The sect master pressed for a long time but couldn't get an answer from Nangong Xiyun.
However, he indeed didn't try any underhanded tactics anymore.
Since Nangong Xiyun had spoken, he naturally had to give her face.
The newcomer competition continued.
Backstage, Su Luo quietly asked Li Siyi,
"What's going on with you? You just gave up like that?"
"What, don't you like it?"
"I'm asking why. Don't you want the prize?"
"I don't want it. It's not as good as what Master gave me."
Li Siyi was telling the truth. A few days ago, Nangong Xiyun had gifted her many valuable items, so naturally, she wasn't interested in the newcomer competition's prize.
Su Luo wanted to ask why she had conceded, but Li Siyi beat her to it: "You just asked if you liked it."
"I do."
"Then that's settled. If you feel like you owe me, then you'll have to agree when I ask for a favor in the future."
"No, I don't feel like I owe you anything," Su Luo immediately straightened up and said righteously.
Sorry, but I don't give out favors easily.
"Then it's settled. You owe me a favor."
"Wait, did you even hear what I said?"
But Li Siyi covered her ears and ran off.
Wait, just like that, I owe her a favor?
......
The rest of the matches went smoothly, and the first day concluded without any major incidents.
The top eight were decided: Su Luo, Lin Xuan, and six other newcomers.
The competition continued the next day.
On the second day, more senior disciples showed up, curious about the newcomers' strength.
"Look, it's the Four Talents of the Seven Stars!"
"Yeah, I can't believe we get to see them. I've even heard of them back in my small town."
"They're so handsome and beautiful!"
The newcomers were thrilled.
The so-called Four Talents of the Seven Stars were Qin San, Han Ying'er, along with Zhuo Mingyuan and Yuan Jie from the previous newcomer assessments.
Two men and two women.
They often teamed up to carry out sect missions and always completed them successfully, earning them high reputations in various cities.
Moreover, their strength among the disciples was top-tier.
All of them were above the Golden Core stage.
And with their good looks, they were the face of the Seven Stars Sword Sect, both in terms of strength and appearance.
How could anyone not envy them?
"Alright, today's focus isn't on us. Let's pay attention to the matches," Qin San said gently, already accustomed to being the center of attention.
Back in the arena, the first match was between Su Luo and Lin Xuan.
Su Luo had been waiting for this for a long time. The sooner it was over, the sooner he could leave.
As soon as Su Luo stepped onto the stage, he was met with boos. He truly had no reputation.
In contrast, when Lin Xuan appeared, the crowd erupted in cheers.
"Lin! Xuan!"
Su Luo shouted at the top of his lungs as soon as the match began, his voice nearly drowning out the entire arena.
The newcomers were stunned. Why was he yelling so loudly? Did they have some kind of grudge?
"Lin Xuan, I'll settle all our past grievances today. I'll make sure you lose miserably."
So they did.
"We've had our issues, but I don't think I was in the wrong. You should reflect on yourself."
"It's all your fault! My bright future and the woman I loved were ruined because of you."
"Let's not talk about the future for now, but wasn't the woman you loved Li Siyi? Didn't she give up the match for you yesterday?"
Lin Xuan didn't deny having conflicts with Su Luo, but he couldn't let Su Luo make baseless accusations.
After seeing Li Siyi concede yesterday, Lin Xuan realized that all her previous talk about hating Su Luo and not wanting to see him was just an act.
Though he didn't know the reason, Su Luo and Li Siyi had clearly been putting on a show in front of him.
"Enough talk! Today, we'll settle this once and for all, with life and death on the line."
Of course, it wouldn't come to that. With so many powerful figures present, nothing too serious would happen.
But the attitude had to be made clear.
"Fine, in that case, I won't say more. I hope you'll give it your all this time."
"Good, I'll show you the results of my hard work these past few days."
Then Su Luo pulled out the Linsnake Whip.
As soon as the whip was activated, it coiled around Su Luo like a living creature.
It didn't look like an ordinary weapon at all.
The Linsnake Whip suddenly shot out, heading straight for Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan couldn't dodge in time and took a hard hit to his side.
Just that one strike was enough for even the newcomers to see.
This wasn't Su Luo's strength—it was all thanks to that whip.
Is this what you call hard work?
Have some shame.
But Su Luo had none. He laughed loudly, "Didn't expect that, did you? Yeah, I can't beat you, but I found a way to defeat you."
The other newcomers couldn't hold back anymore and started voicing their dissatisfaction for Lin Xuan.
"Hey, isn't this against the rules?"
"This isn't fair! How does he have such a powerful weapon? Who let him bring that?"
"This is completely unreasonable. Isn't anyone going to do something about it?"
The referee took a look and finally said, "Su Luo hasn't broken any rules. Weapons are part of one's strength. If Su Luo can use a powerful weapon, so can you."
Yeah, right! Where am I supposed to find a weapon like that?
For a moment, the newcomers all cursed Su Luo, calling him dishonorable.
By now, Su Luo was as despised as a rat in a sewer.
But Su Luo acted like he didn't hear anything and continued using the Linsnake Whip, a look of delight on his face.
"Hahaha, Lin Xuan, how does it feel? Don't give up now; I'm not done playing yet."
Under the relentless attacks of the Linsnake Whip, Lin Xuan was in a sorry state, dodging left and right, but the whip's auto-targeting kept chasing him.
But Lin Xuan wasn't one to just sit back and take it. While Su Luo was gloating, Lin Xuan threw a small dagger straight at Su Luo's chest.
Clang!
The dagger hit Su Luo directly.
But it was useless.
Su Luo didn't even bother hiding it anymore. He tore open his clothes, revealing the Linsnake Armor underneath.
"Not only do I have a weapon, but I also have armor. How about that? Feeling hopeless yet?"
Su Luo's smugness only grew.
This completely broke the newcomers.
"Ahhh, I can't take it anymore. Can I go up there and fight him?"
"Count me in. Using treasures like this is just bullying. I can't stand it."
Yeah, looking at that weapon and armor, it was clear they weren't meant for someone at the Qi Condensation stage.
The reason the newcomers were so angry was that Su Luo looked like he was about to win. If someone like him took first place,
they would be remembered as the most disgraceful batch of newcomers in history.
The sect master turned to Nangong Xiyun and said,
"Is this the person you're protecting? Did you give him those treasures?"
"Of course not, but don't worry about it. Just watch."
"Tch, Su Luo is completely useless. Lin Xuan, on the other hand, is doing well. He's already looking for a chance to counterattack."
The sect master's judgment was far better than the newcomers'. He believed Lin Xuan might not lose after all.
Indeed, Lin Xuan quickly adapted to the Linsnake Whip's auto-attacks.
Since the whip's attacks were auto-targeting, they followed a certain pattern.
Once Lin Xuan figured that out, he could mostly avoid them, and when he couldn't, he minimized the damage.
This was Lin Xuan's terrifying combat talent.
Not only was he defending, but he was also gradually closing the distance to Su Luo.
"Another hit! Can you still take it? If not, just hold on a little longer," Su Luo continued to gloat.
To the uninformed, it might have sounded like Su Luo was encouraging Lin Xuan, but in reality, he was just trying to torment him.
The one-sidedness of the fight made the newcomers restless.
"What do we do? Are we just going to let Su Luo win?"
"No way. I won't be able to sleep tonight if that happens."
"Lin Xuan, you can do it! If you win, you're my idol!"
The entire arena was cheering for Lin Xuan.
And at that moment, it was as if Lin Xuan had awakened something. He entered a strange state, moving gracefully under the Linsnake Whip's attacks.
Lin Xuan perfectly predicted the whip's attack patterns.
He closed the distance to Su Luo step by step.
"You... you..."
Su Luo stared at Lin Xuan in shock, his face pale with panic.
Lin Xuan's right hand was already gathering power.
"This one's going to hurt."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xuan focused all his strength into his right hand, which erupted with a blazing light.
Eight Extremities Collapse!
With one punch, the Linsnake Armor shattered after a brief moment of resistance.
Su Luo was sent flying.
The impact of the strike, combined with the armor's resistance, left Lin Xuan's right hand severely injured, hanging limply at his side.
But Lin Xuan's unyielding spirit kept him standing tall in the arena.
"That's amazing! What a turnaround!"
"Lin Xuan, you're my hero!"
"He's so cool! He's really so cool!"
The crowd was already chanting Lin Xuan's name.
Lin Xuan had won over everyone present with his determination and explosive power.
But it wasn't over yet. Su Luo struggled to his feet.
But he couldn't hold on and collapsed again, vomiting blood.
But Su Luo paid no attention to any of this.
"Lin! Xuan!"
He roared once again.
"Lin Xuan, why? Why is it always you? I’m going to kill you! Kill you!"
Su Luo was already babbling incoherently.
Driven by this thought, Su Luo struggled to his feet once more and swung his fist at Lin Xuan.
But Lin Xuan dodged every blow.
"If this is all you’ve got, you should admit defeat. I don’t want to fight someone who isn’t giving their all."
Lin Xuan still had a gut feeling that Su Luo wasn’t truly showing his full strength.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Su Luo repeated these words, launching wild, chaotic attacks like a deranged clown.
Lin Xuan had had enough. With a single punch, he sent Su Luo flying far away.
In the end, Su Luo collapsed to the ground.
The announcer declared Lin Xuan the winner.
Nangong Xiyun, who had watched the entire battle, could only say, "When it comes to acting, among all the people I’ve seen, no one is more skilled than you.
I, Nangong Xiyun, declare you the strongest!"
Because Nangong Xiyun never revealed her true face, she had taken on many identities and played numerous roles.
Thus, she could be considered quite adept in the art of acting.
But today, after witnessing Su Luo’s performance, even Nangong Xiyun felt she still had room to improve.
If it weren’t for the diary, Nangong Xiyun would never have known that Su Luo was acting.