The crowd’s gazes were scorching. Even the young man on the Battle Platform could feel it.

At that moment, the young man seemed to realize what a huge mistake his rash question had been. He immediately turned his gaze toward Meng Yiren.

But he was met with Meng Yiren’s frigid, murderous eyes. His heart skipped a beat. ’This is bad,’ he thought.

’I was so angry just now that I nearly lost all reason. I just blurted it out without a second thought, completely forgetting about Meng Yiren.’

Staring into Meng Yiren’s indifferent eyes, he shrank back. He knew with certainty that he had offended her today.

At this thought, rage flared in his heart. He whirled to glare at Ye Wushuang, filled with resentment. ’This is all because of Ye Wushuang.’

"Tell me. Otherwise, I’ll make you wish you were dead!"

He was already in deep, so he decided to throw caution to the wind. Meng Yiren was the goddess of his heart; he couldn’t allow her to be tarnished in any way. He had to get to the bottom of this today.

"You think I’ll tell you just because you asked?"

Ye Wushuang’s gaze grew cold. He knew exactly what this young man was thinking. ’He’s the idiot, yet he’s blaming others!’

"If you won’t talk, then I’ll make you kneel and beg to tell me."

The young man’s anger erupted like a volcano. He threw a punch, a Fist Seal blasting through the air toward Ye Wushuang’s face.

"Waste!"

Watching the young man lose his grip on reason, Ye Wushuang disdainfully spat out a single, cold word. His figure flickered as he strode forward.

"You damned bastard! You dare call me a waste? What right do you have? Die!"

The young man grew even more furious. He was the strongest disciple of Yunhuang Hall, one of the most powerful young experts in the Endless Wilderness! On what grounds did Ye Wushuang dare call him a waste?

BOOM!

True Essence surged wildly from the young man’s body as he unleashed a barrage of punches. Fist shadows filled the sky, raining down as densely as storm pellets. "Ye Wushuang, I’ll show you who the real waste is!"

"Annihilate!"

Ye Wushuang threw a punch. The Barbaric Tyrant Dragon Fist transformed into a Tyrant Dragon, which danced wildly across the Firmament, sweeping everything before it. It shattered countless fist shadows, tearing a path through the storm of attacks.

Suppress!

A single, faint word echoed through the void. Ye Wushuang’s figure moved, ascending into the air with the Seven Steps of the Reversed Dragon.

One step... two steps... three steps...

His footwork was profound. In the blink of an eye, he appeared above the young man’s head. His movements were unfathomable and surreal, like a roaming dragon dancing across the Firmament.

"Such profound footwork!"

The crowd gasped in amazement. All they could see was a flickering Dragon Shadow, and their hearts raced with its every move.

Their eyes were glued to the scene. After taking three steps, Ye Wushuang stomped down fiercely, seemingly crushing the very air beneath his foot.

Below, the young man’s pupils constricted. He suddenly felt a suppressive force envelop him, as if he were carrying a mountain on his back. He let out a muffled grunt and spat a stream of blood.

BAM!

The young man’s body slammed down, forced face-first onto the ground as blood gushed from his mouth.

"Impossible! I’m a young Celestial Pride! How could I lose?!"

He roared in disbelief. Ye Wushuang had defeated him with just three steps and a stomp. And the defeat had been so absolute!

"A young Celestial Pride!"

Ye Wushuang sneered at his words.

"A young Celestial Pride? They have unparalleled strength and Combat Power. Their Dao Heart is indestructible, their will is as firm as a rock, and their temperament is impeccable."

"But you? You lost your composure and abandoned your Dao Heart over a single glance from someone else. What kind of Celestial Pride does that make you?"

Ye Wushuang questioned him coldly.

’Because of a single glance from Meng Yiren, this young man flew into a rage and wanted to make me wish I were dead.’

’Because his own idiocy drew the crowd’s attention, he lost all reason and blamed everything on me. He wanted to force me to my knees, to trample me just to save his own face.’

’With a temperament like that, calling himself a Celestial Pride is a joke!’

