Meanwhile, Xu Wuyi hadn’t let his guard down in the slightest despite defeating Cheng Yagang.

For his twenty-second match, his opponent was a Level 31.1 Martial Artist from Celestial Wind Academy, one of the members of the Seven-Star Alliance.

This person’s Body Technique was agile, and he attempted to use his speed to fight a war of attrition. However, against Xu Wuyi’s increasingly masterful Eight-direction Soul Suppressing Spear, he lasted less than twenty moves before a sweep of the spear caught him in the ribs. His virtual body disintegrated, and he was defeated.

In his twenty-third match, his opponent was a Level 32.5 Martial Artist from Black Stone Academy. The Body Refining Technique he cultivated seemed to be quite unique, granting him an extremely strong defense.

Xu Wuyi clashed with him head-on for several moves. Realizing that his normal attacks couldn’t quickly break through the man’s defense, he decisively activated the [Blood Burning Seal].

The dark-gold [Undying Flame] coated the tip of his spear, easily eroding his opponent’s Protective Qi and Blood. The flame’s relentless nature—burning until its fuel was exhausted—left his opponent struggling to cope, and he was ultimately slain in terror.

The winning streak continued.

Xu Wuyi’s point ranking steadily climbed, and he had already entered the top two hundred.

The immense power he displayed, especially that strange, dark-gold flame, began to attract the attention of certain interested parties.

However, his winning streak was brought to an abrupt halt in his twenty-fourth match.

Light and shadow flickered, and a new opponent appeared on the other side of the arena.

He was a young man in the deep blue combat uniform of the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy. He had a well-proportioned build and a face that wasn’t conventionally handsome, but his eyes were exceptionally calm, like the surface of an ancient, deep well, without the slightest ripple.

He held no weapon, simply standing there casually, yet he gave off an aura of being completely unassailable.

[Opponent: Xu Zi’ang]

[Affiliation: Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy]

[Life Energy Level: 35.1]

Level 35.1!

Xu Wuyi’s gaze instantly turned grave.

This was the opponent with the highest Life Energy Level he had encountered since the competition began—nearly a full 5 levels higher than him!

Even in the Martial Master Stage, this was no small gap. It meant that his opponent’s total amount and quality of Qi and Blood, as well as his control over his power, were very likely far superior to his own.

"Xu Wuyi from Star Martial University?" Xu Zi’ang spoke from across the arena, his voice flat and emotionless.

He seemed to have heard of Xu Wuyi.

"I am." Xu Wuyi tightened his grip on his Meteor Iron Long Spear, quietly circulating his Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace technique. He brought his Qi and Blood, as well as his Spirit, to their optimal state.

He felt an unprecedented pressure.

"Xu Zi’ang, from the Starry Sky Martial Arts Academy." The young man stated his name as a basic courtesy. "Proceed."

The moment the words fell, Xu Wuyi moved.

He knew well that against a powerful enemy, seizing the initiative might be his only sliver of hope.

He pushed his Instant Shadow Step to its limit, his body leaving behind an afterimage as his dark red long spear thrust straight for Xu Zi’ang’s throat!

On the tip of the spear, the dark-gold [Undying Flame] quietly ignited. He was using his full power from the very first strike!

Facing this swift and vicious thrust, Xu Zi’ang’s eyes remained perfectly calm.

He didn’t dodge or evade, just casually lifted his right hand, formed his fingers into a sword, and pointed forward.

BUZZ!

An incredibly condensed, light cyan Finger Force of Qi and Blood shot through the air. It struck first despite moving second, landing with unerring precision on the exact point of exertion on the tip of Xu Wuyi’s spear!

CLANG!

An ear-piercing sound of clashing metal!

Xu Wuyi felt an incomparably sharp force, one that contained a strange, vibrating power, surge madly up the spear shaft.

The webbing between his thumb and forefinger instantly split open, and his entire right arm was jolted numb. His forward momentum was brought to a dead stop!

’Such powerful Finger Force! Such precise control!’

Before Xu Wuyi could change his move, Xu Zi’ang made a grasping motion with his left hand. The light cyan Qi and Blood around him surged, instantly condensing into three translucent Qi Blood Longswords in front of him.

