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

At this moment, outside the secret realm.

"It's all over, those three from Nanling are so unlucky! They thought it was a stroke of good fortune, but it turned out to be a deadly trap that buried them in."

"The six sects of Nanling were weak to begin with, and haven't produced anyone in the top fifty of the list of talents for many years. It's normal for them to admit defeat when they encounter a ruthless character like Cheng Zhixia."

"Although killing in the trial is against the rules, if you are not skilled enough, there is no way to seek justice if you die. Now the six sects of Nanling have lost three core geniuses in one go, and they will probably never recover."

Outside the secret martial arts arena, the crowd was chattering amongst themselves, all expressing pessimism about the three from Nanling.

In the crowd, a young man wrapped up like a mummy was staring intently at the water curtain, his eyes filled with such venom that they seemed to drip water.

He is Stephen Kwong, who was severely injured in the attack.

Being injured the day before the secret realm opened not only caused him to miss the trial, but also made him a laughing stock in the circle. He had long hated Xu Mofeng, who had attacked him, and the entire Six Sects of Nanling to the core.

Seeing Xue Changhe and the other two cornered, a twisted sense of pleasure spread across his face. He gritted his teeth and hissed in a low voice, "Yes! That's it! Senior Brother Cheng, kill them! Kill these scum from Nanling!"

Inside the water curtain, Cheng Zhixia raised her hand to swing her sword down, but at that moment, the entire water curtain suddenly shook violently, with ripples spreading wildly.

"What happened? Is the Wave Mirror broken?"

The onlookers were all stunned, their faces full of doubt.

"wrong!"

Suddenly, someone pointed at the messy scene and screamed, "Look what that is!"

Everyone stared intently, and gasped in unison.

"...Die!"

Cheng Zhixia's killing intent surged, and a chilling sword intent wrapped in sword light slashed horizontally towards the necks of the three people.

Xue Changhe and the other two were terrified. They tried to raise their hands to defend themselves, but Cheng Zhixia and Lu Qi's auras intertwined, pressing down on them like a mountain, leaving them unable to move. They could only watch helplessly as the sword light drew closer and closer.

Just at this critical moment, a muffled explosion suddenly resounded throughout the world.

boom--!

Before anyone could discern the source of the sound, a jet-black blade of light tore through the air and arrived in an instant.

The blade flashed silently, leaving a distorted trail of vacuum behind it, splitting even the wind in two wherever it passed.

The instant the blade touched their skin, everyone in the room felt their scalp tingle, a cold sweat break out on their backs, and goosebumps covered their bodies. It felt as if someone had silently placed a knife to their neck, and death was just around the corner.

The blade flashed, aimed directly at Cheng Zhixia!

Cheng Zhixia's pupils contracted sharply. Without thinking, she abruptly reversed her sword stance, unleashing all her spiritual power without reservation. The sword light surged three times in size as she attempted to block the attack.

But in the face of that terrifying black blade of light, his proud sword light was as thin as a piece of paper, shattering at the slightest touch.

Click!

The steel longsword in his hand snapped in two, but the blade's momentum didn't diminish, slashing fiercely at his chest.

Cheng Zhixia didn't even let out a groan before she was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

In mid-air, a series of cracking sounds rang out.

First, his outer robe was shredded by the sword energy, then his close-fitting Xuan-rank armor was torn open like paper, and finally his flesh... A huge, deep knife wound that revealed the bone ran across his chest, almost ripping his entire body open, with blood mixed with fragments of internal organs gushing out.

The force of the blade dissipated.

Cheng Zhixia knelt down with a "plop," staring blankly at her chest, her eyes vacant, as if she hadn't yet realized how she had ended up like this.

A deathly silence.

At this moment, everyone, whether it was the few people inside the secret realm or the hundreds or thousands of onlookers on the martial arts field outside the secret realm, froze in place.

Especially those in the martial arts arena, after watching for a long time, they still couldn't see where the person who drew the sword was or what he looked like.

A blade of light that appeared out of nowhere ripped open Cheng Zhixia, who was ranked 39th on the list of talents.

What the hell is going on?!

The onlookers' minds went blank; they almost went crazy on the spot.

Lu Qi stood rooted to the spot like a wooden stake, his body stiff and expressionless, but cold sweat poured down his face like a waterfall, soaking even his back.

He had always looked down on Xue Changhe, a genius from the Southern Ridge. Although they were both on the list of outstanding talents, Xue Changhe had spent years fighting in the Monster Mountain Range, honing his martial arts skills and willpower on the brink of death, which was incomparable to those of a hothouse flower.

He was confident that he could take the lives of these three people within three moves. The scars on his body were his medals of honor and the source of his confidence to roam freely in the secret realm.

But just now, as the black blade grazed past his side, Lu Qi was filled with fear.

He had never been so close to death in his entire life.

If that knife had been aimed at him just now, the one kneeling on the ground with his belly ripped open would be Lu Qi.

Just then, a figure slowly walked towards Lu Qi from the edge of his vision.

