I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

By the thirteenth day of the qualifying rounds, the spirit flags above the plaza had changed color. The names of those at the top of the leaderboard were engraved in large gold letters on the flags, fluttering in the wind and standing out prominently in the morning light.

Li Hanshan is ranked fifth, but not because he has a low score; on the contrary, he has the highest score.

However, there are four people with the highest scores: Xuan Yinzi, Wang Hao, Luo Lie, and a female cultivator named Yu Mengjia.

"Han Lang, your scores are clearly the same, yet you're ranked fourth. They did it on purpose." Qin Muyue was dissatisfied with the result and saw through the Elders' Council's targeting.

Li Hanshan didn't care. He pulled Qin Muyue over and went straight into the harbor to make the most of his time to recover.

"Han Lang..." Qin Muyue's eyes suddenly became watery, and her body swayed like a small boat rising and falling with the waves.

The next day, a deacon from the Foreign Affairs Hall walked up to the high platform, unfurled a golden jade scroll, and loudly announced the rules of the elimination rounds.

"The knockout stage will use a five-match challenge system. Each participant must accept five challenges, with opponents determined by drawing lots, but the challenger's skill level must not be lower than the challenged's. If a participant loses two or more of the five matches, they will be eliminated. Those who win four matches will advance to the finals."

These words ignited a flurry of discussion in the square, spreading rapidly through the crowd.

"A five-round challenge format?"

"So, each person has to fight at least five tough battles?"

"Their cultivation level must not be lower than their opponent's; this forces experts to clash with each other."

"This year's competition is too fierce..."

Li Hanshan stood in the crowd, his expression unchanged. The five-round challenge system meant he would face at least five opponents at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage or higher. Those participants who had suppressed their cultivation at the first level of the Divine Transformation stage would also appear during this phase, specifically targeting talented disciples in the Nascent Soul group. Ye Shuanghua's voice echoed in his ears—"The elimination rounds are where the true test begins."

That evening, the draw for the knockout stage was announced. Li Hanshan's first opponent was none other than Wang Hao.

After the news spread, the discussions near the square became even more heated than before. Some lamented the coincidence of the draw, while others excitedly said they would finally see Wang Hao and Li Hanshan fight again. Wang Hao stood not far from where the draw results were announced, his moon-white robe fluttering gently in the night breeze. He turned to look at Li Hanshan in the crowd, and the two exchanged a glance from several dozen feet apart. Wang Hao neither smiled nor spoke, but simply raised his hand in a "wait" gesture.

The first round of the elimination tournament officially began the following morning. Li Hanshan and Wang Hao's match was scheduled for the third round on the main arena. After the first two rounds, all eyes in the square were focused on the main arena for the third round. Wang Hao was the first to leap onto the stage, his moon-white robe fluttering in the wind. His aura today was completely different from three years ago; he was like a sharp blade that had been repeatedly tempered, its sharpness restrained yet unable to suppress its formidable edge.

He raised his hand, and a jet-black spear appeared out of thin air in his palm. The spear was about ten feet long, its shaft forged from an unknown black metal, its surface crisscrossed with fine, dark gold patterns. The tip gleamed with a faint, blood-red aura, as if the lingering scent of countless drops of blood had been spilled there. The moment the spear appeared, the air in the entire arena seemed to freeze for a moment; even the defensive array patterns at the edge of the arena flickered, as if responding to the sharp, menacing aura.

A knowledgeable disciple in the plaza was the first to exclaim in surprise: "That's... the God-Slaying Spear?"

"The God-Slaying Spear?! Senior Brother Wang actually brought it out!"

"The legendary God-Slaying Spear is said to have been unearthed from an ancient ruin deep within the Ten Thousand Spirits Mountains; it is incredibly sharp!"

"Senior Brother Wang is really going all out now..."

Wang Hao stood with his gun in hand, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground, his spiritual energy surging like a ignited flame. He no longer wore his usual lazy smile; his eyes were calm and focused, filled with an unreserved seriousness.

"Three years ago, your sword defeated me, and I accepted it wholeheartedly." His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone present. "That time, I underestimated you and didn't use my full strength. But today is different—I won't hold back this time."

He slowly raised the tip of his gun, pointing it at Li Hanshan, dark gold patterns flowing endlessly across the gun's surface: "I have only one goal: to eliminate you."

Li Hanshan stepped onto the arena, pure Yang energy slowly rising around him. He could feel the extremely pure sharpness contained within the God-Slaying Spear, a killing intent refined through countless temperings. This killing intent even faintly carried a trace of ancient aura, causing the Chongyang Yuantai within his sea of ​​consciousness to tremble slightly. He didn't draw his broken sword, or even any other weapon. Pure Yang fire silently condensed in his palm, transforming into a purple-gold flaming longsword.

"Senior Brother Wang, please."

Wang Hao didn't waste any words. The spear trembled, a dark golden light exploding at its tip, and he transformed into a black streak of light, rushing forward. The speed of that strike far surpassed any of his attacks three years ago; the spear tip tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound, carrying the unique, all-encompassing power of the Xuanhuang Divine Body, as if it would pierce through the entire arena. The killing intent that had been dormant on the God-Slaying Spear for many years erupted fully under the impetus of spiritual power, like an ancient beast breaking free of its chains, causing the defensive array patterns at the edge of the arena to tremble violently.

