The third match was between Xue Bin and Qiu Diao.
As soon as they got on stage, their natural spiritual pressure poured out like a waterfall from the nine heavens. Under the pressure from above, a strange phenomenon appeared in the clouds.
Facing Xue Bin, Qiu Diao narrowed his eyes. Xue Bin, on the other hand, had a calm smile on his face ever since he got on stage. He said politely, "Brother Qiu Diao, fists and kicks have no eyes. Can we stop here?"
"Of course." Qiu Diao replied.
The referee announced the start of the match. The battle between the two Heaven Realms stirred up the crowd. Many Xuan Palace disciples widened their eyes, hoping to gain some experience from this battle.
Bang!
Qiu Diao stood up first, wanting to attack first. As a golden eagle, he had an absolute advantage in speed. His sharp eagle claws tore through the void.
Surprisingly, Xue Bin's body was as light as a swallow under the ferocious attacks. His footwork was strange, giving people the impression that he was barely dodging every attack, and every movement was just right.
"What a strange movement."
Throughout the whole process, Qin Shi kept his eyes on Xue Bin. If it wasn't for his dense mental power, he wouldn't have been able to follow Xue Bin's movements with his naked eyes.
This situation was truly shocking to him.
"It's the Wandering Dragon Ghost Steps!" Nangong Bing exhaled deeply.
Puzzled, Qin Shi probed it and asked, "What is this Wandering Dragon Ghost Steps?"
"It's one of the three rank seven martial arts of the empire. The three martial arts of the empire are: Blazing Flame Steel Finger, Desolate Universe, and Wandering Dragon Ghost Steps. Among them, Desolate Universe is the strongest. It's said that Desolate Universe is infinitely close to a rank eight martial art. It has the power to destroy heaven and earth. Below it is Blazing Flame Steel Finger, and Wandering Dragon Ghost Steps is ranked third. Although it's not ranked high, it's famous for its strangeness."
"The reason why it's called the Wandering Dragon Ghost Steps is because this martial art is very tricky. Every time, it dodges the attack with the slightest deviation, allowing the user to leave the most room for maneuver when fighting with the enemy."
Nangong Bing explained in shock. She then said in a low voice, "However, those who can cultivate the martial arts of the three great imperial capitals are all royal relatives. I didn't expect him to be able to cultivate it."
"The Three Great Emperors all have martial arts?"
As he understood this, Qin Shi's wariness towards Xue Bin rose even more. Even though he already had a very high opinion of Xue Bin, the appearance of the three empires' martial arts made him understand that he had still underestimated this son of the Imperial Preceptor. "Looks like this time, it's going to be even more troublesome than I thought."
Rumble!
After a series of exchanges, Qiu Diao's early attacks were too ferocious, and he soon fell into a state of exhaustion. When his attack missed, Xue Bin suddenly seized the opportunity and said with a faint smile, "Brother Qiu Diao, sorry to offend you."
With a swoosh, Xue Bin's body that was falling backwards suddenly straightened up like a bowstring, and his slender fingers touched Qiu Diao's chest. No one could clearly see how he exerted his strength, but in that short instant, Qiu Diao's thin figure flew back hundreds of meters like a cannonball with a bang.
"So strong!" Many disciples were shocked.
Even Little Mi Cai, who wasn't afraid of anything, couldn't help but focus at the side.
Yu Qing stood among the group of elders and stroked his beard in satisfaction, "I didn't expect Young Master Xue's Wandering Dragon Ghost Steps to be cultivated to such a godly state. I'm afraid that among the younger generation of the empire, only Prince Fang Heng and Lin Yu can defeat him. As for this Shi Qin …" As he said this, his old eyes glanced at Qin Shi, "Hmph, absolutely impossible."
Under Xue Bin's intense attacks, the third round was announced to have ended.
Qin Shi wasn't surprised by this result. Other than killing Huangpu Junyan to warn the others, Xue Bin treated everyone else with courtesy, including Qin Shi.
After the competition ended, he supported Qiu Diao and left. When he passed Qiu Diao to Qin Shi, he didn't forget to say apologetically, "I'm sorry, I couldn't do anything during the competition."
With his dark eyes, Qin Shi stared at Xue Bin for a long time. He wanted to pry open Xue Bin's skin and see through Xue Bin's thoughts, but after a series of attempts, he could only shake his head in disappointment.
Xue Bin's thoughts and shrewdness were so deep that Qin Shi felt terrified. It was as though once he fell into Xue Bin's trap, he would never be able to extricate himself.
Helplessly, he replied politely, "Brother Xue, what are you talking about? If it was me, I would definitely do the same. I only hope that if we meet again, Brother Xue will show mercy!"
"You won't have that chance!"
At this moment, a sarcastic voice sounded from the side. Yan Feng waved his feather fan and said coldly, "Soon, I will let you know what it feels like to be a loser."
Everyone was already immune to this kind of mockery and ridicule. Qin Shi snorted in an unconcerned manner and immediately stepped onto the stage.
The last round of the quarterfinals was also the one that many disciples were looking forward to the most.
Everyone wanted to see how Yan Feng would instantly kill Shi Qin, and how he would humiliate Shi Qin, who had killed an elder of the Mystical Palace, to avenge the three elders.
Amidst the bustling noise, the two of them stood on the arena at the same time. Before the judge had even announced the start of the battle, a thick smell of gunpowder had already spread out.
"How many moves do you guys think Shi Qin can last under Senior Brother Yan Feng's hands?"
"Heh, in my opinion, every move is a blessing from the heavens. How can his weak martial arts compare to Senior Brother Yan Feng?"
"That's true. His luck is already heaven-defying to be able to make it into the quarterfinals at the Middle Cryptic Realm. He will definitely lose this time."
In the midst of the discussion, Nangong Bing, Taishi Tinghua, and the others couldn't help but focus. Although they knew that Qin Shi's skills were extraordinary, Qin Shi's cultivation was only at the Middle Cryptic Realm, while Yan Feng was a genuine Heaven Realm. The gap of three levels between Heaven Realm and Middle Cryptic Realm was not something that could be easily made up for.
Only Little Mi Cai had a mischievous smile on her face as she thought to herself, "Hmph, when daddy unleashes his full strength, he will definitely scare this trash to death!"
"The fourth round of the duel begins!"
As soon as the judge's whistle fell, Yan Feng's face turned sinister, "Hehe, brat, no matter how lucky you are this time, don't even think of escaping from my palms!"
The long-awaited moment had finally arrived. Yan Feng naturally wouldn't let go of this opportunity. Dragging an afterimage behind him, he closed in on Qin Shi and ruthlessly punched out.
Bang!
Unexpectedly, the moment Yan Feng got close to Qin Shi, a spirit aura that was not any weaker than Yan Feng's violently climbed up from Qin Shi's body. Peak Cryptic Realm Middle Cryptic Realm, Late Cryptic Realm, God Word Chant, Peak Cryptic Realm Late Cryptic Realm.
Bang!
The tiles under Qin Shi's feet shattered. His five fingers stretched out from the sleeves of his black robe and grabbed Yan Feng's fiery fist. Under his cold eyes, a wisp of purple flame burned and actually nibbled away the raging fire on Yan Feng's fist, fiercely devouring it.
When the crowd regained their senses, Yan Feng was already sent flying hundreds of meters away.
"What's going on?
What just happened? "
"I, I didn't see it clearly. Senior Brother Yan Feng was sent flying?
How can that brat have such great strength?
Is this a joke?
Isn't he only at the Middle Cryptic Realm? "
"Are you stupid? Even a peak Cryptic Realm expert might not have that kind of strength!
We've all been fooled by him! "
"What?"
The shock far surpassed the previous cheers. Everyone below stood up, including Hua Ling, Yu Qing, the elders, Nangong Bing, Taishi Tinghua, Xue Bin, and the others.
Staring at the arrogant and heroic Qin Shi on the stage, Hua Ling slightly furrowed her brows. Then, she couldn't help but reveal a faint smile, "Haha, I didn't think that this brat would get a blessing in disguise and unexpectedly break through."
