The Duong Family Specialty

Two days after his victory over Sa Binh, the central arena of Hoa Van Town was once again packed with spectators. If anything, the crowd was even larger than before.

News that Quan Hao Nhien had defeated Sa Binh had already left the Western Wastes with merchant caravans and communication jade slips, spreading rapidly through many parts of the Eastern Plains. Hoa Van Town, a name that had once been unfamiliar to most outside cultivators, had begun appearing alongside discussions of the man who had suddenly risen to the top of the Huyen Bang.

Less than two days later, word of the second challenge spread.

Quan Hao Nhien would face Duong Han, ranked fifty-first on the Eastern Plains Huyen Bang.

More importantly, Duong Han belonged to the Duong family.

That identity alone gave the battle another layer of meaning without anyone needing to explain it. The Quan Clan and the Duong family had opposed each other for years. Hao Nhien had only just appeared at the top of the Huyen Bang, yet the Duong family had already sent someone to Hoa Van and even pressured Thien Bao Pavilion to secure the second match.

Anyone familiar with the history between the two families understood that Duong Han had not come merely for ranking.

The four formation pillars around the arena had been glowing since early morning.

After the battle with Sa Binh, Quan Khai, together with formation masters from Tam Thanh and Cat Loi, had inspected the entire protective system. Several formation artifacts and lightning stones brought by Cat Loi had been added to the areas that bore the greatest load, allowing the pillars to disperse shockwaves more effectively when facing powerful attacks.

The western entrance opened.

Duong Han stepped onto the arena.

He stood nearly two meters tall, powerfully built, with arms almost a full size thicker than those of an ordinary man. Heavy black iron armor covered his body, each plate linked by metal clasps engraved with spiritual patterns. Across his back rested a broad saber nearly half as wide as his body.

Every step produced a deep metallic thud against the stone.

Duong Han walked to the center of the arena, raised his head toward the Quan Clan section, and laughed loudly.

“The Quan Clan has declined for years, and now you have to let a young man who hasn't even reached late-stage Foundation Establishment step forward to preserve your face. Looks like there really aren't many people left with the Quan name who can stand on an arena.”

As he spoke, he struck his armored chest with one hand, producing a loud metallic clang.

Quite a few members of the Quan Clan immediately darkened in expression, while several people from the Duong family laughed.

At that moment, the eastern entrance opened.

Hao Nhien stepped onto the arena wearing a dark blue robe. The Fire Spirit Sword hung at his waist, the Tieu Dao Sword rested behind him, and his aura was restrained as deeply as it had been in the previous match.

Most spectators could only tell that he was at Foundation Establishment. Those with higher cultivation could vaguely sense that he had still not truly entered the late stage.

In truth, Hao Nhien remained at peak sixth-layer Foundation Establishment.

He stopped a little over twenty zhang from Duong Han, looked him over once, and said:

“I heard you were fond of fighting. I didn't expect you to come onto the arena and use your mouth first.”

The stands went silent for one beat before laughter quickly spread.

Duong Han's expression darkened slightly.

“Brat, your mouth is quite hard.”

Hao Nhien looked at the enormous saber on his back.

“With a blade that large, yet you still need your mouth to clear the way. Seems you're carrying a bit too much unnecessary weight.”

This time the laughter was much louder.

Duong Han stopped responding and simply reached for the saber handle.

The presiding cultivator stepped forward at exactly the right moment, cutting off the exchange before it could drag on.

Hao Nhien's Huyen Bang token was placed in the verification slot, after which both he and Duong Han took out one exceptional-grade spirit stone and placed them into separate stake compartments.

The instant the two streams of pure spiritual energy spread outward, the formations sealed them in place.

Only after completing the inspection did the presiding cultivator speak.

“The rules are the same as in the previous match. Voluntary surrender or loss of the ability to continue fighting both count as defeat. The winner receives both exceptional-grade spirit stones. If the current rank holder loses, the Huyen Bang token will record its new owner according to the rules.”

Both men nodded.

The presiding cultivator retreated beyond the barrier.

The bell had barely rung when Duong Han removed the broad saber from his back.

But instead of using it, as most people expected, he threw it directly into the arena floor.

The weapon stabbed into the stone at an angle.

Duong Han clenched both fists.

