482: A rising star with an awe-inspiring presence.

"Number twenty-eight. My opponent is the Martial Saint with number twenty-seven."

Su Yuan scanned the surroundings, searching for the Martial Saint whose light sphere displayed the number twenty-seven.

His gaze froze.

Su Yuan remembered that Martial Saint from the Second Hunyuan Sacred Land; he was a Martial Arts Academician from Mowu University, Peng Saint Zhang Weipeng, who possessed three types of Perfect Laws.

Mowu University was the top Martial Arts University in Mowu Province, with a Martial Arts Academician presiding over the campus.

Wudu University in Wudu Province similarly had a Martial Arts Academician in residence.

Zhang Weipeng looked out across the area, finally locking eyes with Su Yuan.

Seeing the number on the light sphere in Su Yuan's hand, Zhang Weipeng felt a sinking sensation in his heart. To encounter the Saint Yuan in the first round meant his journey in the Martial Saint Exchange Conference would likely end right here.

With a soft sigh in his heart, Zhang Weipeng could only curse his bad luck.

With his strength of three Perfect Laws, he wouldn't have been able to challenge the top ten even by the end of the Martial Saint Exchange Conference.

Helpless due to insufficient strength, he couldn't blame anyone else.

Once all the Martial Saints had obtained their light spheres, streaks of brilliant starlight formed Arena Stages; thirteen Arena Stages were generated at set intervals.

With a thought, Ning Zeyuan applied the Perfect Space Law to the thirteen Arena Stages so that the Martial Saints could fight without holding back.

"Will the Martial Saints with light sphere numbers one through twenty-six please step forward for the first round of the Martial Saint Exchange Conference."

Ning Zeyuan chose to have half of the participants challenge simultaneously in the first round; if they went one by one, he feared this Martial Saint Exchange Conference wouldn't end for ten or twenty days.

In battles between Martial Saints of similar strength, it could take days to determine a winner.

Only when there was a massive disparity in strength was it possible to conclude a fight quickly.

Twenty-six Martial Saints moved, each flashing onto an Arena Stage according to their light sphere numbers.

Su Yuan remained suspended quietly in place; it wasn't his turn to fight yet.

Beside him, Ning Tianyun, Qin Xuexin, Lin Yihong, and Gu Lingkong left Su Yuan's side to engage in their battles.

Zhao Feiguang, Qin Chengyan, and Ouyang Jinglan stood still like Su Yuan.

Su Yuan looked at their opponents one by one. The opponents on Instructor Ning and Uncle Gu's sides were much weaker than them, so there was no need to worry.

As for Xuexin, her first-round opponent was a Martial Saint who possessed four types of Perfect Laws.

"Let the battles begin."

Ning Zeyuan teleported to the side and gave the command, and the battles on the thirteen Arena Stages quickly kicked off.

The surrounding Ninth Realm Martial Artist spectators held their breath, focusing their attention on a single Arena Stage to watch the matches.

It was impossible to watch thirteen Arena Stages at once; even watching just one was already quite taxing.

In a single second, the battle on Gu Lingkong's Arena Stage ended. He merely used his right hand to burst forth a strand of Sword Qi, and the opposing Martial Saint surrendered instantly.

Against the Sword Saint, there was zero chance of winning.

Before Gu Lingkong's Sword Qi even reached the other side, that Martial Saint couldn't help but admit defeat.

The situation was similar on Ning Tianyun's side; before he even drew his weapon, his opponent had already surrendered.

The two battles ended so quickly that the Martial Saints watching with Su Yuan hadn't even reacted yet.

"As expected of the Sword Saint. The president of the Mowu Province Martial Arts Association just surrendered like that."

"Yeah, the Sword Saint and the Flame Saint are both presidents of Martial Arts Associations, but in the end, the Sword Saint is still superior."

"The gap between the Sword Saint and the Flame Saint is too large; there's simply no fight to be had. The Flame Saint is also unlucky to run into his old rival in the first round."

"Professor Ning's strength is also terrifying. His opponent was the Rong Saint, head of the Xu Family in Wudu Province, yet he also surrendered in a second."

"It looks like the Sword Saint and Professor Ning have already locked in their spots in the top ten."

"Wait, look over there! What terrifying cold air!"

The Ninth Realm Martial Artists shifted their gaze toward the Arena Stage where Qin Xuexin was.

