61: Chapter 61 Am I so strong?

Senior Brother Xiao actually lost?

A commotion immediately broke out in the spectator stands, and some people sighed regretfully.

"He was clearly gaining the upper hand just now, how did he suddenly..."

"It seems it's still too difficult for new Disciples to win against older Disciples."

Others, however, took it for granted. As they were talking, their gaze was suddenly drawn back to the commotion on the arena.

Fang Hanyu's Primordial Sword was entangled with Li Wuling's longsword. Amidst the flashing sword light, the young man's profile was taut, his jawline sharp as a blade, causing the female Disciples below the stage to start squealing softly again.

"Junior Brother Fang is so cool!"

The female Disciples from Qingyun Peak clutched their handkerchiefs, their eyes sparkling like stars.

"Junior Brother Fang, go for it!"

Several female Cultivators from Dan Ding Peak also nodded, "Look at the way he holds his sword, it's so cool it makes your legs go weak!"

Xiao Ruobai's mouth twitched as he heard this. He propped himself up with his Dragon Soul Halberd and shuffled back. As he passed Fang Hanyu's arena, he deliberately dragged his steps. The 'bloodstain' on his shoulder glinted glaringly in the sunlight.

Having just conceded and stepped down from the stage, he now looked like a defeated rooster, even the tip of his halberd drooped dejectedly.

Fang Hanyu was parrying Li Wuling's Moves. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his Senior Brother's appearance, and his sword Move almost went awry.

He was instantly stunned—how could his Senior Brother, with his strength, have lost?

As he was wondering, he saw Xiao Ruobai winking at him, his mouth twisted to one side, his eyebrows furrowed like knotted ropes.

His left eye twitched three times, his right eye pulled twice, and he even gestured with his mouth towards the audience, looking like he was having a stroke.

Fang Hanyu was bewildered: What's wrong with Senior Brother? Is his face cramping?

Seeing his lack of reaction, Xiao Ruobai was so angry he almost stomped his foot, and quickly sent a telepathic message.

"Keep it low-key! You just joined the sect and you're already forcing older Disciples to retreat. Don't you think Zizhu Peak isn't lively enough?"

Only then did Fang Hanyu come to his senses, remembering what his Senior Brother had told him earlier: be low-key.

"Take this!"

Li Wuling suddenly shouted, his longsword slashing with a green glow.

"Let me give you a taste of my newly practiced 'Qingyun Slash'!"

Fang Hanyu's Chaos Sword Qi suddenly retracted.

He saw his body suddenly lean back, as if swept by the sword wind. He staggered back three steps, bumping right into the arena pillar.

"Such... such a powerful Aura..."

He clutched his chest, a trace of bloody foam 'overflowing' from his throat, and said 'weakly' while covering his chest: "I... I can't take it anymore!"

Before he finished speaking, he jumped off the stage, moving so fast as if afraid of being caught by the Sword Qi.

Xiao Ruobai stood below the stage, his face full of black lines—this acting was too perfunctory, couldn't he have held on for a few more Moves?

Li Wuling stood stunned on the stage, his hand gripping the sword frozen.

He looked down at his sword, then touched his chest, and suddenly realized.

So this Move was so strong? Before, they were evenly matched, but as soon as this Move was used, the opponent couldn't handle it?

"Senior Brother Li is mighty!"

The Disciples of Qingyun Peak immediately cheered, their cheers rising in waves.

Li Wuling was so flattered by the cheers that he felt light-headed. He unconsciously puffed out his chest and walked off the arena in a daze amidst the applause, his steps even showing a hint of proud swagger.

Xiao Ruobai nudged Fang Hanyu's arm and whispered, "Next time, act more convincingly. At least wait for him to finish his Move."

Fang Hanyu replied expressionlessly, "Senior Brother, wipe off your fake sweat first."

"Hoo—"

A collective sigh of relief echoed through the spectator stands, and many older Disciples who had Cultivated for years patted their chests.

"He lost just like that? Weren't they fighting well just now?"

"That blood... how does it look like he forced it out himself?"

"It's a good thing he didn't advance, otherwise, us older Disciples who have Cultivated for years would have nowhere to put our faces."

"Exactly, it's already a miracle to reach the top sixteen shortly after joining the sect. To push further would be too outrageous."

