"H-How is that possible!?"
Li Jiangchang's face twisted in shock.
Before he could even react—
a massive force slammed into him.
The impact sent his entire body flying backward.
He shot through the air for several meters, hit the ground, and rolled seven or eight times before finally coming to a stop.
Gasps erupted from every corner of the training hall.
"W-What just happened!?"
"Li Jiangchang lost!?"
"But—didn't he already elementalize? How could this happen?"
"Maybe he just got his Devil Fruit and doesn't fully understand how to use the Snow-Snow Fruit yet?"
"Yeah, that must be it!"
While the crowd murmured in confusion, Li Jiangchang's face turned red with rage.
He, a proud Logia user, had just been defeated by someone who possessed nothing more than an Animal-type fruit.
Humiliation and fury boiled within him.
When he saw Zhao Xuan turning away as if the fight were already over, the last of his pride snapped.
"Zhao Xuan!"
Li Jiangchang's face contorted.
"We haven't decided a winner yet! Where do you think you're going!?"
Zhao Xuan stopped, turned his head slightly, and said calmly,
"Haven't you realized the difference in strength between us?"
"If I hadn't let my guard down, you wouldn't have touched me once! I'm a Logia user, Zhao Xuan—a Logia!"
Li Jiangchang screamed hysterically as he charged again.
Tap! Tap!
His feet struck the ground with sharp, echoing thuds.
In the next instant, he closed the distance, the air around him dropping in temperature as the power of the Snow-Snow Fruit erupted.
The temperature plummeted.
Even the spectators standing ten meters away began to shiver violently.
If it were anyone else standing at the center of that icy domain, they would already be freezing, their strength halved at least.
But Zhao Xuan remained utterly calm.
With the Azure Dragon Fruit coursing through him, he possessed terrifying resistance to both extreme heat and cold.
Li Jiangchang's chilling aura simply couldn't affect him.
As Li Jiangchang lunged in, Zhao Xuan finally moved.
His muscles tensed like steel—Iron Body!
Li Jiangchang's Tempest Kick struck Zhao Xuan square in the chest.
But while both their techniques were only at the "Proficient" level, Zhao Xuan's body—with its over-100 physique—did not budge an inch.
The impact rebounded instead.
Li Jiangchang was the one sent staggering backward.
Zhao Xuan seized the opening.
A dark aura—Armament Haki—quietly flowed from his core, wrapping around his right leg.
Then—
Boom!
He swept out a powerful kick, aimed straight at Li Jiangchang's abdomen.
"Elementalization!"
Li Jiangchang frantically activated his Snow-Snow Fruit again.
His body dissolved into snowflakes.
Logia users could indeed nullify physical attacks through elementalization.
But—
Armament Haki was their greatest natural counter.
Another crushing force exploded against Li Jiangchang's stomach.
"Impossible!!!"
His scream tore through the air as his body was once again hurled backward, carving a clean arc before crashing heavily onto the ground.
He rolled several times before finally lying motionless.
"You lose."
Zhao Xuan's voice was calm, almost cold.
He turned and walked away.
"W-Why!?"
Li Jiangchang roared hoarsely, madness in his eyes.
"I don't accept this! I refuse!
How can a Logia user like me lose to a Zoan user like you?
How did you even hit me when I was elementalized!?"
Zhao Xuan paused only long enough to answer,
"Because—I've awakened Armament Haki."
With that, he walked off, leaving behind a hall full of stunned onlookers.
Moments later, the silence shattered.
"He—he actually lost! The Logia user really lost to a Zoan!"
"Holy crap! Zhao Xuan awakened Armament Haki!?"
"W-Wait, what's Armament Haki?"
"It's a power that boosts both offense and defense!"
"My brother's at Nanjing University—he told me awakening Haki is insanely hard!
You need at least a hundred physique points just to have a chance!
Most people only awaken it after reaching a thousand!"
"Hiss…"
"That's terrifying…"
"Zhao Xuan's a monster!"
Whispers of awe filled the room, the disbelief thick in the air.