For a moment, silence ruled the arena. Not a whisper stirred, not a breath was heard. Then—
The stillness shattered.
A wave of uproar rolled through the stadium, sweeping across the stands like a roaring wildfire. Some gasped in disbelief, others shouted in outrage or admiration.
"Jin Bo… he's really dead?"
"That Tang Jiyan is a demon in disguise!"
"No, he won fair and square! You saw how ruthless that Jin Bo was earlier!"
The chaos snowballed with each word, voices rising, colliding, tumbling into disorder.
High above in the Dragonwood Valley's seating area, a man in green robes—calm, composed, but with narrowed eyes—was the man from before whom Jin Bo referred as 'The Boss,' turned toward the furious disciple beside him. It was Jin Bo's sworn brother, veins bulging in his neck, staring at Tang Jiyan with unmasked fury.
At the green-robbed man's subtle nod, the angry disciple stood up and shouted toward the stage where Steward Yan stood.
"Steward Yan!" His voice cracked like a whip across the noise. "I protest this outcome! Tang Jiyan has violated the rules by using Shen Yuan's Yin Qi in the middle of battle! That's cheating!"
The moments the words left his mouth, it was as if a bomb had been dropped.
The audience froze for a beat, then erupted again.
"What?! He used someone else's power?"
"If that's true, he should be disqualified!"
"Hmph, looks like theTwin Soul Sect finally got exposed!"
But among the scattered outrage, doubt flickers.
"Would Shen Yuan really risk helping like that?"
"Maybe he is planning something evil again…"
On the platform, Steward Yan narrowed his eyes, unmoved by the growing tension.
The Dragonwood disciple cupped his fists and added with a bitter tone "Tang Jiyan has desecrated the sacred rules of the Sect Ranking Competition. I implore Steward Yan to judge fairly and punish this offense accordingly."
Snickers followed from certain corners of the crowd. "Tang Jiyan's done for now. Even that Shen Yuan can't save him at this point."
But then—
A ripple of spiritual energy shimmered as the defensive array dispersed, marking the official end of the match.
And then Steward Yan's calm voice echoed across the arena.
"Tang Jiyan is the victor."
The crowd went deathly silent.
A second later, pandemonium.
"WHAT?"
"Is Steward Yan blind?!"
"Why would he still declare him the winner?!"
The angry disciple from Dragonwood Valley gritted his teeth, face red with fury. "Steward Yan! What is the meaning of this?!"
Tang Jiyan, meanwhile, walked calmly off the stage, unfazed, returning to the Twin Soul Sect seating area as though nothing had happened.
Steward Yan remained silent until Tang Jiyan returned to his seat.
Then he spoke, voice steady.
"Indeed, using someone else's power in battle would constitute an unfair advantage, if the assistance was given during the duel. However, in this case, the Yin Qi was pre-infused in that jade bottle, before the match began. There was no violation."
Murmurs and gasps rippled through the audience.
"Pre-infused? That's allowed?"
"So it wasn't cheating…"
"I guess it's smart… terrifyingly smart."
Many scoffed, others nodded in begrudging admiration.
The angry disciple tried again, desperation in his voice "And what of Jin Bo? He was my sworn brother! Are you just going to let this stand?!"
Steward Yan's eyes turned cold. "Life and death are permitted in the Sect Ranking Competition. You should know this."
The man opened his mouth, then closed it again. There was nothing more to be said.
Then a strong hand clapped onto his shoulder, the green-robed man. His gaze said it all, "Control yourself. Now is not the time." Slowly, the furious disciple sat down again, fists trembling.
Then Steward Yan's voice rang out once more, cutting through the lingering tension.
"With that concluded, we now proceed to the final duel of the singles round."
The atmosphere changed immediately, tension and excitement hummed in the air. Every spectator sat up straighter.
"The two sects may now send their final representatives," Steward Yan announced.
The colosseum shook with renewed energy.
"They're finally sending him, right?"
"There's only one man left in Twin Soul Sect who can actually end this on his own!"
In the Dragonwood Valley section, the green-robed man finally stood. Cheers erupted instantly from the crowd and the rest of the disciples of Dragonwood Valley.
"Liu Chong!"
"The Serpent of Dragonwood Valley!"
"He'll avenge our Jin Bo for sure!"
"Senior Brother, I will cheer for you to avenge Jin Bo."
He nodded and then leapt into the air, descending with grace on the center of the cracked arena. He waved casually to the roaring audience, especially toward the ladies, who blushed and giggled.
Steward Yan nodded. "Representing Dragonwood Valley, Liu Chong."
Then, smirking faintly, he turned to the Twin Soul Sect. "As for the Twin Soul Sect's final representative… I won't even bother calling his name. He already knows, it's his turn now."
In the Twin Soul Sect area, Shen Yuan Stood up stretching his arms.
Dong Chen grinned from the side. "Seems like your fame's gotten ahead of you, everyone seems to know you now."
Shen Yuan chuckled. "If someone thinks they understand me just because of that, they're in for a rude awakening."
Xiang Xiaoli rolled her eyes. "Less talking, more crushing."
"I was planning on it and get your tone right." With a lazy flick, Shen Yuan vanished and reappeared on the stage in a flash, standing opposite Liu Chong.
The crowd erupted.
"SHEN YUAN!"
"It's him, it's finally him!"
"Let's see if he's really all that."
Liu Chong cupped his fists. "Don't worry, I will end this quickly."
Shen Yuan didn't bother replying, he simply waved.
Then the defensive array shimmered to life.
"Begin!" Steward Yan declared.
But Shen Yuan raised a hand. "One thing, I won't be using my Yin Qi for this one."
The entire arena gasped.
Liu Chong narrowed his eyes. "Then you've already lost."
Shen Yuan's lips curled. "I don't need Yin Qi to defeat someone like you."
The vein in Liu Chong's forehead throbbed. "Seeking death!"
His body erupted in crimson light, layer upon layer of blood-skin forming over him. But unlike Jin Bo's grotesque transformation, Liu Chong's armor gleamed, refined, sleek, serpentine. A hundred layered scales shimmered crimson like coiled snakes.
"This is the proper Solid Blood Body," Liu Chong growled. "My defenses are now equal to that of an Elysian Realm cultivator!"
Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Huh… is that all? Defense without speed or strength is nothing."
Liu Chong howled in rage and charged. "We will see that if you survive my fists!"
Then his punch slammed into empty air, Shen Yuan was already gone.
The speed was so fast he could only see streaks of flash, before connecting his fist on the floor.
Cracks webbed across the stage from the missed impact.
Then without stopping, he leapt, again and again, Liu Chong attacked. And each time, Shen Yuan dodged with ease, hands behind his back, yawning, even closing his eyes. The stage now was filled with multiple deep cracks.
Crowd whispered.
"This Shen Yuan is really playing with Liu Chong."
"Hmph, Liu Chong hasn't even started, no way he would lose to someone so vile like Shen Yuan."
"It's already clear, Shen Yuan is way superior, it seems like the serpent finally met its doom."
Rage twisted Liu Chong's features as he listened to the crowd.
"Enough!" he roared, leaping forward again with everything he had.
This time however, Shen Yuan didn't move.
The audience froze.
The fist slammed into Shen Yuan's face, and a loud CRACK echoed across the field.
Everyone leaned forward, only to realize—
Liu Chong was the one in pain. Blood dripped from his hand. His eyes widened in horror.
Shen Yuan tilted his head. "That was your full strength?"
The crowd was stunned.
He took a step forward. Liu Chong backed away, trembling. "S-stay back…"
Then out of fear Liu Chong threw another punch toward Shen Yuan, but this time, he caught it mid-air.
"You have defense equal to the Early stage Elysian Cultivator," Shen Yuan said calmly, tightening his grip, cracking Lu Ching's fist. "But your strength and speed are still stuck at the peak of the Ninth Layer of Nirvana."
Liu Chong's face turned pale, as he realized there was no way out of this.
"Let me show you what a proper Elysian power feels like," Shen Yuan whispered.
As he pulled back his fist, the very air bent around it, a vortex of Qi spiraling came into existence, coating Shen Yuan's fist.