"Make your move," Li Yun replied without hesitation. Those three words alone revealed his unyielding resolve.
"Good."
Hearing this, Zhang Lang wasted no further time.
A solemn expression spread across his face as he swiftly formed a hand seal and shouted in a thunderous voice, "Profound Heaven Lion Seal!"
Roar.
The moment his voice fell, an overwhelming torrent of majestic qi surged out from his hand seal, carrying dazzling light as it erupted like a collapsing mountain. That raging qi rapidly took shape in the air, transforming into a ferocious male lion formed entirely of condensed energy.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The qi lion opened its massive jaws and released a series of deafening roars. As its roars echoed, the enormous beast began to charge forward, its thick limbs striking the air with terrifying force.
Each step sounded like the beating of war drums. Wherever its feet landed, the air shattered violently, and visible shockwaves spread outward, rippling through the heavens and earth.
The disciples of Martial Ascension Gate watching the scene could not help but feel shaken by the overwhelming might of the qi lion.
"Senior Brother Zhang Lang’s fifth tier secret art, Profound Heaven Lion Seal, has grown even stronger," Wang Yunyun exclaimed.
"With the power of this move, even a cultivator at the peak of the seventh level of the Xiantian Realm would have to deal with it carefully," another disciple said in awe.
"With this technique, Senior Brother Zhang Lang can likely compete for a place among the top ten in the next Inner Sect Grand Competition," Ling Chong added, his face filled with genuine admiration.
Though arrogant by nature, Ling Chong knew better than to belittle someone who clearly stood far above him.
"Li Yun, receive my attack!" Zhang Lang shouted as he sent the roaring qi lion charging straight toward Li Yun.
Li Yun took a steady breath as he watched the qi lion charge toward him. He circulated his three cultivation arts once more and tightened his grip on his sword, his focus sharpening to its peak.
"This is the strongest attack I have ever faced," Li Yun thought as the crushing pressure from the qi lion bore down on him.
He knew with absolute certainty that he could not withstand this attack without suffering injury. If he had already stepped into the Xiantian Realm, the situation would have been different, but at half step Xiantian Realm, defending against an attack of this level was simply impossible unless he used another method.
With a decisive motion, Li Yun put away his sword. He pushed his Sun Refining Scripture to the absolute limit of the ninth layer and raised his hands, positioning them as though he were drawing a bow.
In the blink of an eye, blazing flames erupted around his palms. The fire condensed rapidly, forming a flaming bow that radiated intense heat in his grasp.
Facing the oncoming qi lion, Li Yun forced himself to calm down completely. His expression became tranquil as he slowly pulled back the invisible string.
Bang!
The ground beneath his feet shattered instantly, turning to dust as he drew the bowstring. The raging flames around his body surged wildly, and a dark red arrow began to take shape upon the bow, its form growing clearer with every passing moment.
By the time the arrow fully materialized, the pressure of its flaming aura had risen to a level that left the senior brothers and sisters watching from above deeply shaken. The oppressive force radiating from Li Yun’s bow was nothing short of terrifying.
"Is that a secret art? If so, what tier could it possibly be? The pressure coming from that arrow is overwhelming," someone exclaimed.
"I have never seen anything like that before. Just facing that arrow makes me feel like I would be killed instantly," another said with a pale expression.
"Where did this kid obtain such a high tier secret art? This Li Yun is clearly hiding countless secrets," a third voice murmured.
All the senior brothers and sisters were stunned by the sight of that arrow. They had already been shocked by Li Yun’s earlier sword attack, but only now did they realize that compared to this secret art, the sword strike was insignificant. The two were on completely different levels.
Just as the momentum of the flaming arrow reached its absolute peak, Li Yun released the string.
Swish!
The crimson arrow ripped through the air, dragging a blazing trail of red light behind it as it shot forward.
Bang!
The recoil produced at the instant the arrow left the bow was so violent that Li Yun himself was blasted backward. His body was thrown away by the backlash even as the flaming arrow surged ahead.
"Damn, this is only the One Sun Realm of the Nine Sun Heaven Chasing Arrow, yet the kickback is already this terrifying," Li Yun muttered as he quickly steadied himself. His eyes remained fixed on the red streak of fire racing toward the qi lion.
Only a few seconds passed before the blazing arrow reached its target.
Boom!
At the moment of impact, the arrow and the lion collided and exploded at the same time. A thunderous roar shook the surroundings as dazzling qi light erupted outward, carrying a terrifying aura that swept across the heavens and earth like a raging storm. The air within several hundred meters was completely engulfed by the violent blast.
In that region of the sky, blazing light surged endlessly. Aside from the terrifying qi storm, nothing else could be seen. Both Li Yun and Zhang Lang were engulfed in that qi storm!
The disciples of Martial Ascension Gate watching the scene felt their hearts tremble and their scalps go numb. A wave of sharp gasps rippled through the area as the sheer destructive power of that exchange struck fear into their minds.
Rip.
Just as the gasps had yet to subside, a piercing tearing sound echoed through the air. A figure suddenly burst out of the sky filling qi storm and was sent flying backward in a miserable state. His body carved through dozens of meters of turbulent air currents before slowing.
"Who is that?"
The disciples of Martial Ascension Gate immediately craned their necks to look.
"That is..."
"Senior Brother Zhang Lang."
"Could it be that Senior Brother Zhang Lang has been defeated?"
"How could that be possible?"
Shock and disbelief spread through the crowd as they stared at the retreating figure. Many of them cried out in alarm, and some even rubbed their eyes, convinced they must have seen something wrong.
"Cough. Cough."
After being forced back dozens of meters, Zhang Lang finally managed to stabilize himself. He let out a painful cough as a trace of scarlet blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his face turned noticeably pale. Although he appeared intact on the surface, it was clear that he had suffered internal injuries.
"I... I actually lost."
Zhang Lang paid no attention to his injuries. Much like the other disciples of Martial Ascension Gate, his face was filled with disbelief. No matter how he thought about it, he could not accept the outcome.
He had used his ultimate move, yet he still lost to Li Yun, who was only at half step Xiantian Realm. The result struck him deeply and was extremely difficult for him to come to terms with.
Even so, Zhang Lang was not narrow minded. He quickly steadied his emotions, forced a bitter smile onto his face, and cupped his hands toward the qi storm still raging in the air.
"Li Yun, your strength is truly formidable," he said honestly. "You have won the second round of the trial. I accept my defeat."
Whoosh.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
As Zhang Lang’s words faded, the qi storm sweeping through the air began to slowly dissipate. Soon after, the sound of footsteps echoed out. A blurred figure stepped forward through the thinning qi storm and gradually came into clear view.
That figure was none other than Li Yun.

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