The Liuyun Kingdom had already occupied one teleportation array. If Ye Xuan were to take another, wouldn’t that give them two? An act like that would surely provoke the wrath of the crowd.

Kuchen knew the remaining Tower Presidents from the other kingdoms would never allow a mere disciple like Ye Xuan to seize a teleportation array for himself.

Sure enough, the gazes of all the Soul Master Tower Presidents immediately fell upon Dongfang Yanyu and his contingent.

As far as they were concerned, Ye Xuan’s actions must have been orchestrated by Dongfang Yanyu. It seemed the Liuyun Kingdom was trying to seize two teleportation arrays at once.

The Zuo Yi Alliance immediately sneered, "Dongfang Yanyu, your Liuyun Kingdom is far too greedy! One teleportation array wasn’t enough, so you have your disciple seize a second? Heh, a fine plan indeed."

"That’s right, President Dongfang Yanyu. Have your disciple come down, or I fear you’ll have a riot on your hands."

"Does this Ye Xuan really think he’s some kind of big shot just because he won the Floating Light Assembly?"

All sorts of jeers filled the air as everyone sneered at Ye Xuan.

If not for the fact that Ye Xuan was the champion of the Floating Light Assembly and a disciple of the Liuyun Kingdom, many Soul Refiners from the other kingdoms would have already rushed up and slapped him off the platform.

Facing the crowd’s stares, Kuchen pondered for a moment before stepping down from his teleportation array. "Ye Xuan, come down," he said. "If you truly want to enter the ruins, you can have my spot."

"Kuchen, you..."

"President Dongfang Yanyu, there’s no need to say anything. I’m an old man. It’s not a bad thing to leave an opportunity like this to the younger generation. Besides, with Ye Xuan’s strength and talent, I’m sure he won’t hold us back once we’re inside the ruins. Ye Xuan, come on down."

"Forget it, Kuchen. You get back up here. It would be better if I gave my spot to Ye Xuan," Vice-President He Zhen said after a moment’s hesitation from his own teleportation array.

In terms of strength, he was the weakest of the three from the Liuyun Kingdom; his Soul Refiner rank was only at the Peak of Third Grade. If anyone was to give up their spot, he was the most suitable candidate.

Moreover, He Zhen had long heard that Kuchen’s breakthrough to Fourth Grade was all thanks to Ye Xuan’s help. He was eager to get on Ye Xuan’s good side. ’Isn’t this the perfect opportunity?’ he thought. ’Even if I lose the chance to enter the ruins, it’s not a bad trade when compared to the prospect of breaking through to Fourth Grade.’

The Soul Refiners from the other kingdoms stared blankly at Kuchen and He Zhen, their expressions dazed. ’What in the world is wrong with the Soul Refiners from the Liuyun Kingdom?’ they thought. ’They’re actually willing to give their spots to a disciple? This is a newly discovered ruin; who knows what amazing treasures might be inside? Are they insane, giving up an opportunity like this for a disciple?’

Meanwhile, the disciples from the other kingdoms were overcome with envy, marveling at Kuchen and He Zhen’s selflessness. Compared to them, the Soul Refiner masters from their own kingdoms fell far short.

However, faced with their kind offers, Ye Xuan refused without the slightest hesitation. "Vice-President Kuchen, Vice-President He Zhen, please go back. I want *this* teleportation array, not one of yours. As was said earlier, strength is what matters. It’s just one teleportation array. Trust me, I, Ye Xuan, have the strength for that."

The moment Ye Xuan finished speaking, everyone was stunned into silence once more.

’Arrogant! Unbelievably arrogant! So many Soul Master Tower Presidents haven’t even made a move, yet this kid dares to claim he has the strength to hold a teleportation array? Is he a fool or an idiot? He truly has no idea what he’s up against.’

Everyone looked at Ye Xuan as if he were an idiot, thinking he must have lost his mind.

Luan Hong and his two companions, who had already secured their own array, watched everything with detached indifference, a cold glint in their eyes. ’I hope he makes it into the ruins,’ Luan Hong thought. ’That way, I can find out if he was the one who stole the Earth Fire.’

"Ye Xuan, get down from there, quickly!" Yun Aoxue now cried out anxiously. Ye Xuan might be a heaven-defying talent, but with so many Soul Master Tower Presidents present, how could he possibly hold on to a teleportation array?

In the crowd, perhaps only Xia Qixi held any real confidence in Ye Xuan. She, more than almost anyone, knew just how powerful he was. After all, even Vice-President Li He of the Dongsheng Kingdom had died by his hand. ’Maybe,’ she thought, ’he really does have a chance to hold this teleportation array.’

"President Dongfang Yanyu, since Ye Xuan refuses to come down and has said what he said, we won’t waste any more words. Let strength do the talking," Ge Lihui of the Mu Zhen Country said with a frown, walking directly toward the teleportation array.

He was growing impatient. ’How long are we going to drag this out?’ he fumed inwardly. Since that Ye Xuan kid wouldn’t come down and had run his mouth, Ge Lihui couldn’t be bothered with words. He’d just go up there and throw him off himself.

