Below the stage, every spectator held their breath, their eyes wide. They were completely captivated by the incredibly intense duel.

"In terms of destructive power, those two are already closing in on the Inner Qi Realm!"

The Elders of the five great families were visibly shocked. They had never imagined these two young men could be so formidable, their strength far surpassing the ordinary limits of the Late Stage of Bone Refining.

The intensity of their battle was even approaching that of a clash between Martial Artists who had just entered the Inner Qi Realm.

"How can they be this strong?"

Lin Ao, Fang Hong, and the others watched with sweaty palms, their hearts pounding in their chests.

They knew that if they were on the stage, they would have been defeated long ago. The power Fang Han and Xiao Chen displayed had already left them far behind in the dust.

The fierce battle raged on. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged over two hundred blows.

Both had consumed enormous amounts of stamina and vitality. Sweat beaded on their foreheads and their breathing grew heavy, but their assaults didn’t weaken in the slightest. Instead, they grew even more ferocious and relentless, each determined to overpower the other.

The longer Xiao Chen fought, the more excited he became. He could feel the bottleneck to the Inner Qi Realm loosening, as if he was just one final step away from a breakthrough.

"Blood Slaughter World Destruction!"

He took a sudden, deep breath, and the qi and blood in his body erupted as if set ablaze.

The blood-colored saber let out a deafening roar and transformed into a terrifying crimson arc that seemed capable of tearing the sky apart. With unstoppable momentum, it slashed ferociously toward Fang Han.

This slash condensed all his strength and conviction, its power soaring to an unprecedented peak.

The air around Fang Han seemed to freeze solid, trapped by the saber’s overwhelming momentum.

The crowd below turned pale with horror. The power of this attack was nearly identical to a full-force strike from an Inner Qi Realm Martial Artist.

Facing this decisive slash, Fang Han’s eyes narrowed.

Just as the crimson arc was about to strike him, his footwork shifted in a profound way. He instantly pushed his Perfection Level Gale Step to its absolute limit.

SWOOSH—!

Leaving a lifelike afterimage in his place, his figure seemed to become a wisp of wind, impossibly shifting three feet to the side out of thin air.

The terrifying crimson arc slashed through the afterimage and struck nothing but empty air.

BOOM!!!

With a massive explosion, shattered stone flew everywhere. A deep gash was carved into the arena floor.

"What?!"

His all-out strike had missed. Xiao Chen felt his qi and blood recoil, and his body faltered for a moment. He was caught in that vulnerable state between moves—his old momentum spent, new momentum not yet gathered. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

And in that fleeting instant—

A sharp glint flashed in Fang Han’s eyes as he decisively struck.

His Cyan Blade Sword let out an unprecedentedly clear hum. An ethereal, perfectly fluid aura began to flow from the blade.

The sword’s speed instantly soared to its peak, yet its trajectory was incomparably light and agile. Like a passing breeze, it was traceless, stabbing directly at the opening under Xiao Chen’s ribs, which he had exposed by overextending himself.

The strike was too fast for the eye to follow and was executed with an uncanny, vicious precision.

SQUELCH—!

A muffled thud followed as the blade sank into flesh.

Xiao Chen felt a cold sensation in his side, followed by a sharp, stabbing pain that spread in an instant. His surging strength drained from the wound like a receding tide.

His forward momentum came to a dead stop. He looked down in disbelief at the Cyan Blade Sword, which had somehow buried itself three inches deep into his side, and at the blood rapidly staining his robes.

"You... you’ve also cultivated a Basic Step Technique to the Perfection Level?"

He gaped, his eyes filled with utter shock.

’He’s not only incredibly talented in swordsmanship, having cultivated a Low Grade Sword Technique to the Great Success stage.’

’He’s also a genius with step techniques, bringing a Basic Step Technique all the way to Perfection.’

"I was fortunate."

With a flick of his wrist, Fang Han pulled out his sword, sending a spray of blood into the air. He drifted backward, landing steadily several paces away. His Cyan Blade Sword pointed toward the ground, a single drop of blood slowly sliding down its tip.

He was breathing heavily, but his eyes were clear and calm as he spoke slowly.

Silence!

A deathly silence!

The entire courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone stared, wide-eyed, as if they’d been hit with an Immobilization Technique, unable to believe the sudden turn of events that had just unfolded on the stage.

