After a relentless barrage of attacks, the Master of Tongtian Sect lay sprawled on the ground, utterly lacking dignity. He hadn't even activated his spiritual shield—his body had absorbed the full force of the fire dragons, lightning bolts, ice spears, and boulders, all of which had crashed directly into him. Even a mid-tier Ji Mi cultivator, let alone a mid-tier Yuan Sheng cultivator, would have met a惨 fate. Just as he managed to catch his breath and prepared to rise and counterattack, he found a sword blade pressing firmly against his throat. He froze in place—how could this be? Everyone else was stunned. Only He Muqing and Lin Caivé smiled calmly. They knew Qin Feng well: as soon as he showed any sign of weakness, it was always his opponent who ended up in trouble. Indeed, the abbot of Tongtian Sect was completely unprepared, struck utterly off guard—his situation was truly dire. His hair and robe were blackened by flames, his face bearing marks from electric shock. Now he lay on the ground, pinned by a flying sword to his throat, unable to move an inch. Dong Kuangqin, Fire God Elder, and缥缈 True Person exchanged glances, at a loss for words. How could it be that the Tongtian Abbot—such a prominent figure in the immortal world—had fared so poorly? This was truly a shipwreck in the midst of a calm river. Silence settled over the scene. Qin Feng broke the stillness, saying, "True Person, why are you still standing there? Shouldn't you now declare me the winner?" The True Person was momentarily stunned—this outcome was far from easy to announce. As he puffed out his chest and stood up, a disciple from Tongtian Sect immediately shouted, "We object! That was a mere underhanded sneak attack—how can it count?" "Exactly. If even a surprise attack can be considered a win, then what's the point of this match?" One of the young disciples immediately stepped forward. The Tuoting Master, lying on the ground, joined in with his own outcry: "I won't accept it! This young man has no sense of chivalry—he didn't give us a chance to prepare, simply launched into action. That's utterly shameful for a cultivator. I demand a foul call, and I claim victory!" Many spectators in the audience also began to shout in agreement. To be honest, Qin Shao's victory did feel somewhat unsatisfactory. The Piao Miao True Person turned to Dong Qunkuan and the Fire God Elder, asking, "What should we do?" Both of them found themselves at a loss. Dong Qunkuan cleared his throat and asked, "Qin Feng, do you have anything to say? The Tuoting Master has already clearly stated his position—do you agree with him, or would you like to challenge it?" Although the Fire God Elder had previously been unconvinced by Dong Qunkuan, he now found his current approach quite admirable. He simply passed the ball back to the two contestants, letting them compete against Below the stage, Ling stood between the two younger sisters, softly asking, "Will the big bad guy defend himself? He'll surely justify his actions and come up with some clever excuses, won't he?" Both women turned to her at the same time and asked, "How do you know so much about Xiao Feng?" The younger sister blushed, defending herself, "How could I possibly know him so well? I'm just guessing—after all, he's the big bad guy!" Lin Caivie raised her thumb in admiration, "Then you've really nailed it. Are you really his secret confidante?" "Uh, uh..." On stage, Qin remained calm, smiling and saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, I did make a surprise move against my opponent. But who says we can't make surprise attacks? I'd like to check with the heads of the nine major sects—well, now it's the eight major sects—whether you've actually included a rule prohibiting such moves." The eight listened, exchanging glances, and indeed, no such strict rule existed. Yet, all of them were fellow cultivators, and those who had qualified for the second round were all well-known figures. Who would resort to such a base tactic as a surprise attack? It must be admitted that everyone had overly idealized their own standards, overlooking those who enjoyed exploiting loopholes. When the disciples of Tongtian Sect saw that the eight abbots remained silent, with the momentum of victory clearly shifting toward Qin Feng, one of them shouted, "There is no rule prohibiting surprise attacks, nor any rule endorsing them—this is a serious question of character. How can one judge someone a victor if their character is in question?" Upon hearing this, Dong Qinkuan began to compromise: "Indeed, Qin friend. If you cannot present any further arguments, we must take everyone's concerns into account and decide to have another match—thus, the initial surprise attack shall not count." "At this point, He Muqing was not satisfied and said, 'Why should it matter? As long as they win, they've won. What difference does it make how our master achieved the victory? The competition is about the outcome—shouldn't the process and method be equally important?' Quickly, two distinct voices emerged—some supporters of Qin Feng, others rallying behind the Master of the Tongtian Sect. Qin Feng cleared his throat. Throughout this process, he had maintained firm control over his flying sword, and the sharp tip of the blade had pierced the other master's neck by half a centimeter—this was a clear signal to the Tongtian Master: 'You'd better stay put, or I'll go right through you with this sword.' Although advanced cultivators can regenerate their bodies, each regeneration significantly impacts their previous rank, so such a decisive move is rarely made unless absolutely necessary. He then said, 'Do you remember the very first words the Master of the Tongtian Sect said when he stepped onto the stage?' " Everyone was taken aback and began to recall, as the events had taken place just a few minutes ago. Most remembered it clearly. The man had said: "Although you possess the strength of a Void Stage, young as you are, your practical experience is still lacking. Against me, you have absolutely no chance of victory." Several disciples from the Tong Tian Sect blushed, surprised that Qin Feng would use their arguments to counter them—now they were at a loss for words. Qin, the young master, added, "If he hadn't made such grand promises back then, how could I have even conceived the idea of a surprise attack? Moreover, with so many eyes watching, could I really call it a surprise attack? At most, I'd just be acting suddenly. A true surprise attack comes from behind—its meaning is entirely different!" Though it was a somewhat twisted logic, it did hold some merit. He glanced around the room, then concluded, "Let's all weigh in—should I win, or should he?" "Qin Master wins!" He Muqing said first.