In the center of the high platform.

Sun Yan let out a wild laugh. With a single stomp, the ironwood floating platform beneath him shuddered, sending splinters flying. He was like a humanoid beast, shrouded in furious Qi and Blood, as he instantly closed in on Cui Wanhe.

"Cui Wanhe, come and fight!"

His iron fist shot out like a heavy cannon, compressing the air until it let out a piercing shriek.

Cui Wanhe’s expression was cold. CLANG! The Nine-Ring Saber on his back sprang up on its own and landed in his palm.

"Hongshan Saber, River-Sunder!"

The blade descended with indomitable, crushing force, seeming to slice through the very air in its path.

"BOOM!"

Fist and saber collided, unleashing a violent shockwave. The few Martial Artists standing nearby felt a sharp pain in their eardrums, their footing becoming unsteady.

This was the terrifying combat power of the Third Acupoint!

Opening each acupoint would unlock a new level of the human body’s potential, causing a massive increase in strength.

The raging gale whipped Cui Wanhe’s black hair about, but his figure remained as immovable as a mountain.

"Sun Yan, is this the strength you’ve been using to provoke me? Too weak!"

"Hahaha! Good! Again!"

A savage grin spread across Sun Yan’s face. The Qi and Blood in his body roared as he clashed with Cui Wanhe once more.

Their battle was so terrifying that a vacuum instantly formed around them—a zone no one dared to approach.

Because of their fight, the remaining area on the platform was squeezed even further.

A new, chaotic brawl erupted once again!

In a corner at the edge.

Over on Su Yu’s side, a small group of three had set their sights on him.

"Those two look like easy pickings! Let’s take care of them and claim this area!"

A burly man with a full beard licked the edge of his blade and advanced with a savage grin. "The little wench is yours. The pretty boy is mine!"

Before the words had even faded, the Qi and Blood in his body thundered—he was clearly a skilled fighter. His large saber descended from above, whistling sharply through the air!

The blow was heavy and powerful; for someone at the First Acupoint level, he was definitely among the best.

A glint of coldness flashed in Su Yu’s eyes.

’Easy pickings?’

Instead of retreating, Su Yu advanced. Power erupted from his spine like a great dragon, and he shot forward like a Spiritual Ape, instantly closing the distance.

"Spiritual Ape Emerges from the Cave!"

Mo Yuan struck out like a bolt of lightning. He held nothing back. Empowered by the formidable Qi and Blood of the First Acupoint, his long saber tore through the air to meet the attack.

"CLANG!"

A clear ring of metal on metal.

The immense weight of Mo Yuan, amplified by his Qi and Blood, instantly knocked the descending saber back.

The bearded man felt an irresistible force surge up the handle of his weapon. The webbing of his thumb split open instantly, and he nearly lost his grip on the saber.

"What!"

’He was horrified. The power behind that strike... he’s definitely a First Acupoint master!’

’I can’t believe such an unremarkable-looking guy is so powerful!’

’And you’re not even fucking listed in the Celestial Pride Record!’

He thought he had been so careful, memorizing all the powerful Martial Artists from the Celestial Pride Record and specifically choosing some kid in the corner. He never expected to run into a master pretending to be weak.

’Fuck, there are only about a dozen people at the First Acupoint! What the fuck are you hiding for?!’

Before he could continue his cursing and gawking, a flash of light, as clear and cold as autumn water, blossomed before his eyes.

It was agile yet carried a fatal threat, and it grew larger and larger before him.

’Fast! Too fast!’

The bearded man was scared out of his wits. His knees went weak, and with no regard for a Martial Artist’s dignity, he dropped to his knees on the spot.

"Mercy, Grandfather, spare my life!"

The blade stopped barely half an inch from his neck. The chilling aura from the saber sent goosebumps all over his skin.

Su Yu frowned slightly. ’The referees are watching from not far away. Killing him now could get me disqualified for breaking the rules.’

"Get lost!"

He kicked the bearded man in the chest, sending him flying off the high platform and into the water below.

At the same time, Lin Jing’s fight also came to an end. Her long whip was like a spirit snake flicking its tongue, temporarily forcing back her two assailants.

When those two attackers saw Su Yu’s display of strength, they immediately retreated from the area in alarm.

Seeing Su Yu’s incredible display of power, Lin Jing’s beautiful eyes widened in astonishment. "You... you’ve broken through to the First Acupoint?"

Su Yu sheathed his saber and said nonchalantly, "Didn’t Senior Sister Lin tell you?"

"Hmph! Sister Lin is so tight-lipped, why would she tell me something like that!" Lin Jing ground her teeth in frustration, then immediately became excited again. "You rascal! You hid it well! We’ll have a spar later. I want to see for myself just how strong the First Acupoint is!"

"How about we add another wager?"

Hearing this, a blush immediately spread across Lin Jing’s feisty face. She seemed to recall a previous embarrassing moment and could only stammer, unable to form a response.

...

As time went on, the number of people on the high platform dwindled.

Su Yu scanned the platform. In Group C, only he and Lin Jing remained, along with two or three small groups and, finally, Dai Xing, who stood alone in a corner, staring blankly while holding his spear.

Among the other groups, Group A had the most people, so they were guaranteed to be first.

Group B had even fewer people than Group C, with only two or three left.

’The rankings will probably be Group A in first, Group C in second, and Group B in third.’

However, everyone still on the platform had likely qualified to advance. Many had tacitly stopped fighting, waiting for the final third of the incense stick to burn down.

Just then, the perpetually silent Sun Shi suddenly broke into a wide grin and walked toward the two Martial Artists closest to him.

"Sun Shi! What are you doing?"

One of the two was a First Acupoint expert. He saw what was happening and shouted sternly, "The spots are already decided! Attacking now won’t benefit you and will only harm others!"

