"Do you understand now?" Zhao Qingwei asked.

Luo Liang was silent for a long time, then slowly shook his head. "It was too fast. The moment his Spirit burst forth, Zhang Qi’s consciousness was hit. He had no time to react effectively at all."

He teleported to the arena.

Looking at Xu Wuyi opposite him, Luo Liang took a deep breath.

His Life Energy Level was 30.3, higher than Zhang Qi’s. More importantly, he had cultivated a Secret Technique for Spiritual Defense and had some resistance to Spirit Shocks.

He had started cultivating it with great effort back in the Martial Disciple Stage, after being defeated by Xu Wuyi’s Spirit Shock.

He never expected that during the first-year tournament, Xu Wuyi hadn’t used Spirit Shock against him at all.

And he certainly never expected that now, a year later, this Secret Technique would finally be put to use...

But Luo Liang didn’t feel the slightest bit of relief. The Xu Wuyi of today was a far cry from his past self. ’Will this Secret Technique even work?’

"Xu Wuyi, I won’t be defeated as easily as Zhang Qi," Luo Liang said in a low voice.

Xu Wuyi nodded. "Please."

"Begin!"

Luo Liang let out a low roar. He activated his Golden Jade Skills at full power, his body taking on a faint golden sheen, and fully engaged his spiritual Secret Technique.

This time, he didn’t defend passively. Instead, he seized the initiative and attacked!

His fists came down like hammers, smashing toward Xu Wuyi with the heavy sound of displaced air.

He planned to use his strongest offensive to force Xu Wuyi to split his focus, giving him no chance to concentrate his Spirit and launch a shock.

However, Xu Wuyi remained calm.

His spear thrust out, a Spiritual Cold Radiance flaring at its tip.

Luo Liang was prepared. The moment the spear tip came at him, he pushed his Secret Technique to its absolute limit, trying to withstand the impact.

In the next second, Luo Liang’s expression changed drastically.

He felt a Spiritual Power, condensed to the extreme, slam violently into the depths of his consciousness.

Not only was the power as heavy as a mountain, but it also carried a scorching intention that seemed to incinerate everything!

The fused True Intention of "Mountain" and "Inferno"!

Although it was only in its nascent form, it was more than enough to crush the Spiritual Defense of an ordinary Martial Artist.

Luo Liang felt as if his brain was about to explode. The intense pain made his vision go black, and his Qi and Blood roiled wildly.

The defensive glow created by his Golden Jade Skills dimmed and dispersed at a visible rate.

The spear passed through the crumbling defense without any resistance and tapped against his chest.

"East Courtyard, Xu Wuyi wins!"

Luo Liang staggered back and fell to one knee, gasping for breath.

He looked up at Xu Wuyi, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"You... Your Spiritual Power... how can it be so strong?"

Xu Wuyi retracted his spear and smiled slightly. "This is what we train in during the Martial Master Stage."

Luo Liang gave a bitter laugh and vanished in a flash of white light.

Two spear thrusts, two Martial Artists defeated.

The spectator stands erupted.

"Even a Martial Artist can’t block a single thrust!"

"Just how strong is Xu Wuyi’s Spiritual Power?"

"This isn’t a matter of Energy Level disparity anymore! This is a fundamental crushing!"

In the North Courtyard’s rest area, Zhao Qingwei slowly stood up.

She looked at Xu Wuyi on the arena stage, her expression complex.

A year ago, she could still trade blows with Xu Wuyi.

A year later, she might not even be worthy of forcing a second thrust from him.

But that didn’t mean she would back down.

Teleporting to the arena, Zhao Qingwei cradled her longsword, her expression serene.

"Xu Wuyi," she began. "I know I can’t win, but I still want to see if my sword can even touch you."

Xu Wuyi looked at her and nodded. "Please."

"Begin!"

Zhao Qingwei moved.

She didn’t rush to attack like Luo Liang. Instead, she slowly drew her sword.

The moment the blade left its sheath, a sharp Sword Intention surged to the heavens!

A year ago, she was already skilled in this astonishing sword strike. Now, after a year of refinement and her promotion to Martial Artist, her Sword Intention was far stronger than before!

The longsword trembled faintly, its tip aimed at Xu Wuyi.

Zhao Qingwei focused her entire Spirit on her sword, attempting to use her Sword Intention to counter Xu Wuyi’s shock.

Then, she struck.

The flash of her blade was like a cold bolt of lightning, stabbing straight for Xu Wuyi’s throat!

This strike was fast, precise, and ruthless, containing a newly-formed Sword Intention.

Even a level 30 Martial Artist would have to temporarily evade the edge of such a strike.

However, Xu Wuyi was no longer the person he was a year ago. After having faced Hong Nianyi’s blade intention, Zhao Qingwei’s sword strike was simply not enough to impress him.

He thrust his spear, and the Spiritual Cold Radiance on its tip shone with unprecedented brightness.

At the very instant the spear and sword were about to meet, that extremely condensed Spirit Shock erupted once more!

This time, Zhao Qingwei felt the true disparity between them.

Before Xu Wuyi’s Spirit Shock, her Sword Intention was like fragile glass, instantly shattered to pieces.

The condensed intention of "Mountain" and "Inferno"—as heavy as an entire mountain range crashing down, as scorching as magma erupting from the earth’s core—slammed violently into the depths of her consciousness.

Zhao Qingwei let out a muffled grunt. Her Sword Momentum instantly collapsed, and she staggered backward as if struck by a heavy blow.

The spear followed like a shadow, tapping her on the chest.

"East Courtyard, Xu Wuyi wins!"

"Second round, East Courtyard wins!"

Zhao Qingwei steadied herself, her face pale.

She looked at Xu Wuyi, silent for a long moment, before finally speaking slowly, "Is this the true power of ’Refining Spirit’?"

Xu Wuyi nodded. "In the Martial Master Stage, the gap in Spiritual Power is more fatal than the gap in Qi and Blood."

Zhao Qingwei took a deep breath. "I understand."

She vanished in a flash of white light.

In the stands, no one was speaking anymore.

Everyone stared at Xu Wuyi on the arena stage, their eyes filled with shock, awe, and a hint of bewilderment.

Three spear thrusts, three Martial Artists defeated.

Among them was a Genius of Zhao Qingwei’s caliber.

This level of strength had already surpassed their understanding of a "new student."

"There’s still one more round..." someone whispered.

The third round: East Courtyard versus West Courtyard.

The West Courtyard’s lineup was: Ding Haichuan (Level 30.7), Tana (Level 30.8), and Qin Rui (Level 30.6).

In the West Courtyard’s rest area, the atmosphere was tense.

Tana stared at Xu Wuyi’s image on the light screen and couldn’t help but curse, "This guy is just too monstrous!"

Ding Haichuan pushed up his glasses and gave a wry smile. "A burst of Spirit... We’ve never encountered this fighting style before. Unless our Spiritual Strength can match his, going up there is just serving ourselves up for defeat."

Qin Rui said nothing, merely wiping his longsword in silence.

He had reached the Entry Level with his Golden Radiance Sword, and his comprehension of the True Intention of "Sharpness" had also deepened.

But after watching the previous battles, he knew the gap between him and Xu Wuyi was no longer something a Martial Technique could bridge.

It was a complete domination on a spiritual level.

"Qin Rui, what’s the plan?" Tana asked.

Qin Rui was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "I’ll go first."

"What?" Tana was stunned. "You’re going first? Then what about the rest of us?"

"It makes no difference," Qin Rui said, shaking his head. "Ding Haichuan, Tana, do you think you can win?"

Both Ding Haichuan and Tana fell silent.

"Since we can’t win, it’s better if I go first." Qin Rui stood up, the fighting spirit rekindling in his eyes. "At the very least, I want to see for myself just how big the gap between us really is."