The next morning, the outer sect arena was filled before sunrise.
Disciples arrived earlier than ever.
Outer disciples.
Inner disciples.
Instructors.
Even several elders who rarely watched outer sect battles had appeared quietly on the elevated platforms.
Everyone knew what today meant.
Fang Lin.
Chen Hao.
Rank 4 against Rank 3.
The rising monster against the faction's young commander.
This battle was no longer only about rankings.
It was about momentum.
Influence.
Face.
And the balance of the outer sect.
When Fang Lin arrived, the crowd quieted slightly.
His expression was calm as usual.
The cracked black iron sword rested at his waist.
Li Shan glanced at the blade and frowned.
"That sword is barely holding together."
Fang Lin replied, "It only needs to last one more fight."
Murong Yue immediately said, "That sounds unlucky."
Luo Chen nodded seriously.
"Very unlucky."
Fang Lin looked at them.
Neither spoke again.
The arena bell rang.
The white-robed elder stepped forward.
"Rank 4, Fang Lin."
The crowd stirred.
Then the black-robed elder spoke.
"Rank 3, Chen Hao."
A heavy silence fell.
Chen Hao slowly stood from the faction side.
His dark blue robes moved lightly in the wind. His expression remained calm, but the coldness in his eyes could no longer be hidden.
Xu Ren, Yue Fang, Shen Ku, Lin Tao, and the others watched silently behind him.
Their faction had lost again and again.
Zhou Yan.
Guo Ming.
Lin Tao.
Xu Ren.
Sun Jie.
Shen Ku.
Yue Fang.
Qiao Lei.
Mo Yun.
One by one, Fang Lin had climbed over them.
Now Chen Hao had to stop him.
Chen Hao stepped onto the stage.
Fang Lin walked up from the opposite side.
The two stood facing each other.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Chen Hao smiled faintly.
"You really reached me."
Fang Lin replied calmly, "You were not very far."
The crowd instantly stirred.
Chen Hao's smile faded slightly.
"You are confident."
"I am here."
"That does not mean you can win."
Fang Lin looked at him.
"It means I can try."
Chen Hao's eyes narrowed.
The referee elder raised his hand.
"Begin."
Boom.
Chen Hao's aura erupted.
Peak Late Qi Conjunction.
Dense.
Heavy.
Far stronger than Xu Ren's.
The pressure spread across the stage like a storm, causing the surrounding formation barrier to ripple slightly.
Many disciples inhaled sharply.
"So strong…"
"He was hiding this much?"
"No wonder he is Rank 3."
Chen Hao did not move immediately.
He raised one hand.
A layer of dark green Qi gathered around his palm, twisting like smoke.
Then he stepped forward.
Fast.
Not as sharp as Sun Jie.
Not as strange as Shen Ku.
But stable.
Powerful.
Perfectly controlled.
His palm struck toward Fang Lin's chest.
Fang Lin moved.
Flowing Wind Steps.
His figure shifted aside, but Chen Hao's palm changed direction instantly.
He had predicted the dodge.
Fang Lin's eyes sharpened.
He raised his sword.
Clang!
The black iron sword blocked the strike, but the force pushed Fang Lin back several steps.
The crack in the blade deepened faintly.
Chen Hao followed immediately.
Palm.
Elbow.
Finger strike.
Knee.
Every movement flowed into the next.
His control was excellent.
Fang Lin retreated, blocking and dodging continuously.
The crowd became tense.
"Chen Hao is suppressing him!"
"He really is different from the others."
"Fang Lin cannot counterattack."
Chen Hao's expression remained cold.
"You adapted against the others because they gave you time."
His palm struck again.
Boom!
Fang Lin blocked with his sword, sliding backward.
Chen Hao continued, "I will not."
The next moment, his Qi surged.
A dark green palm shadow formed in the air and crashed downward.
Fang Lin's eyes narrowed.
Wind Break Palm.
His left palm rose.
Compressed wind exploded against the green palm shadow.
Boom!
The two forces collided.
The stage cracked beneath them.
Fang Lin retreated three steps.
Chen Hao retreated one.
A wave of noise passed through the arena.
Chen Hao's eyes flickered.
"So your attack has improved too."
Fang Lin replied calmly, "A little."
Murong Yue nearly shouted from below, "He said it again!"
But no one laughed.
Chen Hao's aura grew colder.
He moved again.
This time, his speed increased.
Fang Lin met him directly.
Clang!
Palm and sword collided.
Boom!
Wind Break Palm met dark green Qi.
