The attacks of Wanru and Li Qiu in the arena collided, and the blue and white energy only produced a loud explosion, even causing the arena to tremble as their unleashed power burst open in the air.

The massive energy wave spread in all directions, directly hitting the protective barrier of the arena.

In the spectator area, some cultivators with weaker cultivation were terrified at this sight; if it weren’t for the protective barrier, the aftershocks of Wanru and Li Qiu’s attacks might have injured those with lower strength.

After this wave of attacks, Wanru retreated dozens of steps, while Li Qiu was directly sent flying, continuously coughing up blood.

At the Liyue Sect’s location, seeing Li Qiu flying backward, the middle-aged woman immediately leaped forward and caught her.

"Cough, cough, I’m sorry, Master, I failed. I’m not Wanru’s opponent," Li Qiu said, blood flowing from the corner of her mouth.

A pill appeared in the middle-aged woman’s hand, and she quickly fed it to Li Qiu.

"It’s alright, Li Qiu, you were already very strong. That girl from the Ice Moon Sect used her sect’s secret technique after all, and that’s something we couldn’t have anticipated or resisted in time. This competition ends here. First, heal your injuries, then you can find another opportunity to improve your strength," the middle-aged woman said to Li Qiu. Li Qiu coughed a few times, then nodded and fainted.

As for Wanru, although she retreated a few steps, Li Qiu’s attack also caused her considerable damage. Fortunately, it wouldn’t have too much impact on the upcoming battles. After Wang Gang announced her victory, Wanru was also helped off the stage by Ice Moon Sect disciples.

In the upcoming battles, the matchups were:

Han Qiu versus Miaofa.

Hanba versus Li Xiao.

Haimo versus Liu Jiang.

Huang Yu versus Wu Chengfeng.

During these matches, the battle between Hanba and Li Xiao was the quickest, ending in less than a few dozen breaths. The final victor was the mysterious Hanba. Li Xiao, a sword cultivation genius, failed without even drawing his sword.

Such extraordinary methods made Shangguan Nan unable to help but exclaim, "This child is so overbearing. I wonder where he came from. If such a genius were to grow, he would be terrifying."

Hearing Shangguan Nan say this, Zhang Dao of the Shanhe Sect and Sima Chun, the Third Elder of the Demon Shadow Divine Sect, also nodded, which greatly surprised Emperor Huang Wuji. He wondered about the background of this young man who could simultaneously astonish these three, so he secretly sent a message to the person in charge of registration, asking for the information of the twelve people who entered the finals.

After about a few dozen breaths, a stream of information appeared in Emperor Huang Wuji’s mind. He saw that Wang Yufan was from Qingcheng, a place he knew, but in previous years’ genius competitions, it had always been last. As the Emperor of the Mingyue Empire, he only remembered the top ten and the last place.

He continued to look, and when he saw Hanba, he paused. Because Hanba’s entry indicated that he was a rogue cultivator from the Mingyue Empire.

This surprised him greatly, as these genius competitions were usually for those selected from a medium or small sect or city within the Mingyue Empire. The fact that Hanba was a rogue cultivator didn’t matter now; what was important was that this person was from their Mingyue Empire.

Wang Yufan also developed a strong interest in Hanba; this person was too mysterious. He wore a black robe and a bamboo hat. The aura he exuded made Wang Yufan feel very uncomfortable.

He had a feeling that he had seen this kind of power somewhere before, but he couldn’t recall where.

The battles in the arena continued, and Wang Yufan’s attention shifted to Miaofa and Huang Yu, as well as Liu Jiang from the Tianzang Sect. Wang Yufan always felt that Liu Jiang was not as simple as he seemed; although Liu Jiang had fought Haimo for a long time, Wang Yufan knew that Liu Jiang had not used his true strength.

In Wang Yufan’s opinion, Liu Jiang’s cultivation was not inferior to Huang Yu’s. He just knew how to hide his strength. Such people were often the most dangerous.

After this round ended, the six who advanced were Wang Yufan, Wanru, Hanba, Liu Jiang, Miaofa, and Huang Yu.

Just when everyone thought it was over, Wang Gang suddenly announced again, "Due to a temporary order from the Emperor, the competition rules need to be slightly adjusted. These six qualifiers must be ranked."

As soon as Wang Gang finished speaking, the entire spectator area erupted in cheers, which was also what they had hoped for.

They hadn’t fully enjoyed this battle, especially wanting an answer in their hearts about who was stronger among these last six.

Wang Gang once again had the six draw lots, and this time Wang Yufan drew Huang Yu. The moment he drew Huang Yu, Wang Yufan saw a triumphant smile on Wang Gang’s face. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"You seem very happy," Wang Yufan said to Wang Gang.

"My happiness is none of your business. You should worry about yourself. Next, you’ll face our most talented Prince. The scars you left on my son, let the Prince give them to you," Wang Gang said gleefully.

However, Wang Yufan was unconcerned. Huang Yu’s strength was indeed strong, but he was far from threatening Wang Yufan, because his true strength was at the Yuankun Realm, not the Primal Spirit Realm. According to Wang Yufan’s estimation, Huang Yu’s strength might have already reached the sixth or even seventh layer of the Primal Spirit Realm. And Miaofa, the monk from Tianchan Temple, was probably similar to Huang Yu, perhaps even stronger.

Wang Yufan shook his head at Wang Gang’s words and chose not to bother with him, as communicating with such a person was too exhausting for him. It was better to directly shatter his self-important notions to make him shut up completely.

Miaofa drew Liu Jiang, and Wanru drew Hanba this time.

When Wanru drew Hanba, she knew she might lose this time, because Hanba’s strength was currently recognized by everyone as the strongest, without exception. As for Wang Yufan, she didn’t even consider him.

Watching everyone take their lots, Wang Gang cleared his throat and said, "Alright, since everyone has received their opponents, I won’t say more about the competition rules. The first match will be Wang Yufan from Qingcheng versus His Royal Highness, the Fifth Prince of the Mingyue Empire. The competition officially begins now."