"Get lost!"

With a cold shout, a powerful burst of energy shot from Ye Wushuang’s body, slamming into the young man. It sent him flying toward the group from Yunhuang Hall.

THUD!

The young man hit the ground with another muffled grunt.

All eyes were on Ye Wushuang. He stood tall and straight, his gaze cold. In his eyes, that young man was unworthy of the title Celestial Pride.

No one refuted Ye Wushuang’s words. Strength was certainly important, but a powerful mind and a strong Dao Heart were the crucial foundations that allowed a Cultivator to reach the Peak.

Without those qualities, calling oneself a Celestial Pride was indeed a joke.

Outside the Battle Platform, Nangong Liuyun and the others nodded in satisfaction.

"This kid’s insight is truly admirable. It’s just a shame he started so late. Otherwise, I fear our Ancient Spirit Sect might have been able to welcome the supreme glory of producing a Strongest Warrior!"

Nangong Liuyun murmured to himself. He hadn’t forgotten when Ye Wushuang’s rise had begun.

Back then, Mo Wentian, Yang Dingtian, and the others were already renowned Celestial Prides, standing at the Peak of the younger generation and admired by all.

Meanwhile, Ye Wushuang was still humbled in a corner, silently enduring humiliation few could even imagine.

Yet in the blink of an eye, in such a short amount of time, Ye Wushuang was now standing on the peak Battle Platform of the Endless Wilderness’s younger generation, contending against its greatest champions.

He was now competing against people who had once been far beyond his reach.

Who else could possibly achieve such a feat?

Nangong Liuyun was confident that if Ye Wushuang were given enough time, first place on today’s Battle Platform would undoubtedly be his.

He was confident in this judgment; he knew he hadn’t misjudged the young man.

In the sky, the giant elder squinted and asked, "You have won this battle. Do you wish to end your turn or continue to challenge another?"

"I will continue!"

Ye Wushuang replied. This was his final round. To end it now would mean moving on to the top ten rankings and entering the final placement matches.

"Who do you wish to challenge?" the giant elder asked. As the first-place qualifier from the assessment, Ye Wushuang could challenge anyone present.

Many of the contestants frowned. This was the final match of the round; a loss now meant their ranking would plummet. For the weaker among them, it was a fight they desperately wanted to avoid.

As Ye Wushuang’s gaze swept across the remaining contestants, their hearts leaped into their throats. Each one could only pray that they weren’t his target.

’It’s just Ye Wushuang. What’s there to be afraid of?’

Gao Jie sneered as he watched the others’ fearful expressions.

But no sooner had the muttered words left his lips than Ye Wushuang’s gaze landed on him. "I choose him. Gao Jie!"

"Gao Jie!"

"Phew!"

Upon hearing the name, everyone else breathed a collective sigh of relief.

To the side, Feng Jue smiled. ’Ye Wushuang has finally made his move. Lingxiao Pavilion doesn’t just have me, it has him too!’

Below the Battle Platform.

The masked members of Lingxiao Pavilion—Xiang Tianxiao, Su Mu, and the others—also smiled.

Gao Jie’s expression, however, turned ugly. He never expected Ye Wushuang to choose him.

Luu Tianlan’s eyes narrowed. After a moment of thought, he turned to Gao Jie and said, "Go up there. Attack him with your full strength!"

’Since the Ancient Spirit Sect used Yunn Xiao to test my strength, I’ll give them a taste of their own medicine!’

"I..."

Gao Jie’s eyes widened at the command. He knew exactly what Luu Tianlan meant.

"Are you scared?"

A young man next to Gao Jie asked. Just moments before, Gao Jie had been muttering to him about how there was nothing to fear from "just Ye Wushuang," and yet now...

"Scared? How could I be scared? I accept the challenge!"

Staring at his companion’s gaze, Gao Jie’s face flushed red. He gritted his teeth and accepted. ’Afraid of Ye Wushuang? How could I be?’

But for some reason, as the words left his lips, a bad feeling stirred in his heart.