The battle caused Silver's eyes to completely open, and a trace of shock flashed through his eyes.
Darkvoid stared at Xia Luo, and his fists unconsciously clenched.
Not far from the teleportation stone, the Trialmaster looked into the distance at the smiling young man. "There's an endless stream of demonic geniuses. The Starsibyl Sect was right; this generation is about to undergo a huge change."
In the treasury, Old Cai muttered to himself, "Many great powers freeze their innate geniuses in order to wait for the Starsibyl Sect's divination to break out of the ice in recent years and maintain a youthful skeletal age. This generation is about to undergo a huge change. Did this child awaken from the ice as well?"
"The eighth match, Zhao Yilong versus Silver, begin!" Big Pao announced. The arena had been moved dozens of kilometers away, as the original location had already been destroyed.
Zhao Yilong walked out with his sword in hand, staring coldly at the smiling Silver as he slowly walked out with a serious expression.
The crowd fell silent, as they all favored Silver for this match. Even Hui Daynight had been defeated in a baffling manner. Silver gave them the same feeling as Xia Luo, both unfathomable.
"Sorry, I admit defeat," Silver said.
Everyone was shocked; he actually admitted defeat?
Big Pao was astonished. "Are you sure?"
Silver nodded with a smile. "I'm not a match for a genius from Myriad Swords Peak. His hundred swords combined into one is terrifying."
Zhao Yilong was furious. "You're underestimating me."
Silver beamed. "Of course not. I really admire Myriad Swords Peak's eldest senior sister, Her Excellency Wendy Yushan." He then turned to smile at Lu Yin, which made Lu Yin want to punch him.
Zhao Yilong stood in front of Silver with a sinister expression. "You're not allowed to admit defeat. Fight me!"
Silver looked at Big Pao.
Big Pao was helpless, as this was his first time encountering such a situation. However, since the person involved had admitted defeat, there was nothing he could do. "Eighth match, Zhao Yilong wins."
"I don't agree! He's clearly looking down on me!" Zhao Yilong snarled as he pointed his sword at Silver. "Don't back down! This is the Freshmen Competition, not a game."
Silver cackled. "Instead of competing with me, why don't you save your strength for the next two? The final battle might be a three-way battle."
Zhao Yilong gritted his teeth and stared at Silver.
Little Pao patted Zhao Yilong's shoulder. "Forget it, you win."
Zhao Yilong felt sullen, as he did not want to win.
"Go back. A win is a win," Big Pao said.
Zhao Yilong gripped his sword tightly and glared at Silver. This bastard.
Silver was still smiling. His smile was so bright and heartless.
Lu Yin didn't want to look at him, as he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to resist punching him. His smile was too frightening.
As he walked out, Big Pao's voice rang out. "The ninth match, Lu Yin against Darkvoid. Begin."
Everyone was solemn, as this match was even more exciting than the one between Michelle and Darkvoid. Lu Yin's name had spread throughout the Astral Combat Academy, especially after he had defeated someone from the Phoenix family and ranked second on the Blaze Realm's rankings. This had caused his name to spread throughout the Astral Combat Academy, and he was now known as one of the strongest Melders. The outside world's impression of Astral-10 was limited to him, and everyone knew that Lu Yin was very strong. However, they were still waiting to see how strong he really was.
Darkvoid calmly walked out. It hadn't been long since his battle with Michelle, but there were no signs of battle on his body, aside from a small tear on his back.
Everyone felt pressured when facing Darkvoid, including Lu Yin. Regardless of whether it was because of his innate gift or something else, Darkvoid's attacks could tear through the void. He was a powerhouse who could truly tear through the void. If Lu Yin wanted to win, he would have to use his innate gift to meet Darkvoid's attacks head-on like Michelle had, or he would have to use an attack that exceeded Darkvoid's limits. Lu Yin had already made his decision.
There was no need for words, and Darkvoid immediately attacked. Just like he had against Michelle, he slowly raised his hand and flicked his fingers. A black brilliance flashed and the void around Lu Yin exploded.
Everyone held their breaths as they watched the scene unfold. Darkvoid's attacks were clearly much stronger against Lu Yin than they had been against Michelle, and his attacks had sealed off the entire area.
Although he didn't speak, that didn't mean that he didn't know anything about the outside world. He was also aware of Lu Yin's situation, and he had even seen it once.
Lu Yin's gaze was calm as he bent his legs and disappeared the moment the void exploded. He tore through the void at a speed that caused the void to distort as he charged towards Darkvoid. The two weren't too far apart, and when Lu Yin appeared in front of Darkvoid, his afterimage hadn't even disappeared when the void exploded and swallowed him whole.
This familiar scene caused everyone's eyes to widen, especially Michelle. She knew Darkvoid's strength and defense better than anyone else, and Lu Yin was facing the same situation as her.
Lu Yin raised a palm and slapped down, his gaze fixed on Darkvoid. He saw indifference and disdain in Darkvoid's eyes; this was a sign of extreme confidence in his defense, one that even Michelle had been helpless against.
Lu Yin's lips curled up as he used the Nine Stacks Ninefold Shockwave Palm. A formless current appeared on his palm; this was battle force.
In the crowd, Big Pao, Little Pao, Xia Luo, and Silver were all shocked as they stared at Lu Yin's palm.
Boom!
The shockwave crushed the ground and shook the void, causing an imperceptible crack to appear in the void. Darkvoid's disdain turned to shock, and then to horror. His face flushed red as he spat out a mouthful of blood. His body was sent flying by an indescribable force, pushing aside the current as he crashed heavily into the ground.
Everyone was silent as they stared at Lu Yin in shock.
No one had expected that Lu Yin would be able to defeat Darkvoid with a single palm. It was too exaggerated; Darkvoid was someone who could even take on Michelle's innate gift, the Red Lotus Arrow, yet he had been sent flying with a single palm strike.
Coco's jaw dropped, and she couldn't take her eyes off Lu Yin.
Michelle's pupils shrank as she clenched her fists.
Xia Luo was shocked, but then his lips curled up. Interesting, this was interesting.
Silver's smile grew even more brilliant.
Big Pao and Little Pao looked at each other and saw the shock in each other's eyes. Darkvoid had been recognized as someone who could participate in the finals, but they had never expected him to be eliminated here. They knew just how terrifying that palm strike had been. Battle force had penetrated his body and shaken the void. Darkvoid must have been severely injured, and he had lost this battle.
Lu Yin looked at his own palm and saw that it was indeed the case. Just the Nine Stacks Ninefold Shockwave Palm alone was not enough to break through Darkvoid's defenses. Only battle force could penetrate the void and attack Darkvoid's body through the void.
Darkvoid had underestimated Darkvoid, but even if he hadn't been careless, he would still have been defeated. Not only could he use a Ninefold Shockwave Palm, but with his current physical strength, Lu Yin didn't know how many Shockwave Palms he could withstand. Darkvoid was no match for him.
In the distance, Darkvoid slowly moved his fingers and sat up.
Everyone looked over; he wouldn't be as unscathed as he had been when Michelle's arrow had struck him, would he?
Clearly, they were overthinking things. Darkvoid sat on the ground for a while before standing up. His clothes were torn, and a clear palm print could be seen on his chest. Everyone felt their scalps go numb, and the corner of his mouth glistened with blood. He looked up at Lu Yin and then quietly walked to the other side.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he wasn't too monstrous, and he could still be defeated. Hold on, everyone suddenly thought of something and looked at Lu Yin. Even Darkvoid, who was so monstrous, had been defeated with a single palm strike. Just how strong was this guy?
Michelle stared at Lu Yin. Astral-10 actually had such a strong person, and he was only a freshman. This person's strength was one of the best among the Melders in the top three academies.
At this moment, Zhao Yilong was under the most pressure. With the unfathomable Xia Luo and the unfathomable Lu Yin, he was the weakest.
"Victory goes to Lu Yin in the ninth round," Big Pao announced. He then continued, "In order to save time, the final battle will begin."
Lu Yin stood in place and looked at Xia Luo. Xia Luo walked out with a smile, "Brother Lu, I didn't expect us to fight in the last round."
"Not at all. I've never been sure of your strength," Lu Yin smiled.
Xia Luo smiled, "Your strength is easy to see, but you've improved too quickly. I don't know how strong you are now, so please go easy on me."
Lu Yin raised an eyebrow, "It's still unknown who will win. I'm curious about the technique you used to neutralize the Desolate Palm and the speed you defeated Lulu."
As the two conversed, they completely ignored Zhao Yilong, who had also walked out. Zhao Yilong felt very awkward, and he gripped his ancient sword tightly and raised it to face the two. The sword hummed softly, and he couldn't wait to fight.
However, his provocation didn't arouse their interest at all. A hundred swords in one was pretty good, but it was only pretty good. Zhao Yilong had only been lucky enough to advance to the finals. Otherwise, he would have been defeated by either Hui Daynight or Michelle. He didn't have the qualifications to participate in the finals.
Everyone's vision blurred as Lu Yin and Xia Luo collided. It was an ordinary palm strike, but it caused a shocking shockwave that spread out. Not only did it shatter the ground, but it also shocked the crowd.
"Everyone, retreat!" Big Pao barked, and everyone immediately retreated.
Lu Yin's palms collided with Xia Luo's, and he was shocked. He'd used the Nine Stacks Ninefold Shockwave Palm, and it was reasonable to say that it contained nine stacks of force. However, less than three stacks had actually struck Xia Luo. The other six had been mysteriously neutralized, causing its power to drop drastically.
Xia Luo's eyes lit up, and his lips curled into a smile. There was actually nine stacks of force! No wonder Darkvoid couldn't withstand a single palm strike. With nine stacks combined with battle force, it would be strange if Darkvoid could withstand it. Xia Luo had tried his best to neutralize six stacks, which was great.
With a bang, the two separated at the same time. Lu Yin turned around and struck out with a Sirius Palm. Seven stars revolved around his body as he activated the Art of Sirius. He would never forget how Lulu had been defeated so soundlessly.
Xia Luo stared at Lu Yin's palm, his expression even more solemn than when he'd faced the Nine Stacks Ninefold Shockwave Palm. Some battle techniques could be neutralized with star energy, but others were very difficult. He had to face this palm strike head-on. Suddenly, a slash flew towards Lu Yin. It was Zhao Yilong. This was a three-way battle, and he didn't want to be ignored.
"Scram!" Lu Yin barked, his left Sirius Palm striking towards Xia Luo while his right hand casually struck out with Nine Stacks.
At the same time, Xia Luo did the exact same thing as Lu Yin. He struck out with both palms, one facing Lu Yin while the other attacking Zhao Yilong.
Zhao Yilong's strongest attack was instantly shattered, and the wind from the palms sent him flying a thousand meters away. He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.
Boom!
Lu Yin and Xia Luo's palms collided in the next instant. Sirius Palm with seven stars was comparable to the Nine Stacks Ninefold Shockwave Palm, and Lu Yin was certain that Sirius Palm wouldn't be so easily neutralized. This was the first time Xia Luo had displayed his terrifying strength. He didn't use any battle techniques, but instead countered Sirius Palm and forcefully changed the direction of his attack. Lu Yin's seven stars exploded, but they didn't hit Xia Luo's body. Instead, they landed on the ground beside him. Xia Luo's eyes flashed, and he flicked his finger at the critical moment, sending a formless shockwave towards Lu Yin's neck.