Zou Ping’s single sentence sent a jolt through nearly everyone present. Cultivators from every sect and school couldn't help but wonder: Indeed, isn't Ziyuan the strongest master among the younger generation in the cultivation world? Why hasn't she made a move?

Ruan Hongling saw that Zou Ping had drawn the flames of battle toward Ziyuan. Not wanting Li Yundong and Ziyuan to clash, she immediately jumped up and snapped angrily, "What do you mean by that remark?"

Zou Ping sneered, "What do I mean? I should be asking what you mean! I observed your private conversations, showing undue concern for that demon-supporter Li Yundong of the Fox Zen Sect. May I ask, True Master Ziyuan, as the senior sister of the Linggong School of the Zhengyi Sect, how do you explain this?"

Ruan Hongling fumed, "Does my older sister Ziyuan need to explain herself to you?"

Zou Ping huffed, cupped her hands toward the assembled cultivators from various sects, and declared, "Everyone, look! Members of our major sects have stepped forward, yet the Linggong School remains inert. Is this not clear favoritism and withholding support? If you tell me they are not colluding with this fellow named Li Yundong, I would be the first to disbelieve you!"

Ziyuan usually maintained an unapproachable demeanor toward all cultivators, never offering a smile to any male practitioner. Coupled with her immense cultivation, her interactions, though cool, were always courteous and measured, earning her an excellent reputation in the cultivation world. As Zou Ping spoke, the gazes of cultivators from every sect snapped toward Ziyuan, observing her with equal measures of doubt and belief.

Ziyuan subtly frowned. She knew Zou Ping had cornered her; fighting was now unavoidable.

Ziyuan extended her hand, gently restraining the still-protesting Ruan Hongling, and stated calmly, "Since the fellow disciple from the Sect Leader's lineage has spoken so plainly, I can hardly keep things hidden any longer."

Ruan Hongling opened her mouth to speak again but was silenced by a sharp glare from Ziyuan, causing her to angrily bite back her words and cast a venomous look at Zou Ping.

Ziyuan gracefully walked into the arena. Standing ten meters away from Li Yundong, she offered a slight bow and said clearly, "True Master Li, it is an honor to cross blades with you. Please, do not hold back your full strength!"

The subtext in Ziyuan's statement was rich; it was her way of telling Li Yundong: If I go easy on you now, I won't be able to clear my name, no matter how hard I try later.

However, Li Yundong understood the message completely backward. He had never expected Ziyuan herself to step onto the stage!

In Li Yundong's view, Ziyuan was not only ethereally beautiful but also dignified and steady in character. She was akin to both mentor and friend to him, holding a position in his heart second only to Su Chan. He absolutely did not wish to fight her here.

Therefore, Li Yundong interpreted Ziyuan's words as: Hey, we’re friends. Let’s just put on a show for this audience, go easy on me!

With this thought, Li Yundong returned the bow: "Very well! I look forward to learning from the skills of True Master Ziyuan!"

Ziyuan nodded slightly, her expression instantaneously turning stern. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and a sharp divine light shot out from the slit between her lids, piercing Li Yundong's eyeball with a subtle, stinging pain!

Li Yundong instinctively blinked.

In that instant, Ziyuan exploded into action!

When still, Ziyuan was serene as a virgin maiden; standing there gracefully, observers felt she resembled a frail willow, easily blown over by a gust of wind.

But the moment she moved, those at the edge of the arena felt Ziyuan transform into a streak of lightning, charging toward Li Yundong like a raging gale or a monstrous wave!

When Li Yundong opened his eyes again, he saw Ziyuan’s figure blur, becoming one into two, and two into three. Her Flowing Cloud Water Sleeves surged toward him like a tempestuous sea.

Li Yundong startled and retreated a step without thinking. Ziyuan’s sleeves reached his face, the attack missing entirely but causing the muscles of his face to ripple from the sheer force of the displacement!

Li Yundong was alarmed: Is this immortal sister serious?

Before he could fully react, Ziyuan pressed her advantage, her movement swift as she caught up. She flicked her sleeves again, the tips snapping like steel whips toward Li Yundong.

Li Yundong retreated another step, and Ziyuan’s attack went wide again.

Now it was Ziyuan’s turn to be stunned. In all the previous duels she had witnessed Li Yundong fight, he had never once stepped backward. Why was he retreating two steps consecutively now?

Ziyuan grew anxious. Gritting her teeth, she let out a clear cry, like the call of a phoenix. With a sharp twist of her wrist, a purple silk ribbon erupted from her sleeve, darting like a spirit snake straight for Li Yundong’s face.

