"Hmm, not bad. As expected of a Heavenly Spirit Body.
Given that a small family like the Qin Family of Yuanyue City likely possesses only mediocre cultivation methods, it's remarkable that Qin An managed to break through to Mid Stage Earth Realm by age seventeen despite practicing such trash. Once he enters one of our Four Great Sects and cultivates genuine high-grade techniques, his strength will surely advance by leaps and bounds. He has a limitless future!" Elder Ding of the Carefree Sect declared.
The other three elders nodded in agreement.
"Haha! Ye Yunfei, you trash! Now you know what a true genius is!" Qin Xiong laughed heartily upon seeing his son awe the entire crowd.
"Young Master Qin An is naturally gifted and cannot be compared to trash like Ye Yunfei," Shi Tianyuan, Lü Yunxiao, and the City Lord all chimed in.
"Qin An, kill that trash!" Shi Xiaodie's shrill, ear-piercing cry rang out.
"Enough. Ye Yunfei, prepare to die," Qin An said coldly. He gently tapped the long spear on his back, and as if imbued with a spirit of its own, it suddenly leapt free. Qin An caught it with a backhand grab, holding it in his right hand, its tip pointed directly at Ye Yunfei.
Instantly, Spiritual Power churned throughout Qin An's body. Centered on the spear tip, an invisible vortex seemed to form, spinning violently as the roar of wind rose.
Suddenly... *Tch-tch...*
Invisible currents of energy continuously burst forth from the spear tip, tearing through the air with audible clarity. A fierce wind howled, kicking up sand and shifting stones!
The arena ground near the spear tip was even cut with cracks by those invisible energy currents!
"Spear Intent! Qin An has actually grasped true Spear Intent!"
"Truly worthy of a Heavenly Spirit Body!"
...
The elders of the Four Great Sects were both shocked and delighted. It was important to know that Spear Intent was even rarer than Sword Intent!
"DIE!" Qin An's feet tapped, and he shot out several meters toward Ye Yunfei. His spear flashed dozens of times in rapid, illusory thrusts, spear radiance blazing bright. Dozens of spear-light threads intertwined, then merged into one thick beam.
From the very first move, Qin An unleashed a killer strike without holding back. He wanted to kill Ye Yunfei on the arena with the fastest speed and most ruthless technique!
*Tch!*
The might of this single spear thrust actually tore through the air, emitting a shrieking sound. A dark trail extended directly from the spear tip, churning incessantly as it shot toward Ye Yunfei.
It was simply peerlessly sharp, capable of piercing all things!
"This spear strike is powerful! That Ye Yunfei is dead!" Elder Ding of the Carefree Sect proclaimed definitively.
"Indeed. This strike returns to simplicity, and the Spear Intent has locked onto Ye Yunfei. He cannot dodge it," Elder Wu of the Ziyang Sect shook his head.
"A pity. With his innate divine strength, he was actually quite a promising seed," Elder Du of the Tianyuan Sect sighed with regret.
On the arena,
Ye Yunfei sneered coldly.
Without dodging or evading, he threw a punch.
Seventy thousand jin of pure physical strength poured into his fist. Ye Yunfei felt that every patch of skin, every bone, every blood vessel was filled with boundless, divine power!
*BOOM!*
Ye Yunfei's fist exploded a huge swath of air ahead, faintly carrying a sound like flashes of lightning and claps of thunder!
*CLANG!*
Ye Yunfei's fist and Qin An's long spear collided in a fierce clash, emitting a deafening metallic crash.
*CRACK!*
The spear shaft exploded abruptly, its tip sent flying off in a different direction.
*THUD!*
Qin An's body was instantly sent flying backward, blood spurting repeatedly from his mouth until he crashed at the edge of the arena.
Severely wounded, his aura withered!
"How could this happen?"
At this moment, everyone in the entire square was utterly dumbstruck.
Qin An, possessor of the Heavenly Spirit Body... Qin An, who had even comprehended Spear Intent... was defeated in a single move?
