From the back of the group, Gabriel stepped forward, and the moment he moved, the nearby voices faded on their own. His pace was steady, not fast, not slow, and it made it seem like nothing ahead was worth rushing for.

Several Tianlan cultivators watched him closely, and the outsiders did the same. Broken Dawn’s table became still, and even from across the hall, Sophie’s eyes lingered on the white-masked figure for a second longer than usual. Ragnarok99 frowned slightly, as if something about the way White Phantom moved felt off, though he could not place it.

Reaching the front, Gabriel stopped in front of the Longsword leader and looked at him. The man’s smile remained, but the silence made his fingers twitch once against the table. He had expected anger or a loud response, yet the masked figure simply stood there, staring.

After a brief pause, Gabriel spoke. "Who is my opponent?"

The Longsword leader leaned back slightly. "You are in a hurry."

"I asked a simple question," Gabriel replied.

The smile widened again as the Longsword leader turned his head toward a woman seated near the end of his table. She had broad shoulders, firm arms, and a heavy straight blade resting beside her chair. Her posture remained quiet, but the pressure around her was clearly higher than the first representative.

"Mei Zhen," he said. "You go."

Without complaint, the woman stood, drawing immediate reactions from several Tianlan cultivators. Some looked surprised, while others nodded in approval. Mei Zhen was known as the second strongest fighter in Longsword Guild, not the leader’s strongest card but far from weak.

She picked up her heavy blade and walked forward. The weapon was almost as wide as a shield, its edge lined with faint qi, and when she stepped into the clearing, the ground beneath her feet gave a low sound.

Gabriel gave her a single glance before returning his attention to the Longsword leader. "If this is your best, you are wasting my time."

Her expression tightened, while the Longsword leader went still for a brief second. His smile remained, but it no longer looked natural.

"You speak too much for someone who has not fought yet," Mei Zhen said.

Off to the side, Liang stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm but his focus clearly sharper now. "Begin!" he announced.

Mei Zhen moved first, raising her heavy blade and bringing it down with force toward Gabriel’s shoulder. The attack was simple, but the pressure behind it was strong enough that even some outsiders felt the wind push against their clothes.

Gabriel stepped aside as the blade struck the ground and cracked the stone floor. Before she could pull it back, he placed two fingers lightly against the flat of the weapon and pushed, shifting the massive blade off course.

Her eyes changed at once, and she used the redirected force to spin into a second attack, this time striking from the side to force him back. Gabriel did not retreat. He raised one hand and caught her wrist mid-swing, stopping the attack completely without tightening his grip.

The clearing grew quiet as Mei Zhen tried to pull free, only to find her momentum already redirected. Her body moved forward half a step before she regained balance, and her expression darkened.

Pushing off the ground, she attacked again, faster this time. The heavy blade came in three strikes aimed at his shoulder, waist, and leg, but all three were stopped cleanly. The first was turned aside with his palm, the second missed with a slight shift in position, and the third was redirected with a tap to the back of the blade.

He had not drawn a weapon, yet a few members of Longsword Guild stood up without realizing it.

Mei Zhen clenched her teeth and released more qi, causing the air around her blade to grow heavier. Her next strike came with a low hum that made the lamps around the clearing tremble, but Gabriel’s posture did not change.

As the blade descended, he stepped forward before it completed its arc. His shoulder passed within its reach, and his palm struck lightly against her chest armor.

The impact sent her sliding backward several meters. Her boots dragged across the stone, and she forced the blade into the ground to stay upright.

Gabriel lowered his hand. "Again."

That single word made her breathing grow heavier as understanding settled in. He was not struggling—he was giving her time to feel the gap, not out of amusement, but because ending it too quickly would only make the others talk more.

Her grip tightened. "I have not lost yet."

"I know," Gabriel replied. "That is why you are still standing."

Several Tianlan cultivators’ expressions shifted at those words.

With a final push, Mei Zhen rushed forward again, gathering qi around her blade until the edge glowed faintly. This time, the strike came straight with no tricks, her strongest attack, and the ground cracked beneath her feet as she closed the distance.

Gabriel moved slightly faster. He stepped past the center of the attack, placed one hand against the back of her wrist, and turned her arm just enough to break her balance while hooking his foot behind hers.

Her body dropped, but before she could hit the ground hard, his hand caught the back of her collar and lowered her instead. The heavy blade slipped from her grip and landed beside her with a loud sound.

The fight ended in under a minute.

Mei Zhen lay on the ground, eyes wide and breathing heavily. There was no blood, no broken bones, and no serious injury, yet everyone understood she had lost completely.

Without saying a word, Gabriel stepped back and returned to ChaosKnight’s side. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

For a few seconds, the hall remained silent as even the Tianlan cultivators who had been speaking earlier found nothing to say. The Longsword leader stared at the clearing, his jaw tight and fingers pressing into the table.

Liang continued watching in silence, his gaze fixed on the white-masked figure longer than anyone else’s. Evelyn noticed and glanced at him, but he offered no explanation. His expression had shifted,not shock, but confirmation of something he had already suspected.

"This round goes to ChaosKnight," Liang said.

Across the hall, Broken Dawn still had to respond to the challenge. Sophie had just turned slightly, clearly preparing to choose a representative, when the chair beside her scraped against the floor.

Ragnarok99 was already standing.