"Tang Yan, do your best." Lin Dongxue pumped her fist!

"For the sake of our wager, I will give it my all." Tang Yan winked.

Seeing Tang Yan's wicked smile, how could Lin Dongxue not know what he was thinking? She gave a light scoff and ignored him.

Stepping onto the arena, Tang Yan looked at Fang Xuan standing opposite him. He cupped his hands and said, "Yun City's Tang Yan, please advise."

"Fang Xuan." Fang Xuan returned the courtesy.

"The duel begins!" the red-robed elder commanded.

"I have to say, your luck is truly quite good. To think two women in a row would forfeit the match for you." Fang Xuan's tone was gentle, but his words hid needles in cotton.

Tang Yan naturally heard Fang Xuan subtly mocking him for relying on women to get this far. With a faint smile, Tang Yan shot back, "Compared to Young Master Fang's luck in the draw, my luck still falls a bit short."

A sharp glint flashed through Fang Xuan's eyes. "Indeed, my luck is better than yours, because your good luck is about to run out!"

With that, Fang Xuan's aura surged. The aura of a peak Black Rank Fourth Grade instantly erupted. Executing a footwork technique, his figure transformed into a gust of wind as he charged at Tang Yan with magnificent momentum.

"So strong!" Feeling the peak Fourth Grade aura, the crowd cried out in alarm.

Tang Yan's eyes narrowed, watching Fang Xuan warily. This man had charged over first but was in no rush to attack, making it impossible to judge the direction of his strike.

If he waited to strike until he was right beside him, Tang Yan would be forced to defend. Since there was already a gap in their strength, falling into a disadvantage would make it very difficult to turn the tables.

This person was meticulous and possessed rich combat experience. Since he dared to conceal his move, his impending strike would clearly be lightning-fast.

Tang Yan made a rapid judgment in his mind, his eyes growing increasingly sharp. No matter how well you calculate, I'll bet your speed is no match for mine!

Staring intently at the charging Fang Xuan, Tang Yan saw his left shoulder twitch upward. A cold sneer curled the corner of Tang Yan's mouth. A flaw exposed!

The Vortex Dantian spun rapidly, continuously gathering the True Qi within his body toward his right fist. Phantom Step swiftly unfolded as he threw a punch into the empty space ahead.

Fang Xuan's pupils contracted. The trajectory of Tang Yan's punch perfectly sealed off the path of his intended strike.

Did this guy just guess, or did he actually see through it?

Boom!

A dull explosion of air rang out.

When the crowd realized that Tang Yan had taken Fang Xuan's blow head-on and remained completely unscathed, their eyes went wide in shock.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The Combat Heart began to circulate. Relying solely on the strength of a peak Black Rank Third Grade, Tang Yan fought Fang Xuan to a standstill.

He really does have some skill! Fang Xuan was exceptionally surprised by Tang Yan's strength, but he still didn't believe Tang Yan truly had the power to match him.

"Green Mountain Fist!" Fang Xuan shouted softly, unleashing a Middle Grade Origin Rank martial skill toward Tang Yan.

Tang Yan's heart tightened. Was this guy adopting Wan Fei's battle strategy-rapidly firing off low-grade martial skills to build an early advantage, forcing him into a fluster before unleashing a killing move to finish him off?

Tang Yan's worry was soon proven correct.

After a few exchanges, Fang Xuan brought out a High Grade Origin Rank martial skill.

Tang Yan's eyes turned cold. He drew in a breath of True Qi, spun around, and threw an elbow and a punch, barely blocking Fang Xuan's assault.

Although the crowd below the stage was surprised by Tang Yan's impressive combat prowess, seeing him reduced to purely defending, they abandoned any hope of him winning.

Following another clash, Fang Xuan had accumulated a considerable advantage. With a light shout, a crimson light suddenly flared around his fist. "Blazing Flame Fist!"

A fiery red gale completely enveloped Fang Xuan's right fist. Radiating waves of intense heat, he smashed it viciously toward Tang Yan.

