"Swish!"
As the referee announced the start of the match.
Yun Lange swiftly dashed forward with his long sword in hand.
Enhanced by his Dou Qi Gauze, his speed, strength, and other attributes were all boosted. Now executing the Cloud Mist Sect's Mystic Low-Rank Movement Skill, Ephemeral Step, his speed was so fast that it left afterimages in the air.
In just a few breaths, Yun Lange arrived before Gu Han. He stomped heavily on the ground, leaping high into the air, channeling the Dou Qi he had already gathered into his long sword. With a wild expression, he declared, "Gu Han, it's over."
Five cyan energy Sword Qi coalesced around the long sword, each splitting upon descent—one into two, two into four.
Dozens of sword rays, like scattered blossoms, sealed off all of Gu Han's escape routes head-on.
"Thousand Winds to Swords, a Mysterious Mid-Rank Dou Skill. Nephew has already mastered it to perfection. Truly impressive!" Yun Leng, seated on the high platform, commented without concealing his admiration.
Yun Sheng revealed a satisfied smile. "Lan Ge has always looked up to his two older brothers as role models and worked extremely hard. But his talent is actually somewhat superior to both of them."
"Facing a combination of two Mysterious Mid-Rank Dou Skills, even a three or four-star Dou Master would need to respond cautiously," remarked an elder friendly with Yun Sheng. "The outcome of this match is already decided."
"It is indeed decided," Yun Yun and Yun Shang suddenly spoke in unison.
The expressions of Yun Leng and the other Dou Kings and Dou Spirit Elders instantly turned serious.
On the arena, all the Dou Skill Sword Qi unleashed by Yun Lange passed right through Gu Han's body.
No, it would be more accurate to say they passed through his afterimage. His true form had instantly retreated three zhang, perfectly evading Yun Lange's attack.
Boom!
The Sword Qi struck the arena, raising a cloud of dust that obscured the combatants' vision.
But the spectators could clearly see Gu Han swiftly moving like a nimble serpent, his movements light and agile.
His speed was even faster than Yun Lange's earlier execution of Ephemeral Step, transforming into a bolt of lightning across the arena.
"Huh?"
Hearing the sound of rushing wind behind him, Yun Lange spun around just in time to see Gu Han completing a hand seal.
In the next moment, a frozen palm materialized in mid-air, expanding under the reinforcement of icy Heaven and Earth Energy, its imposing aura startling.
"Heaven and Earth Energy! A Profound High-Rank Dou Skill?!" Many experts' expressions shifted slightly.
It was well-known that the Cloud Mist Sect specialized in nurturing Wind Attribute cultivators, followed by Earth and Fire Attributes.
For rare variant attributes like Lightning or Ice, the sect's heritage was comparatively limited.
Yet Gu Han had executed a Profound High-Rank Dou Skill—this undoubtedly indicated he had encountered some remarkable fortune!
"Not good!"
Yun Lange instinctively raised his sword to block.
But the moment it made contact with the Icy Handprint, he was sent flying.
"Pfft!"
Landing at the edge of the arena, Yun Lange spat out a mouthful of blood. A layer of ice formed over his body, restricting his movements.
"My respects." Gu Han withdrew his hand and spoke calmly.
Hiss!
The arena filled with the sound of Cloud Mist Sect's ordinary disciples gasping in shock.
Gu Han had only displayed the cultivation of a Nine-Star Fighter, yet he had transcended ranks to defeat Yun Lange with a single move.
It must be understood that Yun Lange was no ordinary one-star Dou Master. He was a genius Dou Master with at least one High-Level Profound Rank Exercise, two Mysterious Mid-Rank Dou Skills, and guidance from his Dou King father. Even against a rogue mid-stage Dou Master, he would not fear.
Yet he was actually defeated by Gu Han while being at a lower cultivation stage—just how strong was this person!?
Could it be that Liu Suifeng was truly slain by Gu Han while being at a lower stage?
"Yun Lange..."
The presiding elder prepared to announce the match result.
After all, Yun Lange was quite injured. Gu Han had clearly held back at the end; otherwise, he could have inflicted greater injuries or seized the opportunity to press his advantage with a follow-up strike, against which the former would have been utterly unable to mount any effective defense.
Thus, Yun Lange had already lost.
But before the elder could finish speaking, Yun Lange swallowed a pill, a faint red glow enveloping his body as he melted the ice and angrily declared, "I haven't lost yet."
