That last duel caused Silver to open his eyes wide as a hint of shock flashed through them.

Darkvoid kept his eyes glued on Xia Luo while his fists unconsciously tightened.

Not too far away, right next to the teleportation stone, the Trialmaster gazed into the distance at the young man who had a gentle smile on his face. The mentor looked shocked as he muttered to himself, “There are so many monsters here. The Starsybil sect was right when they said that there’s going to be a huge upheaval in this generation.”

Within the treasury, Old Cai was also talking to himself. “A lot of powerful organizations had their geniuses with powerful innate gifts undergo cryogenic hibernation while waiting for signs of the sect’s divination. These geniuses were recently unsealed and reawakened. With their unparalleled talent and young bodies, it’s certain that a huge change is on the horizon. Did this child awaken after being sealed in ice as well?”

“Round eight, Zhao Yilong versus Silver. Begin,” Big Pao announced. The battlefield had been moved to a new location about a few dozen kilometers away since the original site had been destroyed.

Zhao Yilong walked out with his sword in hand, his eyes fixed on the ever-smiling Silver.

Everyone was silent. They all had a feeling that Silver would perform very well after he had defeated Hui Daynight in such a mysterious manner. Silver gave off a similar impression as Xia Luo—they were both incomprehensible.

“Sorry, but I admit defeat,” Silver said.

Everyone was surprised. He was admitting defeat?!

Big Pao was similarly confused. “Are you sure?”

Silver nodded with a wide grin as he said, “I’m no match for a genius of Ten Thousand Swords Peak. He managed to use Hundred Swords as One. Truly terrifying.”

Zhao Yilong was furious. “You’re belittling me!”

Silver’s smile never slipped, and he jovially responded, “Of course not! I genuinely worship Wendy Yushan from Ten Thousand Swords Peak.” After responding to Zhao Yilong, Silver turned his smiling face to look at Lu Yin, but that only gave Lu Yin the urge to punch the man in the face.

Zhao Yilong stood in front of Silver, his anger peaking. “You can’t do that. Fight me.”

Silver glanced at Big Pao.

Big Pao was at loss. He had never encountered a situation like this, but there was nothing he could do after someone admitted defeat. “The winner of round eight is Zhao Yilong.”

“I won’t accept this! He’s obviously acting condescendingly to me!” Zhao Yilong shouted as he unsheathed his sword and pointed it right at Silver. “Don’t be a coward. This is a competition between the new students! It’s not a joke.”

Silver snickered slyly. “Instead of arguing with me, you should save your strength to deal with your next rounds. The last round might even be a threeway battle.”

Zhao Yilong gritted his teeth and continued staring at Silver.

Little Pao patted him on the shoulder. “Forget about it. You won.”

Zhao Yilong managed to wrestle his anger under control. He really didn’t want to win like this. It held no value to him.

“Go back. A win is a win,” Big Pao said.

Zhao Yilong gripped his sword tightly while staring at Silver begrudgingly. This bastard!

Silver was still smiling as brightly and repulsively as ever.

Lu Yin forced himself to look away from Silver; that disturbing smile involuntarily made him want to punch Silver in the face. 

Lu Yin walked out as he heard Big Pao’s voice announce, “Round nine. Lu Yin versus Darkvoid. Begin.”

Everyone grew sober. This was a greatly anticipated battle, and even more people were waiting to watch this battle than the one between Darkvoid and Michelle. Lu Yin had built up quite a bit of fame recently, especially after he had defeated a Phoenix clan member and even the Blaze Realm Rankings’ number two. Lu Yin’s name had spread through all of the Astral Battle Academy schools, and he was widely considered to be one of the top Melders. Just about the only thing that anyone knew about Astral-10 was Lu Yin. The students all knew that he was powerful, but they were all curious about just how powerful he was, and they were looking forward to discovering the answer.

Darkvoid calmly walked out. Not much time had passed since his battle with Michelle, but he seemed to have already recovered from it. The only sign that he had even battled was the small tear on the back of his top.

Anyone would feel pressured by the prospect of facing off against Darkvoid, and Lu Yin was no different. Whether it was Darkvoid’s innate gift or his mysterious demeanor, his attacks were able to shatter the void as only a true powerhouse could. To win, Lu Yin needed to have an innate gift that was just as powerful as Michelle’s or an attack that could overcome Darkvoid’s defenses.

Lu Yin had already made up his mind.

Darkvoid attacked immediately. Just like when he had faced Michelle, he simply raised a hand and slightly flicked a finger. A black light shone as the space around Lu Yin exploded.

