The Waiting Zone.
Because of what had just happened between Di Ruqing and Ye Chenliang—where she had chased him around the ring like a cat after a mouse—
the entire place had fallen silent.
Everyone was still dazed, unable to shake off the shock of that scene.
"Phew—Brother Zhao, that girl of yours really hits hard, huh?"
Fatty Fu sucked in a cold breath, turning to the man beside him. "Look at Ye Chenliang. I bet he won't be getting out of bed for half a month at least!"
The moment those words fell—
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Everyone in the area immediately exchanged looks, their gazes converging on Zhao Xuan.
So that was it!
No wonder when Ye Chenliang had called Zhao Xuan a coward earlier, Di Ruqing's expression had suddenly turned dark.
Turns out…
They had that kind of relationship!
Meeting those burning stares, Zhao Xuan's expression froze.
He coughed twice, trying to explain. "Brother Fu, you've got it wrong. She and I aren't… the kind of relationship you're thinking of."
"Oh come on, Zhao, what's the point in denying it? Didn't she sleep in your room last night? Don't even bother explaining—I saw it with my own eyes!" Fatty Fu winked suggestively.
"I…"
Zhao Xuan was utterly speechless. There was really no way to explain.
Even if he told the truth about why Di Ruqing had stayed in his room, who would actually believe such a flimsy reason?
That morning passed quickly.
As time ticked on, the top 20 to top 10 elimination rounds finally concluded with the announcement of the last contestant to enter the top ten.
At noon, the Nanjiang Province hosted a grand lunch for the participants.
The fruits were all spirit fruits,
the rice and vegetables were spirit rice and herbal greens,
and the meat came from Tier-4 Land Kings or Sea Kings.
By the end of the meal, Zhao Xuan and the others had completely recovered all the energy they'd expended in the morning—
no, even more than that.
Zhao Xuan even felt his mental strength and physique had improved slightly after eating.
After a short rest, the afternoon came—
The Top Ten to Top Five duels were about to begin.
Zhao Xuan's opponent was a girl from Jia City named Huang Xiaoxiao.
Her Fruit ability was unknown,
but in the Top 20 to Top 10 rounds, she had defeated her opponent in just three strikes.
That's right—
three strikes.
Without question, she was a Swordmaster.
But Zhao Xuan didn't believe she was the only one.
To reach a sword skill bordering on the master level at just eighteen…
her talent couldn't possibly be ordinary.
Her mental strength had to be high—at least above twenty points.
Which meant she was almost certainly a Fruit Ability User as well.
Exactly what fruit, Zhao Xuan had no clue.
BEEP!!!
The referee's whistle blew.
And in that instant, the girl moved.
Her longsword swept out—
"Boom!"
A surge of sword aura shot skyward, as fast as lightning,
and in the blink of an eye, it was already upon Zhao Xuan.
The sword aura itself hadn't even reached him yet,
but the gale it stirred tore at his clothes and pricked his skin like needles.
Fortunately—
Zhao Xuan was ready.
The instant the whistle sounded, he had already entered Partial Dragonization.
But even with that, her sword was fast—
too fast!
Even with five times his usual physical stats, he couldn't dodge.
He could only brace himself and meet it head-on.
"What terrifying swordsmanship!"
Feeling the razor-edged aura closing in, every hair on his body stood on end.
He activated Iron Body and Armament Haki simultaneously.
Haki surged through his body, fusing with his hardened skin.
In an instant, his entire body turned to black steel.
The next moment—
the sword aura struck.
"BOOM!!!"
The razor-thin arc of light slammed into his chest.
A stab of pain followed—
and when Zhao Xuan looked down, he saw a thin sword mark carved across his chest.
"Drip… drip…"
A few drops of bright red blood slid down from the cut.
"—Hiss!"
He drew a sharp breath.
One sword—
just one sword,
and the girl had broken through his formidable defense.
From the viewing stands came an uproar.
"She broke his defense!"
"One strike! That girl broke through Zhao Xuan's freakish armor in a single strike!"
