Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

Shen Jinghong raised her head and looked at Xia Jin, who was rubbing her right rib in the distance. The last trace of contempt in her eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity.

"What kind of technique was that just now?" Shen Jinghong asked with a stern face.

Xia Jin grimaced and rubbed her right rib, then looked up and laughed, "What, is Young Master Shen interested? It's just some petty tricks, nothing serious."

Shen Jinghong didn't say anything more, but just stared at him coldly.

At this moment, the high platform was also plunged into a deathly silence.

Pei Linhai, the city lord of Longyuan City, sat in a chair, the teacup in his hand crushed at some point.

His gaze was fixed on Xia Jin on the arena, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

That kid was only at the third level of the Immortal Ascension Realm, yet he fought Jinghong, who was at the fifth level of the Immortal Ascension Realm, to a standstill.

Even Jinghong was injured?

How is that possible?

The smile on Teng Qingya's face, the city lord of Jinhui City, had vanished without a trace. Xia Jin's performance was a direct slap in the face to them. Their own men were eliminated by Shen Jinghong in a single move, while this young man from Yinsha City was evenly matched with Shen Jinghong.

Such a performance is disgraceful, utterly disgraceful!!

Pei Qianling, who had been standing behind Pei Linhai, stared wide-eyed, her mouth slightly agape, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't utter a word.

She had been expecting to see Xia Jin kneel down and beg for mercy, but what she saw before her eyes was completely beyond her imagination.

That bastard... he actually managed to fight my sworn brother to a draw?

No, that's not right. My sworn brother only suffered minor injuries, and that bastard was also sent flying by my sworn brother. At most, it was a draw.

Even so, it was enough to shock her.

A third-level Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator fighting a fifth-level Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator, a difference of two minor realms, yet they managed to fight to a draw?

How is that possible!

"Lord Jun."

Pei Linhai turned to look at the Grand Hall Master beside him, his voice seemingly tinged with annoyance.

"So you were the one who was hiding the truth all along. It seems we were all wrong about you from the start!"

The head monk sat in a chair, his expression somewhat complicated.

He glanced at Xia Jin on the stage, then at Pei Linhai beside him, and finally gave a bitter smile.

"Lord Pei, not to mention you, even I didn't expect this."

That's true.

The Grand Master did indeed think highly of Xia Jin, believing that this disciple from the temple possessed considerable talent and strength, and might pass the Cloud Academy's test. However, he never imagined that Xia Jin could be this strong.

He was at the third level of the Immortal Ascension Realm, yet he could fight against someone at the fifth level and even injure them.

This ability to take on challenges beyond one's level is beyond what can be described as "genius" even within Yun Gui County.

This is simply monstrous!

"Lord Jun, where did you find such a prodigy?" Teng Qingya couldn't help but ask. "How come I've never heard of this person before?"

The Grand Master smiled helplessly and offered no explanation.

He knew that no matter what he said, these people would think he was faking it. But that was the truth; he genuinely didn't know Xia Jin's true strength.

That young man never revealed his full strength to him from beginning to end.

"Interesting." Pei Linhai suddenly laughed, but the laugh seemed somewhat cold. "To achieve this level at the third level of the Immortal Ascension Realm, if he were to break through to the fifth level, wouldn't even the old guys at the seventh or eighth level of the Immortal Ascension Realm be no match for him?"

The Grand Master frowned slightly, sensing the unspoken meaning in Pei Linhai's words.

Is this implying that Xia Jin poses too great a threat?

"Lord Pei is joking," the Grand Hall Master said calmly. "The path of cultivation becomes increasingly difficult as you progress. The higher the realm, the greater the gap between minor realms. A third-level Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator can challenge a fifth-level Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator, but that doesn't mean a fifth-level Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator can challenge a seventh-level Immortal Ascension Realm cultivator. Lord Pei should understand this difference better than I do."

Pei Linhai glanced at the Grand Hall Master but remained silent.

But an invisible tension had already begun to build between them.

On the arena.

Shen Jinghong slowly wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her gaze toward Xia Jin growing increasingly cold.

That killing intent emanated from his body as if it were a tangible force, making Xia Jin feel a chill.

"I admit, I underestimated you. You are the first person among my peers who has ever been able to hurt me."

Xia Jin rubbed her right rib and laughed, "In that case, it really is my honor!"

Shen Jinghong ignored his teasing and continued coldly, "However, I won't hold back anymore. You deserve my full strength, but even with my full strength, you might not survive."

After he finished speaking, an even more terrifying aura erupted from Shen Jinghong's body.

Faced with this domineering aura, Xia Jin's smile slowly faded, and a genuine sense of seriousness flashed in her eyes.

"Then I'd like to see for myself," he slowly raised his right hand, and the white flames in his palm ignited again, but this time, the blue light flashing in the flames was more intense than before, "Just how far can Young Master Shen go with his full strength?"

Shen Jinghong didn't speak, but slowly raised her left hand and placed it on the layers of white bandages wrapped around her right hand.

a circle.

Two laps.

Three laps.

With each unwrapping of the bandages, an invisible force was released from Shen Jinghong's body, surging outwards like a tide.

The force grew stronger and more terrifying, as if some long-dormant beast was awakening.

Xia Jin's expression changed.

He felt an increasing pressure pressing down on him, like a mountain weighing on his shoulders, causing his knees to bend slightly.

His feet slowly sank into the hard stone surface of the arena.

The gravel shattered beneath his feet, making a harsh scraping sound.

Meanwhile, the bandage on Shen Jinghong's right arm continued to be unwrapped.

a circle.

Another lap.

The pressure was getting heavier and heavier.