever conceded voluntarily in the competition.
Even knowing they would lose, they would still fight to showcase their martial skills.
But today, a disciple had conceded, and it was a top-twenty, peak Qi Gathering realm outer sect elite.
It was hard for the disciples to accept.
However, when someone brought up the previous match, where Wang Kui was heavily injured and sent flying, the crowd gradually understood.
So that was it.
Yan Ziping was scared off by Wang Kui's miserable fate.
Though Lin Xuan was a new disciple, his attacks showed no mercy at all.
That was clear from his previous performances.
Every opponent he faced ended up seriously injured, with severe wounds being the norm.
Though the martial world was brutal, often leading to injury or death, and a single disagreement could spark a life-or-death battle, these outer sect disciples had all come from the mundane world, well protected by their respective forces before being sent to the sect.
They hadn't truly experienced it.
All they knew came from miscellaneous records and tales from elders.
So, in matches, they didn't really go all out.
Someone like Lin Xuan, who struck to injure severely, was almost unheard of in the outer sect.
Thus, they would dare to fight even the top three outer sect disciples rather than concede.
But against someone as ruthless as Lin Xuan, they backed down.
Thinking this, the disciples could understand Yan Ziping's concession.
Still, the looks they cast at Lin Xuan now carried a hint of awe, and they instinctively kept their distance.
Even some disciples who had wanted to cozy up to Lin Xuan were scared off.
On the high platform, Grand Elder and Xu Anlan both fixed their gazes on Lin Xuan, their expressions calm but with added admiration.
The path of martial arts was a cruel one, a struggle against heaven, earth, and men.
Danger lurked at every turn.
Thus, striking ruthlessly and mercilessly was an essential quality for a martial artist.
If one couldn't even do that, becoming a martial arts powerhouse was impossible.
That a new disciple like Lin Xuan had already achieved this brought the Grand Elder great comfort, and he grew even more optimistic about Lin Xuan.
As for the other outer sect disciples, they were still too naive.
Did they think that being kind to others would make them spare you?
This was a world where man devoured man!
A true martial arts powerhouse rose by standing on the corpses of countless other martial artists.
With that mindset, they probably wouldn't last a few days outside the sect.
It seemed he would need to assign more training missions, sending these outer sect disciples out to experience the real cruelty and shed that naivety.
Otherwise, after all the sect's training, they'd be gone as soon as they left.
Wouldn't the sect suffer a huge loss?
Wasting all those resources and efforts for nothing.
On the arena stage.
Referee Elder Zhang announced:
"This match, Lin Xuan wins, advancing to the top ten!"
Hearing this, Lin Xuan leaped off the stage and walked toward the area where the top-twenty disciples were gathered.
Yan Ziping's concession surprised him a bit.
But since he made it into the top ten and could earn energy points, he didn't care to dwell on it.
Returning to the crowd, Lin Xuan noticed that many disciples around him subtly kept their distance, as if he were some kind of ferocious beast.
Lin Xuan sneered at this, unfazed.
Listening to the murmurs around him, he already understood what was going on.
But he didn't care.
After all, he had the system, allowing him to continuously replicate various treasures and rapidly boost his strength.
He wouldn't stay in the outer sect long before entering the inner sect, so he didn't need to worry about others' feelings.
In fact, he might not even stay in the Flowing Cloud Sect for more than a few months.
He needed to leave the Flowing Cloud Sect, the Cangyuan Kingdom, and even the Red Sun Domain as soon as possible, accelerating his strength growth to find Lin Shiyun sooner.
As for everything else, he couldn't afford to care.