Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

"Alright, try once more then," the young man nodded.

All around, the onlookers cast skeptical glances.

"What's this kid trying to do? He already hit the maximum. What's the point of hitting it again?"

"I don't get it. This kid is really strange. Let's just watch."

"Right. We'll know what he's up to after he's done."

Everyone was thoroughly confused.

Zhao Dong took a deep breath and looked at the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone for the third time.

The Spiritual Energy in my limbs is newly absorbed and hasn't been refined by my Dantian yet, so its intensity is too low. Although this Ten Thousand Spirit Stone can't recognize Spiritual Energy drawn directly from my Dantian, what if I purify the energy from my Dantian back into ordinary Spiritual Energy? Would it be stronger?

At this thought, Zhao Dong immediately began to compress the Spiritual Energy in his Dantian, starting the purification process.

However, this process was far from easy. The Dantian's inherent function is to purify Spiritual Energy; doing so in reverse was like making the cosmos turn backward—a tremendously difficult task. After a full ten minutes, Zhao Dong had only managed to condense Spiritual Energy equivalent to a master's might.

Forget it, this will have to do.

Unwilling to waste any more time, Zhao Dong raised his fist and struck the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone.

Seeing this, the crowd grew even more baffled.

"Why does his punch seem even weaker now? What on earth is he playing at?"

"With a punch like that, he'll be lucky if the stone even lights up, right?"

Everyone wore a look of doubt.

Just as they expected, when Zhao Dong's deceptively light punch landed, the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone showed no reaction at all!

"Wait! No reaction?!"

"How can there be no reaction? This isn't a Cultivation Stone! Even my weakest Spiritual Energy would get a response!"

"Did he not use any Spiritual Energy?"

"Impossible! I clearly felt a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy!"

The crowd was dumbfounded. Even the experts from the Qingyun Sect, who were seated in the back, stood up.

However, at that very moment—

BOOM!

A dazzling white light shot into the sky, and it didn't stop there—it continued to intensify violently! The light was like a scorching sun, forcing the onlookers to shield their eyes.

"Not good! The Ten Thousand Spirit Stone is going to explode! Get back!" the young man shouted in alarm, retreating at top speed.

Zhao Dong was also startled and scrambled backward.

Simultaneously, a tremendous explosion rang out. The massive Ten Thousand Spirit Stone shattered into a fine powder that drifted down from the sky like rain...

Dead silence.

The entire square fell into a deathly silence.

At this moment, no one in the crowd could find the words to express what they were feeling.

"I've seen a ghost! Fucking hell! That kid's Spiritual Energy intensity was so strong it shattered the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone?!"

"Terrifying! Absolutely terrifying! He's a prodigy!"

"Is he even human? He's a monster!"

The crowd was completely and utterly stunned.

Lin Qingyun's eyes sparkled so brightly they seemed ready to leap from their sockets. It was a look of indescribable love mixed with the profound admiration that follows a great shock.

Nearby, Lin Rulong's eyes were wide as if he had seen a ghost.

Zhao Dong... Zhao Dong! Just how many more tricks do you have up your sleeve? Being this strong might not be a good thing...

Lin Rulong glanced at Lin Qingyun, his expression complex.

Zhao Dong turned to the young man beside him, whose face was a mask of shock, and said awkwardly, "Sorry, I... I didn't mean to do that."

"It's... It's fine..." the young man replied, turning his head mechanically. His trembling eyes stared at Zhao Dong as if he were a monster. "You're the first person to ever shatter a Ten Thousand Spirit Stone. If anyone's to blame, it's the poor quality of the stone, not you..."

With a bitter smile, the young man walked toward the center of the square and announced, "I declare that the second round of the trial has officially ended! The winner is Zhao Dong!"

"That's not right! Why is he the winner?" Xiao Qitian, his eyes blazing with fury, stepped forward, refusing to accept it. "He and I both achieved a perfect score. The stone shattering doesn't prove his Spiritual Energy is stronger than mine. Perhaps the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone was just old and happened to break when he touched it!"

Xiao Qitian's voice was loud. He would not allow himself to lose this round. If he didn't place first, his total score would fall far behind Zhao Dong's. Even if he won the third round, he might not be the ultimate champion. He had to secure first place now!

The young man's expression hardened. He furrowed his brow and asked, "Then what do you propose?"

"Since we both achieved a perfect score, we should naturally be tied for first place!" Xiao Qitian declared proudly.

Hearing this, the young man thought for a moment before turning to consult with the masters from the Qingyun Sect. After a brief discussion, he returned to the center.

"Xiao Qitian is correct," he announced. "The ranking for this trial is based on the brightness of the Ten Thousand Spirit Stone. A fully lit stone is a perfect score. Therefore, I declare that Zhao Dong and Xiao Qitian are tied for first place!"

At these words, Xiao Qitian let out a breath of relief. He turned his head toward Zhao Dong and sneered, "Kid, you got lucky in the first two rounds! But the third round is combat. There's no room for flukes there. I will undoubtedly crush you under my heel!"

"Heh, we'll see," Zhao Dong replied with a calm smile, turning to take his seat.

Xiao Qitian snorted coldly and also walked away.

Back in his seat, the Xiao Family elder watched Zhao Dong's retreating figure, his expression gloomy and his murderous intent palpable. "Although this Zhao Dong's talent seems average, the potential he has shown in other areas is far too terrifying," he said quietly to Xiao Qitian. "If we let him live, he will become a scourge upon our Xiao Family. Do you understand what I mean?"

The elder then made a sharp, throat-slitting gesture.

Xiao Qitian nodded at once. "Rest assured. As the young man said, 'blades have no eyes.' The moment he steps up to face me, I will kill him!"

"Good!" the elder nodded. "But you can't be too obvious. Make it look like an accident, understand?"

Xiao Qitian sneered, "Killing him will be easier than killing a chicken. Making it look like an accident won't be hard at all!"

"Hmm. Even so, don't underestimate him," the elder cautioned, a little worried by Xiao Qitian's arrogance.

Xiao Qitian, however, simply waved a dismissive hand and said no more.

Nearby, Lin Qingyun's face turned deathly pale as she overheard their conversation. Finally, she couldn't stop herself and started to get up to warn Zhao Dong, but Lin Rulong grabbed her arm, holding her back.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"I... I need to use the restroom..." Lin Qingyun stammered nervously.

"You're not going anywhere!" Lin Rulong snapped. "I'm warning you, don't do anything foolish. There are too many eyes here." As he spoke, he nodded his head toward the Xiao Family elder. "If anyone sees you make an inappropriate move, you know very well what kind of retaliation our Lin Family will face!"

"I..." Lin Qingyun wavered, torn. But when she saw her mother, Cai Sumei, glaring at her with a furious expression, she finally sank back into her seat.

Meanwhile, the young man began to announce the names of the top twenty contestants from the second trial.

He also declared the... start of the third trial.