Silence.
Silence.
The entire grand plaza fell silent in that instant.
The move I exchanged with Li Chunlong was extremely powerful.
The qi energy erupted from the two streams of Dao qi was comparable to the full might of a peak True Light realm expert's attack.
Below the arena, many people were already stunned, their expressions filled with disbelief.
Even many of the older generation showed surprise.
But after a brief silence.
Everyone's pupils contracted, and they exclaimed in surprise:
"Qin Ze is bleeding."
"Judging by this, Qin Ze sustained internal injuries in the previous clash. He lost."
"..."
Many people were already predicting the outcome.
On the Wudang sect's side, the younger disciples cried out in alarm:
"Hahaha, Senior Brother is amazing!"
"Senior Brother is mighty!"
"My Senior Brother specializes in swordsmanship. When facing malevolent or fierce ghosts, he cuts them down with a single sword.
Among his peers, no one can match my Senior Brother's swordplay."
"..."
Uncle-Master, Old Mo, Chen Yao, and Xia Qiu Xi suddenly stood up.
They looked at me with expressions of surprise.
Their hearts began to pound as they grew uncertain if I had truly lost the exchange.
"Senior Brother Qin, did he really lose?"
"No way! Is this Li Chunlong that formidable?"
"..."
For a moment, the entire grand plaza erupted in gasps, and the majority believed I had lost.
But who would have known that at this moment, a faint smile curved my lips.
Because no one knew better than I did the impact of the qi energy during the clash with Li Chunlong.
Standing opposite me, amidst the cheers from below the arena, Li Chunlong suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood with a "pfft" sound, without any warning.
Following that, Li Chunlong's legs went weak, his eyes rolled back.
With another "thump," he directly knelt on the ground.
Then, his entire face crashed heavily onto the ground.
This scene happened too abruptly.
Many people hadn't reacted and hadn't anticipated it.
The Wudang disciples, who were cheering a second ago, including the elders, were all petrified.
They stared at the stage in disbelief.
Many people around were also suddenly speechless, looking at Li Chunlong, who had collapsed on the ground, with astonishment.
The noise in the entire grand plaza suddenly decreased by more than half.
Conversely, Old Mo and Chen Yao, who had been focused on me, suddenly shouted excitedly:
"He won, he won! Senior Brother Qin won."
"Hahaha, I knew it, how could Old Qin lose.
Fellow Daoist, see? That's my brother.
We're usually evenly matched in our sparring sessions."
A rogue cultivator friend beside him rolled his eyes:
"Get outta here! You only won a few matches before coming down?
He defeated experts from the Western Realm, then Shaolin, Kongtong, Emei, Maoshan, and now Wudang, and he's still standing!"
"No, fellow Daoist, I wasn't using my full strength just now."
"..."
Amidst everyone's murmurs and astonishment.
The referee and the Wudang disciples rushed onto the stage and carried the fallen Li Chunlong away.
Many people were shocked to see Li Chunlong, the top sword cultivator of Wudang, being carried off on a stretcher.
Qin Ze, who had already fought five matches, could still defeat Wudang's foremost expert to the point of being carried away; this strength was simply terrifying.
The referee, Daoist Master Qingshi, announced again:
"Qin Ze is victorious in this match. Qin Ze makes it six consecutive wins."
Below the arena, cheers erupted again.
"Spectacular!"
"A rogue cultivator defeating masters from various sects in a row, truly bringing glory to us rogue cultivators."
"Exactly, the disciples of those major sects always looked down on us.
Now, seeing our representative rogue cultivator defeat them consecutively, it feels truly satisfying!"
"..."
These words naturally drew the displeasure of many disciples from the major sects.
But with the facts laid bare, they could only sulk in anger.
"Who among the sects hasn't appeared yet?"
"If a rogue cultivator wins, where will the face of our major sects go?"
"Right, among the younger generation of the major sects now.
The only one who can contend with Qin Ze and hasn't appeared yet, should be Qingcheng Sect's Wu Kehang, right?"
"..."
As soon as this remark was made, the young disciples of the major sects all turned their gazes towards the Qingcheng Sect.
I also noticed the stir below the stage, with the name "Wu Kehang" appearing frequently.
I know him; he's Xia Qiu Xi's Senior Brother.
He's very strong, and Xia Qiu Xi had mentioned.
Her Senior Brother is a rare super genius of their sect, appearing once in a hundred years.
He became a disciple at eight, entered the Dao at ten, cultivated techniques at sixteen, and by nineteen, he became the "Senior Brother" among the third-generation disciples of Qingcheng.
His talent far surpassed Xia Qiu Xi's.
I had seen him from afar a few times before, but we had never conversed.
At this moment, I wasn't overthinking things.
What's coming will eventually come.
All I can do is adjust my own state first.
Because I am getting closer to the Bai Gu Huan Hun Cao.
Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself.
Although I won this match, Li Chunlong's strength was truly formidable, and he had also injured me.
My chest and abdomen still ached faintly, indicating internal injuries.
Even though I still had trump cards up my sleeve.
My spiritual energy was also dwindling.
The upcoming matches would absolutely not be easy.
In fact, they might become very, very difficult.
However, no matter how difficult, I must continue to win.
For Qing Dai, I cannot lose...