This strike was fast and fierce, moving with the speed of thunder. If it struck his head, it would instantly shatter his skull, killing him instantly.

Seeing the extreme ferocity of this blow, Li Yundong was greatly alarmed. He stomped his foot back again, retreating a third step, putting him back on the long line of retreat.

At this point, the surrounding cultivators noticed that the situation in the arena was amiss. Li Yundong had defeated eight opponents previously, including Zhang Tianhe, without ever falling back a single step. While Ziyuan’s assault was fierce, it shouldn't be enough to force Li Yundong into three consecutive retreats; something was clearly wrong here!

Some cultivators, who had already been skeptical, began booing, "What's going on? Is this a real fight or a staged one?"

Zou Ping seized the opportunity to add insult to injury, coldly remarking, "They coordinate quite well, like an adoring couple!"

Ziyuan flushed with shame and annoyance. She shot a fierce glare at Li Yundong and secretly transmitted a message: Idiot, why are you yielding? Are you trying to ruin me! Fight me for real!

Li Yundong finally woke up as if from a dream. Reacting swiftly, he cupped his hands and said seriously, "Earlier, True Master Ziyuan spoke a few words of fairness on my behalf, which is why I allowed three free moves. From this point forward, I will no longer hold back! True Master Ziyuan, watch out!"

Saying this, he took a deep breath, his eyes flew open like a furious tiger's glare. He launched himself forward, covering the distance to Ziyuan in a blink. His punch was like a cannonball, warping the very air, and he attacked Ziyuan with his full might, holding nothing back.

Ziyuan’s spirit lifted, and she roared, "Welcome!"

Her body flickered, instantly creating an afterimage.

Li Yundong shattered Ziyuan's afterimage with his punch, only to immediately feel that image dissolve into countless purple silk ribbons attempting to bind his limbs.

Li Yundong’s mind stirred, and the Seven Treasures Spirit Fan instantly jumped up, its leaves snapping open with a zheng, resembling grinding saw teeth. With a kacha, it swept toward the purple ribbons to slice them apart.

However, these purple ribbons were the ultimate in softness, while the Seven Treasures Spirit Fan was the ultimate in hardness. The fan’s strike only severed two strands before the ribbons wrapped around the fan itself, twisting it up.

For a time, the two treasures were locked in a struggle. The fan fought desperately, its blades opening and closing like a chain saw. Sometimes the purple ribbons were chopped into several pieces, but they would quickly mend themselves, continuing to tightly ensnare the Seven Treasures Spirit Fan like vines around a tree.

Li Yundong engaged Ziyuan in close quarters. Knowing her divine arts and spells were formidable, he realized he would likely lose if they fought at a distance. Therefore, he rushed forward to engage in hand-to-hand combat, forcing her to refrain from casting spells.

But contrary to Li Yundong's expectations, Ziyuan's unarmed combat skills were superb, and she was a master of Baguazhang. Her footwork was like wading through mud, slow yet possessing a fluid grace. Her legs crisscrossed like shears, swift yet imbued with powerful, rigid force.

Ziyuan circled Li Yundong like a spinning top, her movements twisting, rotating, turning, and flipping like a butterfly dancing among flowers. Her hands darted, thrust, chopped, hooked, swept, struck, clamped, flipped, and supported, resembling phantom double whips.

Li Yundong was surrounded by Ziyuan in the center, attacked from all directions, yet his spirit remained unperturbed, his mind clear. He refused to play her circling game, instead drawing in a breath and closing his eyes. The hairs on his body felt like a radar, keenly sensing the surrounding energies. Whenever a hair stood on end, he would immediately throw a punch in that direction, meeting myriad changes with unyielding constancy, defeating superior skill with sheer power!

Every time Ziyuan was about to strike him, Li Yundong would react faster, attacking her vital points first, forcing her to turn back to defend herself.

But when Ziyuan tried to pull away, Li Yundong would instantly detect it, actively closing the distance to keep her entangled.

For a time, the two fought back and forth, creating a spectacular display. Several times Ziyuan seemed certain of victory, yet Li Yundong always seemed to predict her move, countering with a later strike that hit her first. Conversely, facing Li Yundong's fierce counterattacks, Ziyuan narrowly avoided several fatal blows by evading with her ethereal movements.

One fighter was overwhelmingly firm, his punch erupting like a collapsing mountain, yet this ultimate hardness always generated an underlying softness, ensuring his moves were never exhausted. After one attack missed, he could rapidly defend and then launch another ferocious assault, like the ceaseless ocean waves—the tide receding only to crash again—unyielding when defending, surging when attacking.

