Unlike before, as Yan Shouyi stepped off the stage this time, there were almost no jeers to be heard.
If winning against Zhu Feifeng and the others last time was due to luck and cheating, then winning against Yan Guchao this time was purely Yan Shouyi's own skill.
Feng Shui, alchemy, talisman drawing, formation arrangement… all were integral parts of the Xuanmen. The Xuanmen was not just about fighting; anyone who achieved significant accomplishments in any aspect could earn the respect of others.
However, there were still some discordant voices among the audience.
"I admit Yan Shouyi's Feng Shui attainments are very high, but everyone, don't forget his identity, he is a descendant of Lu Ban!"
"Yes, he still hasn't revealed his family's true skills, and the Feng Shui knowledge in the Lu Ban Shu wasn't created by them; it was all stolen from various sects!"
"Pah, can what scholars do be called stealing? I think you're just jealous!"
"So what if we're jealous? This Luo Tian Da Jiao is essentially a martial competition, not a scholarly one. Even if Yan Shouyi's Feng Shui techniques are powerful, what will he do if his next opponent engages him in combat?"
"Exactly, Yan Shouyi will still be defeated then. I'm still not optimistic about him."
The audience's evaluation of Yan Shouyi had shifted from widespread condemnation to mixed opinions.
Whether the words were good or bad, they all fell on Yan Shouyi's ears, but fortunately, he didn't dwell on them.
If one match could change so many people's perceptions of him, a few more matches would surely silence those who looked down on him.
"Brother Yan!"
As soon as Yan Shouyi stepped off the stage, Long Feicheng and the others rushed to greet him:
"Brother Yan, you're awesome, so awesome! One palm strike caused Longhu Mountain to shift its stars and align the nine stars, and that impromptu poem was a model of showing off, a paragon for us all!"
Yan Shouyi smiled modestly, "Actually, I'm not that formidable. I just paid attention to the weather forecast last night and knew there would be a solar eclipse today, so I used it as an opportunity to show off a bit."
"Don't be so modest, it's not that hard to admit you're awesome!" Wang Jiwang patted Yan Shouyi's shoulder and said.
With one foot on Longhu Mountain, he stepped out a hundred and eight layers of compass! Within the Wanfa Zongtan, a palm strike shifted stars and aligned nine celestial bodies!
Such deeds were enough to make him famous in the Xuanmen for quite some time.
The disciples of other sects who were there to gain fame were incredibly envious.
However, despite their envy, everyone knew in their hearts that besides Yan Shouyi, no one else in this Luo Tian Da Jiao was likely to achieve such a breathtaking feat.
Yan Shouyi walked back to his seat amidst the crowd. Zhang Shantong said to Yan Shouyi with a grin,
"At first, I thought you were divinely inspired, but upon closer reflection, you sly fox, you tricked everyone."
"You saw through it?" Yan Shouyi sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
Considering Zhang Shantong's standing within Longhu Mountain, he was a top figure. Yan Shouyi wasn't surprised that he could see through his little trick.
Slowly, others would also discover it.
Zhang Shantong smiled, "Even though it was a trick, your victory over Yan Guchao was still well-earned."
Master Guanyun nodded, "Indeed, Yan Guchao used ice to suppress the dragons in Longhu Mountain, and you broke the formation with earth fire. That alone was a victory over Yan Guchao."
"Tell us, what's the deal with that hundred and eight-layered compass?" Zhang Shantong asked curiously.
Traditional compasses had only fifty-two layers, but Yan Shouyi stepped out a hundred and eight, more than double the original, which was truly astonishing.
Achieving this level was enough to be remembered through the ages.
Yan Shouyi said softly, "Thanks to Grandpa."
Zhang Shantong exclaimed, "Damn it!" and then, displeased, "Your grandfather, that guy, had this skill and kept it hidden even from me?!"
Master Guanyun sighed, "If the subsequent compasses were all your creation, it would be incredible. Knowing it was your grandfather, I feel much more balanced. Your grandfather truly possessed such abilities."
Yan Shouyi was too young, and it was natural for people to be skeptical when someone so young was so outstanding.
Who knew that Yan Shouyi would add in the next sentence:
"In his later years, my grandfather advanced the fifty-two-layer compass to eighty-six layers. After my grandfather passed away, I spent three days adding from eighty-six layers to a hundred and eight."
Zhang Shantong and Master Guanyun were stunned.
"This… you're not joking, are you?" Master Guanyun was shocked, "Meaning, you also contributed to the creation of the compass, and you only took three days?!"
"You are undoubtedly a genius," Zhang Shantong sighed, feeling the unfairness of fate when one's astonishment reached its peak.
Why was Yan Shouyi so gifted, while he was so ordinary?
This wasn't just about being naturally talented; it was as if the heavens were personally spoon-feeding him!
Yan Shouyi humbly said,
"Actually, the hardest part was breaking tradition. From fifty-two to fifty-three layers, my grandfather spent seven years researching. But from fifty-three to eighty-six layers, my grandfather only took two years. And before he died, my grandfather had already drawn up the blueprints for the compass. I merely inherited my grandfather's legacy and perfected it according to his ideas… In the end, the truly remarkable one is still my grandfather."
Zhang Shantong and Master Guanyun exchanged glances, still filled with emotion.
Even with Yan Shouyi's explanation, the two no longer doubted his talent.
In the lineage of Feng Shui, Yan Shouyi had likely studied it thoroughly, and he could even converse with the ancestors of the Yan family.
"The youth are to be feared," Zhang Shantong said with a wry smile.
As they were chatting, Yan Nanfei suddenly walked into Yan Shouyi's group. He Xiping, not recognizing Yan Nanfei, was about to stop him, but Yan Shouyi held him back, "This is one of our own."
Yan Nanfei smiled, "My father sent me to greet you."
The Yan family sending Yan Nanfei to greet him was clearly a gesture of goodwill.
Yan Shouyi smiled, it seemed he had indeed conquered the Yan family with his strength.
He asked, "Is Yan Guchao alright?"
"The family elders are providing him with psychological counseling," Yan Nanfei said with a wry smile. "Who told you to be silent for so long and then erupt like this, scaring my cousin half to death."
"He'll be fine," Yan Shouyi laughed, it seemed the Yan family hadn't yet grasped the profoundness of his actions just now.
Yan Nanfei said, "You've been competing, so I assume you haven't had a chance to observe the other contestants yet?"
Wang Jiwang nodded, "Indeed, and we don't even know the origins of many of these figures."
It appeared that Yan Nanfei's arrival was to proactively introduce other contestants to Yan Shouyi and his companions.
Yan Nanfei said,
"There are sixteen people remaining in the competition. Besides you all, there are quite a few dark horses this year. Yuan Jianxin of the Laoshan Sword Sect, Han San of the Maoshan Sect, and Zhao Chengxiang of the Wudang Sect. These three are regulars at the Luo Tian Da Jiao and are well-known, so there's no need to elaborate."
"Hold on!" Long Feicheng quickly said, "You know us, but we don't know them, so please do introduce them!"