The onlookers held their breaths when they saw this. Darkvoid’s attack was clearly stronger than when he had attacked Michelle. With his first move, he had already sealed the area.

Darkvoid’s silence did not translate to ignorance. He was well aware of Lu Yin’s reputation and of his strength even though they had never fought before. Hence, Darkvoid didn’t hold back at all.

Lu Yin’s expression remained calm as he bent his knees and disappeared right before the space around him exploded. With a speed that distorted the space, he crossed through the eruptions and charged toward Darkvoid. There wasn’t much distance between the two, and when Lu Yin appeared in front of Darkvoid, his afterimage had only just been devoured by the void explosion.

The scene that was playing out was very familiar and caused everyone’s eyes to widen like saucers, especially Michelle. She was well aware of how powerful Darkvoid’s defences were, and Lu Yin was currently in the same exact situation that she had been in.

Lu Yin lifted a hand and slammed his palm down while his eyes remained fixed on Darkvoid. He saw that Darkvoid’s eyes held nothing but disdain and apathy for his attack, showing his absolute confidence in his defense that even Michelle had been helpless against.

The corner of Lu Yin’s lips curled up slightly as he attacked with his Nine Stacks Ninefold Shockwave Palm. There were also transparent streams of air surrounding his palm… Battle Qi.

Among the onlookers, Big Pao, Little Pao, Xia Luo, and Silver were all astonished when they noticed the subtle aura surrounding Lu Yin’s palm.

Boom! 

Shockwaves rent the earth and shook the sky, creating minuscule rips in space. Darkvoid’s face changed from disdain to shock, which was quickly followed by astonishment. His face then turned red and he spat out a mouthful of blood as his body was sent flying by Lu Yin’s overwhelming strength. He shot through the still shaking air and was smashed deep into the ground.

Everyone fell silent as they stared at Lu Yin in awe. He had managed to defeat Darkvoid in a single strike. Before the match, this was an unimaginable outcome. That was someone who had blocked Michelles’ red lotus arrows without taking a step back, but against Lu Yin, he had been blown away with one attack.

Coco’s mouth gaped open, her eyes transfixed on the scene before her.

Michelle’s pupils shrank and she clenched her fists.

Xia Luo was astonished, but then his lips then curved upwards. How very, very interesting.

Silver’s grin did the impossible and grew even wider.

Big Pao and Little Pao exchanged glances and saw the shock in each other’s eyes. They had assumed that Darkvoid would be the one to move on to the final round, but to their surprise, he had been defeated here. They could tell just how powerful that attack was due to how Lu Yin’s Battle Qi had wrapped around the attack and shaken the void. Darkvoid was definitely gravely injured, which meant that he had lost the round.

Lu Yin looked down at his palm. As expected, just his Nine Stacks Ninefold Shockwave Palm wouldn’t be enough to penetrate through Darkvoid’s defenses that could withstand spatial attacks. Only by using his Battle Qi could the force of the nine stacks reach Darkvoid and take him by surprise.

However, Darkvoid was destined to lose even if he hadn’t been careless. Lu Yin had used a Ninefold Shockwave Palm, but with the current durability of his body, even Lu Yin himself didn’t know what level of Shockwave Palm his body could handle. And since Lu Yin was also able to use Battle Qi, Darkvoid was no match for him.

Far in the distance, Darkvoid’s fingers twitched as he slowly got back up.

Everyone looked over. Could he be possibly unharmed, just like how he had been after being struck by Michelle’s arrows?

However, it soon became clear that they were overthinking things. Darkvoid had to sit on the ground for quite a while before finally being able to stand. The front of his clothes were tattered, and there was a clear palmprint that left everyone with chills running down their spines. The corner of his lip glistened with blood. Darkvoid raised his head, glanced over at Lu Yin, and then quietly walked to the other side.

Everyone sighed in relief. Thankfully, Darkvoid wasn’t so monstrous that he couldn’t be defeated.

Wait a second!

All of a sudden, everybody realized something as they all looked over toward Lu Yin. If a monster like Darkvoid had been defeated in one blow, then just how powerful was this guy?!

Michelle stared at Lu Yin, shocked that there was someone this powerful in Astral-10, and what’s more, he was just a new student! Even in the top three academies, he’d definitely rank highly with his strength.

At this moment, Zhao Yilong was feeling the most pressure. In this contest, there was still Xia Luo, who was unfathomable, and Lu Yin, whose strength seemingly had no bounds. In contrast to those two, Zhao Yilong was the weakest.

