Gao Wu: Oh no! Young Master Zhen is a cultivator!

Lin Ran used his spiritual power to simulate a protective aura in front of him.

The water jet fell, making a loud impact sound.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Water splashed all over the ground, but Lin Ran's protective aura remained as stable as ever.

Seeing this, Li Feiyu sighed, "Alas... it's no use after all. I admit defeat!"

"You're giving up already?" Lin Ran raised an eyebrow.

Before I even made a move, the other party had already given up.

Li Feiyu shook his head: "The disparity in strength is too great; there's no point in continuing to force it."

With this, Lin Ran has won all three matches, bringing his total points to six.

In the fourth round, Lin Ran's opponent was Ma Yiming from Kyoto No. 2 Middle School, an S-level lightning-type awakener at the Innate Realm.

Ma Yiming stepped onto the arena, his right hand already crackling with pale blue arcs of electricity between his fingers.

His hair stood up slightly due to the presence of lightning, making him look like a human-shaped thunderstorm that could erupt at any moment.

As soon as the referee announced the start of the match, Ma Yiming launched the first attack.

He swayed, his footsteps making a muffled thud on the ground, and his right palm shot out like a snake emerging from its hole.

The lightning accumulated between his fingers transformed into a winding whip of lightning, lashing towards Lin Ran's face with a piercing whooshing sound.

"Razer is scouting ahead!"

The lightning whip lashed through the air, leaving a pale blue arc in its wake.

Lin Ran dodged to the side, the whip tip grazing his shoulder and leaving a scorch mark on his training uniform.

Before Ma Yiming could finish his move, he quickly twisted his wrist, and the lightning whip drew a strange arc in the air, changing from a lash to a wrap, coiling around Lin Ran's neck like a living thing.

"A serpent coils around a pillar!"

A gasp of surprise erupted from the stands.

"Lightning Five-Strike Whip! This is the Ma family's signature move, the Lightning Five-Strike Whip!"

"Legend has it that this whip technique takes the form of lightning, executing five consecutive whip strikes, making it virtually unmatched among those of the same level!"

"The methods of power-type awakened individuals are ultimately somewhat limited."

"Yes, both are at the Innate Realm, but Lin Ran's chances are slim this time."

"I don't think so! The arena is only so big, so strength-based characters still have some advantages."

Lin Ran touched the ground with his toes and retreated quickly, avoiding the incoming lightning whip.

Taking advantage of this opening, Ma Yiming lunged forward, his left hand extending out simultaneously, his palm crackling with lightning.

The third whip shadow shot out from his palm, intertwining with the lightning whip in his right hand to form an electric net, which swept over Lin Ran.

The crackling electric grid cast a ghastly blue light on the arena, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of burning.

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow: "You're quite good!"

Having talent is one thing, but being able to use that talent in creative ways is another.

"You're not bad either!" Ma Yiming replied in a deep voice, changing his footwork once again.

He shook both hands together, and the two lightning whips merged into one in the air, transforming into a lightning pillar as thick as a child's arm, which struck down with immense force.

boom!

The lightning bolt struck the alloy floor, exploding into a dazzling blue light, with charred cracks spreading outwards.

Before the lightning pillar could fall, Lin Ran stomped on the ground and suddenly lunged forward, throwing a punch.

The fist's energy collided with the scattered lightning, producing a loud bang.

A gap was torn in the remaining power grid, and Lin Ran's fist pierced straight in.

Ma Yiming's pupils contracted sharply, and he immediately changed his move.

He gritted his teeth, channeling all his spiritual power into his arms, and blinding lightning bolts shot out from between his five fingers, the five lightning whips converging into one in front of him.

This is the strongest move in the Lightning Five-Strike Combo; while its power is immense, its energy consumption is equally staggering.

Five bolts of lightning intertwined and coiled, transforming into a menacing lightning dragon that met Lin Ran's fist head-on.

Boom!

The fist energy collided with the thunder dragon, causing the entire arena to tremble.

After the blinding white light, Ma Yiming was thrown backward by the shockwave, his back slamming heavily against the protective shield.

He barely managed to steady himself, kneeling on the ground. His training clothes on his right arm were charred and torn, his five fingers trembled slightly, and a few faint arcs of electricity remained at his fingertips.

Lin Ran stood still, with a small scorch mark on his fist, but otherwise unharmed.

