The "Ranking Tournament" was in full swing, and a month had slipped by in the blink of an eye. Today was the day everyone had been waiting for, as the "Mysterious Mercenary Alliance" and the "Ten Clouds Drifting Mercenary Alliance" were set to clash in a fierce, dragon-versus-tiger battle!

The spectator stands were packed early this morning, every face alight with anticipation; they were dying to know which of these two dark horses reigned supreme. Amidst the eager waiting, the two opposing sides finally began to arrive.

First onto the field was the "Mysterious Mercenary Alliance," each member radiating an unconcealable confidence. Next came the "Ten Clouds Drifting Mercenary Alliance," and strangely, every one of them carried an air of worry and doubt, frequently glancing around—could it be they were afraid?

No! The reason for their demeanor was a single sentence Zhong Shenxiu had told them just before arriving: An access point will appear here today, and subsequently, demonic insects will attack!

Although the "Five Fiends Gathering" was still five days away, due to the particular geographic location of the Chunlou Empire, they would be affected early. According to Zhong Shenxiu’s projections, today would be the final match of the "Ranking Tournament," and it might not even proceed smoothly; it could be interrupted by unforeseen events at any moment!

Not long after Zhong Shenxiu and his group settled into the resting area, they saw Gwendolyn, the leader of the "Heavenly King Mercenary Corps," approaching slowly with a few others. "Sister Xia, look quickly, your idol is coming!" Diya remarked playfully.

Xia Luo was somewhat at a loss, unable to guess why Gwendolyn was approaching. "Hello!" Gwendolyn greeted them with a smile, then continued, "May we sit here?" Xia Luo was still a bit stunned, but Kaine quickly interjected, "Please, do!" Gwendolyn had no grand, hidden motive for being there; she simply wished to grow closer to Xia Luo and make an acquaintance with the "Ethereal Mercenary Group"!

...... As everyone watched with expectation, the match was finally about to begin.

The referee signaled for the contestants to enter, and the surroundings immediately fell silent. The crowd saw a flash before their eyes, and a figure materialized on the dueling stage—it was none other than Clement, the leader of the "Mysterious Mercenary Corps"!

No one expected Clement to enter the fray for the very first match; this clearly showed how much importance she placed on this fight! "Look, look!

That woman is the leader of the 'Mysterious Mercenary Corps'! I looked up her file; she is a terrifyingly powerful existence that raises the hairs on your neck!" one spectator exclaimed with excitement.

"I saw her fight once; she took down a formidable opponent with just a single sword strike!" "This is going to be incredible now! I wonder which fighter the 'Ten Clouds Drifting Mercenary Alliance' will send out.

Today’s match is absolutely a pinnacle confrontation between the strong!" "..." As the crowd continued to buzz, Clement suddenly drew her longsword, pointing the tip toward Xia Luo, and stated in a deep voice, "Step up and fight me!" This was an unadulterated provocation! Since witnessing Xia Luo’s duel with Gwendolyn previously, Clement had been eagerly anticipating this day!

In that instant, the thick scent of gunpowder silenced all chatter, and every eye turned toward the somewhat bewildered Xia Luo. "Xia Luo, be careful; she is very strong.

I suspect she is your equal!" Gwendolyn warned with a solemn expression. "Go, Sister Xia Luo!" Niuniu cheered.

"Xia Luo, have some fun!" Kaine giggled. "Xia Luo,..." At this moment, Xia Luo was speechless, thinking: Did I say I was going up?

Did I say I was going up?? But it was too late for her to object now.

Alas, what a frustrating Vice-Captain she was being!? Xia Luo walked onto the stage and sized up Clement from top to bottom.

From the aura emanating from her, Xia Luo knew this opponent was different from any before—this was an opponent concealing immense power. Even knowing this, Xia Luo showed no sign of tension.

For her, as long as she wasn't facing a monster like Zhong Shenxiu or Robin, there was nothing to be nervous about! "I expect you to fight with all your strength!" Clement said coldly.

Her serious expression showed she was fully prepared for battle. Xia Luo managed an awkward smile, offering no reply.

She would certainly not go all out, because if she did, this stage and the surrounding audience might not survive unscathed! Xia Luo had already made up her mind: test the opponent's strength first, then adjust accordingly.

"You can bring out your weapon!" Clement’s voice cut through the air again. Although she appeared calm, Clement was internally tense to the extreme.

Watching from the sidelines hadn't revealed it, but now that Xia Luo stood before her, the pressure she exerted was enormous. Even her casual stance seemed utterly flawless!

