At this moment, Li Xiaoyao found himself in a mysterious, almost mystical state. Each of his steps seemed to carry a unique rhythm—a rhythm of power. Just as a sword has its own force, so too does the natural world have a force of its own.

As Li Xiaoyao released his martial soul, he sensed a terrifying clarity, a heightened perception that sharpened his intuition and untangled hidden mysteries in his mind. "The Heavenly Mirror Martial Soul has heightened my insight once again," he thought with delight, his right hand shifting to rest at his waist instead of on his back.

"Hmm?" The crowd's attention shifted to his waist, where they saw something unexpected. "A sword!" Their eyes widened, noticing the soft blade hanging by his side, which had gone unnoticed until now, overshadowed by the sword on his back.

As Li Xiaoyao approached Qiu Baishan, powerful sword energy emanated from him. He seemed to become one with the sword, embodying its essence.

"Martial soul?" the onlookers murmured in disbelief. Could it be that Li Xiaoyao also possessed a sword-type martial soul? But then they realized something even more astonishing: throughout the entire battle, Li Xiaoyao hadn't even used his martial soul yet... an incredible show of strength.

With each step Li Xiaoyao took, the sword intent around him grew increasingly intense, bringing a faint joy to his heart. "Everything has its own force; a sword should have its own as well. Why should the power of the sword rely on external sword energy?"

In the past, Li Xiaoyao needed to release sword energy to harness this force. Now, he used himself as the medium, the sword moving as his mind willed, the force shifting as he intended. As long as he envisioned the force, the sword's power would radiate.

He had become like a sword himself—sharper than any blade.

As this aura continued to surge, Li Xiaoyao felt increasingly at ease, while Qiu Baishan grew tenser, his entire body taut. Engulfed by the powerful sword intent, he could feel a strong, primal threat emanating from Li Xiaoyao.

Li Xiaoyao truly had the potential to shatter his [Qiu Baishan's] "Golden Body Martial Soul."

"I can't wait any longer," Qiu Baishan muttered to himself, feeling his confidence erode under the overwhelming force of Li Xiaoyao's sword intent. With each step forward, Li Xiaoyao's presence grew, leaving Qiu Baishan afraid he might have no chance if he allowed him to get any closer.

Never in his wildest dreams had Qiu Baishan imagined that an unknown figure from Cangyun City, someone he had dismissed as his sister's "lackey," would push him into such a corner.

Golden light spread over Qiu Baishan's entire body as he unleashed his full power, radiating a tyrannical aura.

"Unbreakable Golden Body!" he roared, attacking with a force that exploded like thunder, the strength of his blow unmatched.

"Sword," came Li Xiaoyao's calm reply. Instantly, an unstoppable wave of sword energy burst from him, tearing through space and cutting into Qiu Baishan's body.

The sword aura alone was enough to destabilize Qiu Baishan's golden form, causing it to crack as if it might shatter at any moment.

Following the surge of his sword aura, Li Xiaoyao unleashed an invincible strike. The sword light radiated from the powerful aura, obliterating everything in its path.

Crack!

Qiu Baishan's "Golden Body" shattered instantly, his martial soul dissipating as blood splattered through the air. His body was flung from the battle platform, utterly defeated.

The overwhelming, unstoppable foreign challenger stood no chance; in Li Xiaoyao's hands, he couldn't even withstand a single strike.

In that moment, the entire crowd's gaze was fixed, frozen on Li Xiaoyao, awestruck. Power—this was true power.

It didn't matter who his opponent was—weak or gifted. He only needed one strike.

The crowd murmured in awe, "Forget the so-called 'Heaven's Chosen,' Death is the true protagonist today. None can outshine his glory; he alone is deserving of that title."

The crowd's image of Li Xiaoyao grew ever grander in their minds.

"Na Lan Yanran, arrogant beyond measure, thought she could have Duoming follow her—how could she compare? And Qiu Baishan, conceited as he was, thought he was invincible, mocked Duoming as nothing more than dirt—yet look at him now, defeated in a single strike. He's the real weakling, strutting arrogantly in Cangyun City... no, he's not even worthy of that here."

"Oh boy...Death is the true genius, the chosen one, the most talented and powerful youth in Cangyun City."

Li Xiaoyao, unaware of the crowd's thoughts, glanced at Qiu Baishan, who had fallen from the stage. This expressionless look said it all—this was the cost of arrogance, the price for underestimating one's opponents at the same level.

Turning away, Li Xiaoyao directed his deep gaze toward Li Xin. Today, he would use her as a stepping stone to reclaim his honor.

"Now, it's just the two of us. Let the duel continue," he said, his voice emotionless, making Li Xin's heart waver with uncertainty. Despite her comparable skill level to Na Lan Yanran, and knowing Qiu Baishan had effortlessly defeated Na Lan, the sight of Qiu defeated in a single strike from Li Xiaoyao left her shaken, almost without the will to fight.

"Who is this person, to wield such incredible power?" she thought, her confidence severely shaken. Li Xin, once proud of her strength, found herself humbled before the overwhelming force of Li Xiaoyao, realizing there was always someone stronger.

"I think there's no need to be continued right?" Li Xin said coldly. Though shaken in her confidence, she refused to show it and kept her voice indifferent, unwilling to admit defeat.

Li Xiaoyao's dark eyes held a faint, eerie smile; even now, Li Xin was too proud to let go of her conceit. With a flicker of movement, his figure vanished.

"Li Xin, step back!" A shout echoed out. Only the two of them remained on the platform, and Li Batian, worried Li Xiaoyao would strike at Li Xin, had been watching closely. Seeing Li Xiaoyao's movement, he immediately warned her and transformed into a whirlwind, dashing toward the center of the platform.

Sensing the danger herself, Li Xin retreated swiftly, her ice-fire martial spirit flaring as she released both ice and flames at Li Xiaoyao. But with a simple wave of his hand, he shattered the ice and dispersed the flames, instantly appearing before her and slashing out without hesitation.

"You dare!" Li Batian roared, leaping forward, flames erupting from his palms as he intercepted the sword light aimed at her.

"Boom!" The fierce flame gale descended just as the sword light was about to reach Li Xin, weakening its impact significantly. Yet, the sword's energy still managed to injure her, forcing her to the edge of the platform with a muffled groan.

"How pitiful," Li Xiaoyao sneered, sarcasm gleaming in his eyes. "If your strength isn't enough, don't disgrace yourself by needing the intervention of the older generation. Shameless."

Nalan Kunbu remained silent. This competition had already strayed far from his expectations. Now, with Li Xiaoyao daring to harm his daughter, Nalan Yanan, he couldn't simply let this go.

"Reckless fool. I'd like to see who you really are, acting so arrogantly."

Seeing Nalan Kunbu's silence, Li Batian instantly understood and, without hesitation, struck directly at the silver mask on Li Xiaoyao's face.

Li Xiaoyao didn't flinch as the force of the palm landed, causing the silver mask to shatter and fall to the ground, finally revealing his true face.

"It's you!"

"It's you!"

Li Batian and Li Xin spoke almost in unison. At the sight of Li Xiaoyao's face, they felt their entire bodies freeze as a chill washed over them. In the stands, every member of the Li family stared, stunned. None of them had ever imagined that this powerful, arrogant young man was none other than one of their own—a member they had cast out long ago!