"Mu Feiyu?" Seeing the newcomer, Shen Haoran’s brows furrowed tightly.

Shen Haoran had almost forgotten about Mu Feiyu since they last parted ways at the Chaos Celestial Ladder. Seeing the other man’s gaze, which looked like he wanted to eat him alive, Shen Haoran couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.

"Who is this Mu Feiyu?" someone in the crowd asked, sensing the strange atmosphere on the stage.

"You don’t know? Mu Feiyu is the only Martial Artist with an Extreme Attribute Physique among this year’s new disciples. His Talent is exceptional, and at such a young age, he’s already a Half-Step Spirit General. He’s even being groomed as the next Hall Master of the Cyan Wood Hall!"

"An Extreme Attribute Physique? Groomed to be the next Hall Master of the Cyan Wood Hall? He’s that amazing?" The crowd was stunned. Never mind the Extreme Attribute Physique—a one-in-ten-thousand constitution that countless people could only dream of. To become a Hall Master of one of the Five Great Halls within the Five Elements Sect, one had to be a powerhouse at the Spirit King Level, at minimum. You could count the number of people with such qualifications on one hand. For a new disciple to earn this distinction, it just went to show how incredible his Talent was!

"But..." The Martial Artist who was speaking suddenly changed his tone. "Despite all his advantages, Mu Feiyu was completely crushed during the new disciple assessment by Shen Haoran, who was only a Tier Eight Spirit Pupil with no other notable strengths! Shen Haoran dominated the Chaos Celestial Ladder and reached the summit, which made Mu Feiyu so angry he passed out cold! What’s more, he won all of the Cyan Wood Hall’s Cultivation resources for new disciples, which nearly angered Elder Mu Feng to death!"

"That’s right. Because of that, Mu Feng punished Mu Feiyu severely according to the hall’s rules. I’m sure you’ve all heard about the Cyan Wood Hall’s regulations. If Mu Feiyu weren’t such a promising talent, Elder Mu Feng probably would have crippled him!"

"So you’re saying Mu Feiyu is here for revenge?" The crowd stared at the murderous figure, their brows furrowed. Shen Haoran had been fighting all day. His Spiritual Power was already depleted. In his current state, he was no match for Mu Feiyu at all!

And that was indeed the case. No matter how strong Shen Haoran’s constitution was, it wasn’t fully developed yet. It was already astonishing that his strength as a Tier Nine Spirit Pupil had allowed him to fight through a grueling, day-long battle. His body had now reached its absolute limit. Even with the Taotie’s devouring talent, the amount of Spiritual Power he could absorb was negligible.

"What, scared to accept my challenge now?" Mu Feiyu sneered, looking at Shen Haoran’s pale face. He didn’t care what condition Shen Haoran was in; he just wanted to stomp him under his foot and crush him mercilessly. He had to prove to everyone that he was the strongest, that he was the number one new disciple!

"Why would I be scared?" Shen Haoran looked at Mu Feiyu’s vicious face, took a deep breath, and slowly straightened his back.

Yes, Shen Haoran was at the end of his rope. But getting him to admit defeat? That was impossible. Not unless he was dead!

"Good! Today, I will take back everything that belongs to me!" Mu Feiyu licked his lips. The blood-red sunset illuminated his face, making him look utterly ferocious.

BOOM... A powerful aura erupted from Mu Feiyu’s body. The stone slabs beneath his feet shattered instantly, cracks spreading out like a spiderweb. The already dilapidated stage was left in even greater ruin!

"A Spirit General! Mu Feiyu actually broke through to the Spirit General realm!" Someone in the crowd cried out in alarm upon feeling this aura. Shen Haoran’s expression also turned grave. ’I can’t believe he broke through!’

Seeing Shen Haoran forced back by his aura, Mu Feiyu gave a cruel smile. "Didn’t see that coming, did you? And I have you to thank for it!"