“Come!”

He charged straight forward.

Hao Nhien raised an eyebrow but did not draw his sword either. If his opponent wanted to test fists first, he had no objection.

Both moved almost simultaneously.

Their fists collided in midair, and spiritual power together with physical force exploded at the point of contact.

A heavy force traveled up Hao Nhien's arm and drove him back three steps. His fist went noticeably numb, while Duong Han only rolled one shoulder before charging again.

This time, Hao Nhien did not meet him head-on.

A black iron-covered fist swept across. Hao Nhien tilted his head aside, but Duong Han immediately lowered his center of gravity and drove forward with both shoulder and body.

The distance was too close to evade completely.

Hao Nhien raised both arms before his chest.

His entire body was pushed backward five more steps by the mass of heavy armor, the soles of his boots dragging two long marks across the stone.

When he lowered his arms, Hao Nhien had a clearer assessment.

Duong Han was far stronger than Sa Binh in pure physical confrontation. The black iron armor was not merely protective either. Its weight had been integrated into his fighting style. Every collision felt like a massive block of metal propelled forward by the strength of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Duong Han struck his chestplate.

“Well? Is the Duong family's armor hard enough for you?”

“Not bad.”

The moment Hao Nhien answered, his body abruptly changed direction.

Duong Han immediately twisted and punched to the right, but struck empty air.

During the instant he shifted his weight, Hao Nhien had already appeared on the left and drove a heavy punch into his ribs.

Metal rang.

Duong Han swung an elbow in retaliation, but Hao Nhien had already retreated half a step before closing from another angle, striking in succession at the knee, chest, and the joint between shoulder and arm.

Every fist and kick against the armor produced a heavy impact, but Duong Han remained firmly planted.

He tried sweeping with both arms and using his shoulders and body to trap Hao Nhien's movement, but whenever the enclosure was about to close, Hao Nhien's speed would suddenly increase for one brief instant.

No one in the stands could see the reason.

Even cultivators with fairly strong spiritual perception only felt that he was somehow changing position much faster than the rhythm of his previous movement should have allowed.

Only Hao Nhien knew that the invisible Spirit Wings behind him were opening and closing in extremely short bursts. He did not use them for continuous movement, only to steal an angle, seize distance, or escape an attack at the exact instant it mattered.

The two exchanged more than ten rounds.

Duong Han could not catch Hao Nhien, but Hao Nhien gradually realized that his fists and kicks could barely cause meaningful damage through the black iron armor.

Eventually, both separated.

Duong Han's breathing had grown slightly heavier.

Hao Nhien looked at his reddened knuckles and said:

“That armor really is thick. If we keep fighting like this, my hands will probably get tired before it breaks.”

A few laughs immediately rose from the stands.

Duong Han did not join them.

He reached toward the broad saber embedded in the arena. The weapon trembled violently, tore itself free from the stone, and flew back into his hand.

Almost at the same time, he pulled a metal catch on his left forearm.

The armor there separated, revealing a black iron crossbow mechanism already loaded with six dark iron bolts.

The change immediately quieted the laughter in the stands.

Many cultivators who had assumed the heavy armor was Duong Han's main method now realized they had judged him far too simply.

The broad saber controlled the front.

The heavy armor let him absorb collisions.

The crossbow built into his arm clearly compensated for his lack of speed.

In the Quan Clan section, Quan Lam narrowed his eyes slightly.

“The Duong family still likes strapping everything they can onto their bodies.”

Quan Can did not laugh.

“But it's useful. Hao Nhien is much faster than him. That crossbow is meant to lock down his evasive routes.”

On the arena, Hao Nhien looked from the broad saber to the crossbow.

“Couldn't win barehanded, so now you're using both?”

Duong Han replied coldly:

“This is how the Duong family fights.”

Hao Nhien drew the Fire Spirit Sword.

“I understand. A family specialty.”

Several laughs rose again, but this time Duong Han ignored them completely.

The broad saber came down at once.

A black saber arc tore across the arena, forcing Hao Nhien to shift aside.

But at almost the exact instant he moved, the crossbow on Duong Han's forearm snapped.

Three dark iron bolts shot toward him from different angles.

One locked onto the shoulder.

One aimed at the chest.

The last flew straight for the throat.

The distance was too short.

