With a sudden whoosh, one of the figures was sent flying backward, landing outside the ring. His face was ashen, and he didn't stir again—clearly knocked unconscious. The onlookers stared intently, only then noticing the inner-city disciple’s side was horribly lacerated, likely with several broken ribs.

In the inner-city competitions, incidents like this were extremely common. As long as no opponent was beaten to death or permanently crippled, there wasn't much of an issue. A bit of blood, a few minor injuries—those were entirely within the acceptable range. After all, they were all Spirit Masters, and this was simply an early taste of battle's brutality.

Moments later, two middle-aged instructors carried the injured inner-city disciple away for treatment.

"Who else dares to challenge me?"

Inside the fighting circle, the victorious inner-city disciple shouted loudly. He had already won four matches in a row; defeating just one more opponent would allow him to enter the second round and continue vying for one of the ten coveted slots. He was clearly brimming with confidence, and a smug, assured smile involuntarily spread across his face.

"This Lu Tang, although only at the fifth-grade Spirit Transformation realm, is incredibly powerful. If you aren't at the ninth grade, beating him will be very difficult!"

"Indeed. But compared to that Bai Yuqing who just won over there, Lu Tang probably still falls a bit short."

"That Bai Yuqing is hardly a woman! Who can compare to her? At just the second grade of Spirit Transformation, she battered an eighth-grade opponent until he was spitting teeth! Look at the matches over there—the high-grade Spirit Transformation masters haven't even made a move, afraid of losing to her and becoming a laughingstock!"

"..."

As the crowd murmured, Lu Tang loudly called out again, "Which fellow disciple wishes to fight me?" Yet, still, no one was willing to step up. Whatever spirit technique this guy was using, his movement skill was fast and bizarre; after four consecutive fights, his spiritual energy consumption was pitifully low.

The chance of victory against Lu Tang was slim. Even inner-city disciples with higher cultivation levels hesitated to take the risk. After all, defeating him meant they would then have to face four more challenges. It was easier to just let him advance directly to the second round. Once he was gone, a new wave of matches could begin, perhaps offering a better opportunity later.

"Since no one wants to spar with Senior Brother Lu Tang, allow me to join the fun." A light chuckle echoed, and a dark silhouette strolled casually into the fighting circle. Upon clearly seeing his face, the surrounding crowd couldn't help but freeze for a moment, followed by a wave of strangely amused smiles.

"Isn't that Nie Kong?"

"That guy is incredible at alchemy. If I hadn't taken his 'Spring Flower Autumn Dream,' I'd probably only be at the ninth grade of Spirit Fusion now."

"High alchemy skill doesn't guarantee strong combat ability! Challenging Lu Tang—isn't this just asking for a beating?"

"That's not certain. I heard he reached the first grade of Spirit Transformation over half a year ago, and then went into prolonged seclusion. Maybe he’s already at the fourth or fifth grade!"

"..."

Seeing that Nie Kong was the last to challenge him, Lu Tang was surprised but ultimately relieved.

He had no particular friendship with Nie Kong, but over half a year ago, Nie Kong's name had caused quite a stir in the inner city. Even Lu Tang, driven by curiosity, had once visited the Ascending Emperor Hall to watch Nie Kong auction off the 'Spring Flower Autumn Dream.' However, at the peak of his notoriety, Nie Kong suddenly vanished. He only reappeared in the inner city about half a month ago, rumored to have been in seclusion somewhere, dedicating himself to cultivation.

Lu Tang paid this no mind. Even with half a year of cultivation, progressing from the first grade of Spirit Transformation to the fourth would be excellent. And a Spirit Master at the fourth grade? Even if three like Nie Kong showed up at once, Lu Tang was completely confident in winning.

A strange smile curled the corner of Lu Tang's lips as he thought: "Nie Kong, I have to thank you!"

"Thank me for what?" Nie Kong laughed.

"Naturally, for granting me such an easy victory!" Lu Tang said mockingly.

Nie Kong suddenly looked enlightened. "Oh, in that case, I should thank you too."

Lu Tang winked at Nie Kong, his tone carrying a hint of ridicule: "And why thank me? For granting you an easy exit? You don't need to be so polite. We're fellow disciples; consider it mutual assistance. If you really want to thank me, go refine a fourth-grade spirit medicine for me then, hah hah..."

"No, I mean I should thank you for granting me such an easy victory!"

Nie Kong mimicked Lu Tang's tone and wording, his serious expression causing the surrounding crowd to erupt in laughter. Clearly, they hadn't expected Nie Kong to counter Lu Tang's teasing in this manner, leaving them uncertain whose words—Lu Tang's or Nie Kong's—would prove true.

"Look, Brother Nie Kong is teasing people again." Outside the ring, the little loli Gu Qi covered her mouth, stifling a giggle, excitement sparkling in her eyes.

"According to what Nie Kong said, this is called... hmm, 'playing the pig to eat the tiger'?" Miao Ge couldn't help but chuckle.

"If that Lu Tang knew Nie Kong is already at the ninth grade of Spirit Transformation, he’d probably cry." Tai Ji’s pure blue eyes held deep amusement.

"I really don't know how this guy cultivates. Before his seclusion, he was at the first grade of Spirit Transformation just like me, and now he's six grades ahead of me," Tai Hong grumbled.

"..."

