Shockwaves tore through Luo Liang’s mind.

’My Golden Jade Skills were almost shattered by a single strike?’

’Just how strong is this woman?!’

Tana landed the blow and didn’t pause for a moment.

She stomped her foot, making the ground tremble slightly. Like a shadow, she closed in on the retreating Luo Liang and raised her Heavy Hammer again.

A simple horizontal sweep, yet it sealed off all of Luo Liang’s space to dodge, forcing him to take it head-on!

Luo Liang was both shocked and furious. He frantically channeled his Golden Jade Skills, crossing his arms to block as the golden-jade luster flared brilliantly!

"CLANG—!"

Another deafening sound, like the tolling of a great bell!

Luo Liang felt as if he’d been hit head-on by a giant, rampaging Star Beast. A sharp, intense pain shot through his arms, leaving them numb. His Qi and Blood churned violently, and unable to suppress the surge, he spat out a mouthful of blood with a "PUFF" and staggered backward again.

His pride and joy, his defense, seemed so pale and feeble before Tana’s absolute power.

More importantly, although his Golden Jade Skills were strong, his mastery was still at the Entry Level. He had mainly tempered his bones and body surface; the strength of his internal organs was far from matching his external defense.

Right now, his external defense could barely take a few more hammer strikes, but his internal organs were already at their limit.

Tana gave Luo Liang no chance to breathe or regroup. Her Heavy Hammer came down like a torrential storm, one strike after another, relentlessly pounding against Luo Liang’s defenses.

The expression on her small face had transformed from its earlier tension into unconcealed excitement.

"CLANG! CLANG! BOOM!"

Luo Liang could only defend passively, beaten into a steady retreat with no way to fight back.

He had tried to counterattack, but Tana’s Heavy Hammer moved like an impenetrable whirlwind, easily neutralizing his offense and provoking an even fiercer retaliation.

The concussive force sent his Qi and Blood into greater disarray, and his internal organs ached as if they were being displaced. The golden-jade luster around him grew dimmer and dimmer.

The entire audience was stunned.

They had considered the possibility that Luo Liang might lose, but they never imagined it would be such a one-sided steamrolling!

That petite girl from the West Courtyard, swinging a massive Heavy Hammer, was actually beating the incredibly defensive Luo Liang into such a sorry state!

"This... This Tana is just insane!"

"A pure strength-type Martial Artist! Luo Liang’s Golden Jade Skills can’t defend against that kind of concussive damage at all!"

"The West Courtyard really kept her under wraps! I never thought they had another master besides Qin Rui and Xu Zhi!"

The fight lasted less than three minutes.

Under another one of Tana’s powerful leaping smashes with her Heavy Hammer, Luo Liang’s hastily raised arms finally gave way. With a sharp "CRACK," his arm bones seemed to fracture, and the protective golden-jade luster shattered completely!

The Heavy Hammer broke through and slammed viciously into his chest!

"PUFF—!"

Luo Liang violently spewed blood, who knows how many ribs were broken, and his body flew backward like a kite with a snapped string. He crashed heavily against the Energy barrier at the edge of the arena, slid down limply, and vanished in a flash of white light.

"West Courtyard, Tana wins!"

The referee’s announcement echoed. The stadium fell silent for a moment, then erupted in a deafening uproar!

Tana, victorious!

And she had done it head-to-head, defeating the incredibly defensive Luo Liang with absolute dominance!

As for herself, her hammer-wielding wrist was only slightly red from the recoil—an almost negligible injury.

In the North Courtyard’s rest area, there was a dead silence.

Zhao Qingwei’s delicate brows furrowed. She stared at the small, hammer-wielding figure on the stage, her expression incredibly grave.

Luo Liang’s defeat, and such a swift one at that, had completely disrupted the North Courtyard’s strategy.

The West Courtyard’s morale, however, soared. Qin Rui watched Tana with a hint of a smile, clearly having expected this outcome.

After all, in their private spars within the West Courtyard, not even he could guarantee victory against Tana. In fact, he was often inexplicably taken out by a single hammer strike.

Their overall win rate against each other was basically fifty-fifty; at best, he held a slight advantage.

They had long guessed that the North Courtyard would send Luo Liang out first, which was why they had Tana go up.

’For Luo Liang to dare underestimate this girl... he was practically courting death.’

Xu Zhi even let out a whistle, clearly very pleased with his teammate’s performance.

Tana retracted her Heavy Hammer, lifted her small face to the crowd, and gave a proud wave.

She turned and walked back to the West Courtyard’s rest area, waiting for the North Courtyard’s next opponent.

And the North Courtyard, having suffered a devastating blow in the very first match, was now at a huge disadvantage.

Their core fighter, Luo Liang, had been insta-killed. The remaining pressure now fell entirely on Zhao Qingwei and their other team member.

To be precise, it all rested on Zhao Qingwei alone.

The North Courtyard’s overall strength was a notch below even the East Courtyard’s. While their other member wasn’t exactly just there to fill a spot, it would be difficult for them to face a Martial Artist of Tana’s caliber.

In the East Courtyard’s rest area, Xu Wuyi watched the scene unfold, his gaze lingering for a moment on Tana’s black Heavy Hammer.

"Absolute power..." he murmured to himself.

Shen Wei clicked his tongue. "Damn, that girl from the West Desert is a real brute! She almost smashed Luo Liang’s tortoise shell to bits."

Zhou Mingxuan said gravely, "The North Courtyard is in trouble."

Xu Wuyi nodded.

Luo Liang’s unexpectedly swift defeat had tipped the scales of this clash of titans in the West Courtyard’s favor.

Now, it was all up to Zhao Qingwei to see if she could turn the tide.

...

In the North Courtyard’s rest area, the atmosphere was so heavy you could cut it with a knife.

Luo Liang had suffered a crushing defeat in the first match. Not only had he failed to wear down his opponent, but his own side’s morale had taken a heavy blow.

He was sitting to one side, head hung in dejection, clutching his head, too ashamed to face anyone.

At this moment, all the pressure fell on the next person to enter the arena.

Zhao Qingwei slowly stood up, her expression cold and her face betraying no emotion.

She didn’t look at her nervous teammate beside her; her gaze went straight to Tana on the stage.

"I’m going up," she said directly.

In this situation, if they sent the other team member, they would likely be easily defeated by Tana, who was in peak condition. The North Courtyard would then be in the desperate position of being down two to zero.

Only by going up herself and defeating Tana as quickly as possible could they preserve a sliver of hope for victory.

A flash of light, and Zhao Qingwei’s figure appeared on the stage, facing Tana, who stood ready with her hammer.

One was as cold as ice; the other, petite but possessed of explosive power.

The uproar in the stands gradually died down. Everyone held their breath in anticipation.

Zhao Qingwei, the Genius swordswoman of the North Courtyard, was finally making her move.

Her opponent was Tana, the dark horse from the West Courtyard who had just crushed Luo Liang with absolute power.

This was destined to be a battle between titans.

"North Courtyard, Zhao Qingwei." She stated her name simply, her right hand resting lightly on the hilt of the sword at her waist.

The sword had an archaic style, its scabbard sleek and streamlined, as if it were one with her body.

The excitement in Tana’s blue eyes hadn’t faded; in fact, it had grown even more intense.

She licked her somewhat dry lips and tightened her grip on the handle of her black Heavy Hammer. "Your sword... is it fast?"

Zhao Qingwei didn’t answer, merely giving a slight nod.

"Begin the match!"