From absorbing the essence of the sun and moon to achieving divine mastery in martial arts

"A decision made in consultation?"

A cold glint flashed in Cang Lian's eyes, and he suddenly flicked his toes.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Hong Pan's already severely injured body was kicked out of the door like a ball, falling and screaming in pain.

"roll!"

Canglian's voice was cold and indifferent, devoid of any emotion.

Hong Pan struggled to his feet, his face contorted in pain, but he couldn't help turning back to point at the wooden box on the table, saying with a pained yet unwilling expression, "Then...the things I brought..."

"What is it?"

Cang Lian didn't even lift an eyelid. "That was a gift you gave me as an apology. Since it's an apology, why would you take it back after giving it away? If you don't keep it, do you want to get another beating?"

Hong Pan's expression shifted unpredictably, but under Cang Lian's piercing gaze, he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger. He staggered away, leaning against the wall, not daring to even glance at the wooden box.

After the door closed, the coldness on Canglian's face gradually faded, replaced by a deep, thoughtful frown.

"Decision to be made..."

He hated hypocrites who hid their true intentions and used others to do their dirty work the most.

Hong Pan, a reckless man who confronts others directly, is despicable, but he is also a true villain. Shang Jue, as a top favorite to win the championship, appears upright and honest on the surface, but secretly uses such despicable means to steal others' skills.

"Since you want to play, then let's have some fun."

Cang Lian gazed at the pitch-black night outside the window, her eyes deep and thoughtful.

He doesn't cause trouble, but he's absolutely not afraid of trouble.

Since everyone else disregards the rules, why should he follow them?

Nothing was said that night. The moonlight outside the window gradually faded, and a pale white dawn appeared on the eastern horizon.

The next morning, as dawn broke.

National Martial Arts Hall Headquarters, Central Arena.

This is a giant open-air stadium built against the mountain, large enough to accommodate 10,000 people.

At this moment, the stands were already packed, and the noise was deafening.

Countless powerful energy fluctuations surged in the air, a terrifying force field formed by martial arts experts from all over the country gathering together.

The VIP seats at the highest point of the stands were filled with important figures who are rarely seen on ordinary days.

The deputy hall masters of each state, as well as the powerful elders, elders, hall masters, and deacons of the National Martial Hall headquarters, all sat solemnly, their eyes fixed intently on the arena below.

When the clock hand points to Chen Shi (7-9 AM).

"quiet!"

An aged yet powerful voice resounded throughout the venue.

A senior elder dressed in a Zhongshan suit suddenly took a step out of thin air, as if an invisible step was supporting him. He used his powerful and unparalleled "qi" to glide through the air and land steadily in the center of the arena, a hundred meters away.

With powerful energy, he stepped forward and soared through the air!

This move silenced the entire audience instantly.

The Grand Elder surveyed the surroundings, his voice booming like thunder: "The National Martial Arts Hall's Genius Competition is a grand event in the martial arts world. We are selecting the pillars of the nation, the future strongmen who will guard their regions!"

He paused, then his tone suddenly turned stern: "This grand competition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the rewards offered by the hall are extremely generous! Anyone who enters the top three in each group will receive a substantial reward! There's even a chance to receive personal guidance from the elders!"

"In this contest, you must show your true skills. However, on the stage, the only thing that matters is determining the winner; there is no matter who lives or dies!"

"As for the rules—it's a two-on-one duel, with the winner advancing! After the top three are determined, if anyone disagrees, each person will have one chance for an 'offside challenge'!"

"Now, the drawing of lots begins!"

As the Grand Elder ascended into the air, a deacon carried a huge divination tube onto the stage.

The competition has officially begun.

"First match, Dark Strength group, Zhao Meng versus... Lin Feng!"

With a loud shout from the deacon, the two young men whose names were called leaped up and nimbly jumped onto the arena.

Both were at the peak of internal strength cultivation; one used the powerful Bajiquan, while the other used the agile Chuanyunzhang.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Fists and palms clashed, and the energy surged.

Cang Lian sat in the contestant's seat, her eyes fixed on the battle on the stage.

He originally thought that a duel between geniuses of this caliber would be a close and evenly matched battle, with each side exchanging blows for hundreds of rounds.

But the reality is quite the opposite.

Under such high pressure and intense combat, the two had no chance to catch their breath or test each other.

In less than three minutes.

During his fierce attack, the young man who practiced Bajiquan lost his breath slightly. His old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated, revealing a subtle flaw in the crook of his arm.

In the blink of an eye, without even blinking, the opponent's fingertips, sharp as knives, struck the opponent's weakness in an instant, followed by a whip kick that hit the opponent's waist.

"puff!"

Zhao Meng spat out a mouthful of blood and flew off the stage like a kite with a broken string.

Victory or defeat can be decided in a split second!

The following battles were even faster than expected.

Some even suffered broken bones and tendons and ended in a miserable defeat in less than ten moves.

Cang Lian watched this scene with an increasingly solemn expression.

