On the elevated platform, everyone stared at one another, astonished that the biggest surprise of the tournament had unexpectedly encountered its true obstacle—Li Qing—in this crucial moment. Within the inner courtyard, only Zi Yan and Lin Xiu'ya possessed comparable strength. Though Xiao Yan had performed flawlessly in the first two matches, he still fell significantly short when compared to a true peak-tier powerhouse like Li Qing. "Xiao Yan has certainly been unlucky," Yan Hao sighed, turning to Lin Xiu'ya and the others beside him. Han Yue also furrowed her brows, though she held high regard for Xiao Yan's abilities—when truly measured against a powerhouse like Li Qing, she could not help but acknowledge a significant gap between them. Lin Xiu'ya's expression remained calm; no one knew what he was thinking, until after a while, when he finally spoke softly, "Let's make our judgment after the match concludes. Though I believe Xiao Yan may have a significant disadvantage, I haven't denied that he still has a strong chance. Their match against Liu Qing—ah, it's hard to say exactly what the outcome will be." Several of the people nearby nodded slightly, their eyes naturally drifting toward Liu Qing's position. At that moment, as a direct participant, Liu Qing himself bore a faint expression of surprise, yet he showed only subtle emotional shifts—just as calm and composed as Lin Xiu'ya. Yet compared to Liu Qing's composed demeanor, Liu Fei nearly couldn't help but leap up and shout loudly. When Yao Sheng had lost to Xiao Yan yesterday, it had left her furious—she had even been cursing the very idea of him meeting her cousin, Liu Qing, in the competition. But here, in what should have been the most crucial match, Liu Qing had indeed been unlucky enough to encounter her cousin. This unexpected turn of fortune made her feel particularly pleased, and she silently murmured two words: "Repayment!" Chuckles and shaking his head, Xiao Yan rubbed his Zǐ Yán's head, then glanced around and noticed that everyone else, aside from Xun'er, had serious expressions. He couldn't help but sigh with mild frustration, "Though our opponent is Liu Qing, they don't have to look this gloomy—after all, the match hasn't even started yet." Hearing this, Wu Hao and the others managed only weak, forced smiles. They knew just how much Xiao Yan valued those top ten spots, and now, at this crucial moment, such an unexpected situation had arisen—surely, he must be quite annoyed. Watching them look just as disheartened as he felt, Xiao Yan shook his head, unable to help but smile wryly. Liu Qing was indeed strong, but when it came down to actual combat, it was still uncertain who would prevail. With his current strength, if he fully committed himself, he could make even a Supreme King-level fighter look overwhelmed—let alone a Supreme Emperor. After all, the true, full-scale Buddha's Fury Lotus, once unleashed, possessed a destructive power that even Yao Lao had once been amazed by, and it was far from gentle. Of course, the side effects of that large, furious lotus flame were quite severe—Xiao Yan wouldn't dare use it unless it came down to life or death, and this very flame was truly his final reserve. After a while of murmurs throughout the arena, the spectators gradually returned their attention back to the judges' bench. Su Qian slowly drew his gaze away from Xiao Yan's position, hoping that this young man, already commanding the unique flames at such an early stage in his career, would once again achieve a miracle—breaking through to the top ten despite the strong resistance from figures like Liu Qing. "First match: Yan Hao, Qian Mo!" As Su Qian's voice rang out, the atmosphere in the arena fully shifted away from Xiao Yan's experience, and a wave of attention turned toward the two contestants on the stage. Under the watchful eyes of all present, Yan Hao rose first. Though not much taller or more robust than Liu Qing, this solid-built man remained composed, walked steadily to the edge of the platform, and then leapt down, landing heavily on the field. When Yan Hao took his place, the rather stout Qian Mo also rose reluctantly, his entire corpulent frame trembling as he made his way to the edge of the platform. As his body slightly contracted, a gentle breeze coalesced around him, and then, amid the audience's stunned silence, his substantial form slowly drifted down like a balloon. "He's still practicing wind-type qi cultivation," countless spectators couldn't help but wipe sweat from their brows—what should have been graceful and fluid wind qi now appeared utterly transformed under his performance. Though his appearance was far from elegant, the audience knew well that those ranked among the top ten on the strength list possessed truly formidable power; judging someone solely by appearance might well prove costly. With both contestants now on the stage, the atmosphere grew increasingly vibrant—both were among the top ten on the strength list, and their match proved exceptionally captivating. As Su Qian's gentle trial began, the two combatants instantly drew their weapons. Yan Hao still held his massive black iron hammer, while Qian Mo, in the midst of everyone's astonishment, withdrew a large number of golden, circular-toothed objects from his storage bracelet. These golden tooth-like segments, only palm-sized, shimmered with a series of sharp, piercing edges that subtly glowed with an unsettling cold light. "It's said Qian Mo's weapon is called the Golden Ring Saw. When thrown, it creates a powerful and remarkably precise and sharp impact—when he unleashes a dozen or so at once in battle, it truly becomes a formidable challenge," Wu Hao whispered softly beside Xiao Yan. "Oh?" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow with genuine interest. He hadn't expected the stout man to possess such an unexpected skill. Clearly, those who made it into the top ten all had their unique strengths. Amidst the murmurs on the stands, Qian Mo bowed slightly to Yan Hao and chuckled, saying, "Yan brother, just keep it gentle when you strike—when your black iron hammer comes down, I'm afraid my frame will turn into a pile of meat sauce right away." "Cut the chatter, Qian Fat, I haven't seen you in a while—I'd like to know just how much better your golden-ring saw has become!" Yan Hao laughed, then gave his black iron hammer a heavy swing, the sharp gust of wind created making the spectators near the stands instinctively cover their ears. Qian Mo's round cheeks quivered with laughter, but soon his expression grew serious. He grasped a golden-ring saw in his right hand, and a surge of potent qi erupted from within him, forming swirling gusts around him that eventually coalesced into a concentrated vortex around the saw. "Hear me now!" Suddenly, a low cry rang out. Qian Mo's arm trembled sharply, and the golden-ring saw, glowing with light, shot forth like a streak of golden lightning, aimed directly at Yan Hao. A golden lightning surged with terrifying speed—everyone could only vaguely see a streak of gold flash past their eyes, and by then, the lightning had already begun to strike Yan Hao. "Boom!" The dark iron hammer slammed hard into the ground, instantly causing cracks to spread rapidly across the surface, thick as a person's arm. A profoundly powerful, deep yellow energy erupted from the fissures, precisely meeting and colliding with the fleeting golden lightning, sending it soaring skyward. "One more! Qian Shi-huan, now nine rings—hah!" Yan Hao laughed heartily, his internal qi surging rapidly. His skin, now radiating a gray-white hue, had hardened to the consistency of stone. Qian Mo sighed wearily. Yan Hao's qi was of the earth-based type, specifically a rarer form known as rock qi, which could make a cultivator's body as hard as stone—this very quality somewhat counteracted Qian Mo's golden ring saw. Qian Mo, regardless of his strength or attributes, was consistently outperformed by Yan Hao, making victory seem unlikely. Moreover, the Golden Ring Saw required substantial Qi to execute, and with his current capabilities, he could only unleash its most powerful strikes ten times. Thus, within the Inner Academy, Qian Mo earned the nickname "Qian Shi-Huan." Wu Hao, acting much like a commentator, continuously explained to Xiao Yan various terms and concepts that the latter had not previously heard. Xiao Yan nodded slightly. This Golden Ring Saw was not ideally suited for a direct, formal competition—it truly shone when used in surprise attacks. Imagine, walking through the forest, suddenly having a golden ring saw emerge from an unexpected angle, striking you with force—how daunting and intimidating that would be. On the field, Qian Mo seemed well aware of his own weaknesses, yet he had no alternative strategies. His mentor had once remarked that if Qian Mo pursued a career as a killer, he would undoubtedly thrive; however, in direct, head-to-head confrontations, his combat effectiveness would significantly diminish. One after another, golden ring saws, launched with lightning speed from Qian Mo's hands, struck against Yan Hao—yet no matter how precise or angled their attacks, they had little effect, as Yan Hao had nearly entirely devoted all his qi to defense. Even when the saws failed to intercept, the sharp blades merely left long streaks of gray-white marks upon his body. While channeling such a concentrated defense was quite taxing on his qi, it was far more efficient than Qian Mo's relentless offensive saw attacks. Thus, their battle effectively became a contest of who could sustain the more potent and enduring qi. After nearly half an hour of fierce combat, Qian Mo finally had no choice but to concede, carefully placing his last two golden-ring saws and then, under the stunned gazes of those around him, calmly raising his hand to accept defeat. Qian Mo's surrender was no surprise to Xiao Yan and the others, and shortly thereafter, the second match began to unfold. A more dramatically uneven contest: Zi Yan versus Qin Zhen. As soon as Zi Yan stepped into the arena, she flashed into position—last night's encounter with a beast of Duke-level strength had left her furious and eager to vent her frustration. Immediately upon entering, she rolled up her sleeves and fixed her dark, intense eyes firmly on the high platform. Seeing her determined demeanor, the spectators on the platform all instinctively hunched forward, silently mourning for Qin Zhen. However, after Zǐ Yán's exit, Qin Zhen had not appeared for quite some time. As the crowd grew increasingly impatient, a faint voice finally broke through: "Qin Zhen says he has a stomach ache and therefore won't be participating in the match..." The hall fell silent, then erupted into a wave of disbelief—how utterly comedic! Xiao Yan and the others rubbed their stiff faces, wondering what exactly Zǐ Yán had done to earn such deep respect and even fear from these top-tier contenders. The elders, including Su Qian, shook their heads in resignation, yet did not hold any grudge. They were well aware that Zǐ Yán had always been a phenomenon among the strong-tier ranks—no one, not even Lin Xiu'ya or Liu Qing, dared to even touch her. "Hm," Su Qian stood up, cleared his throat, and then slowly continued, "Since Qin Zhen has already conceded, let us now proceed to the final contest for the last of the top ten spots." As Su Qian finished speaking, a wave of eyes instantly shifted toward the stage, finally settling on Xiao Yan and Liu Qing. Among the three battles today, this one might very well be the most anticipated. A clash between a rising star and a seasoned powerhouse!