Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

As his words fell, applause erupted from the audience.

Although they were reluctant to see Zhao Dong, whom they had all looked down on, have the last laugh, they had to admire his perseverance and formidable physique.

Lin Qingyun's applause was the most vigorous. Her hands were red from clapping, and she looked as if she wanted to throw herself into Zhao Dong's arms.

On the side, Xiao Qitian naturally witnessed this scene. His eyes turned dark and sinister, a murderous intent surging from their depths.

Zhao Dong, just you wait! Just you wait!

The young man waved his hand to silence the crowd, then said with a faint smile, "The first trial has concluded. The top scorer will receive ten points, second to fourth place will receive eight points, and those in the top fifty will receive five points."

"As for the remaining fifty, you will receive no points!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd groaned in frustration, some even thumping their chests and stamping their feet. The man who ranked fifty-first was so angry his face turned red. While the points were mostly meaningless unless one took first place, getting nothing at all was simply too humiliating.

The young man continued, "Next, we shall proceed to the second trial!"

With that, several Disciples in Taoist robes carried a milky-white stone, as tall as a man, onto the field. This stone resembled the Cultivation Stone from before, but it was suffused with a thick Spiritual Energy and bore the marks of being struck, setting it apart.

The young man pointed to the milky-white stone and announced, "This is the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone. For this trial, cultivators may not use any techniques. Instead, you must summon all your Spiritual Energy and strike the stone."

"The stone will emit white light of varying intensity based on the strength of your Spiritual Energy, similar in principle to the Cultivation Stone."

"And since it operates like the Cultivation Stone, the brightness of the light is unrelated to your cultivation realm. It is determined purely by the strength of your Spiritual Energy."

Hearing this, the crowd was ecstatic. This test, like the previous one, was fair. The strength of one's Spiritual Energy was indeed independent of their cultivation realm.

While higher cultivation levels would certainly overwhelm lower ones, battles between cultivators of the same realm were a different matter. Besides the strength of their mental methods and techniques, the outcome was primarily decided by the strength of their Spiritual Energy. Someone with incredibly strong Spiritual Energy wouldn't even need special techniques; a simple punch or kick could be powerful enough to shatter the earth and sky.

The young man added, "However, this contest will incorporate not only a points system but also an elimination system."

"The top twenty contestants in this trial will advance to the final round. All others will be eliminated."

"What? Why? We came here to spar with the masters!"

"That's right! Even if we don't pass, at least give us a chance to fight, won't you?"

"There was never an elimination round in previous years. Why start now?"

Voices of protest erupted from the crowd, mostly from those who lacked confidence in their own abilities.

The young man smiled. "Everyone, please calm down. The Qingyun Sect has arranged this with your safety in mind."

"Although these are just spars and we have Qingyun Sect masters supervising, weapons have no eyes. Injuries and even deaths are unavoidable."

"In previous years, the Qingyun Sect did not use an elimination system. This resulted in a large number of participants with varying skill levels, and there were casualties almost every year. However, the purpose of our Qingyun Sect's teachings is to benefit all cultivators, not to see you injured or killed."

"Therefore, by adopting a limited-entry format, we can reduce the chance of accidents. Furthermore, those who make it to the top twenty are mostly experts. While battles between experts are more destructive, it is much harder for either side to actually kill the other. This, too, is for your own good."

With his words, although the crowd was still reluctant, they no longer argued. The Qingyun Sect was clearly acting with their best interests at heart. They couldn't very well bite the hand that fed them.

Finally, the trial began.

The first to step forward was a tall man. He stood a full two meters tall, with bulging muscles that made him look like an iron tower. This man had ranked in the top ten in the previous trial, a testament to his incredible physical strength.

He gathered Spiritual Energy into his right fist, and the terrifying power actually stirred up gusts of wind. As he continued to build up his strength, his eyes bulged, and veins swelled beneath his skin.

"Good heavens, this man must be at least a second-tier Great Grandmaster. With a punch that forceful, do you think he'll shatter the stone?"

"It's possible! He's physically powerful, and he's focusing all his Spiritual Energy into that punch. Can't you see the veins on his fist are about to burst?"

"Everyone, cover your eyes! I have a feeling a blinding white light is about to erupt!"

"Right, right! Let's not get blinded watching the show. We aren't as tough as those cultivators."

"RAAAGH!!!"

At that moment, a fierce roar escaped the man's lips. His punch, as mighty as an avalanche, smashed violently into the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone.

BOOM!

An explosive sound burst forth. The terrifying force created a shockwave that radiated out in all directions.

However, the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone merely lit up with a faint white glow...

The crowd was baffled.

The man himself was utterly stunned.

The young man said with a faint smile, "Your punch is powerful, yes, but that's mainly due to your formidable physique. Your high cultivation level means your body is dense with Spiritual Energy. As for the actual *strength* of that energy, it's quite average."

"No! Impossible! There must be a mistake!" the man exclaimed in disbelief. "Can I try another punch?"

"Of course. You can throw as many as you like, but the result won't change," the young man said with an easy smile.

Unwilling to accept this, the man swallowed a pill to restore his Spiritual Energy and threw another punch.

But still, the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone only emitted a faint white glow.

CRACK!

The man felt as if his heart had shattered. Head hanging low, he walked to the side. This proud, two-meter-tall strongman actually shed tears of humiliation.

"Hahahaha..."

The surrounding crowd, who loved a good spectacle and didn't mind stirring up trouble, burst into ridicule. They didn't care if they were stronger than this man or if they were cultivators themselves. As onlookers, cheering for the strong and jeering at the weak was exactly what they were supposed to do, wasn't it?

After the man stepped down, a sixteen-year-old girl came forward. Her face flushed red with effort, but her punch still looked delicate and weak.

However, when her fist landed on the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone, it burst into a white light that covered half its surface.

"Hmm, medium strength. Not bad," the young man commented with a nod.

The little girl danced around in excitement.

The rest of the trial proceeded smoothly. Those who managed to make the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone at least half-bright breathed a sigh of relief as they awaited the final rankings. As for those who couldn't, they walked to the side with their heads bowed, a bitter taste in their mouths. They knew the third trial was now out of their reach.

Finally, when everyone else had taken their turn, only Xiao Qitian and Zhao Dong remained on the field.