"Junior Brother Nie Kong, it's better to be honest. The consequences of lying are often quite tragic," Lu Tang said with a smile, and then his figure vanished without any discernible precursor. He flickered in and out of existence around Nie Kong—front, back, left, and right—moving with incredible speed and making absolutely no sound, like a wraith.

It had to be admitted that Lu Tang’s movement spirit technique was formidable, especially since he was a Wind Spirit Master, excelling in speed. A typical high-grade Spirit Transformation Master facing him might end up like the previous fallen comrade—bound and unable to effectively use their skills.

But Nie Kong had to concede that Lu Tang's movement technique still fell short of his own 'Flower Shifting Shadow Evasion.'

If he were only at the third or fourth grade of Spirit Transformation, Nie Kong might not be able to deal with him. But now, at the ninth grade, with his bloodline awakened and the spirit seed fused into his Mind Aspect, his Spiritual Thought was so strong that even an average Master couldn't compare. Lu Tang’s trajectory of movement was completely unable to escape Nie Kong’s sensing.

Seeing Nie Kong simply standing still, Lu Tang suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if he were dancing for a blind man—no matter how beautiful his dance, the blind man would never show appreciation.

This feeling was quite stifling for Lu Tang. He let out a cold snort inwardly, and his figure suddenly shot toward Nie Kong from the left flank.

Whoosh!

Almost the instant the sound of air breaking was heard, Lu Tang was less than a meter from Nie Kong. His right claw shot out like a hook, aimed straight for Nie Kong’s throat. This sudden attack method was something Lu Tang was intimately familiar with; it had proven effective countless times in sparring matches with fellow disciples.

In Lu Tang’s estimation, this single strike should settle things, but to his astonishment, before his right claw could even brush Nie Kong’s neck, his opponent suddenly spun around and thrust a finger forward. If Lu Tang continued his attack, his vital waist area would be perfectly positioned beneath Nie Kong’s fingertip.

Hmph...

Lu Tang retreated sharply.

"Good speed, but Senior Brother Lu Tang, can you go any faster?" Nie Kong clapped his hands and asked with a smile.

"..."

Lu Tang rolled his eyes and increased his velocity again, leaving streaks of afterimages tracing his path in the air.

A moment later, Lu Tang appeared stealthily behind Nie Kong, his fist slamming toward Nie Kong's back without hesitation.

However, in the next instant, Nie Kong seemed to have eyes in his back, turning lightning-fast.

Accustomed to sneak attacks, Lu Tang avoided a direct confrontation to conserve spiritual energy, and again retreated without delay, vanishing from Nie Kong's sight.

Nie Kong adopted a posture of instruction: "Senior Brother Lu Tang, your speed can actually be faster! Don't worry about my eyes being unable to see!"

"..."

Lu Tang was so angry he felt like spitting blood, cursing under his breath. This guy was just having too much luck! He refused to believe Nie Kong could coincidentally anticipate his attack direction every time! However, during the third and fourth sneak attacks, the exact same situation occurred, and Lu Tang began to sense that something was seriously amiss.

The first time could be coincidence, the second might be luck, but four consecutive times could not be explained away by chance. Lu Tang grew suspicious and uneasy. Could this guy’s sensory ability truly capture his movements? Otherwise, how could Nie Kong turn around the instant he initiated an attack?

It wasn't just Lu Tang; the watching inner-city disciples also noticed the pattern. Having made it through the Six Halls Grand Competition, which involved many outer-city disciples, they possessed excellent overall qualities and certainly weren't attributing Nie Kong's success to sheer luck anymore.

"Just how much did this guy's cultivation increase during his seclusion?"

An inner-city disciple couldn't help but whisper in confusion. His question voiced the thoughts of everyone present. Lu Tang was at the fifth grade of Spirit Transformation, perfectly utilizing his wind element and movement spirit technique to maximize his speed. For Nie Kong to accurately track his movements, a minimum of the sixth grade of Spirit Transformation would be required.

To advance five grades—from the first to the sixth grade of Spirit Transformation—in just over half a year. This speed was unbelievable. In the Spirit Gathering realm, gaining five grades in half a year wasn't unusual; even in the Spirit Comprehension realm, it wasn't rare. But such rapid advancement during the Spirit Transformation realm was exceedingly difficult, especially since, before the sixth grade, there hadn't been any known spirit medicine like the 'Spring Flower Autumn Dream' that could boost cultivation by two grades.

As the crowd speculated, the situation in the ring changed again.

"Senior Brother Lu Tang, can't you be any faster?" Nie Kong looked disappointed, as if he couldn't teach steel to become iron.

"Nie Kong! Let's see how you handle this!" Lu Tang roared, his face contorted with rage and shame. Dense azure light burst forth from his body, and his figure became even more erratic and unpredictable. For a moment, it seemed as if countless streams of azure light were swirling and flickering around Nie Kong.

"That’s quite simple!"

Nie Kong broke into a bright smile. Spiritual energy bloomed beneath his feet, and he took a single step forward, his right hand suddenly shooting out, piercing directly into the center of one of the streams of light. In the next instant, all the azure shadows surrounding Nie Kong vanished. An utterly unbelievable scene appeared before the crowd: Lu Tang, who had been dashing merrily moments before, was now held aloft by Nie Kong, who had seized him by the neck. He struggled desperately with hands and feet, looking exactly like a duck caught by the neck and lifted up...

...