As Luo Kang's voice fell, he waved his hand, and a spiritual light appeared before Li Xuan and the other thirty people. Within the spiritual light, thirty orbs of light floated.
Li Xuan secretly wondered if this was how opponents would be chosen by drawing lots.
"These orbs of light contain fifteen numbers, with two of each number. The two individuals who draw the same number will fight according to the order. The winner will proceed to the next round. Now, choose."
As Li Xuan was guessing, Luo Kang's voice sounded again.
Li Xuan immediately nodded. Since Pang Deyuan's faction had chosen to forfeit, there were thirty disciples remaining. These thirty disciples could be perfectly paired into fifteen matches.
"Since no one is stepping forward, I won't be shy," Song Wuwen said, glancing at the crowd before calmly walking forward and picking an orb of light.
After looking at it, Song Wuwen announced, "Mine is the fifth."
Seeing Song Wuwen choose first, the remaining disciples eagerly reached their hands into the spiritual light ahead. A moment later, the orbs of light were in everyone's hands.
Li Xuan opened his and saw that his number was fifteen, meaning he would fight last.
"Senior Brother, what are your numbers?" After checking his number, Li Xuan looked towards Su Yueze and the other three.
Su Yueze and the others smiled, then each took out their orbs of light.
Li Xuan glanced at them. Su Yueze's number was nine, while Chai Jingyuan and He Xidong's were six and twelve, respectively. After seeing their numbers, Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief.
In this first round of matches, the disciples from their master Luo Kang's lineage were not pitted against each other. This would greatly increase their chances of advancing to the next round.
"Now, for the first pair of disciples, please enter the arena." Seeing that everyone had finished picking their orbs, Luo Kang, appearing somewhat tired, waved to Duan Yazi before returning to the beam of light high in the sky. Duan Yazi, seeing this, stepped forward and called out to Li Xuan and the others.
As Duan Yazi's voice fell, two figures shot out from the crowd and landed on a stage erected in mid-air made of spiritual energy.
"The rules of combat are simple: the match ends when one party chooses to concede. Now, begin." As Duan Yazi's words ended, he sat cross-legged on the side of the stage.
The two individuals on the stage immediately charged at each other as soon as Duan Yazi finished speaking.
"Senior Brother, who are these two?" Li Xuan asked as he watched them fight.
Su Yueze replied, "The one in white is Lang Liangping, a disciple of the second peak's Hundred Virtues, ranked sixty-second. The man in red is Xiao Guoxing, a disciple of the sixth peak's Hundred Virtues, ranked sixty-ninth."
"In that case, their strength should be roughly equal?" Li Xuan was taken aback. The two fighting now both possessed mid-stage Transcendent realm strength. Despite their different rankings, it would likely not be easy to determine a victor at this level.
Su Yueze smiled and said, "In a battle between masters, victory can be decided in an instant, or it could drag on for a long time. However, since this is a competition for the position of Holy Son, they will surely not hold back. Therefore, the match will likely be decided quickly."
Li Xuan nodded and continued to watch.
Indeed.
As Su Yueze finished speaking, the situation on the stage had already shifted. Lang Liangping's palm struck Xiao Guoxing's left shoulder firmly. However, Xiao Guoxing's finger, imbued with the power to pierce through space, directly pointed at Lang Liangping's chest.
With a roar, Lang Liangping was sent flying back heavily, landing on the stage. Xiao Guoxing also suffered a serious injury, his face turning extremely pale.
"Xiao Guoxing wins this match!"
Duan Yazi, seated by the stage, looked at the injuries of the two and announced the result loudly.
Li Xuan nodded in his mind. Lang Liangping, struck by Xiao Guoxing's finger at the location of his heart, had already fainted. Even though Xiao Guoxing was severely injured, it would have been extremely easy for him to kill Lang Liangping. Li Xuan found Duan Yazi's judgment to be fair.
With the first pair having decided a victor, the second pair of contestants descended onto the stage without Duan Yazi needing to call them. Li Xuan noticed that one of them only possessed early-stage Transcendent realm strength, while the other was at the advanced stage. The scales of victory were clear at a glance.