The entire Arena Stage was wrapped in layers of frost. The opposing Martial Saint was shivering uncontrollably, unable to even hold his weapon steady.

Qin Xuexin held the heavenly ice fan, its whistling cold winds releasing a terrifying frigid current. Simultaneously, the current exploded into countless ice spikes, which, under her precise control, battered her opponent into a wretched state.

Before long, the opponent was driven into a corner and hurriedly surrendered.

If he didn't surrender now, this piercing chill would cause severe damage to his body.

Qin Xuexin won easily, leaving the Ninth Realm Martial Artists wide-eyed and in disbelief.

Qin Zhuyong, Li Xinlian, and Zhou Nianwei were watching from a certain spot in the spectator stands, looking perfectly unsurprised by Qin Xuexin's victory.

"Following the Saint Yuan, another Heaven-Defying rising star has appeared!"

"Holy crap, I thought Classmate Qin was just here for show, but she actually defeated the Lin Saint?"

"The Lin Saint is the Deputy Director of the Martial Arts Security Bureau's main headquarters, yet he lost just like that."

On the Arena Stage, the Lin Saint's face was bloodless as he stared at Qin Xuexin with immense wariness: "The younger generation is truly to be feared."

"I didn't lose this battle unfairly."

Miao Saint Zhang Zimiao felt slightly depressed outside the Arena Stage; his own deputy director had lost in the first round, which was truly beyond his expectations.

"Lin Saint, thank you for the match!"

Qin Xuexin smiled slightly and left the Arena Stage, returning to Su Yuan's side.

"Su Yuan, I passed the first round! It'll be your turn soon."

Qin Xuexin leaned in and whispered into Su Yuan's ear.

"Congratulations, Xuexin."

"However, that 'soon' seems like it'll still take a little while."

Su Yuan looked out at five of the Arena Stages; the Martial Saints fighting there were evenly matched, with little difference in strength.

It would take a moment for those ten people to finish their battles.

The other Arena Stages would soon have winners; the strength gaps weren't huge, but with Su Yuan's eyesight, he could predict when the battles would end.

Time slowly passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was 12:30 PM.

Perhaps the Martial Saints on the remaining Arena Stages knew they needed to wrap things up and didn't want a battle of attrition; each of them gave it their all, releasing Martial Skills to blast their opponents as if their lives depended on it.

The first round of battles for the twenty-six people concluded.

Next, it was Su Yuan and the others' turn to fight.

Ning Zeyuan looked at some of the injured Martial Saints and waved his right hand, showering them with starlight.

The surface of the starlight was covered in a golden glow; it was actually the power of the Perfect Law of Light.

Under the radiance, the Martial Saints' injuries recovered rapidly.

Su Yuan watched this power from afar, noting to himself that the Star Saint indeed possessed the Perfect Law of Light as well.

He and Uncle Zhao weren't the only ones in Xia Country with the Perfect Law of Light.

While the other Martial Saints were being treated, Su Yuan stood on one of the Arena Stages. Most of the Ninth Realm Martial Artists cast their gazes upon him; Su Yuan keenly caught a specific gaze and looked toward its source.

Li Dieyi was seated in the spectator stands.

Instructor Li—she had come.

The rest of the Martial Saints took their positions in turn.

Seeing that the remaining twenty-six people for the first round were ready, Ning Zeyuan shouted loudly.

"Let the battles begin!"

Su Yuan withdrew his gaze and looked at the Peng Saint, Zhang Weipeng, opposite him.

"Academician Zhang, please show me the way."

Zhang Weipeng's face was solemn, intending to give it his all against Su Yuan: "Saint Yuan, please show me the way!"

In an instant, an unimaginable pressure of Aura swept over him, making Zhang Weipeng's bones creak as he bore a massive, heavy weight.

Su Yuan's Realm Aura was revealed: a Ninth Realm Mid-stage Martial Artist.

The vast pressure struck Zhang Weipeng with terrifying deterrence. He stared at Su Yuan in horror, unable to even muster the thought of fighting him.

"I... sur... render."

Zhang Weipeng panted heavily as he knelt on one knee, his head lowered as he forced the words through gritted teeth.

The Aura released by the Saint Yuan was too frightening; he simply couldn't withstand that pressure.

The suffocating Aura abruptly vanished, and Su Yuan smiled calmly: "Academician Zhang, thank you for the match!"