The crowd erupted. Cheers, cries, disbelief—it all blended into one deafening storm.
This is what they were waiting for—a fight that could have very well been the final of the Competition.
The fight exceeded expectations and turned out to be one of the fiercest matches yet.
Who could have expected that the arrogant Jin Yuanzhan would be so defiant, so unwilling to accept defeat, that he would even risk his life?
They had gained fresh insight into the true extent of Nie Fengzhuo’s power.
The medics rushed onto the stage, lifting Jin Yuanzhan’s broken body. His flames had gone out at last, leaving only faint trails of smoke in their wake.
Before Jin Yuanzhan’s body could even be removed from the arena, a sharp, commanding voice rang out from the stands.
"This is unacceptable!"
All eyes turned toward the source—an elder of the Azure Sun Holy Sect, his robes golden like molten sunlight, eyes blazing with righteous anger.
"You dare allow this? Look at the state of my disciple! Look at him!"
The elder’s voice trembled, a mixture of fury and panic.
"Nie Fengzhuo used excessive force—life-threatening force! This goes against the very rules of the Competition. Such brutality cannot be tolerated! He must be disqualified!"
Well, while there were such rules to make sure that contestants were protected throughout, it was only for when a powerful competitor deliberately tried to take the life of weaker ones.
But when two equally powerful fighters met, they usually used their best techniques, and it was the job of the overseer to protect the one who would lose in the clash.
Moreover, Nie Fengzhuo did go easy on him from beginning to the end.
The state Jin Yuanzhan was currently in could only be blamed on himself, who harmed himself in order to win the Match.
But it looked like the elder of the Azure Sun Holy Sect was hell-bent on blaming it on Nie Fengzhuo.
Nie Fengzhuo, still standing tall, his breathing deep but calm, met the elder’s gaze.
"I acted within the rules of the Competition," Nie Fengzhuo said evenly, his voice carrying across the arena.
"Jin Yuanzhan chose to ignite his core again. I simply countered his technique. I did not strike to kill, only to defend and end the attack."
The elder slammed his hand against the railing, his expression unyielding.
"Defend? Look at my disciple and say that again. Nie Fengzhuo should be disqualified for attempted murder."
A murmur ran through the crowd.
Everyone could clearly see that Jin Yuanzhan’s condition was to be blamed on himself, so they couldn’t understand what the Elder of the Azure Sun Holy Sect was trying to achieve.
"Enough! The matter will be judged properly."
The referee had to intervene and gestured to the medics.
"Examine him thoroughly."
The Medics nodded quickly and set to work, their hands glowing faintly with diagnostic techniques.
Threads of spiritual light ran across Jin Yuanzhan’s body, revealing the truth for all to see.
After a tense silence, the lead medic straightened, bowing respectfully.
"Reporting—most of his injuries stem from within. His meridians are scorched, his core is cracked and unstable... all clear signs of self-inflicted backlash. While there are external wounds, they are superficial in comparison. The cause of his condition certainly is burning his own Sun Dao Stone Core twice in such a short time."
The referee’s expression did not waver. He turned back toward the furious Azure Sun elder.
"You have heard it. The participant Nie Fengzhuo acted within the bounds of the rules. He restrained himself in the final exchange. It was Jin Yuanzhan’s reckless act that brought him to this state. Elder, I must ask you to cease this interference."
The elder’s face flushed red, his eyes blazing like molten metal.
"Restrain himself? You dare say that, when my disciple lies half-dead?!"
"But as you can hear, this is all due to his own doing. I hope the elder will acknowledge that and leave it at that," the referee said, which seemed to be both a request and a warning. After all, while the Azure Sun Holy Sect was a powerful sect, he was also representing the Imperial Family.
The Elder looked at Jin Yuanzhan angrily. And then he spat on the ground, his voice dripping venom.
"Useless trash! Not even worth saving face for."
The words fell like knives, cutting through the arena. Many in the audience stiffened at the cruel dismissal.
With a sharp flick of his sleeve, the Azure Sun Holy Sect elder turned and stormed off, his disciples scrambling after him.
Nie Fengzhuo’s voice was calm, but it carried across the arena with weight, halting even the retreating figures of the Azure Sun Holy Sect.
The elder turned slightly, his golden robes swaying, his expression thunderous.