"What kind of sword art is this!?"
"Wait! Huang Xiaoxiao… Huang… could she be related to that Great Swordmaster from Jia City!?"
"She must be! No one could reach that level at her age without a master's teaching!"
While the others were exclaiming,
Di Ruqing remained utterly calm.
Her gaze was fixed on Zhao Xuan,
but not a flicker of worry could be read from her face.
"Hey, sister-in-law," Fatty Fu leaned in with a grin, "aren't you worried at all?"
Di Ruqing turned her head slowly. "What did you just call me?"
"I said, aren't you worried?"
"No," she said flatly. "The line before that."
"Sister-in-law! …What's wrong with that?"
Di Ruqing's flawless face flushed red in an instant. She opened her mouth, ready to explain—
But suddenly—
Whoosh!
A sharp wind whistled from the ring.
She whipped her head around.
The girl had raised her sword again.
Another slash—
cold light blazed,
sword aura shot skyward once more.
In a flash, it ripped across dozens of meters,
slashing toward Zhao Xuan again.
He instinctively used Paper Arts to evade—
but the sword was too fast,
its aura is too chaotic.
The swirling gales made fine movement impossible.
He had no choice but to take it head-on again.
Another gash split open across his chest, blood gleaming scarlet.
Still, he charged forward, step by step, closing the distance.
Seeing that he wasn't slowing,
a flicker of unease finally appeared on the girl's icy face.
She took a deep breath—
and closed her eyes.
In that instant—
her mind emptied completely.
No thoughts. No desires.
The audience gasped.
"Th-this…!"
"It really is her! The granddaughter of that Great Swordmaster!"
"The Sword of No Thought! It's The Sword of No Thought!"
"I haven't seen it since the old master used that sword to slay the Ninth-Tier Demon Cult Leader ten years ago!"
"That sword—can cut through a Tier-4! Someone get ready to save the boy! He'll never survive this!"
Up in the stands, a hidden Tier-6 Grandmaster clenched his fists,
ready to intervene at any moment.
On stage, Zhao Xuan felt it too—
the instant she closed her eyes,
a killing intent so suffocating it made his blood run cold.
It was as if a primeval beast had locked onto him.
Every hair on his body bristled.
Even the air on the stage seemed frozen.
Thump-thump… thump-thump…
He could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.
"The Sword of No Thought, huh…"
he murmured.
Then—he, too, closed his eyes.
"What's this?!"
"He closed his eyes!? Is he giving up!?"
The audience erupted in confusion.
But in the shadows, the Grandmaster suddenly paused mid-step.
His expression shifted.
He'd sensed… something.
On the ring—
Huang Xiaoxiao's eyes snapped open.
For an instant, they were clear and empty—utterly detached from all emotion.
She swung her sword.
Boom!
A sword aura surged skyward,
but unlike before, this one was completely silent.
No sound, no wind—
it moved as if it were stillness before the end of the world.
And it was already before Zhao Xuan.
At that moment, Zhao Xuan's eyes opened wide.
"ROAR!!!"
A draconic roar tore through the arena.
An ancient, primordial pressure erupted from him.
In an instant, Zhao Xuan's form shifted—
a terrifying half-man, half-dragon beast,
purple lightning crackling around him.
Facing the Sword of No Thought,
he moved.
His leg swept out—
lightning entwining it,
Haki surging,
and with it—
Storm Leg: Thunder Rend!
"BOOM!!!"
The collision shook heaven and earth.
Shockwaves exploded outward—
Crack-crack-crack!
Tiles shattered,
dust filled the air,
lightning flashed,
thunder roared.
And when the smoke cleared—
Zhao Xuan stepped forward from the haze,
his draconic form looming tall and terrible.
Across from him,
Huang Xiaoxiao trembled,
her face pale as paper.
"I… I… I… I admit defeat…"
With a soft thud, she collapsed to the ground.
The arena fell silent.
One second.
Two.
Three…
After nearly ten seconds, the referee finally came to his senses and blew the whistle.
Beep!!!
