ROAR...

The moment the referee’s voice fell, a Heaven-Shaking cheer erupted from the audience!

That was incredible! What an absolutely incredible fight! They had all thought that Shen Haoran, whose Spiritual Thought had been damaged, would fall to Guan Zhi’s revenge. They never expected Shen Haoran to turn the tide and decisively defeat Guan Zhi once again!

Besides, everyone present was used to seeing ordinary Spiritual Power battles. This clash of Spiritual Thought between two Alchemists was a true feast for their eyes!

The uproar from Martial Arts Arena Number Eight made people in the other arenas look over. Before they could even ask what was happening, news of the battle between Shen Haoran and Guan Zhi reached their ears, making them burn with curiosity. They all regretted not going to Arena Number Eight to watch that battle of Spiritual Thought!

In Martial Arts Arena Number Four, Ouyang Chen was meditating with his eyes closed. Xue Gong walked to his side and said softly, "Young Master Chen, Guan Zhi was taken out by Shen Haoran again in Arena Number Eight! It seems his injuries are pretty severe. I heard he burned his Spiritual Thought and might be crippled for life!"

Hearing this, Ouyang Chen slowly opened his eyes. A cold glint flashed through his indifferent pupils. "Hmph. What a waste. I knew I shouldn’t have let him keep his worthless life back then!"

"What about Shen Haoran...?" Xue Gong asked softly.

"Pay him no mind. I’ll deal with him myself," Ouyang Chen said coolly. A sinister, cold aura emanated from him, making Xue Gong shudder involuntarily. Fortunately, that frigid aura only flared for an instant before retracting. Ouyang Chen closed his eyes again, ignoring Xue Gong.

Back in Martial Arts Arena Number Eight, Shen Haoran discreetly retrieved an Elixir from his Storage Ring and popped it into his mouth. He only relaxed after feeling the warm Medicinal Power flow through his entire body.

In this noisy Martial Arts Arena, there was no suitable environment for him to meditate and heal, so he could only make do with a healing Elixir for now.

Once his internal injuries stabilized, Shen Haoran glanced at the competitor list. Seeing his record of ten consecutive wins, he nodded in satisfaction. A ten-win streak directly secured him a spot in the top three, meaning he had advanced to the second round.

After a short rest, Shen Haoran stood up and walked out of the arena. His battles here were over, and he wanted to go check on Zi Mo and the others.

After leaving the arena, Shen Haoran pondered for a moment before turning toward Martial Arts Arena Number Five. He remembered that Zi Mo was supposed to be there.

Upon entering, a huge uproar echoed through the venue. On the Martial Arts Arena, two disciples were locked in a fierce clash.

Seeing one of the figures on the arena, Shen Haoran couldn’t help but chuckle. ’My luck is pretty good!’

One of the two people on the stage was none other than Zi Mo! At this moment, Zi Mo’s speed was completely unlike that of a massive fatty; he was more like an agile monkey!

Shen Haoran also recognized Zi Mo’s opponent—an expert ranked in the top fifty of the Dragon and Tiger List. His strength was nothing to scoff at! Unfortunately, his luck was just rotten to the core, having run into Zi Mo!

The two continuously clashed in the arena, unleashing visible bursts of Powerful Qi!

Shen Haoran watched the fight and shook his head slightly. The scene looked intense, with the two seemingly evenly matched. However, Zi Mo’s expression was calm, his footwork advancing and retreating with a steady rhythm. In contrast, the disciple from the top fifty of the Dragon and Tiger List had a face flushed red and looked to be struggling. The difference in their levels was immediately clear.

Sure enough, after a few more rounds of attacks, the disciple retracted his aura. With a wry smile, he clasped his fist at Zi Mo and said, "I surrender!" The pace of the battle was completely in Zi Mo’s control; continuing to fight would just be a waste of effort.

"Hehe, you let me win, you let me win!" Zi Mo said with a grin, rubbing his large potbelly.

After stepping down from the stage, Zi Mo spotted Shen Haoran. He immediately ran over, a fawning look on his face. "So, Boss, my skills aren’t too shabby, right?"

"Hmph. Flashy and useless. And you have the nerve to brag!" Shen Haoran said coolly, shooting Zi Mo a look.

Hearing that, Zi Mo’s face stiffened, and he scratched his head awkwardly. Although on the surface his strength was higher than Shen Haoran’s, Zi Mo knew that in a real fight, he wouldn’t last at all against him. Shen Haoran’s fighting style had no wasted movements and could be described in three words: fast, accurate, and ruthless. It was simple and brutal. Zi Mo sometimes wondered what exactly Shen Haoran had been through; neither his mindset nor his strength seemed like something a person of the younger generation could possess.

When the surrounding audience saw Zi Mo call a Tier Four Spirit General ’Boss,’ and even look sheepish after being scolded, their expressions were priceless. However, they soon recalled Shen Haoran’s identity, and the way they looked at him instantly changed.

Shen Haoran ignored Zi Mo and turned to walk away. Seeing this, Zi Mo quickly chased after him. He had also achieved a ten-win streak here and advanced to the second round.

"Boss, where are we going?" Zi Mo asked as he caught up.

"To check on Ruolan, Long Mo, and the others," Shen Haoran said, heading toward Martial Arts Arena Number One.

After that, the two of them hurried between the other arenas. On one hand, they wanted to check on the progress of their own people; on the other, they wanted to gauge the strength of their rival, the Chen Alliance. The results were in: Long Mo had ten wins and advanced to the second round; Long Zhen had eight wins and two losses, advancing to the second round; and Shui Ruolan, with nine wins and one loss, also advanced.

As for the Chen Alliance, Xie Chen, Gou Shi, Xue Gong, and Fan Zhu all achieved ten-win streaks! The members of the Chen Alliance were indeed formidable. Unfortunately, Shen Haoran didn’t get to see Ouyang Chen in action. Every Martial Artist matched against Ouyang Chen simply fled in terror, so he won all his matches by default. Shen Haoran had wanted to gauge the extent of Ouyang Chen’s power, but in the end, he had to let the matter drop.

The first round of the competition lasted from morning until evening before finally concluding. The top three from each Martial Arts Arena advanced to the second round, while the losers would enter a secondary elimination tournament to fight for their final rankings.

As the sun set behind the mountains, the disciples withdrew from the Central Martial Arts Arena, still wishing for more. The second round of matches would be held in two days. That would be when the Sect competition’s most exciting battles would take place. Those thirty disciples were all elites of the Sect. The fierce struggle between them was bound to be spectacular! Everyone was looking forward to it.

Night fell. Twinkling lights flickered throughout the Five Elements Sect, like stars in the sky. In a silent room, Shen Haoran sat cross-legged on his bed. The bright moonlight spilled across his face, giving him an ethereal appearance.

As Shen Haoran breathed, faint streams of Energy from the surroundings continuously flowed into his body. After a period of Refinement, it merged into the Spirit Crystal within his Dantian.

After a long moment, Shen Haoran opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air. As he did, the pallor of his face slowly gave way to a healthy, ruddy color. The injuries he had sustained in the daytime battle now vanished completely.

He clenched his fists, feeling the endless power coursing through him, and lowered his head in thought...