The two exchanged more than twenty moves in a breath.
Fang Lin's sword flashed repeatedly, but his sword technique was still weaker than Chen Hao's combat control.
Chen Hao saw through gaps quickly.
A palm struck Fang Lin's shoulder.
Bang!
Fang Lin slid back.
His shoulder shook.
But he did not fall.
Nine Nether Phantom Body absorbed most of the force.
Chen Hao's gaze darkened.
"Your body really is troublesome."
Fang Lin stepped forward.
"Then break it."
Chen Hao's expression turned cold.
"Fine."
His Qi erupted again.
Dark green energy wrapped around both arms, forming faint scale-like patterns.
The air around him grew heavier.
Li Shan's eyes narrowed.
"That technique…"
Han Zhi said quietly, "Green Serpent Battle Art."
Zhao Feng's expression became serious.
"A clan technique."
On the stage, Chen Hao's speed suddenly changed.
He shot forward like a coiling serpent.
His palm curved around Fang Lin's guard at an impossible angle and struck toward his ribs.
Fang Lin shifted.
Phantom Transformation.
Only a subtle change.
His rib position shifted by a fraction.
Chen Hao's palm missed the vital point and struck lower.
Bang!
Pain spread through Fang Lin's side, but his expression remained calm.
He grabbed Chen Hao's wrist.
Chen Hao's eyes changed.
Fang Lin's grey glow flashed beneath his skin.
Nine Nether Phantom Body.
He pulled.
Then struck with his knee.
Boom!
Chen Hao was forced back for the first time.
The crowd erupted.
"He pushed Chen Hao back!"
Chen Hao stabilized himself, his robes fluttering violently.
His expression finally became ugly.
"You still hid another movement."
Fang Lin did not answer.
Chen Hao's eyes sharpened.
"Good."
He raised both hands.
The dark green Qi around him condensed into a large serpent shadow behind his body.
The serpent opened its mouth silently.
A suffocating pressure descended.
The black-robed elder on the platform smiled faintly.
"Chen Hao is serious now."
The white-robed elder said nothing.
Fang Lin looked at the serpent shadow calmly.
Danger.
But not enough.
Not enough to force his soul arts.
His late-stage Qi began circulating faster.
The Nine Nether Phantom Body activated deeper.
Flowing Wind Steps gathered beneath his feet.
Wind Break Palm condensed in his left hand.
His cracked sword trembled in his right.
Chen Hao stepped forward.
The serpent shadow moved with him.
"Green Serpent Devouring Palm."
Boom!
The serpent shadow rushed toward Fang Lin.
Its mouth opened wide, as if it wanted to swallow him whole.
The crowd held its breath.
Fang Lin moved.
Not backward.
Forward.
His body blurred.
Flowing Wind Steps carried him toward the serpent shadow.
At the same time, Wind Break Palm compressed to its limit.
The grey glow beneath his skin intensified.
His black iron sword slashed downward.
The blade struck the serpent shadow first.
Crack.
The sword's crack spread.
Fang Lin's eyes remained steady.
He poured Qi into the blade.
The sword groaned.
Then his palm followed.
Boom!
Wind Break Palm exploded directly into the serpent shadow.
The dark green Qi trembled violently.
Chen Hao's expression changed.
Fang Lin broke through the serpent shadow and appeared before him.
Too fast.
Too direct.
Chen Hao raised both arms to block.
Fang Lin's fist descended.
Nine Nether Phantom Body.
Bang!
Chen Hao's protective Qi shook.
Fang Lin's second strike followed.
Bang!
Then the third.
Bang!
Each attack carried terrifying physical force.
Chen Hao was forced backward step by step.
The crowd stared in shock.
"He is overpowering Chen Hao!"
"Chen Hao is being pushed back!"
"No, Chen Hao is blocking!"
"But Fang Lin is still advancing!"
Chen Hao gritted his teeth.
Humiliation flashed in his eyes.
He was Rank 3.
He had watched Fang Lin climb.
He had prepared.
He had waited.
And now, in front of the entire sect, Fang Lin was forcing him back.
"Enough!"
Chen Hao roared.
His Qi erupted violently.
The serpent shadow reformed behind him, smaller but denser.
He struck both palms forward.
Fang Lin raised his sword.
The cracked blade met the attack.
For one breath, everything froze.
Then—
Crack.
The black iron sword shattered.
Fragments scattered through the air.
The crowd fell silent.
Fang Lin's weapon had broken.
Chen Hao's eyes lit coldly.
"This is over."
