"William! William! William!"

The cheers from the crowd were like a tsunami, each wave crashing louder than the last.

In this nearly fanatical home-field atmosphere, William Smith walked toward Gu Yuexi, one step at a time.

With every step, his aura intensified.

The searing heat washing over them was so intense that the very air around him seemed to warp.

"Now, it’s your turn."

His voice was hoarse, like two scalding rocks grinding against each other.

He stared at Gu Yuexi’s stunningly beautiful face, his eyes flickering with an uncontrollable desire for destruction!

Gu Yuexi lifted her cool gaze, looking at the man before her who resembled a rabid dog.

She said nothing.

She couldn’t be bothered to respond.

Gu Yuexi raised her hand, ready to strike!

But just then...

A tall, slender figure suddenly stepped between them.

It was Shen Yixuan.

The Captain of the Great Xia Team, always as gentle and refined as jade, now stood as firm as a mountain.

"Excuse me. You want to make a move on a member of my Great Xia Team?"

Shen Yixuan’s voice was calm, and even his signature gentle smile remained unchanged, but his eyes were sharper than ever before.

"You’ll have to get through me first."

Gu Yuexi frowned instinctively.

She didn’t need protection, nor was she used to hiding behind others.

But as she looked at that back—not broad, but standing perfectly straight—the wisp of Sword Qi she had gathered at her fingertips finally dissipated in silence.

’So be it,’ she thought.

’He’s the captain.’

’If a captain just stood by while his teammate was targeted by the enemy leader, he’d have no backbone left.’

’Shen Yixuan has his own principles and pride. Pushing him aside now would be a slap in his face.’

"Move."

William tilted his head, looking at Shen Yixuan as if he were a rock on the side of the road, his tone filled with impatience.

"I have no interest in softies like you. Get lost."

Such blatant contempt would have made anyone with a shorter fuse explode.

But Shen Yixuan’s expression remained calm, though his clothes began to flutter and whip in the still air.

"I don’t have much interest in you, either," he said.

"But I’ll say it again."

"If you want to touch my teammate, you ask me first."

"Fuck!"

A red light flashed in William’s eyes—a sign that the Emperor Beast Core inside him was growing restless. His patience had clearly run out.

"Since you’re looking to die, I’ll grant your wish!"

"I’ll make an exception and eliminate both of you from Great Xia!"

BOOM—!!!

Before his words had even faded, William transformed into a human fireball, hurtling toward Shen Yixuan with world-destroying momentum!

So fast!

So fast that many people only registered a flash of red light!

"Look out!"

On the sidelines, Zhao Cheng and the others cried out instinctively.

However, Shen Yixuan, standing at the center of the storm, didn’t dodge in a panic as everyone expected.

"Rise!"

With a low shout, his figure drifted back like a willow catkin. At the same time, he clenched his right hand in the empty air.

VMM!

A long spear, silvery-white all over with faint cloud patterns coiling around its shaft, materialized in his hand!

With the spear in hand, Shen Yixuan’s entire demeanor changed in an instant.

If he was a piece of gentle jade before, he was now a resilient, unyielding spear!

"Break!"

There were no flashy moves. With a flick of his wrist, Shen Yixuan’s spear shot out like a dragon, carrying a sharp, spiraling energy as it thrust head-on into the fireball!

This was the first time he had revealed his weapon in the competition—the Cloud Dragon Spear!

BANG—!!!

The spear tip and the Fire Fist collided violently in mid-air.

A massive explosion echoed through the arena, and a visible shockwave swept out, shattering the stone slabs on the ground.

STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

Shen Yixuan stumbled back three steps, each one leaving a deep crater in the ground, his face turning slightly pale.

William’s charge also faltered for a moment, and the flames surrounding him were significantly scattered by the spear’s impact.

"Huh?"

William looked at the man before him with some surprise. He shook his slightly numb wrist, the madness in his eyes only intensifying.

"A little interesting..."

"Again!!!"

BOOM!

The flames erupted again, more ferociously than before.

The Fire Realm within William’s body fully erupted, and the temperature in the entire Beast Fighting Arena skyrocketed, as if it had turned into a giant oven.

Shen Yixuan took a deep breath, his spearmanship changing as he met the onslaught like a raging tempest.

In terms of Cultivation, both were at the Peak of Seventh-Grade, making them evenly matched.

But William, that madman, not only had a physically modified body but also possessed the terrifying explosive power and Flame Suppression Power granted by his Emperor Beast Core.

From the first exchange, Shen Yixuan was clearly at a disadvantage, forced to rely on his Body Technique and Gun Dao to barely hold on.

But even so, he stood firmly in front of Gu Yuexi, not retreating a single step!

This also made him the first opponent since the start of the match that William hadn’t instantly killed or crushed!

Moreover, as he adapted to the temperature, Shen Yixuan was actually starting to claw back his disadvantage, little by little!

...

As the two fought fiercely, the situation on the field instantly exploded.

One move affected the entire board.

Seeing the two strongest combatants engage, the contestants from the other countries stopped watching and began to pair off and fight.

The sole remaining member from Sakura Country snuck insidiously toward the back of the Rose Kingdom’s team.

The knight and Mind Master from Europe clashed with the contestants from the Ancient Aie Empire.

The entire Beast Fighting Arena instantly descended into a chaotic free-for-all!

Everyone had only one thought:

’Eliminate three teams as quickly as possible and end this damn first round!’

Amidst the swirling dust and battle cries.

Gu Yuexi, who had been standing still the entire time, finally moved.

She didn’t look at the struggling Shen Yixuan, nor did she pay any mind to the other teams locked in a chaotic brawl.

Her cool eyes locked directly onto the other member of the White Eagle Empire—the man in the silver-gray Spiritual Armor.

