"This time, the champion should be Wu Yong! He's Elder Qingxuan's disciple!"
"I think it'll be Jiang Lijuan; she's awakened a high-level secret technique!"
"No, it should be Li Hu; he's the strongest!"
"I think it'll be Hu Nan; he was the first to enter the top four!"
"Hu Nan is just lucky!"
"Hu Nan is no match for Senior Sister Jiang!"
Many outer disciples whispered among themselves.
Everyone was very optimistic about Jiang Lijuan winning the championship.
After all, Jiang Lijuan had learned a secret technique and was Qingxuan Fairy's disciple.
Zhang Han also agreed with these people.
After all, he hadn't been fond of Hu Nan these past two days.
At the same time, Lin Zhentian stepped onto the arena again. He first congratulated those who had entered the top four before announcing, "The first match is Li Hu versus Wu Yong!"
As Lin Zhentian finished speaking, two figures simultaneously stepped out from the disciple ranks and walked towards the arena.
Wu Yong, a disciple of Elder Qingxuan, had already reached the tenth level of Qi Refining. Although he hadn't obtained any secret techniques from the cultivation manual, he had acquired a powerful sword technique.
It was this powerful sword technique that propelled him into the final four.
Over the past two days, Wu Yong had watched Li Hu's matches.
He realized he couldn't see through Li Hu at all.
Moreover, Li Hu won every match with remarkable ease.
He knew Li Hu's strength was extremely formidable; defeating him would be no easy feat, requiring him to fight with all his might.
In contrast, Li Hu was much more natural. He looked at Wu Yong's target with undisguised disdain and contempt, as if Wu Yong was no match for him, merely an ant that could be easily crushed.
"Please enlighten me!" Wu Yong said, then struck first, slashing fiercely at Li Hu with his long sword.
He was skilled in swordsmanship; this strike concentrated all his strength, powerful and heavy.
Facing Wu Yong's powerful strike, Li Hu remained unmoved, not even using his weapon. He merely raised his eyes slightly, a hint of disdain flashing in them.
Just as the longsword was about to strike him, Li Hu slightly shifted his body, his movements as swift as lightning, easily dodging the sharp blade. Simultaneously, he slowly raised his right hand and slammed it down hard on Wu Yong's chest.
This seemingly casual strike contained immense power, its speed so fast that Wu Yong had no time to react.
Wu Yong only felt a blur before his eyes, then felt a powerful pressure bearing down on him. A sharp pain shot through his chest, as if struck by a boulder. He was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string.
With a dull thud, Wu Yong crashed heavily onto the arena. He struggled for a few moments but couldn't get up. The excruciating pain in his chest caused his body to convulse, his face filled with agony and resentment.
He launched a desperate attack, yet couldn't even touch the hem of Li Hu's clothes before being defeated in a single move. This vast difference in skill was a huge blow to him, making him fully realize the gap between them.
"I...I concede," Wu Yong said, his face filled with shame and helplessness.
He had thought himself a strong favorite to win the championship, but he hadn't expected to be unable to withstand even a single move from Li Hu.
He was also deeply puzzled as to why Li Hu was so powerful.
Li Hu stood on the arena, his expression still cold and aloof, not even glancing at Wu Yong, as if his easy victory just moments before had nothing to do with him.
Below the arena, a brief silence fell. Everyone was dumbfounded, their faces filled with utter astonishment, even their breathing became cautious.
What had just happened was too shocking, too outrageous.
Elder Qingxuan's disciple, Wu Yong, a master of the tenth level of Qi Refining, had actually been defeated by Li Hu in a single move?
A moment later, a thunderous murmur of discussion erupted in the plaza.
"My god! That's too powerful! Senior Brother Wu Yong is at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining!"
"Is Li Hu really that strong?"
"This time, Senior Brother Li Hu should be the champion!"
"Senior Sister Jiang is probably no match for Li Hu either!"
"This strength is probably invincible below the Qi Refining level!"
All the disciples believed that Li Hu was the champion this time.
After all, Li Hu's strength was simply too great.
Defeating Wu Yong in a single move was something they had never even imagined.
"The first match, Li Hu wins! Congratulations to Li Hu for being the first to advance to the finals! Next, we will proceed with the second match, Hu Nan versus Jiang Lijuan. Please, both disciples, step forward to accept your challenge!"