Hao Nhien turned his shoulder to avoid the first, knocked the second aside with the Fire Spirit Sword, while the last skimmed past his ear and slammed into the barrier behind him.

Formation light rippled violently.

The stands erupted.

“The saber forces the direction, the crossbow seals the retreat.”

“He isn't firing randomly. He's calculating where Quan Hao Nhien will dodge.”

The young cultivator had barely finished speaking when Duong Han closed in.

The broad saber smashed into the Fire Spirit Sword, its heavy force driving Hao Nhien backward. Almost immediately, the crossbow rose from an extremely low angle and fired another dark iron bolt directly into the direction he had just been pushed.

Many spectators held their breath at once.

Just before the bolt reached him, Hao Nhien's body suddenly shifted nearly a zhang sideways.

The dark iron bolt passed through the place where he had just stood and buried itself in the stone.

Duong Han's expression immediately changed.

“What movement technique is that?”

Discussion surged through the stands.

“That sudden change of direction again!”

“He had clearly already lost his balance under the saber, yet he still moved sideways instantly.”

Cat Thanh, seated to the west, raised an eyebrow slightly.

He had seen Hao Nhien fight in Cat Loi City before, yet every one of those strange bursts still carried a moment of acceleration that even he could not fully hide his surprise at.

Hao Nhien had no attention to spare for the spectators.

The Tieu Dao Sword behind him had already left its sheath.

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A silver streak curved in from the right and stabbed directly into Duong Han's backplate. Sparks flew. The blade failed to pierce the black iron, but the impact was enough to force Duong Han to turn his broad saber backward.

That single beat was enough.

Hao Nhien immediately advanced from the front and brought the Fire Spirit Sword down hard against the chestplate.

A deep scratch appeared.

Duong Han retreated one step and immediately brought the crossbow back into firing position, but Hao Nhien had already shifted before he could lock onto the target.

Saber, sword, crossbow, and flying sword quickly intertwined across the arena.

Metal clashed without pause, sometimes near, sometimes far, and most spectators could barely take their eyes off the two figures inside the barrier.

By now, experienced cultivators were beginning to understand what made Duong Han's system dangerous.

The heavy armor rendered most attacks below a certain level nearly meaningless. The broad saber's wide range forced the opponent to keep changing distance, while the crossbow was used at exactly the right moments to seal the evasive directions his heavy body could not pursue.

Duong Han did not need to be faster than Hao Nhien.

He only needed to force Hao Nhien into the space where both the broad saber and the dark iron bolts could function together.

An elder from the Duong family watched the situation on the arena, and his expression finally relaxed slightly.

“As long as he keeps pressing like this, that speed will eventually drop.”

The person beside him did not immediately agree.

“But Duong Han's expenditure isn't small either.”

Sure enough, after nearly the time it took an incense stick to burn, Duong Han's breathing had become much heavier.

Numerous sword marks had appeared across the black iron armor, though most still remained superficial.

Hao Nhien had repeatedly attacked the same point along the ribs, striking three times with the Fire Spirit Sword before following with two hits from the Tieu Dao Sword. The defensive spiritual patterns there had dimmed somewhat, and the metal had visibly dented, yet still had not been pierced.

Seeing that, the discussions around the square gradually changed.

“He's landed that many hits and still hasn't broken it?”

“Is the Duong family's black iron armor really that strong?”

“Don't forget Duong Han is ranked fifty-first. If it were only an ordinary suit of armor, he couldn't have held that position for so long.”

In the eastern seats, Tieu Lan looked at the sword marks covering the armor and frowned slightly.

“Young Master has hit him many times.”

Quan Nha nodded faintly.

“But the force still hasn't penetrated.”

She said nothing further, her gaze remaining fixed on the arena.

Hao Nhien had reached the same conclusion.

He withdrew from the range of the broad saber. His breathing remained relatively steady, but his expression had become more serious.

His current striking power was not enough to break through this defense in a short period of time.

If he continued relying on ordinary fists, swordsmanship, and repeated pressure, the match could drag on for a very long time.

And Duong Han clearly still had methods he had not used.

Duong Han looked down at the sword marks across his armor and laughed.

“Had enough?”

Hao Nhien did not answer.

