The second round of the martial arts competition quickly concluded. Except for Liu Yan, who was eliminated, everyone else, including Ding Fan, smoothly advanced to the next round.

Many disciples also gradually headed back. Most cultivators found this round of the competition quite enjoyable as Ye Qingfeng's unreserved display of his unique skill satisfied many of the disciples.

For the participating disciples, some were happy while others were worried. Those who smoothly won the second round were obviously very pleased, as regardless of whether they can reach the top fifty and enter the inner sect, gaining more opportunities to compete is still a chance to showcase themselves in front of the sect elders. Being noticed by some elder would certainly be a very fortunate thing.

After all, Wang Hu is a very good example. His story has inspired many cultivators — an unknown disciple was directly selected into the inner sect during the first match and even became a core disciple. It is truly an inspirational story!

After the second round concluded, over in the Elders' Area, several sect masters from other sects appeared to have no intention of leaving despite the round being over.

"My friends, today's competition has ended. Why not stay for the night and continue watching tomorrow?"

He Zenfen spoke with a somewhat polite expression to several elders.

At this moment, several elders heard He Zenfen's words, and the Sect Master of the Four Seas Sect said to He Zenfen:

"Then we trouble Sect Master He."

"Don't mention it."

He Zenfen responded with a slight smile. He didn't expect that they really intended to stay and watch the competition. However, since they wanted to watch, he would let them, as his sect had nothing to hide.

Other sect leaders, hearing this, smiled slightly but didn't say much. Clearly, among these sect master elders, they all listened to the Four Seas Sect Master.

Then, under the guidance of several elders and some disciples, the sect masters followed directly to their arranged accommodations.

...

Meanwhile, Ding Fan and the others also returned to their respective residences. Since there was still a competition tomorrow, everyone needed to rest well to perform excellently in the next day's competition.

However, after returning, Ding Fan didn't plan to rest nor cultivate. He intended to teach Wang Hu some things. Because he had recently gained new insights into the Fist Technique from the stele, he was quite clear that his Fist Technique should be at a higher level now. While Wang Hu had also learned some of that Fist Technique, Ding Fan could see that his stayed at a beginner level.

It should be noted that Wang Hu had already caught the attention of an elder, so after the outer sect disciples' competition ended, Wang Hu might directly go to the inner sect for study. Therefore, Ding Fan wanted to use this time to teach Wang Hu as much as possible, as they might not meet often in the future, and without Ding Fan by his side, Wang Hu would have to face everything on his own.

Also, since Wang Hu had gained a bit of fame within the sect, potential troublesome matters might arise, and with Ding Fan not around, he wanted to ensure Wang Hu had a certain level of protection ability.

Subsequently, Ding Fan called Wang Hu over.

"Big brother, what do you want me for?"

Wang Hu arrived at Ding Fan's room, asking happily.

"Today, I observed during the competition that there are many cultivators with considerable strength, so I plan to teach you more."

With a slight smile, Ding Fan replied to Wang Hu.

Hearing Big Brother Ding Fan's words, Wang Hu's face couldn't help but show great excitement. He knew that everything he had was taught by Big Brother, including that Fist Technique, which Wang Hu now realized was incredibly powerful, a priceless existence. However, Big Brother never withheld anything but wholeheartedly taught him the entire Fist Technique. This selfless disposition already made Wang Hu immensely admire him.

When he heard Big Brother intended to teach more of the Fist Technique, he couldn't contain his excitement, as such an opportunity was invaluable.

"Let's go out, show me that Fist Technique once."

Ding Fan said directly to Wang Hu.

Then, Ding Fan and Wang Hu went outside, and Wang Hu immediately demonstrated the Fist Technique that Ding Fan had taught him.

A gust of wind suddenly arose!

"Not bad, but some of the power wasn't executed quite right."

As Ding Fan watched Wang Hu's Fist Technique, he commented while also demonstrating it once himself.

Seeing this, Wang Hu felt deep gratitude towards his big brother, realizing that such a direct learning opportunity was something many cultivators dreamed of. Wang Hu understood that his big brother was no ordinary person and that his future achievements would surely be remarkable; having such a big brother meticulously guide him was his greatest fortune!

Wang Hu attentively watched Ding Fan practicing the Fist Technique with great care.

Afterward, Ding Fan stopped and stepped in front of Wang Hu, sharing with him some insights on the Fist Technique. These insights are invaluable to ordinary cultivators, as every martial art emphasizes the cultivator's perception, while such insights are usually something ordinary cultivators have to understand on their own. Some disciples may not learn a martial art even in a lifetime, the reason being that they cannot comprehend its inner mysteries.

