On the Chuyun Platform, in the main arena.

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

​​

"Zhou Tianshen!"

Two tall and slender figures walked over under the light of the setting sun. Zhou Tianshen's waiting area wasn't far away from Xu Xiaoshou's. Their eyes met the moment they walked out of their respective waiting areas.

Xu Xiaoshou saw that his opponent was carrying a blade that was taller than he was. He also saw the desire to battle in his opponent's eyes and nodded with satisfaction.

It looked like his opponent wasn't going to admit defeat.

That was natural. Whoever won this match would advance to the top 16. Who would give up on that chance?

Zhou Tianshen was born with a handsome face. He had practiced the gold domineering blade technique for many years, and was charismatic, which gave him a youthful ferocity. Many female disciples squealed when he walked out.

In the arena, he gently stabbed his wide, tall, and golden blade into the ground. Then, he propped both of his hands on the blade's guard and lifted his head slightly.

"Acquired-stage Sword Will, Innate-stage physical body…

"Xu Xiaoshou, I, Zhou Tianshen, will admit that you're very powerful!

"In the Outer Yard, you're the only one who has the right to be ranked below me as rank five on the Windcloud Scoreboard!"

The audience was in an uproar. Several people were overwhelmed by Zhou Tianshen's cold, arrogant aura.

When Zhou Tianshen spoke, he left no room for doubt. Coupled with his abilities as the fighter ranked fourth on the Windcloud Scoreboard, he did seem exceptionally overbearing.

Xu Xiaoshou gave a calm smile.

For the first time, someone was provoking him first after taking the stage instead of him having to provoke them. It was exceptionally refreshing.

Without waiting for Xu Xiaoshou to speak, Zhou Tianshen continued and said, "But, my target this time is rank one."

"So, you have to submit to my blade!"

After saying this, Zhou Tianshen pulled out the golden blade from the ground and pointed it at Xu Xiaoshou. A boundless, pulsing Blade Will surged out of his blade.

Crack, crack!

The Blade Will ravaged the surroundings, and the area around the arena was ripped apart.

"Acquired-stage Blade Will!"

Everyone in the spectator seats instantly trembled, and all of them had looks of disbelief on their faces.

"When did Zhou Tianshen learn the Acquired-stage Blade Will? My God!"

"Judging from how well he can control it, he must have mastered it more than a year ago. Xu Xiaoshou's in danger this time.

"He could rival an Innate-stage fighter just with this Blade Will. I thought he was boasting when he said he was aiming for the top spot. But now it might…"

Xiao Qixiu was also startled. This person had hidden his abilities well. No one from the group stage or preliminary stage had forced him to use his full powers?

If it weren't for Xu Xiaoshou being his opponent, he could've hidden his Acquired-stage Blade will until after he reached the finals.

Xu Xiaoshou's calm smile stiffened. What was going on?

An Acquired-stage Blade Will?

And he can control it at will?

He remembered that his Fleeting White Cloud would instantly deplete his spiritual strength, while his opponent…

There was no such possibility!

However, he couldn't lose in terms of spirit, so Xu Xiaoshou twitched his lips into a smile and said, "Junior Zhou, don't be too overconfident."

Zhou Tianshen's lethal Blade Will suddenly halted, and everyone watching immediately burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, it looks like Xu Xiaoshou must be one of the oldest people in the Outer Yard!"

"One of the oldest? He is the last of his batch. Those more experienced than him have all already entered the Inner Yard, while those weaker than him wouldn't have been able to make it to the advancement stage!"

"That's right. Then isn't Xu Xiaoshou the most senior disciple in the Outer Yard?"

"In theory, that should be the case. However, in his three years at the Outer Yard, he never once showed his abilities. And he was almost kicked out of the Spirit Palace…"

"I don't know why he suddenly had such a showing. He's a true dark horse. It's like his body's been taken over by someone else!"

"Hahaha, you sure are funny. Taken over!"

"If we think about it that way, even strong fighters like Mo Mo and Zhao Qingteng are considered juniors in front of him… Haha, I can't stand it any longer. Look at Zhou Tianshen. His expression's darkened!"

Zhou Tianshen's expression had darkened, but his Blade Will had become much more lethal. Xiao Qixiu saw that the situation had reached its breaking point and immediately waved his arm.

