However, Duan Yingying’s results turned out far worse than expected. In the final and most crucial match, she was defeated by an inner sect disciple from Profound Mystery Peak. It was not because her strength was lacking, but simply because her luck was poor and she encountered an opponent who naturally countered her.
When determining victory between martial artists, cultivation level is not the only deciding factor. Martial techniques, combat experience, battle awareness, and even the attributes of one’s qi all play an important role.
The disciple from Profound Mystery Peak who faced Duan Yingying was nearly equal to her in most aspects and was even slightly weaker overall. However, Duan Yingying still lost because her qi attribute was suppressed.
She cultivated a water-element technique, while her opponent used earth-element techniques. Earth naturally suppresses water, and this principle was well known among cultivators. When a martial artist faces someone whose qi attribute directly counters their own, being able to exert even seventy to eighty percent of their full strength is already considered fortunate.
Among their group, Duan Yingying was the only one plagued by such bad luck. Liu Qinghai and Huang Yun both achieved much better results. They successfully advanced and earned the opportunity to challenge the seeded players.
Their fortune was also favorable, as neither of them was placed in a death group. Their respective opponents were ranked tenth and ninth on the top ten list.
Huang Yun’s strength was slightly inferior, so his chances of victory were not particularly high, roughly around forty to fifty percent. Liu Qinghai, on the other hand, had a much stronger chance. He possessed a real possibility of defeating his opponent and securing a position among the new top ten experts.
"The next stage begins. All qualified disciples, step onto the arena!"
A deacon of the Martial Ascension Gate raised his voice, and it echoed across the entire venue.
In response, the disciples who had successfully advanced from the ten groups immediately moved. One after another, figures leapt onto the arenas, each preparing to challenge a seeded expert.
Bai Feng stepped onto the arena with a calm yet arrogant expression. The moment he arrived, his gaze locked onto Li Yun, and he spoke with clear disdain.
"You have been quite fortunate so far. From the beginning until now, you have fought fifteen matches without a single defeat, achieving fifteen consecutive victories. However, your luck ends here, because now you have met me."
"I do not see it that way. I believe my winning streak will continue."
Li Yun remained calm, his expression unchanged, and a faint smile still lingered on his lips. Bai Feng’s contempt did not provoke even the slightest anger within him.
Among the top five experts, each possessed something that made Li Yun cautious. Jin Yuanguang’s sword techniques were sharp and deadly. Mo Chuxue’s fusion of ice and snow concepts, along with her Ancient Ice Clan bloodline, made her even more dangerous.
As for Xiao Fanyun, there was no need to say much. On the surface, he appeared calm and ordinary, but anyone who observed him closely would feel an unfathomable depth, like staring into a bottomless abyss.
Yet among all of them, Bai Feng was the one Li Yun was least concerned about.
What did Bai Feng truly rely on? His speed, his wind intent, and his movement techniques that made him elusive. He avoided attacks with ease, then played with his opponents until they collapsed. That kind of speed could indeed trouble most people, but unfortunately for Bai Feng, Li Yun was someone who feared speed the least.
"Your confidence is quite impressive. Let me see whether you are truly qualified to be so arrogant."
Li Yun’s calm indifference irritated Bai Feng. With a soft shout, he moved.
In the blink of an eye, Bai Feng stepped forward, as if the distance between them no longer existed. He appeared directly in front of Li Yun and struck out with a palm aimed at his chest.
As expected of the fourth-ranked expert on the Top Ten List and a cultivator at the first level of the Qi Sea Realm, his speed and precision were extraordinary. For most Xiantian Realm ninth-level martial artists, such an attack would be impossible to react to, allowing Bai Feng to defeat them instantly with a single strike.
But Li Yun was not among them.
As if he had already seen through the trajectory of the attack, Li Yun smiled faintly. Without any urgency, he raised his hand and chopped forward with his palm, meeting Bai Feng’s strike head-on.
Thud.
A dull sound echoed as their attacks collided. Bai Feng was forced back three steps, while Li Yun remained standing in place, completely unmoved.
The result of the exchange was clear.
Li Yun had the upper hand.
"Bai Feng, is this all your speed amounts to?" Li Yun said calmly as he lowered his hand. "If you do not show your true ability, this battle will end very quickly."
"A little interesting. No wonder you dare to act so confidently."
Bai Feng steadied himself as the disdain in his eyes finally lessened. After that brief exchange, he had already realized that Li Yun was not as easy to handle as he had initially thought.
With that realization, his expression grew more serious.
"Since you want to see my true speed, then I will show it to you."
A soft shout escaped his lips.
"Gale Art!"
In an instant, a surge of azure light erupted from Bai Feng’s body. The air around him twisted as the wind gathered and swirled violently. Under the amplification of that power, his speed increased several times over. With a single step, he vanished from where he stood and reappeared directly above Li Yun, as if space itself had been ignored.
He raised his hand and brought two fingers together, forming a sword finger.
"Gale Sword Finger!"
His fingers moved at an astonishing speed. To the naked eye, it was impossible to tell how many times he struck. It could have been hundreds, or even thousands, within a single breath. Each movement released a sharp streak of azure light, filled with cutting power that seemed capable of slicing through anything.

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