"Gulp …"
Yan Feng tumbled a few times in the chaotic rubble before he stood up in pain. He stared at Qin Shi in shock and said in a trembling voice, "You, you, you purposely hid your strength?"
Qin Shi shrugged noncommittally.
The terrifying power made Yan Feng panic. He couldn't help but shift his body and said in a trembling voice, "You, why did you do this?"
"Haha, if I didn't do this, why would you fall for it?
I've said it before, I'll get back what you owe me one by one. If you admitted defeat on the stage, who am I going to get back from? "
Standing in front of Yan Feng's chest, Qin Shi's expression became ferocious, causing everyone below the stage to shiver. They didn't dare to imagine that the slightly unruly youth who always had a faint smile on his face was now like a ferocious beast. Every inch of his gaze was filled with wild killing intent.
Xiao Mi Cai, who was in the participant's area, couldn't help shivering when she saw the change in Qin Shi's expression. She thought to herself, "This time, Daddy is really angry."
Yan Feng clenched his fist and pulled away from Qin Shi. He said sternly, "Hmph, so what if you hid your strength?
You're still not at the Cryptic Realm?
You're not my opponent! "
After saying that, Yan Feng trembled as he formed a hand seal in front of his chest. He summoned all the spiritual energy in his Heavenly Realm. Under the blazing flames, a hundred zhang tall scarlet flame demon appeared on his chest.
"Ashen Flame Purgatory!"
The ferocious demon howled and pounced towards Qin Shi. Two fiery fists were like chains in purgatory, enveloping Qin Shi.
The entire crowd held their breaths and fell into a deep silence.
The moment the Ashen Flame Purgatory appeared, the crowd below couldn't help but clench their fists. This Ashen Flame Purgatory was obviously several times stronger than the one he used against Nangong Bing.
Under the cover of the raging flames, Qin Shi calmly walked forward, ignoring the shock of the audience as he closed in on Yan Feng step by step.
"Is he going to block this attack?"
Their eyes widened and many people's fists were covered in cold sweat. This battle could be said to be swift and decisive from the start, but the shock it brought to the crowd was as heavy as a thousand-jin cauldron.
Boom!
The scarlet flame demon collided with Qin Shi's body like an erupting volcano, causing the thousand zhang tall stage to sink into a monstrous disaster. Pillars of fire shot up into the sky.
"It hit, where's Shi Qin?"
"Is he dead?"
Saliva flowed down their throats, causing the crowd to tremble. Xue Bin furrowed his brows. That attack just now, even he didn't have the confidence to block it. Hua Ling abruptly stood up and stared at the stage.
Boom!
A golden-colored hurricane suddenly appeared within the sea of fire. The hurricane scattered the flames in all directions. Immediately, Qin Shi indifferently stepped forward. His back was filled with raging flames that rose to the heavens, just like a demon standing in purgatory.
"He, he blocked it?
He blocked the Ashen Flame Purgatory? "Everyone was dazed.
"How is this possible …"
Yan Feng knelt on the ground in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he had just seen.
Qin Shi ignored the shock of the entire place as he leisurely strolled within the intense flames. He closed in on Yan Feng step by step. Immediately, his left hand was extended out of his sleeve. First, it was a golden-colored scale armor. Soon after, it was a silver-white layer of bone cuticle. Finally, it was a deep purple-colored raging flame. The energy that was being nurtured within rose like the wind and clouds as it suddenly moved in front of Yan Feng. A full force punch was thrown toward Yan Feng's face.
Once, twice, thrice. Three elbows smashed Yan Feng's blood vessels. Yu Qing floated up and flipped the back of her hand into a sword light. One slash, two slashes, three slashes, a total of seventeen slashes, leaving seventeen bloody wounds on Yan Feng's body.
The injuries he suffered were the same as Nangong Bing's, but in terms of severity, they were hundreds of times stronger.
"No matter how you provoke me, I can endure it. But, you shouldn't have hurt the people around me."
After finishing everything, Qin Shi indifferently dispersed his palm. Yan Feng had long since fainted. The people outside the stage looked at Qin Shi as if they were looking at a monster. Qin Shi turned his back and ignored the crowd, as if nothing had happened. He walked towards the participant area.