Showdown between true geniuses

As soon as this punch was thrown, the entire Myriad Immortals Alliance fell instantly silent.

Yet that woman remained utterly calm, slowly withdrawing her fist: "Let's go back."

A trace of panic flashed through the eyes of the Five Elders Association's martial combat representative, who followed behind the peasant woman and slowly vanished from the viewing mirror's projection.

It was not until Xu Jing, the Peak Soul Transformation Cultivator of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, woke up dazed from his unconsciousness that the spectators finally snapped out of their shock.

"Whoa! That old woman is so strong!"

"This single punch feels as though even the Dao is about to be obliterated!"

"Did any of you see clearly how she made her Move?"

Including Li Fan, the spectators continually replayed the footage just recorded by the viewing mirror.

However, even though it had been slowed down to the extreme, they still could not see the peasant woman's movements clearly.

They only felt a blur before their eyes, and a fist shadow suddenly appeared. Xu Jing had already been suppressed by the punch's force and knocked completely unconscious.

"Three Punches of the Peasant Woman, the Heavens Collapse and the Earth Shatters."

As if even the commentator was shocked by this punch, after a long while, a sentence slowly surfaced on the mirror surface.

"The Peasant Woman's Three Punches? Doesn't this mean she still hasn't used the other two punches of this ultimate technique?"

"Hiss, this first punch can easily suppress a Prodigy like Xu Jing. If all three punches are unleashed, who could possibly resist?"

"Shuo Feng definitely wouldn't do, what about Dilu Wu?"

"Dilu Wu's speed is too fast; the peasant woman might not necessarily be able to injure him."

"I don't think so."

Amidst the crowd's bustling discussions, the first day of competition finally drew to a close.

The final result of a draw also seemed to kick off this "friendly exchange meeting" on a good note.

However, as the days passed, after the results of the remaining competitions in Dao, magical treasures, arrays, alchemy, talismans, and so on all unexpectedly ended in a draw,

the atmosphere gradually grew bizarre.

If the matches on the first and second days were draws, it could still be barely explained as a coincidence.

Then for six consecutive days, with all matches ending this way…

the implication behind this became somewhat thought-provoking.

It seemed that the Myriad Immortals Alliance and the Five Elders Association had secretly reached some kind of agreement, jointly sending a certain signal to all Cultivators.

A signal of "peace".

No matter which aspect it was, both sides appeared to be evenly matched.

Resuming the war seemed unlikely to yield a victor. At best, it would end in mutual destruction.

In that case, what was the necessity of fighting?

Thus, Cultivators across the world suddenly understood. Calling it a "friendly exchange meeting" was actually just a large-scale performance show.

I'm afraid the final result had long been determined, and even every duel was carried out according to a script.

However, spending one hundred Contribution Points to watch the excitement, and being able to repeatedly ponder the duels of various prodigies to gain some enlightenment,

was not a loss for the vast majority of Cultivators.

Moreover, this performance also seemed to set the tone for the main theme of "peace" for some time to come, making Cultivators feel much more at ease in their hearts.

Therefore, for some time after the friendly exchange meeting ended, the Cultivators' discussions about it still did not end.

"From what I've seen, those prodigies who stepped up in this competition are nothing special. Strong as they are, they haven't exceeded our imaginations. Now I am at the Nascent Soul realm; once I achieve a Breakthrough, I might not necessarily be unable to fight one of them!"

"Indeed, take that nine-year-old Soul Transformation Cultivator Dilu Wu for example; he is young after all. Observing his spell combat, it's just that his speed is a bit faster. Thinking about it carefully, it is not impossible to find a way to restrain him."

"I have the same thought as well. It seems this isn't an illusion?"

"Our generation should strive in cultivation; perhaps the next time there is a performance opportunity, we can also take the stage and become famous throughout the world."

Just as Cultivators everywhere thought they could do it again, Li Fan received a message transmission from Immortal Lord Hongxi.

"The true competition between both sides is about to begin. Do you brat want to come and watch together?"

Li Fan's heart stirred slightly.

"The true competition? Milord, what do you mean by this?"

Hongxi replied in a lazy tone: "This friendly exchange meeting is divided into two parts, surface and hidden. On the surface, it is a performance-style competition with pre-determined results."

"The two sides participating in the competition cannot display strength that causes despair and fear. Now that the great war has just ended, it is precisely the time when fresh blood needs to be replenished. If their enthusiasm for cultivation is dampened, that would not be good."

"Therefore, neither side actually used their full strength in the matches."

"As for behind the scenes, a true victor must be decided, and each other's bottom line must be probed."

"The entire process of the competition needs to be kept confidential, and each prefecture only has two remote viewing slots. Ziyun is observing on-site, so one spot has been vacated."

Immortal Lord Hongxi explained.

Hearing this, Li Fan agreed immediately. At the same time, he felt somewhat relieved in his heart.

He also felt that the performance of those prodigies was somewhat unsatisfactory. Although their Cultivation Techniques and Moves were indeed impressive, none of them could unleash truly stunning, major divine abilities.

Under equivalent strength, not to mention comparing with Li Fan, I'm afraid even Zhong Shentong, who masters the Seven-Colored Divine Light, might not be guaranteed a win.

Now it seemed there was indeed something fishy going on.

Li Fan arrived at the Government Affairs Hall, where Hongxi was already waiting.

He tapped the table gently, and in an instant, the scenery of heaven and earth changed.

Moving from Congyun Immortal City to a Peak amidst a sea of clouds.

Li Fan was startled at first. However, seeing that Hongxi seemed to harbor no ill intentions, he chose to observe for the time being.

"This competition is about to start. There is no commentator; how much you can comprehend depends entirely on your own realization."

As he spoke, he waved his large hand, causing the sea of clouds in the distance to roll and reveal a square-shaped great seal.

The pattern engraved on the seal seemed somewhat similar to the scenery of the Congyun Sea.

At this moment, the great seal projected a brilliant ray of light upwards, shining upon the canopy of heaven.

The next moment, two figures suddenly materialized.

Not only were they completely realistic projections, but even the aura and pressure emanating from their bodies were as real as substance.

As if a great mountain was suddenly pressed upon his body, Li Fan almost had to bend over and felt suffocated.

The grotto-heaven magic power within his body circulated slightly; without going all out, it merely eased the burden a little.

Li Fan stared closely at those two standing figures above the sea of clouds.

One of them remarkably resembled the nine-year-old Soul Transformation Cultivator who had appeared previously. Even his attire and weapon were identical.

Yet he was even younger, looking only about five or six years old.

"Please enlighten me!" When he spoke, his voice was milky and sweet, making him look extremely cute.

Yet when he made his Move, it caused Li Fan's expression to change drastically.

He merely reached out and grabbed lightly at the void ahead, and in an instant, thousands of silver rays descended between heaven and earth.

While thoroughly dyeing heaven and earth into a silver realm, it also seemed to transform his surroundings into a domain under his own control.

In Li Fan's perception, the area ahead had already transformed as if into an independent world.

"I'm afraid the effectiveness of my Insect Binding Divine Ability will be greatly diminished inside this."

A thought instantly welled up in Li Fan's heart.