[Ding, Reputation +1] *323 

In the brief moments before stepping onto the arena, 

the system’s notification sound rang repeatedly in Su Yuan’s ears, pounding so hard it gave him a headache. He helplessly turned off the system alerts. 

He glanced at the system panel. 

[Name]: Su Yuan 

[Region]: Green Vine Continent 

[Level]: Rising Fame (3926/10,000) 

[Realm]: Qi Refining Stage, Sixth Layer (99/100) 

[Entry 1]: Work-Rest Balance: Current Rest Time: 5.5 days 

[Entry 2]: Dao Follows Nature 

[Entry 3]: Seven Stars Shining Brightly 

During this time, because of opening the market stall, his reputation soared by two thousand five hundred points. Just by saying his name, he gained another 323 reputation points. 

Honestly, so much reputation was tempting, but it was too conspicuous! 

This was different from opening the market stall. After opening the stall, he could hide for a while and most people would forget him. But once his formidable strength was exposed, even if he hid, people would continue to remember him. The two situations were completely different! 

In the cultivation world, the most valued things were cultivation and strength! 

Since that was the case, he might as well pretend to be unable to win—just lose the fight! 

It wasn’t a big deal. 

As he pondered, he had already arrived at the edge of the arena. 

On the other side, a woman took a single step, her figure landing lightly like a swallow as she stood on the arena. 

“Sister Xiao Xiao wins decisively!!!” 

“Ah, it’s Sister Xiao Xiao!” 

“Victory is guaranteed! Sister Xiao Xiao’s ‘Green Wind Art’ spell has already reached mastery level, with power comparable to an expert at Qi Refining Stage, Eighth Layer!” 

Excited voices rang out from the crowd. 

“Huh, isn’t that the junior brother who opened the market stall? Why is he on the stage too?” 

“That can’t be right. He opened the market stall and still came on? Feels kind of strange.” 

“I cultivated a perception spell; his aura is only at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. He dares to compete on stage? Too confident!” 

Su Yuan’s expression remained calm as he walked up the steps onto the arena. 

Once on the arena, the sounds from inside and outside were cut off. 

“Technique Extremes Peak’s Li Xiao Xiao, please show me your skill!” 

A gentle yet firm voice came from across the arena. 

Beside the arena, a late Foundation Establishment stage steward gestured for Su Yuan to bow. 

Su Yuan immediately returned the bow: “Mysterious Extremes Peak’s Su Yuan, please show me your skill!” 

They stood thirty meters apart, waiting for the steward’s order. 

Among the spectators, many disciples of the same generation as Su Yuan were surprised to see him step onto the stage. 

Liu Muwan was in the crowd and naturally recognized Su Yuan; she had a deep impression of him. 

“How dare he step on stage? The lowest level in the Inner Sect Competition is Qi Refining Seventh Layer. Su Yuan stepping up is meaningless,” Liu Muwan said unwillingly. 

Ye Bufan stood beside Liu Muwan, but his expression was not his usual disdain; instead, it was serious. “He’s very strong!” 

Liu Muwan was taken aback and looked at Ye Bufan. It seemed like the first time she had seen such clear caution on Ye Bufan’s face. 

She then looked at Su Yuan with curiosity in her eyes. 

“Then who do you think will win?” Liu Muwan asked. 

Ye Bufan squinted his eyes and said, “It has to be Su Yuan! And he will definitely win by overwhelming dominance!” 

“Impossible, right?” Liu Muwan doubted strongly. 

Everything outside the arena had nothing to do with Su Yuan. 

The steward spoke: “The match begins, touch and stop!” 

Li Xiao Xiao’s petite figure immediately retreated, surrounded by a green glow, her speed skyrocketing! 

Then Li Xiao Xiao wielded a green feather fan, immediately fanning towards Su Yuan. 

In an instant, over a dozen green wind blades surged towards Su Yuan! 

Su Yuan’s eyes narrowed. The opponent combined a single-target offensive spell with a magical tool, transforming it into a multi-target spell. Each spell attack had the power of a high-grade Yellow Realm spell. If three green blades hit simultaneously, it could explode with the power of a top-grade Yellow Realm spell! 

Such a powerful spell made Su Yuan feel that pretending to lose was quite reasonable. 

But he also feared pain, so he couldn’t be hit by too many wind blades. 

“Seven Stars Flowing Light Steps!” 

Su Yuan used his self-created footwork. Around him, seven star-like points shimmered. With each step, he rapidly maneuvered between the seven stars, and their positions changed with every move, making his footwork extremely elusive and mysterious. 

This was the Seven Stars Flowing Light Steps—guided by starlight, teleporting through space. 

At this moment, the green wind blades attacked Su Yuan from all directions. 

Su Yuan instinctively flashed aside. His body turned into star light; it seemed as if seven star illusions vanished from the original position and reassembled elsewhere, easily passing through the dozens of wind blades. 

Su Yuan was stunned. 

He looked back and saw the wind blades had already collided with the arena’s formation and dissipated. 

He glanced at the solemn-faced Li Xiao Xiao and felt a little embarrassed. 

Just like that, it was over? 

Su Yuan thought about it and realized his lack of combat experience made his control over spells too rigid, making it hard to control their power. 

He took it seriously. It seemed that pretending to lose wasn’t that easy; he needed to practice using his spells more smoothly, just aiming to be hit by a single wind blade. 

“This junior brother’s strength is not weak; I must go all out!” Li Xiao Xiao thought to herself. 

Li Xiao Xiao swung her fan a second time. The green wind blades spun at the fan’s tip, then swept toward Su Yuan like a gale. 

Su Yuan’s expression turned serious. His eyes fixed on the fifteen overlapping wind blades. His spiritual sense seemed to foresee the subsequent trajectory of the wind blades. He seized the opportunity and charged toward the predicted future path of one of the wind blades. 

Li Xiao Xiao smirked: “I already guessed you would dodge; watch me change the trajectory!” 

She used her spiritual sense to control the wind blades to alter their path a second time, demonstrating her exquisite mastery of the spell! 

The green wind blades instantly changed course with astonishing speed, agility, and complexity—truly breathtaking and impossible to defend against fully. 

Su Yuan stopped at a certain spot. The expected attack did not come. The dozen or so wind blades, like a master artist skilled in outlining, traced every part of Su Yuan’s body. 

Su Yuan stood still, looked back again at the wind blades that had once more collided with the arena formation and vanished, then glanced at Li Xiao Xiao with a puzzled expression. 

What was going on? 

Li Xiao Xiao frowned. She realized Su Yuan had anticipated her anticipation. His combat experience was unusually rich. Especially that backward glance—it was provocatively skilled but without any hint of acting, natural to the extreme. This made Li Xiao Xiao grit her silver teeth. 

The audience was also full of surprise. 

What was expected to be a one-sided match was unexpectedly a close contest due to Su Yuan’s agile footwork. 

Li Xiao Xiao spoke: “Junior brother, impressive footwork. How about this move?” 

She tossed the fan in her hand; it unfolded and transformed into a green feather sword. 

The sword light glittered; the green sword flashed and shot forward instantly. 

Su Yuan’s expression changed. This attack was beyond expectations. He felt certain that if hit, it would hurt a lot. 

So Su Yuan hesitated briefly but decided to dodge instead of taking the hit head-on. 

The green sword rapidly approached. 

Under Su Yuan’s feet, starlight shimmered. Man and sword intertwined and passed each other without touching. 

Li Xiao Xiao changed her hand seal; the green sword instantly altered its flight path, attacking Su Yuan again. As it neared Su Yuan, several green phantoms flickered on the sword tip, blocking his escape routes. 

Su Yuan took a step. Seven star lights gathered in midair. With one step, he leaped into the sky. In the air, he stepped seven times continuously, changing direction in the blink of an eye. He not only dodged the fierce sword attack but also rapidly approached Li Xiao Xiao! 

The residual starlight in the air was dreamlike and dazzlingly cool. 

Su Yuan’s posture was like a soaring eagle spreading its wings, domineering and majestic yet elegant and graceful. 

“What exquisite footwork!” Outside the arena, Wang Siming praised. 

“Wonderful, wonderful!” 

Many disciples greatly changed their view of Su Yuan. With such footwork, fighting on stage was not a disgrace. 

On the high platform of Mysterious Extremes Peak, Wang Siming’s eyes brightened: “This kid’s footwork is superb. Where did he learn this? So exquisite! With just this skill, he can be recruited as a core disciple early!” 

The nearby Golden Core elder also showed approval, clearly discerning. 

Su Yuan’s footwork was extremely fast. In just a few steps, he reached above Li Xiao Xiao. 

He glanced down at Li Xiao Xiao, locking eyes with her startled gaze. 

Li Xiao Xiao was ready to defend, waiting for Su Yuan’s attack. Her magical tool was still far away, and at this moment, her Qi circulation was empty, leaving her defense weak. 

Su Yuan directly flew over her head, lightly landing, then threw out a low-grade flying sword toward her. 

The sword’s slow speed was at least ten times slower than Li Xiao Xiao’s green sword. 

Li Xiao Xiao dodged, but unexpectedly, the slow flying sword seemed to know her dodging trajectory, arriving ahead of her dodge to hit her robe. 

Just as Li Xiao Xiao accepted her impending defeat, 

things changed again. It seemed her robe’s defense was quite good. The power of a mere low-grade magical tool couldn’t break through her robe’s defense. Instead, the flying sword was knocked away, falling back into Su Yuan’s hand. 

Only then did the green sword return around Li Xiao Xiao. With the magical tool’s protection, her defense immediately strengthened, but she still looked unsettled as she stared at Su Yuan. 

“Are you insulting me?” Li Xiao Xiao gritted her teeth. 

“Sister, please don’t misunderstand. I’ve only been a disciple for one year, so it’s reasonable to have only one low-grade magical tool, right?” Su Yuan replied. 

Li Xiao Xiao’s eyes narrowed: “You’ve only been a disciple for one year?” 

Su Yuan shrugged: “What’s wrong with that?” 

There were many things wrong! 

She had been a disciple for seven years! 

Su Yuan said, “Sister, continue. Don’t use the flying sword anymore; it’s too powerful. The green wind blades just now were enough. I can’t dodge every time!” 

Li Xiao Xiao snorted coldly. The feather fan flashed again, sending another dozen wind blades flying! 

This time, Su Yuan was much more experienced. He seized the opportunity and collided his body against one of the green blades. 

Of course, he wouldn’t take it with just his body—that would hurt. He condensed a thin shield of Mystic Truth Qi around him, aligning his arm with the wind blade to prevent any accidents. 

Moreover, he purposely landed at the edge of the formation. If he appeared to be knocked away by the wind blade, he could perfectly fall outside the formation and smoothly exit the match. 

The perfection of this plan was flawless. 

Ding! 

He collided! 

Su Yuan’s eyes narrowed, but the expected “huge force” did not appear. 

The green wind blade collided with the Mystic Truth shield as if hitting a stone wall. It shattered into green fragments, which then broke into green light particles, failing entirely to break Su Yuan’s casually set Mystic Truth shield. 

Su Yuan widened his eyes, looking at the green blade, then at Li Xiao Xiao, his expression full of obvious astonishment. 

Li Xiao Xiao was provoked by Su Yuan’s naturally genuine confused look, then angrily turned and jumped off the arena. 

“I admit defeat! I won’t give you the chance to humiliate me!” Li Xiao Xiao said fiercely, then tossed her head and left. 

Su Yuan was stunned: “Sister, don’t go! I was careless just now; now I have experience!” 

But Li Xiao Xiao had already disappeared into the crowd near the arena. 

The Foundation Establishment steward loudly announced: “Mysterious Extremes Peak, Su Yuan wins!” 

Afterward, he transmitted a voice to Su Yuan: “Kid, you’ve got some skills, but don’t tease others like this next time. This is an arena; going all out to defeat your opponent is also a form of respect.” 

Su Yuan sighed inwardly: “I didn’t expect her to be so weak!”