The Hoa Ky Jade trembled faintly, causing the Fire-element spiritual power within his body to become more active.

Spiritual power flowed through his meridians into the Fire Spirit Sword, causing the blade to redden rapidly before a thin layer of red-gold fire spread across it.

The stands immediately stirred again.

“Fire!”

“He used Fire to break Sa Binh's Wood Spirit Tree in the last match.”

Someone else immediately shook his head.

“But this time it's black iron. There's no elemental suppression like there was against Wood.”

Even Duong Han narrowed his eyes.

“Fire?”

Hao Nhien had already moved.

The Fire Spirit Sword cut directly into the dent along Duong Han's ribs. Flames clung to the black iron at once.

Duong Han swung the broad saber in retaliation, but Hao Nhien had already changed angle while directing the Tieu Dao Sword to strike the exact section that had just been heated.

After several concentrated attacks, the color of the black iron began to change.

A section of armor shifted from black to dark red.

The discussion around the arena grew quieter again.

This time, even the people of the Duong family began paying closer attention.

Hao Nhien did not stop.

The Fire Spirit Sword continued striking the same region, while the Tieu Dao Sword repeatedly targeted the joints between armor plates to compound the damage.

At first, the effect was obvious.

The defensive spiritual patterns around the dent weakened more quickly, and the temperature of the armor rose enough that Duong Han had to actively change angle several times to prevent Hao Nhien from continuing to focus on the same spot.

Tieu Nhan stared at the reddening armor and could not help asking:

“Can he burn through it?”

Quan Nha kept her eyes on the arena.

“He can.”

Tieu Nhan's eyes had just brightened when Quan Nha continued:

“But too slowly.”

At almost the same moment, Hao Nhien reached the same conclusion.

Fire had helped suppress Sa Binh's Wood because of the clear elemental advantage.

Duong Han's black iron armor was different.

Fire could heat the metal, consume the defensive patterns, and pressure the person inside, but actually breaking through armor this thick would take much longer than he had expected.

Duong Han naturally had no intention of standing still and waiting.

The broad saber swept across, forcing Hao Nhien away.

He looked down at the heated armor and shook his head slightly.

“It works, but it's a little slow.”

Duong Han sneered.

“Trying to cook me inside the armor?”

“That was the original idea.”

Hao Nhien replied.

“But it seems I'll need another way.”

This time Duong Han did not continue the verbal exchange.

He immediately pressed forward and began using the full system of mechanisms built into his equipment.

A dark iron bolt forced Hao Nhien left.

The broad saber instantly sealed that direction.

Hao Nhien burst away to the right with the Spirit Wings, but Duong Han's sleeve shook and released a cloud of hair-thin needles.

Cries of surprise immediately rose from the stands.

“More hidden weapons!”

“Did the Duong family strap an entire armory onto him?”

No one laughed this time.

The cloud of needles had covered a wide area in front of Hao Nhien.

He swung the Fire Spirit Sword, sending firelight together with a current of Wind across the space and forcing most of the needles away from their original paths.

But Duong Han had already retreated.

Two dark iron bolts left the crossbow at the same time.

Hao Nhien had barely deflected them from the front when three dark red spheres no larger than a thumb were released.

The spiritual patterns on their surfaces flashed rapidly, while intense heat spread from them before they had even drawn close.

Quan Lam immediately straightened.

“Fire bombs.”

Lieu Thien Van's smile disappeared as well.

“Three at once?”

The discussions around the square almost vanished.

In the eastern seats, Quan Nha's hand tightened around the armrest.

Tieu Nhan fell silent.

Even Cat Thanh leaned slightly forward.

At that exact moment, Hao Nhien saw that Duong Han had not moved away from the blast radius at all.

Both of Duong Han's hands pulled hard on metal catches at his waist.

The black iron armor immediately transformed.

The shoulder plates expanded, the back section slid downward, and armor plates on both sides folded inward as Duong Han lowered his center of gravity.

In a single beat, nearly his entire body was sealed inside a thick mass of black iron.

Every defensive spiritual pattern lit up at once.

Someone from the Duong family immediately laughed.

“Black Armor Fortress!”

Several Eastern Plains cultivators recognized the technique as well.

“He calculated the blast radius from the beginning.”

“Duong Han plans to endure the shockwave with Black Armor Fortress and force Quan Hao Nhien to take all three fire bombs!”

