On the Saint Institute battlefield, Lin Hao was sent reeling by Liu Tian’s attack, spitting blood. Just as he was about to fall from the stage, his body came to a bizarre halt.

Of course, that wasn’t the most important thing. What mattered was that Lin Hao’s body began to twist in an unbelievable fashion, like a Spiritual Snake.

What’s more, a rhythmic series of loud cracks echoed from within his body.

Just then, Liu Tian attacked with his Palm Skill once more.

With a twist of his body, Lin Hao dodged, and Liu Tian’s palm strike hit nothing but air.

Liu Tian then launched a volley of attacks, using his Misty Palm every time.

Each strike was faster than the last. The Palm Skill was illusory and erratic, making it impossible to predict where the blows would land.

Yet Lin Hao’s body writhed like a Spiritual Snake, causing every one of Liu Tian’s palm strikes to miss.

RUMBLE!

The Misty Palm was powered by the Quasi-Saint Level Cultivation Technique, the Carefree Skill, so each strike was immensely powerful. Liu Tian’s Palm Force slammed into the Saint Institute battlefield again and again, creating a continuous roar so loud that countless disciples had to cover their ears.

The sound was like a crack of thunder, threatening to burst their eardrums.

"What kind of martial skill is that? It’s incredible!" one Saint Institute disciple exclaimed, shocked by Liu Tian’s Palm Skill.

"Heh, I think you’ve got it wrong. The one who’s truly amazing is Lin Hao. Who knows what martial skill he’s using, but he’s making every one of Liu Tian’s attacks completely useless. I bet Liu Tian is losing his mind right now."

"That guy Liu Tian is a complete disgrace to the disciples on the Holy Stele. He can’t even take down a Martial Artist at the Soul Gathering Realm First Layer."

Seeing this, the Saint Institute disciples broke into a flurry of discussion.

It wasn’t just the disciples talking. The upper echelons of the Saint Institute were having a similar discussion.

"Liu Tian’s foundation is quite solid. His Palm Skill requires a Quasi-Saint Level Cultivation Technique to power it, which consumes a great deal of True Essence. For him to throw this many strikes without any sign of exhaustion is impressive."

"You’ve got it wrong. The truly remarkable one is Lin Hao. To think he could accomplish this with a cultivation base of only the Soul Gathering Realm First Layer."

"His body is taking on a draconic form. The movements seem chaotic, yet each twist is perfectly executed. Never mind the Soul Gathering Realm First Layer—even when I was at the Fourth or Fifth Layer of Soul Gathering Realm, I couldn’t do that."

"Neither could I. What’s even more incredible is that this all seems to be pure instinct. He hasn’t used a single martial skill!"

One by one, the Saint Institute’s leaders voiced their opinions. With each comment, the look on Yin Duwen’s face grew uglier.

By the time they were done, Yin Duwen’s expression was absolutely foul.

"Utter waste!" The two words were spat from his mouth.

Unlike last time, Yin Duwen made no attempt to hide these two words. Not only did the Saint Institute disciples hear them, but they also reached Liu Tian’s ears.

On the Saint Institute battlefield, Liu Tian had already been pushed to the brink of frustration by his inability to land a hit on Lin Hao. Upon hearing those two words, a tyrannical aura erupted from him. His face twisted into a ferocious, ugly snarl.

Having one’s name on the Holy Stele was a supreme honor, but right now, that honor was being ruthlessly trampled by Lin Hao.

He, Liu Tian, had to be the first disciple from the Holy Stele ever to be called trash.

"Lin Hao, I’ll kill you!" A malevolent energy surged, and Liu Tian’s aura flared, growing much stronger.

BOOM!

Liu Tian shot backward, then slammed a fist into the Saint Institute battlefield, causing it to instantly fracture.

In the next moment, something terrifying happened.

The fractured surface of the Saint Institute battlefield was instantly overrun with vines. They moved with incredible speed, all sharing a single target—Lin Hao!

SWISH!

The vines weren’t just blindingly fast; their power was also astounding.

A vine shot toward Lin Hao. He dodged, and the vine pierced the air, creating a sonic boom as if it had torn through space itself.

PUFF!

A vine that Lin Hao dodged shot past the edge of the battlefield and directly impaled a spectating Saint Institute disciple. The student didn’t even have time to scream before his body exploded.

HISS!

The crowd gasped. That disciple was from the Upper Institute, a Martial Artist at the Second Layer of Soul Gathering Realm!

"Liu Tian is using the power of his Divine Soul! How terrifying!"

"A single vine was enough to make a Martial Artist at the Second Layer of Soul Gathering Realm explode. He’s summoned no fewer than a hundred of them now. Lin Hao is finished!"

Watching the vines whip across the Saint Institute battlefield, many disciples shook their heads in resignation.

But Lin Hao’s reaction once again left everyone stunned.

RUMBLE!

First, a series of cracks echoed from within his body. Then came the majestic, powerful roar of rushing rivers.

In an instant, a dense, vaporous aura completely enveloped Lin Hao.

At that very moment, a hundred vines struck their target simultaneously.

Outside the battlefield, there was dead silence. Everyone stared intently at the vaporous cloud on the stage.

The answer would be revealed when the vapor dissipated.

BOOM!

Just as everyone awaited the outcome, a sudden, massive explosion erupted from the Saint Institute battlefield.

Blood arced through the air above the battlefield.

In the next instant, a figure was sent flying backward, off the battlefield, plummeting toward the ground below.

"Is that... Liu Tian?"

"That’s right. The one sent flying is definitely Liu Tian."

"Liu Tian, a disciple from the Holy Stele, actually lost? How is that possible?!"

"Liu Tian used his strongest attack. This can’t be the final result. It was probably just Lin Hao’s last-ditch counterattack before dying. There’s no way Lin Hao survived being hit by a hundred vines. Liu Tian is still the ultimate winner."

Some disciples in the crowd still refused to believe the outcome. One stared at Liu Tian’s falling form, not daring to look back at the battlefield.

"Are you kidding? Just look at the battlefield," a nearby disciple sneered.

The disciple looked up. On the battlefield, Lin Hao stood tall and proud, his eyes shining brightly. He showed no sign of having perished whatsoever.

"His clothes are in tatters, like a beggar’s! His body is sure to explode any second now!" the disciple declared with conviction.

Hearing his confident assertion, many disciples paused, then turned their burning gazes back to Lin Hao.

What they saw left countless people stunned.

Although Lin Hao’s clothes were completely shredded, there wasn’t a single scratch to be found on his body!

"How is that possible?!" countless people cried out in shock.

This cry came not just from the ordinary disciples, but also from the top nine disciples on the Holy Stele. Even the voices of some of the Institute’s leaders were mixed in.

Everyone had witnessed the power Liu Tian unleashed with his Divine Soul.

Even a single stray vine, after leaving the battlefield, still possessed the power to instantly kill a Martial Artist at the Second Layer of Soul Gathering Realm.

It wasn’t hard to imagine the power of a hundred such vines combined.

Many people imagined themselves in Lin Hao’s position and all came to the same conclusion: certain death!

Even the other disciples on the Holy Stele, putting themselves in his shoes, knew they wouldn’t have escaped unscathed.

But Lin Hao had not only endured it, he was completely unharmed!

It was nothing short of a miracle!