"What?! This is... sword intent?!"
The moment the sharp sword intent appeared, Elder Dugu Fang and the others widened their eyes, staring intently at Lu Yi on the stage.
Sword clouds rolled forward, surging towards the palm imprint. The sharp sword intent enhanced the White Cloud Sword Qi, greatly amplifying its power.
The sword clouds and the palm imprint collided.
Boom!!
A deafening explosion resounded, with blue and white lights intertwining. Energy and sword light burst out, enveloping the entire stage.
The aftermath turned into a violent wind, spreading in all directions. Bai Yulong and the others below the stage felt the terrifying shockwave, their faces filled with astonishment.
"Back away!!"
They quickly retreated, not daring to stay too close.
The outer disciples watching from the back also felt their chests tighten, their faces turning pale under the powerful aura.
Exclamations erupted from the crowd as everyone stared at the stage with wide eyes.
"What terrifying power!"
"A Qi Refining Stage level ten cultivator can be this strong?!"
"No way! What’s going on with Senior Brother Lu Yi?! How did he get even stronger? Wasn’t he already at his limit?"
"Heh... naive. You actually believe what Junior Brother Lu Yi said? That guy spouts nonsense! What limit? It’s all fake!"
In the sky, Lu Gaoyang, Wang Siqi, and the others stared blankly at the palm winds and sword clouds surging on the stage.
"This is... sword intent?!"
"My god! Nephew Lu Yi actually comprehended sword intent?!"
"He’s only at the seventh level of Qi Refining and already comprehended intent?!"
"Lu Brother, did you know Nephew Lu Yi was this amazing?!"
Lu Gaoyang was completely stunned and slowly shook his head.
What did he know?! Honestly, if not for this competition, he wouldn’t have even dared to imagine Lu Yi could enter the top ten. Sword intent? He didn’t even dare to dream about that.
Beside him, Wang Siqi had the same bewildered expression as Lu Gaoyang.
Elder Dugu Fang’s face also showed shock, unable to remain calm.
"Unbelievable, truly unbelievable! This boy’s talent is extraordinary."
"Indeed!! Comprehending intent at the Qi Refining Stage, his future prospects are limitless!"
"Forget the Nascent Soul Realm—he may even reach the Void Refinement Realm. If that happens, he could become one of the pillars of the White Cloud Sect."
The elders marveled one after another.
This was intent! Generally, only Void Refinement Realm cultivators could grasp such techniques.
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Whoever comprehended intent before reaching the Void Refinement Realm was undoubtedly a prodigy. Moreover, Lu Yi was still only in the Qi Refining Stage! He was definitely worthy of being called a genius.
"After today, the big shots in the Inner Sect probably won’t be able to sit still," Dugu Fang chuckled.
The other elders nodded in agreement. With such talent, even Nascent Soul Realm elders would scramble to recruit him. It might even attract the attention of Void Refinement Realm peak masters and Grand Elders.
While the elders discussed, the clash on the stage gradually subsided, revealing the scene at the center.
The massive stage was now in ruins, with not a single stone slab left intact.
Lu Yi and Jiang Fan stood at opposite ends of the stage, facing each other in silence. Lu Yi’s expression was calm, his aura slightly trembling but still in good condition.
In contrast, Jiang Fan looked far worse. His face was pale, his aura weak, and sweat poured down his forehead.
Jiang Fan looked at Lu Yi, his expression filled with disbelief.
After a brief silence, Jiang Fan smiled bitterly and said, "Junior Brother Lu Yi, you actually comprehended sword intent... Truly..."
Jiang Fan shook his head. "I admit defeat."
After all, the Raging Wave Palm was a Foundation Establishment level technique. Using it drained Jiang Fan’s spiritual energy significantly. After one strike, his spiritual energy was nearly depleted. Using it a second time would mean risking his life.
Looking at Lu Yi, who still seemed to have energy to spare, Jiang Fan felt that even using the technique again wouldn’t change the outcome.
Hearing Jiang Fan’s admission of defeat, Lu Yi smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for going easy on me, Senior Brother Jiang Fan. I was just lucky. During my earlier match with Senior Brother Bai Yulong, I had some insights and managed to comprehend sword intent."
Hearing this, Jiang Fan froze and gave Lu Yi a strange look. Then he glanced back at Bai Yulong, who was standing further away from the stage, with an expression of disdain: Lu Yi managed to comprehend sword intent, but what did Bai Yulong comprehend?
Bai Yulong also heard this and was dumbfounded.
Wait... They both fought a match—so why did Lu Yi end up comprehending sword intent?!
Was something wrong?! This didn’t make any sense!
Bai Yulong desperately recalled the match with Lu Yi, trying to figure out how Lu Yi gained such insight. But no matter how hard he thought, Bai Yulong couldn’t make sense of it and felt completely lost.
He turned to see Lin Wan’er and the others looking at him with complicated expressions. Bai Yulong’s mouth twitched in frustration and snapped, "What are you looking at?! How is this my fault?! It’s not like I wanted Lu Yi to comprehend sword intent!!"
Lin Wan’er muttered, "...So what did you comprehend?"
Tie Man scratched his head. "Are people really this different?"
Li Yun sneered without saying a word, simply giving Bai Yulong a side-eye.
Bai Yulong: "..."
He felt depressed.
At this moment, Dugu Fang landed on the stage. He looked at Lu Yi with a satisfied expression, nodding repeatedly. "Not bad, not bad. To comprehend sword intent at such a young age, your future is extraordinary."
Lu Yi smiled and said, "Elder, you flatter me."
Dugu Fang chuckled and turned to Jiang Fan, also nodding. "Jiang Fan, you’re also quite impressive, comprehending a Foundation Establishment technique. Your talent is exceptional and your future promising."
Jiang Fan smiled. "Elder, you’re too kind."
Dugu Fang laughed heartily. "This year’s competition has produced two geniuses. Very good... Now that the top two have been decided, you may leave the stage."
Lu Yi and Jiang Fan nodded and stepped down.
With the top three decided, the next matches focused on ranking the remaining participants.
The fourth and fifth places were determined by a match between Bai Yulong and Li Yun. Perhaps driven by frustration after losing to Lu Yi, Bai Yulong unleashed his full potential and defeated Li Yun, claiming fourth place.
The remaining rankings were decided as well. Tie Man took sixth place, followed by Senior Sister Liu Tian in seventh place, and three other Qi Refining Stage level nine cultivators filling out the top ten.
The grand competition continued until sunset. Since Lu Yi’s match ended early, he spent the rest of the time happily watching the fights.
The battles among the Qi Refining Stage level nine and ten cultivators were intense and entertaining, much better than the preliminary rounds.
When all the matches concluded, Dugu Fang returned to the stage. He looked around and said calmly, "The Outer Sect Grand Competition has ended. The top ten disciples should report to the Outer Sect Hall in one week, where I will escort you to the Inner Sect. Regarding rewards, the first-place winner will receive a low-grade magical artifact and one superior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. The second and third places will each receive one superior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Fourth and fifth places will receive one mid-grade Foundation Establishment Pill each. Sixth to tenth places will receive one low-grade Foundation Establishment Pill each. Preliminary qualifiers will receive one bottle of superior-grade Qi Condensation Pills, and those who passed the selection round will receive one bottle of mid-grade Qi Condensation Pills."