The crowd stared in stunned silence at the body on the ground, barely able to believe what they'd just witnessed. One strike—just a single strike—and the powerful, domineering Yan Qing was dead, cut down with no chance to surrender.

"That sword... it was ruthless." The crowd swallowed hard, unable even to see the sword light that had descended from above. There was no complex swordsmanship, only a blade of pure annihilation.

Only a master could bring a technique to such heights, where skill and form become formless, responding solely to the user's will. Li Xiaoyao, clearly, had refined a sword style to this level, where one casual strike could take down someone like Yan Qing.

"What a freak," Qiankun muttered, staring at Li Xiaoyao. He imagined himself in Yan Qing's place and knew he wouldn't have been able to avoid that strike either. Even with his recent breakthrough, he wasn't at a level to match Li Xiaoyao's sheer power.

Yan Qing rose from the stands, his hair practically bristling with fury as he looked at Yan Qing's lifeless body on the ground. This was his family's second-best, the pride of the younger generation after Yan Long, struck down without managing to block even one strike. The bitterness seethed within him.

"You dare kill him!" Yan Qing's voice boomed like thunder, shaking the hearts of those around.

Li Xiaoyao looked up, meeting Yan Qing's rage-filled gaze with a cold smile. "What, did you think I should have stood there and let him kill me instead?"

Yan Qing's face darkened. He and Yan Qing had both intended to kill Li Xiaoyao, yet he couldn't tolerate Li Xiaoyao killing Yan Qing. To him, Yan Qing's life held value simply because he was part of the Yan family, whereas Li Xiaoyao taking that life was a capital crime.

"Good, very good. I'll remember you," Yan Qing spat, his voice dripping with icy menace.

The crowd murmured, some feeling a pang of regret for Li Xiaoyao. Strong as he was, his boldness was bound to bring trouble. Killing an elite from the Yan family without hesitation left no room for mercy—and the Yan family would never let this slide.

"My name... is Death," Li Xiaoyao declared, his eyes locking onto Yan Qing before he turned and descended from the platform. "And as for the Yan family—anyone I come across, I'll cut down without mercy."

"Shitttt...oh my fucking God..." someone in the crowd whispered, as the tension hung thick. Li Xiaoyao's words were wild, unstoppable, and dangerously bold.

In an unremarkable town called Cangyun City, a seemingly ordinary young martial artist, Li Xiaoyao, dared to provoke the powerful Yan family with a brazen challenge: he would kill every single one of them he came across. His audacity left onlookers stunned, as he blatantly disregarded every Yan family fighter competing in the arena.

The response was immediate—Yan family youths jeered and spat insults, although, deep down, some felt uneasy. Even though they shouted bravely, many secretly hoped to avoid facing this young man; if even Yan Qing had been struck down with a single sword stroke, none but Yan Long, a Lingwu-level warrior, stood a chance against him. Only someone of Yan Long's strength could avenge Yan Qing.

"I'll make sure he suffers if I come across him," Yan Long growled, a chilling murderous intent in his gaze fixed on Li Xiaoyao. He was determined to kill him.

Not long after, the first round of matches concluded, and the pool of contestants shrank from forty to twenty, with five platforms hosting the upcoming battles. Two rounds on each platform would decide the remaining ten competitors. This time, Li Xiaoyao faced not a Yan family member but a promising youth from the City Lord's Nalan family—Nalan Chen.

"If you're able, then fight. If not, then surrender," Nalan Yanran said from her lofty seat, gazing down at both Li Xiaoyao and Nalan Chen on the northern platform. Her words were directed at Nalan Chen.

"Got it," Nalan Chen nodded, though a competitive spark lit up his eyes. Although he wasn't as renowned as Gu Qing, he was also at the ninth level of the Qi Martial Realm. In his mind, Yan Qing had been all bark and no bite, likely careless, which had cost him his life to Li Xiaoyao's sword. This time, he vowed to defeat Li Xiaoyao and earn a name for himself.

Li Xiaoyao's gaze, hidden behind his mask, turned icy as he shot a glance at Nalan Yanran. Able to fight? Surrender if not? It seemed no one had thought to ask if he agreed to that.

