Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Hundreds of Core Formation cultivators were also watching.

After watching his match, someone asked the person next to them, "Is he Qianqiu's disciple?"

The person being asked nodded.

No wonder.

Master Qianqiu did not come.

He went into seclusion again, preparing to break through to the peak of the Core Formation stage.

The next step is Nascent Soul Formation, which is extremely difficult and has blocked countless cultivators.

Lin Zhao shook his head. In truth, compared to Master Qianqiu, he was the real ascetic.

Today is the thirtieth game.

The opponent is Jiang Wan.

They were also from their year.

Speaking of which, the level of cultivators in his generation was indeed high, and there were quite a few with strong abilities.

When Lin Zhao entered the arena, Jiang Wan was already standing in the center.

Clad in a moon-white robe, her skin radiant as snow, her black hair flowing like a waterfall. Her icy blue eyes were clear and pure. She stood there, emanating no spiritual energy, yet the air around her was noticeably cooler than elsewhere.

Jiang Wan. A direct descendant of the Jiang family. The Jiang family's patriarch was a prominent figure at the peak of the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm, and the family possessed profound cultural and historical foundations.

She and Qin Tianjun were geniuses of the same generation, equally renowned back then. It's just that Qin Tianjun's brilliance later overshadowed everyone else.

Lin Zhao clasped her hands in a salute, and Jiang Wan calmly returned the salute.

The competition begins.

Lin Zhao directly unleashed the Four Elements Five Mountains Dharma Domain, spreading out five-colored spiritual light, and the illusory images of the five mountains appeared in the air. The Sword Dragon, Yinglong, and Nine Luminaries Heavenly Dragon burst out from the Dharma Domain, their three dragon roars shaking the eight directions, causing ripples to appear in the barrier of the arena.

Jiang Wan raised her hand and waved it lightly, and a magical artifact appeared out of thin air in her palm—

Ice Ruler.

The jade is crystal clear, three feet long and two fingers wide, with flowing ice-blue patterns on its body, resembling a frozen river.

It's another third-tier magic weapon.

She simply nodded slightly in Lin Zhao's direction.

There was no surge of spiritual energy, no unusual phenomena, and not a single sign whatsoever.

But the next moment, Lin Zhao's domain of power suddenly froze.

The five-colored spiritual light froze in mid-air, like a painting that had been paused; the five mountain phantoms remained motionless, and the four colors of light—earth, water, fire, and wind—were frozen in place, like flames that had been extinguished.

Not just the legal domain.

The three spiritual bodies of the Sword Dragon, the Yinglong, and the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Dragon stood frozen in place at the same time, their mouths wide open, their wings outstretched, and lightning condensing in the air, like insects trapped in amber.

All spiritual energy within a ten-mile radius of the arena was frozen.

Lin Zhao looked down at her hands.

His internal spiritual energy could still circulate, but it was extremely difficult to circulate—his control over external spiritual energy had been forcibly severed.

Jiang Wan's Ice Ruler does not freeze the physical body, but rather the spiritual power itself, the flow of spiritual energy in heaven and earth.

Lin Zhao looked up.

Jiang Wan did not take advantage of the situation to attack. She simply stood quietly in place, her icy blue eyes showing no killing intent or fighting spirit, only a calm waiting.

She was waiting, waiting for him to admit defeat, or for him to find a way to break the deadlock.

Lin Zhao closed his eyes and released his divine sense with a roar.

A surge of divine sense, at the Core Formation level, swept across the entire arena. He no longer attempted to manipulate the frozen external spiritual energy, but instead focused all his energy on activating the spiritual power within his body, firmly controlling the portion of power within his domain that belonged to him.

Although the domain was frozen, its foundation was his divine sense and spiritual power. As long as his divine sense was strong enough, he could forcibly "pull" this frozen domain back.

This is a pure contest of divine will. It's not about the strength of spiritual power, but about who has the stronger control over their soul.

Lin Zhao's spiritual sense was comparable to that of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator, and Jiang Wan was no less so. The two were locked in a power struggle from a distance, vying for control of spiritual energy.

The frozen brilliance gradually cracked.

Starting from the edge of the domain, ice patterns spread across the five-colored spiritual light, becoming denser and larger, and in an instant, they covered the entire domain.

