Two consecutive victories had propelled Lin Shaoyu to the pinnacle of fame.
Below the stage, those with lower cultivation dared not step forward.
Otherwise, they would be eliminated upon ascending.
A deathly silence ensued.
"What's wrong? Does no one dare to spar with me anymore?"
"Is this all the Eastern Domain's prodigies are capable of?"
Lin Shaoyu taunted from the stage.
His words instantly ignited the fury of the crowd below. The martial artists glared at Lin Shaoyu with hatred, but due to his strength, none dared to face him.
Silence reigned below the stage, arrogance emanated from the one upon it.
"A mere jester, truly noisy!"
Just as the referee was about to declare Lin Shaoyu the winner by default, a voice boomed from below the stage.
Immediately.
A figure soared into the sky, landing on the arena in an instant.
Upon his appearance, he drew everyone's attention, their eyes fixed on him.
It was Xiao Chen, who had previously defeated the Silver Moon Holy Son with an overwhelming display in the first stage.
The scene of Xiao Chen defeating the Silver Moon Holy Son with a single punch was still vivid in the minds of everyone present.
Therefore, as soon as he appeared, the crowd below showed expectant gazes, pinning their hopes of defeating Lin Shaoyu onto Xiao Chen.
They began to anticipate the clash between the two.
"Come then, let me see how much strength this Canghai Holy Son truly possesses!"
"To avoid accusations of bullying, I shall suppress my cultivation to the fourth level of the Samsara Realm."
"Let me show you that in the same realm, you are nothing but trash!"
Xiao Chen stood on the arena, meeting Lin Shaoyu's gaze, and spoke indifferently.
His voice was soft, yet it carried a palpable sense of disdain.
It was as if Lin Shaoyu were mere refuse, and dealing with him wouldn't even require his full strength.
However, he did possess the capital for such arrogance.
As a prodigy from the Central Domain, his fist techniques were considered unparalleled, leaving him with few equals!
"You are courting death!"
Lin Shaoyu's anger flared instantly.
As an unparalleled prodigy, when had anyone dared to look down upon him in such a manner?
This was an outright insult to him and to his Canghai Holy Land!
He could not tolerate this!
"When you lie defeated at my feet, I hope you can still maintain this arrogance!"
Lin Shaoyu declared, raising his long sword and charging towards Xiao Chen.
He intended to strike with thunderous force, to cleave this arrogant individual from the arena with a single sword strike.
Only then could the insult he suffered be washed away!
The long sword in his hand, at this moment, was like a volcanic eruption, its aura soaring to the heavens.
A chilling sword light emerged, lethal upon contact.
Facing the fierce assault of Lin Shaoyu, Xiao Chen appeared remarkably calm.
Without haste, he suppressed his cultivation to the fourth level of the Samsara Realm.
Then, he threw out a punch.
RUMBLE!
In an instant, the long sword and the fist collided, emitting a deafening roar. A blinding light flashed, and a terrifying wave of energy spread outwards.
Following that.
A crackling sound was heard.
Lin Shaoyu's Earth-grade high-tier long sword shattered piece by piece under Xiao Chen's punch, falling to the ground.
Then, with undiminished force, the punch continued towards Lin Shaoyu.
Just as his fist was about to strike Lin Shaoyu.
A light aura suddenly emanated from him, enveloping Lin Shaoyu within its glow.
The fist struck the aura, causing ripples but losing its momentum.
"What? Using defensive artifacts in a match? Isn't that against the rules?"
"Although using defensive artifacts in a match is rather shameless, didn't you hear the Yellow Sand Holy Master say earlier? In this battle, all means are permitted, so he is not breaking any rules!"
"Lin Shaoyu is quite shameless."
Witnessing this scene, an uproar erupted from the spectators below.
And on the stage, Lin Shaoyu also heard these discussions.
Instantly.
His face shifted through various shades of color, turning pale and flushed.
Clearly, he felt that his actions had caused him to lose face.
