Three hours had passed, and the disciples of the Saint Institute were growing impatient. Lin Hao showed no sign of waking.

"Lin Hao is being outrageous. It’s been three hours, and he’s still sleeping."

"More than outrageous, it’s downright insolent! It’s one thing to make us wait, but to make the Vice Dean and the others wait as well..."

"To be honest, at first I thought he was just pretending."

"The guy must be part pig."

"How much longer is he going to sleep?"

"..."

The crowd’s chatter grew louder, their eyes all fixed on Lin Hao.

Just then, the crowd saw Lin Hao lift his head, raise his hands, and give a long, deep stretch.

"So, Lin Hao, you’re awake?" Yin Duwen was the first to lash out.

If not for the words he’d spoken to Liu Tian three hours ago, he would have woken Lin Hao up long ago. His patience had worn thin.

But after what he had said to Liu Tian, Yin Duwen had no choice but to endure it.

Now, his patience was long past its limit.

The moment Lin Hao woke up, it was only natural that he would be the one to make the first move against him.

"I’m awake," Lin Hao replied, standing up with a friendly demeanor.

Lin Hao knew he shouldn’t have fallen asleep on such an important occasion.

Liu Tian’s combat prowess was terrifying. To face him, one had to achieve a state of complete mental relaxation. That was why Lin Hao had tried to empty his mind and maintain a state of perfect calm.

But Lin Hao had gone eight days and nights without sleep, and before he knew it, he had drifted off.

Although he didn’t know how long he had slept, he knew he had been rude first. That was why he answered Yin Duwen with a friendly expression.

Not only that, but Lin Hao also sincerely cupped his fist and apologized to Liu Tian.

Finally, he cupped his fist to Duan Wushuang, the other senior members, and the spectating disciples to express his apology.

"It’s clear you’re exhausted; you probably haven’t rested for days. We won’t hold it against you. Now that you’re rested, let’s begin." Yin Duwen had been about to speak, but Duan Wushuang’s words cut him off.

"Yes," Lin Hao agreed, then turned to face Liu Tian.

"Junior Brother Lin, the first move is yours," Liu Tian said with a slight nod, standing with his hands clasped behind his back.

As he spoke, his hands remained behind him, giving him the air of a true Grandmaster.

"Senior Brother Liu Tian is so handsome, his bearing is extraordinary," a female disciple said.

"The techniques of a Holy Stele disciple are astonishing. He appears to be standing casually, yet there isn’t a single opening in his stance," a high-ranking member of the Saint Institute remarked.

"To have the bearing of a Grandmaster at only the Second Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm... this young man is truly remarkable," an elder among the senior members added with a nod.

"Lin Hao’s combat prowess isn’t weak; he won’t be that much worse than Liu Tian," someone on Duan Wushuang’s side said, though their voice clearly lacked conviction.

"Heh."

’Heh yourself,’ Ling Xiao muttered under his breath. ’Senior Brother Lin has never lost a single fight.’

He knew Lin Hao. He would never accept such a challenge unless he was absolutely certain of victory.

Ling Xiao had witnessed many of Lin Hao’s abilities. In his eyes, there was no way a mere Liu Tian could be Lin Hao’s opponent.

"Yang Peng, who do you think will win?" a disciple on the other side asked Yang Peng.

Everyone in the Saint Institute knew that Lin Hao, Ling Xiao, and Yang Peng were all from the Heaven-Stepping Sect. The disciple asked this question purely to make a fool out of him.

He expected Yang Peng to look terribly awkward, but to his surprise, a faint smile appeared on the perpetually icy young man’s face. Yang Peng then answered with absolute certainty, "Senior Brother Lin, of course."

Compared to Ling Xiao, Yang Peng’s understanding of Lin Hao ran deeper. He wasn’t as overtly optimistic, but he was just as certain about the final outcome.

"Heh."

Yang Peng shot the disciple a glance before ignoring him completely, his eyes turning back to the arena floor.

On the arena floor, Lin Hao made his move.

Liu Tian had told Lin Hao to make the first move, and Lin Hao didn’t waste words. His eyes simply narrowed.

After holding that pose for a few breaths, Lin Hao suddenly moved.

Still as a mountain, fast as lightning!

Lin Hao’s speed was incredible.

"Such a fast Body Technique!" one of the senior members, a Martial Artist whose cultivation was near the peak of the Soul Gathering Realm, exclaimed in admiration.

The instant Lin Hao moved, Liu Tian, still with his hands behind his back, raised an eyebrow and shifted his body to the side.

At the same time, he struck.

RIP!

A soft tearing sound echoed.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. The watching disciples saw that Liu Tian was still in his original spot on the arena floor, merely turned slightly to the side, while Lin Hao had already crossed from one side to the other.

"So fast! Did they just exchange a blow?" a disciple asked in a daze.

Even though everyone was watching intently, the two moved so quickly that those with weaker cultivation levels couldn’t clearly see what had happened.

"Of course they did. Look at Senior Brother Liu Tian’s hand," someone nearby pointed out.

Then they all noticed that Liu Tian was clutching a scrap of torn cloth, the exact same color as Lin Hao’s robes.

"Lin Hao lost out on the very first exchange! And that was with Senior Brother Liu Tian barely moving a muscle. He’s finished," someone said, gloating.

"With eyesight like yours, I’m amazed you even got into the Saint Institute. Why don’t you take a look at the front of Liu Tian’s own robes?" someone else retorted with a cold snort, their face a mask of derision.

This speaker was a disciple from the upper house, at the Second Layer of the Soul Gathering Realm. He had lost to Liu Tian a few days prior and naturally held a grudge.

Seeing that Liu Tian had torn Lin Hao’s robes only to have his own torn in return—gaining no advantage whatsoever—brought him a surge of satisfaction.

The first disciple obviously recognized the speaker’s identity and didn’t dare to argue back. When he looked and saw that a piece of cloth was indeed missing from the front of Liu Tian’s robes, his expression changed drastically.

It was hard to believe that Liu Tian, a disciple of the Holy Stele, had failed to gain an advantage over Lin Hao.

On the arena floor, Liu Tian’s expression was just as grim.

He hadn’t imagined Lin Hao’s speed would be so great that even he couldn’t react in time.

If Lin Hao had been just a little closer, he would have lost in that last exchange.

With a slight clench of his fist, the scrap of cloth in Liu Tian’s hand turned to dust.

"Again." Letting the dust fall from his hand, Liu Tian stepped forward and assumed a defensive stance.

Lin Hao was too fast. Liu Tian didn’t dare to be overconfident.

"Watch out!" As the words left his lips, Lin Hao flicked his wrist and shot forward.

The shout, the flick of his hand, the forward lunge—the series of actions was a single, fluid motion, executed with incredible speed.

The scrap of cloth torn from Liu Tian’s robes became a sharp weapon in Lin Hao’s hand as he slashed it toward his opponent.

And right behind that weapon was Lin Hao’s fist.

The attack was simply too fast. If Liu Tian dodged the fabric weapon, Lin Hao’s fist would surely slam into him.

Countless pairs of eyes widened, glued to the action on the arena floor.

As a disciple of the Holy Stele, they refused to believe Liu Tian would be defeated so easily.

How Liu Tian would counter the attack became the focus of everyone’s attention.