Xu Yi had dozens of magical treasures floating densely in front of him, each shimmering with spiritual light. Their immense power made the void tremble, and they constantly emitted a humming sound.
These treasures were all personally refined by Xu Yi, and he could control each one at will, as if they were extensions of his own limbs.
Xu Yi met Hong Jing's gaze, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.
Hong Jing could block one or two treasures, but what about four, five, or even dozens?
"Go!"
Xu Yi pushed outwards fiercely with his hand, and several treasures, trailing dazzling spiritual light, shot forward with a roar.
Due to the frantic circulation of spiritual energy within his body, Xu Yi felt a needle-like stinging sensation.
Controlling so many treasures simultaneously had pushed Xu Yi to his limit.
This meant that if Hong Jing could block these treasures and counter-attack, Xu Yi would lose this match.
Hong Jing understood this, but he understood even more clearly that he couldn't do it.
Although Xu Yi couldn't unleash the full might of these treasures, the sheer quantity was overwhelming. If Hong Jing were to directly withstand them, he wouldn't be able to participate in the subsequent积分赛 (jīfēn sài - points matches).
Under everyone's astonished gaze, Hong Jing decisively jumped off the competition stage.
"I concede."
"Whoosh—"
As his words fell, sighs of relief echoed across the arena.
Moments before, everyone had been holding their breath, their palms sweating.
*Crackle!*
Xu Yi abruptly severed his connection with the treasures, letting them fall to the ground.
The sound of the treasures hitting the floor caused many to frown, gasping in dismay.
Apart from the Daqi Sect, even disciples of other top sects would find it difficult to possess so many high-grade magical treasures.
What a waste!
Many cast envious and jealous glances at the Xuanji Sect.
But they didn't know that the disciples of the Xuanji Sect were also quite surprised at this moment.
A disciple, mustering his courage, asked the recently appeared Elder Qingfeng, "Hehe, Elder Qingfeng, these magical treasures are..."
Elder Qingfeng glared at him disapprovingly, "Don't ask me, I don't know either. In any case, they weren't given by the sect."
Most items provided by the sect had to pass through the sect's treasury to reach Xu Yi, and this required the approval of Elder Qingfeng, who was acting as the interim sect leader.
Therefore, he knew very well that these items were all obtained by Xu Yi himself and had nothing to do with the sect.
After answering, Elder Qingfeng's gaze was filled with satisfaction. It seemed his ancestor had been doing quite well outside these past two years, which explained why he was so content and unwilling to return.
The disciples of the Daqi Sect were also in awe.
They couldn't help but turn their heads to look at their Young Sect Master, who was furiously swinging his hammer, a hint of confusion flashing in their eyes.
Looking at it this way, Xu Yi seemed more like a disciple of the Daqi Sect, which was truly strange.
On the competition stage, Xu Yi retracted his discipline ruler and then hurried forward to pick up the fallen treasures one by one, examining them to ensure there were no significant damages before quickly putting them back into his storage ring.
If she had used spiritual energy, she wouldn't have needed to bend down to retrieve these treasures herself, but her meridians were completely empty at this moment, so she had to do it manually.
The crowd below nodded in satisfaction upon seeing Xu Yi's actions, feeling that such behavior was fitting.
"Xu Yi of the Xuanji Sect wins."
The elder from the Wanfo Sect still looked at Xu Yi with goodwill, completely unbothered that she had just defeated their sect's Buddha Son.
As Xu Yi stood off the stage recovering her spiritual energy, other competition stages also began to yield results.
Lu Zaiye, Xiong Zhuangzhuang, and Bei Xinghan maintained their undefeated records.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaoyu had lost two consecutive matches, appearing like a fish out of water, with listless eyes and a dejected demeanor.
Xu Yi had to talk her ear off to coax her into cheering up, and only then did she manage a weak smile.
The third points match began soon after.
Xu Yi's opponent this time was Wu Gowei of the Imperial Beast Sect.
She had watched Wu Gowei's match against Hong Jing earlier and knew Wu Gowei's weaknesses, so she applied what she learned, using her discipline ruler along with sonic attacks to breach his defense and kick him off the stage.
The fourth points match.
Xu Yi finally faced Xiong Zhuangzhuang.
Both had won three consecutive matches, their momentum soaring. A silent battle unfolded in the air between them.
"Xu Yi, this time I will go all out and show you my true strength."
Xiong Zhuangzhuang grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.
Xu Yi also smiled, "Then you must not disappoint me!"
Xiong Zhuangzhuang raised his arm, clenched his fist, and let out a low roar, punching towards Xu Yi.
The fist wind was powerful, and faintly, the roar of the Earth Bear could be heard. Even before it reached her, Xu Yi's skin felt a strong tearing sensation.
"As expected, he's much stronger."
A sharp glint flashed in Xu Yi's eyes. She moved her feet, and her body suddenly appeared to Xiong Zhuangzhuang's left.
*Bang!*
Black light flashed on the discipline ruler as it struck Xiong Zhuangzhuang's left arm.
However, Xiong Zhuangzhuang's left arm was like forged iron, unyielding.
Xu Yi's pupils contracted. Xiong Zhuangzhuang's body was so robust that even the discipline ruler struggled to damage it!
She had known that Xiong Zhuangzhuang's body was far tougher than ordinary people, but it had been within her expectations then.
Today, however, Xiong Zhuangzhuang's body had advanced so rapidly that it was now impervious to blades and spears.
No wonder cultivators of the Imperial Beast Sect were so cautious when choosing their contracted spirit beasts. A powerful spirit beast could lead to a significant breakthrough in their strength, even a complete transformation.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang's contracted spirit beast, the Earth Bear, was itself a dominant existence among bear-type spirit beasts. Moreover, the spirit beast he contracted had consumed a Soul-Returning Demon Fruit, which not only repaired all its past hidden injuries but also enhanced its strength.
With all these factors combined, Xiong Zhuangzhuang was now leagues beyond his former self.
Sensing Xu Yi's attack, Xiong Zhuangzhuang's grin widened. He counter-attacked, reaching out to grab Xu Yi.
Xu Yi pushed off the ground, creating distance between herself and Xiong Zhuangzhuang.
"Hiss."
Even though Xu Yi reacted quickly, her jaw was grazed by Xiong Zhuangzhuang's fist wind, and an immediate, fiery stinging sensation spread.
Xu Yi gasped and created more distance from Xiong Zhuangzhuang.
"I cannot engage in close combat; I must resort to ranged attacks."
Xu Yi quickly adjusted her combat strategy.
Leveraging her agility, she began to continuously attack Xiong Zhuangzhuang from afar.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang remained unhurried, breaking through all her attacks with his fists, and the battle became a stalemate.
From the direction of the Imperial Beast Sect.
"She, is, the, Xu, Yi, who, saved, you, two." True Lord Changshou asked slowly.
"Yes, Master."
Yin Li stood behind True Lord Changshou, but her gaze was fixed on the competition stage.
True Lord Changshou sighed softly, "Your, Senior Brother, is, going, to, lose."
"Master!" Yin Li withdrew her gaze in dissatisfaction, biting her lower lip, and said unwillingly, "It's too early to draw conclusions now!"
Xiong Da had eaten the Soul-Returning Demon Fruit she picked for him. She couldn't believe Xiong Zhuangzhuang would lose.
True Lord Changshou shook his head, remaining silent.
Based on his experience, Xiong Zhuangzhuang was destined to lose.
It wasn't that the gap in strength between Xiong Zhuangzhuang and Xu Yi was too great, but rather there was one aspect where Xiong Zhuangzhuang was utterly incomparable to Xu Yi.
That was Xu Yi's quick-wittedness, or rather, her combat talent.
For example, if a person possessed ten units of strength, most could only utilize eight or nine units. But some could perform beyond their limits, using eleven or even twelve units.
And Xu Yi clearly belonged to the latter category.