As expected, after only ten breaths, the disciple with early-stage Transcendent realm strength chose to concede.
Time passed gradually, and soon the fourth pair of contestants had also decided their victor. After the fourth pair concluded, Song Wuwen looked at Su Yueze and the others, cupped his hands, and said, "Senior Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, Fifth Brother, I'll be going now."
"Good luck!" Su Yueze, Li Xuan, and the others all nodded, then patted Song Wuwen's shoulder and said.
Song Wuwen nodded, then his figure moved, and he shot towards the stage in mid-air. As Song Wuwen arrived on the stage, he looked down at the crowd.
At the same time, a figure also rapidly approached the stage. This person was clad in a purple robe and his aura was as radiant as the sun. Li Xuan's heart sank with worry. This person's strength was comparable to Song Wuwen's, both being at the peak of mid-stage Transcendent realm!
"Senior Brother, who is this person?" Seeing this, Li Xuan immediately turned to Su Yueze.
Su Yueze's expression was also solemn, and he slowly replied, "Fan Heguang, a disciple of the third peak's Hundred Virtues, ranked fiftieth!"
Li Xuan's heart sank. Song Wuwen was ranked fifty-fourth, four places lower than Fan Heguang.
Thinking this, Li Xuan asked with concern, "Can Fourth Brother defeat this Fan Heguang?"
"We'll have to see. This match will likely be difficult, but knowing Fourth Brother's personality, he probably won't choose to concede." Su Yueze shook his head, his face grave.
Li Xuan frowned slightly. In that case, the outcome might not be favorable. However, the competition had just begun, and Li Xuan still had great confidence in Song Wuwen's strength.
After all, Song Wuwen had managed to remain undefeated even when facing attacks from Shen Baigou and two early-stage Transcendent realm disciples. This alone showed that Song Wuwen's strength was not weak.
After these thoughts, Li Xuan felt a bit more at ease, then looked at Song Wuwen on the stage in mid-air and murmured, "Fourth Brother, don't push yourself too hard. Even if you lose, you'll always be my Fourth Brother."
"White Sun Dragon Hand!"
Song Wuwen and Fan Heguang merely exchanged glances before Fan Heguang launched the first attack. A spiritual light flashed on his right hand, and a crackling sound emanated from his fingers.
Song Wuwen's eyes narrowed. He clenched his left fist and moved swiftly, punching towards Fan Heguang's right claw.
Bang!
The claw and fist met with a violent collision, and the immense force instantly caused space to collapse and warp. They then exchanged blows rapidly, fighting over a hundred rounds in mid-air within ten breaths. Even Duan Yazi opened his eyes to watch them.
"Everyone thought your Seventh Peak had fallen. I didn't expect your generation to still possess such formidable strength. To hold out this long under my White Sun Dragon Hand is something to be proud of."
"Next, to show my respect for you, I will unleash my strongest attack. If you can withstand it, I will concede this match."
Boom!
As their fists met again, the immense recoil pushed both of them back several steps. After steadying themselves, Fan Heguang's gaze narrowed as he looked at Song Wuwen and said slowly.
Song Wuwen took a deep breath and replied, "As you wish."
Fan Heguang nodded slightly and said no more. His hands moved instantly, forming seals, and a vast spiritual energy spread out. At the same time, Fan Heguang's peak mid-stage Transcendent realm aura surged to its limit.
"Twin Star Dragon Dance!"
As Fan Heguang's voice fell, two streams of spiritual energy rapidly shot out from his hands. These two streams of energy instantly transformed into two colossal spiritual dragons, roaring as they lunged at Song Wuwen.
Roar.
Accompanied by two dragon roars, even Li Xuan, watching from below, felt immense pressure. At this thought, Li Xuan looked at Song Wuwen with intense nervousness.
Song Wuwen's expression was also extremely solemn. As the two spiritual dragons approached, his eyes gradually calmed. He then abruptly closed his eyes, his hands rapidly forming seals.
"Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, Three Lives, Three Worlds!"
Song Wuwen let out a low shout, and a surge of spiritual energy also poured from his body. A faint scent of peach blossoms instantly spread out. As time passed, the fragrance grew stronger.
