Across from him, Sun Cheng's expression also turned grave: "You're that Lin Xuan?" "If there's no other new disciple named Lin Xuan, then that's me." Lin Xuan said calmly.
Hearing this, Sun Cheng's expression grew even more solemn. A man's reputation is like a tree's shadow! With Lin Xuan's great fame, he must have some real skill. He no longer dared to mock him as he had Chen Yuze. Instead, he treated Lin Xuan as a formidable opponent.
At that moment, Lin Xuan's voice came again: "What's the wager you're setting?" "Five hundred contribution points, or fifty-five inferior spirit stones." Sun Cheng replied. Ten contribution points could at least exchange for one inferior spirit stone. But in practice, the exchange rate was a bit higher. After all, according to the sect's rules, reverse exchanges weren't allowed. "Mm." Lin Xuan nodded. The wager wasn't low: "Alright, I accept!"
With that, he took out his identity token and tossed it to the steward not far from the arena: "Trouble the steward to register it."
The steward caught the token, checked it, and felt his heart jolt again: "It really is Lin Xuan!" As an inner sect steward, his cultivation had reached the mid-stage of the Condensing Whirlpool realm. He could tell at a glance that Lin Xuan's cultivation was at the fourth layer of the Qi Transformation stage! That was precisely why he was even more stunned. This identity token was still within the Flowing Cloud Sect and couldn't be faked. That meant it was real—the new disciple Lin Xuan, who had only been in the sect for a little over a month! But during the entry test, Lin Xuan's cultivation was only at the early stage of the Aperture Opening realm. Now, a month and seven days later, Lin Xuan's cultivation had reached the fourth layer of the Qi Transformation stage, equivalent to the mid-stage of Qi Transformation. In less than forty days, he had crossed two major realms! Setting aside everything else, this cultivation speed alone was enough to shock the world! He now understood why the sect's higher-ups valued Lin Xuan so highly. This terrifying cultivation speed explained his level of genius. He truly ranked among the top in the entire sect.
Snapping back to reality, he registered the token and tossed it back to Lin Xuan. Looking at the arena, his eyes gleamed with anticipation. With such rapid cultivation progress, how strong would his combat ability be? It shouldn't be lacking, right? With Lin Xuan's immense reputation, it was enough to attract many skilled ordinary inner sect disciples, even elite inner sect members. He believed this match would reveal the answer. The steward mused inwardly.
On the arena, the referee glanced at both of them, seeing that everything was ready, and announced: "The duel begins!"
The surrounding disciples, even those near other arenas, were drawn by the commotion and turned their gazes here. This match, even if it didn't reveal Lin Xuan's full strength, would at least show some of it. All the disciples wanted to see if Lin Xuan, with his great reputation, truly lived up to it!
On the arena, Sun Cheng said coldly: "Lin Xuan, as a new disciple who's made it this far, your talent is indeed extraordinary! But I wonder if your strength matches your talent! Let me test you!"
With that, he charged at Lin Xuan, like a boulder rolling forward. Wherever he passed, the wind howled, and the air seemed compressed. The momentum was astonishingly fierce. Facing Lin Xuan, Sun Cheng didn't dare to be careless and struck with full force. "Quake Mountain Fist!" He shouted low, throwing a punch. The fist imprint surged, shaking the mountains, with unmatched power! Visible ripples of vibration spread out, cracking the air with sharp sounds. The air itself shattered, showing the force behind it. "Lin Xuan, fall!"
Sun Cheng's punch was also incredibly fast. In the span of a breath, it was already before Lin Xuan.
In the square, many onlookers felt a chill in their hearts. They could only see a blur, let alone block it. The disciples sighed inwardly. Sun Cheng, as a seasoned expert at the sixth layer of Qi Transformation, had a punch that few in the inner sect below the late Qi Transformation stage could withstand. They turned their gaze to Lin Xuan. How would this highly renowned Lin Xuan respond?
Among the crowd, Chen Yuze stared intently at the arena. This punch was far stronger than the one that had sent him flying. His opponent hadn't been going all out back then. But now, facing Lin Xuan, he had revealed his full strength. Clearly, in his eyes, as fellow new inner sect disciples, Lin Xuan was far stronger than him. He also wanted to see how much Lin Xuan's strength had grown in these seven days, given his terrifying talent!
On the arena, Lin Xuan felt the force of the punch and, with a calm expression, threw a fist like a blur. "Overlord Force Fist!" Power pierced the heavens, unmatched in dominance! To others, it seemed like a fast punch. But in Sun Cheng's eyes, Lin Xuan transformed into a supreme overlord, his aura shaking heaven and earth! The momentum was unparalleled! How could he possibly withstand it?! In an instant, his will to fight vanished.
And then, the two fist imprints collided. Boom! A deafening explosion rang out. Lin Xuan stood firm, his expression cold. He slowly withdrew his fist, as if nothing had happened. On the other side, Sun Cheng let out a miserable cry, flying backward like a ragdoll, crashing onto the square with a dull thud. His right arm was severely bent, blood flowing freely—broken and heavily injured.
Whoosh! Seeing this, the surrounding disciples widened their eyes, frozen in place, their hearts shaken, and silence fell. After a few breaths, some gradually came to their senses. The arena erupted into noise, quickly boiling over. "Sun Cheng was taken down in one blow?!" "Is this Lin Xuan's strength?!" "So strong!!" "No wonder he's a top genius! Not only is his cultivation speed incredible, but his combat power is terrifying too!" "....."
The disciples buzzed with discussion, staring at Lin Xuan on the arena, their pupils wide with shock. They had never expected that Lin Xuan, clearly a new inner sect disciple, would face Sun Cheng, a seasoned expert at the sixth layer of Qi Transformation, and defeat him in a single blow! With one punch, Lin Xuan was completely unharmed. But Sun Cheng was sent flying off the arena, coughing up blood, his right arm broken, heavily injured. The gap in strength between them was unmistakable. At this point, Lin Xuan's strength probably wasn't far from that of a Qi Transformation peak expert, right? The disciples were utterly horrified.
If they had doubted the rumors about Lin Xuan before, now they believed most of them. Such cultivation speed and cross-tier combat ability! It showed his extraordinary talent! He truly ranked at the sect's peak! The disciples were once again stunned by Lin Xuan's talent.
In the crowd, Chen Yuze's eyes were wide, frozen in place, his gaze on Lin Xuan filled with disbelief. He muttered in a daze: "How... is this possible...?" Only when the arena grew noisy did he snap out of it. But his eyes remained locked on Lin Xuan, his shock and disbelief undiminished.