"How is this possible?" Ma Yiming exclaimed incredulously, "My Lightning Five-Strike Whip... was actually broken by your single punch?"

Lin Ran shook the ash off his hands and said calmly, "Your whip technique is exquisite, but the difference in strength is too great, and technique alone cannot make up for it."

"But……"

Ma Yiming naturally knew that strength could overwhelm skill, but his lightning whip was extremely fast. Ordinary strength-type awakened individuals couldn't even see the whip's shadow, let alone break through it head-on.

In his opinion, Lin Ran's speed was even faster than that of other speed-type awakened individuals of the same level.

There's no point in saying more now that things have come to this.

He took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Lin Ran: "I concede."

Lightning bolts couldn't hit Lin Ran, and the electric grid couldn't stop him either. Even if he refused to admit defeat, it seemed pointless.

In close combat, he could not possibly be a match for a strength-type awakened being; if he continued fighting, he would only be able to passively take hits.

With four wins out of four matches, Lin Ran's points total has reached eight.

In the fifth round, Ye Chen from Kyoto No. 1 High School, an SSS-level space-type awakener, was at the Innate Realm.

The only SSS-level Awakened in this competition, his aura far surpasses that of the other participating students.

He stepped onto the ring, and the air around him seemed to distort slightly, like ripples spreading when a pebble is thrown into a lake.

"Aren't you tired of constantly releasing spatial power like this?" Lin Ran asked casually.

Ye Chen's eyes were indifferent, his face expressionless: "I'm used to it."

Seeing his attitude, Lin Ran couldn't help but retort, "You're so high and mighty, you think you're so great!"

Below the arena, the crowd began speculating about the outcome of the match.

"A SSS-level spatial ability user at the Innate Realm? I don't believe Lin Ran has any way to defeat him!"

"If the spatial barrier cannot be broken, it is equivalent to being immune to all physical attacks, and Lin Ran's power system is completely countered."

"Since both are at the Innate Realm, a strength-based martial artist shouldn't be able to break through a space-based barrier, right?"

"It's hard to say. Don't forget, Lin Ran hasn't lost a single match yet."

"Isn't Ye Chen also on a winning streak?"

"It seems this means the finals have been brought forward."

As soon as the referee announced the start, Ye Chen's figure vanished instantly.

Where he had just stood, only a ripple of space remained, like the receding tide.

The next second, he appeared behind Lin Ran and delivered a chop to the back of Lin Ran's neck.

Bang!

The fist collided with the hand blade, producing a muffled thud.

Lin Ran didn't even turn around; he simply raised his hand and blocked Ye Chen's attack.

"Quick reflexes, huh?" Ye Chen used the momentum to leap backward, his figure disappearing again in mid-air, landing on the other side of the arena.

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow: "I don't like the tone of your voice. Because I'm usually the one talking to others like that."

After saying that, he suddenly rushed forward and threw a punch at Ye Chen.

boom!

The fist slammed into the barrier, producing a loud bang.

Lin Ran couldn't help but sigh, "The spatial barrier truly lives up to its reputation as the strongest barrier; it's indeed difficult to break through with brute force alone."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen's lips curled into a slight smile: "Sometimes, the gap between geniuses is greater than the gap between a genius and an ordinary person!"

"In that case, I'll have to be more serious!" Lin Ran clenched his fist and thrust it out again.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

His fists fell alternately, slamming repeatedly against the spatial barrier.

At first, Ye Chen didn't take it seriously, until he realized that his spiritual power was being rapidly depleted.

While forces of the same level cannot break through his barrier, they can continuously deplete his spiritual power.

Once his spiritual energy is exhausted, the spatial barrier will naturally become unsustainable.

Having discerned Lin Ran's intentions, Ye Chen dared not be overconfident any longer and immediately began to retaliate.

With a wave of his right hand, a spatial blade silently slashed towards Lin Ran.

bass!

Wherever the blade passes, the light is bent into a strange angle. It looks like it's slashing from the front, but the actual point of attack is from the side.

Unfortunately, this visual effect could not fool Lin Ran, who had opened his third eye.

He simply turned slightly to the side, easily dodging the spatial blade, and continued to chase after Ye Chen, throwing punches.

"How did you find out?" Ye Chen asked, puzzled.

Lin Ran responded with a punch, "Intuition."