"Battle, start!"

"Wait!" Zhou Tianshen said coldly while holding his blade horizontally, putting a damper on Xiao Qixiu's high spirits.

The crowd was curious. "Were these candidates negatively influenced by Xu Xiaoshou?" they thought. "Why are they all acting so strangely?

"Why is he talking instead of fighting?

"There's something I have to clarify before the battle starts," Zhou Tianshen said. "Even though Wen Chong was despicable for launching a sneak attack on you yesterday, you shouldn't have taken his life. You could've just lightly punished him, but you took such a merciless approach instead!"

He pointed his blade at Xu Xiaoshou, a righteous look in his eyes. "In my eyes, you're a despicable lowlife who'll never amount to anything great!"

Xu Xiaoshou wanted to wrap a coat around Zhou Tianshen. He said nonchalantly, "This is why you wanted to mock me before the battle? To conquer my mind before my body?"

Zhou Tianshen froze. He nearly choked, "I didn't intend to break your spirit before defeating you. I was merely stating facts!"

"Hehe, did you get close to the arena that day? Did you get a good look at the incident?

"You don't know anything," Xu Xiaoshou rambled on, "Yet you spouted nonsense and slandered me the moment you stepped into the arena. Will you be justified in killing me if I said I intentionally killed Wen Chong?"

"No, it's not like that!"

Zhou Tianshen was flustered. He shifted from side to side with his blade in hand. His face was red. He seemed to want to say something but didn't know what to say.

"That's enough!" Xu Xiaoshou shouted, shaking his head. His aura was imposing as he said, "I know what you're going to say next. You're going to say that I have a glib tongue!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Hehe, people like you always like to stand on a moral high ground and criticize others, yet you've never once thought that your so-called words of justice are the true blades that pierce a person's heart!"

Zhou Tianshen repeatedly stepped backward, and his eyes dimmed. His Blade Will had been completely overpowered by Xu Xiaoshou. He fiercely lifted his sword and straightened up his posture. He wasn't going to talk anymore.

"Why?" Xu Xiaoshou turned the tables and asked, "You speak when you're not supposed to and can't win in an argument against me after speaking. You can't even outtalk me, and now you want to attack me?"

Zhou Tianshen held his blade in his hand. He didn't know whether to attack Xu Xiaoshou or not. He was at a loss, and felt extremely embarrassed.

Xu Xiaoshou looked calm on the surface, but he was laughing maniacally on the inside. He'd already guessed that Zhou Tianshen was someone with a one-track mind.

He was a person who touted justice and was extremely passionate. He usually only saw things at face value or would frequently be used by other people after being misled. He was so dumb it was cute.

Everyone in the spectator seats was shocked. Xu Xiaoshou's words were not only the best reply he could've given to yesterday's events, but it also confused the thoughts of those still suspicious of him.

"Hng hng, that Xu Xiaoshou is so pitiful. I was wrong about him!"

"That detestable Zhou Tianshen is trash! Shameless! He wants to break Xu Xiaoshou's mind before defeating him!"

"Oh, f***! You guys must be mad. Isn't the one who's doing the spirit-breaking here Xu Xiaoshou?"

"My God, how can he say it like that? I nearly fell for his trick. Fight on, Zhou Tianshen! Don't be fooled by him! Cleave him with your blade!"

In the arena, Xu Xiaoshou saw that his opponent was hesitating and looked like he was about to admit defeat. He suddenly realized that he had gone a little too far, and he quickly spoke again.

"Junior Zhou, even though we can't always look at things at face value, as a Spiritual Cultivator you must never admit defeat once you step into an arena.

"You have to know this. Giving up before a battle is a great disrespect to one's opponent, and running away without battling is a humiliation to Spiritual Cultivators. Raising one's hands to surrender is a black stain on one's life!"

He flailed his sleeves and looked exceptionally charismatic. His words were spirited.

On the other side, Zhou Tianshen looked like a weight had been lifted from his chest. He grabbed onto his golden blade, his eyes blazing with the desire to battle once again. He clasped his hands and said, "Senior Xu, thank you for the lesson!"

Xu Xiaoshou nodded slightly, as though he did see Zhou Tianshen as a teachable student.

Xiao Qixiu was speechless.