After working for both the righteous and demonic factions, I became a big shot.

The competition continued, and Shen An's performance in the first match was so unexpected that his opponent in the next match was directly drawn from the Foundation Establishment zone to the Mixed zone.

This round's opponent is already at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, but he has suppressed his realm and is not in a hurry to advance because he is going to participate in the Inner Sect Competition.

Faced with such an opponent, Shen An's performance has become the most concerned topic. Some say he will stop here, while others believe that with Shen An's intelligence and observation skills, he can still turn danger into safety.

The audience seating area, the elders' platform.

This time, Fairy Lanyue did not leisurely lie down; instead, she got up and looked at the arena, her expression quite tense.

However, Youmingzi and Mo Wuyai, who were standing to the side, were quite optimistic about Shen An.

These two people had their eye on Shen An from the very beginning of the recruitment for the inner sect of Lanyue Peak, let alone now.

"Lan Yue, don't be nervous. I believe Shen An will definitely win," You Mingzi comforted him.

Mo Wuyai also spoke up: "I think Shen An can easily make it to the top 16, let alone the top 32 this time."

He had the highest cultivation level among them and could see many things. For example, Shen An's victory relied on various factors and observation, which many cultivators could not have imagined.

The Moon-Gazing Fairy didn't want to pay any attention to the two old men; she only cared about whether her disciple could succeed this time.

........

Shen An's expression on the arena was indeed not good. His opponent was Zhou Tu, a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the Great Perfection stage. He was the kind of demonic cultivator who had reached his level purely through killing and ruthless methods. Every move he made was so solid that no one could find the slightest flaw in his skills.

Moreover, this person had obviously studied his match. Before he went on stage, Shen An noticed that he swallowed a pill. Judging from the color of the pill, it was most likely an antidote.

Even the avenue of medication has been blocked!

Without saying much, Zhou Tu charged forward with a thick-backed broadsword at the referee's command.

His swordplay was steady and unpretentious, and with the first strike, he forced Shen An to the edge of the arena.

Shen An barely managed to dodge the attack thanks to the speed advantage of his shoes, but the blade grazed the hem of his clothes, creating a series of ear-piercing metallic clangs.

The onlookers in the audience gasped in shock. If that had actually hit them, a Foundation Establishment cultivator would have been cleaved in two.

The Moon-Embracing Fairy had already gripped the armrest tightly; she was ready to rescue the person. As for the rules, to hell with them.

On the stage, Shen An was forced to dodge left and right, looking extremely disheveled.

Zhou Tu's swordsmanship wasn't fast, but every strike was precisely aimed at Zhou Tu's dodge path, as if he had calculated in advance which way Zhou Tu would run.

After being forced back five or six steps, Shen An gradually calmed down.

He had seen this person's information before; those few moves just now were merely verification.

Data analysis shows that Zhou Tu's sword strikes were indeed solid, but he also had a rigid habit: before each swing, he would lower his waist and abdomen by an inch before exerting force.

Sink your waist, exert force, swing your knife—these three steps are unchanging, like fixed movements etched into your instincts.

Only in this way can his sword be both steady and terrifying!

This habit wouldn't be a weakness under normal circumstances, because the time from lowering the waist to swinging the knife is extremely short, and the opponent doesn't even have time to dodge.

But after Shen An dodged five or six knife strikes in succession and finished verifying the situation, this extremely short time difference had become a predictable distance in his eyes.

He launched his counterattack!

As Zhou Tu lowered his waist and was about to swing his sword, Shen An did not dodge to the side. Instead, he ducked forward and slipped under Zhou Tu's arm.

Zhou Tu's sword missed its mark, and he couldn't stop the momentum, so he actually staggered forward half a step.

Shen An had already stood firmly behind him, and with two fingers together, he pressed down on the weakest point in his lower back where his internal energy was circulating!

Zhou Tu froze, and the blade clattered to the ground.

The entire room fell silent.

Shen An stood behind him, withdrawing his hand, panting, his forehead damp with sweat at his temples.

Zhou Tu slowly turned around, his expression shifting from bewilderment to astonishment, and finally to a trace of resentment. He had already realized his weakness.

"I lost." Zhou Tu's voice was hoarse as he bent down to pick up the thick-backed knife. "How did you know?"

Shen An honestly replied, "Before each strike, my senior brother would lower his waist by an inch. I dodged six strikes and watched six times to figure it out."

Zhou Tu was silent for a while, then suddenly laughed: "You can remember something after seeing it only six times... Your eyesight is better than your cultivation level."

After he finished speaking, he walked off the stage without looking back, his back view showing a magnanimous demeanor.

"Thank you," Zhou Tu said as a final remark.

Although he lost the battle, he also won.

The audience reacted even slower this time than in the previous match, and a noisy discussion broke out only after the referee announced that Shen An had advanced.

The Moon-Embracing Fairy loosened her grip on the armrest, sat back in her chair, and took out the spirit melon seeds again to crack them open, unable to suppress the smile playing on her lips.

"My specially trained apprentice, isn't he amazing?"

I fought against a Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator in the early stages of Foundation Establishment and won. It doesn't matter how I won, as long as I won.

After Shen An stepped off the stage and returned to the Lanyue Peak rest area, Sikong Ying handed him a pot of water: "The next round will be even more difficult."

At this rate, Shen An will definitely be a Golden Core stage opponent in the next match.

Shen An took a sip of water and nodded; he had already made his plans.

He just revealed another card on stage; those who are paying attention have already noticed the speed advantage of those shoes.

As the fighting continues, there will be fewer and fewer things to hide.

But it's still no problem for me to prove my master right.

.......

Sure enough, the opponent Shen An drew the next day was a Golden Core cultivator in the early stage!

"Feng Liao from Yuhuo Peak."

After Shen An drew this person's name, his information flashed through his mind.

The Fire Control Peak and the Moon Embracing Peak have always been at odds, and have even fought to the death. Feng Liao's fire control techniques are so refined that even ordinary mid-stage Golden Core cultivators would find it difficult to resist.

Moreover, these types of cultivators are generally immune to most poisons, and even if you observe their weaknesses, it may be of no use if you use fire from too far away.

After all, Golden Core cultivators and Foundation Establishment cultivators are completely different. Golden Core cultivators have many weaknesses that, even if exposed, Foundation Establishment cultivators find difficult to overcome.

If he wins this battle, he will advance to the top 32 and fulfill his promise to his master.

Therefore, Shen An chose to make a breakthrough before the game.

Yes, right there in the rest area, Shen An opened and closed his eyes and broke through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, astonishing all his senior brothers and sisters.

"Even so, this person is still a Golden Core cultivator in the early stage. Junior Brother, why don't you admit defeat?" Xue Linglong advised.

Shen An shook his head: "Don't worry, Senior Sister. I will definitely be able to make our Lan Yue Peak stand up for itself, even if it's just a mere Yu Huo Peak."

He already had a plan, he just needed to see how hot this person's temper really was on the field.

As expected, after entering the arena, Shen An was chased and burned by fire for a full quarter of an hour before he finally had a chance to make a move.

His response was simple: he lunged at Feng Liao right at close range.

"Senior brother, I wonder what the effect would be if someone at the early stage of the Golden Core realm burned you with fire?"

..........