His palm continued forward toward Fang Lin's chest.
But Fang Lin did not retreat.
His broken sword hilt remained in his hand.
His eyes were calm.
Too calm.
At the final instant, Fang Lin's body shifted slightly.
Phantom Transformation.
Chen Hao's palm missed the center of his chest by a narrow margin, striking his shoulder instead.
Bang!
Pain exploded through Fang Lin's body.
But he had already stepped inside Chen Hao's guard.
His left palm rose.
Wind gathered.
Compressed.
Condensed.
Chen Hao's pupils contracted.
Fang Lin spoke softly.
"You looked at the sword too much."
Boom!
Wind Break Palm struck Chen Hao's chest.
The force exploded at point-blank range.
Chen Hao's protective Qi shattered.
His body flew backward across the stage, blood spraying from his mouth.
He crashed heavily onto the ground and rolled several meters before stopping near the edge of the platform.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Fang Lin stood at the center of the stage.
His sword was gone.
Only the broken hilt remained in his hand.
His shoulder robe was torn.
Blood flowed down his arm.
His breathing was slightly heavy.
But he stood.
Chen Hao struggled to rise.
His hands pressed against the ground.
His face was pale.
His eyes were filled with disbelief.
He tried to circulate Qi.
His chest burned.
His meridians shook.
The Wind Break Palm had struck too close.
Too cleanly.
Fang Lin walked toward him.
Step.
Step.
Step.
The entire arena watched in silence.
Chen Hao finally forced himself to one knee.
"I…"
His voice trembled with anger.
Fang Lin stopped before him.
The broken sword hilt slipped from his hand and fell to the stage.
Clang.
A small sound.
But it echoed clearly.
Fang Lin looked down at Chen Hao.
"You lost."
Chen Hao's fists clenched.
His nails dug into his palms.
He wanted to stand.
He wanted to fight.
But his body refused.
The referee elder waited several breaths.
Then raised his hand.
"Victory…"
His voice spread across the entire arena.
"Fang Lin."
For one breath, no one moved.
Then the arena erupted.
"FANG LIN WON!"
"He defeated Chen Hao!"
"Rank 3 fell!"
"He really did it!"
The outer sect exploded into chaos.
Ordinary disciples shouted until their faces turned red.
Alliance-side disciples stood and cheered.
Even some neutral disciples could not hide their shock.
Chen Hao.
Rank 3.
The faction's young commander.
Defeated.
On the faction side, Xu Ren's face turned deathly pale.
Yue Fang's expression changed.
Shen Ku's eyes narrowed.
Mo Yun remained silent.
Qiao Lei exhaled heavily.
Above them, several faction elders looked extremely ugly.
One elder's cup cracked in his hand.
The alliance elders, however, smiled openly.
High above the arena, Elder Feng stroked his beard.
"He actually did it."
The Sect Master's lips curved faintly.
"Without revealing everything."
Elder Feng's eyes sharpened.
"You noticed?"
The Sect Master nodded.
"He still has a hidden blade."
Below, Fang Lin stood quietly while the cheers continued.
He did not look at the crowd.
He looked at the shattered pieces of his sword.
That black iron sword had carried him through many battles.
Zhou Yan.
Guo Ming.
Lin Tao.
Sun Jie.
Shen Ku.
Chen Hao.
Now it was gone.
Fang Lin slowly bent down and picked up one broken fragment.
The edge still reflected faint light.
For a brief moment, his gaze softened.
Then he stored the fragment away.
Chen Hao was helped down by faction disciples.
As he passed Fang Lin, his eyes burned with hatred.
"This is not over."
Fang Lin looked at him calmly.
"It is for today."
Chen Hao's expression twisted, but he said nothing more.
The faction disciples carried him away.
The floating ranking board began to glow.
Names shifted.
Rank 4 faded.
Rank 3 changed.
Fang Lin's name appeared there.
Rank 3: Fang Lin.
The arena erupted again.
But Fang Lin's expression remained calm.
Above him, two names still stood untouched.
Rank 2: Su Wanqing.
Rank 1: Jian Wuji.
Both were already Spirit Foundation Realm.
Both were monsters beyond ordinary outer disciples.
Fang Lin looked at the board silently.
His sword was broken.
His body was injured.
His Qi had been consumed.
But his path had not stopped.
Not yet.
Inside his spiritual sea, the grey stone pulsed softly.
The smoky mist stirred.
Fang Lin closed his eyes briefly.
Then opened them again.
Rank 3.
He had reached it.
Now only the true peak remained.