"Let the Lan siblings be mine. You handle the others, and I'll deal with them. Afterward, we can have our own showdown!"
Jin Wudao declared with great bravado, his words painting a picture as if the outcome for the other geniuses was already decided. His suggestion implied that the other talents were destined to lose.
Tan Tianyang, Huo Wuguang, Wu Jianxin, Ding Ku, and other geniuses were enraged by the arrogance of Jin Wudao and Li Qingxuan.
"Very well! Well said, Li Qingxuan, well said, Jin Wudao."
Wu Jianxin stepped forward, his gaze sharp as a sword, fixed on Li Qingxuan. "Young Master Li, last year I was defeated by you. Since then, I have trained diligently every day, even having martial arts masters of the Xuan Gang realm from my clan spar with me to hone my strength. I have finally achieved some success, and today, I will reclaim my honor!"
Wu Jianxin's appearance immediately drew the attention of the entire crowd.
Everyone began to anticipate the coming contest.
One was the undefeated Li Qingxuan, the foremost among the Ten Young Masters of Jiangnan City, who dominated the younger generation and was the son of the City Lord.
The other was Wu Jianxin, ranked fourth among the Ten Young Masters, hailing from the Wu family, a prestigious martial arts lineage in Jiangnan City.
The clash between these two was bound to be incredibly fierce and spectacular.
From the Wu family's side, Wu Tong, a stunning beauty dressed in a red strapless gown, along with the Wu family patriarch, the elder Wu, and all the Wu family members, beamed with pride.
Wu Jianxin was the pride of their Wu family.
The elder Wu was very pleased with Wu Jianxin's demeanor. He nodded, "Jianxin has endured humiliation and slacked off not for a single day this past year, all for this moment. I believe he will not disappoint us."
The many members of the Wu family eagerly watched Wu Jianxin's back on the battle stage.
"A year ago, you were no match for me. Today, the gap between us will only widen!"
Li Qingxuan said calmly, slowly stepping onto the battle stage.
"Then I must try! Please!"
"Please!"
Wu Jianxin swiftly drew a gleaming green longsword. Two brilliant golden patterns on the blade flashed with dazzling light.
"A Yellow-grade Spirit Weapon!"
"That's the Shuiyue Sword, passed down in the Wu family! A low-grade Yellow-tier Spirit Weapon!"
The crowd gasped in astonishment.
Under countless awestruck gazes, the Shuiyue Spirit Sword in Wu Jianxin's hand unleashed thousands of sword energies. Streaks of sword light crisscrossed, and in an instant, countless deep gashes were carved into the hard battle stage.
Sword energies converged like flowing water, each emitting a fluctuation that could threaten late-stage Qi Condensation realm cultivators. The combined might of these sword energies felt formidable even to many peak Qi Condensation realm experts present.
"Wu Jianxin's cultivation and swordsmanship have reached a high level. Coupled with the Shuiyue Spirit Sword, he can completely contend with peak Qi Condensation realm experts! No wonder he dared to be the first to challenge Li Qingxuan."
Many powerful figures nodded in agreement.
Under the gaze of many, the continuous sword energies, like rippling water, attacked Li Qingxuan like a torrential storm.
However, Li Qingxuan merely raised his palm and slapped forward.
An incredibly solid true qi barrier appeared.
No matter how sharp or powerful the sword energies were, they were all blocked, unable to advance even half a step.
Wu Jianxin's eyes widened in shock.
"Not good!"
A sense of great danger surged in his heart. As he dodged, the spot where he had stood was blasted into a large pit by a true qi attack.
Li Qingxuan flicked his finger, unleashing "One Qi, Hundred Steps!"
Peak Qi Condensation realm!
The crowd's expressions changed drastically.
"You are no match for me. Even if you trained for another few decades, the gap between us would only grow larger."
Li Qingxuan spoke with a hint of pride. With a simple palm strike, he unleashed nine consecutive blows, creating what seemed like nine colossal waves in the air. Wu Jianxin struggled to parry seven of them with the Shuiyue Spirit Sword, but he was finally exhausted.
