Lin Yun didn’t spend the final night cultivating. The second round of the competition was tomorrow, and he needed to be in peak condition to unleash his full combat power in the upcoming battle.

The night passed quietly. Lin Yun slept soundly and, upon waking the next morning, headed to the Yanhuang Battle Arena full of energy, with Wangcai and the two others in tow.

As soon as he entered the Yanhuang Battle Arena, Lin Yun was taken aback by the size of the crowd. The arena, capable of holding several thousand people, was packed to the rafters today.

Judging by their attire, every single person was a scion of a wealthy family. It seemed as if every young noble in the Capital City had turned out for the event.

"Is that the Body Refining Martial Artist who passed the first round? Is he really that strong?"

"He’s incredibly strong. He passed the first round with a cultivation at only the First Layer of the Qi Sea Realm. Not only that, but the Third Leader himself had to step in during his trial."

As Lin Yun arrived at the Battle Arena, the wealthy scions began whispering amongst themselves. They were all eager to see how someone at only the First Layer of the Qi Sea Realm could possibly pass the second trial for the Yanhuang List and defeat ten of its candidates.

In truth, based on his current accomplishments, Lin Yun would be considered a candidate for the Yanhuang List even if he failed the second round. But Lin Yun had no interest in being a mere candidate.

Upon his arrival, Lin Yun parted ways with Wangcai and the others, heading to a private resting room prepared for him. Over the course of the day, he would have to face challenges from ten Yanhuang List candidates.

With a quarter of an hour left before the competition began, the Fifth Prince and another young man walked to the Royal Family’s exclusive viewing platform.

The Fifth Prince’s appearance caused quite a stir. Not only was he a member of the Royal Family Lineage and one of the ten great geniuses on the Yanhuang List, but the young man accompanying him was also one of those ten geniuses.

"It’s Kang Lai!" someone exclaimed, recognizing the young man.

Kang Lai was ranked tenth on the Yanhuang List, placing him at the bottom of the roster. However, many people knew he was only twenty years old, far younger than the other geniuses on the list. Making it onto the Yanhuang List at such a young age was a testament to his talent, which was what truly amazed the crowd.

Of course, this didn’t mean Kang Lai’s combat power was weak. On the contrary, he was considered invincible within the Qi Sea Realm. As long as his opponent wasn’t one of the other powerhouses on the Yanhuang List, Kang Lai was unmatched by anyone in the same realm.

The Fifth Prince’s arrival signaled that the battles were about to begin. With a cold look on his face, he glanced toward Lin Yun’s room, let out a disdainful snort, and then settled into a golden chair.

Kang Lai, sitting beside the Fifth Prince, was well aware of the prince’s killing intent toward Lin Yun. He smiled and said, "Your Highness, that kid has no chance of passing this round. If by some miracle he does, there will be no need for you to act. I will go up there and kill him myself."

Kang Lai’s words seemed to placate the Fifth Prince, whose expression softened slightly. He had personally selected all of Lin Yun’s opponents for the day—arguably the ten strongest candidates for the Yanhuang List. With that, and now Kang Lai’s promise, the Fifth Prince felt the outcome was all but guaranteed.

"Hmph. If I want you dead, you *will* die," he muttered coldly. As the words left his lips, the second round of battles began.

A Primordial Ocean Realm expert from the Royal Family descended onto the Martial Arts Arena. Making it to the second round was significant enough to attract the Royal Family’s attention, so they had dispatched one of their own Primordial Ocean Realm experts to serve as referee.

But no one paid any attention to the referee’s arrival. All eyes were on the entrance to the Battle Arena, where Qing Zhu was making her entrance, as graceful as a lotus blossom rising from the water.

Hailed as one of the Twin Beauties of the Capital City, Qing Zhu was the center of male attention wherever she went.

Even the Fifth Prince and Kang Lai found themselves unable to look away.

"Your Highness," Kang Lai said with a sigh of admiration, "I had no idea the Capital City was home to such a beauty. Why haven’t you made her yours?"

Hearing this, the Fifth Prince’s expression shifted. "Kang Lai," he warned, "I’m telling you now, don’t even think about it. If you try anything with her, you’ll die a horrible death. That’s a warning I received from the Emperor himself."

Seeing how nervous the Fifth Prince was, Kang Lai, who was no fool, instantly understood. Qing Zhu’s background had to be extraordinary—so much so that even the Royal Family was wary of her.

Qing Zhu’s arrival caused a slight lull in the atmosphere. After a moment’s hesitation, the Fifth Prince decided to go and greet her. This wasn’t out of lust, of course; he knew that while a beautiful woman was a fine thing, one had to know one’s own limits. Some beauties are like poisonous roses—touch them, and you die.

"Miss Qing Zhu, you came too," he said, extending an invitation. "If you wouldn’t mind, please join us on the Royal Family’s viewing platform." Even as he spoke, he didn’t dare to meet her gaze.

"Then I’ll impose on you, Your Highness." With a slight smile, Qing Zhu accepted and followed the Fifth Prince to the Royal Family’s platform.

The incomparably beautiful Qing Zhu sat beside the Fifth Prince, who didn’t dare to so much as breathe in her direction. Kang Lai, on the other hand, kept stealing glances at her. The more he looked, the more captivated he became, as if she were a magnet pulling his heart toward her.

After this brief interlude involving Qing Zhu, Lin Yun stepped onto the Martial Arts Arena.

Dressed in a green robe, Lin Yun stood calmly on the Martial Arts Arena, his hands clasped behind his back. With his arrival on stage, the Primordial Ocean Realm expert from the Royal Family began to announce the list of his challengers.

Ten names were read out, one by one. Upon hearing the list, the crowd erupted.

These ten were all renowned powerhouses, widely considered to be the ten strongest fighters just below the Yanhuang List itself. No one could believe Lin Yun had drawn all ten of them as his opponents.

"My god, talk about bad luck! He drew all ten of the strongest?"

"I know, right? There are forty-eight candidates for the Yanhuang List, and he somehow managed to draw the top ten!"

"What do you know? He offended the Fifth Prince. It’s obvious the prince personally selected these ten."

The revelation was shocking. Soon, the story of the conflict between Lin Yun and the Fifth Prince spread through the crowd. In an instant, everyone who had come to watch felt that Lin Yun was finished.

This lineup of challengers was arguably the most difficult in the history of the trials. Every single one of them was a fighter on the verge of breaking into the ranks of the Yanhuang List’s top ten geniuses.

Even if Lin Yun could defeat them, the sheer attrition would kill him.

Even the Primordial Ocean Realm expert from the Royal Family looked at Lin Yun with pity. One could only imagine how grueling his second round of battles would be.

"Quite the lineup," Qing Zhu remarked with a smile. "The Fifth Prince truly lives up to his title, recalling all ten of them to the Capital City in just half a month." Though her face was smiling, her voice carried a subtle note of contempt. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Catching the hidden meaning in her words, the Fifth Prince didn’t retort. Qing Zhu was not like others; even as a Prince, he didn’t dare to openly contradict her. His father, the Emperor, had warned him about this repeatedly.

Of course, there was another reason for the Fifth Prince’s frustration: he had paid a hefty price to recall those ten fighters for this second round of the Yanhuang List trials.