Chapter 137: Final Round

Wang Yu flew back onto the stone platform; Yin Linglong glanced at him with an odd look, then suddenly asked:

"Husband, you're so tender toward beauties—did Madam Xu say something to you? Is she really that beautiful?"

"Linglong, you're teasing me," Wang Yu coughed lightly, his expression unchanged. "Since Madam Xu showed no intent to fight, I'm happy to conserve my Qi for the next two matches."

"Hmph," Yin Linglong shot him a sidelong glance, snorting softly. "You'd better keep your distance from Madam Xu. Even I've heard rumors of her beauty—many men have been her lovers."

Wang Yu let out a bitter laugh and said nothing more.

The two Yin clan elders beside him stood rigidly, eyes straight ahead, pretending they heard nothing.

Match six…

Match seven…

Match eight.

This time, the contestant was a thirty-year-old youth clad in brocade robes, holding a yellow wooden qin.

Seeing this, Wang Yu couldn't help but show a hint of interest.

After all, in the previous two matches, he hadn't used this artifact—he'd clearly switched it specifically to counter the woman skilled in shadow arts.

Indeed, as soon as the brocade-robed youth saw the empty space across from him, he placed the wooden qin on the ground before him. Once Liu Ming above called "Begin," he immediately began plucking the air above the qin with all ten fingers.

"Ding ding dong dong."

A melodious tune emerged from the qin, drifting and echoing throughout the training ground.

This sight left many watching clan cultivators outside baffled—they had no idea what the man was aiming for.

Could mere ordinary music really force the woman to reveal herself?

The next instant, the brocade-robed youth suddenly struck downward with force.

"Gong."

A thunderous sound, like a giant bell, erupted from the qin, shaking the training ground's barriers.

"Puh."

A slender figure suddenly materialized in midair above the center of the arena, frantically covering her ears.

The brocade-robed youth rejoiced and began hammering the qin with relentless finger strikes.

Instantly, the bell-like tones came one after another, filling the entire arena.

The slender figure tried to vanish multiple times, but each time the bell sounds forced her back out—she couldn't properly activate her shadow concealment technique, and fury surged within her.

Suddenly, she raised her hand in midair; black light flickered in her sleeve, and with a "whoosh," a long black ribbon shot out.

The brocade-robed youth, however, seemed to have anticipated this—he raised his hand and tossed out a yellow talisman.

"Bang."

The talisman shattered into four pieces; a gale erupted, and a massive wind blade shot forth, slicing directly into the oncoming black ribbon.

"Sizla."

The wind blade cut through the black ribbon as if it were cloth, cleaving it cleanly in two.

Then the brocade-robed youth formed dual hand seals with both hands.

Another thunderous "boom."

The massive wind blade exploded mid-air, dissolving into countless translucent shards that shredded the black ribbon into fragments.

The brocade-robed youth chuckled, raising his fingers once more to strike the qin.

But the slender woman in midair now raised one hand, forming a seal and murmuring incantations.

An astonishing sight appeared!

The shattered fragments of the black ribbon suddenly surged toward the brocade-robed youth, coalescing mid-flight into a single, complete ribbon once more, whipping toward him.

The brocade-robed youth was stunned—he tried to retrieve another talisman, but it was too late.

The black ribbon flashed once, then wrapped him completely; silver spiritual runes flickered across his skin, rapidly contracting and tightening—this was a black fur artifact, pitch-black as ink.

"I yield."

No one knew what the brocade-robed youth endured inside the black fur, but moments later, he screamed in terror and surrendered.

The slender woman in midair laughed softly, waved one hand, and the black fur detached from the youth, transforming back into a black ribbon that whipped into her sleeve.

This sight shocked many in the crowd once again.

After all, at the Foundation Establishment stage, being able to remotely and fluidly control an artifact was extremely rare—let alone one seemingly immune to direct slashing attacks.

Wang Yu, seeing the black fur artifact, felt a headache coming—he wondered if his Fire Bullet Technique could even ignite and burn it.

"There's still time—begin Round Four."

Above, Liu Ming announced the slender woman's victory, then immediately declared the start of the next round.

Many clan members on the stone platform muttered among themselves—was this Foundation Establishment elder truly trying to decide both final slots today?

But for Wang Yu and the remaining eight contestants, it made no difference.

After these rounds, everyone's strength was already clear.

The strongest were Gu Lian, Wang Yu, and the slender woman representing the Xin family; the other five had made it to the final two rounds, so they weren't weak—but compared to Wang Yu and the other two, they were clearly far behind.

Gu Lian had no real rivals and had already secured one slot; the final slot would almost certainly be decided between Wang Yu and the slender woman.

The other five clearly understood this.

Thus, Round Four passed without drama—in moments, the final four were decided.

Indeed, as soon as the Confucian scholar saw Round Four end so quickly, he announced the final round was beginning.

The clan cultivators who had been distracted in the previous round now perked up, eager to see who would claim the last two slots.

Gu Lian's opponent was a tall, imposing man.

He looked at Gu Lian on the platform, sighed, bowed slightly, and surrendered voluntarily.

The Yu family thus secured one of the spiritual vein slots.

Seeing this, the Yu patriarch was overjoyed, bowing repeatedly to Gu Lian in thanks.

Yu Xiaoming, who had been despondent moments before, perked up slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face.

At this moment, Wang Yu, under Yin Linglong's watchful gaze, slowly flew toward the training ground.

The two Yin clan elders held their breath, eyes fixed on every move Wang Yu made.

Wang Yu landed slowly at one end of the training ground, glanced at the empty space across from him, and his eyebrow twitched.

Of course!

This opponent relied on one trick—if he couldn't break her shadow concealment first, he'd lose before the fight even began.

"Overclock Sync."

Wang Yu had no time to hesitate—he activated Overclock Sync mode; his eyes glowed with crystalline light, his senses exploded in intensity, everything around him slowed, and his mind entered a strange, heightened state.