"He finally lost. If he kept winning, the faces of us Core Formation Realm Cultivators would be shattered."

"I knew it, no matter how divine Zizhu Peak is, it can't really let two newcomers beat up a bunch of older students."

Although neither of them advanced, having reached this stage at such a young age, no Disciple would ever underestimate Zizhu Peak again.

With two Genius Disciples, once they grow, they will be enough to support Zizhu Peak.

At this moment, the voices of the female Disciples brightened again: "Is Junior Brother Fang okay? Do you need some medicine?"

"Even if he lost, he's still super handsome!"

Some even pulled out healing pills, wishing they could throw them directly onto the stage.

Fang Hanyu's ears flushed at the commotion, and the hand clutching his chest almost slipped.

Xiao Ruobai rolled his eyes at Fang Hanyu and turned to leave.

After taking two steps, he heard Li Wuling still chuckling foolishly behind him: "So I'm that amazing..."

When the two passed the audience, they caused another round of cheers from the female Disciples.

Xiao Ruobai sighed: It seems that if you're handsome, even if you lose, people will still support you. This world really does judge by appearances.

In the viewing stands, the various Peak Lords took in the farce on the arena, their expressions varied.

Gu Changge's gaze lingered on the glaring 'bloodstain' at the corner of Xiao Ruobai's mouth, then swept over the suspicious blush on Fang Hanyu's ears, a nearly imperceptible curve forming on his lips.

These two youngsters, one acting diligently, the other hiding awkwardly, were quite interesting.

Shi Wanshan stroked his beard and chuckled, "These two kids, their acting still needs practice."

He recalled being hung by a Spirit Binding Vine for half the night at Zizhu Peak last time. Now, looking at Xiao Ruobai's 'miserable' back, he suddenly felt that these three, master and Disciples, all had a bit of 'sly mischief' hidden in their bones.

Their acting could only fool the Disciples; the Peak Lords in the viewing stands had seen through it at a glance.

Having just joined the sect and already possessing such strength, truly the younger generation is formidable!

As the bronze bell in the center of the martial arts arena rang for the third time, the third round of competition came to an end.

After the smoke cleared, the list of qualifiers was finalized with the referee's loud announcement—eight figures stood out, who would compete for the top four spots tomorrow.

Li Xuanfeng and Li Wuling of Qingyun Peak both advanced. The former crushed his opponent with lightning-fast Moves.

The latter easily passed with his 'Epiphany' of the Qingyun Slash, and was currently stroking his sword sheath with a foolish grin, clearly not yet recovered from the victory 'gifted' by Fang Hanyu.

Lin Mochen and Shi Jingxian of Qingyue Peak continued their strong performance. One wielded his Black Iron Axe with fierce power, while the other, after taking three punches from his opponent, turned the tables and won, perfectly demonstrating the Dao of strength.

Mu Chenyu of Jianxiao Peak's sword moved like a Dragon, Yun Qingjue of Flying Cloud Peak's movement technique was ethereal, and Su Qingyuan of Sunset Glow Peak's water sleeve Cultivation Technique was soft yet firm.

Lu Chenyu of Zhenyue Peak's defense was even airtight. The eight displayed their respective Divine Abilities, drawing cheers from the spectator stands.

The most surprising outcome, however, was Lin Xiaowan of Dan Ding Peak stopping at the third round.

When she faced Lin Mochen of Qingyue Peak, everyone expected a prolonged battle.

After all, Lin Xiaowan's poison arts and healing arts were considered unparalleled among the younger generation.

Unexpectedly, Lin Mochen did not play by the rules. He started by swinging his Black Iron Axe wildly, forcefully breaking through her poison mist formation with brute strength, forcing Lin Xiaowan to concede.

"How could this happen?"

A wave of regret immediately swept through the spectator stands, especially among the male Disciples who secretly admired Lin Xiaowan, all of them pounding their chests.

Someone clutched the healing pill they had just prepared, their eyes red: "That brute Lin Mochen! Couldn't he be gentler with Senior Sister?"

Others sighed: "Ultimately, everyone has their specialty. Disciples from Dan Ding Peak really are at a disadvantage when facing purely strength-based Cultivators..."

All the previous drafts were discarded, and I rewrote everything from scratch. Please read it for now; the next chapter will be posted a bit later. Thank you all for your support!