Soon the rest time passed, and the second half began.
The competition between the Immortal Dao Merchant Association and the Mysterious Yin Sect did not exceed many people's expectations. The Immortal Dao Merchant Association indeed also had Spirit-Burst Pills.
As the auction party, they would naturally reserve some for themselves; it was impossible to put everything up for auction.
The Luo sisters, having already consumed Spirit-Burst Pills earlier, could not take them again. In the end, they faced a two-on-one challenge from the Immortal Dao Merchant Association's disciple. Although they lost to Su Lin, the Immortal Dao Merchant Association still had two people remaining.
After a fierce struggle, Su Lin was ultimately defeated. The Immortal Dao Merchant Association narrowly won and secured third place.
However, only the competitors knew that this was merely the Immortal Dao Merchant Association smoothing over the Ways of the World. Their second representative could easily have defeated Su Lin yet chose to concede, and their third participant dragged out a long duel before achieving a narrow victory, granting the Mysterious Yin Sect ample face.
Then came the main event, which drew universal attention because the Tianyuan Sect's odds were extraordinarily high this time, prompting many to wager heavily on them.
The Pure Yang Sect naturally sent out Cang Chen first. Mindful of Qin Xiao's earlier performance, the Pure Yang Sect refrained from letting Gong Yuankui attempt a three-man sweep, opting instead to progress from weaker to stronger members to focus on exhaustion.
As for the Tianyuan Sect, Lin Shimeng still shouldered the opening match. However, having already consumed a Spirit-Burst Pill in a previous round, she possessed little confidence in this initial clash.
"Don't worry. Even if your opponent takes a Spirit-Burst Pill, just do your best. Leave the rest to your Master and your Senior Sister."
Qin Xiao patted Lin Shimeng's shoulder in comfort.
"This disciple understands."
With those words, Lin Shimeng flew up onto the competition platform.
Her trump cards were spent, and her opponent had undoubtedly studied her thoroughly. She held no illusions of winning this bout, but wearing down the enemy to ease Yun Man's burden remained essential.
"Junior Sister Lin, forgive me."
True to form, the moment Cang Chen stepped onto the stage, he produced a Spirit-Burst Pill. Three years older than Lin Shimeng, he felt a flicker of embarrassment at having to resort to such methods, yet defeat was unacceptable.
"No matter, make your move."
Knowing she was currently no match for Cang Chen, Lin Shimeng adopted a stance of stillness to counter motion, waiting for him to strike first.
"Offense intended."
Cang Chen instantly split into three distinct figures, converging on Lin Shimeng from three directions.
Refusing to let her wear him down-since he intended to preserve his strength for Yun Man-he unleashed a major technique right at the start.
Unflustered, Lin Shimeng countered directly with Mountain Severance to shatter his approach.
Yet Cang Chen had long anticipated this move. All three figures vaulted simultaneously into the air, clearing Lin Shimeng's sword energy before descending upon her with their blades pointed straight ahead.
Fully aware that this maneuver served only to buy time, Lin Shimeng unleashed Mountain Severance and immediately shifted her footwork to flee her original spot.
Escaping entirely was unrealistic; her strategy was simple: intercept only one of the three figures. If it proved to be an illusion, she would break his technique; if it was his true body, she would lose.
Bypassing the central and right figures, Lin Shimeng lunged toward the one on the left.
As fortune would have it, her luck fell short. The left figure solidified instantly. Cang Chen struck out with a swift sword blow, batting Lin Shimeng's weapon aside and halting the tip mere inches from her face.
"Junior Sister, I concede."
Withdrawing his blade, Cang Chen offered an apologetic smile.
"It's fine. You took a Spirit-Burst Pill; losing to you is no disgrace."
Lin Shimeng replied with graceful composure before leaping down from the platform.
"Dreamer, you gave it your all," Lin Tiancheng stepped forward to comfort his daughter as she landed. "Had you been at the same cultivation realm, you might well have matched him. Given the gap of an entire realm, performing this well is already commendable."
"I know, but a loss is a loss, Father. I'm fine."
After a brief reply, Lin Shimeng walked over to Yun Man's side.
"How was it? Did you spot any flaws?"
she asked Yun Man.
Her primary objective had been to test Cang Chen and uncover openings for Yun Man. She lacked Yun Man's monstrous capacity for cross-realm battles; geniuses were everywhere, and cross-realm victories were never easily achieved.