The atmosphere around the square tightened instantly.

The three fire bombs were already only a few zhang from Hao Nhien, while the space behind him was no longer enough to completely escape the blast radius.

But Hao Nhien's gaze had already moved from the bombs to the black iron mass closing before him.

Then the Spirit Wings erupted at full force.

Wind supported Phong Van Step.

He nearly vanished.

The reaction sent the entire audience into an uproar.

“What is he doing?”

“He's not retreating—he's advancing?”

In the next instant, Hao Nhien appeared directly in front of the black iron mass.

One hand locked onto the shoulder armor, while the other slammed into the joint between waist and hip at the exact moment Duong Han had lowered his center of gravity to complete Black Armor Fortress.

Hao Nhien released all his strength.

Legs, waist, and both arms exploded together, forcing the mass of black iron to rotate almost half a turn.

Duong Han's expression changed immediately.

“Quan Hao Nhien!”

Several spectators understood before the shout had even ended.

Cat Thanh burst out laughing.

“This brat!”

Lieu Thien Van could not help raising an eyebrow.

“He's using his opponent as a shield?”

Hao Nhien had already driven one foot hard into the stone and shoved the black iron mass forward, placing himself directly behind it.

The three fire bombs exploded almost simultaneously.

Firelight erupted dozens of zhang high.

The entire arena shook violently, while the four formation pillars around the battlefield blazed with light.

The transparent barrier bulged outward, ripples spreading across it again and again, causing those in the nearest seats to instinctively retreat.

“That power—”

The cultivator had barely spoken before another explosion drowned him out.

Several elders from the Duong family sprang to their feet.

The Quan Clan section was no calmer.

Quan Nha had already stood the moment the firelight swallowed the arena, while Tieu Lan and Tieu Nhan stared fixedly at the smoke rolling within the barrier.

The shockwave pushed both the black iron mass and Hao Nhien back more than ten zhang.

Pain stabbed through Hao Nhien's shoulders and back as the pressure traveled through the armor into his arms, but he still maintained his balance.

As the smoke and fire began to clear, the discussions around the square faded again.

The black iron mass emerged before everyone.

Its outer armor had been scorched red.

Many of the defensive spiritual patterns had dimmed, while a large section facing the explosion had even been crushed inward.

But it had not broken.

Silence spread.

Then came a series of sharp breaths.

“It endured that?”

“Three fire bombs…”

“No wonder Duong Han dared use them at such close range.”

Even Hao Nhien had to admit that the defensive power of Black Armor Fortress had exceeded his expectations.

The armor plates covering Duong Han's face slowly opened.

Hot smoke poured from the joints.

Duong Han braced one hand against the stone and stood.

Blood stained the corner of his mouth.

One shoulder plate had caved in deeply.

The clothing beneath the armor on his back had been scorched black.

His breathing was far more chaotic than before.

But there was still no intention of surrender in his eyes.

A shout immediately rose from the Duong family section.

“Duong Han!”

Several others stood as well.

“He's still standing!”

Their cheers tightened the atmosphere that had only just begun to ease.

Duong Han coughed heavily, wiped the blood from his mouth, and looked at Hao Nhien.

“You want to defeat me with my own family's weapons?”

He laughed hoarsely.

“Not enough.”

This time, Hao Nhien did not answer.

He charged.

The Fire Spirit Sword cut directly into the section of armor most weakened by the explosion, forcing Duong Han back one step.

The Tieu Dao Sword followed almost immediately, striking the exact same point and finally opening a small crack in the black iron.

Several cheers immediately rose from the Hoa Van side.

“It cracked!”

“Only a little.”

“But he finally broke it!”

Hao Nhien kept pressing, allowing firelight to cling around the crack while the Tieu Dao Sword repeatedly struck the weaker joints.

Duong Han was clearly much slower after the explosion, but the broad saber in his hand remained heavy enough that every counterattack forced Hao Nhien either to evade or block.

The two continued exchanging blows for some time.

The stands were no longer as noisy as before.

Everyone could see that Duong Han was at a disadvantage, yet what surprised many people was that his defense still had not truly collapsed.

A Cat Loi elder shook his head slightly.

“Rank fifty-one isn't easy to deal with.”