Li Hanshan did not retreat. His flaming longsword met the tip of the God-Slaying Spear, the purple-gold and dark-gold clashing violently in the center of the arena. The two forces exploded at the point of contact, creating a visible shockwave that spread outwards, violently churning the array patterns on the arena's surface. Li Hanshan was forced back half a step by the impact, but he did not reveal any weakness. His divine sense had already locked onto Wang Hao's every move, predicting it the instant before the spear's strike arrived.

The first shot was blocked. Wang Hao didn't stop; the second shot followed immediately, this time faster and more ruthless. The spear drew a dark golden arc in the air, aiming straight for Li Hanshan's left ribs. Li Hanshan dodged to the side, his flaming longsword slashing horizontally, precisely blocking the side of the spear and deflecting the force to the side. His movements were more composed than three years ago; each block was fluid and natural, like performing a dance he had rehearsed countless times.

Wang Hao unleashed seven consecutive spear strikes. Each strike carried a different angle and force, the spear shadows weaving into a dark golden net on the arena, sealing off all of Li Hanshan's escape routes. However, he could clearly sense that Li Hanshan's defense was more solid than he had anticipated. The purplish-gold flaming longsword moved like a living thing within his spear shadows, each collision precisely striking the weakest point in the spear's force, neutralizing his carefully constructed offensive one by one.

After his seventh shot missed, Wang Hao sheathed his spear and stood still. His breathing was slightly more rapid than before, and the dark golden light on the God-Slaying Spear had dimmed somewhat. He looked at Li Hanshan, and for the first time, genuine shock appeared in his eyes: "You are stronger than you were three years ago."

Li Hanshan didn't deny it, and the flaming longsword in his hand slowly changed angle: "Senior Brother Wang's spear technique is even more formidable than it was three years ago. However—" He paused, "It's my turn."

Pure Yang fire surged violently around him. A purplish-gold light, like a volcano ablaze, enveloped him completely. The flaming longsword drew a near-perfect arc in the air, carrying even purer Yang energy after breaking through to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and slashed towards Wang Hao's chest. The speed of this strike far exceeded Wang Hao's expectations; the warm yet scorching spiritual power formed a thin golden halo around the edge of the blade, like fine iron forged to its thinnest point, indestructible.

Wang Hao parried with his spear, but the force of the blow sent him staggering back several steps. He steadied himself, twirling the God-Slaying Spear half a circle in his hand, attempting to regroup and launch an attack, but Li Hanshan's second sword strike followed immediately. This strike was even more cunning than the first, cutting from the side towards the junction of his spear and wrist, so precise that Wang Hao had to abandon his impending counterattack and retreat to defense.

The third, fourth, and fifth sword strikes. Li Hanshan's attacks were like an endless tide, each strike more precise and harder to defend against than the last. Although Wang Hao's defense was solid, tiny cracks began to appear under the continuous pressure. Those cracks weren't enough to completely reverse the outcome, but they were enough to gradually erode and compress his originally composed aura.

The murmurs in the square gradually subsided, replaced by a breathless silence. Everyone could see that Wang Hao was being suppressed, and Li Hanshan hadn't even used the killing move from three years ago.

Finally, at the very moment the tenth sword strike landed, Li Hanshan seized upon the instantaneous hesitation in Wang Hao's spear thrust. His flaming longsword, like the bow of a ship cleaving through ice, precisely sliced ​​into the gap in the God-Slaying Spear's defenses, stopping three inches from Wang Hao's throat. The purplish-gold flames slowly extinguished at his fingertips, not touching his skin, but the scorching heat had already caused a fine layer of red marks to appear on Wang Hao's neck.

Wang Hao paused. He looked down at the flaming longsword resting before his throat, then looked up at Li Hanshan. After a moment of silence, he slowly sheathed the God-Slaying Spear.

"I lost again." Wang Hao's voice, filled with suppressed extreme resentment, was like a volcano about to erupt, but he ultimately suppressed it, and his voice returned to calm. "And this time, it was a more complete defeat than last time."

He turned and stepped off the arena, his moon-white robe fluttering gently in the morning breeze. The God-Slaying Spear was retrieved into his palm, its dark golden light completely fading and disappearing into the void. His steps no longer carried the lazy, playful air of before, but instead possessed a composure born of past defeat.

"This guy... his mentality is terrifying."

Li Hanshan watched Wang Hao leave, and his heart tightened.

Such a prodigy, after being defeated by him twice in a row, was still able to remain calm. This composure is truly terrifying. This guy's future growth will definitely be remarkable.

A moment of silence fell over the square, then erupted into an even louder murmur of discussion. "Senior Brother Li won! Even more easily than ten years ago!" "Senior Brother Wang even brought out the God-Slaying Spear, and still lost..." "Just how strong is this old man?"

Luo Lie stood at the front of the crowd, watching the figure on the arena slowly extinguishing the flames. The confident smile on his face finally faded slightly. He could sense that Li Hanshan's strength was unfathomable. That composed and suppressive power was far greater than he had expected.

This instilled in him a deep sense of apprehension.

However, Luo Lie did not back down. He took a step forward and said in a loud voice, "Li Hanshan, I'll face you in the next round."

Li Hanshan stood on the arena, his gaze fixed on him, and nodded: "I'll be waiting."