The western realm genius, Ross, was defeated by me in a single move.
This caused everyone present to focus their attention on me,
inquiring about my background.
However, I rarely ventured into the martial world.
This was my first time traveling far from home, so most people didn't recognize me.
I simply stood on the stage, quietly breathing and slowly recovering my spiritual energy, conserving my strength.
I ignored the discussions.
My primary goal was to obtain the White Bone Nine-Leaf Grass.
I waited for the next challenger.
Soon, the second challenger appeared.
From the direction of the Kongtong Sect, a burly man with a full beard leaped onto the stage.
The man wore a green Daoist robe and held a peach wood sword.
But what drew the most attention was
his sparse hair, which was stubbornly styled into a pompadour.
As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he cupped his fists towards me and said,
"Zhang Zhi of the Kongtong Sect, I request your guidance!"
After speaking, he used his hand to brush away his few remaining hairs.
I looked at this disciple of the Kongtong Sect challenging me. He looked no younger than thirty.
With his pitifully thinning hair, I would have believed him to be nearly forty.
Although puzzled, I friendly returned the salute.
As soon as I cupped my fists, I heard someone below the stage voice the same question as I had.
A fellow Daoist from Kunlun said,
"Zhang Zhi, how old are you? Still competing?"
"Referee, this guy must be thirty-seven or thirty-eight! Get him off the stage."
"Is this kid out of his mind? This is a young generation challenge match. His hair is almost gone, and he's still foolishly climbing onto the stage?"
"..."
Many people spoke up, demanding that Zhang Zhi be removed.
Zhang Zhi's expression became awkward.
"Hey! I'm only twenty-nine, three days shy of thirty.
It's due to excessive male hormone secretion causing androgenic alopecia.
What thirty-seven or thirty-eight?
I just look mature."
Zhang Zhi argued incessantly, occasionally patting his few remaining hairs.
Finally, to prove his age, Zhang Zhi produced his identity card to the referee.
After the referee's confirmation,
Yunxia Gu stood on the stage and announced to the crowd below,
"After verification by the referee panel, Zhang Zhi is twenty-nine years old and is eligible to compete."
Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in laughter and stunned silence.
Even I, on the stage, was somewhat surprised.
Twenty-nine and already bald to this extent?
This brother was truly unfortunate.
At the same time, fellow Daoists below who recognized him began to discuss,
"Zhang Zhi is the top expert of the Kongtong younger generation. He has cultivated since childhood.
At twenty-nine, his cultivation must be very strong."
"Yes, let's see!"
"The match between the two should be worth watching."
"..."
I quickly regained my focus.
Zhang Zhi smoothed his hair and said again,
"Fellow Daoist Qin, thank you for helping my two junior brothers the day before yesterday.
But today, I must defeat you. Please!"
I smiled and called out,
"Please!"
As soon as the words left my mouth, Zhang Zhi's body trembled, and his Dao energy surged.
My brow furrowed slightly. The ripples of Dao energy indicated that he had reached the middle stage of the Profound Core realm.
"Middle Profound Core!"
"Zhang Zhi has actually reached the middle stage of the Profound Core realm."
"..."
Below the stage, a wave of exclamations arose again.
He was an opponent with the same cultivation level as me.
But soon, I noticed that his realm was not stable; it seemed he had only recently broken through.
Thus, in terms of Dao cultivation, I could still suppress him.
Zhang Zhi approached with his sword.
He pointed a stream of sword energy towards me.
Each beam of sword energy vibrated with spiritual force.
Dense and impenetrable, like petals, there were no openings.
This was the Kongtong secret technique, "Flower Stance Sword."
Seeing this, I dared not be careless.
I drew my Seven-Star Fire Sword and began to parry his moves.
I no longer concealed my cultivation, unleashing my full Dao energy.
The seventeen strands of true qi in my Dantian circulated wildly.
Waves of Dao energy surged, instantly suppressing my opponent.
However, I did not resort to any true methods.
After all, victory required winning ten matches, and my spiritual energy needed to be conserved.
Zhang Zhi, who was dueling me, felt the oppressive aura of my Dao energy.
His expression changed, and he looked at me with surprise.
At the same time, the suffocating pressure made him uncomfortable.
He likely hadn't expected my Dao cultivation to be higher than his.
Below the stage, most people finally had a direct perception of my cultivation.
"Damn, Qin Ze is also in the middle stage of the Profound Core, and he's suppressing Zhang Zhi!"
"Qin Ze's cultivation is even more stable than Zhang Zhi's. Heavens! What kind of monster is this?"
"..."
Amidst the ongoing discussions, Zhang Zhi and I exchanged over twenty moves.
The suppression of my cultivation gave me the upper hand.
I was confident that if Zhang Zhi had no trump card,
I could win the match within ten more moves.
Zhang Zhi, being heavily suppressed, needed to break the deadlock.
He suddenly flashed backward, formed a hand seal, and roared,
"Empty Mountain Sword Finger Spell!"
As he spoke, Zhang Zhi pointed at me.
A stream of spell light erupted!
From his sword finger, a beam of spiritual force shot out with a "swish."
It was incredibly fast.
Combined with the close distance and the suddenness of his attack, I found it difficult to dodge.
I quickly moved to the side, but my left arm was still grazed by a beam of spiritual force.
This was also a Kongtong secret spell, a supreme skill that could only be cultivated at the Profound Core realm.
It was exceptionally potent.
Zhang Zhi seized this opportunity and swung his sword.
"Empty Mountain Slash!"
The opponent intended to win the match and unleashed another secret spell.
Powerful spiritual force enveloped the area.
But how could I let him win?
I raised my sword to block it head-on. Relying on my cultivation advantage, I managed to withstand it.
However, facing his powerful attack, I was still at a disadvantage.
But after I fell into a disadvantageous position, Zhang Zhi did not press his attack immediately.
This was because Zhang Zhi's hair had suddenly fallen into his eyes.
He instinctively reached out to brush it away.
In that brief moment,
this action allowed me to spot a flaw.
I unleashed my full cultivation and swept my sword with force,
instantly knocking Zhang Zhi back. Then, with a swift advance, I brought my sword down.
Zhang Zhi was greatly alarmed. He hastily retracted the hand that was brushing his hair, intending to block with both hands.
But it was too late.
The force of my sword strike was immense, coupled with the suppression of my cultivation.
With that downward swing, Zhang Zhi could not block it.
With a "bang,"
Zhang Zhi knelt on one knee, struggling to parry.
At the same time, I delivered a kick, sending Zhang Zhi flying.
Before he could recover, my long sword was already pointed at his neck.
I had won again...