Lin Xuan was not only extremely fast in movement, but his attacks were the same.
Su Ya's expression shifted drastically, his heart filled with shock.
But there was no time to dodge now; he could only block instinctively.
Bang!
A loud crash rang out.
Su Ya felt a surging, immense force rush at him, one he simply couldn't withstand. His body, as if struck by a boulder, uncontrollably flew backward.
He crashed onto the square with a dull thud.
Looking at his arms—clearly bent, blood flowing, and bones already broken—Su Ya let out a bitter smile.
Lin Xuan really was just like the rumors said: he didn't hold back.
Still, compared to Wang Kui's earlier severe injuries, this was relatively good.
With that, he walked toward the crowd nearby to get treated.
"This match, Lin Xuan wins, advancing to the top five!"
On the stage, the referee announced.
The crowd immediately erupted into a considerable uproar.
Everyone turned to look at Lin Xuan, their gazes filled with shock.
They had witnessed Lin Xuan's strength once again.
Against a top-five contender from the previous tournament, he still won with a single move.
Just how strong was his true power?
Everyone silently marveled.
They speculated that perhaps only the top three of the outer sect, or even Chen Yuze—the outer sect's number one who had already broken through to the Qi Transformation stage—could make Lin Xuan reveal his full strength.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lin Xuan leaped off the stage and returned to the crowd.
He glanced at the energy points in the virtual attribute panel before him, which were increasing at an even faster rate, and nodded slightly.
Indeed, a one-hit kill, bringing more shock, yielded more energy points.
In the upcoming matches, he would try to finish with a single blow whenever possible.
Lin Xuan thought to himself.
The top-three competition continued.
Soon, the remaining two matches passed.
As expected, Guan Yuanshuang and Chen Yuze, the two top outer sect experts, also advanced to the top five, each with a one-hit kill.
But with Lin Xuan's match as a new disciple setting the precedent, their bouts no longer drew much excitement.
They could only smile wryly at this.
Who could blame them for bad luck, running into a freak like Lin Xuan in this tournament?
With Lin Xuan leading the way, they were nothing special.
On the stage, Steward Zhang announced loudly:
"The top five have been decided.
The third round continues.
Next is the true battle for the top three.
First match: Lin Xuan versus Zhou Lei!
Both of you, come to the stage!"
As the words fell, the crowd buzzed with excitement.
Almost everyone's gaze converged at once.
They hadn't expected the top-three competition to be this explosive.
The first match was between Lin Xuan and Zhou Lei.
Lin Xuan was a rising genius, whose talent couldn't even be described by the outer sect's top prodigy.
Zhou Lei, on the other hand, was a seasoned outer sect expert.
Except for Chen Yuze, no one in the outer sect could defeat him.
Now that Chen Yuze had broken through to the Qi Transformation stage, he would likely head to the inner sect after the tournament.
The title of outer sect's number one should have fallen to Zhou Lei.
But with Lin Xuan emerging, that was no longer certain.
When these two clashed, who would win?
Everyone was eager to find out.
Zhou Lei's gaze swept over Lin Xuan, his fighting spirit blazing.
Lin Xuan, however, remained calm and indifferent, as if Zhou Lei were just a minor thug rather than the outer sect's second-strongest.
This attitude only made the crowd more astonished.
Could it be that Lin Xuan's strength was such that even Zhou Lei wasn't worth his notice?
Thinking this, everyone grew even more eager for the upcoming match.
Seeing this, Zhou Lei snorted coldly, a bit annoyed.
So arrogant?
They'd be on the stage soon; let's see how long he could keep it up.
Then, the two stepped forward and onto the stage.
"Begin the match!"
Steward Zhang announced.
He stepped aside, glancing at both of them with anticipation.
Lin Xuan, as a new disciple, had won streak after streak, unstoppable.
This time, facing a true top-tier outer sect expert, could he maintain his momentum?
He, too, was looking forward to the battle.
Across from him, Zhou Lei didn't strike immediately. Instead, he cupped his hands solemnly and said:
"Junior Brother Lin, you've come this far as a new disciple.
It proves your talent far surpasses ours.
But you've only been here a short time; the next tournament will be your stage.
For now, you should stop here!"
"Stop here? You're not capable of that!"
Lin Xuan sneered.
Without another word, he made his move.
He took a step forward, charging at Zhou Lei like a boulder rolling downhill.
As he passed, the wind howled, as if tearing the air to shreds, his momentum overwhelming.
"Then let's see!"
Zhou Lei shouted coldly, knowing words were useless.
Only true strength would speak.
He threw a punch.
"Explosive Rock Fist!"
Where the fist's light passed, the air crackled and burst apart, the force terrifying.
The disciples in the square felt a chill.
No wonder he was the outer sect's second-strongest; with this punch, most at the peak of Qi Gathering couldn't withstand it.
Even if it wasn't at the Qi Transformation stage, it wasn't far off.
Then, they turned to Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan's strength was also formidable; surely he'd choose to clash head-on.
So, who was stronger?
The answer would come soon!
The disciples watched expectantly.
On the stage.
"Not bad power!"
Lin Xuan assessed the punch's force calmly:
"But still not enough!"
"Overwhelming Force Fist!"
In the next moment, Lin Xuan appeared before Zhou Lei.
He, too, threw a punch.
The fist's power surged, tearing through the air with chilling sounds, as if it could rip open the void.
The force was terrifying!
The next second, the two fists collided.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out.
The shockwave spread outward like faintly visible ripples.
Many disciples in the square were forced back several steps.
They looked at the two on the stage, even more awestruck.
Even the shockwave was this strong!
How powerful was the actual attack?
Everyone was utterly stunned.
On the stage.
After the punch, Lin Xuan withdrew his fist and stood aside.
His expression remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
Zhou Lei, after a second of stunned stillness, let out a cry of pain and flew backward like he'd been hit by a cannonball, landing off the stage.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his right arm bent at an odd angle, bones broken, injured severely.
Whoosh!
Watching this, the crowd fell into dead silence.
Almost everyone's eyes widened, frozen in place, filled with disbelief.
It took several breaths before people began to react.
Then, a wave of sharp intakes of breath spread.
The crowd instantly erupted, buzzing with excitement.
"Damn, am I dreaming?"
"Senior Brother Zhou Lei, the outer sect's second-strongest, lost just like that?"
"And he was one-shotted?"
"That's too fake, right?"
"Is this staged?"
"..."
The crowd exclaimed in shock, staring at Lin Xuan on the stage and the badly injured Zhou Lei on the square, utterly astounded.
They had thought this would be a thrilling battle.
Even if Lin Xuan won, many had speculated about it.
But it should have been a fierce fight lasting at least ten minutes, right?
And the result?
Zhou Lei was defeated in a single blow.