"This is where it ends!" A smug smile surfaced on Fang Xuan's lips. As his martial skills grew continuously stronger, Tang Yan was struggling more and more to keep up.

His opponent had barely caught his last technique; his Dantian was likely trembling and unstable. How could he possibly withstand an even stronger strike?

The experience he had copied from Wan Fei was truly effective!

Tang Yan sneered inwardly. Ends here?

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

Phantom Step carried Tang Yan backward four paces in the blink of an eye, right before his figure stomped forward.

Thud!

The fifth strike of the Thousand Mountains Fist swiftly took shape. Wrapped in terrifying power, it rose to meet Fang Xuan's fist.

Just as their fists were about to collide, the trajectory of Tang Yan's punch shifted like a phantom, aiming straight for the back of Fang Xuan's hand.

This was the exact spot where the Qi flow of Fang Xuan's Blazing Flame Fist was at its weakest!

Boom!

As the gale dispersed, Tang Yan's stance remained perfectly steady. Fang Xuan had not gained the slightest advantage!

Fang Xuan was quite astonished. The slight contempt he had harbored earlier gradually dissolved into deep solemnity.

"Your combat abilities are indeed excellent. Your basic attacks and martial skills connect flawlessly, and you excel at exploiting your opponent's weaknesses. With these advantages, you can completely make up for your lack of raw strength, even defeating a superior foe.

"But in the face of absolute power, all techniques are futile!"

Fang Xuan spoke calmly as the aura around him shifted once more. "Forcing me to use my true power-even if you lose, I acknowledge you as a worthy opponent."

"Black Rank Fifth Grade!"

The crowd below widened their eyes, utterly shaken. Fang Xuan was only in his early twenties, yet he had already stepped into the Fifth Grade. With such talent, reaching the Heaven Rank in the future was entirely possible.

This time, Tang Yan was guaranteed to lose!

Feeling the immense pressure, Tang Yan breathed a light sigh. Although he had long predicted there would be Black Rank Fifth Grade experts in the Grand Competition, actually facing one still felt an immense pressure bearing down on him!

"It is truly over." Fang Xuan's hands formed seals, and the surrounding air currents converged in front of him. These currents were compressed over and over again, ultimately forming a terrifying power within his palm.

With a deep shout, Fang Xuan pushed out an unstoppable palm strike!

With a gap of two grades, and an opponent whose combat experience was by no means weak, Tang Yan did not dare be careless.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Spinning rapidly six times, the sixth strike of the Thousand Mountains Fist materialized.

Tang Yan knew clearly that even though the Thousand Mountains Fist had been honed to Transcendence under the waterfall, it still fell short against Fang Xuan, who was now unleashing a Black Rank martial skill.

Whether in martial skill or raw strength, he held no advantage.

It was about to end... The hearts of everyone in the crowd, which had been hanging in suspense, finally prepared to settle.

"Fang Xuan's talent is quite good, and his battle tactics are highly strategic. Within the same realm, he would be hard-pressed to find a match." Mo Bin praised with a smile. "So young, yet already at Black Rank Fifth Grade. His future achievements will be limitless."

Hearing Elder Mo's praise, Fang Wentian was overjoyed. His son's admission into the Azure Dragon Academy was now practically guaranteed.

"There is always someone stronger. My son still has much to learn." Fang Wentian offered a humble reply.

...

Facing an opponent as powerful as Fang Xuan, once he fell into a disadvantage, making a comeback would be extremely difficult.

Tang Yan did not hesitate. A smear of bone-white flame suddenly leaped out in front of his fist.

A massive spiritual attack surged violently toward Fang Xuan.

Caught entirely off guard, Fang Xuan felt his mind go blank. The supply of True Qi within his body scattered, and his aura instantly plummeted.

Boom!

Stagger, stagger! The violent gale generated by the collision of their martial skills blasted both of them back two steps.