Quickly, the first round of the combat power test ended. The second round, to be carried out by the top ten, would determine the finalists for the ultimate showdown.

"The second round of the combat power assessment begins. Now, the tenth ranked contestant may choose an opponent ranked ahead of you for a challenge." The presiding elder looked towards the youth ranked tenth and spoke.

The attention of the crowd converged on him. Although this person was not Zhao Letian, being among the top ten combatants was enough to draw their notice.

"I… forfeit!" The youth's gaze swept over those ranked ahead of him, finally resting on Zhao Letian before furrowing his brows and hesitating for a moment, eventually gritting his teeth and reluctantly saying.

He was very familiar with the strength of the top ten; everyone apart from Zhao Letian was stronger than him. To advance further in ranking, the only chance lay with Zhao Letian. Had he been asked before the start of the assessment, he would have unhesitatingly chosen to challenge Zhao Letian, the man rumored to have become a failure. However, after witnessing the fight between Zhao Letian and Zhao Zihao, he no longer had the courage to face Zhao Letian.

"Ninth place, it's your turn to choose!" The elder was not surprised by the tenth-place contestant's decision and said calmly.

"I also forfeit!" The ninth-ranked contestant was even more straightforward. Without a second thought, they gave up and looked at Zhao Letian with a dejected expression. Initially, they had intended to seize the opportunity to severely humiliate Zhao Letian at the start of the assessment. Now, it seemed impossible to fulfill this desire since, with their strength, they couldn't even beat Zhao Zihao, so how could they humiliate Zhao Letian?

Then, the eighth to sixth place contestants also acted very cautiously, all choosing to forfeit under circumstances of uncertainty. By doing so, at least they could preserve their current ranks, otherwise, a challenge failure would demote them directly to the last, even risking the loss of rewards already within their grasp.

"Fifth place, it's your turn." The elder looked towards a bulky youth ranked behind Zhao Letian.

Hearing this, the crowd stirred again. If this person also chose to forfeit, they would have to pin their hopes on the top three to see Zhao Letian humiliated.

"Humph! They may all be afraid of you, Zhao Letian, but I certainly am not. I had initially planned to challenge Zhao Zihao, but you stepped in first. I'll make you understand, defeating Zhao Zihao is nothing special; I can do it too!" The bulky youth did not forfeit. Full of aggression, he directly walked towards the arena. "Zhao Letian, get up here!"

"Ha ha, good, among the Zhao family's younger generation, there's finally a real man!"

"Yes, I thought all these Zhao family kids were cowards. Unexpectedly, there's someone with spine!"

"How interesting, this kid is quite confident. Maybe he can really teach Zhao Letian a lesson."

The crowd's excitement spiked, as they were all interested in any fight involving Zhao Letian.

"Humph! Fool!" However, Zhao Zihao, pale-faced, did not think highly of the fifth place. Check for the latest updates on My Virtual Library Empire (*).

"Zhao Wu, Primordial Martial Eighth Realm Competed." Zhao Letian looked at the Combat Power Ranking Stele, having no impression of this man; after all, he never used to consider such people noteworthy.

Then, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhao Letian with hands clasped behind his back, remained calm and composed as he walked up to the arena.

"You should just surrender voluntarily. To tell you the truth, in the previous fight against Zhao Zihao, I didn't use much of my strength. Unless you believe your strength far exceeds Zhao Zihao's, else it's better not to waste each other's time," advised Zhao Letian as soon as he took the stage. He understood well enough that his real challengers were the three competitors ahead. If possible, he hoped to conserve his energy for the final showdown, preferring not to fight if avoidable.

"Humph! Zhao Letian, I know you are arrogant, but I, Zhao Wu, am no pushover. Forget about expecting me to surrender willingly; let's speak with our strength. Take my Mountain Opening Fist!" Zhao Wu responded firmly with a cold snort and quickly raised his fist to charge at Zhao Letian.

"Alright, one punch, and you'll see our difference." Seeing no choice but to engage, Zhao Letian's brow furrowed. He too raised his fist, meeting him head-on.

"You want to clash directly with me? Do you think I am Zhao Zihao? My Mountain Opening Fist is renowned for its tremendous power, even those in the Primordial Martial Ninth Realm hesitate to clash with me directly; you're simply seeking death!" Seeing Zhao Letian opting for a direct confrontation, Zhao Wu felt joy rather than fear. Primordial energy surged within him, and a layer of dirt-yellow Qi Shield faintly appeared over his enormous fist, looking formidable and as solid as a rock, seemingly filled with endless strength.

"Know that your power is great, but, so what? Second Armor Power!"

Despite sensing the terrifying power in Zhao Wu's fist, Zhao Letian remained calm and confident. After a deep shout, his fist began to be covered by two layers of dense black scale armor, overlapping and appearing exceedingly sturdy and solid as a real beast.

"Boom!"

In the blink of an eye, their fists collided. A terrifying blast of air instantly spread out. The dirt-yellow Qi Shield on Zhao Wu's fist was directly shattered into pieces, dispersing immediately, while Zhao Letian's fist continued unabated, smashing Zhao Wu's fist bones and sending him flying far out of the arena, eventually crashing down outside the platform.

"How could this be? His strength, why is it so terrifying? Is this the Zhao family prodigy whom we've always looked up to? Even though his cultivation is no longer what it once was, is the gap between him and me still impossible to bridge?" Under the platform, Zhao Wu looked at the blood on his fist, stunned in disbelief, his confidence severely shaken.

"Don't be disheartened; your strength is quite commendable. If you were up against Zhao Zihao, you would have at least a fifty percent chance of victory. It's just unfortunate that your challenger was me." Zhao Letian said indifferently before turning and, with hands clasped behind his back, walked down from the platform composedly.

"So arrogant!"

The crowd thought in unison. Zhao Letian's performance was too arrogant, already arrogant enough to defeat his opponent with a single punch. His remark before leaving the stage further implied it wasn't that Zhao Wu wasn't strong enough, but that he, Zhao Letian, was stronger.

However, they were unaware that this was exactly the effect Zhao Letian wanted to achieve. He wanted people to know that his talent was still there, his strength was still there, his pride was unyielded, and he remained the scion that the Zhao family could pin their hopes on. Only by doing so could his mother have a better life.