When I first entered high school, the system insisted that I was destined to be an emperor in my lat

at the same time.

Zhenyuan Martial Arts School, Central Arena.

After a night's rest, the quarterfinals officially began!

The atmosphere inside the venue had been incredibly hot and restless since early morning.

The round of 15 to 8 is a tough battle every time.

Not to mention, the match schedule still features those names that have everyone on tenterhooks.

Secretary Kim stood in the center of the ring, his voice echoing throughout the arena: "The quarterfinals, Match 1!"

"Song Haoze, from the public Wuhan High School!"

"Facing Private Martial Arts High School, Jin Muyang!"

Song Haoze, dressed in a blue robe and carrying a three-foot-long green peak on his back, stepped onto the stage with unhurried steps.

Among the six people who advanced from the public martial arts high school, he was always the most silent one.

He kept a low profile, winning yesterday's qualifying match quietly, so much so that many people couldn't even remember his face.

On the opposite side, Jin Muyang strode onto the stage.

The boy was tall and straight like a pine tree, with short, fiery red hair like the blazing sun, a golden mark on his forehead, and eyes that shone with an astonishing brightness.

Rank 4, Star 8!

Among the top fifteen, he is one of the people with the highest apparent cultivation level.

"A player who concedes defeat, falls to the ground, or loses the ability to fight is declared the loser."

"On the fighting stage, everyone must rely on their own skills, but stop when the point is reached and never kill your opponent!"

"I hereby declare the match... open!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Secretary Kim jumped off the stage and handed the ring over to the two of them.

"I've long wanted to experience the swordsmanship of the number one young member of the Song family."

Jin Muyang grinned.

Song Haoze did not answer.

He simply reached out and grasped the hilt of the sword behind his back.

"Clang!"

The moment the longsword was drawn, his entire demeanor changed abruptly.

The previous silence and restraint vanished, replaced by an almost blinding brightness.

Innate sword bones, Saint-level physique!

His very presence was like a sword drawn from its sheath.

The sword technique was activated with a roar, and true energy surged along the sword meridian.

Song Haoze flicked his wrist and drew his sword first!

"The First Move of the Startling Rainbow, Dawn Breaks."

A sword aura shot out from the blade, piercing the sky like a rainbow, tearing through the airflow and emitting a sharp whistling sound!

"What a fine sword!"

Jin Muyang neither dodged nor evaded, and his internal energy technique, "Blazing Fiery Qi," began to circulate rapidly.

"boom!"

The intense heat burst forth from every pore of his body, making him appear as if he were enveloped in a layer of dancing flames from afar.

With a single punch, the fiery fist energy collided with the sword energy in mid-air!

"boom!!!"

Sparks flew everywhere, and shockwaves rolled!

With a sword and a fist, the two figures clashed rapidly on the arena.

Sword energy surged, fiery aura protected the body, and the sounds of metal clashing were as dense as a sudden downpour.

After thirty moves, Jin Muyang's sleeve suddenly ripped open, revealing a thin bloodstain on his forearm.

Injured by sword energy.

A fourth-rank, one-star soldier was injured, while a fourth-rank, eight-star soldier was also injured!

"Again!"

Instead of getting angry, Jin Muyang laughed, his fighting spirit surging in his eyes, and he stomped his feet hard on the ground.

"boom!"

He rose straight up from the ground and stood in mid-air!

A fourth-rank Grandmaster stood suspended in mid-air!

Without uttering a word, Song Haoze also leaped into the air.

The next instant, the battlefield shifted from the arena to mid-air!

Sword light and firelight collided wildly dozens of meters in the air, sword energy weaving together and fire raining down, illuminating the entire martial arts hall as bright as day.

"Wow! What a cool fight!"

"I never expected that the unknown Song Haoze would be so strong!"

"But Jin Muyang should be able to win, right?"

---

Front row of the audience.

Shen Weilan looked up for a long time, then suddenly turned her head and asked, "Brother, who do you think will win?"

Jiang Feng's gaze followed the two figures in the air, and he slowly shook his head.

"Jin Muyang".

Although Song Haoze is his teammate, Jin Muyang hasn't been playing at full strength in this match yet.

Song Haoze had barely broken through to the fourth rank three days ago, but was only at the one-star level.

Jin Muyang is already at the fourth rank and eighth star.

Even if the techniques are similar and the sword energy is sharp, in the end, it all comes down to true energy.

"Sword cultivators are unparalleled in offensive techniques among those of the same realm."

"Unfortunately, the battery life is too short."

---

The battle unfolded exactly as Jiang Feng had predicted.

After several dozen more moves, Song Haoze's swordplay remained sharp, but his sword energy was no longer as refined as it had been at the beginning.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his breathing grew heavier.

The speed of the sword strike was slightly slower.

In contrast, Jin Muyang's flames not only did not weaken, but burned even more fiercely, his aura long and unfathomable.

"I've had enough of your sword!"

In mid-air, Jin Muyang let out a long roar.

"Now, take this!"

The flames that had been raging around him suddenly subsided and poured into his right fist, turning his entire arm as red as a branding iron, with lion stripes visible beneath his skin.

King-rank superior martial arts skill—

"Raging Lion!"

A punch was thrown!

"roar!"

The flames left his fist and transformed into a raging lion over ten feet tall.

Its mane was fire, its fangs were flames, and it pounced down on Song Haoze, causing the air along its path to crackle and pop!

Song Haoze's pupils suddenly contracted.

There is no way out.

He gritted his teeth and poured all his remaining true energy into the three-foot-long green peak!

"Nine Forms of Rainbow - Return to One!"

The nine sword lights merged into one, and an extremely dazzling sword aura soared into the sky, directly slashing at the lion's head!

"boom!"

The sword energy pierced three inches into the lion's head.

Then, they could not get any further in.

My internal energy is almost depleted.

The fiery lion, its momentum undiminished, slammed into the sword he was parrying.

The longsword let out a mournful cry, Song Haoze's tiger's mouth split open, and he flew out of the arena like a kite with a broken string!

At the critical moment!

Jin Muyang, who was in mid-air, subtly shifted his gaze and quietly withdrew his fist.

The ferocious fire lion was mostly destroyed when it caught up with Song Haoze.

The remaining force still blasted Song Haoze out of the ring, but did not damage his meridians or foundation.

A figure quietly appeared below the arena.

Jiang Feng reached out and gently lifted the person, absorbing the remaining force and catching them steadily.

Song Haoze steadied himself and turned to look at him.

Thanks.

"Are you alright?"

Song Haoze shook his head and looked up at the stage.

On the stage, Jin Muyang stood with his fists folded, the flames completely extinguished, and bowed with clasped hands in a salute:

"You're too kind!"

Song Haoze remained silent for a moment, then sheathed his sword and returned the salute with clasped hands.

There was no anger, no resentment.

I am inferior in skill, but I accept it wholeheartedly.

But a flame of fighting spirit ignited in those usually calm eyes.

---

In the stands.

Lu Chenshan clapped his hands and nodded repeatedly.

"well!"

"One possesses a clear and discerning swordsmanship, the other wields it with complete control."

"These are the true young talents of Linchuan City!"

Even the usually picky Long Yuan rarely spoke up and praised him: "Although Song Haoze was defeated, his sword energy has already taken shape. Given time, his sword path will be limitless."

"Jin Muyang is a fourth-rank, eighth-star cultivator with true qi manifested in human form. He is a rare talent among the younger generation in Linchuan, unseen for ten years."

Huo Yuejun's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh: "These two are promising talents! If they could join our military and train for a few years, they would definitely become great generals in the future!"

Lu Chenshan glanced at him sideways and laughed, scolding, "Old Huo, the fight isn't even over yet, and you're already trying to steal people?"

In the stands, several bigwigs were laughing together.

In the center of the arena, Secretary Kim announced loudly, "In the first match of the quarterfinals, Jin Muyang has won!"

"Next game."

"Shen Weilan vs. Gao Yuanyuan!"