The other fighter possessed continuous softness, like flowing water, yet within this softness was a core of unyielding power. Every time Ziyuan attacked, her Cloud Hands moved like steel whips, and her sleeves cut the air with a sharp whistle—a clear sign that her internal yielding force had reached its absolute peak, generating hard force.

As they fought with mounting excitement, Li Yundong’s face flushed, and a plume of white vapor rose from his head. This vapor remained dense and unwavering. In his engagement with Ziyuan, he gradually shifted from passively receiving blows to actively attacking, and now to a state where both exchanged offenses and defenses.

Ziyuan’s movements grew faster as she fought, occasionally finding moments to release one or two spells. Li Yundong, becoming more animated, interspersed his attacks with large hand seals that scattered Ziyuan's spells.

The crowd watched with wide eyes, completely silent, afraid to miss a single move. The arena was dead quiet, everyone utterly absorbed.

Some watching Ziyuan couldn't help but marvel: True Master Ziyuan is hailed as the strongest young master in the cultivation world—truly not without merit!

Cultivators who had previously fought Li Yundong were even more awestruck. Du Fei of the Dragon Gate Quanzhen Sect, who had harbored a lingering doubt, was now completely convinced after witnessing the fierce battle between Li Yundong and Ziyuan: So, he wasn't even using his full strength against me earlier!

Even more cultivators were horrified to see Li Yundong, having already fought numerous battles, not only facing Ziyuan but becoming more vigorous as the fight progressed, his true essence seeming to grow deeper and more formidable with every clash. "Is this fellow a monster? Doesn't he know fatigue? How deep is his true essence? It seems bottomless! This—this is terrifying!!"

Just as they were marveling, Li Yundong and Ziyuan suddenly reached a conclusion to the fight without any apparent cause.

As Ziyuan struck toward Li Yundong’s lower back and ribs, Li Yundong, for some inexplicable reason, did not evade. Instead, he deliberately left an opening for Ziyuan to strike. Ziyuan was slightly taken aback, and just as her palm was about to strike his kidneys, she shifted her hand, avoiding the vital organs, and slapped hard against his lower back, adjacent to the kidneys.

But the moment her palm landed, she felt an immensely powerful force rebound from within Li Yundong. Ziyuan gasped: After so many duels, he still possessed such profound true essence!

Li Yundong had intentionally created a flaw. The moment Ziyuan struck him, the true essence refined by the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art erupted in a counterattack. Li Yundong roared loudly and simultaneously drove his own punch forward.

This roar made every heart in the arena jump. Li Yundong's punch struck with such force that the air audibly compressed and warped. Ziyuan only had time to block with both hands before she was sent flying backward by the impact.

The crowd erupted in chaos, utterly unable to believe their eyes: Even the great True Master Ziyuan was defeated?!

Ruan Hongling cried out in shock and flew to catch her. She saw Ziyuan stumble upon landing, a thin line of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Ruan Hongling instantly turned on Li Yundong, raging, "How could you be so ruthless!"

Li Yundong was also surprised and instinctively started to move forward to check on Ziyuan's injury, but he quickly checked his steps, stopped, simply cupped his hands, and said faintly, "I concede."

Ruan Hongling raised an eyebrow, about to unleash a torrent of curses, when Ziyuan grabbed her arm, forcing herself to speak clearly despite her exertion: "True Master Li has truly formidable abilities. I concede!" Saying this, she summoned her personal artifact with a gesture, turned, and flew away.

Ruan Hongling followed her flight. Once they had soared far away, Ruan Hongling complained, "Sister Ziyuan, you didn't have to act so realistically for that man's sake, did you? You almost made me think you were actually injured!"

Ziyuan wore a grave expression and shook her head slightly. "No. That final blow was Li Yundong’s full-strength strike at the height of his momentum. With the depth of his true essence, concentrated into one punch, the power was something I could not withstand!"

Ruan Hongling gasped in horror, "What? You were actually injured by him?"

Ziyuan nodded gently, her brow furrowed slightly. "Yes. I need to go into seclusion to recuperate."

Ruan Hongling stamped her foot in anger, "Sister Ziyuan, why was that fellow so heavy-handed! Absolutely not, I’m going to find trouble with him!"

Ziyuan glared at her furiously. "And how do you plan to trouble him? Even I am no match for him now!" Then, she suddenly sighed, her eyes holding a deep, ineffable complexity. "From this day forward, he has made a name for himself. His fame will now resound throughout the world!"

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