He realized that the so-called "genius" was merely a ticket to stand on this stage.

There are no weaklings here.

And above geniuses, there are monsters even more "genius" than you!

"Next match: Cang Lian versus Ruan Feng!"

As the steward's loud voice faded, Cang Lian took a deep breath, exerted a little force with his feet, and leaped onto the arena like a cheetah, landing steadily in the center.

At the same time, a figure leaped up from the other side and landed heavily on the opposite side of the arena.

This man was Ruan Feng, with sharp eyes and an imposing arrogance.

"Cang Lian?" Ruan Feng looked him up and down, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"You know me?" Cang Lian asked calmly.

"Heh, how could I not recognize you? You completed two S-rank missions in a row with your internal strength; the news's been spreading like wildfire within the National Martial Hall." Ruan Feng cracked his neck, making a series of sharp sounds, and sneered, "Everyone says you're a lucky guy who managed to complete the missions by sheer luck. But... your good fortune has run out. Meeting me is your greatest misfortune!"

Before he could finish speaking, Ruan Feng made a sudden move!

"Lie down!"

He roared and pounced like a cheetah, unleashing the powerful and fierce "Wind-Splitting Leg".

A flurry of leg shadows, accompanied by ear-piercing whistling sounds, enveloped Cang Lian's vital points like a storm, each kick powerful enough to break a steel pillar!

Faced with this overwhelming offensive, Cang Lian remained expressionless, just as the leg shadow was about to strike.

He moved.

Instead of taking the hit head-on, deep within his body, the hidden tendons were instantly plucked and twisted like harp strings.

"A shocking change in the dragon's movements!"

At this moment, Cang Lian's body defied the laws of physics, like a slippery dragon, weaving strangely through the gaps in the dense shadows of legs, and in an extremely bizarre angle, it instantly slid to Ruan Feng's side.

Ruan Feng felt a blur before his eyes, and his sure-kill strike missed its mark. Immediately afterward, a cold aura brushed against his side.

"Not good!" Ruan Feng's pupils shrank suddenly.

But it was too late.

Cang Lian pressed forward, not using any fancy moves, but the most simple and ruthless—the Eight Formations of Military Formation!

collapse!

A powerful shoulder strike slammed into Ruan Feng's center, followed immediately by a lightning-fast elbow strike.

"puff!"

Before Ruan Feng could even scream, his chest was struck as if by lightning, and he flew backward like a rag doll, crashing out of the ring.

His face instantly turned a deep liver color, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with disbelief.

One move! Instant kill!

There was a brief moment of silence in the entire room.

From the VIP seats at the highest point of the stands, the gazes of several important figures also converged on this direction.

"Such exquisite movements, swift as a dragon, still as a virgin." A hint of admiration flashed in Zhuang Heng's eyes as he turned to look at the aloof woman beside him. "Zhao Xue, is this the person you brought? Interesting."

Chu Zhaoxue remained calm, taking a small sip of tea: "It's alright."

"You're still the same as ever." Xu Wenzhou from Jiangzhou shook his head with a wry smile and sighed, "Back in the competition, Zhaoxue, you were far ahead of us, overpowering us to win the Dan Jin group championship. Now, the four of us have all entered Gang Jin and are in charge of our respective areas. I didn't expect that in this competition of the new generation, the people you brought would give us another rude awakening."

At this point, Xu Wenzhou changed the subject, turning his gaze to the woman sitting next to him: "Yan Zhan, I heard that your sister Yan Shuang is also participating in this competition? You narrowly lost to Zhao Xue in the competition for first place back then, and now this second round of competition will probably fall to Cang Lian and Yan Shuang."

The woman named Yan Zhan slowly raised her head.

She didn't look as cold and aloof as Chu Zhaoxue, but she exuded an even more distant indifference, as if everything around her was nothing but dust in her eyes.

"We'll see." Yan Zhan uttered only four words, his voice hoarse but exuding absolute confidence.

Seeing Yan Zhan's expression, Xu Wenzhou touched his nose, his eyes filled with anticipation as if watching a good show.

On the arena.

After winning, Cang Lian bowed to the surrounding crowd and then jumped off the stage.

As soon as he landed, he felt a cold gaze fall upon him, like a thorn in his back.

Cang Lian suddenly looked up and her gaze accurately locked onto the front row of the contestants' seats.

There, Shang Jue was looking at him with a half-smile.

Although he was smiling, Cang Lian, with his powerful mental strength, clearly caught the hint of gloom and surprise hidden deep in his eyes.

Cang Lian was able to appear here, but Hong Pan was nowhere to be found.

This means that Hong Pan's mission has failed.

Shang Jue clearly hadn't expected that Cang Lian could escape unscathed from last night's situation, and even be standing here to participate in the competition without a scratch.

"Just because their master is a senior member, they dare to disregard the rules like this..."

Cang Lian's gaze was indifferent; she had already inquired about the situation before coming.

This Shang Jue is one of the Ten Elders, a disciple of Shi Jiugao. No wonder he dares to act lawlessly!