The morning sun rose slowly over Heavenly Martial Valley, bathing the enormous arena in golden light.
Tens of thousands of cultivators had already gathered around the battlefield, their conversations filling the valley with excitement.
Today marked the beginning of the South Continent Four-Sect competition.
High above the arena, the sect leaders and elders from the four great sects sat quietly upon the viewing platform, their sharp eyes observing every disciple below.
“The first round begins!”
The elder acting as referee stepped onto the arena and announced loudly.
“Match Seven!”
“Qingyun Sect’s Body Peak disciple, Lin Xuan!”
“Versus Heavenly Sword Sect’s Liu Feng!”
As soon as the names were announced, murmurs spread through the crowd.
“Body Peak?”
“I heard that peak declined decades ago.”
“That disciple only has common-grade talent.”
“Liu Feng is already at the Late Body Forging Realm.”
“This match won’t last three moves.”
Lin Xuan calmly stepped onto the arena, his expression as tranquil as still water.
Across from him, Liu Feng slowly unsheathed his long sword.
The blade gleamed with a cold light.
He looked at Lin Xuan with unconcealed disdain.
“So you’re the disciple everyone’s talking about?”
“I’ll give you one chance.”
“Kneel.”
“I don’t enjoy bullying the weak.”
Laughter erupted from the Heavenly Sword Sect’s disciples.
Even some Qingyun disciples lowered their heads, unwilling to watch what they believed would be a humiliating defeat.
Only Elder Mo continued drinking wine as though nothing interested him.
Lin Xuan looked calmly at Liu Feng.
“You’ve finished talking?”
Liu Feng’s face darkened.
“Since you seek humiliation…”
“I’ll grant your wish!”
His figure shot forward like an arrow as dazzling sword light filled the arena.
Heavenly Sword Technique—Shadow Flash!
Dozens of sword images surrounded Lin Xuan from every direction.
The spectators gasped.
“What a fast sword!”
“He’s worthy of Heavenly Sword Sect!”
Just as everyone believed the battle had ended…
Lin Xuan moved.
He didn’t draw his sword.
Nor did he circulate spiritual qi.
Instead, he simply took one step forward.
Boom!
His right fist shot out like a thunderbolt.
The terrifying force instantly shattered every sword shadow.
Crack!
Liu Feng’s treasured sword bent under the overwhelming power before breaking into several pieces.
His eyes widened in horror.
“W-What…”
Before he could finish speaking, the force of Lin Xuan’s punch struck his chest.
Bang!
Liu Feng was sent flying like a broken kite before crashing heavily outside the arena.
Dust filled the air.
Silence.
Complete silence.
The entire valley became deathly quiet.
One punch.
The battle had ended with a single punch.
Even the referee stood frozen for several breaths before finally announcing,
“Winner…”
“Lin Xuan of Qingyun Sect!”
The audience erupted into an uproar. The source of this chapter is g.com.
“A Body Peak disciple defeated Liu Feng without using spiritual qi!”
“Did you see that?”
“He relied solely on physical strength!”
“This… this is impossible!”
On the viewing platform, several elders stood up in disbelief.
Even the Sect Leader’s calm expression changed slightly.
“So this is the path of Body Peak…”
Hu Tian’s relaxed smile gradually disappeared.
His eyes remained fixed on Lin Xuan.
“It seems…”
“I underestimated you.”
Not far away, Xie Chengxu slowly opened his eyes.
The contempt within them had vanished, replaced by a trace of interest.
“So…”
“You’re finally worthy of becoming my opponent.”
Lin Xuan ignored the countless shocked gazes and quietly walked down from the arena.
His expression remained calm, as though defeating Liu Feng was nothing worth celebrating.
High above the valley, Zhang Sang watched silently from the crowd.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“The rough stone…”
“…has finally begun to reveal its brilliance.”
However, hidden among the spectators, a black-robed figure watched Lin Xuan with icy eyes.
A strange black mark flickered across his forehead.
“The aura…”
“It can’t be mistaken.”
“We’ve finally found him.”
The figure turned and disappeared silently into the crowd.
No one noticed that while Lin Xuan’s name echoed throughout the arena…
An even greater storm had already begun to gather in the shadows.