Li Yun observed the transformation calmly.

"Still not enough."

Although the golden dragon had already reached a length sufficient to secure a position within the top one hundred, he remained unsatisfied. His goal was far higher than that.

A high ranking did not only bring greater prestige. It also meant a larger amount of Dragon Qi, and the deeper mysteries contained within it would bring greater benefits in the future. For that reason, Li Yun had no intention of stopping. He wanted to accumulate as much Dragon Qi as possible.

At that moment, Long Yutian’s voice echoed across the battlefield.

"The final match of Group Five has concluded. Li Yun is victorious and has obtained the qualification to challenge the seeded participant of this group, Yi Yang. The match will begin in half an hour."

Hearing this announcement, Li Yun allowed a faint smile to appear before turning and leaving the dark golden arena.

Meanwhile, the battles in the other nine groups also reached their conclusions.

The victor of the first group was Yan Huo, a cultivator at the fifth level of the Essence Qi Realm from the Fire Cloud Sect, a prominent force within the Southern Martial Domain.

The winner of the second group was Wang Lie, also at the fifth level of the Essence Qi Realm, representing the Heaven Splitting Demon Sect.

The third group was won by Hai Qing, whose cultivation stood at the same level and who hailed from the Azure Sea Sect.

Across all groups, those who secured victory and earned the right to challenge the seeded participants were at least at the fourth level of the Essence Qi Realm.

Only Li Yun stood apart from the rest.

With cultivation at the seventh level of the Qi Sea Realm, he had achieved final victory in his group, marking himself as an anomaly among the gathised geniuses.

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

With the brief period of rest coming to an end, the seeded player challenge matches began in earnest.

The first to step onto the arena was the seeded participant of Group One, Su Fengyan, widely recognized as the strongest among the three young giants.

Standing opposite him was Yan Huo.

However, knowing Su Fengyan’s strength, Yan Huo didn’t have the will to fight at all. He understood clearly that there was no possibility of victory. Rather than waste time or suffer unnecessary humiliation, he chose to concede with dignity, stepping down without forcing a confrontation he could not win.

The same situation unfolded in the next match.

Li Hao, the second-ranked expert on the Hidden Dragon Ranking and acknowledged as the strongest saber wielder in the Southern Martial Domain, took the stage. His opponent did not even attempt to test his strength. Fully aware of the vast gap between them, he admitted defeat without hesitation.

The pattern continued.

When Huang Chen stepped forward, his opponent chose to withdraw immediately. Teng Jian’s match followed the same outcome, his reputation alone enough to deter any challenge.

One after another, the seeded participants secured their victories without needing to make a move.

Soon, it was the turn of the fifth group.

The seeded participant of this group was Yi Yang.

And the one who stepped forward to face him was Li Yun. He was the winner from the fifth group.

When Li Yun stepped onto the vast dark golden arena, his figure immediately attracted countless gazes from the surrounding spectators, yet before he could even take another step forward, he noticed that someone was already standing quietly at the very center of the battlefield waiting for his arrival.

That person was none other than Yi Yang.

The genius ranked fifth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings.

The moment everyone saw the two of them facing each other, the atmosphere across the enormous battlefield instantly became tense because no one had expected these two monsters to clash against each other so early.

Yi Yang stood motionlessly with both hands clasped behind his back while his chin remained slightly raised upward, giving him the appearance of a monarch overlooking the masses beneath him. His eyes carried an undisguised sense of superiority as he stared directly at Li Yun, and the invisible pressure radiating from his body alone was already enough to make many ordinary cultivators among the audience feel suffocated.

Even some Essence Qi Realm experts found their expressions turning solemn under that aura.

Clearly, Yi Yang’s strength was not something ordinary geniuses could compare to.

After silently observing Li Yun for several moments, Yi Yang finally spoke in a cold and indifferent voice that echoed throughout the arena.

"I watched all of your previous battles."

His eyes narrowed slightly as purple-cyan qi flickered faintly around his body.

"I admit that your strength is not bad. In fact, with your current abilities, you may have been capable of challenging some of the lower-ranked geniuses within the top ten of the Hidden Dragon Rankings."

A faint sneer slowly appeared on his face afterward.

"But unfortunately for you, your luck is truly terrible."

The disdain in his voice became even more obvious.

"You encountered me."

Yi Yang’s gaze looked down upon Li Yun as though the outcome of this battle had already been decided from the very beginning.

"So your journey ends here."

However, contrary to everyone’s expectations, Li Yun merely smiled faintly after hearing those words.

There was not the slightest fluctuation on his face.

Instead, his eyes became even sharper.

"I am not interested in listening to your nonsense."

His calm voice spread across the battlefield clearly.

"If you want to fight, then fight."

The moment those words fell, the atmosphere surrounding the arena changed completely.

Countless spectators widened their eyes in disbelief.

No one had expected Li Yun to speak to Yi Yang in such a manner.

"What arrogance!"

Yi Yang’s expression darkened instantly as a dangerous glint appeared within his eyes.

"Fine."

His voice became icy cold.

"Since you are in such a hurry to lose, I will fulfil your wish myself!"

Boom!

The instant his final word fell, Yi Yang vanished from his original position completely.

His speed was astonishing to the extreme.

Purple-cyan qi exploded violently beneath his feet while his entire figure shot toward Li Yun like a destructive meteor tearing across the battlefield. The terrifying pressure generated by that burst of speed alone caused powerful winds to sweep across the arena.