Everyone stared at the gravely injured Qin An, hardly able to believe their eyes.
*Step... step...*
Amidst the deathly silence, Ye Yunfei walked forward, approaching Qin An.
"Now, do you still dare look down on physical strength?" Ye Yunfei looked down at Qin An, his tone faint.
Qin An's face was ashen; he offered no reply. The gaze he directed at Ye Yunfei was filled with intense hatred. His pride, his arrogance, his glory—all were utterly shattered at this moment.
"Go to hell." Ye Yunfei raised his fist, aiming a punch at Qin An's head. Ye Yunfei understood the cruelty of the martial world deeply; if you pluck weeds but don't uproot them, future calamity is certain. Qin An was already seriously injured, completely incapable of fighting back.
"That's enough." A figure suddenly appeared on the arena—a middle-aged Daoist nun. Elder Ding of the Carefree Sect!
"A Heaven Realm Expert!" Ye Yunfei's eyes narrowed as he stopped his action. He understood that fighting a Heaven Realm Expert with his current battle prowess would be somewhat difficult.
"Ye Yunfei, you've already won this match. The arena battle ends here," Elder Ding said indifferently. With a sweep of the whisk in her hand, she scooped Qin An up.
"Qin An, take this Icesoul Pill. You committed the cardinal mistake of underestimating your enemy. Learn from this lesson," Elder Ding said, taking out a spirit pill and handing it to Qin An. It was clear her attitude toward Qin An was very favorable.
"Thank you, Elder Ding," Qin An replied, feeling both honored and awed.
"Qin An, don't lose heart. Your Heavenly Spirit Body has been awake for less than half a month; it hasn't fully stabilized yet. Under such circumstances, your true potential is far from fully expressed.
Moreover, Ye Yunfei's physical strength may have temporarily defeated you now, but he has already reached the absolute limit of what body tempering can achieve. Making further progress will be extremely difficult.
You are different. You've just begun your journey. There are boundless possibilities for future development!
One day, when you look back, you'll realize that compared to you, Ye Yunfei is nothing but an ant." Elder Ding slowly spoke these words.
Immediately, Qin An's eyes grew brighter and brighter, his back straighter and straighter. His previously ashen complexion once again radiated a powerful confidence! His former arrogance seemed to have returned!
"Thank you for your guidance, Elder Ding!" Qin An announced clearly.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*
Three more figures appeared on the arena: Elder Wu of the Ziyang Sect, Elder Zhuo of the Zhencang Sect, and Elder Du of the Tianyuan Sect.
Every single elder nodded and smiled at Qin An. Ye Yunfei, on the other hand, was directly ignored. It was as if the one who had just won the match wasn't Ye Yunfei, but Qin An!
"Qin An, I believe you've long been aware of our purpose here. The Zhencang Sect is willing to open its doors to you.
If you join our sect, you can directly become a Core Disciple, receiving focused cultivation. You will also immediately receive one Fifth-Grade Spirit Artifact, one Fourth-Grade cultivation method, and ten Third-Grade Spirit Pills," Elder Zhuo of the Zhencang Sect announced.
"Qin An, if you join the Ziyang Sect, you will also directly become a Core Disciple, receiving focused cultivation. Furthermore, you will immediately receive three Fourth-Grade Spirit Artifacts, one Fourth-Grade cultivation method, and ten Third-Grade Spirit Pills as a reward," Elder Wu of the Ziyang Sect continued.
"Core Disciple status, focused cultivation, three Fourth-Grade Spirit Artifacts, one Fourth-Grade cultivation method, and one Fourth-Grade Spirit Pill!" Elder Du of the Tianyuan Sect declared.
"Two Fifth-Grade Spirit Artifacts, one Fourth-Grade cultivation method, and two Fourth-Grade Spirit Pills.
Moreover, our Sect Master has agreed to take you as his personal disciple. You will directly become a Direct Disciple," Elder Ding of the Xiaoyao Pavilion also announced.
*Hiss!*
The words of the four elders made the hearts of the vast majority of martial artists in the square tremble violently.