Cat Thanh nodded.

“No. Hao Nhien is faster and has more methods, but his armor-breaking power is still a step short.”

In the Tam Thanh section, Lieu Thien Van had reached the same conclusion.

“If the fight continues, Hao Nhien still wins.”

The person beside him asked:

“Then what's the problem?”

Lieu Thien Van watched the two men on the arena.

“The problem is how much he'll have to spend to win.”

On the arena, Hao Nhien was thinking exactly the same thing.

From the beginning of the match until now, he had tried fists, swordsmanship, Fire, the Tieu Dao Sword, and repeated concentrated attacks against the same point.

Every method had worked to some extent.

But even now, something was still missing before he could truly break through the defense.

If the fight continued, he would eventually wear the armor down.

But that was not how he wanted to win.

Especially when Duong Han, despite already being badly injured, was reaching toward another mechanism at his waist.

Hao Nhien's gaze settled on the black iron armor covering nearly all of his opponent's body.

A thought slowly became clear.

He did not necessarily have to break it.

Something he had understood in the Lightning Domain surfaced in his mind.

Lightning needed a path.

And the black iron before him was an excellent one.

Hao Nhien inhaled lightly.

His perception expanded.

A thread of Lightning force near the western formation pillar was drawn toward him.

Then several more followed, entering one after another through the meridian routes that had adapted during his forty days in the Lightning Domain.

Separate paths.

One point of release.

Duong Han had just pulled a black metal cylinder from his waist when Hao Nhien moved.

The invisible Spirit Wings burst open for one instant, carrying him past the saber's angle and directly in front of Duong Han's chest.

Hao Nhien placed his palm flat against the black iron armor.

Several people in the stands immediately rose.

“He's going to hit the armor with his bare hand again?”

“No…”

Cat Thanh suddenly narrowed his eyes.

He had sensed a fluctuation he knew very well.

Duong Han froze too.

“You…”

A tiny electrical crack sounded.

The threads of external Lightning Hao Nhien had drawn in passed almost simultaneously through his palm and entered the black iron armor.

There was no great burst of lightning.

No thunder.

Only several hair-thin violet arcs flashed across the surface of the armor.

But Duong Han's reaction caused the entire square to fall silent.

His entire body locked rigid.

The arm holding the black metal cylinder jerked violently, and the object immediately dropped onto the stone.

The broad saber in his other hand also slipped from fingers that had begun trembling.

A Cat Loi elder shot to his feet.

“Lightning?”

Cat Thanh did not answer.

His eyes had brightened noticeably.

Others might only have seen a few thin arcs of electricity.

But he knew Hao Nhien carried no Lightning within his body.

There was only one possibility.

He had borrowed it from outside.

On the arena, the armor that had protected Duong Han from fists, swords, Fire, and even an explosion now became the path that carried that force throughout his body.

Duong Han clenched his teeth and tried to remain standing, but one knee still slammed into the stone.

The Duong family section had gone completely silent.

Duong Han still refused to stop.

He planted one hand on the ground and tried to force himself back up.

Several spectators who had been about to cheer also fell quiet when they saw him continue rising.

But this time, before he could exert any more strength, the Tieu Dao Sword flew in and stopped less than an inch from his face, while Hao Nhien's Fire Spirit Sword lowered beside his shoulder.

No laughter remained.

No mockery.

After everything Duong Han had endured, the fact that he still tried to stand was enough to change how many people saw him.

Duong Han looked at the two swords before him, breathing heavily.

He remained silent for a long time.

The hand braced against the stone tightened, then finally relaxed.

“I lose.”

The Duong family below did not speak.

But none of them lowered their heads.

The presiding cultivator quickly entered the arena, checked Duong Han's condition, then raised his hand and announced:

“Duong Han concedes. The winner, Quan Hao Nhien!”

The square remained silent for an instant.

Then the cheers truly erupted.

This victory carried an entirely different weight from the one over Sa Binh.

Duong Han was ranked fifty-first on the Huyen Bang.

His heavy armor could withstand most ordinary fists and sword techniques.

His broad saber was powerful enough to dominate wide areas.

His crossbow, hidden needles, and fire bombs could punish anyone who underestimated him.

Even after taking the explosion from his own weapons head-on, he had still risen and continued fighting.