“The winner of round nine is Lu Yin,” Big Pao announced before quickly continuing, “To not waste time, the last round will be a battle between the final three. Begin.”

Lu Yin remained standing where he was and glanced at Xia Luo, who walked out with a smile on his face. “I never thought that we’d be fighting in the finals, Lu Yin.”

“I’m not surprised. I never could tell just how powerful you were,” Lu Yin said with a grin.

Xia Luo laughed. “It wasn’t difficult to gauge your strength, but you improve so quickly that I can’t even tell how strong you’ve become. Could you perhaps hold back a bit for me?”

Lu Yin’s eyebrow arched up as he repsponded, “No one knows who will be the winner just yet. I’m quite curious about how you were able to dissipate the Palm of Desolation and also how you defeated Lulu so quickly.”

The two of them spoke while completely ignoring Zhao Yilong, who had also walked out onto the battlefield, leaving him in an awkward spot. He gripped his ancient sword and lifted it before charging straight at the other two. His sword released a quiet sound as if it was eager for a fight.

Unfortunately, Zhao Yilong’s actions didn’t matter to the other two. While his Hundred Swords as One wasn’t a bad technique, it was nothing more than that. He had been lucky with his first match, and even luckier in his second, allowing him to advance to the final round. He would have been defeated if he had been matched up with either Hui Daynight or Michelle. To be perfectly blunt, Zhao Yilong wasn’t qualified to participate in the final round.

The spectators were puzzled as Lu Yin and Xia Luo started their match. While it seemed as if the two had simply used two ordinary palms to clash, the shockwaves that emanated from the collision chilled the students’ hearts. These terrifying shockwaves smashed the earth and left everyone quivering.

“Retreat!” Big Pao shouted, causing everyone to run backwards.

Lu Yin and Xia Luo’s palms were pressed together as if they were mirror images of each other, and even their looks of shock were the same . Lu Yin had used his Nine Stacks Ninefold Shockwave Palm, which meant that there should be nine stacks of power. However, only three stacks had made it through to Xia Luo. Six stacks had somehow been dissolved, greatly decreasing the attack’s power. A better way of putting it would be saying that a majority of Lu Yin’s attack had been redirected elsewhere.

Xia Luo’s eyes shone as he smiled. To think that there were Nine Stacks! No wonder Darkvoid couldn’t even take one attack. If Nine Stacks of power were combined with battle qi, then it would have been a miracle if Darkvoid took that attack without suffering significant damage. Even after using all his methods, Xia Luo had only been able to dissolve six stacks.

The two separated with a bang. Lu Yin attacked again with a Cosmic Palm as seven stars started to rotate in his palm. He had already activated and surrounded his body with his Cosmic Art long before the battle; he clearly remembered how Lulu had been defeated without any warning whatsoever.

Xia Luo closely watched Lu Yin’s attack draw closer with an even more serious face than when he had faced the Nine Stacks Ninefold Shockwave Palm. Some battle techniques could be easily dissolved with star energy, but others were more difficult to do so. The attack approaching him was something that he had no choice but to face head on. But then, all of a sudden, something flashed by, charging towards Lu Yin. It was Zhao Yilong. This was a three-way fight, and he did not want to be ignored.

“Scram!” Lu Yin yelled as he continued attacking Xia Luo with his Cosmic Palm in his left hand while simultaneously summoning a Nine Stacks Ninefold Shockwave Palm in his right to attack Zhao Yilong.

Meanwhile, Xia Luo did the exact same as Lu Yin. He attacked with both hands; one aimed at Lu Yin and the other at Zhao Yilong.

Zhao Yilong’s strongest slash was reduced to dust and the power of the other two’s attacks sent him flying a kilometer away and left him coughing out blood. He collapsed immediately, unable to get up.

Rumble

An instant later, Lu Yin and Xia Luo’s attacks collided. A seven star Cosmic Palm was just as powerful as a Nine Stacks Ninefold Shockwave Palm, and Lu Yin had assumed that his Cosmic Palm could not be dissolved as easily. Meanwhile, Xia Luo displayed his terrifying strength for the first time. Even though he wasn’t using a battle technique, he was able to deal with the Cosmic Palm. He forcefully diverted it elsewhere and not a single one of the seven stars’ explosions managed to reach Xia Luo. Instead, they exploded on the nearby ground. Xia Luo’s eyes flashed and he flicked a finger with impeccable timing, firing an invisible undulation straight at Lu Yin’s neck.