He was sent flying out of the battle stage by the force of the remaining two true qi palm imprints.
*Bang!*
As Wu Jianxin crashed out of the stage, the entire arena fell into silence.
They were all stunned by Li Qingxuan's power.
Such a young peak Qi Condensation realm cultivator!
No wonder he could look down upon all the geniuses!
"Young Master is invincible!"
From the City Lord's mansion, many powerful figures cheered.
The other cultivators from Jiangnan City remained silent.
They felt a profound sense of pressure.
One City Lord had already suppressed them for over a decade, and now his son was exceptionally talented and overwhelmingly powerful. Did this mean that Jiangnan City would continue to be suffocated by the City Lord's mansion in the future?
"I lost."
Wu Jianxin returned to the Wu family's camp with a bitter smile, his spirit broken.
Tan Tianyang, Huo Wuguang, Ding Ku, and the other geniuses exchanged glances, their faces extremely solemn.
They knew Wu Jianxin's strength well. Even if they could win, it would only be by a narrow margin.
They certainly couldn't achieve Li Qingxuan's effortless victory.
However, even knowing it was difficult, they could not give up.
This was not only about personal honor but also about the ownership of the priceless Fire Crystal Mine.
Whichever family obtained that mine would immediately ascend to become a top power in Jiangnan City, gaining profound resources that would sustain the family for decades.
Tan Tianyang, Huo Wuguang, and Ding Ku took the stage one after another.
As expected by everyone, they were all defeated in succession.
None of them lasted even ten moves against Li Qingxuan.
Li Qingxuan's strength was almost suffocating.
Even the supremely arrogant Jin Wudao now regarded Li Qingxuan as his greatest rival, his gaze grave.
On the Lan family's side, Han Qing's heart was already numb with shock.
After witnessing the formidable strength of those top geniuses, his heart was filled with bitterness.
Especially the overwhelming power of Li Qingxuan and Jin Wudao, which filled him with despair.
He had dared to make such bold pronouncements before, as if the martial arts tournament championship was within his grasp!
Now he realized how ridiculous his past actions were.
Perhaps in the eyes of those top geniuses, he didn't even have the qualifications to be taken seriously...
"Damn it, I must cultivate even harder when I return! Although I lost this martial arts tournament, I still have a chance. As long as I become a Xuan Gang realm martial arts master, I will surpass Ling Fan!"
Han Qing secretly glanced at Ling Fan, vowing to compete in his heart.
Ling Fan, however, was completely unaware of Han Qing's thoughts.
And even if he knew, he would only dismiss them with disdain.
Han Qing harbored a one-sided rivalry with Ling Fan, oblivious to the fact that Ling Fan didn't even regard him as a threat.
"Jun Jie, Xue Yi, do you two have confidence in dealing with him?"
Lan Tianxiong asked in a deep voice.
Lan Xueyi slowly shook her head.
Even with her nine-patterned spirit weapon in hand, she knew the gap between herself and Li Qingxuan was too vast.
Although Li Qingxuan was only at the peak of the Qi Condensation realm, just one minor realm higher than her late Qi Condensation realm cultivation, Li Qingxuan's cultivation was incredibly solid and profound.
Moreover, she had a spirit weapon given by Ling Fan. As the young master of Jiangnan City, wouldn't Li Qingxuan also possess spirit weapons?
Lan Jun Jie, who was usually fond of boasting, could no longer do so. His face was troubled as he mumbled, "If only I were two or three years younger than him, I would definitely be stronger than him!"
Lan Tianxiong sighed, "It seems the Fire Crystal Mine is destined to fall into the hands of the City Lord's mansion or Yunmeng City, which backs the Jin family..."
His words carried a hint of melancholy.
In this world, ultimately, strength was what mattered.
Without strength, one couldn't even protect their own possessions.
Li Huimei lamented, "Doesn't Jin Wudao always like our Xue Yi? Alas, if only Jin Wudao were our Lan family's son-in-law. With him fighting for us, we might still be able to protect the mine!"