’Since your captain is targeting our captain...’

’...it’s only fair that I have a little chat with your team member, right?’

With a light tap of her toes, Gu Yuexi drifted toward the man in the armor.

This scene was instantly broadcast across the world on the holographic screens.

"What... what is Gu Yuexi doing?"

"Is she crazy? Can’t she see Captain Shen is getting beaten? Instead of helping him in a two-on-one, she’s going off to pick a fight with someone else?"

"Exactly! Does this woman have any team spirit at all? The right move now is to focus fire and take down that William guy!"

Online, the keyboard warriors were performing as reliably as ever.

In their eyes, Gu Yuexi’s actions were tantamount to "selling out her teammate" and "being brainless."

Even the slightly more rational people thought Gu Yuexi’s move was highly inappropriate!

The remaining member of the White Eagle Team was named Jason.

Wary of his status as a member of the White Eagle Empire, no one had dared to attack him yet.

At this moment, he was "enjoying" the slaughter in the arena with amusement.

Suddenly, his Battle Armor’s radar blared a warning.

[WARNING! HIGH-ENERGY SIGNATURE APPROACHING! TARGET LOCKED!]

Jason turned his head and saw the white-robed young woman walking toward him.

"Heh, that woman from Great Xia?"

Through his tactical helmet, a contemptuous smile spread across Jason’s lips.

’Captain William is busy playing with that pretty boy with the spear. Why is this woman running over here to die instead of helping him?’

’She really overestimates herself!’

"Babe, since you’ve served yourself up on a platter, I’ll take care of you for the captain!"

Jason let out a savage laugh as the thrusters on his Battle Armor’s back spewed blue flames. He shot forward like a cannonball, swinging his Alloy Battle Saber!

"Die!!"

However.

In the instant just before he reached Gu Yuexi...

Gu Yuexi stopped walking.

She just watched the oncoming steel monster quietly, her eyes devoid of any ripple, as if watching a moth fly into a flame.

"So noisy."

Her red lips parted, and she uttered two words.

Then, she brought her right index and middle fingers together and swiped gently through the empty air.

VMMMM—!!!

For a split second, it was as if the world fell silent.

Then, an indescribably terrifying sharpness erupted without warning right in front of Jason!

That was no ordinary Sword Qi.

It was... a Realm!

A transparent greatsword, formed entirely from Mental Power and some ancient, boundless aura, materialized out of thin air!

The Sword of Realm!

And it was an evolved version of the Sword of Realm!

Ever since she had comprehended a portion of the Sword Intent from that sheathed Divine Sword, Gu Yuexi’s own Sword of Realm had grown stronger!

Her current Sword of Realm not only fused multiple Realms but also carried a trace of the Divine Sword’s intent.

"What the hell is this thing?!"

Jason’s pupils contracted violently. The alarm from his Battle Armor instantly became a shrill, continuous red alert.

[EXTREME DANGER! EXTREME DANGER! DEFENSE SYSTEMS AT MAXIMUM!]

BOOM!

The transparent greatsword descended like divine punishment, crashing down on Jason’s crossed arms as he blocked!

BANG—!!!

A deafening crash.

The suit of Spiritual Armor, said to be able to withstand a full-power blow from a Peak of Seventh-Grade expert, let out a cringe-inducing screech as it twisted under the sword’s impact!

The immense force sent Jason flying like a baseball!

RUMBLE!

Jason’s body traced a parabola through the air before slamming heavily into the Energy Shield at the edge of the Beast Fighting Arena, then dropping to the ground like a dead dog.

The entire arena fell dead silent.

The trolls who had just been calling Gu Yuexi an "idiot" were suddenly dumbfounded.

O-one move?

That White Eagle Team member in the turtle shell, with his insane Defense Power, was sent flying by a casual flick of a finger?

What the fuck kind of god-tier move was that?!

"D-damn it..."

At the edge of the Beast Fighting Arena, Jason struggled to his feet.

A deep dent had appeared on his Battle Armor’s chest plate, and sparks flew from its circuitry.

"I don’t believe it! Again!!"

He roared, trying to reboot his Battle Armor’s weapon systems.

However, Gu Yuexi gave him no such chance.

"Go."

She flicked her finger gently.

The transparent greatsword hovering in the air instantly disintegrated, transforming into countless miniature Light Sabers, each the size of a palm!

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!

The Light Sabers rained down, blanketing the sky!

Jason didn’t even have time to react before the Light Sabers were upon him!

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!

The Battle Armor’s Energy Shield lasted less than 0.1 seconds before shattering.

Immediately after, the hard alloy shell was sliced open like tofu.

Finally, with four muffled squelches...

...four slightly larger Light Sabers pierced Jason’s limbs with perfect precision, pinning him to the ground in a spread-eagle position!

Blood trickled out from the gaps in his Battle Armor.

"AAAAAAAHHH!!!"

Jason let out a bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered.

Gu Yuexi didn’t stop. Her expression remained serene, and even her pace didn’t change as she walked toward Jason, step by step.

She didn’t speak, nor did she release any earth-shattering pressure.

But at this moment, in Jason’s eyes, this stunningly beautiful, white-robed young woman was ten thousand times more terrifying than a devil from hell!

The absolute suppression, which seemed to emanate from the depths of his very soul, caused him to break down completely.

"Stay back... Don’t come any closer!"

Watching those emotionless eyes draw nearer, Jason’s psychological defenses completely crumbled.

"I surrender!!!"

"I Surrender! Fuck! Help me!"

He screamed out the two words with all his might, terrified that if he were a second too slow, the countless Light Sabers hovering above his head would dismember him.

Gu Yuexi frowned again and stopped walking.

She withdrew her Finger Technique, and the sky-spanning Sword Intent instantly vanished into nothingness.

’How boring.’

...