"This is the junior disciple who has only recently joined!" "He's said to possess the Tianyang Fire Pulse—do you really believe that?" "Isn't the Xun family one of the most renowned immortal cultivation clans in our Xiqi Kingdom? Surely they must have several powerful artifacts!" "Who is this Han disciple? I haven't seen him before—could it be someone who only joined recently?" "How fortunate for Han Li to encounter such a formidable opponent!" ...Even before the combat began, a continuous stream of murmurs filtered clearly through the protective light barrier into Han Li's ears. Han Li saw this, his lips curled slightly, a quiet chuckle forming in his mind. He casually bowed to the young white-robed disciple, whose face subtly darkened with annoyance. At that moment, the thin, gaunt cultivator atop the dais spoke softly, "The match begins!" "What is this? The pearl in his hand seems to be the famed Fire Wave Pearl of the Xun family—now that young man on the other side is definitely out of the running. Perhaps the outcome will be decided right here, right now!"...Han Li's expression remained unchanged, a subtle shade of contempt flickering through his mind. He calmly reached into his storage bag and withdrew a stack of thick scrolls, totaling around thirty to forty. He glanced at his opponent—the young man in white robes, fully focused on activating his artifact, completely ignoring Han Li's actions, clearly confident in the strength of his protective shield. With that, Han Li made no further formalities. He rubbed his hands together and then raised them simultaneously. A wave of red light surged, and thirty to forty fire balls, each the size of a clenched fist, burst forth in a flurry, rushing directly toward the dense array of targets on the other side. "Ah!" a chorus of astonishment echoed from the audience. At that moment, the Fire Wave Pearl floating in the young man's hands began to glow with flames, ready to launch an offensive. Just as he was filled with great joy, he suddenly heard a cry from outside, prompting him to lift his head in curiosity. What met his gaze was the astonishing sight of dozens of fire balls simultaneously striking his protective shield. A series of booming explosions erupted, followed by a brilliant red glow that flashed vividly before his eyes, making it nearly impossible for him to see clearly. His shimmering shield, which had only held for a few seconds, shattered under the strain. With the intense flames now surging upward, he felt certain they would completely engulf him. Though this young prodigy of the Tianyang Fire Line had been carefully nurtured since childhood by his family elders, he had never before faced such a life-or-death situation. His face paled as he gasped in shock, and with profound fear, he turned to flee. Yet, at the very moment when everything seemed to be lost, he suddenly felt a tightness around his neck, his body surged upward, and he was lifted directly into the air. The wave of fire surged past him, flowing over his body like a tide. The young man, still breathless, turned around to see the thin monk firmly grasping his collar with one hand. "Tianquan Peak, Han Li—victor," the monk coldly declared. Only then did the young man realize he had lost, defeated effortlessly by some of the most basic fire ball scrolls. His face turned as pale as paper. As for the other onlookers, after their initial gasps, they exchanged bewildered glances. After all, even the simplest fire ball scroll—a basic, low-tier scroll—cost a single spiritual stone. Yet this one had launched thirty or forty such scrolls in a single match, effectively sacrificing thirty or forty spiritual stones in the process. That was no mere extravagance; it was truly a waste of fortune—so much so that calling him a spendthrift was entirely fitting. For a well-made low-tier artifact, the price was no different. Could it be that he was truly willing to sell off his entire family's assets just to secure victory within the sect? Under the unusual glances of other Luoyun Sect disciples, Han Li bowed slightly to the thin elder and then calmly stepped out of the light shield. As for the young white-robed guest named Xun, he glared after Han Li's retreating back, deeply dissatisfied, yet had no choice but to reluctantly depart when the thin elder's cold gaze swept over him. Since the first round of competitions had concluded, Han Li no longer cared to watch the others' duels and simply returned to his quarters on his own. The first round of matches was swiftly completed two days later. Many of the thrilling duels drew enthusiastic admiration from the numerous onlookers. Han Li's match, in which he defeated his opponent with dozens of low-level fire projectile scrolls, not only left many spectators speechless but also inspired great admiration. They naturally believed Han Li to be a disciple from a prominent family, capable of such a remarkable performance. Overall, Han Li had finally gained recognition from a number of people and had begun to build a modest reputation. In the second round of the competition, Han Li made an early appearance, stepping onto the stage during the afternoon of the first day. As he calmly took his position at the center of the arena, several disciples who had witnessed his previous match exchanged quiet murmurs among themselves. "Look at this young man from Tianquan Peak—he managed to launch dozens of scroll spells just to defeat his opponent over the past two days." "Really? Is that true? He seems so unimpressive; doesn't he mind spending so much?" "Hmm! I recall that our Xixu nation doesn't seem to have any prominent Daoist families with the Han surname. Could it be that he's a disciple from another country?" ...Han Li listened quietly, maintaining his composed demeanor, his eyes slightly narrowed as he observed his current opponent—a well-groomed young male disciple, barely seventeen or eighteen years old. The man was neatly dressed in a dark blue robe, with nothing but a storage satchel at his waist. His youthful face, still bearing a touch of innocence, was now serious and focused, gazing steadily at Han Li. It seemed the murmurs from outside had also reached his ears. Han Li, observing his opponent—still appearing only slightly older than a youth—frowned slightly, but immediately reached into his satchel as soon as he heard the crisp, cold command, "Begin." At that very moment, the young disciple on the other side swiftly raised both hands. A flash of white light revealed two bright, sharp ice spears shooting toward Han Li. Then, a ripple of green light passed over him, and with a swift, flowing motion, he surged forward, closing the distance with remarkable speed. Remarkably, he had mirrored Han Li's strategy—first using two ice spear seals to force Han Li to react, then applying a light-footed technique to advance directly toward him. Han Li was taken aback, and couldn't help but laugh. As he moved with calm composure, two ice spears skimmed past him. Then, he saw his opponent approaching with a look of delight, raising his hand and releasing a yellow glow from his palm—yet before the object in his hand could fully unfold, Han Li's form blurred and, with a single movement of the Luo Yan Step, vanished completely from sight. At that moment, several cultivators hurried in from outside, quickly examined the young disciple who was unconscious, nodded slightly to the thin cultivator floating in the air, indicating that there was no serious issue, and then carried him out. Outside the arena, natural commotion soon arose once again. "Look—did you see that? The junior disciple from Tianqu Peak used what kind of spell to appear suddenly behind his opponent? Truly astonishing!" "Stupid. This isn't even a spell—it's clearly a martial technique and footwork from the mundane world. Just how refined it is, however, I've never seen before!" Some more experienced disciples from Luoyun Sect recognized the origin of Han Li's movements.