Chapter 519: Shocking the Crowd!
"This..."
"This, this, this... how is this possible?"
"Am I seeing things?"
The scene caused the cheers of the surrounding crowd to stop abruptly.
Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief. Many of them could not help rubbing their eyes, as though they were trying to confirm whether they had fallen into an illusion.
A brat at the 4th level of Mortal Core Realm had actually sent Ma Lie flying with one casual palm strike.
Although Ma Lie’s strength was quite ordinary and he was only at the peak of the Mortal Core Realm, defeating him so easily should have required at least the strength of a Half-Step Earthly Core Realm cultivator.
"Did we misjudge him? Is this kid actually a genius?"
Many people immediately had this thought.
To possess strength comparable to the Half-Step Earthly Core Realm while only being at the 4th level of Mortal Core Realm could indeed be considered the performance of a genius. Given enough time, such a person would definitely be able to enter the Spirit Ranking.
"It is only Half-Step Earthly Core Realm strength, after all."
However, someone in the crowd soon let out a disdainful sneer. "A mere Half-Step Earthly Core Realm cultivator is nothing special in the Golden Dragon Guard preliminary assessment. There are plenty of people at that level here. In my opinion, this kid only got lucky enough to win one match."
"Exactly!"
As soon as those words were spoken, many people nodded in agreement.
After all, Li Yun looked far too young. He seemed to be only around twenty years old. None of them wanted to be trampled beneath the feet of such a young junior, because if that happened, it would make all the years they had lived seem like a joke.
Interestingly, in the second match, Li Yun encountered a cultivator at the Half-Step Earthly Core Realm.
"Kid, you do have some strength, but against me, you are bound to lose."
This was a cultivator around thirty years old. With an arrogant expression, he raised three fingers and said indifferently, "Within three moves, I will definitely defeat you."
"Get down."
Li Yun could not be bothered to waste words with him. He directly struck out with a palm and slapped the man out of the arena.
"It ended just like that?"
The entire crowd was stunned.
Only moments earlier, they had been saying that Li Yun could only win one match through luck. Yet in the blink of an eye, Li Yun had used reality to slap their faces hard.
More importantly, the person Li Yun had casually slapped down was a Half-Step Earthly Core Realm cultivator. This meant that Li Yun most likely possessed true Earthly Core Realm combat strength.
"Sheer luck! This kid only got lucky!"
Some people still refused to believe it. They gnashed their teeth and shouted stubbornly, but very soon, they had no choice but to shut their mouths. Their faces alternated between green and red, and not a single word could come out.
That was because in the following third, fourth, and fifth matches, every opponent Li Yun faced was at the Half-Step Earthly Core Realm. Without exception, each of them was casually slapped out of the arena by Li Yun.
It was a complete crushing defeat.
Those Half-Step Earthly Core Realm cultivators, whether they had just stepped into that level or had remained there for many years, were no different from infants facing an adult when they stood before Li Yun. They were utterly powerless and were not on the same level at all.
Without a doubt, Li Yun, who was only around twenty years old and at the 4th level of Mortal Core Realm, absolutely possessed Earthly Core Realm combat strength.
In the blink of an eye, Li Yun had already won seven matches in a row, and the surrounding crowd finally became excited again.
That was because starting from the next match, Li Yun would truly face opponents with combat strength at the early-stage Earthly Core Realm level.
Swish!
A buzz-cut young man stepped forward and leaped onto the arena. To everyone’s surprise, this buzz-cut young man was not an Earthly Core Realm cultivator. He was still at the Half-Step Earthly Core Realm.
The buzz-cut young man glanced at Li Yun and said indifferently, "Kid, your strength is decent, but you are definitely no match for me, Sun Zhen. I advise you to surrender now. That way, you will only lose the match and not your life."
"Sun Zhen. It is actually him."
Hearing the buzz-cut young man’s words, the surrounding crowd suddenly understood. Their expressions toward Sun Zhen also became grave.
Sun Zhen was a young powerhouse ranked fifty-seventh on the Spirit Ranking. Although his strength could not compare with Lan Yichen’s, he was still definitely a notable figure.
No wonder he had stepped forward for this match. Although he was only at the Half-Step Earthly Core Realm, his strength far surpassed that of many ordinary 1st level Earthly Core Realm cultivators.
"In this battle, Li Yun is definitely going to lose."
Many people confidently made this judgment.
Although Sun Zhen was not old either, at least his talent was not as difficult for them to accept as Li Yun’s. Compared to Sun Zhen, they were still more willing to see Li Yun fail.
"Exactly. Even if Li Yun has early-stage Earthly Core Realm combat strength, he is still only at the 4th level of Mortal Core Realm. How could he possibly compare with Sun Zhen, who is ranked fifty-seventh on the Spirit Ranking?"
"Young people are always too arrogant. Thinking he can pass the Golden Dragon Guard preliminary assessment with only 4th level Mortal Core Realm cultivation is truly naive."
"Next, he is going to suffer a terrible fall. Unfortunately for him, that fall will probably send him straight to the Underworld."
Among those confident spectators, many even laughed with schadenfreude. Their voices were filled with certainty, as though they had already seen Li Yun being defeated and killed.
Li Yun completely ignored their malicious jeers, as if he had not heard them at all. With a calm expression, he looked at Sun Zhen and said indifferently, "Make your move."
"You really have guts."
A flash of anger appeared in Sun Zhen’s eyes.
He had thought that once he, a mighty Spirit Ranking powerhouse, stepped forward, Li Yun would immediately admit defeat. He had never expected that not only would Li Yun refuse to surrender, but he would even tell him to make the first move. This clearly showed that Li Yun did not take him seriously at all.
In his heart, Sun Zhen secretly resolved to teach Li Yun a harsh lesson and make him understand that a young man should still know how to keep a low profile.
"Die!"
He suddenly threw a punch.
This punch was incredibly powerful. Even a true 1st-level Earthly Core Realm powerhouse would have to avoid its sharpness, fully revealing Sun Zhen’s extraordinary strength.
Clearly, his rank of fifty-seventh on the Spirit Ranking was not undeserved. He truly had some ability, and he was not someone ordinary 1st level Earthly Core Realm cultivators could compare to.