He was an extremely young boy with a long, black and white sword at his waist. He didn't walk fast, but he covered dozens of meters in just a few steps and arrived in the arena in the blink of an eye.

When Xue Changhe and the other two saw the newcomer's face, their eyes widened in shock, as if they had seen a ghost, and they exclaimed, "Junior Brother Xu?!"

The three young men nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then turned their cold gazes to Lu Qi, their tone calm yet carrying an undeniable domineering air:

"Take one of my punches, and I'll spare your life."

Lu Qi's body trembled slightly uncontrollably.

Offstage, Stephen Chow stared at that familiar face, his pupils constricted, and he screamed in disbelief, "It's him?!"

Outside the secret realm, a massive water curtain descended like a sky curtain, and Xu Mofeng's figure was clearly reflected on the light screen. As his clothes fluttered, the lingering sword intent seemed about to burst forth from the water.

The chaotic images in the water curtain took a long time to calm down.

The surrounding martial artists stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief, and a commotion erupted throughout the arena.

"So young? Was that earth-shattering strike he delivered?"

"Absolutely impossible! This kid is only at the seventh level of the Golden Core stage, how could he possibly kill Cheng Zhixia with a single strike!"

"Nothing is impossible. This person's name is Xu Mofeng. He defeated Ning Jin head-on when he was at the fifth level of the Golden Core stage, and severely injured Kuang Xingchi when he was at the sixth level. Now he has broken through to the seventh level of the Golden Core stage..."

"That's outrageous! The difference between the top fifty and bottom fifty on the talent list is like heaven and earth, and he's only at the seventh level of the Golden Core stage!"

"You also know he's only at the seventh level of the Golden Core stage?"

As soon as he finished speaking, many people around him were stunned for a moment before snapping back to their senses.

Yes, Xu Mofeng cannot be judged by common sense.

His ability to easily defeat his peers when he was only at the fifth or sixth level of the Golden Core stage was already an astonishing miracle. Now that his cultivation has advanced further, it seems only natural that he has killed Cheng Zhixia, who is ranked among the top fifty on the Talent List.

This boy is a monster who rises to the top by defying common sense!

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

Among the crowd, Stephen Kwong appeared dazed, his face ashen, staring intently at the scene on the water screen, utterly unable to accept the reality before him.

Cheng Zhixia is dead?

Cheng Zhixia, the number one genius of the younger generation of the Beidou Sect and ranked among the top fifty on the list of talents, was killed by Xu Mofeng with a single strike from a distance.

Absurd! It's utterly absurd!

He shook his head, muttering to himself, "It wasn't him... that strike must have been from someone else! There must be another master hiding in the secret realm..."

His eyes were practically glued to the water screen, as if he wanted to dive into the scene and find the "real culprit." His obsessive look made him resemble a gambler who had lost everything.

Inside the secret realm, Lu Qi was enduring the oppressive aura emanating from Xu Mofeng all by himself, his hair standing on end.

In his early years, he had dared to challenge a Nascent Soul Realm demon beast, but before he could even get close, he was so frightened by its overwhelming ferocity that he turned and ran away.

Standing in front of Xu Mofeng at this moment, the feeling of suffocation was even stronger than when facing a Nascent Soul demon beast, as if being stared at by a lurking ancient ferocious beast, making even breathing difficult.

"Ready?"

Xu Mofeng spoke calmly, and before he finished speaking, he casually threw a punch.

This punch, though seemingly slow, was actually incredibly fast. The sound of the fist cutting through the air was delayed by half a beat, and it arrived at Lu Qi's face in an instant.

Lu Qi's pupils contracted sharply, a beast-like growl escaped his throat, and veins bulged all over his body as he concentrated all his cultivation into his right fist and fiercely met the attack.

burst!

The moment their fists collided, a series of explosive sounds filled the air, and a violent surge of energy swept outwards, creating a hurricane that made it impossible for Xue Changhe and the other two nearby to even open their eyes.

Two fists, one big and one small, collided violently, but the result was something no one expected.

Click—click—

A series of crisp cracking sounds rang out as Lu Qi watched helplessly as his right arm twisted and bent at an eerie angle, the entire arm being forcibly pressed back down.

A sharp pain shot through his bones and into his brain. Before he could even scream, Xu Mofeng's fist landed squarely on his chest.

boom!

With a muffled thud, a cloud of blood mist exploded from Lu Qi's back, leaving him a bloody mess.

His eyes were wide open, blood was flowing from his seven orifices, and extreme horror remained on his face. He fell straight backward and crashed to the ground with a thud, then fell silent.

Lu Qi died on the spot!

Xu Mofeng casually withdrew his fist, gently wiping away the bloodstains on his knuckles with his fingertips, his expression indifferent.

During the Six Sects Martial Arts Competition, he held back his trump card and was able to beat Tu Gang to the ground. Now that he has achieved minor success in body refinement and his blood and qi are as condensed as mercury, he can withstand the Seven Flood Dragons and his physical strength has increased several levels.

If Lu Qi could still stand after a full-force punch, that would be a miracle.