"Is this the strength of a late-stage Core Formation expert?" Rupa looked at Ye Bufan with shock and unwillingness.
"I haven't even used my full power yet," Ye Bufan smiled faintly. "I don't need to go all out to deal with you."
Rupa's face turned extremely grim. He struggled to get up from the ground and said to Ye Bufan, "I've lost. A late-stage Core Formation expert truly lives up to their reputation."
"You didn't need to keep mentioning the late-stage Core Formation part. You've achieved your goal," Ye Bufan said to Rupa.
Rupa was slightly stunned and decided to stop pretending, letting out a laugh.
Noda had already woken up from his daze. He was filled with regret. No one had expected Ye Bufan to advance from the early-stage Core Formation to the late-stage Core Formation within just a few months after entering the early-stage.
It wasn't just Noda. Johnsen looked at Ye Bufan with pain, his meteor iron gone. The cultivators who supported Noda and Johnsen, especially those who had wagered their natal artifacts, were all filled with regret.
"Alright, alright, let this match conclude here," Bai Zizhen stepped forward and said.
At this point, the cultivators from the Kyushu region were quite satisfied with the outcome. Especially Bai Zizhen, Song Mingqin, and Qu Fei, who had caused the overseas cultivators to lose their natal artifacts by wagering their own.
After speaking, Bai Zizhen turned around and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hmph! It's not over yet!" Johnsen stood up and shouted, "There are still representatives from the Bear Country, Portugal, and the Sunset Nation who haven't competed."
"That's right! There are still people who haven't competed, so why end it so easily!" The overseas cultivators who had lost their belongings shouted indignantly at the Kyushu cultivators.
Ye Bufan tilted his head and looked at them. "Since that's the case, Ye is unskilled but still has plenty of energy. I'll reluctantly take on the remaining two matches."
"This..."
Ye Bufan's words silenced the crowd. No one dared to object. At this moment, Ye Bufan's strength was undoubtedly paramount. Anyone who wanted to oppose him could only do so with their fists.
But in the entire underground city, who could defeat Ye Bufan?
However, with Ye Bufan's late-stage Core Formation strength revealed, the overseas cultivators suddenly felt a headache.
One of their objectives for this trip was to confirm whether the underground city lord, Yu Xing, was still alive. If so, they would coordinate with the cultivators on the outskirts of the underground city to take control of the entire city.
Ye Bufan's appearance made their plan seem less likely to succeed. Especially with Ye Bufan in the underground city, their every move would be noticed. It might even take a dozen or so mid-stage Core Formation cultivators to contend with Ye Bufan.
A dozen mid-stage Core Formation cultivators fighting one late-stage Core Formation cultivator would waste a considerable amount of manpower. This would give the Kyushu cultivators an opportunity to counterattack. At that point, not only the underground city, but the overseas cultivators might suffer heavy losses.
Ye Bufan turned to Johnsen and asked, "Mr. Johnsen, isn't it time to fulfill your promise regarding the meteor iron?"
Johnsen's face darkened as he looked at Ye Bufan. Finally, reluctantly, he produced his meteor iron and gave it to Ye Bufan.
Upon receiving the meteor iron, the remnant sword vibrated even more violently. Ye Bufan simply stored both the remnant sword and the meteor iron into the Taiyi Ring, curious to see if there would be any reaction between them.
According to Ye Bufan, some Heavenly-tier, or even Immortal artifacts, when broken, could sense their other fragmented parts within a certain range. Some could even fuse with their fragments on their own.
Ye Bufan wanted to see if the remnant sword would fuse on its own. If not, he would have to find a way to reforge the remnant sword and the meteor iron into a new sword.
The remnant sword and the meteor iron floated in mid-air. They suddenly touched, emitting a dazzling light. After the light dissipated, the fusion Ye Bufan had hoped for did not occur.
Meanwhile, on the other side, after the martial competition ended inconclusively, the overseas cultivators discussed the most frequent topic in their chat group.
"What do we do now?" Noda asked in the group.
"What can we do? There's just one late-stage Core Formation cultivator. If we can't beat him, can't we overwhelm him with numbers? I don't believe he'll really fight us to the death if a dozen cultivators stand before him!" Johnsen still felt the pain of losing a piece of meteor iron to Ye Bufan.
"Everyone, Ye Bufan's methods are not ordinary. Don't underestimate him, or you'll suffer," Rupa sent a message in the group, warning everyone.
"What makes you say that? Also, Rupa, how did you figure out that Ye Bufan was already at the late-stage Core Formation?" Noda asked.
"The Yoga techniques of our India-Fan can enhance the senses at special times. While you were competing, I used the enhanced senses method of Yoga. While Ye Bufan was toying with you, I noticed his cultivation was constantly fluctuating. He appeared to be in the mid-stage Core Formation, but there were moments when his cultivation reached a level beyond our perception."
Rupa explained the process of his discovery in the group.
"This Ye Bufan is truly terrifying. He cannot be allowed to live! He is now at the late-stage Core Formation, which poses a great threat to us," Anthony from the Eagle Country also chimed in on the group chat while seeing everyone chatting.
"And that Sword Immortal Mingqin. Early-stage Core Formation, yet he can challenge mid-stage Core Formation. His swordsmanship is far beyond reach."
During this competition, Anthony had noticed Song Mingqin, an unexpected discovery.
Although he had only heard of Song Mingqin's reputation before, he hadn't expected him to be this strong.
"And Yan Yuzhu of the Bright Palace. The Bead of Light in her hand is a good item," Rani said. "Her ability to challenge mid-stage Core Formation in the early-stage is greatly attributed to the Bead of Light in her hand."
"The Bead of Light is said to be the inherited treasure of the Bright Palace in the Kyushu region. If we can obtain it, our overall strength can be significantly improved," Rani stated in the group.
"So, what's our next plan?"