During almost the entire night, under the hazy moonlight, Ding Fan continuously guided Wang Hu. Ding Fan was quite pleased with Wang Hu's performance. Although Wang Hu was a bit simple-minded, his intuition for martial arts was remarkably high, even making Ding Fan feel somewhat inadequate at times.

...

After their study session, Ding Fan and Wang Hu spent the latter half of the night focusing on their respective cultivation.

This time, during cultivation, Ding Fan noticed Wang Hu's progress was incredibly fast. Although Wang Hu couldn't fully replicate the effect of the fist technique from the stele, he could achieve seventy to eighty percent of its power.

It's important to know that the martial arts on the stele are undoubtedly top-tier. With what Wang Hu has learned, Ding Fan believed that in the current stages of the outer sect disciples' tournament, there might already be no one who could match Wang Hu.

But that's uncertain; we'll have to see today how Wang Hu performs in the third round of the outer sect disciples' tournament.

Soon, at exactly eight o'clock the next morning, many disciples had arrived at the Southern Square. When Ding Fan and others arrived, the area was already bustling with noise. Ding Fan quickly found Lianzi and the others, and then he and Wang Hu walked straight to them.

For this outer sect disciples' tournament, Ding Fan, Wang Hu, and others formed a small team. Previously, the group had all competed together, and Zhou Xiao didn't feel awkward at all; rather, she became increasingly curious about Ding Fan and Wang Hu, as these two seemed to constantly create miracles. Wang Hu, who appeared to be just an average cultivator, unexpectedly defeated Gao Qi in the first match, was immediately moved to the inner sect, and became a core disciple. How could this not be shocking!

And Ding Fan appeared even more mysterious. In previous matches, Ding Fan faced opponents like Gu Feng, someone all cultivators feared, and defeated Gu Feng in a single move, which was indeed quite incredible!

All these events made Zhou Xiao view Ding Fan and Wang Hu in a new light. Seeing the duo made her wonder what miraculous happenings the next round might bring.

Gathered around were many cultivators occasionally glancing at Zhou Xiao, as she was the first beauty among the outer sect disciples. Being such a figure wasn't someone they typically encountered, given that she was superior in both appearance and cultivation, unquestionably exceptional.

Many gazed enviously at Ding Fan and Wang Hu's group. Numerous cultivator disciples couldn't comprehend what Zhou Xiao saw in them, and wondered why she stayed with them. It was truly jealousy-inducing!

As for Wang Hu, he had somewhat become a renowned figure, soon to be a core disciple, and people began to understand. Yet for Ding Fan, many cultivators remained skeptical both about him, but they couldn't deny his formidable strength.

Even Gu Feng wasn't a match for him; Meng Zihao directly admitted defeat upon facing him. Such prowess indeed isn't something to be underestimated.

Soon after, some elders from the Elders' Area appeared, along with the sect leaders and elders from other sects who had arrived yesterday. The presence of these outer sect masters led many cultivators to marvel, as usually, such cross-sect participation in outer sect disciples' tournaments was rare, especially involving sect leaders. This clearly showed the significance of this tournament.

"It looks like this outer sect disciples' tournament is extraordinary! Even outer sect leaders are here!"

"If one performs well, there's a chance to become famous in the whole northeastern region..."

"That's true; undoubtedly, this outer sect disciples' tournament is exceptional!"

...

Many cultivators began discussing, and soon, with the elders in place, the third round of the tournament officially began.

At this time, the participating disciples had drawn their lots. Ding Fan glanced at his lot and continued cultivating as usual, waiting for his match, while Wang Hu, Lianzi, and others had also finished drawing their lots. This time, only Lianzi would compete early, while most others, including Wang Hu, had matches later.

Wang Hu also looked at his drawn lot, ensuring he was prepared for his appearance. After last night's teachings from big brother Ding Fan about the fist technique, Wang Hu clearly sensed his progress, though he hadn't had the opportunity to test his skills yet, rendering his actual strength uncertain.

However, there was a stroke of fortune last night; Wang Hu had broken through to the early Nascent Soul stage, proving his luck was unstoppable, and Wang Hu was in a great mood.

At this moment, a disciple approached Wang Hu, glanced at Wang Hu's lot, then respectfully spoke to Wang Hu with a flattering smile:

"I wonder how brother Wang Hu rested yesterday?"

"Haha, not bad."

With a cheerful mood, Wang Hu brightly replied upon being greeted by a disciple.

"Brother Wang Hu is truly amazing. I must learn from you and hope you can teach me when you have time?"

The short disciple beamed, addressing Wang Hu.

"No problem, no problem..."

Wang Hu stammered bashfully.

Wang Hu casually fiddled with his drawn lot, feeling relaxed and lowering his guard around the short disciple.

The short disciple quickly glanced at Wang Hu's lot, chuckled quietly, said a few words, and then disappeared into the crowd.