Nie Fengzhuo asked, his brows furrowed.
In his heart, confusion brewed.
(Why is this elder so hell-bent on targeting me? I’ve never once crossed paths with him before... at least, not that I can recall.)
The elder’s eyes narrowed, venom flashing in his gaze.
"Met me? Hmph! You will remember soon enough. I will never forgive you, boy. Consider carefully what you have done!"
His voice dropped lower, each word heavy with hatred.
"Nie Fengzhuo. You will pay the price."
With that, he flicked his sleeve and stormed away, his disciples following in a flurry of movement.
Nie Fengzhuo stood silent, his fists clenched at his side. He didn’t respond immediately, only watching the elder’s back vanish into the crowd.
The words gnawed at him.
Looking again, the elder’s face struck a chord of familiarity, rippling through his mind like a stone disturbing a calm pond.
He had encountered a so-called disciple of the Azure Sun Holy Sect. Google seaʀᴄh novelꞁire.net
The man had strutted about arrogantly, proclaiming his father was a great elder of the sect.
His behavior, however, was vile—harassing women, bullying weaker cultivators, and demanding goods from merchants without payment, all under the guise of "sect authority."
Nie Fengzhuo had tolerated it until the man tried to force himself on a traveling girl.
That was when Nie Fengzhuo intervened, breaking the man’s arrogance—and his bones—with a sound beating.
And then, handing him over to the authority.
At the time, he dismissed the claim of noble parentage as nothing more than the bluff of a hooligan trying to wield borrowed prestige.
Nie Fengzhuo’s eyes narrowed.
He replayed the elder’s face in his mind, comparing it with the brat he had beaten bloody that day.
There was indeed a resemblance—the sharp nose, the narrow eyes, the same haughty expression, though aged and hardened.
The thought clicked into place.
(Perhaps that man really was...)
Nie Fengzhuo exhaled slowly, his heart hardening like steel.
If that was the case, then the storm he had just invited upon himself was far greater than he expected.
But he did not regret it.
Bai Zihan watched everything with a yawn.
He would have intervened if it seemed like Nie Fengzhuo was going to be disqualified—not because he wanted to help Nie Fengzhuo, but perhaps because his five million was tied to him.
But since he was Heaven-Chosen, Bai Zihan knew very well that the chances of that happening were very slim.
And looking at the conversation between the elder of the Azure Sun Holy Sect and Nie Fengzhuo, Bai Zihan could tell that the elder had a beef with Nie Fengzhuo.
Probably a small conflict which led to a bigger conflict. Typical "beat the young and face the old" type of shit.
The atmosphere remained heavy, the echoes of his curse lingering long after the elder had vanished from the arena.
Nie Fengzhuo, standing silently with his sword at his side, looked at Jin Yuanzhan being carried away.
For all his calm, a shadow crossed his eyes.
To push oneself this far... for what? Was he ordered by that elder to fight him this seriously?
Looking at how the elder dismissed him and tried to disqualify him, it seemed to be the case.
Though he had no idea how that elder managed to threaten Jin Yuanzhan into making such a choice.
The referee finally raised his voice again, restoring order.
"With this battle concluded, the Fourth Round of the Dragon and Phoenix Competition officially comes to an end!"
The declaration steadied the atmosphere, pulling focus back from the chaos stirred by the Azure Sun Holy Sect elder’s outburst.
"From this point onward, there will be three days of rest and preparation before the Competition resumes."
Murmurs ran through the crowd, anticipation already rising again as the referee continued.
"The Fifth and Sixth Rounds shall be conducted back-to-back—quarterfinals and semifinals—on the same day."
After all, the Fifth Round only had four matches, which however long, should take less than half a day, while the semifinals only had two matches.
Of course, the Finals should be kept as a separate day for the two finalists to fight in their fullest condition.
Excitement rippled instantly through the stands.
The Competition was coming to an end, and instead of dying down, their excitement only grew, as they would soon find out who was the greatest genius of the Empire.
The referee’s eyes swept across the gathered participants, his tone solemn yet charged with anticipation.
"So rest, prepare, and steel your hearts. When next we gather, the battles shall decide who among you are true dragons and phoenixes of this generation. Let us meet again in three days’ time—for the Quarterfinals and Semifinals!"