Yang Jing’s back grew taut, a sense of foreboding welling up inside him.

Shen Lie was already the most difficult opponent on the seventh stage. Now he was directing some inexplicable animosity toward him. If they were to meet in the ring later, he was certain Shen Lie wouldn’t hold back.

Yang Jing steadied himself, his eyes locked on Shen Lie in the ring, not daring to let his guard down for even a moment.

Regardless of why the man was so hostile, Yang Jing had to be on high alert. The slightest mistake could mean he wouldn’t get away in one piece.

On the stage.

Shen Lie stood on one side of the stage, facing Liu Biao of Xingwu Hall. His expression was one of pure indifference, as if his opponent wasn’t even worth a second glance.

Liu Biao was an expert at the Peak of Mingjin and hailed from a major clan. Seeing Shen Lie’s arrogance, he flared with anger. With a low shout, he twisted his body and threw a punch, the strike fierce as it shot straight for Shen Lie’s face.

The instant the fist was about to connect, Shen Lie moved.

He didn’t move his feet an inch. His right fist dipped slightly before he thrust it forward with sudden ferocity.

The punch looked unremarkable, yet it carried the heavy, crushing momentum of a collapsing mountain. It was the signature killing blow of the Mountain-Breaking Fist.

BOOM!

The two fists met, the muffled sound making everyone’s eardrums tremble.

The ferocity on Liu Biao’s face froze instantly, replaced by a look of incredulous pain.

The force behind his punch shattered like an egg against a steel plate. He flew backward as if struck by a sledgehammer, his body completely out of his control.

THUD. He landed heavily on the edge of the stage, several yards away. He coughed up a spray of bloody foam and didn’t get back up.

From start to finish, it had all happened in the span of a single breath.

The crowd below the stage fell silent for a moment before a wave of sharp, low gasps rippled through them.

Everyone was stunned by the power of Shen Lie’s punch.

Others had defeated their opponents, but the sheer, decisive dominance of Shen Lie’s strike was more intimidating than anything seen so far.

Standing below the stage, Yang Jing’s pupils constricted. His breathing hitched.

He had seen it clearly. When Shen Lie threw the punch, his Dark Energy flowed with a smoothness that bordered on perfection. Before the fist even landed, its heavy, condensed energy had already locked onto his opponent.

The instant their fists met, the Dark Energy passed through Shen Lie’s knuckles without the slightest hesitation. It not only crushed Liu Biao’s own power but also directly concussed his internal organs.

That level of control over Dark Energy, along with the explosive force contained within the punch, was far beyond his own current capabilities.

’So strong...’ Yang Jing thought, his heart sinking with alarm.

Is this the true power of the Peak of Dark Energy?

To defeat an enemy with a single punch—it was clean, decisive, and utterly domineering.

No wonder even Senior Brother Xu Hong rated him so highly, and felt he had a good chance of passing the final Training Ground Trials.

With strength like that, he certainly had the right to be arrogant.

Yang Jing clenched his fists, the sense of alarm in his heart intensifying.

Compared to Shen Lie, his own Dark Energy was clearly not as refined. If they truly fought, he would probably have to use his Raging Wave Kicks to have any chance of winning.

But the power Shen Lie had displayed with that single punch made him realize that these Training Ground Trials were going to be far more difficult than he had anticipated.

...

「Outside the enclosure.」

Zhao Yuman was on her tiptoes, her gaze locked on the seventh stage.

When she saw Shen Lie send his opponent flying with a single punch, a self-satisfied smile crept onto her lips, and she nodded subconsciously.

’Impressive,’

she thought to herself, her eyes filled with satisfaction.

’With the power shown in that one punch, forget the seventh stage—how many people in the entire Training Ground Trials could possibly be a match for Shen Lie?’

The more she watched, the more delighted she became.

If Shen Lie passed the Training Ground Trials—or better yet, took first place—then her association with him would let me hold her head high in front of her brother and all her arrogant, high-and-mighty friends.

As for how to get Shen Lie completely wrapped around her finger... Zhao Yuman tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, a sharp, calculating glint in her eyes.

In Zhao Yuman’s eyes, all the other Martial Artists on the seventh stage—including the Dark Energy experts Chen Wu, Qian Feng, and Yang Jing—were a whole level beneath Shen Lie.

Especially Yang Jing. He had only just broken through to the Dark Energy realm.

In the face of Shen Lie’s absolute power, that guy—the one who was only fit to be rejected by her—wasn’t even worth thinking about. She had already cast him from her mind.

Right now, Zhao Yuman’s mind was completely filled with visions of the glory Shen Lie would have after taking first place, and the prestige she could gain by association.

....

Time slowly passed.

The first round of matches on all eight stages came to a close one by one, and a wave of commotion swept through the training ground.

The Martial Artists who had advanced were in high spirits.

Those who had been defeated and eliminated, however, walked out from the enclosure with their heads hung in dejection.

Shouts and murmurs mingled together, creating a livelier atmosphere than before, but one now tinged with the stark cruelty of victory and defeat. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

「Outside the enclosure, in the spectator stands.」

Sun Yong, dressed in a navy-blue training uniform, sat upright on a large chair, rolling a string of glossy walnuts in his hand.

One by one, disciples from the Sun’s Martial Arts Hall emerged, all looking crestfallen. These were the Mingjin Disciples who had been eliminated in the first round.

They walked over to Sun Yong and bowed their heads, not daring to speak. They clearly felt they had brought shame upon the Martial Arts Hall.

Sun Yong merely gave them a passing glance and said nothing.

These Mingjin Disciples were not his focus. The Training Ground Trials were a crucible, meant to weed out the weak. In the end, only a select few could ever go far.

His gaze remained fixed in the direction of the third stage, where Lin Yue was competing.

He had watched closely when Lin Yue took the stage earlier.

Facing his opponent’s fierce assault, Lin Yue had remained as steadfast as a mountain. Circulating his Dark Energy, he had casually neutralized the attack, then nonchalantly placed a palm on his opponent’s shoulder. He won the match without dealing a heavy blow. Such composure and control already marked him as one of the best among those at the Dark Energy realm.

"Ning Xiang," Sun Yong said to Sun Ningxiang beside him, retracting his gaze with a satisfied smile. "Your Junior Brother Lin Yue’s technique just now was steady, precise, and ruthless. Even more impressive is his perfect control. I’m afraid the top spot on the third stage can belong to no one but him."