"Dugu Xun lost just like that?!"

"Did any of you see that guy strike?"

"No, I didn't!  Just what's going on?"

"Is he really just an instructor from this dojo?"

Many of the dojo leaders were staring at Lin Xiu with openmouthed shock, not having suspected that a nameless instructor would be able to defeat a peak second-realm hunter in just one blow.

Qin Zongming, Li Mo, and Wang Han were all clutching their seats in concern. Lin Xiu's skills were far beyond what they had expected, and they couldn't help wondering just where Zhang Lie had found such an instructor for his dojo.

"This won't be an easy opponent to handle, not if Dugu Xun was defeated in a single blow," Qin Zongming whispered to Wang Han.

"Don't worry. We never expected to succeed during this part of the plan, anyway; the important part is what comes next!"

The unconscious Dugu Xun was quickly brought away. 

Lin Xiu, standing in the middle of the arena, yawned lazily. The dojo leaders' faces spasmed. If only they could jump down into the arena and knock him out in one fell swoop!

"Are there any other challengers?" Zhang Lie called out, barely hiding the traces of a smile.

What could the gathered spectators do? If this Lin Xiu had knocked Dugu Xun out in one blow, he could well do the same to them. Most of them weren't even as strong as Dugu Xun! Why would they go on stage to embarrass themselves?

As the boisterous crowd fell silent, Qin Zongming shot a look at Qin Lan, who was at the end of the row of VIP seats. Qin Lan slowly got up, causing the guests' expressions to shift. Was the Qin clan going to send Qin Lan as a challenger?

Apparently not. Qin Lan slowly walked out of the dojo, not saying a single word.

"Are we starting our preparations now?" Wang Han whispered to Qin Zongming.

"That instructor seems a little familiar to me, and I suspect it's him..." A flicker of fear flashed in Qin Zongming's eyes.

"Him? Who is it?"

"Who cares? Let's just send someone up and see," Li Mo interjected.

"If there are no further challengers, the ceremony shall end here!" 

Lin Xiu, who had remained silent all this time, looked toward the guests, none of whom dared to look him in the eye.

Even Zhang Lie, who was standing right by the arena, was shocked by Lin Xiu's strength. Despite his proximity to the fight, all he saw was Lin Xiu's body flashing, followed by Dugu Xun slumping onto the floor.

"Just where did our captain find this instructor? Isn't he way too strong?" Sun Xiaowu swallowed a gulp of saliva.

None of the others responded, but they looked just as shocked as the rest of the audience. They stared at Lin Xiu, almost as if they had recognized who he was, but were unable to believe it.

"I would hate for the ceremony to be concluded prematurely. Mo Tianshan, leader of Heaven's Flair from Ning, at your service," a stentorian tone rang out from the stands. Mo Tianshan stood up from his seat.

Many of the guests were rather surprised: after all, Heaven's Flair was the second-ranked dojo in Ning, and Mo Tianshan was its dojo leader, the strongest representative of the dojo.

"Didn't he retreat from the public eye a few decades ago? Why is he appearing here now?"

"Apparently, Mo Tianshan was a peak second-realm hunter when he retreated, and now, after a few decades… I expect this dojo instructor will be steamrolled."

"Ah, a pity."

The crowd broke out into hushed conversations the moment Mo Tianshan had stood up.

Lin Xiu faced his opponent, who leapt from the stands straight toward the arena, landing with a huge thump that seemed to shake the entire building.

"I, Mo Tianshan, challenge you." His voice was deep and flat, as expressionless as Lin Xiu himself, but his aura surged out from him like a large mountain.

With a few motions of his hands, Zhang Lie shrouded the entire arena in mist. He was well aware that Mo Tianshan was a strong hunter, and if he were to fight unrestrained against Lin Xiu, the audience might be struck by a glancing blow or two.

"Come," Lin Xiu said.

Mo Tianshan lowered his body, his gaze sharpening. Without any external fluctuation of genetic energy that Zhang Lie could discern, his aura shot into the heavens like a sword. Then, as his genetic energy erupted in a golden flash, an old grandfather's clock seemed to spring into existence around Mo Tianshan.

As it tolled, several of the guests seated closest to the arena found their chests starting to hurt from the pressure.

"Isn't this Mo Tianshan's famed soulcrushing clock? He's using this technique immediately?!"

"I heard that Mo Tianshan likes wandering around and acquiring dojos from all over the country. Is he here for the Zenith Dojo?" Chu Feng murmured.

"That sounds likely. Zhang Lie might be in danger: this dojo instructor of his is quite strong, but I doubt he can overcome Mo Tianshan," Yun Bing analyzed.

The two of them predicted the outcome of the fight before it had even started.

Zhang Lie crossed his arms over his chest as he glanced at Lin Xiu. Neither Dugu Xun from before, or Mo Tianshan now, had managed to wipe the indolence from Lin Xiu's eyes. In truth, Zhang Lie was quite surprised that Su Feng had managed to find him such a strong bodyguard in almost no time at all.

Mo Tianshan finally launched his attack. The grandfather's clock's tolls shook the audience as it glowed golden. As the dials began to spin, the numbers on the clock transformed into swords that shot toward Lin Xiu.

"Oh, a soulcrusher clock? It isn't a bad technique. From the looks of it, you're at least expert-level with it, maybe even higher."

Lin Xiu remained casually indifferent to the barrage of attacks coming his way; instead, it was Mo Tianshan who felt a curious pressure coming from his opponent. The glowing numbers stabbed into the floor by Lin Xiu's vicinity, dousing the arena in gold.

