The battlefield had already become a wasteland.
Cracks covered the arena floor.
Broken earth spikes protruded from every direction.
Scorch marks stretched across the stone surface.
The protective formations surrounding the stage glowed continuously as they absorbed the aftermath of the battle.
At the center of it all—
Lin Shou floated briefly above the arena.
Not because he wished to.
Because he had no choice.
The countless earth spikes below occupied nearly half the battlefield.
Landing carelessly would impale him instantly.
Unfortunately, remaining airborne wasn't a solution either.
Gang Qi continuously poured from his body to support the maneuver.
The consumption was tremendous.
Even Xuan Gang cultivators couldn't maintain flight indefinitely.
Wu Ming naturally understood this.
A spell cultivator's greatest advantage wasn't explosive power.
It was control.
Control over distance.
Control over tempo.
Control over the battlefield itself.
And right now—
The battlefield belonged entirely to him.
Boom!
Another earth spike erupted upward.
Lin Shou twisted his body.
The spike narrowly missed him.
Without hesitation, he gathered Gang Qi into his right palm.
The blazing Great Sun Gang Qi condensed rapidly.
Heat spread throughout the battlefield.
Several spectators instinctively narrowed their eyes.
The gathered Gang Qi became increasingly concentrated.
Then—
Lin Shou struck.
"Rising Sun Palm!"
A blazing palm imprint surged forward.
Golden-red Gang Qi illuminated the entire arena.
The attack crossed dozens of meters instantly.
Wu Ming's eyes narrowed.
A defensive talisman activated automatically.
Layers of earthen barriers rose before him.
Yet—
Boom!
The palm struck directly against the defensive talisman.
Cracks immediately spread across its surface.
The force behind the attack exceeded expectations.
Wu Ming's expression changed slightly.
The next moment—
The palm exploded.
A massive shockwave erupted throughout the battlefield.
Dust.
Smoke.
Broken stone.
Everything was swallowed.
The arena disappeared entirely beneath the explosion.
For several moments—
Nothing could be seen.
The spectators leaned forward.
Many Xuan Gang cultivators extended their senses.
Yet even they struggled to observe clearly.
Several breaths passed.
Still nothing.
The silence became increasingly tense.
Then—
The smoke began dispersing.
A figure emerged first.
Lin Shou.
Great Sun Gang Qi surrounded his body.
The blazing aura transformed him into something resembling a burning star.
Without hesitation—
He moved.
A movement art activated beneath his feet.
Boom!
The stone floor shattered.
Lin Shou shot forward like a cannonball.
Straight toward Wu Ming.
The spectators immediately understood his intention.
Close the distance.
End the fight.
Martial artists became most dangerous at close range.
And Lin Shou intended to drag Wu Ming into exactly that situation.
Unfortunately—
Wu Ming wasn't an ordinary opponent.
Seeing the rapidly approaching figure, his expression finally became serious.
The pressure was real.
Dangerously real.
Without hesitation, he released the entirety of his magical power.
The surrounding temperature instantly soared.
Fire spiritual qi erupted.
Earth spiritual qi followed.
The two intertwined.
Merged.
Transformed.
The arena floor suddenly cracked.
Then melted.
Many spectators widened their eyes.
"Dual attribute cultivation art!"
"Earth and fire!"
"The Molten Core Magma Cultivation Art!"
The crowd immediately recognized the technique.
One of the Wu Family's famous inheritances.
Not their strongest.
Yet certainly among their most destructive.
Wu Ming pressed his palm toward the ground.
The molten earth beneath him erupted.
Magma surged outward.
Then transformed.
Countless molten spears formed.
Hundreds.
Perhaps more.
Each spear glowed with terrifying heat.
The air itself distorted around them.
The spectators instinctively retreated backward.
Even from a distance, the temperature felt dangerous.
Then—
The spears launched.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
The sky seemed covered entirely by crimson streaks.
Every spear targeted Lin Shou.
Every spear possessed enough force to severely wound a Xuan Gang cultivator.
If even one struck directly—
The battle would likely end.
Lin Shou naturally understood this.
His eyes sharpened.
The movement art beneath his feet erupted once more.
Boom!
A burst of fiery Gang Qi exploded from his body.
His speed increased dramatically.
The first spear missed.
Then the second.
Then the third.
The audience watched in astonishment.
Lin Shou continuously shifted directions.
His figure blurred.
Explosions erupted behind him wherever the spears landed.
The battlefield resembled a volcanic eruption.
Yet even he couldn't evade everything.
One spear remained.
Directly ahead.
Its trajectory perfectly blocked his advance.
Avoiding it would force him backward.
Exactly what Wu Ming wanted.
Lin Shou's eyes narrowed.
Then—
He accelerated.
Instead of retreating.
Instead of dodging.
He charged directly toward it.
The crowd gasped.
Several elders stood halfway from their seats.
Was he insane?
The answer came immediately.
A roar erupted within Lin Shou's mind.
"Chaoyang Heavenly Radiance!"
His Gang Qi Field contracted violently.
The massive Gang Qi surrounding him disappeared.
Compressed.
Condensed.
Forced back into his body.
Muscles swelled.
Veins surfaced.
The explosive power hidden within his physique increased dramatically.
The spectators immediately sensed the change.
A martial artist technique.
A dangerous one.
The next moment—
Lin Shou punched forward.
Boom!
