A loud explosion resounded.
Zhao Heng strode toward Li Xun. His steps were heavy, cracking the stone tiles beneath his feet. His robust energy surged and roared, stirring up a whirlwind around him.
"Mid-stage Profound Elixir Realm?"
He gave Li Xun a once-over, a flicker of contempt flashing in his eyes. He said indifferently, "It seems that those three evil demons weren’t much after all!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the surrounding crowd erupted in anger.
On the surface, Zhao Heng's comment seemed directed at Li Xun, but in reality, it was a veiled insult to everyone who had participated in the trial that day.
Nearby, an inner disciple bristled with fury, stepping forward to rebuke Zhao Heng.
However, Li Xun raised a hand to stop him.
"Are you here to register?" Li Xun's expression remained calm and unchanged.
The corners of Zhao Heng's mouth lifted in a cold sneer. He said, "I originally thought someone capable of defeating three Otherworldly Demons would be quite formidable. But seeing you today, I’m deeply disappointed."
"If you're here to avenge Bai Shaowei, there's no need for so many excuses."
Li Xun turned his head and looked at a disciple responsible for recording names not far away. He spoke, "Junior brother, please arrange for him to be my first opponent tomorrow."
Hearing this, the others hadn’t yet reacted, but Zhao Heng's expression immediately darkened.
He had spent nearly two centuries as an inner disciple and was well-versed in the rules of the core disciple selection.
Under normal circumstances, each year, around a dozen inner disciples would sign up. If someone lost their first match, it meant saying goodbye to their chances of becoming a core disciple that year.
After all, even if someone had great strength, finishing at the bottom of the rankings made it impossible to secure a core disciple position.
As a result, many disciples would try to bribe the recorder to arrange a weaker opponent for their first match.
But Li Xun was doing the opposite. He wanted to face Zhao Heng in the very first round. This was essentially declaring that only one of them could become a core disciple this year!
Zhao Heng's face turned ugly, and through gritted teeth, he spat out three words.
He did want to face Li Xun, but he never imagined it would be right at the start. Didn’t Li Xun worry that after their match, his depleted energy would leave him vulnerable to being exploited by others?
"If you're scared, there's still time to regret it," Li Xun said casually.
Having recently mastered the Purple Radiance Celestial Net Sutra, Li Xun had been eager to find a suitable opponent to test his current strength. He hadn’t expected one to deliver himself so quickly.
And Zhao Heng, while not weak, was at the late stage of the Profound Elixir Realm—enough to withstand one or two moves, perhaps?
With this thought, Li Xun left without another word.
After his departure, the square erupted into chaos.
"Did I hear that right? Senior Brother Li Xun is going to face Zhao Heng in the first round tomorrow?"
"Zhao Heng is doomed. Senior Brother Li Xun defeated three Otherworldly Demons. His strength is terrifying. What does it matter if Zhao Heng practices an earth-level technique? I heard that Senior Brother Li Xun was rewarded with an earth-level technique himself for saving many inner disciples during the trial!"
"Zhao Heng brought this on himself. So what if he's a minor realm higher than Senior Brother Li Xun? For a genius, challenging someone stronger is as natural as eating or drinking."
"You can’t put it that way. Zhao Heng has been cultivating for almost 200 years, while Senior Brother Li Xun has only been practicing for two years. The gap between their experience is a hundredfold. It won’t be easy for Senior Brother Li Xun to win."
"Your perspective is too narrow, junior brother. Strength isn’t determined by how long someone has cultivated."
"Look at Zhao Heng, standing there motionless. Do you think he’s too scared to register? After all, failing to become a core disciple is a small matter. Losing to Senior Brother Li Xun, though—that’s a disaster!"
Hearing the chatter around him, Zhao Heng’s face darkened considerably. As the inner disciples said, failing to qualify as a core disciple this year wasn’t a big issue for him. He could always try again next year, given his strength.
The real problem was this: if he lost to Li Xun, he would have no face left to show.
Two years of cultivation versus nearly two centuries—if he couldn’t win against Li Xun, how could he continue to stay in the Profound Sun Sect?
"Zhao Heng, are you registering?"
The inner disciple handling the registration asked coldly. Although he wasn’t as strong as Zhao Heng, he didn’t fear him. After all, they were both inner disciples. If he felt like it, he might respectfully call him "senior brother." If not, he wouldn’t even bother to greet him.
Zhao Heng clenched his teeth, glancing in the direction Li Xun had left, and responded grimly.
The inner disciple quickly processed the registration and handed Zhao Heng a token engraved with the number sixteen.
Zhao Heng snatched the token with a cold snort and left in a huff.
Originally, his plan had been to intimidate Li Xun before the match. But instead of leaving a mark on Li Xun, he had cornered himself.
He wasn’t naive enough to think that someone who had defeated three Otherworldly Demons was truly weak. His earlier mockery was simply an attempt to provoke Li Xun.
After all, an enraged opponent was easier to defeat.
Now, however, the situation was entirely reversed. He was the one caught in a dilemma. If he couldn’t decisively defeat Li Xun tomorrow, he would become the laughingstock of the entire Profound Sun Sect.
"Li Xun is only at the mid-stage Profound Elixir Realm, while I’m at the late stage. With a whole minor realm between us, no matter how talented he is, he shouldn’t be able to defeat me," Zhao Heng reassured himself.
The next day, as dawn broke, the entire Zhendao Peak was already packed. Not only were inner disciples gathered, but many outer disciples had also come to watch.
After all, Li Xun had only been an inner disciple for a few months. In such a short time, he had accomplished a meteoric rise from an outer disciple to nearly becoming a core disciple.
This rapid ascent had already made him a legend among the outer disciples.
In the crowd stood Lu Changhe, clad in the white robes of the Law Enforcement Hall. His expression was complex as he looked at the distant sparring platform.
He had heard about yesterday’s events.
The first match today was between Senior Brother Li Xun and Zhao Heng.
In Lu Changhe's view, the reason for this matchup stemmed largely from his own actions.
"I only wanted to help Senior Brother Li Xun solve some problems, but instead, I’ve caused him even more trouble. If Senior Brother Li Xun fails to become a core disciple because of this…"
Lu Changhe’s face turned pale at the thought, and he dared not think further.
Tn: I made a naming mistake, it's Lu Changhe, not Lu Changge.