The spell of silence broke—
and the arena erupted.
"W-what just happened!?"
"He blocked it!? He actually blocked the Sword of No Thought!?"
"That sword could slay a Tier-4—how did he survive it!?"
Every gaze was fixed on Zhao Xuan,
wide-eyed in disbelief.
Shock.
Utter, overwhelming shock.
Zhao Xuan, however, was savoring the result.
Ding!
"You have experienced an intense battle. Your mastery of Storm Leg, Armament Haki, and Azure Dragon Fruit abilities has improved by +100."
Hearing the system notification, Zhao Xuan could hardly contain his grin.
"If the provincial exam already has opponents this strong,
I can't wait to see what the national exam holds!"
He glanced at the gash on his leg—so deep it nearly showed bone—and shuddered.
"That Sword of No Thought… It's terrifying. Even with tenfold stats, nearly five thousand physique, and mastery-level Haki, I still took damage…"
Because the impact had destroyed half the arena, the matches were paused for an hour.
Thanks to a Tier-4 healing ability user, Zhao Xuan's leg soon recovered almost completely.
When he returned to the waiting area—
Swish!
Every gaze turned toward him, full of awe and respect.
In this world, the strong were revered by right.
"Zhao Xuan, are you alright?"
Di Ruqing rushed over, face full of concern.
"I'm fine," he smiled. "Nothing serious."
"Brother Zhao," Fatty Fu came up next, his tone complicated. "I knew from the start you'd be a tough rival in the provincial exam, but I didn't expect this. You even blocked the Sword of No Thought… Looks like the representative for the Nanjiang Province at the national exam has already been decided."
Zhao Xuan was about to respond—
"Ah, it's my turn next! We'll talk later, Brother Zhao!"
And with that, Fatty Fu dashed down to the arena.
His opponent: the sword prodigy Xi Jiankang from Ning City Experimental School.
Despite his easygoing, smiling demeanor,
Fatty Fu's strength was anything but ordinary.
Like Huang Xiaoxiao, he was a Swordmaster—
but where she practiced a One-Sword Style,
He used Dual Blades.
The air filled with clashing steel and crossing auras,
forcing his opponent back again and again.
Even without using his Fruit ability,
he dominated the match—
eventually driving his opponent, a Bull-Bull Fruit user,
to leap off the stage in surrender.
"Another one… mastery-level Haki and Dual Blade Swordmaster,"
Zhao Xuan's eyes narrowed.
Then a thought hit him.
"Wait—our Provincial Governor… isn't his surname also Fu?"
A bold idea flashed in his mind.
"If I'm not mistaken…"
He looked at Fatty Fu again.
At that very moment, Fatty Fu also looked back and grinned.
"This guy… will be my true rival for the national exam spots."
The next match was Di Ruqing's.
Her opponent was a girl from Lake City,
a Barrier-Barrier Fruit user—
strong, but unlucky.
Against Di Ruqing, whose Magma Fruit was famed for its destructive power,
no barrier could hold.
Even her reinforced black walls, harder than third-tier stone,
melted in seconds.
After several futile attempts, the girl surrendered.
The remaining two matches ended quickly as well—
one by Wang Defa, a Float-Float Fruit user,
and one by Zhao Shi, a martial artist.
Thus, the top five were decided:
Zhao Xuan, Di Ruqing, Fu Jieyan (Fatty Fu), Wang Defa, and Zhao Shi.
The first day of the provincial exam ended perfectly.
Everything had gone smoothly—too smoothly.
No suspicious individuals had appeared near the arena,
but that only made the security forces more alert.
After all, for the Demon Cult to reemerge after ten years of silence,
they surely wouldn't stop here.
Any harm to these twenty candidates would be a major loss to the Nanjiang Province.
Each of them—
was guaranteed to become at least a Mid-Tier Ability User,
and quite a few even had the potential to reach High-Tier.
Mid-Tiers were already the backbone of a province.
High-Tiers, its peak defenders.
No wonder the officials valued them so much.
Night fell.
Dark currents stirred beneath the surface.
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