The crowd grew excited once again.
"Haha, let's see what Liu Ruyue does now!"
"She was so confident before, claiming she would defeat Lin Xuan. And now?"
"Lin Xuan's cultivation is a whole realm higher than hers. I wonder if she even dares to make a move?"
Everyone looked on, eager to watch the drama unfold. The Lin Family members sneered, while the Liu Family members were utterly desperate. Who could have imagined that Lin Xuan had become so strong?
On the arena platform, Lin Xuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing coldly at Liu Ruyue. "Weren't you eager to fight me before?" he said. "Come on. I'll give you a chance. Go ahead and make your move. Show me your strongest attack."
Liu Ruyue remained silent.
Make a move? What a joke. I'm no match for him at all. Fighting someone a realm above you is incredibly difficult; at least, I know I can't do it.
She was overwhelmed with regret. Why did I give up on Lin Xuan? Why did I choose to become his enemy? Now, she regretted it more than anything.
Ultimately, Liu Ruyue bowed her head. "I concede."
She didn't even have the courage to fight.
Lin Xuan shook his head. "You don't even dare to try. You're worse than useless."
Devastated, Liu Ruyue stumbled off the platform in a daze. The onlookers roared with laughter, mocking her relentlessly for being so foolish and stupid.
When Sun Tian witnessed this scene, his expression darkened even further. When it was his turn on the platform, he attacked with a face full of anger, sending his opponent flying with a single punch.
The opponent let out a miserable scream and flew off the platform like a kite with its string cut, severely injured.
The entire arena was in an uproar. No one expected Sun Tian to be so ruthless.
From then on, anyone who faced Sun Tian was sent flying with a single punch, leaving the onlookers dumbstruck. The other prodigies no longer dared to challenge him and simply conceded one after another.
Just like that, Sun Tian became the first-place winner of Group 3 and successfully advanced.
The competitions in the other two groups continued. Group 2 had no particularly formidable talents, and their matches were all tightly contested. Group 1, however, had Lin Xuan, who also defeated his opponents in a single move, easily securing first place in his group.
Although Liu Ruyan was at the seventh rank, she was still reeling from the earlier shock and wasn't in top form. She ultimately managed to place third, barely advancing. Liu Ruyan's expression was grim; she still couldn't accept the fact that Lin Xuan was at the eighth rank.
At that moment, Sun Tian approached Liu Ruyan. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll defeat that kid myself. So what if we're both at the eighth rank? I have a huge advantage. Don't forget, my family's Martial Arts are top-tier."
Hearing this, Liu Ruyan's spirits lifted. She said, "Young Master Sun, you must defeat that kid!"
She had given up on Lin Xuan once before, and she didn't want to see him rise. She needed to see him trampled underfoot; only then would her heart be at ease.
「Everyone then had an hour to rest.」
Afterward, the final competition for first place would begin. The top three from each group, for a total of nine people, had qualified to join the Heavenly Dao Academy. However, joining with a first-place finish came with additional benefits. One could say that securing first place was of the utmost importance.
But most of the geniuses just smiled bitterly. They didn't dare compete for the top spot. With two eighth-rank cultivators like Sun Tian and Lin Xuan present, there was no chance for anyone else. First place would undoubtedly be decided between those two.
While everyone was resting, more people continued to arrive to watch the spectacle. After all, the emergence of two eighth-rank cultivators in Cloud Sea City was an unprecedented event that deserved everyone's attention.
Among the new arrivals was the master of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, Bai Qianqian. Her presence caused an uproar, and the patriarchs of the major families all went over to greet her.
When Clan Leader Sun approached, Bai Qianqian said coolly, "Your Sun Family's VIP card is canceled. From now on, the Sun Family will no longer be a VIP of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower."
Clan Leader Sun's smile froze. "Why?" he asked anxiously.
Bai Qianqian replied coldly, "Your Sun Family has offended an esteemed guest of our Ten Thousand Treasures Tower."
With that, she turned away, ignoring him completely.
Clan Leader Sun found Sun Tian, his face etched with worry. "Son, did you offend an esteemed guest of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower? Why else would they cancel our VIP status?"
Sun Tian looked puzzled. "How is that possible? I haven't been out at all recently. Oh, right, I lent the VIP card to Ruyan. Could she have offended someone?"
At this thought, his face darkened. He went to find Liu Ruyan and explained the situation.
Liu Ruyan was stunned when she heard this.
Meanwhile, Liu Ruyue, who was nearby, suddenly remembered something. Previously, Lin Xuan had told her that her brother had been wounded by the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower for offending their esteemed guest. She hadn't believed him at the time.
But now, she did.
The VIP card her brother had been using was from the Sun Family. Now, the Sun Family's VIP card was being canceled for that very reason: offending an esteemed guest.
So Lin Xuan wasn't lying. Everything he said was true.
She felt an overwhelming urge to slap herself. At the same time, a terrifying thought struck her.
Could it be? Is Lin Xuan really an esteemed guest of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower? One even more important than the entire Sun Family? If that's the case, his status is far more valuable than Sun Tian's!
The thought filled Liu Ruyue with even deeper regret. Why did I ever break up with him?
Regret. Utter, overwhelming regret.
No, I can't say anything about this. Otherwise, the Sun Family will blame me too.
Shaking her head, Liu Ruyue stepped forward and lied, "Young Master Sun, I have no idea. I've been cultivating within my family residence for the past month. I haven't been out at all."
"Forget it. Let's not worry about this for now," Sun Tian said, waving his hand dismissively. The priority was to win first place in this second assessment.
An hour passed quickly.
The middle-aged elder announced loudly, "Next is the competition for first place. Of course, you may choose to forfeit."
"I forfeit," a genius immediately said.
"I forfeit as well."
"Me too."
One after another, the geniuses forfeited.
Liu Ruyue said, "I also forfeit."
Soon, only two people remained standing on the stage: Sun Tian and Lin Xuan.
All eyes were on them. Everyone knew that first place would be decided between these two, but no one knew who would ultimately emerge victorious.
"Are you two certain you want to participate?" the middle-aged elder asked.
Lin Xuan nodded.
Sun Tian laughed heartily. "Kid, I was actually afraid you would forfeit. That would have robbed me of the chance to deal with you, to prove that I am the true number one genius. But now this is perfect. I will trample you underfoot in front of everyone and let them all know that I am the strongest!"
The crowd gasped. Sun Tian seemed incredibly confident. Did he have some kind of powerful trump card?
As they wondered, Clan Leader Sun spoke up. "Lin Xuan, just give up. You're no match for Sun Tian. He has mastered the Mountain-Opening Fist! That's a top-tier Yellow Rank Fist Technique, not something you can possibly contend with."
His words sent shockwaves through the entire arena. Everyone was stunned.
What? Sun Tian had mastered the Mountain-Opening Fist? That was unbelievable! That Fist Technique was exceedingly difficult to cultivate, yet Sun Tian had managed to learn it! No wonder he was so confident.
It was over. Lin Xuan was going to lose.
The Lin Family's Gentle Breeze Swordsmanship was only a superior-grade Yellow Rank technique, a full tier lower than the Mountain-Opening Fist. Even if Lin Xuan had mastered it, he would be no match for the Mountain-Opening Fist. Since their cultivation levels were the same, the grade of their Martial Arts was critically important.
Unless Lin Xuan had also mastered a top-tier Yellow Rank martial art, he had no chance of winning.