"[Soulcrusher Clock: Stasis]!" Mo Tianshan shouted, launching a lethal blow at Lin Xiu.

Lin Xiu remained immobile. Just as the attack was about to hit him, genetic energy emerged from his body. With a roar, the water serpent that manifested from Lin Xiu swept the swords away as the arena flooded with water.

"Water is the origin of life," Lin Xiu murmured. With a flick of the serpent's tail, the waves of water crashed against Mo Tianshan's body, sending him flying out of the arena.

Mo Tianshan crashed against a wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he did so.

"Thank you for your clemency," Mo Tianshan choked out.  "Might I ask your name?"

"Lin Xiu!"

"Lin Xiu?  That name sounds a little familiar, doesn't it? Could it be—"

"What, Mo Tianshan was defeated in one blow too?"

"Does anyone know just who this Lin Xiu is?"

"If even Mo Tianshan fell to a single blow, could any of us hope to stand against him?"

The conclusion to these two challenges was rather difficult to accept.

"Where did that kid find such an instructor?" Chu Lin thought to himself. No matter how exceptional Zhang Lie was, he was only a first-realm hunter, but that instructor was someone extraordinary.

In other words, Zhang Lie was little more than a kid to him; despite his unusual strength, he was only at the level of a peak second-realm hunter at most. On the other hand, this dojo 'instructor' was at least a peak third-realm hunter, and not merely compared to those of his own generation.

The Eclipse Sage himself was only a third-realm hunter, though, in his time, he was already at the apex of humanity.

Yun Long's eyes gleamed. He and Chu Lin were both starting to regret their decision to remain neutral. Were Zhang Lie only a talented genius, they wouldn't have worried too much about forming a relationship with him; after all, genius still needed time to blossom. Considering Zhang Lie's background, they didn't think he would be able to make much of himself. But now, with a peak third-realm hunter appearing at his dojo's opening ceremony...

Unfortunately, it was too late for them to act. If their clans were to forge a relationship with Zhang Lie, it would have to be through Chu Feng and Yun Bing.

The Zhou, Qin, and Hao clan heads' faces fell. This wasn't an outcome that they wanted to see at all!

"Don't worry. At this point, I'm sure the Qin, Wang, and Li heads are even more worried than we are. Let's just wait and see what they do," Zhou Ruo murmured. Indeed, Qin Zongming, Wang Han, and Li Mo all seemed to be rather rattled; their seemingly perfect plan was slowly being dissolved by Zhang Lie.

"We have to use our ace." Qin Zongming clenched his fists tightly. He had prepared for this eventuality, but hadn't expected that he would have to use it at all.

"There's no choice. That instructor's not an easy fellow to deal with, and if we don't kill Zhang Lie today, our clans will surely perish," Wang Han gritted out.

"Will anyone take the role of the third challenger?" Zhang Lie called out, stretching. With Lin Xiu helping him out, he was far more relaxed than he expected to be.

"I shall challenge you." A thin, emaciated man in black walked out from the crowd, attracting everyone's attention with how pale and sickly he seemed to be.

Lin Xiu began to frown.

"Someone like this is going to waste our last opportunity? Don't volunteer if you don't have the strength to back it up!" several dojo leaders heckled.

Nevertheless, the thin man shrugged off all the criticism being thrown his way. He glanced at his detractors, shutting them up with a chilling stare. Once all the dojo leaders quieted down, he stepped up on stage, opposite Lin Xiu.

Lin Xiu glanced at him appraisingly.

"Sheng Fei, from the Soaring Dragon dojo in Ning," the thin man introduced himself, causing many of the guests in the audience to pale.

"The old leader of the Soaring Dragon dojo?  Someone like him's taking part in this challenge?!"

"Just how many people did this Zhang Lie offend?!"

"Ah, it looks like this Zenith Dojo isn't going to stand a chance!"

After a momentary silence, the crowd erupted in conversation once more, again having predicted the outcome of the match before it even began.

By Zhang Lie's side, Sun Mengmeng gasped. "The Soaring Dragon dojo?"

Zhang Lie frowned as he reviewed his memories. "The Soaring Dragon dojo, top-ranked in Ning, and within the top ten nationwide," he murmured.

"Famed for the strength of its founding leader, Sheng Fei, who was renowned for hunting down ten third-realm hunters in rapid succession. Even in the third realm, he's almost without peer..." Sun Mengmeng's voice began to quaver.

"Sheng Fei himself?! He was almost a monarch-level hunter a decade or so ago, and now—"

"That dojo instructor's dead!"

The crowd clearly favored Sheng Fei over the relatively nameless Lin Xiu.

A storm of genetic energy began to brew over the arena.

"Where did all these exceptionally strong challengers come from? If the dojo leader were the only one who could accept challengers, surely Zhang Lie would be dead by now! And don't you think there's something fishy about the way the Qin, Wang, and Li clans are acting? They can't be thinking to strike at Zhang Lie, can they?" a few of the spectators whispered to each other.

"I will cede the first blow to the young," Sheng Fei stated.

"Youth doesn't correlate with power," Lin Xiu replied. "You had better go first—if I make a move, you won't have the opportunity to do so!"

Lin Xiu's brimming confidence left the audience agape. Was he so arrogant that he thought he could best Sheng Fei in one blow?

"You, you dare?!" Sheng Fei's voice trembled, as though he were trying to suppress his rising anger.

Lin Xiu smiled disdainfully at him. "Do you think you're really all that high up the hierarchy of the third realm?"

Sheng Fei's forehead furrowed. Either Lin Xiu was just putting on a front, or he was one of the truly strong existences of the third realm. "Just who are you?"