The longswords hummed, carrying an aura of sharpness that could tear through anything, and shot toward Xu Wuyi in a triangular formation!

The speed was astonishing!

Xu Wuyi’s pupils contracted. He retreated hastily, his long spear dancing like a wheel as he attempted to block.

CLINK! CLINK! PFFT!

He barely blocked two of the Qi Blood Longswords, but the third came from an incredibly tricky angle, pierced through his defensive screen of spear shadows, and ran straight through his left shoulder!

Intense pain flared. The left shoulder of his virtual body instantly became blurry, and the circulation of his Qi and Blood grew sluggish.

’The gap is too big...’ Xu Wuyi’s heart sank.

Not only was his opponent’s Life Energy Level far higher than his, but his control over projecting his Qi and Blood was exquisitely refined. The speed at which he condensed those Qi Blood Longswords and their power far surpassed that of Cheng Yagang.

Xu Zi’ang gave him no chance to catch his breath. With a flicker, his form closed the distance like a phantom as he struck out with his fingers once more!

The Finger Wind was fierce, enveloping several major acupoints on Xu Wuyi’s body.

Xu Wuyi gritted his teeth, and [Melting Furnace Boiling Blood] erupted once more!

The scalding Qi and Blood surged, forcibly suppressing the injury in his left shoulder. His Meteor Iron Long Spear swept out with unstoppable momentum!

The [Undying Flame] blazed fiercely on the spear’s shaft as he tried to force his opponent back.

However, it seemed Xu Zi’ang had already anticipated this.

His outstretched fingers traced a profound arc through the air, shifting from a point to an open palm. The edge of his hand, glowing with a jade-like cyan luster, slapped squarely against the side of the flaming spear shaft!

BANG!

A gentle yet unstoppable force washed over him. Xu Wuyi felt as if his spear had struck an invisible mountain. The force of his sweep was completely neutralized, and the recoil sent a jolt through his chest that nearly made him vomit blood.

Xu Zi’ang’s palm seemed to ignore the corrosion of the [Undying Flame]. That light cyan Qi and Blood seemed to contain some kind of strange resilience, which temporarily insulated it from the flame’s clinging and destructive properties.

"Your flame is decent, but your control over it is still lacking," Xu Zi’ang commented flatly. His other hand had already shot out like lightning, index and middle fingers pressed together, aimed at the point between Xu Wuyi’s eyebrows.

The finger strike seemed slow, yet it appeared to have locked down all of Xu Wuyi’s escape routes. Before the fingertips even arrived, the sharp Finger Wind was already causing an intense pain between his eyebrows, making his very sea of Spirit tremble!

’I can’t dodge it!’

A ruthless glint flashed in Xu Wuyi’s eyes. He abandoned all defense, madly pouring his remaining Qi and Blood into his long spear. He recklessly thrust at Xu Zi’ang’s lower abdomen, attempting to trade an injury for an injury!

But Xu Zi’ang’s reaction was faster. The direction of the finger aimed at his brow didn’t change, but the Qi and Blood at his lower abdomen naturally flowed, instantly condensing into an even more solid cyan Qi shield.

PFFT!

Xu Wuyi’s spear tip hit the Qi shield, making a dull sound. The [Undying Flame] burned madly, but for the moment, it couldn’t penetrate.

And Xu Zi’ang’s finger had already lightly tapped the point between Xu Wuyi’s eyebrows.

There was no earth-shattering sound.

Xu Wuyi only felt a bone-chilling Finger Force penetrate his skull. His consciousness instantly went blank. Unable to maintain its form, his virtual body violently disintegrated.

[DEFEAT! -1 POINT.]

The system’s notification sound rang out coldly.

Xu Wuyi’s figure reformed in the matching space. He stood in place, panting slightly, his brow tightly furrowed.

He had lost. And it was a crushing, undeniable defeat.

From start to finish, he had been completely suppressed. His strength, his explosive power, and even his [Undying Flame] were of little use in the face of such an absolute gap in strength.