Chapter 303: Chapter 303: Qualified Enough

"Wind God Fist—Limitless Tyranny!"

Amidst his roar, Ge Lihui’s face was twisted in a savage expression. A powerful surge of Soul Power erupted from between his brows, forming countless invisible cones that rained down on Ye Xuan.

Upon seeing this, the expressions of Dongfang Yanyu and the others changed drastically. They couldn’t believe that Ge Lihui would resort to such a lethal combination of techniques just to seize the teleportation array. His martial soul, Soul Power Secret Technique, and even his strongest martial skill—these were tactics reserved for a mortal enemy, yet he was unleashing them all on a disciple like Ye Xuan. The sight filled them with shock and fury.

"Ye Xuan, watch out!" Dongfang Yanyu cried out, his heart sinking with immense anxiety.

They wanted to rush to his aid, but it was already too late.

As Ge Lihui’s three ultimate killing techniques descended, Ye Xuan felt an immense pressure bearing down on him. The ferocious killing intent and power were clearly meant to grind him into dust.

The Soul Power assault in particular was so potent that any ordinary disciple would have had their Soul Sea shattered, leaving them crippled for life.

’Anger flared in Ye Xuan’s heart. To avoid revealing too much of my strength, I only pushed him back in our last exchange and held back my killing blows. I can’t believe this guy would stoop so low just for a teleportation array. He’s completely shameless, with no regard for his reputation or the consequences.’

A flash of killing intent glinted in Ye Xuan’s eyes.

BOOM!

Just as he had done twice before, Ye Xuan casually threw his right fist for a third time.

The crowd erupted. Facing such a terrifying assault from Ge Lihui, was Ye Xuan really planning to stand his ground and counterattack just as before?

Before the crowd could even process their astonishment, the two fists collided. A shocking storm of Profound Power erupted like a sudden clap of thunder, sweeping outward from the epicenter of their clash.

Ge Lihui’s fist carried unstoppable momentum as it smashed toward Ye Xuan’s body.

’Is Ye Xuan finally going to lose?’

The crowd stared, their eyes glued to the scene, unwilling to miss a single detail.

HUMMM!

At that critical moment, an image of the solid, vast earth materialized above Ye Xuan’s head. Simultaneously, three golden star rings appeared before everyone, pulsing rhythmically and radiating a boundless light.

"My god, those are golden star rings!"

"Three golden rings... Just how in the world did this kid train?"

"What a monster."

A golden star ring was one of the most difficult phenomena to achieve during the evolution of a martial soul. The appearance of even a single one often signified that the Martial Artist had faced a near-death experience while absorbing a Soul Crystal.

As the top Soul Refiners and geniuses from the major kingdoms, everyone present was considered knowledgeable and worldly. Yet, the sight of someone like Ye Xuan manifesting three golden star rings at once was something they had not only never seen, but had never even heard of.

It wasn’t just them; Luan Hong and the other three from the Profound Mystery Sect were also completely stunned.

Their perspective could be said to be far superior to that of anyone in the Thirteen Nations Alliance, but at this moment, the shock in their hearts was a raging tempest.

Amid the crowd’s shocked murmurs, empowered by the three golden rings, a layer of Rock Armor suddenly materialized over Ye Xuan’s body, blocking Ge Lihui’s terrifying strike. Seizing the instant Ge Lihui was frozen in shock, Ye Xuan countered with a palm strike that slammed viciously into Ge Lihui’s chest.

With a loud CRACK, Ge Lihui was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string, all under the stunned gaze of the crowd. The robes over his chest burst apart, and the distinct sound of breaking bones could be heard. He coughed up a mouthful of blood before crashing wretchedly to the ground, stained and battered.

Silence!

A dead silence. Everyone stared blankly at the scene, utterly dumbfounded.

"Chairman Ge Lihui, I wonder... am I qualified enough to occupy this teleportation array now?" Ye Xuan stood in the center of the array, looking down with disdain at the fallen Ge Lihui, his expression full of pride.

The crowd erupted.

The ensuing clamor was like a peal of thunder, shaking the very clouds.

All the surrounding Soul Refiners stared blankly, first at the wretched Ge Lihui on the ground, then at the proud, upright figure of Ye Xuan, their eyes filled with a mixture of shock and excitement.

At that moment, Ye Xuan stood like a veritable War God, so imposing that for a long while, no one dared to approach.

"He... he really defeated Chairman Ge Lihui," Yun Aoxue murmured. Even though she knew Ye Xuan was strong, this outcome was beyond anything she had expected.

A faint smile touched the corners of Xia Qixi’s lips. ’I knew he could do it.’

As for the disciples from the other kingdoms, their faces were a mask of bitter dismay, their gazes vacant.

Ye Xuan’s achievements in the field of Soul Refining were already so great that they felt no hope of ever comparing themselves to him. They never imagined that his prowess in martial arts would be even more terrifying.

’Is this guy even human? How did he train? Even if he started cultivating in the womb, at less than twenty years old, he shouldn’t have been a match for Chairman Ge Lihui.’

The thought that they had to compete in the same event as this monster filled them with a bitter sense of despair.