As he spoke, Yun Lange gripped his longsword and leaped high into the air, executing Thousand Winds to Swords with even greater speed.
This time, the cyan Sword Qi was tinged with a faint fiery glow.
"A third-grade pill, the Wind Flame Pill," Yao Lao's voice echoed in Xiao Yan's mind. "It can temporarily double the Dou Qi of wind or fire attribute cultivators, imbuing their Dou Qi with both fire and wind attributes—wind fueling the flames."
"The effects last for half an incense stick's time, with the side effect of being unable to control the Qi Cyclone or mobilize Dou Qi for three days."
"Are such pills allowed in this kind of setting?" Xiao Yan frowned subconsciously, feeling Yun Lange had gone too far.
"Taking it is useless. Before that kid Gu Han, he remains utterly outmatched," Yao Lao replied.
And the moment he finished speaking, everyone witnessed Gu Han closing in on Yun Lange with even greater speed, striking him with a palm.
A simple, unadorned Icy Frost Palm.
"Boom!"
A wave of icy energy enveloped Yun Lange, sending him flying out of the arena to crash heavily into the ground, creating a large crater as dust billowed upward.
"Smack!" Yun Sheng slapped his chair and stood up, his eyes icy cold.
"At such a young age, to be so ruthless toward a fellow disciple. This boy ought to spend some time at the Mind-Calming Cliff in the back mountains," Yun Leng slowly remarked, actually suggesting punishment for Gu Han.
"What, Grand Elder, are you trying to take over the work of my Discipline Hall?" Yun Shang parted her crimson lips, confronting him directly with a tone of mockery. "It was Yun Lange who started with the disrespect."
"It was also Yun Lange who, from the outset, revealed his Dou Master cultivation, Dou Qi Gauze, and executed two Mysterious Mid-Rank Dou Skills. We all know he even cultivates a High-Level Profound Rank Exercise."
"At that time, both you and the Second Elder were full of praise in your remarks."
"When Gu Han first sent Yun Lange flying, you couldn't possibly have failed to see that he held back. Otherwise, heh."
"Now Yun Lange takes a pill for a temporary boost and fights without restraint, yet it's Gu Han who gets punished?"
"Why not just hand the first place to Yun Lange outright and spare us this Outer Sect Disciple Competition."
Yun Leng and Yun Sheng's expressions turned extremely unpleasant. They knew well that Yun Shang spoke the truth.
But Yun Lange was the younger son of Second Elder Yun Sheng, a descendant of the Cloud Mist Sect's Direct Lineage.
Whereas Gu Han, though a genius, was merely an orphan.
They had not expected Yun Shang to unhesitatingly stand up for him.
"Matters of discipline naturally fall to you, the Discipline Elder," Yun Leng said, noticing Yun Yun's expressionless face and guessing she was also displeased. He cursed himself inwardly for his foolishness in choosing to confront Yun Shang directly.
Yun Sheng sat back down, his expression grim as he stated, "Lan Ge was outmatched in skill. He has no one to blame but himself."
"Then I'll be awarding the prize to Gu Han. I trust neither of you have any objections?" Yun Shang knew how to twist the knife, producing two pills and a long sword.
These were precisely the prizes Yun Yun, Yun Leng, and Yun Sheng had prepared for the top outer sect disciple.
Yun Leng's expression darkened further, while Yun Sheng felt his heart bleeding, yet he still spoke: "A bet is a bet. We have nothing to say. For the sect to produce a disciple with Talent like Gu Han, we should indeed focus on nurturing him properly."
The corners of Yun Shang's lips lifted slightly as she smiled: "Then after the official conclusion of the competition, I'll deliver these items to Gu Han."
Everyone understood clearly - even Yun Lange had suffered a crushing defeat against Gu Han, so others stood no chance against him.
In fact, after Gu Han secured first place and Yun Lange became second, disciples ranked third through tenth all knew they were no match for Gu Han.
Yet they unanimously chose to challenge Gu Han.
"Please give us your guidance, Senior Brother Gu Han."
Gu Han: "..."
Actually, guidance didn't necessarily have to occur during formal competitions - he wouldn't mind teaching them privately either.
In the end, Gu Han became the undisputed top outer sect disciple with his brilliant, dazzling performance.
Yun Yun watched the young man, recalling what he had said two months ago, a trace of amusement appearing in her eyes.
"He kept his word. This little fellow truly delivers."
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