Top-tier Unruly Master-Chapter 1588 - 1625: Draw Your Sword

Afterward, when a contestant was defeated by the middle-aged man in less than three moves, it was finally Ding Fan’s turn to compete.

The crowd watched as Ding Fan calmly stepped onto the Martial Arts Venue, and everyone began speculating.

"How many moves do you think Ding Fan can withstand? How many points can he score?"

"It’s hard to say. The previous two competitions have fully demonstrated the Lake Master’s older brother is not simple. But the fluctuations of True Qi around him are pitifully small; it’s really hard to guess..."

"In my view, Ding Fan’s older brother won’t last more than ten moves. The opponent is a Grade Nine Alchemist; such a formidable Alchemist must spend a great deal of time specializing in Alchemy. Where’s the time for cultivation?"

"That’s true, but how do you explain the opponent’s performance in the second competition?"

"Maybe the opponent has some special Magical Treasure..."

"This...it’s still really hard to say."

...

For a moment, all the disciples watched as Ding Fan walked onto the Martial Arts Venue, unable to help but speculate. Most of them didn’t have high hopes for Ding Fan because, in their eyes, he seemed to have very little True Qi fluctuation, while the middle-aged adjudicator was at the mid-stage of the Divided Spirit realm.

This made it hard for the disciples to believe that Ding Fan would achieve good results against the middle-aged adjudicator.

At this time, Long Ren, watching his older brother begin the competition, was somewhat worried. Although his brother had taken some rest, his brother’s strength couldn’t have fully recovered in such a short time while that adjudicator was at his best.

However, Long Ren was quite confident in his older brother because his brother achieved first place in the two previous competitions. So long as his brother earned a place in the top ten in the current competition, he would almost certainly receive a spot to enter the Xuantian Secret Realm.

The sect masters of the 36 Caves, upon seeing Ding Fan about to compete, felt conflicted. They knew the Lake Master’s brother was not an ordinary person, as the mysteries of the Lake of Purity are not something a regular cultivator can comprehend, let alone someone as young as the brother.

But if the sect masters were to think logically, someone as young as Ding Fan and already a Grade Nine Alchemist likely spends most of his time researching Medicine Pills. While talent is vital for an Alchemist, becoming an excellent Alchemist requires diligence.

This older brother is not just any Alchemist; he’s an authentic Grade Nine Alchemist. This rank of Alchemist is a rarity in the Cultivation World, let alone someone as young as Ding Fan. It’s challenging to find a second person like him in the entire Cultivation World!

Therefore, logically speaking, the opponent would spend more time on Pill Refinement, making his cultivation temporarily weak, as human energy is limited.

But the sect masters also know the Lake Master isn’t a common person; he shouldn’t be viewed with ordinary perspectives, and so, neither should the Lake Master’s older brother...

For a moment, many elders felt puzzled as well...

...

"Brother, please."

The middle-aged adjudicator saw Ding Fan, reluctantly addressing him as the elder brother, recognizing that he was the Lake Master’s brother, and he couldn’t call him otherwise.

"Please."

Ding Fan said calmly, meanwhile slowly withdrawing his Flying Sword from the Sword Sheath and holding it in his hand.

At this moment, seeing Ding Fan’s move, the middle-aged adjudicator was taken aback, his eyes flashing with a hint of disdain. He’d faced many disciples in this competition, and the rules were straightforward: As long as one uses True Qi strength to defeat him, it’s considered a victory.

Thus, many disciples used weapons like swords and blades during the battle, aiming for an unexpected effect.

The middle-aged man had grown accustomed to this. But now, the Lake Master’s brother blatantly drew his sword, as if he didn’t even understand basic combat strategy. Did he think his swordsmanship was good enough for a direct confrontation?

Yet, his cultivation seemed unimpressive. Without cultivation to provide power, how good could his swordsmanship be?

At this point, seeing Ding Fan’s action, the disciples were a bit astonished, not expecting Ding Fan to reveal his weapon first thing. Did he have strong confidence? For a moment, everyone couldn’t help but speculate...

The middle-aged adjudicator glanced at Ding Fan, who stood still with his Flying Sword, gesturing for Ding Fan to initiate. But unexpectedly, Ding Fan returned the same gesture instead of attacking.

The middle-aged man was stunned, inwardly thinking: since the opponent is so confident, let’s see where his confidence comes from.

Immediately, he channeled the powerful Turbid Wave Palm, his hands interweaving, each palm stronger than the previous. But this wasn’t all of the middle-aged man’s power, even though he wasn’t pleased with Ding Fan’s attitude.

As a cultivator at the middle stage of Divided Spirit and a judge in the 36 Caves competition, he needed to attack Ding Fan progressively to give him a fair evaluation.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh...

Strong gusts rushed at Ding Fan, yet he still stood firm. What Ding Fan did next made everyone drop their jaws in astonishment. He simply slung the Flying Sword over his back and threw a punch with his free hand.

Rumble...

A sudden loud noise spread swiftly.

For a moment, everyone was stunned, unable to believe how Ding Fan’s seemingly casual punch could create such a commotion. What shocked everyone even more was that after Ding Fan threw his punch, he remained in place while the middle-aged man staggered backward. The most shocked at the moment was the middle-aged examiner.

After the middle-aged examiner took several steps back, he finally steadied himself, looking at Ding Fan with a face full of amazement. That punch truly startled him; he never anticipated that several of his Turbid Wave Palm strikes could be neutralized by just one punch, and that he’d even been pushed back!

"Very good! You get seven points for that punch!"

The middle-aged examiner collected his thoughts, eyes gleaming sharply as he spoke. Although he’d been forced back by the punch, he hadn’t used his full strength, only employing a fraction of his power. Thus, the middle-aged man was unwilling to believe that Ding Fan could defeat him.

Yet the middle-aged examiner was unaware that Ding Fan too hadn’t used his full power. Under the opponent’s palm technique, Ding Fan had long discerned that the opponent’s strikes were merely probes.

Upon hearing the examiner’s words, the crowd couldn’t help but be engulfed in waves of astonishment. They hadn’t expected that Ding Fan’s single punch could already earn seven points, a feat surpassing many of the previous competitors, even Brother Lu Ferng hadn’t achieved such a high score with just one move.

The crowd was dumbfounded, entertaining the bold notion that Lake Master’s elder brother might not only excel at alchemy but be incredibly powerful in cultivation as well.

"It’s simply unbelievable! Just one punch earned seven points!"

"Yet, that punch was truly impressive! It managed to push back a mid-stage Distraction-level examiner; that’s already remarkable!"

"Could it be that Big Brother truly is a versatile talent, not only great in alchemy but also in cultivation!"

"That punch alone is enough to place Big Brother in the top five of this competition. So far, less than three people have achieved scores over seven, and even if there are some skilled disciples later, they’ll only reach seven points at most."

"But that’s not the whole story! Keep in mind, the examiner obviously wasn’t going all out, just caught off guard by that kid’s sneak attack."

"Hmph! Did the examiner go all out against you? Then why didn’t you manage to push the examiner back?"

"I’m not arguing with you..."

"Big Brother is indeed remarkable; it seems Lu Ferng’s first place might be taken away..."

"..."

The crowd began discussing, with some predicting that Ding Fan’s score might surpass Lu Ferng’s. Even if it doesn’t surpass, it will definitely be close, given that Ding Fan’s opening punch alone earned seven points, something ordinary cultivator disciples couldn’t achieve.

At this moment, Long Ren and the masters of the Thirty-Six Caves witnessed Ding Fan’s feat, and they couldn’t help but admire inwardly.

"Big Brother’s punch is not simple at all!"

"Indeed, it seems like Big Brother’s score won’t be bad..."

...

Upon hearing the crowd, Long Ren felt somewhat helpless. How could Big Brother’s skills be understood by a mid-stage Distraction cultivator? Long Ren believed that in his peak state, Big Brother Ding Fan wouldn’t find it easy even to defeat such a cultivator on the battlefield.

After all, Big Brother’s talents are incomparable, otherwise, I wouldn’t call him Big Brother.

But what worries Long Ren is that Big Brother hasn’t completely recovered yet; it’s uncertain how he would fare against a mid-stage Distraction-level expert now.

...

Meanwhile, on the Martial Arts Platform, Ding Fan looked at the middle-aged man, then spoke calmly:

"My strength hasn’t fully recovered, but you don’t need to hold back against me. You’d better use your longsword; otherwise, this duel will be quite boring."

When the middle-aged examiner heard Ding Fan’s words, he was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting such a statement, even being told to use his sword—this was truly unbelievable! Could his opponent actually be so strong? But the boy appeared merely ordinary, with hardly any True Qi fluctuation?

At this, the disciples below the platform were also stunned, evidently surprised that Ding Fan said such a thing, even encouraging the examiner to use weapons! Could he be dissatisfied with his score?

"This Ding Fan is truly arrogant, asking the examiner to use weapons and full strength!"

"Is he asking for a quick death?"

"I think he’s just getting tired of living. Although this is the selection competition, and killing each other is prohibited, with such provocation, it’d be entirely understandable if the examiner severely injures him!"

...