Whoosh— Swish!
Under everyone's gaze, Chen Zheng's fierce fist wind shot straight towards Qin Xuan's face.
If this blow landed, even if Qin Xuan and Chen Zheng were both Intermediate Grandmasters, they would still face the fate of having their heads exploded in one hit.
But, would Qin Xuan be hit?
As Intermediate Grandmasters, they should theoretically be able to defend against it no matter what.
After all, Chen Zheng had only recently broken through.
Although his aura was full, his destructive power was ultimately not that formidable.
However, Qin Xuan was simply too young.
An Intermediate Grandmaster at 26 years old was unheard of, let alone seen.
Who knew if he was all show and no substance, like a gilded spearhead?
*Slap!*
*Bang!*
*Plop!*
The result came much faster than everyone had imagined.
Just two seconds later, as Chen Zheng's fist reached Qin Xuan's face, Qin Xuan blocked Chen Zheng's punch with one hand, holding it firmly.
He then counterattacked rapidly, punching Chen Zheng in the chest with lightning speed.
In an instant, Chen Zheng's vision went black, and his entire body seemed to lose control as he fell forward.
Then, with a "plop," he lay completely on the ground.
Hiss!
After Chen Zheng collapsed, everyone present couldn't help but gasp in unison.
Those Intermediate Grandmasters, upon witnessing Qin Xuan's movements, couldn't help but marvel.
They marveled at the clean and decisive nature of his strike.
Meanwhile, the spectators watching from afar on the screens exchanged bewildered glances, their faces filled with confusion.
This was because everything had happened too suddenly.
From the large screens, all that could be seen was Qin Xuan blocking Chen Zheng's punch with his hand.
Then, as if he had staged a fall, he lay on the ground.
Fortunately, with advanced technology, within a few seconds, Qin Xuan's movements were slowed down and repeatedly replayed on the big screen.
"Holy crap, that's a fast punch!"
"Yeah! If it weren't for the slow-motion playback, our eyes wouldn't be able to see it at all!"
"It seems this Qin Xuan is a true Intermediate Grandmaster! Everyone, remember this, don't provoke him casually in the future..."
After witnessing Qin Xuan's attack with their own eyes, the attitude of the spectators present had basically shifted from doubt to astonishment.
Only the people from the Qin family in the capital, while marveling, also showed some regret.
The members of the Qin family were all familiar with each other.
No one recognized this Qin Xuan, so he was clearly not from their own family.
"Who told you he isn't one of our kin?"
Just as the Qin family members were lamenting and sighing with regret, Qin Hu suddenly stepped out from the crowd.
With a wave of his hand, he directly revealed Qin Xuan's true identity.
Everyone was surprised, but their expressions did not turn to joy; instead, they became more complex.
This was because, prior to this, all the younger generation of the Qin family who practiced martial arts had taken Qin Wenchang as their role model.
Elegant and dashing, a young Grandmaster.
It could be said that Qin Wenchang was the idol of these younger Qin family members.
But now, Qin Xuan, the so-called eldest grandson of the Qin family, had appeared out of nowhere.
Although he had been away from home for 20 years, he had reached the Grandmaster realm at such a young age.
For these Qin family members who aimed to be like Qin Wenchang, this was truly difficult to accept.
"Qin Xuan wins the third match!"
The progress of the competition did not halt due to the Qin family juniors' internal struggles.
As Hu Sanqiang announced the match result with a smile, a group of emergency personnel quickly carried Chen Zheng away on a stretcher.
After an examination, Chen Zheng had no obvious external injuries.
The reason he had fainted on the ground was entirely because Qin Xuan's punch had instantly disrupted the circulation of his vital energy.
A few minutes later, Chen Zheng slowly regained consciousness.
As soon as he sat up, he eagerly approached Qin Xuan.
"I had expected a gap between myself and General Qin, but I never imagined the gap would be this vast."
"It seems I still have a long way to go on the path of cultivation..."
With a wry smile, Chen Zheng stood shoulder to shoulder with Qin Xuan.
Qin Xuan smiled and shook his head humbly, "I've merely taken a step ahead of you. It won't be long before we are back on the same starting line."
The conversation between the two made Shi Chuangong, who was standing by, feel a prickle of unease.
He had initially thought that Qin Xuan reaching the Intermediate Grandmaster realm at such a young age was already a rare occurrence in a century.
He hadn't expected that everything the young man said would indicate that he had been immersed in the Intermediate Grandmaster realm for a long time.
Who could handle this?
Having reached this level at the age of twenty-six.
Hadn't his seventy or eighty years of life been in vain?
As time passed, with only a few dozen Intermediate Grandmasters in total, the preliminary rounds for the Intermediate Grandmaster group quickly concluded.
Chen Zheng, Shu Fa Dash, and others who had been eliminated could no longer continue the competition.
The winners of the matches needed to draw lots to select their opponents for the next round.
"Among the remaining 11 Intermediate Grandmasters besides you, most of them are skilled in martial arts."
"With your strength, it shouldn't be an issue no matter who you face."
"There are only two people you need to be wary of."
"The first is Granny Feng, Su Qingtan, who appeared in the second match."
"I'm sure you've seen her."
"Her wind-attribute abilities are used with incredible skill."
"If you're not careful, you could be taken down in one hit."
Shi Chuangong, like Qin Xuan, had also secured a spot in the winners' bracket.
However, he was not interested in any so-called rankings.
So after winning, he began to analyze the opponents Qin Xuan would need to face next.
In Shi Chuangong's opinion, Qin Xuan only needed to be concerned about two opponents in the entire Intermediate Grandmaster group.
One was Su Qingtan, the wind-attribute ability wielder whose attacks were difficult to guard against.
The other was Qi Ling, a Qi cultivator who was on the verge of becoming a High-level Grandmaster.
Although Qi cultivators primarily focused on alchemy and longevity, they had not fallen behind in terms of offensive capabilities.
Especially Qi Ling's gourd, which was like a treasure trove, containing who knew what kind of unexpected elixirs.
"But don't worry, the most he can use are elixirs that temporarily boost his cultivation."
"He can't take out things that are harmful to people, like Berserker Powder or Bone Rotting Powder."
Qin Xuan nodded slightly and calmly walked out of the preparation area.
Although Shi Chuangong had analyzed a lot, in reality, it made no difference to him.
Whether it was using their bodies, abilities, or elixirs, they would all have to fight sooner or later.
Since that was the case, what difference did it make who fought first or later?
Meeting Hu Sanqiang's smiling gaze, Qin Xuan stepped forward to draw his number third.
Handing the small ball in his hand to his second master, the two couldn't help but exchange a knowing smile.
"Qin Xuan, number 1."
"You can now proceed to the side to prepare."
"Yes."
Upon seeing the number, Qin Xuan's lips curled into a slight smile.
Number 1 meant he would be the first to appear in the upcoming matches.
And his opponent in the first group was none other than the ability wielder who had won second in the previous round, Granny Feng, Su Qingtan!