One moment, Xiao Chen had the clear advantage, launching what should have been a final, killing blow.

The next, Fang Han had miraculously dodged it and turned defeat into victory.

The reversal was too fast, too sudden!

"...He won? Fang Han won?!"

After a moment of stunned silence, thunderous cheers and shouts erupted from the Fang Family’s section!

Elder Fang Yuan clapped his hands and laughed, his face filled with relief and pride.

The Fang Family disciples were even more ecstatic, their faces flushed as they pumped their fists in the air as if they themselves had won the victory.

"..."

Lin Ao, Yue Lingtian, He Qingyan, and Sun Qing looked at one another. At first, their faces showed a hint of relief; at least the honor of Liangshui City’s younger generation had been preserved, preventing a clean sweep by an outsider.

But that relief was quickly replaced by a storm of complicated emotions.

Fang Han’s victory meant that the title of the number one expert of Liangshui City’s younger generation now belonged to him, completely and indisputably.

Furthermore, he had seized it by powerfully defeating a formidable outside challenger, a feat that would elevate his prestige to its zenith.

For them, and for the families they represented, this was by no means a good thing.

"This boy..."

The eyes of several Elders from the Yue, He, and Sun Families flickered as they exchanged a meaningful glance.

Deep within their gazes, a flicker of well-hidden apprehension and coldness passed, but it was quickly concealed.

’What a display, Fang Han...’

The Lin Family Elder’s expression, however, was so dark it looked like it could drip ink.

He looked at Fang Han standing on the stage, sword in hand, then glanced at the ashen-faced, utterly dejected Lin Ao beside him. A cold glint flashed deep in his eyes.

"Great Success in a Low Grade Swordsmanship, and Perfection in a Basic Step Technique... I can’t complain about my loss."

Xiao Chen clutched his still-bleeding wound, his face deathly pale.

He stared intently at Fang Han, his expression shifting, until finally all the shock, resentment, and anger melted away into a long sigh filled with endless regret.

After speaking these difficult words, he said no more. He turned, staggered off the stage, and walked toward the gray-robed elder who had been meditating with his eyes closed.

A sharp light flashed in the gray-robed elder Xiao Yuanshan’s eyes, gone in an instant.

He gave Fang Han a long, deep look but said nothing. Supporting Xiao Chen, his figure flickered and vanished from the courtyard entrance like a phantom.

Their arrival had been abrupt, and their departure was just as decisive.

Fang Han sheathed his sword and slowly let out a long breath.

He could feel how much qi and blood he had consumed, and the dull ache in his organs from the violent clashes. A sense of caution filled him.

’Xiao Chen’s strength is no joke. He’s the strongest opponent of my generation I’ve ever faced. If I hadn’t caught him off guard with my Perfection Gale Step at the end, the outcome would have been uncertain.’

’So it’s true. There’s a much wider world beyond Liangshui City, filled with even more geniuses!’

"Good lad! That was beautifully done! You’ve brought great honor to our Fang Family and to all of Liangshui City!"

As Fang Han leaped off the stage, Elder Fang Yuan immediately rushed over and clapped him firmly on the shoulder, an irrepressible smile on his face.

"Elder, you praise me too highly. It was just a lucky win," Fang Han said with a slight bow, his tone as calm as ever.

"A win is a win! There was no luck involved!"

Elder Fang Yuan boomed with laughter.

"Fang Han actually beat that outsider!"

The surrounding Fang Family disciples crowded around him, their faces beaming with shared glory, excitement, and worship.

Meanwhile, the disciples from the other families gradually dispersed, their expressions complicated. A few of their Elders came forward to exchange some brief pleasantries with Fang Yuan before leading their own disciples away.

The courtyard gradually fell silent, but the news of Fang Han’s victory over the young outsider who had defeated the Six Heroes grew wings, spreading through Liangshui City at an astonishing speed.

Upon hearing the news, many people breathed a collective sigh of relief, awestruck by Fang Han’s power.

As citizens of Liangshui City, they naturally didn’t want an outsider Martial Artist running rampant in their home.

They had grown anxious watching the Six Heroes fall one by one. But thankfully, Fang Han had ultimately saved Liangshui City’s honor.