Seeing this, Su Yueze sighed and said, "Fourth Brother has revealed his ultimate trump card."
"Senior Brother, can Fourth Brother win?" Li Xuan asked.
Su Yueze pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Both are unleashing their strongest attacks now. Only the clash itself will reveal who is stronger."
Li Xuan could only continue to look up at the stage, his heart filled with extreme tension.
At this moment, Fan Heguang's twin dragons were surrounded by terrifying power. As they exhaled and inhaled, it seemed as if the space could not contain their immense might, and cracks rapidly appeared and spread.
Around Song Wuwen, peach blossom petals formed of spiritual energy instantly enveloped him. These petals intertwined and intertwined, rapidly rushing towards the two spiritual dragons.
Rumble!
The moment they touched, a thunderous roar erupted from the collision of the two immense forces. Then, a sky full of peach blossom petals fell rapidly, eventually fading and disappearing. The luster of the two spiritual dragons also dimmed, appearing somewhat weakened.
Even so, Fan Heguang and Song Wuwen did not stop. Vast amounts of spiritual energy continued to pour out, and the peach blossom petals swept out again. The two spiritual dragons, under Fan Heguang's infusion of spiritual energy, became bright again.
Boom!
The two continued to erode, assimilate, wither, and dim. Fan Heguang and Song Wuwen's faces gradually turned pale.
At this moment, neither dared to show any carelessness. After all, they were both at the peak of mid-stage Transcendent realm, and even the slightest opening could be fatal. However, this kind of head-on clash was essentially a test of whose spiritual energy was more profound.
As soon as one party's spiritual energy faltered, their offensive would naturally weaken. At that point, a victor would be determined.
But even the victor of such a contest would have expended a significant amount of spiritual energy and stamina, which would be extremely disadvantageous for the subsequent matches.
Bang!
As time passed, after a full five minutes, a deafening explosion erupted in the sky. The peach blossom petals and the two spiritual dragons disintegrated simultaneously. Both Fan Heguang and Song Wuwen spat out a mouthful of blood, and their auras instantly weakened.
As Song Wuwen and Fan Heguang both collapsed, Duan Yazi looked at them before slowly declaring, "This match is a draw."
"Fourth Brother!" Hearing Duan Yazi announce the result, Li Xuan's figure moved, and he quickly darted to the stage to help Song Wuwen down.
"Cough cough, Fifth Brother, it's nothing. I'll recover after a moment of meditation. You still have a match to fight, don't waste your spiritual energy."
Feeling the healing energy Li Xuan was injecting into him, Song Wuwen circulated the last remnants of his spiritual energy to resist it. He then looked at Li Xuan with a pained smile and shook his head, saying, "Although Song Wuwen was in a very poor state, he was still thinking of Li Xuan."
"Fourth Brother, quickly take this." Su Yueze heard this and immediately crouched down, then took out a jade bottle from his storage ring and poured it into Song Wuwen's mouth.
Li Xuan suddenly remembered that he had given Su Yueze and the other three Verdant Immortal Dew when they entered the Azure Fantasy Realm, and it was now proving useful.
"I'm fine. The next one should be Second Brother, right? Second Brother, you should go quickly. Good luck." After taking the Verdant Immortal Dew, Song Wuwen's aura instantly strengthened. He then let out a breath and looked at Chai Jingyuan, saying.
"Don't worry about me. Take good care of your injuries. Senior Brother, Fourth Brother is in your care. I'm going."
Chai Jingyuan nodded. At this moment, one person had already appeared on the stage in mid-air. Seeing this, Chai Jingyuan knew he couldn't stay below to accompany Song Wuwen any longer and said to Su Yueze and Li Xuan.
As Chai Jingyuan's words fell, his mind moved, and his figure instantly appeared on the stage.
Seeing that Song Wuwen was gradually recovering, Li Xuan felt a little relieved and quickly shifted his gaze to the stage. Song Wuwen's first match being a draw was not bad news for Luo Kang's lineage.
Li Xuan glanced at the opponent and murmured, "This person is only at mid-stage Transcendent realm. He shouldn't be able to defeat Second Brother, right?"