However, without the protection of this defensive artifact, he would likely have been instantly annihilated by Xiao Chen's punch.
That would have been far more humiliating.
Now, as long as he could defeat Xiao Chen, the matter of him using a defensive artifact would be completely glossed over.
With this thought, Lin Shaoyu's resolve hardened.
He retrieved dozens of long swords from his spatial ring, though they were merely Heaven-grade high-tier swords.
"Die!"
Lin Shaoyu roared, sending dozens of long swords hurtling towards Xiao Chen.
As they neared him, these swords began to explode.
He intended to use the explosion of these flying swords to distract Xiao Chen and then deliver a killing blow!
However.
His plan, though well-conceived, ultimately underestimated Xiao Chen's strength.
Xiao Chen sneered and said, "A mere trick, daring to show off before an expert!"
As his words fell.
His primal energy surged, and he unleashed several punches in rapid succession.
With each punch, even the void seemed to tear open with fissures!
Lin Shaoyu's flying swords were directly pulverized.
Following that, Xiao Chen flickered, appearing before Lin Shaoyu.
"Defensive artifact?"
"Let's see how many punches you can withstand!"
With that, he threw his fists, creating a blur of afterimages.
His punches rained down upon the light aura, and gradually, cracks began to appear on its surface.
Seeing this, Lin Shaoyu's eyes widened in disbelief and fury.
He knew that once the aura was broken, his defeat was inevitable.
But at this moment, he had no way to counter Xiao Chen.
CRACK!
In an instant.
The light aura shattered, and Xiao Chen's fist struck Lin Shaoyu directly. The latter was sent flying backward.
He spat out a large mouthful of blood.
He only stopped after crashing into the defensive formation.
How similar was his plight to Gu Qingge's earlier state?
At this point, Lin Shaoyu was severely injured, his body showing various degrees of cracking.
"I... surrender..."
He spoke with great difficulty, and as soon as he uttered these words, he lost consciousness completely.
Below the stage, the elders of the Canghai Holy Land hurriedly carried Lin Shaoyu away for treatment.
"The Canghai Holy Son is nothing special!"
Xiao Chen scoffed, his words filled with contempt.
He then began searching among the remaining individuals.
Suddenly, his gaze fixed, and his eyes emitted a radiant divine light.
"Xu Chuan, you ambushed my Sect Master, and killed my Sect Master's biological son. Today, I shall kill you here to avenge them. Do you dare to ascend the stage and fight?"
Xiao Chen declared arrogantly.
He no longer waited for others to challenge him but directly invited Xu Chuan to battle.
He was impatient to kill Xu Chuan.
Upon hearing this, countless eyes turned to Xu Chuan.
He was the only one in the top twenty who was in the Nirvana Realm, and also the second level of the Nirvana Realm, Xu Chuan, the quasi-Holy Son of the Taiyi Holy Land!
"Since you wish to court death, I shall oblige you!"
Xu Chuan showed no fear, his expression calm.
The repeated provocations from the other party were unbearable for anyone.
Since Xiao Chen was so eager to find death, Xu Chuan would simply fulfill his wish!
Xu Chuan flew onto the stage, facing Xiao Chen.
The first round of combat began amidst their intense stares.
They stared until their eyes resembled those of a fighting cock, with Xiao Chen showing a slight disadvantage and blinking first.
"Hmph, today, I will surely slay you!"
"Let everyone see what a quasi-Holy Son and the Taiyi Holy Land are, nothing more than empty boasts!"
A murderous intent flickered in Xiao Chen's eyes, and he added Xu Chuan to his ledger.
"If you have the guts, kill me on the stage. What is the point of making empty threats now?"
Xu Chuan said with a slight smile.
"Today, you will surely die!"
"Kill!"
Xiao Chen did not wish to waste any more words and began his attack with a swing of his fist.
He intended to kill Xu Chuan with overwhelming force!
He had this confidence!