Wherever the Fire Tiger passed, a scorching heat rushed forth, baking the fighting stage until it was slightly red. Its Aura was indeed astonishing.

Unfortunately, such a technique was merely a trivial trick in Fang Hong’s eyes.

Facing the charging Fire Tiger, Fang Hong slowly raised his right hand. An extremely cold Aura surged out from within him, instantly dispersing the surrounding scorching heat.

This cold Qi continuously churned, twisted, and condensed in front of him.

In the span of a single breath, they transformed into two Ice Tigers, similar in appearance to Kong Ma’s Fire Tiger.

These two Ice Tigers were crystal clear, with icy gazes, emitting a bone-chilling coldness that formed a stark contrast with the Fire Tiger opposite them.

Immediately afterward, Fang Hong lightly flicked his finger, issuing a command to the two Ice Tigers.

The two Ice Tigers immediately stepped forward with their icy claws, carrying fierce cold Qi, and actively met Kong Ma’s Fire Tiger.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two loud crashes sounded almost simultaneously, as the four fierce tigers two of ice and two of fire collided violently in the center of the stage.

Kong Ma’s seemingly ferocious Fire Tiger was actually unable to withstand a single blow before Fang Hong’s Ice Tiger.

With just one collision, the flames covering the Fire Tiger were instantly suppressed and extinguished by the cold ice.

Its massive body also shattered immediately, turning into sparks flying everywhere, which flashed a few times in the air before completely disappearing without a trace.

"What! This... How is this possible! Such, such powerful Immortal power!"

When Kong Ma saw this scene, his heart violently shook, and his face was filled with disbelief.

His Blazing Spirit Fire Tiger was actually defeated by the opponent so easily.

The intensity of Fang Hong’s Immortal power far exceeded Kong Ma’s expectations, making him completely unwilling to underestimate this Mid-stage Immortal King Cultivator any longer.

After the shock subsided, a strong sense of crisis welled up in Kong Ma’s heart.

He dared not show any further negligence and immediately summoned a red gourd-shaped Dao Artifact.

This gourd was about the size of a palm, entirely crimson, and bore two dao patterns it was clearly a Second-Grade Dao Artifact!

"Taste the power of my Second-Grade Dao Artifact, the ’Heaven Burning Gourd’!"

Kong Ma roared, and the Immortal power within him surged frantically into the red gourd like a rushing river.

As the Immortal power was injected, the red gourd instantly swelled up, becoming as huge as a small mountain in the blink of an eye, with its opening aimed straight at Fang Hong.

"Puff!"

Rolling red magma surged out from the gourd’s opening, pouring down toward Fang Hong like a rushing waterfall!

Fang Hong gently waved his hand, and the two Ice Tigers in the air instantly moved closer, undergoing Fusion under his control.

Its size continuously expanded, finally transforming into a giant Ice Ape several yards tall.

"Roar!"

The giant Ice Ape let out a roar, and immediately afterward, a blue beam of light shot out from its mouth, colliding with the magma waterfall.

Light scattered everywhere in the air; the powerful ice energy instantly froze all the magma, even freezing the gourd Dao Artifact!

"How can he be this strong?!" Kong Ma was completely panicked, his face full of terror.

Taking advantage of Kong Ma’s shock, Fang Hong controlled the giant Ice Ape to smash a fierce punch toward him.

"Ah!"

A miserable shriek echoed across the fighting stage.

Kong Ma didn’t even have time to put up any defense before the giant Ice Ape’s punch solidly struck him in the chest!

The enormous impact directly sent his entire body flying, slamming heavily into the restriction barrier at the edge of the stage with a loud "bang."

Kong Ma slid down like a pile of soft mud, blood spilling from his mouth. His eyes rolled back, and he completely lost consciousness.

This match thus concluded.

"Fang Hong wins. Cultivators number two and number nine, please step onto the stage immediately for your match."

The humanoid puppet emotionlessly announced the result, then extended its arm and sent the unconscious Kong Ma off the stage.

Fang Hong dismissed the giant Ice Ape, calmly walked off the stage, found a spot near the stage to sit down, and quietly waited for the start of the next round of matches.

As he stepped down, many of the waiting Cultivators below the stage subconsciously looked toward him, their expressions extremely complicated.

There was shock, apprehension, and a degree of disbelief.

These Cultivators initially knew that Fang Hong’s cultivation level was the lowest among the Everyone, and they had assumed he would be the easiest opponent to handle.

Some had even been calculating how they could easily win if they encountered him.

However, the strength Fang Hong displayed in the match just now was simply too astonishing.

That chilling and bone-piercing Ice Law, coupled with his clean and decisive method of victory, completely changed their perception.

Fang Hong’s strength was not weak at all; it had already reached the standard of a Peak Immortal King, making him an absolutely formidable opponent in this round of matches!

The matches on the stage continued after a brief transition.

At the same time, the competitions on the other stages were also progressing simultaneously.

Throughout the entire competition plaza, the crisp sounds of colliding Dao Artifacts and the roar of exploding Immortal power could be heard intermittently, creating a dazzling spectacle.

Fang Hong stood quietly to the side, watching the matches on stage with a calm and composed demeanor... Time passed little by little, and in the blink of an eye, one hour had gone by.

The first round of matches on Stage Three finally concluded. After this round, five more Cultivators were eliminated, failing to advance to the next round.

The five people ultimately remaining on Stage Three were Fang Hong, Zhou Li, Gu Feng, Hu Ming, and Jiang Tie.

Zhou Li was the only Peak Immortal King Cultivator on Stage Three.

Her appearance was outstanding, her temperament elegant and noble. Dressed in a light blue gown, she looked like a princess from a major kingdom.

She naturally carried an air of aloofness that kept strangers away.

Gu Feng, on the other hand, was an elder wearing a black robe. His hair and beard were white, but he looked very energetic and had sharp eyes.

Coincidentally, this elder named Gu Feng was precisely the stall owner who had sold the yin yang dragon phoenix tree to Fang Hong on the trading street six months ago.

At that time, Fang Hong had spent a full one hundred million Immortal Stones just to buy that rare yin yang dragon phoenix tree.

Gu Feng had clearly recognized Fang Hong. After his gaze lingered on him for a moment, a smile appeared on his face.

He even nodded slightly toward him, considering it a greeting.

As for Hu Ming and Jiang Tie, they looked rather unremarkable. Both had Late Stage Immortal King cultivation and lacked any particularly outstanding Aura.

Fang Hong simply ignored the two of them.

After the first round of matches ended, the humanoid puppet produced a lottery cylinder and flew it in front of the five individuals, signaling Fang Hong and the others to draw lots sequentially to determine the order of the next round’s matches.

As luck would have it, Fang Hong drew the number one lot again, meaning he would be the first to compete once more.

His opponent’s number was five. When he saw the holder of the number five lot, Fang Hong couldn’t help but be slightly stunned.

It turned out to be that old man, Gu Feng.

The other matchup was Hu Ming against Jiang Tie.

Zhou Li had good luck, drawing the number three lot. According to the competition rules, she received a bye this round and could advance directly into the top three without needing to compete.