Seven days later.

After numerous battles, the preliminary matches of the Earth Fire Leaderboard concluded. Up next were the advancement matches.

After defeating Xu Shi in Group Ten, Bai Xingyan had not encountered any strong opponents and had defeated most of them almost immediately upon meeting. As a result, Bai Xingyan's fame soared, drawing the attention of participants from other groups, and he was hailed as the biggest dark horse of the competition.

Di Guxue of Group Eleven was also nothing short of impressive. The delicate-looking girl displayed extraordinary ferocity in her fights.

Wei Haolong, full of confidence, had dragged Shu Han to watch her matches. He boasted about how gracefully his disciple fought, only for them to arrive at the platform and see Di Guxue chasing a male cultivator around with a huge hammer. The terrified male cultivator ran around the platform, trying to escape.

One hammer blow left him dizzy, two made him disoriented, and three put him straight down.

Shu Han exclaimed, "Is this what you called 'graceful and captivating'?"

Watching Di Guxue come down from the stage with her silvery-white hammer, Wei Haolong's jaw nearly hit the ground.

Wiping off a delicate sweat bead from her forehead, Di Guxue said to Wei Haolong, "Master, I did well, didn't I?"

"You call that 'well'?"

Wei Haolong circled around Di Guxue, "Xue'er, where did you get this bizarre thing? Where's the magic tool I gave you?"

Di Guxue swung her hammer and replied, "The magic tool you gave me is good, but it's too soft. I like this one with its strong impact. It suits me better. And Master, the competitors in the preliminaries aren't that strong. There's no need to reveal our cards just yet."

Seeing Di Guxue swinging her hammer earnestly, Wei Haolong's heart shattered.

"The gentle and elegant disciple I painstakingly trained is ruined!"

Shu Han was also left speechless. Di Guxue, with her delicate appearance, swinging a huge hammer, was quite a sight to behold.

He whispered to Bai Xingyan, "Disciple, I was wrong. We should find another girl for you. This one... I fear you won't be able to handle her!"

However, seeing Bai Xingyan's fixated gaze, he realized his words fell on deaf ears.

Coming back to his senses, Bai Xingyan asked, "I'm sorry, Master, what did you just say?"

"Um... I said, this girl has character! She's a good match for you!"

...

Three days later, once everyone had rested, the advancement matches began.

After several rounds, it was Bai Xingyan's turn. He flew onto the stage and, seeing Di Guxue across from him, felt a surge of nervousness, his palms sweating.

Di Guxue, full of fighting spirit, directly summoned her massive silver hammer, tossing her flowing hair, and tauntingly said, "Junior Brother Bai, I advise you to use your full strength from the start. If you rely on your past techniques, you won't last ten rounds against me!"

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Bai Xingyan swallowed hard, even more nervous.

"Senior Sister... please, teach me... no, no... kindly instruct me..."

Seeing Bai Xingyan's anxious demeanor, Di Guxue lost some of her enthusiasm. She sighed, kicked her massive hammer into the air with her slender foot, and spun around to deliver a side-kick, sending the hammer hurtling like a flash of silver light straight at Bai Xingyan's face.

However, Bai Xingyan snapped back from his daze. He tried to dodge but, in his nervousness, tripped over his own feet and fell. The silver hammer slammed into him.

The surrounding spectators burst into laughter, poking fun at Bai Xingyan.

Upon seeing this, Wei Haolong laughed heartily, slapping Shu Han on the back. "Oh my heavens, Old Yu! This is your disciple? Quite the fool! I'm dying from laughter!"

Shu Han frowned, thinking, 'This kid is usually quite sharp; why does he become so clueless around women? I never lost my way when I first met Linlin.'

A mystical protective mirror surfaced around Bai Xingyan, blocking the incoming hammer blow.

Shu Han communicated telepathically, "Snap out of it, boy! If you lose on this platform, your Foundation Establishment will be postponed! Remember, the revival of the Bai family rests on your shoulders!"

These words from his master were like a bucket of cold water splashed onto Bai Xingyan's head. Seeing his weak performance, Di Guxue lost her interest. She controlled her giant hammer from mid-air, attempting to end the match quickly.

But just as the hammer was about to strike, four rays of golden light emanated from Bai Xingyan's waist.

Ding!

A sharp, piercing sound resonated, agitating everyone's eardrums.

Within the golden light, Bai Xingyan slowly stood up. His Clear Bright Spiritual Eye opened, and he looked at Di Guxue sharply, without any of the previous hesitations. He thought, "That's right, as my master said, I bear the grudges of my family. I cannot afford to be careless here."

Golden energy gathered in Bai Xingyan's palm. With a swift motion, the massive silver hammer was effortlessly repelled. Di Guxue's eyebrows furrowed as she recalled her hammer, noticing four deep sword marks on its indestructible surface.

This was a top-tier magic tool!

The golden light slowly condensed around Bai Xingyan, forming four sharp and unstoppable long swords that revolved around him. Holding one of the swords, he recalled the months of sparring with his master and slowly chanted, "Quadrant Heavenly Technique, First Form — Golden Tide!"

Whoosh!

His figure vanished on the spot, replaced by a golden river charging straight at Di Guxue, with sword lights surging within. Di Guxue swiftly swung her giant hammer to block the onslaught of sword energies.

The golden river clashed with the silver hammer, resulting in sharp, deafening booms. Di Guxue took cover behind her hammer, retreating to the edge of the platform.

Her brow furrowed deeply as she placed a blood-red jade pendant into her palm and thrust her hand forward.

Boom!

A massive fireball erupted on the platform, instantly dispelling the golden river.

Di Guxue took a moment to catch her breath. Looking at her silver hammer, she found it riddled with sword marks. Its spirit was greatly damaged, nearly rendered useless. Moreover, her green robe and hair were cut by the dispersed sword energies, revealing hints of her fair skin.

Wei Haolong, gripping Shu Han's arm, exclaimed angrily, "Look at the hooligan you've trained! My disciple is nearly stripped bare!"

The Quadrant Heavenly Technique wasn't passed down from the Bai family. Instead, it was a secret method derived by Shu Han from his many years of experience using the Heavenly Quadrant Sword Formation, blending martial arts and spells to suit the formation.

The Golden Tide form involved swiftly controlling the sword formation to unleash countless sword lights.

The four Quadrant Heavenly Swords had been in a semi-damaged state before. Shu Han took the time to repair them with heavenly fire and infused them with the essence of a millennium-old golden bamboo blade, making them sharper than ever. Most defensive magic tools simply couldn't withstand them.

On the platform, Di Guxue rapidly searched for Bai Xingyan's figure.

Suddenly, a soft voice echoed from the sky.

"Second Form — Gale Elegy!"

In an instant, the four Quadrant Heavenly Swords descended from the sky, surrounding Di Guxue, and began spinning rapidly. The resulting sword light formed a deadly whirlwind, quickly converging toward its center.

Di Guxue's chest heaved rapidly as her emotions surged. For the first time on the platform, she felt a lethal threat.