A crisp cracking sound.

"Snap—"

Like a frozen lake suddenly shattering.

The Dharma Domain instantly resumed its flow, the five-colored spiritual light surged again, the illusory images of the Five Sacred Mountains slowly rotated, and the three spiritual bodies also revived in response. The Sword Dragon shook its head, the Yinglong flapped its wings, and the Nine Luminaries Heavenly Dragon's lightning rekindled.

Everything returned to normal.

Jiang Wan slowly put away the Ice Ruler.

"I surrender."

His voice was clear, cold, and flat, without the slightest ripple.

Her eyes were calm, showing no regret for her defeat, and she turned and walked straight off the stage.

Lin Zhao looked at her, her feelings somewhat complicated.

The opponent truly lived up to his reputation as a genius who was once on par with Qin Tianjun; his divine sense had even reached the Core Formation level.

The patriarch of the Jiang family was at the peak of the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. The foundation of this Nascent Soul family was indeed unfathomable.

Jiang Wan was not even the strongest in their class.

The undisputed strongest person is Qin Tianjun, whom he has not yet encountered.

In the days that followed, Lin Zhao fought seventy-two matches and won all seventy-two. She didn't lose a single one.

But he knew the real test was yet to come.

Today's list of opponents includes a name: Qin Tianjun.

He was the strongest of his generation. From the time he entered the Hall of Inquiry, Qin Tianjun had always been ahead of everyone else.

It's not just a slight lead, it's a huge lead.

Almost every student in the same cohort would unconsciously change their tone when mentioning this name—some would express admiration, some resentment, and some helplessness.

He possesses a metal-elemental celestial spiritual root, an innate nine-sword spiritual body, and a five-elemental spiritual body achieved through postnatal foundation building. He has comprehended sword intent and is born into the Nascent Soul Qin family.

Lin Zhao took a deep breath.

Let's see if he's stronger, or if I'm stronger.

---

The arena was still the same arena. It was paved with azure stone, and the restricted patterns on the edges shimmered with a bluish light.

But today, the viewing stands around the arena were packed with people, and even the aisles were filled with disciples. Most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the sect were present.

On one side is the sect's most recognized prodigy of his generation, who possesses the Nascent Soul inheritance; on the other side is a newly risen, terrifying prodigy who is rumored to have killed a Core Formation cultivator.

This fierce battle has already captured the attention of all Foundation Establishment disciples.

When Lin Zhao stepped into the arena, Qin Tianjun was already waiting on the opposite side. He had a handsome face, sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a tall and straight posture, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.

The two looked at each other.

There were no small talk, no formalities.

The referee waved to begin.

The arena fell silent instantly. Neither of them made a move, and only the buzzing of the array's restrictions could be heard.

The next instant, they both moved.

In the first phase, both of them chose to fight head-on.

They were all sword cultivators, and they had all comprehended the sword intent. Neither of them was willing to back down on the way of the sword.

Qin Tianjun flipped his hand and took out a white jade sword, a top-grade second-tier sword. The blade was as smooth and warm as mutton fat, and a faint golden spiritual light flowed around the edge.

Lin Zhao uses the Azure Lotus Sword.

The two of them took a step forward at the same time.

clang--!

The first sword strike clashed head-on, sparks flew, and a visible shockwave exploded where the two swords collided.

Clang clang clang clang clang—!

The sounds of metal clashing mingled together as two figures darted and weaved rapidly through the air, sword energy crisscrossing and blue and white spiritual light scattering wildly.

They fought from one end of the arena to the other, from the ground to mid-air, bouncing back after hitting the barrier, yet the battle continued relentlessly.

The Qinggang Stone ground was a terrible sight, riddled with deep trenches cleaved by sword energy. The flying stones were then crushed into powder by subsequent sword energy, leaving it pitted and uneven as if plowed by a raging wind.

The protective barrier rippled continuously under the violent impact, its runes flashing wildly as it desperately absorbed the overflowing terrifying sword energy.

Lin Zhao, however, found it increasingly difficult to fight.

It wasn't that he was weak, but rather that Qin Tianjun's swordsmanship was too fast, too dense, and too absolute. Every strike was precise and sharp, leaving no room for error. The swords moved seamlessly together, flowing like water, perfectly natural, without the slightest flaw.