Chapter 55

"Here lies the gap between us." Xiao Yun's face was calm as he stared at Zhou Lin, "Do you still wish to fight me?"

As the young man's words fell, an intangible aura spread, faintly carrying a fierce and ruthless air, causing people's souls to tremble. This was a special aura that only those who had been stained by blood and experienced life and death could possess.

Xiao Yun had delved deep into the Purple Cloud Mountains and slain dozens of people, naturally gaining an aura that few ordinary people had.

"I..." Feeling Xiao Yun's ruthless aura, Zhou Lin shuddered all over, feeling as if he were facing a devil, and from the heart, he felt fear. Just a moment ago, he was still unwilling, but now he began to retreat.

After all, Zhou Lin had not experienced life and death, and his mind was not strong enough to withstand danger, making it easy for him to feel fear.

"I have lost." Finally, Zhou Lin's eyelids drooped, and he said weakly.

He was not only intimidated by Xiao Yun's aura; more importantly, after his anger dissipated, he realized he was already injured.

Xiao Yun's attack just now had broken several of Zhou Lin's ribs.

"Xiao Yun wins and advances!" After Zhou Lin conceded, a judge on the main final stage in the center of the arena announced loudly.

The man's voice was deep and echoed throughout the square, reaching everyone's ears.

"Xiao Yun won?" Hearing the deep voice, everyone was stunned.

"Has he really recovered his talent?"

"To defeat Zhou Lin so easily, could he sweep through all the First Stage of Innate Realm cultivators?" Countless people had this thought, and no one dared to underestimate the young man anymore. Based on the combat strength Xiao Yun displayed, it was enough to show his extraordinary abilities.

"Does this kid really have such strength?" On the high platform, the cultivators of the major clans all wore expressions of disbelief.

"Is this still that Xiao Yun?" Lady Yan was stunned. Over the past two years, Xiao Yun had frequently visited the Yan Mansion, and she knew how much this young man was worth. How could he have transformed so completely in just a few months, making even the genius of the Zhou family seem helpless before him?

"Is this true?" Lin Xiaoman's long eyelashes flickered, and her eyes narrowed in surprise.

She never thought Xiao Yun could defeat Zhou Lin so effortlessly.

Xiao Yun had almost won without breaking a sweat!

"Did you see that? I told you Xiao Yun would win." Beside her, Yan Shiyi's eyes sparkled, and a smug smile appeared on her lips.

"What's there to be smug about? He only defeated Zhou Lin. Wait until he faces Young Master Fang Hao, then he'll see what it's like." Lin Xiaoman raised an eyebrow, her eyes full of ridicule, but when she glanced at the young man in the distance, a hint of surprise still showed in her eyes.

"Has his talent really returned?" Lin Xiaoman muttered to herself.

"Ha, Young Master Xiao Yun has won."

"Our Xiao family's genius has finally returned!"

"As long as Young Master Xiao Yun is here, our Xiao family will surely flourish!" Xiao Yun's victory filled the Xiao family with excitement, their blood seeming to boil. They all cried out in surprise, as if eager to vent the long-suppressed frustration.

In recent years, the Xiao family had been too quiet, allowing Fang Hao to dare to challenge them, claiming that the Xiao family had no one.

Now that Xiao Yun had recovered his cultivation, it was clear that the Xiao family's clansmen had seen a glimmer of hope.

"Who would have thought that Yun'er would be so powerful?" Xiao Hong's eyes showed surprise. He knew that Xiao Yun had easily defeated Xiao Cheng, indicating that he had recovered his talent and entered the Innate Realm, but he never expected the young man to defeat Zhou Lin so easily.

Zhou Lin was a genius of the Zhou family, well-known throughout the entire Purple Cloud County!

"Ha, Yun'er's abilities are not just this much." Xiao Hai, standing beside him, smiled with half-closed eyes.

"Really?" Xiao Hong was surprised, "Not just this much?"

Could this not be Xiao Yun's limit?

This puzzled him.

"Keep watching." Xiao Hai smiled faintly, leaving a hint of mystery.

Although Xiao Hong was puzzled, he did not ask more.

In the Xiao family, besides Xiao Hai, few knew that Xiao Yun could also refine pills.

While the Xiao family was filled with excitement, the Fang family's faces were all dark.

"Who would have thought this kid would recover his talent." Fang Wei frowned deeply.

Some of the young men from the Fang family were also sullen. Just three months ago, this young man was only at the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering and was called a waste. How could he have reached this realm in just a few months, far surpassing them?

"It seems only Young Master Fang Hao can deal with him." Some sighed.

"Has this kid really recovered his talent?" Even the old man of the Fang family's eyes showed a hint of surprise, but this light quickly dimmed, replaced by a sinister look, with a hint of ferocity.

On the competition stage, Xiao Yun landed and entered the final stage, preparing to draw lots.

Fang Hao, who had been waiting nearby, smirked and shot a challenging look at Xiao Yun.

His eyes seemed to say, "I'll show you what a genius is."