Sun Shi just grinned, shook his head, and said, "I’m not trying to fight for rank. I just wanna have some fun with you."

Before his voice faded, his figure exploded forward, charging like a savage bull!

"Madman!"

The two were furious and attacked him together!

"BANG! BANG!"

With two sharp impacts, Sun Shi actually caught both of their weapons with his bare hands.

Iron Armor Skill!

This was a Body Refining Technique far more powerful than simply tempering the Four Extremities Acupoints.

The next moment, he reversed his grip and seized the weaker man’s arm.

"CRACK!"

The sickening crunch of shattering bone echoed out.

The man screamed as his arm was brutally crushed.

Sun Shi grinned and sent another punch crashing into the man’s chest, knocking him backward while he vomited blood.

The other man’s eyes were fierce. Far from being scared off, he instantly seized the opportunity. The powerful Qi and Blood of his First Acupoint surged, and he launched a punch like a heavy cannon at Sun Shi’s face.

"POW!"

The punch was ferocious, smashing into Sun Shi’s face, but the expected damage never came. Instead, the man felt a sharp pain in his own fist, as if he had just punched an Ironwood Stake.

"What a soft punch."

Sun Shi turned his head and grabbed the man’s fist.

The man was instantly alarmed and tried to pull his arm back, but it was caught as if in an iron vise, unable to move an inch.

"Aargh!"

Another bloodcurdling scream rang out as Sun Shi shattered the man’s arm with a single punch.

Immediately after, his fan-sized hand clamped around the man’s neck, lifting him into the air like a duck.

"Spare... COUGH COUGH, spare me..."

The man’s face instantly turned crimson as he struggled to breathe. He was on the verge of death.

"That’s enough!"

Just then, the referee’s figure descended like a hawk. He shot Sun Shi a cold look. This Sun Shi looked like a mere youth, but he was utterly ruthless and acted without any restraint.

Sun Shi grinned, released the man, and put on a harmless expression. "I wasn’t gonna kill him."

The referee ignored him, picked up the injured man, and vanished from the high platform in a flash.

The competition continued.

Sun Shi started grinning again, his gaze sweeping over the remaining people.

The expressions of the others immediately darkened as they stared at Sun Shi.

"Sun Shi, don’t be too arrogant. If you keep this up, don’t blame us for ganging up on you."

Sun Shi immediately gave a foolish laugh. "My big bro’s right over there. If you dare come at me together, I’ll just call him over."

Everyone’s expression changed at once. Sun Yan was still fighting Cui Wanhe, but if he were to come over, he could sweep them all aside by himself. How could they dare to face him?

"You, the guy from Group B, come over here. We’re in the same group, so I won’t hit you."

Sun Shi pointed at Chen Fan in the corner.

Chen Fan’s face stiffened. Sun Shi was incredibly strong, having sent a First Acupoint Martial Artist flying with a single punch. He was definitely no match for him.

After a moment’s hesitation, he put on a fawning smile and came before Sun Shi. "Many thanks for your consideration, Senior Brother Sun!"

Sun Shi chuckled slyly and placed a hand on Chen Fan’s shoulder.

"CRUNCH..."

His five fingers tightened forcefully. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Intense pain shot through him. Chen Fan’s face instantly turned the color of pig liver, and cold sweat poured down his back.

’Endure it! Endure it! Endure it! As long as I advance, I can enter the Law Enforcement Team and marry that young lady from the noble family! This bit of humiliation is nothing!’

He roared frantically in his heart, but on his face, he still managed to squeeze out a sycophantic smile.

Seeing his expression, Sun Shi nodded in satisfaction. He patted Chen Fan’s face as if training a dog. "Good boy. Get behind me."

Chen Fan lowered his head, a venomous hatred nearly overflowing from his eyes. His fists were clenched tightly, but in the end, he obediently moved behind Sun Shi.

Sun Shi burst out laughing. This was the feeling he loved, the sensation of forcing others to bow their heads to him. He savored it.

His eyes gleamed with excitement as he scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on Lin Jing. "Time’s almost up. I’m just gonna play with this girl a bit. None of you try to stop me."

Hearing this, the others, despite their disgust for the man, ultimately chose to remain silent. His strength was just too overwhelming.

"You’re courting death! You really think I’m some pushover? I’ll skin you alive!" Lin Jing’s shapely eyebrows shot up, and killing intent instantly filled her face!

She was the pampered daughter of the Lin Family. When had she ever suffered such an insult?

"CRACK!"

With a flick of her wrist, the Purple Copper Whip in her hand let out a sharp crack.

"Sun Shi!"

An angry roar cut through the air.

The normally steady Lin Dong was now filled with rage. With a flicker, he appeared in front of his younger sister, shielding her.

He slammed his Familiar Copper Rod onto the platform, making the ground hum. "You dare to mess with someone from my Lin Family!"

"The Lin Family? The one that’s into business?"

Sun Shi seemed to know of the Lin Family, but he didn’t show a trace of fear. His expression reverted to that of a simpleton as he said, "I’m just sparring for fun. If I’ve caused any offense, you can go talk to my big bro or the grandmaster at the martial hall."

With that, the Qi and Blood in his body thundered, and he charged forward again like a savage bull.

"Move aside, brother! Let me handle this!"

Lin Jing’s face was already a mask of fury. Her copper whip transformed into a giant python, hissing as it lashed out at the charging figure.

"CRACK!"

Lin Jing, burning with rage, had clearly put her full strength into this strike. The Purple Copper Whip viciously struck the charging Sun Shi on the head.

But the expected scene of split skin and torn flesh never happened. Sun Shi just grinned and continued his charge.

"Be careful!"

Lin Dong’s long rod hummed as he brought it crashing down on the bull-like figure!