Perhaps some were hiding their true strength, as the martial competition had not yet reached its crucial stage, making it normal for them to hold back.
If Ling Fan were to activate his Heavenly Demon Eyes, then everyone's strength would hold no secrets in his sight.
However, Ling Fan was too lazy to pay attention.
What was the big deal about geniuses of the Profound Gang Realm?
To him, there wasn't much difference.
He had no intention of competing for spots with a bunch of the younger generation.
As for how to obtain a spot to enter Star Sand Lake,
He had other plans.
Ling Fan watched with a touch of boredom and casually walked towards the exit.
In the eyes of the Liu family disciples and Liu Xiwei, they merely thought Ling Fan was acting out of inferiority, unable to bear staying any longer.
Their eyes held a trace of contempt and disdain, and they quickly shifted their attention away.
In their view, Ling Fan was just an ordinary mortal, not from the same world as them, the martial arts geniuses.
Ling Fan wandered leisurely around the martial arts arena.
Soon, he entered a large underground hall.
This was a temporary resting lounge.
Many rogue cultivators and geniuses were diligently recovering their energy or concentrating to maintain their state.
Liang Hutu followed behind Ling Fan. He glanced at the rogue cultivator geniuses and lost interest.
Because the strength of these rogue cultivator geniuses was significantly inferior to those disciples from the martial arts families outside.
Late-stage Qi Refining realm cultivators were rarely seen.
Most rogue cultivator geniuses were only at the early stage of Qi Refining, with the stronger ones at the mid-stage.
These individuals were destined to have no chance of making it into the top ten of the martial competition; they were merely cannon fodder.
Ling Fan's gaze suddenly shifted slightly, and he walked towards a certain direction.
"Hey, where are you going!"
Liang Hutu was startled and quickly followed.
Ahead, a muscular young man, bare-chested, was continuously punching, retracting, and punching.
As if tireless.
He seemed to possess no power, not even generating much fist wind.
Liang Hutu was initially dismissive, but then he narrowed his eyes, sensing something unusual.
"This kid's punches are a bit strange. His strength seems very contained and focused, like some wild beasts skilled in combat. Master might have noticed something."
Ling Fan stopped about five steps in front of the young man.
The young man, with his back to Ling Fan, seemed to have sensed someone approaching beforehand. His body slightly tensed, like a beast ready to pounce at any moment.
He suddenly turned his head. Seeing that Ling Fan had no trace of true qi fluctuation, he relaxed his guard a little.
However, when he saw Liang Hutu, his expression changed drastically, appearing as if facing a formidable enemy.
Seeing this, Ling Fan waved his hand slightly. Liang Hutu immediately understood and stepped aside.
The other rogue cultivator geniuses in the hall noticed this scene and were all taken aback.
Where did this plain-clothed youth come from? What was he planning to do?
Did he not know that this bare-chested youth was a human-shaped ferocious beast!
Previously, a few rogue cultivator geniuses, seeing that this youth was not weak, wanted to strike up a conversation and befriend him. However, they were severely injured by this beast-like youth.
Since then, no one dared to approach this reclusive and eccentric youth.
It was rumored that several major powers from Star Sand City had taken notice of this kid and extended an olive branch to recruit him, but he had refused without a word.
This youth was completely a wild and untamable rascal.
"Just wait and see, this idiot will be torn to shreds!"
None of the rogue cultivator geniuses offered any warning.
With cold smiles on their faces, they eagerly awaited the spectacle.
Ling Fan, however, seemed oblivious to their mocking gazes. With his hands behind his back, he calmly and composedly watched the wild youth.
The bare-chested youth, on the other hand, crouched slightly, as if ready to spring at any moment. His eyes, filled with wildness, stared intently at Ling Fan, his silence eerily profound.
"Your body is very powerful. You are using some kind of body-strengthening technique that causes resonance, aren't you? Let me think, are you imitating the Black Demon Ape clan?"
"In this lower realm where spiritual energy is scarce, such a method that imitates demonic beasts is indeed a good shortcut to strengthen the body. However, you are not a demonic beast after all. By forcibly imitating them, you will only cause increasing damage to your body."
"Your current physical strength should be close to the Profound Gang Realm. However, due to years of resonating your body, your meridians are likely severely damaged. Therefore, your true qi cultivation has become a bottleneck, restricting your progress."
"If you continue to cultivate in this manner, your physical strength will never reach the Profound Gang Realm. After all, stimulating your body's potential in this way only consumes your own life force, leading to premature aging and death from depleted lifespan."
"For a martial artist, stimulating one's own potential is one aspect, but absorbing various spiritual energies to replenish is also indispensable."
Ling Fan's voice was almost condensed into a single line, reaching the bare-chested youth's ears.
The others were completely in the dark, not knowing what Ling Fan was saying with his mouth open.
They only saw that with every sentence Ling Fan spoke, the savage wildness in the bare-chested youth's eyes diminished a little.
By the end, the youth's eyes showed disbelief, and he stared blankly at Ling Fan.
This was his greatest secret!
He had been abandoned between the Black Mountains and White Waters since childhood and was raised by a group of Black Demon Apes. Lacking cultivation resources, he could only imitate the Black Demon Apes and walk the path of physical cultivation.
However, he was ultimately not a demonic beast and was stuck at the threshold of the Profound Gang Realm, his body unable to break through.
That was why he chose to leave the mountains and seek opportunities for breakthrough in Star Sand City.
He thought no one could see through his secret.
But who knew that an ordinary, utterly ordinary youth would suddenly appear and see through his secret at a glance.
This was why he was so shaken at that moment.
His eyes revealed an incredibly resolute expression as he stared intently at Ling Fan.
He seemed to want to speak, but his voice was very rough, sounding somewhat like an ape's and somewhat like a human's.
"Please... please! Teach... me!"
He slowly lowered his defensive posture, knelt on both knees, like an old ape converting to Buddhism, clumsily clasped his hands, and prostrated himself at Ling Fan's feet.
Ling Fan was slightly moved.
He could feel the fiery, fervent desire for power in this wild youth's eyes, as well as his tenacious and unyielding will.
To cultivate the body-resonating technique of the Black Demon Ape clan in a human body required immense perseverance and courage.
That this youth could cultivate to such a level was almost a miracle.
Judging purely by combat power, this wild youth's combat strength would not be inferior to top geniuses of Star Sand City like Liu Xiwei, Zhang Junfeng, Ma Yun, Qiao Feiyu, and Deng Wu.
However, geniuses like Liu Xiwei, Zhang Junfeng, and Qiao Feiyu had reached their current level not without the support of powerful family forces and resources behind them.
This youth, however, had painstakingly reached this point purely through his own efforts.