Hearing this, Shen Haoran just gave him a cool glance, paying no mind to Mu Feiyu’s provocation.

Seeing Shen Haoran’s indifferent expression, the veins on Mu Feiyu’s forehead bulged. He hated that look on Shen Haoran’s face, that look of not giving a damn about anything. He was Mu Feiyu, a Martial Artist with an Extreme Attribute Physique, a one-in-a-million genius! He was supposed to be the one everyone paid attention to!

SWISH! Mu Feiyu couldn’t hold back any longer. He was going to stomp Shen Haoran under his foot, tear that face apart, and see the look of terror in his eyes!

Mu Feiyu vanished. Shen Haoran’s senses flared, and he retreated. But in his exhausted state, how could his speed possibly match Mu Feiyu’s? In the blink of an eye, Mu Feiyu was upon him.

BANG... With a single punch, Shen Haoran was sent flying. His body skidded several meters across the stage before coming to a stop.

"The difference in strength is too great. Shen Haoran is completely outmatched."

"Shen Haoran’s Spiritual Power was already used up in his earlier fights. Mu Feiyu is taking advantage of his weakness!"

From below the stage, cries of condemnation rose up, grating on Mu Feiyu’s nerves. Not only did he not stop, but his attacks grew even heavier. Shen Haoran could only defend passively, struggling to hold on under Mu Feiyu’s stormy assault.

BAM... Another dull thud. Unable to dodge in time, Shen Haoran was kicked in the chest by Mu Feiyu and sent flying, spitting blood.

Staring at the fallen Shen Haoran, Mu Feiyu’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared, "Come on! Aren’t you supposed to be so strong? Come and hit me!"

But Shen Haoran’s expression remained as calm as ever. He spat out the blood in his mouth and slowly got back to his feet.

"Damn you!" Seeing Shen Haoran’s lack of reaction, Mu Feiyu felt like his eyes would burst from their sockets, and he ground his teeth with a grating sound.

’Still that same expression, still those eyes as tranquil as an old well.’ Mu Feiyu’s head felt like it would explode from rage.

"Go to hell!" Mu Feiyu shrieked, his fist enveloped in tangible, cyan Spiritual Power as he ruthlessly smashed it toward Shen Haoran.

Watching the approaching Mu Feiyu, Shen Haoran closed his eyes. The Fire Spirit Black Obsidian inside his body began to stir. ’Do I have to use that move after all?’

The crowd below watched Shen Haoran close his eyes, and their hearts tightened. ’Has he given up?’ Many of the Martial Artists turned their heads away. Shen Haoran had left a deep impression on them today, and they didn’t want to watch what happened next.

BOOM...

With a muffled bang, a figure was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, tumbling dozens of times on the ground before coming to a stop. And the one sent flying... was actually Mu Feiyu!

Silence... The entire arena fell deathly silent.

’What happened? Didn’t Shen Haoran already give up? How did he have the strength to send Mu Feiyu flying?!’

Shen Haoran was also stunned, staring at the man in front of him, who was wreathed in purple flames.

"The stage challenges are over. Everyone go home," a cold voice announced. The purple flames dissipated, and Shen Haoran could finally see his face.

"Long Mo? What are you..." Shen Haoran cried out in surprise, then quickly suppressed the restless Fire Spirit Black Obsidian within his body.

"Elder Huo is looking for you," Long Mo said, turning his head with a mechanical expression. His eyes, however, were fixed on Shen Haoran. ’In that last moment, I sensed a wild, tyrannical power from him,’ he thought. ’A power that even I find alarming. It seems my intervention was unnecessary.’

"Elder Huo is looking for me? But right now..." Shen Haoran said, glancing at Mu Feiyu, who had already scrambled back to his feet.

"I’ll handle it," Long Mo said coolly before walking forward. He looked at the furious Mu Feiyu and said, "The challenge is over. Please leave."

"Who the fuck are you?!"