Lin Zhentian walked to the center of the arena.
As Lin Zhentian finished speaking, Jiang Lijuan and Hu Nan also stepped onto the arena.
As she stepped onto the stage, Jiang Lijuan's gaze swept over the audience, a faint arrogance playing on her lips.
In her eyes, Hu Nan was merely a dark horse who had suddenly emerged. Even if he had easily advanced through the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, it was only due to good luck and the weaker opponents he had faced.
As for her, she possessed high-level secret techniques, her cultivation far surpassing that of ordinary disciples. Defeating Hu Nan was a piece of cake; advancing to the finals and competing against Li Hu was her true goal.
In contrast, Hu Nan appeared unremarkable, seemingly lacking any real strength.
Below the arena, a commotion had already erupted. The disciples were all discussing the matter, almost unanimously doubting Hu Nan and certain that Jiang Lijuan would win easily.
"Even if Hu Nan is lucky, this is as far as he can go!"
"Of course! Senior Sister Jiang Lijuan is at the tenth level of Qi Refining, and she also possesses high-level secret techniques!"
"That's right! Hu Nan won't have such good luck forever!"
"I bet Senior Sister Jiang Lijuan will defeat him in one move! Only she can fight Li Hu."
The discussions rose and fell, everyone speaking with absolute certainty that Jiang Lijuan would easily defeat Hu Nan. Some were even predicting how many moves Jiang Lijuan would need to defeat Hu Nan. No one believed that Hu Nan could win this duel.
"Please enlighten me!" Hu Nan cupped his hands in greeting.
"Please!" Jiang Lijuan moved slightly, her Cloud Sword flashing as it swept towards Hu Nan. The sword was incredibly sharp, covering all of Hu Nan's escape routes, clearly intending to defeat him in one move, giving him no chance to retaliate.
"Junior Sister, your disciple's move is amazing!"
"It's estimated he can defeat Hu Nan in one move!" Elder Qingxuan exclaimed as he came to investigate.
Qingling Fairy, standing nearby, also nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with Elder Qingxuan's words.
However, the smile on Qingling Fairy's face quickly vanished.
She noticed that Hu Nan showed no panic in the face of Jiang Lijuan's fierce attacks. He simply took a few steps, easily dodging all of Jiang Lijuan's moves.
"A perfected level of the Misty Shadow Step?" Elder Qingxuan stood up in astonishment.
He also recalled that several years ago, it was Hu Nan who had chosen this footwork in the Scripture Pavilion.
He had casually given Hu Nan a few pointers, but he never expected that Hu Nan would actually cultivate this footwork to perfection?
While Elder Qingxuan was still in shock, Hu Nan moved, his longsword unsheathed.
A faint sword aura flew out from the Black Wind Sword.
This sword aura, seemingly weak, carried an irresistible pressure as it shot towards Jiang Lijuan.
This sword strike was simple and sharp, without any unnecessary flourishes, and as fast as lightning, it collided with Jiang Lijuan's longsword in the blink of an eye.
With a deafening "Bang!", the golden sword energy pierced through all of Jiang Lijuan's defenses without any resistance, shooting straight towards her.
Jiang Lijuan's expression changed drastically, her face filled with astonishment. She never expected that her prized swordsmanship would be so easily countered by Hu Nan!
Before she could react or retract her attack, the golden sword energy struck her shoulder. A powerful force swept through her body, and Jiang Lijuan felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. Her spiritual energy instantly became chaotic, and the Cloud and Mist Sword slipped from her hand, falling onto the arena with a crisp sound.
Then, she was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily off the stage, utterly disheveled, a trickle of blood escaping from her mouth, unable to stand up.
The entire arena fell into a deathly silence, all the disciples staring in disbelief.
The scene just now was too shocking, too outrageous, completely shattering everyone's understanding.
Everyone's minds went blank.
In their eyes, Jiang Lijuan was the overwhelming favorite to win the championship.
Hu Nan was no match for Jiang Lijuan at all.
He might even be defeated by Jiang Lijuan in a single move.
But the result was exactly the opposite.
Jiang Lijuan was actually defeated by Hu Nan with a single sword strike.