Li still remember on that night, the Nalan family sent numerous warriors to ambush Li Xiaoyao, attempting to kill him—all because he hadn't given his seat up to Nalan Yanran. He hadn't forgotten.

"I'll fight with everything I have and defeat you, to bring honor to the Nalan family!" Nalan Chen announced, his gaze locked onto Li Xiaoyao. To him, Li Xiaoyao was nothing more than a stepping stone on his path to greatness.

"Then get on with it," Li Xiaoyao sneered, eager to see how Nalan Chen planned to bring glory to his family.

"Spirit Arm!" Nalan Chen summoned his martial spirit, and a colossal, imposing arm appeared behind him, pointing to the heavens as if it could hold up the sky itself.

"So that's the Nalan family's famed Spirit Arm," murmured someone in the crowd. "I heard it enhances strength to the point where a single punch can crush anything."

Buoyed by his spirit, Nalan Chen lunged forward, his fist charged with energy. "Dominating Fist!" he shouted, his voice booming. The shockwave of his punches tore through the air, creating a blur of fist shadows around him.

"So strong! The City Lord's Dominating Fist technique is truly impressive. Nalan Chen's only at the ninth level of Qi Martial Realm, but he already shows signs of fist aura," someone gasped, watching as the air around Li Xiaoyao warped from the impact.

"Courting death," Li Xiaoyao muttered. His sword gleamed as he swung once, slicing through the countless fist shadows in an instant. The only thing left visible was the radiant light of his sword.

Nalan Chen's face drained of color. Though he quickly tried to pull back, his confidence wavered.

"Kill." Li Xiaoyao's single word pierced Nalan Chen's mind, and in a flash, his sword light surged forward, burying itself in Nalan Chen's throat.

Nalan Chen's retreat came to a sudden halt. His eyes were wide open in shock. It wasn't just the Nalan family's so-called Dominating Fist that could unleash energy beyond the body; Li Xiaoyao's sword could do it too.

"A domineering sword, wielded by an even more domineering man."

Watching Nalan Chen's body fall, the crowd felt a chill. Even the City Lord's people were stunned—one slash, and he was dead.

Led by Nalan Kunbu, the City Lord's entourage froze, staring hard at Li Xiaoyao.

"How dare you! You actually killed a member of my Nalan family!" Nalan Yanran shouted, her anger evident as she scolded Li Xiaoyao.

Li Xiaoyao looked up, glancing at Nalan Yanran with a smirk. "Rules were set by the City Lord's house. So, if others can die, but the City Lord's people can't? How shameless."

"You..." Nalan Yanran faltered, at a loss for words.

"Just hope you don't run into me," she spat, a murderous glint flashing in her eyes.

Li Xiaoyao ignored her, turned, and walked off the stage, unwilling to waste any more words.

"The sword takes lives, swift and unstoppable."

Everyone watching him was filled with awe. There wasn't a soul left who dared to underestimate him—this man was fearless and deadly.

Those who hadn't yet been eliminated were silently hoping they wouldn't have to face him. Going up against this guy was like walking into a trap—once he drew his sword, it was a guaranteed kill. There wasn't even a chance to surrender.

Soon, the second round ended, leaving just ten contenders.

With ten people left, there would be five battle platforms, meaning each fighter only needed one more match.

"You've got the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to rest. Then we'll start the third round," announced the elder as he stepped onto the main stage.

The crowd seemed a little disappointed but was growing more excited, too. Out of the remaining ten fighters, the City Lord's faction, the Chen family, and the Li family each had two representatives. Surprisingly, the Yan family was down to only one fighter, while the unaffiliated fighters like Li Xiaoyao were getting a lot of attention.

"This round should finally bring some real heavyweights head-to-head," someone murmured.

"By now, their strengths are clear. Nalan Yanran, Li Xin, and Chen Fan are the top three, followed by Yan family's Flame Dragon and Qiu Lan. Li family's other spirit martial artist, Li Yang, is next. As for the ruthless 'Death,' no one below Spirit Martial Realm stands a chance against him, so he's probably at number seven. If he gets lucky, he might even advance further," someone speculated.

The others nodded in agreement. Death's ranking just behind the Spirit Martial Realm warrior was really incredible.