Hao Nhien had not won easily either.

His robe was torn at the shoulder.

A dark iron bolt had grazed his left arm and left a line of blood.

His shoulders and back still ached faintly from repeated Spirit Wing bursts.

And before resorting to Lightning, he had tried almost every suitable method he possessed against the black iron armor.

Amid the cheers filling the square, Hao Nhien looked again at the scorched armor covering Duong Han.

What he remembered most clearly was not the declaration of victory.

It was the feeling of the Fire Spirit Sword striking again and again while the black iron before him simply refused to break.

His destructive force was still one step short.

The presiding cultivator released the formations sealing the stakes.

The Huyen Bang token still bore the name Quan Hao Nhien, while both exceptional-grade spirit stones were handed to the winner.

Hao Nhien took back his own first, then accepted Duong Han's.

The tension around the square gradually began to ease.

At that exact moment, a red-dressed female cultivator in the front seating area suddenly stood, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted:

“Quan Hao Nhien, I want to marry you!”

The surrounding cheers stopped abruptly.

Hao Nhien also froze slightly on the arena.

Then a clear voice rang from the front row.

“Get in line!”

Hao Nhien turned his head.

Tieu Nhan was standing.

Beside her, Tieu Lan had already grabbed the edge of her clothing, while Quan Nha slowly turned to look.

Tieu Nhan immediately realized what she had just said.

She sat down very quickly.

“I mean there isn't any line.”

Quan Nha looked at her for a moment before giving a slight nod.

“Mm.”

Tieu Nhan immediately sat perfectly straight and said nothing more, while Tieu Lan turned her face aside to hide a smile.

Hao Nhien looked at the scene and decided that silence was the safest choice.

He cupped his hands toward the crowd, called the Tieu Dao Sword over, and stepped onto it.

The flying sword quickly carried him away from the square.

Laughter still followed from behind, but Hao Nhien no longer paid attention to it.

In his mind remained the heavy sounds of fists, swords, and black iron colliding.

His fists had not been strong enough to break the armor.

The sword had only left external damage.

Fire had worked, but required far too much time.

What if the next opponent did not wear armor that conducted Lightning so well?

What if the person before him was ranked thirtieth, twentieth, or among the top ten?

He did not continue thinking along the way.

After returning to his residence, Hao Nhien entered the Cosmic Ark directly.

The familiar space quickly surrounded him.

There were no cheers here.

No spectators.

No loose strands of Lightning drifting through the environment.

Hao Nhien sat down in the cultivation chamber and looked at his hands for a long time.

Previously, he had deliberately remained at peak sixth-layer Foundation Establishment because he wanted his foundation to stabilize further.

That decision had not been wrong.

He had taken out the exceptional-grade Realm Advancement Pill before, considered entering the seventh layer, then ultimately put it away again.

There had also been another issue beyond his foundation.

Once he entered the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, using Rage within the Western Wastes could push his explosive force another step higher.

Given the current condition of space and the seal in this region, he did not want to approach a level that might trigger an unpredictable reaction without good reason.

So he had deliberately preserved a margin of safety.

But today's battle had made Hao Nhien realize that this margin was beginning to become a limitation.

If he continued holding himself at the sixth layer simply to preserve extra room for Rage, then he was allowing a final trump card to interfere with the foundation of his ordinary combat strength.

Rage was never something he should use casually.

It only needed to exist for the moment when no other choice remained.

Cultivation realm was different.

That was the foundation he had to rely on in every battle.

Hao Nhien closed his eyes and carefully examined the condition of his meridians and dantian.

After forty days in the Lightning Domain and the period of consolidation since returning to Hoa Van, the sixth layer had become completely stable.

His meridians had widened and grown far tougher than before.

His blood and body had also adapted to high-intensity combat.

He no longer had any reason to keep stopping here merely out of caution.

A jade box appeared in his hand.

Hao Nhien opened the lid.

The exceptional-grade Realm Advancement Pill still rested inside, releasing thin layers of pure spiritual energy.

He lifted the pill from the box and spent a long time regulating his breathing, allowing his blood, spiritual power, and meridian state to settle completely.

Only then did he place the Realm Advancement Pill into his mouth.

This time, he had no intention of stopping before the gate to the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment.