Fellow Daoist, I gladly accept this heaven-defying opportunity.

As soon as Du Rumei conceded defeat, the audience erupted in cheers.

Countless questioning, disdainful, and gossipy gazes were fixed on Du Rumei. His face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He ignored them and walked straight off the stage.

He knew better than anyone else that his cultivation had barely improved in the past month, remaining almost the same as when he fought Xu Mofeng at the Biyou Sect; while Xu Mofeng had genuinely broken through a realm. He couldn't defeat him last time, so going up against him this time would only be humiliating.

Being beaten to the ground once by a pervert who is two levels below him is not enough; he has to do it again to make his presence known.

The key issue is that Xu Mofeng's sword intent was too terrifying. The feeling of falling into purgatory left a psychological scar on him that hasn't faded yet, and he doesn't want to experience it a second time.

The disciples of Liusha Valley knew perfectly well what was going on, but they all pursed their lips and remained silent, collectively playing dead.

This only emboldened the uninformed disciples to hurl even more insults, mocking Du Rumei as a coward while implying that Xu Mofeng's victory was unfair and his methods were unethical.

Xu Mofeng didn't bother to explain. The martial arts demonstration wasn't over yet; there would be plenty of opportunities to see who was truly capable later.

He actually admired Du Rumei's decisiveness; she admitted defeat without hesitation, which was much smarter than those who stubbornly endured being beaten.

[Congratulations, host, on successfully transforming your destiny! You have received the following reward: Golden Core Advancement Pill x1]

Du Rumei was a seeded player who was qualified to compete for a top-20 spot, and she was blessed with good fortune.

Xu Mofeng eliminated him, cutting off his path forward, thus completing the shift in opportunity.

Another Golden Core Advancement Pill, just in time.

A hint of joy flashed in Xu Mofeng's eyes. This thing was a godsend. Once his cultivation reached the fourth level of the Golden Core stage, his chances of winning first place would be even greater.

With this, the first day of the martial arts competition has come to an end.

Xu Mofeng returned to the Biyou Sect team and glanced around. He found that among the disciples who had not been eliminated, only three remained in the sect, including himself.

One is at the sixth level of the Golden Core stage, and the other is at the seventh level.

Elder Zou stroked his beard and looked at him, his tone complicated: "You're really lucky. You got a bye in the second round, and then you ran into Du Rumei, who's so 'pragmatic,' in the third round. You got a free ride and actually made it to the fourth round. It's really unexpected."

"However, the fourth round is full of top fighters from various schools, and even the weakest one is a level above Du Rumei. It won't be easy to get past them. For tomorrow's competition, I have only one request for you: stay in first place. Winning or losing is secondary."

Xu Mofeng didn't say much, only nodded to indicate that he understood.

Before long, the members of the six sects dispersed and returned to their camps to rest and prepare for the martial arts competition the next day.

Silent all night.

The next day, the disciples of the six sects gathered again at the martial arts arena.

Compared to the first day, everyone's faces showed more excitement and anticipation. The opponents became stronger as the competition progressed, making the matches more intense and exciting.

"The fourth round of the draw begins!"

The remaining twenty or so people who participated in the martial arts demonstration took turns going up on stage to draw their own numbers.

Just as Xu Mofeng finished drawing his lot and was about to leave the stage, he suddenly noticed several pairs of eyes fixed on him.

He glanced up and saw several contestants staring intently at the bamboo stick in his hand, their calculations practically overflowing from their eyes.

Xu Mofeng instantly realized that among the group of people on the field, he had the lowest cultivation level. It turned out that all of them regarded him as the only easy target and thought that drawing him was extremely lucky.

Xu Mofeng shook his head speechlessly and found his dueling platform.

His opponent was already waiting on the stage; he was a disciple of the Xuanming Palace, and his cultivation level was astoundingly high—the seventh level of the Golden Core realm!

Upon seeing Xu Mofeng come up, the Xuanming Palace disciple burst out laughing, looking like he had struck gold.

"Looks like I'm pretty lucky. The only top-tier draw in the whole event actually fell into my hands."

Xu Mofeng didn't speak, but the audience had already started discussing it.

"It's a miracle that this kid, only at the third level of the Golden Core stage, has come this far!"

"He must have used some dirty tricks to force Du Rumei to admit defeat last time. Let's see how he tries to pull off this one!"

"Lian Chaoyang of the Xuanming Palace is the son of an elder, with a powerful background. No amount of underhanded tricks will work on him!"

"What's the point of watching then? If it really comes down to a fight, he probably wouldn't even be able to withstand one move from Lian Chaoyang."

"Ugh, what a waste of time! I need to finish this quickly so I can go watch the next one!"

Lian Chaoyang looked down at Xu Mofeng with a mocking expression: "You've reached the Golden Core Realm at such a young age, you must have accumulated a lot of resources, right? I don't know what your background is, nor do I care what dirty tricks you used to make your last opponent admit defeat, but you're unlucky to have met me."

His expression suddenly turned cold, and he sneered, "I hate cowards like you who resort to underhanded tricks more than anything else in my life. This time, I'm going to make you suffer a lot..."

Faced with Lian Chaoyang's threats and provocations, Xu Mofeng was not angry at all, and simply slowly extended one finger.

Lian Chaoyang frowned: "What do you mean?"

Xu Mofeng said calmly, "I'll defeat you in one move."

Lian Chaoyang was stunned, and so were the disciples watching from below the stage.

After a brief silence, someone suddenly burst out laughing, followed by a roar of laughter from the entire audience.

"Haha, did I hear that right? This kid said he'd defeat Lian Chaoyang in one move?"

"This is insane! Absolutely insane!"

"That's hilarious! Does he think he's only at the third level of the Nascent Soul stage, not the third level of the Golden Core stage?"

Lian Chaoyang laughed so hard he almost fell over, tears welling up in his eyes.

"I'd like to see how you defeat me in one move."

He clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he was gasping for breath.

"Then you'd better open your eyes and watch carefully."

Xu Mofeng spoke calmly, his right hand gently resting on the hilt of the knife.

In an instant, Lian Chaoyang's heart clenched, and a chilling sense of crisis shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making his scalp tingle.

At that moment, he felt as if he were being stared at by a prehistoric beast, and even his breath caught in his throat.

"You're playing tricks! Go to hell!"

Driven by immense unease, Lian Chaoyang roared and unleashed his full spiritual power, determined to strike first.

But the moment his spiritual power stirred, his pupils suddenly contracted, leaving only a dazzling golden line in his eyes.

Clang!

A clear, resonant sound rang out as the longsword was returned to its sheath.

Xu Mofeng stood with his hands behind his back, calm and composed. He turned to look at the dumbfounded referee beside him and said indifferently, "Announce it."

The audience looked completely bewildered.

What's going on?

They didn't see anything, yet the referee made the announcement?

"Has this kid really gone mad? Is he starting to talk nonsense?"

"I think he can't beat them, so he's just putting on a show."

"Hey? Why isn't Lian Chaoyang moving?"

Just as everyone was discussing this, Lian Chaoyang, who had been standing still, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Immediately afterwards, his robes ripped apart inch by inch, revealing a shocking deep knife wound on his chest that exposed bone. The remaining force of the knife energy continued unabated, spreading down his feet and across most of the fighting arena, leaving a deep trench several inches deep.

In an instant, the previously noisy scene fell silent, plunging into an eerie stillness.

All the disciples from the six sects watching from below the stage stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape as if someone had grabbed their necks at the same time, unable to utter a single word.

The strange commotion attracted the attention of people in other stands in the distance, and when they saw what was happening on the platform, they were all shocked.

"Lian Chaoyang actually lost?!"

"He was defeated by only a Golden Core Stage 3 cultivator? How is that possible!"

"How exactly did Lian Chaoyang lose?"

When everyone saw the horrifying knife mark that ran across the fighting arena, they all gasped and felt a chill run down their spines.

"If this slash had been a few inches higher, most of the force wouldn't have been redirected to the ground; Lian Chaoyang would have been dead right here today!"

"This strike... could someone at the third level of the Golden Core stage possibly unleash it?"

Indeed, if Xu Mofeng hadn't deliberately held back with that sword-drawing move, Lian Chaoyang, caught off guard, would have been cleaved in two on the spot.

Even so, the sheer brilliance of this strike was enough to turn heads wherever it was delivered.

"No wonder Du Rumei from Flowing Sand Valley surrendered immediately when facing him. It wasn't a private deal at all; Du Rumei already knew this man's background and didn't want to make a futile struggle!"

Some people looked shocked and muttered to themselves.

Looking back now, Du Rumei was by no means a coward; she was clearly a man of judgment and the ability to bend and stretch, qualities that are rare and valuable in martial artists.

"He must have used some kind of secret technique to unleash combat power far exceeding his own abilities in an instant; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to unleash such a terrifying strike!"

Some speculated.

"So what if it's a secret technique? Defeating Lian Chaoyang with a single strike is already quite an achievement!"

"Who exactly is this person?"

More and more people became curious about Xu Mofeng's identity, and soon his deeds were all revealed.

Breaking through eight realms in four months, the youngest Golden Core cultivator in the history of the Biyou Sect, a once-in-a-century prodigy of the Biyou Sect, who once defeated Du Rumei with a single strike...

Any one of these qualities would be stunning enough, but when all of them are concentrated on one person, they become dazzlingly brilliant.

And now, we must add another stroke: defeating Lian Chaoyang, a seventh-level Golden Core cultivator, with a single strike.

Countless people were moved and gasped in astonishment.

More and more attention was drawn to Xu Mofeng, and his name was no longer limited to the Biyou and Tianfeng sects, but began to spread rapidly among the six sects.

[Congratulations, host, on successfully converting your destiny! You have received the following reward: 1 x 50x Enlightenment Pill]

As soon as Xu Mofeng stepped off the stage, a system notification sounded in his mind.

For him, fifty times the comprehension pills were never enough.