"Mm."
Offering only a soft assent of acknowledgment, Yun Man leaped gracefully onto the competition platform.
The moment Cang Chen laid eyes on Yun Man, a crushing sense of pressure settled over him, despite the lingering effects of his Spirit-Burst Pill.
Without wasting words, Yun Man launched straight into an offensive.
Cang Chen hurried to parry and block.
Yet he severely underestimated Yun Man's speed. After merely a few exchanges, before he could keep pace, Yun Man's sword was already pressed firmly against his throat.
"I lost."
Cang Chen was left utterly speechless, having swiftly defeated Lin Shimeng only to be just as swiftly dispatched by Yun Man.
Next to take the stage was Cang Xing. Though slightly more formidable than Cang Chen, the margin was negligible.
Scores of exchanges later, he too was defeated, failing utterly to drain any of Yun Man's stamina.
To the onlookers, Yun Man appeared completely at ease, though she alone knew that every strike consumed her full power. She had to end these matches swiftly; only by doing so could she probe Gong Yuankui's true depth before her Master stepped up, securing a viable path to victory for him.
Gong Yuankui then stepped onto the platform. He abstained from taking a Spirit-Burst Pill. As the new generation's Senior Brother of the Pure Yang Sect, he rarely showed himself, utterly absorbed in cultivation. Beyond his peerless talent, he outworked everyone else, placing his faith in his own hard-won strength rather than the fleeting boost afforded by pills.
"You aren't taking a Spirit-Burst Pill?"
Yun Man asked with genuine curiosity.
"External aids remain external; they offer no true benefit to one's cultivation. Make your move."
Gong Yuankui possessed no Spirit-Burst Pill, and though his sect had offered similar alternatives, he had declined them. Even when Cang Chen attempted to hand him one, he refused. Victory and defeat ought to be measured by genuine might, not the illusory power granted by medicinal enhancements.
"Since you refuse external help, I will use it."
Yun Man produced a pill and swallowed it directly.
It was not a Spirit-Burst Pill, which merely elevated one's cultivation by a minor realm for a brief duration. Instead, the Pure Origin Pill served to condense the purity of gathered Spiritual Qi, doubling the destructive output of one's own spiritual power.
Given Yun Man's already exceptional Spiritual Qi purity, the amplification could not quite reach a full double, but a fifty-percent increase constituted a qualitative transformation.
"Huh? Didn't she take a pill? Why didn't her realm rise?"
"Did she buy a counterfeit pill?"
"Or is that not a realm-enhancing pill at all?"
"You country bumpkins, that is a Pure Origin Pill. While it doesn't raise one's realm, its enhancement to combat prowess is every bit as formidable as a Spirit-Burst Pill."
As the spectators murmured in confusion, the more knowledgeable among them stepped in to provide explanations.
Gong Yuankui refrained from launching a preemptive strike, waiting patiently until Yun Man had fully prepared herself. He treated her with the respect due to a genuine peer.
"Since you are ready, make your move."
Gong Yuankui stared fixedly at Yun Man with a solemn expression.
"Then forgive me."
As soon as the words left her lips, Yun Man's entire figure slowly dissolved into nothingness.
Unfazed, Gong Yuankui lashed out with his sword toward the empty space on his left.
Sure enough, Yun Man materialized on his left side, forced to raise her blade to block the incoming strike.
It was not that Gong Yuankui's physical speed outstripped hers; rather, his battle intuition and crisis awareness possessed an extraordinary sharpness.
The instant Yun Man vanished, he stopped searching for her physical form and instead slashed toward his own vulnerable flank, knowing full well that an opponent would naturally materialize there.
"Such terrifying reflexes."
Acknowledging that she had met a formidable adversary, Yun Man realized her concealed attack vector had still been anticipated.
"This fellow can actually anticipate moves. Looks like she's met her match."
Though unfamiliar with the technical intricacies of martial arts, Qin Xiao could easily discern that the opponent had struck before Yun Man even arrived-this was no mere reaction time, but true prediction.
Refusing to yield, Yun Man swiftly shifted her position while continuously pooling Spiritual Qi into the blade in her hand.
"Now."
At close quarters, Yun Man unleashed Mountain Severance straight away.
A ring-shaped wave of sword energy erupted outward. With nowhere left to dodge, Gong Yuankui was forced to take the blow head-on.