Merin enters the sect’s main chamber and immediately notices three unfamiliar figures with his master and the elders. One of them, an old man, fixes his gaze on Merin the moment he steps through the doors.

His master gestures warmly. “Here, Yu Feng has come.” Turning toward him, he says, “Yu Feng, come here.”

Merin moves forward and takes his place beside and slightly behind his seated master, facing the three guests.

His master introduces them one by one. “Yu Feng, this is Elder Li, who has come to examine you. And these two are from the Su family—Su Wei and Su Weinan.”

Merin nods politely at the siblings.

Elder Li studies him for a moment, then says, “Your disciple looks rather young. Are you saying he has already reached the Qi Refining Great Master realm?”

His master answers evenly, “Elder Li, you can examine him yourself.”

At that, Elder Li glances at Su Wei.

Su Wei leans forward slightly, his tone calm but edged with curiosity. “How about I be the one to examine him?”

His master folds his hands and nods. “If Elder Li agrees, I have no objection.”

Elder Li strokes his beard and says, “I have no objection.”

Su Wei smiles faintly, eyes glinting. “Then I will examine him through combat.”

The hall falls silent. Merin’s master does not respond immediately, but instead turns his gaze toward Merin.

Merin inclines his head, calm and steady, then looks at Su Wei. “Very well.”

Minutes later, the sect’s disciples gather in the martial ring. Merin and Su Wei stand opposite each other, the elders and guests seated above, while outer and inner disciples crowd the stands.

The sect disciples cheer loudly for Yu Feng, their senior brother, while only Su Weinan’s soft voice calls encouragement for her brother Su Wei.

The referee raises his hand. “Begin.”

Su Wei remains relaxed, a confident half-smile on his lips. “Fellow Yu Feng, how about you attack first? I’ll gauge your strength.”

Merin smirks. “Are you sure?”

Su Wei waves dismissively. “Yes, I am.”

On the stands, Lou Yuan frowns, unable to hear the exchange within the ring. Yet the devil inside his ring chuckles darkly. “That boy Su Wei is about to learn a hard lesson.”

In the ring, Merin steps forward. He channels a subtle ripple of force through his fist, the air trembling faintly, and then drives his punch straight toward Su Wei.

Su Wei’s eyes narrow as the jade ripple Qi tears through his barrier like paper, the impact blasting him across the ring and into the wall with a thunderous crack.

Elder Li’s pupils contract—he had been certain that Su Wei’s victory was guaranteed. After all, Su Wei bore the prestige of the Su family, trained on the Shenyuan continent, while Yu Feng came from a backwater sect in the impoverished Wild Continent.

On the high platform, Su Weinan rises abruptly, voice trembling as she whispers, “Brother…”

Dust falls from his robes as Su Wei pushes himself up, eyes sharp now, the arrogance gone. He fixes Merin with a grave stare.

Merin stands relaxed, unshaken, his tone even. “Young Master Su, you should attack this time.”

Su Wei’s face hardens, the weight of the situation pressing on him. He nods, drawing a deep breath as his inner energy surges violently.

A roar of power echoes as a colossal bear’s shadow rises behind him, its form coalescing from his magic power, eyes glowing with primal force.

With a shout, Su Wei swings his arm like a great paw, the bear’s spectral claw descending with crushing might toward Merin.

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The bear’s claw crashes down, but Merin barely shifts his stance. A ripple spreads from his arm, invisible yet unstoppable, and the mighty shadow shatters like mist in the wind.

Su Wei doesn’t falter—he immediately calls forth a gleaming sword of energy, its edge humming with lethal Qi. He swings, unleashing a sharp blade of sword Qi.

Merin raises his hand, jade ripple surging outward. The energy blade fractures mid-air, scattering into harmless sparks.

Gritting his teeth, Su Wei summons his third power. Behind him, the towering shadow of a tree rises, roots twisting violently. Wooden spears burst from the ground, lancing toward Merin from all directions.

But once again, the rippling wave unfurls. The spears splinter and disintegrate before even reaching him.

A sheen of sweat beads on Su Wei’s brow as he calls forth his fourth magic power—a spectral bow manifests in his hands, crackling with heat. He pulls back the string, releasing a blazing fire arrow that whistles through the air toward Merin.

Merin doesn’t move, simply lets the ripple roll out like a tide. The arrow breaks apart, scattering embers across the stage.

In the stands, Su Weinan’s expression grows solemn. She knows what comes next—her brother’s final trump card, the Su family’s heritage technique. If even that fails…

Su Wei steels himself. “Brother Feng, careful!”

