Three days later.

Five miles outside the Upper Scenic Celestial outer gate, Nameless Peak.

Although the mountain peak has no name, it is not particularly high.

But standing amidst the vast expanse of rolling mountains, it is isolated and lonely.

Like a hermit.

And halfway up the peak, a huge natural platform juts out abruptly, with the surface of the blue-black mountain rock barren, only etched with marks of countless years of wind, frost, rain, and snow.

This is the Trial Platform. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The name "Trial Platform" suggests "testing the edge of the sword, deciding grievances by martial arts." Its size rivals that of the Martial Pavilion’s grand Martial Arts Arena, and for hundreds of years, it has been the best place for martial artists from outside Upper Scenic Celestial to resolve disputes.

In the morning, under a clear blue sky and brilliant sunshine, hundreds of martial artists gathered at the Trial Platform.

To witness the showdown.

Among the crowd, there were also many Daoists and Kun Cultivators wearing Daoist robes and plain dresses!

This competition not only caused a huge sensation in the Martial Pavilion but also attracted the attention of many Upper Scenic Celestial disciples.

As the protagonists of the duel, Yang Hongyu and Zhang Yuan drew special attention.

However, their popularity was worlds apart.

Around Yang Hongyu were dozens of martial artists, with an aura like stars surrounding the moon, completely overwhelming Zhang Yuan’s side.

Zhang Yuan only had Su Jingyao accompanying him.

"Last night, I wagered one thousand seven hundred fifty-three Daoist Merits in Mei Garden as a bet."

Su Jingyao whispered to Zhang Yuan, "I bet on you to win!"

She had undergone an intense mental struggle and finally placed a heavy bet before the betting closed.

Zhang Yuan was somewhat curious, "Why such an odd number?"

Su Jingyao pouted, "Because that’s all my Daoist Merits."

Originally, she only intended to bet five or six hundred Daoist Merits.

That way, even if she lost, she’d still have enough to pay Zhang Yuan as his guardian fee.

But Su Jingyao encountered her archenemy Yuan Zishan in Mei Garden, who provoked her with a few words, and in a moment of hot-headedness, she went all in, staking her entire fortune.

Now, Su Jingyao already regretted her impulsiveness!

"Don’t worry."

Zhang Yuan said calmly, "I won’t let you lose. By the way, what’s my betting odds?"

Su Jingyao replied, "I bet solely on you to win, with odds of 3.5 to 1."

The betting game set by Mei Garden was quite complex. Take the match between Zhang Yuan and Yang Hongyu, there were bets not just on winning or losing but also on a draw, and bets could be placed based on the number of rounds in the battle.

Zhang Yuan laughed, "Do they really think I won’t win?"

Betting solely on him to win had odds as high as 3.5, which was quite high.

This indicated that the bookmakers and gamblers had high expectations for Yang Hongyu to win, and as for finishing the battle within a certain number of rounds, there were different odds for that too.

Su Jingyao clenched her small fists, "Junior Brother Zhang, I believe in you!"

Bang!

Just as she finished speaking, a talisman soared into the sky and burst into a brilliant firework in the air.

The time for the duel had arrived!

Zhang Yuan nodded towards Su Jingyao and then leaped onto the Trial Platform.

Standing a hundred paces across from Yang Hongyu, forming a stance of confrontation.

Today, Zhang Yuan wore a blue tight-fitting garment.

He did not carry any weapons.

Although Upper Scenic Celestial tacitly allowed outside martial artists to resolve grievances on the Trial Platform.

They also set some restrictive rules.

The duel between the two sides would only involve fists and kicks, with no use of any weapons, talismans, or elixirs.

Moreover, if one party conceded.

The other was forbidden from pursuing them.

Even if both sides had signed a Life and Death Contract.

These rules were meant to prevent the duels on the Trial Platform from becoming too cruel and bloody, leaving both sides some room.

Among the crowd of onlookers, there were Elder-level figures from the Upper Scenic Celestial Martial Pavilion responsible for monitoring the duel!

Opposite Zhang Yuan, Yang Hongyu removed his cloak, revealing the white shirt underneath.

His appearance and demeanor were extremely outstanding, and under the contrast of the white outfit, he appeared even more imposing, drawing the admiration of many of the Kun Cultivators and female martial artists in the crowd.

In comparison, Zhang Yuan’s appearance and aura were much inferior.

Yang Hongyu casually threw away the cloak, his sharp gaze meeting Zhang Yuan’s across a hundred paces.

He said loudly, "Junior Brother Zhang, blades are ruthless, and fists have no eyes. You still have time to concede now!"

His overwhelming self-confidence was evident, instantly drawing waves of applause!

Almost everyone believed Yang Hongyu would win this duel.

Firstly, there was a gap in cultivation realms between the two.

Zhang Yuan was in the early to mid-Tier Five, while Yang Hongyu had already reached the later stages, nearly at the peak!

While cultivation realm is not everything, it is quite normal for martial artists of the same tier to differ in strength by several times.

Zhang Yuan came from the Border Desolate Land, while Yang Hongyu was a direct descendant of the famous Yang Family from Qianjing, boasting a family heritage that Zhang Yuan could not hope to match.

It’s like the difference between sect cultivators and loose cultivators!

Most importantly, Yang Hongyu was rich in combat experience, often leading teams into Mo Yuan, achieving numerous victories.

How could Zhang Yuan compare?

In response to Yang Hongyu’s mockery, Zhang Yuan replied expressionlessly, "You talk too much."

Yang Hongyu’s eyes narrowed, his gaze suddenly becoming fierce.

The atmosphere on the Trial Platform became instantly tense!

The onlookers couldn’t help but hold their breaths, and the entire rock platform fell silent, with only the sound of the mountain wind sweeping by.

In the next moment, Yang Hongyu and Zhang Yuan simultaneously used their body techniques, rushing towards each other.

A hundred paces, eighty paces, sixty paces...

When the distance between them shortened to within fifty paces, a formless flame burned in Zhang Yuan’s eyes.

Qianyang Gang Fire!

His focus locked onto his opponent in an instant, simultaneously activating the Golden Grasshopper and Black Giant Ant hosts.

The Golden Grasshopper in front, with a sixteen-fold agility boost!

The Black Giant Ant behind, stacking an eighteen-fold strength limit!!

In a split second, Zhang Yuan’s charge speed suddenly surged, turning into a phantom like a deceitful charm, flashing in an instant, shrinking the earth into inches.

At the same time, his body suddenly expanded, terrifying strength erupting from his muscles and bones.

All condensed into his right fist!

Towards Yang Hongyu, Zhang Yuan swung his fist with all his might.

Shuiyue Technique!

This was not a fist technique, but a move from the Great Stone-Throwing Hand.

Only he made a fist with his palm.

One punch, he only threw one punch!

Since the start of this duel, Zhang Yuan never intended to have an earth-shattering battle with Yang Hongyu.

He was determined to decide victory with one move, without engaging in any entanglement with his opponent!

Because only this way, all of Yang Hongyu’s aces could be negated—cards not played are dead cards.

And the most important thing was to deter potential enemies.

At the moment of launching his right fist, Zhang Yuan’s awareness entered an extremely delicate state.

Time seemed to slow down infinitely, allowing him to observe Yang Hongyu’s actions and expressions calmly and clearly, even discerning the other’s emotions and thoughts.

The fist tore through the air without a sound, like a silent mime.

But Zhang Yuan saw the panic in his opponent!