Xiao Yun ignored Fang Hao's challenge. At this point, words were meaningless; the result would be the best proof.

Soon, the matches on the nearby competition stages were decided, and those who advanced leaped onto the final stage to draw lots for the next round. After one round of elimination, only forty people remained.

After the draw, Xiao Yun did not face Fang Hao again.

This time, his opponent was a young man at the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering, who conceded without a fight.

As time passed, the rounds of matches continued.

On one of the competition stages, Xiao Qian was facing off against Fang Hao.

"Nice, to have reached the initial stage of the Innate Realm, but this achievement is far from enough." Fang Hao smiled faintly, not even activating his martial soul, and with just the Heavy Mountain Seal of the Fang family, he defeated Xiao Qian, his momentum almost unstoppable.

"I am still not as good as him!" Xiao Qian landed, his face full of disappointment.

He had long entered the Innate Realm and, after taking the Qi Condensing Pill refined by Xiao Yun, had reached the peak of the initial stage of the Innate Realm.

It wouldn't be long before he could enter the middle stage of the Innate Realm.

But even so, Xiao Qian was still no match for Fang Hao.

What was hardest to accept was that Fang Hao hadn't even used his martial soul.

This meant that Fang Hao's cultivation was far higher than his!

"Xiao Qian loses, Fang Hao wins!" The judge on the final stage announced loudly.

"Glory to Young Master Fang Hao."

"Young Master Fang Hao will surely win!" The Fang family was overjoyed, their spirits high.

"He should have reached the peak of the middle stage of Body Tempering." After his defeat, Xiao Qian specially told Xiao Yun.

"No problem." Xiao Yun shrugged, his face calm.

Seeing Xiao Yun's confident demeanor, Xiao Qian said no more and retreated.

The matches continued, and cultivators from various clans were gradually eliminated.

However, everyone still fought hard, as the top ten would receive a Qi Condensing Pill.

This kind of pill was invaluable to the children of ordinary clans, a miraculous medicine they could only dream of.

In the end, there was no doubt that Xiao Yun defeated his opponents one after another and advanced to the final.

Coincidentally, he and Fang Hao had not met until the very end.

"Finally, the championship match is between Xiao Yun and Fang Hao!" On the final stage, the middle-aged judge, with a hint of excitement, looked around and announced loudly, clearly looking forward to this match.

"Who would have thought that Xiao Yun could make it to the final!"

As hundreds of thousands of eyes focused on the young man on the final stage, they all showed intense enthusiasm, their admiration and envy unhidden. The young man was now the center of attention, a true prodigy.

From this point on, no one dared to call him a waste.

Having defeated the geniuses of various clans and reached the top two, who would still dare to call him a waste?

"Xiao Yun went from the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering to the Innate Realm in just three months. In a few more months, won't he reach the True Essence Realm?"

"Is it that easy to reach the True Essence Realm? Unless he can join the Tianyuan Sect." Some people sneered.

"Ha, with Young Master Fang Hao here, how could Xiao Yun have the chance to join the Tianyuan Sect? Young Master Fang Hao has a martial soul!"

"That's true. With a martial soul, Fang Hao is destined to be far stronger than other cultivators of the same level." Some of the children of clans with poor relations with the Xiao family mocked, not wanting Xiao Yun to grow, so they placed their hopes on Fang Hao.

On the high platform, the elders of various clans all looked at the final stage with anticipation.

Only the old man of the Fang family remained calm.

"Want to join the Tianyuan Sect?" Qiu Yuchen's lips curled in a cold smile.

"This is the final match. The winner will gain the qualification to go to the capital and receive the Tianyuan Sect's assessment." The judge said one last sentence before leaving the final stage, leaving only two elegant young men facing each other.

Instantly, the entire square erupted.

Countless cultivators cheered and screamed.

Everyone was discussing who would win the championship.

One was the former prodigy, hailed as a genius seen once in a hundred years.

Although this young man once fell into a low point, now that his talent has returned, can he rise again?

The other is the current genius, possessing the enviable Ice Martial Soul, with terrifying combat strength.

Can he suppress the former genius and continue to maintain his glory?

The sound waves rolled, deafening, like a tidal wave, causing invisible ripples in the crowd.

Amidst the boiling sounds, a hint of battle intent was gathering and rising in the eyes of the two young men.

It seemed they were about to make their move.

"Who would have thought that a waste like you would have a chance to turn things around." Fang Hao's eyes were cold as he stared at the young man opposite him.

"Life has its ups and downs. A temporary low point means nothing." Xiao Yun's eyes narrowed slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. "As for you, just because you have an Ice Martial Soul, you think you're invincible, arrogant and self-important. Today, I will defeat you and show you what a true genius is. In my eyes, you, Fang Hao, are nothing."

"Boastful." Fang Hao raised an eyebrow, his face proud, and he laughed coldly. "You've only reached the Innate Realm, which is not worth mentioning. As a possessor of a waste martial soul, you will never understand the power of a martial soul. Today, I will cut off your path and ensure you never rise again."

As his final words fell, a powerful aura surged from Fang Hao's body.