His fist collided directly against the molten spear.
For a brief moment—
Everything froze.
Then—
The spear shattered.
Fragments of magma exploded outward.
The crowd erupted.
Even many Foundation Establishment cultivators looked stunned.
Destroying a spell with bare fists?
Such scenes weren't common.
Yet Lin Shou didn't stop.
His body surged through the explosion.
The distance between himself and Wu Ming rapidly shortened.
Thirty meters.
Twenty.
Ten.
Wu Ming's expression finally darkened.
His strongest attacks had failed.
His battlefield control was collapsing.
Yet he remained calm.
After all—
Victory wasn't impossible.
A battle of attrition still favored him.
Lin Shou's Gang Qi reserves couldn't be infinite.
Eventually, exhaustion would arrive.
The only requirement was surviving until then.
Without hesitation, Wu Ming retreated.
One spell after another appeared.
Earth walls.
Fireballs.
Molten barriers.
Everything intended to slow Lin Shou's advance.
The audience watched the chase unfold across the battlefield.
Several spectators believed Wu Ming's strategy would succeed.
Others disagreed.
The tension continuously increased.
Meanwhile—
Lin Sheng watched silently.
His Mental Field observed every fluctuation.
Every movement.
Every change.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Lin Shou's Gang Qi reserves weren't declining as quickly as expected.
Most spectators couldn't tell.
But Lin Sheng could.
The reason was simple.
Minor Achievement.
Chaoyang Heavenly Radiance had reached Minor Achievement.
Not only did it improve combat power.
It also increased Gang Qi storage capacity.
Both within the dantian.
And within various acupoints throughout the body.
Lin Shou's reserves exceeded ordinary Xuan Gang cultivators significantly.
Wu Ming didn't know this.
And that ignorance would prove fatal.
Several minutes passed.
The chase continued.
Then—
Lin Shou suddenly stopped.
The arena became quiet.
Even Wu Ming frowned.
Why stop?
The answer arrived moments later.
Lin Shou's expression became calm.
Too calm.
His Gang Qi gradually settled.
His breathing slowed.
Then—
Something invisible emerged.
Momentum.
The crowd immediately sensed it.
The powerful martial momentum surrounding Lin Shou began contracting.
Not expanding.
Contracting.
The phenomenon shocked many experts.
The momentum compressed continuously.
Until it almost disappeared.
Then—
The surrounding spiritual qi began reacting.
The spectators froze.
Several Xuan Gang cultivators stood abruptly.
No.
Impossible.
The spiritual qi around Lin Shou's saber began gathering instinctively.
The arena became silent.
Then—
A single voice sounded.
"Martial Intent."
The words spread like thunder.
Martial Intent.
The crowd erupted instantly.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Excitement.
Every emotion appeared simultaneously.
Even many family elders looked stunned.
An Early Xuan Gang cultivator.
Comprehending Martial Intent.
Such talent would be extraordinary anywhere.
Wu Ming's face finally changed completely.
He hadn't expected this.
Nobody had.
The moment Martial Intent appeared, the nature of the battle transformed.
A cultivator with Martial Intent couldn't be measured normally.
The pressure alone was enough to shake one's confidence.
Meanwhile—
Lin Shou's expression remained strained.
Because he wasn't truly controlling it.
Not fully.
The Intent remained unstable.
Incomplete.
Difficult to wield.
Yet—
Enough.
It would be enough.
His saber trembled.
The gathered Intent merged with the blade.
Then—
Lin Shou vanished.
The audience only saw a flash.
Wu Ming's instincts screamed danger.
Every defensive artifact activated simultaneously.
Every remaining talisman erupted.
Layers upon layers of protection appeared.
Then—
The saber descended.
Boom!
The explosion shook the arena.
The protective formations flashed brilliantly.
Several cracks appeared across the battlefield itself.
The spectators shielded their eyes.
A shockwave swept through the entire arena.
When the light finally faded—
Everyone saw the result.
Wu Ming's defensive barriers had shattered completely.
Every layer.
Every talisman.
Every protection.
Destroyed.
His body flew backward.
Then crashed outside the arena.
The entire audience became silent.
A few breaths later—
The referee finally recovered.
His voice echoed throughout the arena.
"The winner."
"Lin Shou."
"Qian Family!"
The crowd exploded.
Cheers erupted everywhere.
The battle had exceeded all expectations.
A Xuan Gang martial artist defeating a Mid Foundation Establishment spell cultivator.
And revealing Martial Intent in the process.
Many spectators knew they had just witnessed something unforgettable.
Meanwhile—
Lin Shou slowly returned toward the Qian Family seats.
Outwardly, he appeared calm.
Inwardly—
His hands trembled.
The strain of forcing out Martial Intent had been tremendous.
The moment he sat down, everyone surrounded him.
Lou Han stared openly.
Lin Xiaolu looked shocked.
Even Zhao Feng seemed stunned.
Finally, Lou Han asked the question everyone wanted answered.
"When did you comprehend Martial Intent?"
Lin Shou scratched his head awkwardly.
"...Recently."
The crowd became silent.
Even Lin Sheng nearly smiled.
Recently.
That single word somehow sounded more ridiculous than the achievement itself.
And somewhere in the Zheng Family seating area, the black-robed woman's eyes narrowed.
For the first time since arriving at the competition—
She looked at Lin Shou seriously.