"I do not draw my weapon lightly!" Xia Luo finally spoke. Clement’s expression visibly sharpened.

Xia Luo’s words were a stimulus; did that mean she wasn't even worthy of facing Clement's weapon? Thinking this, her grip on the sword tightened, and the aura she emitted intensified slightly.

In the resting area on the other side, Collinck smacked his lips and asked Hotitz beside him, "How long do you think the opponent can last against our leader?" Hotitz shot him a look, replying somewhat irritably, "Didn't you hear the leader? Today's opponent is unusual; the leader isn't entirely confident of victory herself!" "The leader saying that is just modesty.

Don't you know the leader's true strength?" Collinck gave Hotitz a look tinged with disdain, then continued, "If you ask me, if the leader gets serious, the opponent can last at most... five minutes!" He hesitated on the final number because he himself could only hold out for less than a minute under Clement's true attack!

Hotitz ignored Collinck and stared fixedly at the two on the stage. Suddenly, his brow furrowed, and he spoke with some concern, "Not good, the leader seems to be wavering!" "Wavering?" Collinck quickly looked toward the stage but couldn't discern anything unusual.

Before he could ask, Hotitz spoke again, "When have you ever seen our leader talk so much? And the aura she's emitting is different from usual!" As the two spoke, the match, watched by tens of thousands, finally commenced!

"Now I announce—" The referee paused deliberately, "The match officially begins!" As his words faded, Clement and Xia Luo moved simultaneously, both vanishing from their original spots. Afterward, the audience could only hear "bang, bang" impact sounds, unable to see a single figure.

"Heavens, where did they go?" "Where are they? Where did the people go?" "..." What was being transmitted to the crowd now was no longer a visual shock, but an auditory one; just listening to the increasingly dense collision sounds, one could imagine the intensity of the fight!

Though they couldn't see a thing, everyone kept their eyes wide open. Finally, after another loud crash, Clement and Xia Luo’s figures reappeared.

Clement gazed at Xia Luo, ten meters away, forcefully suppressing the excitement surging within her. She finally recognized a mistake: this woman named Xia Luo was even more formidable than she had imagined.

In the exchange just now, she had pushed her speed to the limit, yet her opponent had effortlessly blocked every attack. Could it truly be impossible to force the opponent to draw her weapon?

A sense of unwillingness washed over Clement, dispelling her previous tension, allowing her to reclaim her true self. She swept her longsword sideways; without any apparent motion, a blue radiance flickered across the blade, accompanied by crackling sounds—"pīpā, pīpā." "Ah, what is that?" "What kind of move is that?

It's so strange?" The spectators instinctively craned their necks toward the stage. They had watched many matches, but this was the first time they had seen Clement use this technique!

In the resting area, Collinck and Hotitz’s expressions shifted simultaneously, for they knew their leader was about to unleash her ultimate move! A flicker of surprise crossed Xia Luo’s face, and she couldn't help but remark, "So you're a dual cultivator of magic and martial arts.

This must be an electric attribute, right?" Clement, having regained her composure, became silent again. Her sword suddenly swung down in a chopping motion, and then a net woven of lightning surged toward Xia Luo, covering the sky.

It was instantaneous—a flash of lightning—by the time the crowd registered the electric net, it was already close to Xia Luo. "Good timing!" Xia Luo executed several rapid backward somersaults, evading the electric net's effective range, then pushed off the ground and charged toward Clement.

Clement gripped her sword with both hands and began to spin rapidly. Then, sparks of electricity began to erupt continuously from the center of her spinning body, completely enveloping her.

Although this level of lightning couldn't harm Xia Luo at all, she still chose not to clash head-on. With a wave of her hands, dozens of earth spikes flew toward Clement.

"Boom!" A great cloud of dust and smoke billowed outward. Clement stood proudly on the spot, completely unharmed, her eyes shining with disbelief as she looked at Xia Luo.

She remembered clearly: Xia Luo should have been a dual cultivator of water attribute magic and martial arts. So why could she launch earth-attribute attacks?

How many more surprises did this woman have hidden? Taking a deep breath, Clement’s gaze turned sharp.

She said slowly, "Your strength exceeds my imagination. I am about to use my ultimate move; be careful!" Xia Luo looked at Clement with suspicion, eager to know what this ultimate move could possibly be.

Just then, everyone watched as Clement suddenly twisted her wrist and drove her sword straight into the ground. Then, a great roar erupted from her: "Wrath of Thunder!!!" V