The following day.
The Golden Core stage matches officially began.
As before, the disciples of Wushuang Sect carried themselves with an arrogance that bordered on unbearable. During the Foundation Establishment matches, everyone had laughed at their slogan, treating them as clowns. Yet that very group of disciples, with crushing superiority, turned mockery into fear.
Now, when the words "invincible among peers" were shouted again, the crowd no longer jeered. Silence spread instead.
None of the other sect disciples wanted to give Wushuang Sect the satisfaction of a reaction. They wanted to mock them, to tear them down without restraint—but only after victory. That day would surely come soon… or so they believed.
"Sect Master Yun, your Wushuang Sect doesn't seem very welcome," Liu Hua said with open ridicule.
This time the exclusion was even more blatant. The other contestants had gathered into groups, whispering strategies together. Only Wushuang Sect's ten representatives stood apart, deliberately isolated. Last time, one could still excuse it as poor coordination. This time, Wushuang Sect had become the target of all.
Yun Jin chuckled carelessly. "Sect Master Liu, have you never heard the saying: a tiger only keeps company with other tigers? Wushuang Sect is simply too strong. If we joined your disciples, it would shatter their confidence. Ours are too kindhearted for that. They'd rather play among themselves than crush the pride of others."
Liu Hua snorted coldly, the retort burning on his tongue. But the sting of his last failed attempt to show off forced him to hold it back. Fine. Let Wushuang Sect keep boasting. If they lost even once, both Yun Jin and her sect would pay the price tenfold.
In the previous team battle, Wushuang Sect's victory had relied on a modified version of the Hunyuan Secret Art.
Finding ten Foundation Establishment disciples capable of mastering a defensive art of that level was already a stroke of impossible fortune.
But now?
Could their Golden Core disciples also produce ten such freakish talents? The odds were nearly zero.
Wushuang Sect was a newly established sect. It was obvious they had poured all resources into nurturing their Foundation Establishment disciples. That those disciples were strong could still be explained. But for higher stages, no one believed the miracle could repeat.
The higher the cultivation, the harder the path.
Low-level disciples advanced quickly, but the higher one climbed, the slower progress became. Their glorious run at the Foundation Establishment stage would surely be Wushuang Sect's last flare of brilliance.
None believed they could carve a path forward while being surrounded by the combined might of fourteen sects. And yet, without realizing it, they had already painted Wushuang Sect in their minds as a great devil, one that all fourteen sects must unite to destroy.
Yun Jin noticed this shift. Her smile deepened.
So wary already?
This was only the beginning.
The first match began.
Wushuang Sect's disciples were paired against Wanli Sect, ranked fifth.
Although Wanli Sect's disciples told themselves Wushuang Sect must have exhausted all their tricks, the moment they faced them directly, none dared underestimate.
Logic was on their side. Rational analysis said Wushuang Sect couldn't possibly continue this streak. But Yun Jin and her sect had never once played by logic. Of the countless predictions made about them, not a single one had proved correct. Until Wushuang Sect was truly defeated, no one could relax.
The match opened.
The disciples of Wushuang Sect smirked. Just like their junior brothers and sisters before them, they slowly raised a hand. Before them, shimmering barriers bloomed into existence.
"That's…"
Liu Hua's face darkened. He turned sharply toward Yun Jin. "Again with the Hunyuan Secret Art!"
Yun Jin blinked innocently. "Why not? Something this useful should hardly be wasted."
Feng Yuan, face black with frustration, snapped, "Do you dare try anything new?"
This modified Hunyuan Secret Art was shameless. Even after watching it in action several times, no one had figured out how to counter it.
"I'd love to bring out something new," Yun Jin replied with a grin. "But unless you can break the Hunyuan Secret Art, what's the point? Once you manage that, I'll be happy to show you fresh surprises."
Wanli Sect's disciples stared grimly at the familiar protective veil.
They had studied the art thoroughly.
They knew it might appear again.
Their conclusion had been clear:
The only way to shatter it was with an attack so overwhelmingly powerful that it completely surpassed its endurance, collapsing it in one strike. The backlash would cripple the defenders before they could mount a counter.
But achieving that was a near impossibility.
Their only hope was that the Golden Core disciples hadn't mastered it as well, or that the technique weakened at this level. After all, the version shown at Foundation Establishment was already improved far beyond the original. The original Hunyuan Secret Art was a low Earth-grade technique. The modified version Wushuang Sect displayed had reached high Earth-grade at minimum, with a difficulty level fit to stagger any disciple.
Even among the Four Holy Lands, disciples who could command such a technique at Foundation Establishment were called once-in-a-generation geniuses. Yet Wushuang Sect had produced ten of them. That alone was absurd.
Could such a miracle continue?
Wanli Sect had no choice but to try.
They launched their assault.
Despair followed swiftly.
At Golden Core level, the Hunyuan barriers had grown even more unyielding. In the Foundation matches, the barriers had trembled faintly under blows.
Here, they didn't ripple at all. Attacks landed as though sinking into the void, unable to leave even a scratch.
Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes, gaze sharpening. This Hunyuan Secret Art was more terrifying than ever. The most terrifying part: Wushuang Sect had produced not one, not two, but an entire group capable of learning it.
These so-called former trash had transformed into unrivaled talents the moment they entered Wushuang Sect. No, something wasn't right. There had to be a secret behind this.
Silence spread until Lin Xiao finally spoke. "Sect Master Yun, the one who modified this Hunyuan Secret Art must be a supreme genius."
He was fishing, probing for details.
"Indeed. I think so too," Yun Jin answered without hesitation.
"Oh? And which senior of Wushuang Sect might that be?" Lin Xiao pressed.
Yun Jin gave an awkward little shrug. "Senior? I wouldn't dare claim that title. I'm still quite young, you know."
Lin Xiao: "???"
"This technique was something I happened to adjust myself," Yun Jin said with a bright smile. "Looking at it now, doesn't the effect seem rather good?"