Outside the railings in front of the third arena.

In the spectator area.

Sun Yong sat upright in a large chair, a cattail-leaf fan swaying gently in his hand. An undeniable sparkle shone in his eyes.

Sunlight filtered through the sparse clouds, falling upon him and making his usual dark blue Martial Artist uniform appear a bit more respectable.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

Lin Yue was at the third arena.

Yang Jing was at the seventh.

And Xu Hong was at the eighth.

Three arenas, three disciples from his Sun’s Martial Arts Hall, had all made it to the final match for first place.

As the thought crossed Sun Yong’s mind, he couldn’t help but straighten his back, his posture becoming much more proper than before.

In past tournament trials, Xu Hong was often the only disciple from Sun’s Martial Arts Hall to make it to the end. Just being able to compete for a top spot was a blessing.

But today was different. His disciples were present on three arenas. Such a grand occasion was a first since the founding of Sun’s Martial Arts Hall.

Sun Yong could feel gazes drifting his way from time to time—from other Martial Arts Hall Masters, from the dignitaries of Yuhe County, and from many other Martial Artists and wealthy merchants of Yuhe.

It was as if he could hear them praising him with phrases like "Hall Master Sun really has a knack for teaching" and "A great master produces brilliant disciples."

Thinking of these words, Sun Yong couldn’t suppress the smile on his face. He took a teacup from a nearby disciple and took a sip, finding that the usually bitter tea now tasted sweet and mellow.

But beneath this high-spirited mood, there was also a hidden, almost imperceptible tension.

Sun Yong’s fingertips traced the rim of his teacup. He saw things with perfect clarity.

This was just a fleeting moment of glory; it would be difficult to sustain.

For instance, it was already a miracle that Yang Jing had made it to the final match on the seventh arena. His opponent, Shen Lie, was a tough nut at the Peak of Dark Energy. It would be good enough if he could just escape the fight unscathed.

Xu Hong’s opponent in the eighth arena was no pushover either—another at the Peak of Dark Energy. In comparison, Xu Hong ultimately lacked certain techniques, so his chances of taking first place were also slim.

The only one he could truly count on was Lin Yue.

That kid’s talent was outstanding, his root and bone were superior, and while his personality was flamboyant, he had real skill.

A personality could be tempered over time, but without good root and bone, one was destined to not go far on the Martial Dao.

Although Yang Jing had achieved successive breakthroughs, each on the first attempt, Sun Yong only suspected that Yang Jing might have some talent in other areas; he couldn’t be certain like he was with Lin Yue.

Lin Yue’s superior root and bone were plain to see—tangible and undeniable.

Therefore, even though Yang Jing had now broken through to the Dark Energy realm, in Sun Yong’s heart, his importance was nowhere near that of Lin Yue.

Sun Yong knew very well that whether Sun’s Martial Arts Hall could produce a disciple who made it onto the tournament trial’s ranking list, whether he could hold his head high in Yuhe County, it all depended on Lin Yue.

That was why he hadn’t gone to watch the seventh or eighth arenas, but instead sat firmly here.

The third arena before him was the key to deciding whether the Martial Arts Hall could truly make a name for itself in Yuhe County.

Sun Yong took a deep breath and cast his gaze toward Lin Yue on the arena. He saw him stretching his neck, his joints cracking and his eyes burning with a fierce will to fight. Sun Yong secretly clenched his fist.

....

「Meanwhile.」

A middle-aged man in an Official’s uniform walked onto the seventh arena and announced in a loud voice, "On Arena Seven, the fifth round’s first-place match! Shen Lie of Po Mountain Martial Arts Hall versus Yang Jing of Sun’s Martial Arts Hall!"

As the middle-aged Official’s voice faded, Shen Lie was the first to rise, the muscles under his black martial attire tensing slightly.

He lifted his eyes to Yang Jing, an unconcealed fighting spirit churning within them, yet a confident smile played on his lips.

’I’ve already seen through Yang Jing. He only got this far by relying on some flashy Body Technique in the early rounds. When it comes to real power, how could a kid who just entered the Dark Energy realm possibly compare to me?’

Although he thought this way, his steps showed no hesitation. Each footfall on the wooden planks of the arena produced a dull thud, as if he were measuring the distance to victory.

Recalling his master’s words that even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit, he silently calmed his breath and circulated his Inner Strength to its absolute limit.

By taking an Elixir, he had already adjusted his condition to its peak, even forcefully suppressing the internal injuries he had sustained from his earlier fight with Chen Wu.

Yang Jing rose right after him, his green robes fluttering gently in the wind.

He watched Shen Lie’s back, his fingertips slowly curling into a fist inside his sleeve.

Shen Lie’s Mountain-Breaking Fist was incomparably fierce and powerful. Both his Eldest Brother Xu Hong and his Fourth Brother Liu Maolin had warned him about it. Naturally, he didn’t dare to be the least bit careless. At this moment, every sinew in his body was taut like a fully drawn bow, and his Inner Strength flowed through his meridians with a steady, heavy feeling.

The two walked onto the arena and took their positions on opposite sides. The moment their eyes met, the air seemed to solidify.

"Begin!"

Before the Official’s shout had even faded, Shen Lie had already launched his attack.

He used ’Stone Shatter,’ the opening move of the Mountain-Breaking Fist. The wind from his punch, laced with Dark Energy, shot straight for Yang Jing’s face.

Before the fist even arrived, the arena floor was already vibrating, shaking dust loose.

Yang Jing neither dodged nor retreated, meeting it with a punch of his own. It was the ’Earth-Splitter’ move from the Mountain-Shattering Fist. The instant their fists collided, a muffled explosion erupted, like two giant boulders smashing into each other.

Yang Jing felt an incomparably fierce power surge up his arm, as if a small mountain were pressing down on his shoulder. His qi and blood stagnated violently, and he was forced back half a step before he could steady himself.

His heart tightened. ’Shen Lie really lives up to his reputation as a veteran at the Peak of Dark Energy in Yuhe! His Inner Strength is even denser and more refined than I estimated—a good thirty percent stronger. No wonder even Eldest Brother Xu Hong, who is also at the Peak of Dark Energy, admitted he was inferior.’

What Yang Jing didn’t know, however, was that at that very moment, Shen Lie was just as shocked.