"Now! All together—block that strike!"
Huo shouted, immediately channeling the strongest defensive stance from the Myriad Sword Technique. The other three quickly fell into formation with him, pooling their strength to resist Wei's attack.
But that radiant sword light seemed unstoppable—
It tore through their techniques like paper, crushing them in a single blow.
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
Blood sprayed from all four of their mouths as their bodies were hurled several meters through the air before crashing to the ground.
When they finally managed to struggle back to their feet, their faces were pale as ash.
They knew without a doubt—they had lost.
And not just lost—they had been thoroughly and utterly defeated.
They never even stood a chance.
Around the training ground, the elite members and core disciples of the Bai family who had come to watch fell into silence.
"You couldn't even take a single swing of my blade," Wei's voice echoed coldly across the arena as he calmly sheathed his sword. "Useless trash, every one of you."
The Bai family members and powerhouses clenched their fists, their hearts filled with shame, fury, and frustration. But more than anything—
Despair.
Huo and the others had been their final hope—the most talented among the younger generation of the Bai family.
But even the four of them together couldn't withstand a single blow from Wei's blade...
This time, the Bai family had suffered a true and total defeat.
Wei stood tall in the center of the training ground, his defiant gaze sweeping over the crowd around him.
"Starting today, the Bai family's Sword Token will be under my control! Among the younger generation of the Bai family—from now on, I reign supreme! Anyone who dares to challenge that—step forward!"
His words struck like needles into the hearts of the Bai family members and elders present. Many of them clenched their fists, their expressions twisted in frustration and disbelief.
But just then, a cold voice suddenly echoed through the air.
"Take control of the Sword Token? You're not worthy."
The sudden voice silenced the entire training ground. All eyes immediately turned to the young man with a sword, standing near the center of the field.
"Zihua?"
"Young Master Zihua?"
Most of the people around looked shocked.
Zihua was one of the ten who had made it through the first round, having passed the Raindrop trial. Everyone had noticed his presence, but since he was only at the ninth level of the True Martial Realm, few had taken him seriously.
Even though he had advanced to the second round—something that surprised many—none of the Bai family members held any real expectations for him.
Earlier, when Wei had declared that he would take on everyone alone, even Huo and the others had only grouped up as four. They hadn't even considered inviting Zihua—because, frankly, someone at the ninth level of the True Martial Realm wouldn't be much help in a real fight.
And now, even after Huo's group had been effortlessly defeated by Wei, Zihua still dared to step forward?
"That Zihua—was he looking to get himself killed or what?" Off at the edge of the training ground, Nan's eyes glimmered red as he watched.
He wanted Zihua to overestimate himself and get crushed—then his big brother Wei could step in and get revenge on his behalf without question.
"Zihua, you're no match for him—get out of there!" Wan'er, now pale and standing near the sidelines, called out urgently.
She was Zihua's cousin, and though their relationship had grown distant since the events three years ago, she still didn't want to see him recklessly throw himself into a hopeless fight.
"Zihua?" Wei simply sneered, shaking his head as he looked at Zihua. "Three years ago, you might've barely qualified to stand as my opponent. But now..."
Zihua didn't respond. He ignored the stares from the crowd, stepping forward slowly—his eyes cold and sharp, not even glancing at Wei.
Instead, his gaze locked on the four figures behind Wei—
The four True Martial Realm cultivators from the retainers' faction, who had chosen to withdraw from the second round.
"What is he doing?" The four men exchanged confused glances.
"One against four, huh?" Zihua sneered.
The next moment—
Clang!
His sword was drawn.
In a flash of light, Zihua vanished from where he stood, his figure streaking forward like a shooting star. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the four.
His sword slashed down, and a stunningly beautiful arc of light cut through the air.
"He's coming at us?"
"What the hell is wrong with this guy?"
All four of them were caught off guard, faces filled with confusion and alarm. They had already withdrawn from the competition—why would Zihua attack them?
But one of them, the strongest among the four, suddenly sensed something wrong. His expression changed drastically.
"That strike! Be careful!" he shouted.
The others also felt the overwhelming force behind the sword. They each moved to block it—
Shhhk!
Shhhk!
Shhhk!
Shhhk!
The sound of the blade piercing flesh rang out four times in perfect unison.
Before anyone could react, Zihua was already standing behind the four men—his sword dripping with blood.
Terror filled the eyes of the four men. One of them stood with his mouth agape, while all of them felt a sharp, stabbing pain in their chests—and then saw fresh blood spray from their wounds.
Whoosh!
All four of them were blasted backward at the same time, crashing to the ground as their auras instantly weakened.
One strike with the sword. Four Ten cultivators at the True Martial Realm—crippled in an instant!
Zihua had already turned around. His eyes, cold and unfeeling like those of the Grim Reaper, locked onto Wei. His voice followed—low, emotionless, and biting cold.
"Wei. Draw your blade. Show me your sword technique. Give it everything you've got. Throw everything you have at me—every trick, every ounce of strength. Because after this fight... you'll be dead."
Silence.
The martial training ground, which had been roaring with the voices of over a thousand people just moments ago, suddenly went deathly quiet.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at the young figure standing in the center of the field, expressions frozen in disbelief.
One sword strike. Four cultivators at the tenth level of the True Martial Realm crushed in a flash!
What level of power was that?
And just minutes ago, Wei himself had gone up against four of the Bai family's strongest younger members—including Huo—and had defeated them all with a single slash of his blade.
Wei used one strike.
And now, Zihua had done the same—with a sword.
In fact, Zihua's strike had been even cleaner, faster, and more decisive.
And then there were those words he spoke...
At that moment, every member of the Bai family felt a tremor in their hearts.
And right on the heels of that shock, something else stirred in them.
The despair that had taken hold just moments ago after witnessing Wei's overwhelming dominance—was suddenly replaced by a flicker of hope.
"Zihua..."
All eyes turned back to him.
From the stands, even Yifeng, the Second Elder Haonan, and Sun from the Black Dragon Pavilion turned their gazes toward the young man.
Zihua had become the undisputed center of attention.
"That sword strike just now..." Wei's brows furrowed slightly.
He was well aware of the strength of those four cultivators from the Retainer Faction. While none of them were at the peak like Huo, together, they weren't weak. To injure all four of them simultaneously with a single strike—even Wei himself wouldn't find that easy.
"Looks like I underestimated you." Wei finally looked at Zihua properly—for the first time treating him as a real opponent. His expression grew more serious.
"Now this... is getting interesting." Wei smiled as he slowly drew the war blade from his back.
"He drew his blade!"
"Right away?!"
"No kidding—Zihua's strength just now was easily on par with his. Of course, he drew his blade!"
People around the arena whispered in shock, but quickly fell silent again.
Everyone held their breath.
At the center of the training ground, Zihua stood with his sword, and Wei with his blade. Dozens of feet separated them, but their eyes clashed in the air like thunder.
Whoosh—
A sudden gust of wind swept through the arena.
Then—
Swish!
Swish!
Both figures moved at the same time.
Two shadows vanished in a flash, like meteors crashing into each other.
Boom!
A thunderous impact echoed through the air. Everyone close to the clash felt their hearts skip a beat.