Compared to Ye Xuan, even the strongest among them was but a firefly before the brilliant moon—there was simply no basis for comparison.

"Heh heh, a true hero emerges from the young. Impressive, most impressive!"

A resonant laugh broke the silence as Chairman Tai Xin of Wushang Kingdom slowly walked out and approached the teleportation array.

’Does Chairman Tai Xin want to challenge Ye Xuan, too?’

Seeing this, the crowd grew excited once more.

In terms of overall power, Wushang Kingdom and Mu Zhen Country were roughly equals, and the status of Chairman Tai Xin and Chairman Ge Lihui wasn’t far apart either. However, based on performances at previous Floating Light Assemblies, Chairman Tai Xin’s personal strength was actually considered to be a cut above Chairman Ge Lihui’s.

Now that Ye Xuan had defeated Ge Lihui, among all the remaining chairmen, only Tai Xin was truly qualified to step forward. Thus, his advance was met with immense anticipation.

’Even though Ye Xuan just defeated Ge Lihui,’ he thought, ’Ge Lihui lost because he didn’t warm up properly and was too arrogant at the start. Then he lost his composure. On top of that, Ge Lihui’s greatest strength is overwhelming opponents with brute force, but Ye Xuan’s martial soul just happens to specialize in defense.’

’It was the combination of these factors that led to the shocking outcome of a respected chairman losing to a mere disciple.’

After this analysis, Tai Xin was confident that he could definitely defeat Ye Xuan.

However, he hadn’t stepped forward to challenge Ye Xuan. After all, with such astonishing talent, Ye Xuan was destined to become one of the top experts in the Thirteen Nations Alliance. Making an enemy of such a person right from the start was not Tai Xin’s style.

Arriving in front of Ye Xuan, Tai Xin clasped his hands in salute. "Young brother Ye Xuan, to think you could defeat Ge Lihui all by yourself. It was truly an eye-opening experience. In the entire history of our Thirteen Nations Alliance, I have never seen a young man like you. A true young hero, indeed."

Ye Xuan frowned, unsure of what Tai Xin was getting at. But since his attitude wasn’t openly hostile, Ye Xuan remained silent.

Tai Xin continued with a smile, "I have seen your strength, young brother Ye Xuan. You are certainly qualified to occupy this teleportation array. However, with so many experts here, I’m afraid you can’t rest easy just yet. So, I have a proposal. Since you’ve already secured your spot, why don’t you give the remaining two to my Wushang Kingdom? If you do, I, Tai Xin, guarantee that this teleportation array will be ours to keep."

Hearing this, the onlookers immediately understood his intentions and inwardly marveled at his cunning. If Ye Xuan agreed, then with their combined strength, they could absolutely hold this final teleportation array. No one would dare challenge them.

Not only would Tai Xin avoid fighting Ye Xuan, but he would also gain two spots for free. At that moment, many Soul Refiners from other kingdoms were kicking themselves. ’Why didn’t I think of that?’ 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Now, it all depended on whether Ye Xuan would agree. In everyone’s mind, there was no reason for him to refuse.

Ye Xuan had been listening patiently, but after hearing Chairman Tai Xin’s proposal, a mocking expression flickered across his face.

’And here I was, wondering what he was going to say,’ Ye Xuan thought. ’Turns out he just wants something for nothing, thinking he can just take the remaining two spots. Does he really take me for a three-year-old?’

"Aoxue, come on up."

Ignoring Tai Xin completely, Ye Xuan called directly to Yun Aoxue, who was off-stage.

"Me?" Yun Aoxue was taken aback for a moment, but she reacted quickly, appearing on the stage with a WHOOSH.

Tai Xin hadn’t expected Ye Xuan to ignore him so completely. A flicker of hostility flashed deep within his eyes.

’For me to come up and greet him personally was already showing him immense respect,’ he fumed internally. ’But not only is he ungrateful, he’s calling up another disciple from Liuyun Kingdom. It’s obvious he has no intention of leaving the other spots for me.’

"Young brother Ye Xuan, do you really think you can defend this teleportation array all by yourself? You had better reconsider my proposal. Look, I won’t ask for the spots for free. I’ll give you one million Profound Coins for the remaining two. How about it?"

Tai Xin suppressed his anger and spoke coolly, his voice now laced with a subtle warning.

"Scram!" Ye Xuan couldn’t be bothered to waste words on Tai Xin, spitting out a single word.

’Of course,’ Ye Xuan thought, ’the only reason Tai Xin offered a million Profound Coins was to save face. But a million Profound Coins is nothing to any Soul Refiner here, not even the disciples. What’s the difference between offering that paltry sum and asking for the spots for free? It’s just a pathetic attempt to maintain appearances.’

Ye Xuan was beginning to understand. ’Seems like anyone who becomes the chairman of a kingdom’s Soul Master Tower is a treacherous old fox. Not a single one of them is any good.’

Upon hearing Ye Xuan’s reply, Tai Xin’s face flushed crimson. He couldn’t believe it. ’After I’ve been so patient and accommodating, he still dares to be this disrespectful! I offered him a million Profound Coins! He should be grateful!’