Ge Lihui’s move immediately sent a jolt of excitement through the crowd of Soul Refiners and disciples. It looked like a fight was about to break out. And it made sense; a mere disciple had seized a teleportation array before any of the veteran Soul Refiners had made their move, and he’d spouted such arrogant nonsense on top of it. If the Tower Presidents could tolerate that, they’d have no face left in the Thirteen Nations Alliance.

"Young friend Ye Xuan, please forgive me for this." Giving face to President Dongfang Yanyu’s group, Ge Lihui even offered Ye Xuan a cupped-fist salute after stepping onto the array. Only then did he swing a large hand out, grabbing for Ye Xuan.

His grab seemed simple, but his fingers held immense power. The polite gesture moments before had just been for show, a courtesy for Dongfang Yanyu’s sake. In truth, he was furious and had already decided to teach Ye Xuan a lesson.

The massive, claw-like hand instantly appeared before Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan sneered. ’How could I not see what he’s up to?’ He immediately felt a sense of disgust for the man. Based on his actions, calling him a petty, two-faced villain wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

With that thought, Ye Xuan instantly channeled the Profound Power in his body and sent a palm strike out to meet the attack.

Since Ge Lihui hadn’t used his full strength, the moment his hand met Ye Xuan’s palm, his expression changed dramatically. An overwhelming force, one he could barely resist, surged toward him. He tried to summon more Profound Power, but it was already too late.

BANG! Ge Lihui staggered back several steps under the force of Ye Xuan’s palm, not stopping until he was completely off the teleportation array.

The onlookers were stunned. The dignified President of the Mu Zhen Country’s Soul Master Tower had been sent flying back by a single strike from a disciple? What was happening?

Ge Lihui’s face instantly flushed crimson, his eyes flashing with the fierce glare of someone whose shame had turned to fury.

"You brat! I underestimated you. Now get out of here!"

Suppressing his rage, Ge Lihui held nothing back. A fierce gale erupted from his fist. Streams of Profound Power swirled over his knuckles, forming a terrifying vortex that completely enveloped Ye Xuan.

"Wind God Fist—World-Sweeping Gale!"

The onlookers shook their heads. Everyone could see that Ge Lihui was genuinely enraged to have unleashed his Wind God Fist.

The Wind God Fist was one of the Mu Zhen Country’s strongest Earth Grade Fist Skills, and its power was immense. For a Soul Master Tower President to use such a deadly technique on a disciple under twenty years old... in a way, Ge Lihui had already lost.

But this was a battle for a teleportation array, so no one would blame Ge Lihui for going all out.

Down below, Yun Aoxue and the others clenched their fists, worrying. How would Ye Xuan possibly face this attack? Would he dodge, or would he concede?

Under the watchful eyes of the entire crowd, Ye Xuan’s expression remained completely unflinching as he once again threw a punch with his right hand without a shred of hesitation.

He was throwing the same, simple punch as before. The crowd couldn’t believe their eyes. ’That’s the Wind God Fist he’s up against! Is he supremely confident, or has he just given up?’

BOOM!

As everyone watched, Ye Xuan’s fist plunged viciously into the heart of the storm. A shocking scene unfolded: under the force of his punch, the vortex of energy from Ge Lihui’s attack melted away like snow in the sun, instantly dissipating and shattering into nothing.

The overwhelming pressure and advantage Ge Lihui had gained from his fearsome technique vanished in an instant.

In the aftermath of the gale, two iron-hard fists collided.

BOOM!

Once again, Ye Xuan stood his ground, proud and unmoving. Ge Lihui, in contrast, was sent stumbling back with a THUD, his feet carving shallow grooves into the ground as he was forced off the teleportation array yet again.

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

In their second exchange, Ye Xuan had once again gained the upper hand.

From his own teleportation array, Luan Hong’s eyes narrowed. He was secretly astonished by Ye Xuan’s ability. ’That punch seemed simple,’ he thought, ’but it struck the absolute core of Ge Lihui’s technique, shattering its principles in a single blow. Then, in the clash of fists, Ye Xuan’s angle of attack was more precise, allowing him to gain a slight advantage.’

’In other words, Ye Xuan used the same amount of strength to produce a result far exceeding it. That kind of insight and talent... even in the Profound Mystery Sect, the number of people who could do that can be counted on one hand.’

After witnessing this exchange, Luan Hong’s suspicion that Ye Xuan was the one who had taken the Earth Fire deepened.

While the crowd was shocked, Ge Lihui was simply furious. He had failed to repel Ye Xuan twice in a row. His face flushed beet red, and he felt like he was about to explode with rage. With a furious roar, he charged forward again.

This time, Ge Lihui held absolutely nothing back, unleashing the full extent of his power.

A giant gray bear materialized above his head, with three brilliant rings of starlight circling its body. The bear roared, and an invisible force instantly empowered Ge Lihui. His body exploded with dazzling light, his aura surging in an instant as he threw another ferocious punch at Ye Xuan.