Behind him, the vast shadow of a whale forms, its roar reverberating like thunder. The air distorts as waves of dense water energy condense into a crushing sound wave.

The attack surges forward, a tidal roar of destruction, heading straight for Merin.

Merin’s calm gaze sharpens the moment the whale-shadow roars.

For the first time in this duel, he feels danger pressing against his chest, a suffocating weight carried on the incoming tide of sound and water.

He lifts his palm slowly, then thrusts it forward.

Ripples explode outward from his hand, invisible rings of jade Qi spreading wider and wider until they converge into a crushing wave of force.

The two powers collide at the centre of the ring.

“Boom!”

A deafening blast splits the air, the impact hurling a shockwave of wind and sound in all directions.

The protective formations around the arena flare to life, barely holding as dust and debris surge upward, swallowing the entire ring in a thick, roiling cloud.

From the stands, disciples cry out, shielding their eyes as the violent gust tears at their robes.

On the platform, Elder Li and the other elders lean forward, eyes narrowing, while Su Weinan grips the railing tightly, her face pale.

Within the clouded ruin of the ring, neither Merin nor Su Wei can be seen.

The dust slowly clears.

Two figures stand within the ruined ring—Merin, calm and composed, his robes barely ruffled, and Su Wei, his face solemn, breathing heavier than before.

Before the battle began, Su Wei had thought this would be an easy victory, a chance to display his Su family pride against a backwater disciple. But the reality standing before him was far from the easy win he had imagined.

His eyes harden, resolve flashing within them. I cannot lose.

He bites down and channels his essence. His body trembles, then swells with violent power as his intermediate spiritual body activates—the Tyrant Whale Body.

A ferocious aura explodes from him, deep and crushing, like standing beneath an endless ocean. His presence grows heavy, and the ground around the ring darkens, moisture seeping up as though the sea itself is answering his call.

Su Wei’s arms gleam, water condensing into twin blades—swords of pure, flowing ocean essence. With a roar, he lunges, both swords swinging in fierce arcs, water power surging to tear Merin apart.

Merin’s eyes narrow slightly. Seeing the tide of force rushing toward him, he steps forward, calm as still water, ripples gathering around his hands.

As Su Wei’s twin water swords descend, Merin strikes, his palms wrapped in jade ripples that distort the air, sending waves of destructive force straight into the clash.

Su Wei roars as he swings both water swords, each strike crashing down like the weight of the ocean. His Tyrant Whale body amplifies every blow, the ground beneath his feet trembling with each step forward.

Yet Merin remains unshaken. His movements are steady, precise—every time a water blade arcs toward him, a ripple surges from his palm, dispersing the force before it can land.

Su Wei slashes again and again, his assault relentless, water blades flowing one into the next like raging waves in a storm. The air fills with the hiss of cutting water and the thunder of impacts.

But each time, Merin meets him with calm defiance. His ripples absorb, shatter, and dissolve the attacks, leaving him untouched.

From the stands, disciples watch in awe. It looks less like a duel and more like a furious beast crashing against an immovable mountain.

Su Wei’s brows knit tighter with every exchange. His breathing grows heavier, his strikes more desperate, while Merin’s expression never changes—calm, detached, his rhythm unbroken as he maintains the advantage.

To everyone watching, it becomes clear: the harder Su Wei pushes, the more his strength drains, and the less ground Merin gives.

Su Wei bellows and unleashes a final surge, his twin water swords crashing down in a storm of furious strikes, the ‘Tyrant Whale’ body flaring with all its might.

Merin exhales slowly, his gaze sharpening. For the first time, he spreads both hands wide, and the ripples around him deepen into something more profound—an echo of law itself.

The ground hums. The air distorts. Invisible currents spread outward in concentric waves, and suddenly Su Wei’s blades falter mid-swing, their force swallowed whole by the expanding ripples.

Su Wei’s eyes widen as his body lifts from the ground, caught in an overwhelming surge of power he cannot resist. His whale shadow thrashes wildly, but it, too, buckles under the rippling law.

With a single motion of his hand, Merin directs the ripples like a tide. Su Wei is hurled back, his body crashing into the wall that encircles the ring.

Stone cracks. Dust falls. The impact rattles through the stands, and Su Wei slumps unconscious, his Tyrant Whale body dissipating into mist.

Silence fills the sect arena. Only Merin stands unshaken in the ring, calm as ever, his hands falling back to his sides as though nothing had happened.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep