The arena gradually quieted.
After Lou Han's victory, the atmosphere had become noticeably different.
The Qian Family now possessed two victories.
The Wu Family had none.
The Zheng Family had none.
Yet strangely enough, very few people were paying attention to the score anymore.
Instead, countless gazes had shifted toward a single figure seated among the Zheng Family delegation.
The black-robed representative.
Even now, nobody knew his name.
Nobody knew his cultivation.
Nobody knew his background.
Only one thing was certain.
He had defeated Wu Yuanhua.
That alone was enough to make everyone wary.
The referee stepped onto the center of the arena once more.
His voice echoed throughout the massive stadium.
"The third match."
"Zheng Family versus Wu Family."
The crowd immediately erupted.
This was the fight they had been waiting for.
The black-robed representative slowly rose from his seat.
The movement instantly drew attention from every direction.
Even the cultivators discussing among themselves fell silent.
The mysterious representative walked toward the arena.
His black robes fluttered slightly in the wind.
His face remained hidden.
His aura remained hidden.
Nothing about him appeared extraordinary.
Yet the more ordinary he seemed, the more unsettling he became.
On the Wu Family side, expressions were solemn.
Several elders exchanged glances.
Eventually, one of their representatives stood.
A Xuan Gang cultivator.
Early-stage Xuan Gang.
His name was Wu Cheng.
Unlike Wu Yuanhua, he wasn't a direct descendant of the family.
He had been recruited years ago and eventually became a guest elder.
His talent wasn't extraordinary.
His foundation wasn't exceptional.
Yet reaching Xuan Gang was enough to place him above the vast majority of cultivators.
As Wu Cheng walked toward the arena, his expression remained calm.
Inside, however, his thoughts were far less steady.
Everyone knew why he had been chosen.
Not necessarily to win.
To gather information.
The Zheng Family's representative was too mysterious.
Too unknown.
Someone had to force him to reveal something.
A technique.
A cultivation method.
A trump card.
Anything.
Even if the price was defeat.
Wu Cheng slowly tightened his grip on his saber.
Then stepped onto the arena.
The referee looked between both competitors.
"Begin."
The instant the word left his mouth—
Wu Cheng moved.
Boom!
The stone beneath his feet cracked.
Gang Qi erupted from his body.
Unlike Foundation Establishment cultivators, Xuan Gang experts possessed a far more oppressive presence.
The active nature of Gang Qi caused the surrounding spiritual qi to fluctuate violently.
Without hesitation, Wu Cheng launched himself forward.
His saber rose.
Then descended.
A brilliant saber aura erupted.
The slash carried tremendous force.
Several spectators immediately nodded.
The attack was solid.
No unnecessary movements.
No wasted energy.
Clearly the work of someone who had accumulated years of combat experience.
The saber aura tore through the air.
Then struck.
Bang!
A violent explosion erupted.
Dust filled the arena.
The spectators leaned forward instinctively.
Even several Foundation Establishment cultivators narrowed their eyes.
The attack had landed.
Yet something felt wrong.
Within the dust cloud, Wu Cheng's expression changed.
His saber had struck something.
Not flesh.
Not Gang Qi.
A barrier.
A translucent barrier that had appeared around the black-robed representative.
The attack hadn't even forced it to tremble.
Before Wu Cheng could react—
The barrier vanished.
So did the black-robed figure.
His pupils contracted.
Gone.
The man had completely disappeared.
Instinct screamed danger.
Wu Cheng immediately expanded his Gang Qi Field.
The translucent field erupted around his body.
At the same time, he spun around.
Nothing.
No one.
The arena seemed empty.
Then—
A fluctuation.
Behind him.
Tiny.
Almost imperceptible.
Yet it existed.
Wu Cheng reacted instantly.
His Gang Qi surged.
His defensive artifact activated automatically.
A protective barrier emerged around him.
Then—
An explosion erupted from behind.
Boom!
The sound shook the arena.
The Gang Qi Field shattered.
Not weakened.
Not pushed aside.
Shattered.
The protective artifact activated fully.
Then exploded into fragments.
The remaining force continued forward.
Wu Cheng felt something strike his back.
A terrifying impact.
The sound of breaking bones echoed.
His vision darkened.
The next moment, his body flew across the arena.
Blood sprayed through the air.
He crashed heavily outside the battlefield.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
The crowd stared at the arena.
Then at Wu Cheng.
Then back at the arena.
At the center of the battlefield, the black-robed representative stood calmly.
Exactly where Wu Cheng had been moments earlier.
As though he had never moved.
Several breaths passed before the referee finally reacted.
The medical team had already rushed toward Wu Cheng.
Spiritual qi circulated.
Healing pills were administered.
One of the healers frowned heavily.
The injury was severe.
Very severe.
The spine had been shattered.
Although cultivators were difficult to kill, recovery would require significant time and resources.
The referee eventually turned toward the arena.
"The winner."
"Zheng Family."
The announcement finally broke the silence.
The audience erupted.
"What happened?!"
"I didn't see anything!"
"Did anyone see that?"
"Was that a movement technique?"
"No!"
"How did the Gang Qi Field break?"
"That was an Early Xuan Gang expert!"
The discussions exploded throughout the stadium.
Many spectators stood from their seats.
Others repeatedly questioned their neighbors.
Nobody possessed an answer.
Even many Foundation Establishment cultivators looked confused.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator defeating a Xuan Gang expert wasn't impossible.
But defeating one so quickly?
Without revealing anything?
That was another matter entirely.
Within the Wu Family delegation, expressions immediately darkened.
Several elders rose to their feet.
One of them pointed directly toward the arena.
"This attack was excessive!"
"The purpose of the competition is exchange, not crippling people!"
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
The Zheng Family elders immediately responded.
A cold laugh echoed from their side.
"Excessive?"
"Your representative entered willingly."
"The rules never stated injuries were prohibited."
The Wu Family elder's expression became uglier.
"He shattered his spine!"
The Zheng Family elder remained calm.
"He survived."
The simple response nearly caused the Wu Family elder to explode.
Before the argument could escalate further, the referee stepped forward.
His expression was stern.
"The rules were not violated."
Silence descended.
The referee continued.
"No forbidden artifact was detected."
"No outside interference occurred."
"The attack occurred after the battle began."
"The result stands."
The Wu Family members clearly weren't satisfied.
Yet they couldn't openly challenge the referee.
Not here.
Not with representatives from countless organizations watching.
Not with the entire city observing.
Eventually, they sat down once more.
Though their expressions remained ugly.
The Zheng Family obtained their first victory.
Two victories for the Qian Family.
One victory for the Zheng Family.
The competition continued.
Yet few people cared about the score.
The black-robed representative had stolen everyone's attention.
Even the two family heads appeared serious.
Qian Feng's father narrowed his eyes.
The Wu Family Patriarch remained silent.
Not far away, Wu Yuanhua stared at the arena.
Her expression had become colder than before.
The attack she had witnessed only reinforced her previous defeat.
Meanwhile—
Within the Qian Family seating area.
Lin Shou frowned.
"What happened?"
No one answered immediately.
Even Zhao Feng seemed unusually quiet.
After several moments, he shook his head.
"I didn't see it clearly."
That answer alone surprised everyone.
Zhao Feng wasn't weak.
Yet even he hadn't understood what had happened.
Lou Han stopped chewing for once.
His eyes remained fixed upon the black-robed figure.
"He moved."
Lin Xiaolu glanced toward him.
"You saw it?"
"Part of it."
Lou Han frowned.
"Not enough."
Lin Xiaolu's gaze returned toward the arena.
For the first time since arriving, her expression carried genuine caution.
Meanwhile—
Lin Sheng remained silent.
Lin Sheng's gaze remained fixed on the black-robed representative.
His expression didn't change.
Yet internally, he was surprised.
The brief expansion of his Mental Field had allowed him to capture a trace of something unusual.
A faint energy fluctuation.
An aura he had encountered before within certain records from the Qian Family Library.
Star Energy.
The thought surfaced immediately.
Unlike spiritual qi, Star Energy was not commonly cultivated by ordinary cultivators.
However, it wasn't entirely unknown either.
Certain heavenly materials absorbed stellar essence over long periods of time.
Some rare ores possessed traces of such energy.
Alchemists occasionally used them when refining specialized pills.
Formation Masters sometimes incorporated them into formations.
Artifact refiners also valued star-attributed materials.
The source of the fluctuation could have been many things.
An artifact.
A treasure.
A formation.
Or perhaps a cultivation method.
There was no way to determine which from a single exchange.
Lin Sheng lightly tapped the armrest.
The information was insufficient.
Far too insufficient.
Yet the black-robed representative had become significantly more interesting.
If an opportunity arose in the future, he wouldn't mind investigating further.
After all, understanding an opponent was often just as important as defeating one.