193: Chapter 193 This time, I will definitely defeat you.

Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous seat in the corner of the spectator stands, the Black-robed Man's gaze had not left Lu Jinghan since moments ago.

Within his deep eyes, a certain hard-to-decipher emotion surged—not simple admiration like the others, but rather the excitement of a hunter spotting its prey.

His gaze lingered the longest on the faint fluctuations of the Law of Time and Space around Lu Jinghan. He watched for a few more breaths before slowly looking away, his expression calm as usual, but deep within his eyes, a certain thought was quietly taking shape.

After a brief intermission, the matches on the battle stage resumed.

Lu Jinghan returned to his seat and quietly watched the subsequent matches.

The format of the second round of the round-robin tournament meant that every single match could affect the final rankings. The prodigies still in the arena had no room to hold back, giving their all in every fight.

After losing to Lu Jinghan, Chu Xuan won two consecutive matches, showing a composure and decisiveness completely different from before. Clearly, that defeat had not shaken his confidence; instead, it had made his Sword Intent even more condensed.

Duan Xinghe also defeated several opponents in a row. That longsword of his, which had never been fully unsheathed, finally revealed half of its blade today. Amidst the drifting starlight, his opponents were often defeated before they could even clearly see the trajectory of the sword.

Xu Mo and Han Jun continued to maintain their unstoppable momentum.

Xu Mo faced Zhou Tianchen. The moment Zhou Tianchen's Alchemical Fire came into contact with Xu Mo's Power of Devouring, it was weakened by nearly half. That feeling of helplessness, as if being eaten away by something invisible, made him feel a clear counter for the first time in a match.

After exchanging over ten moves, Zhou Tianchen voluntarily stopped and conceded. He walked off the battle stage with a calm expression without saying much, but his gaze lingered on Xu Mo for an extra moment.

Han Jun faced a Core Disciple of the Nanli Dynasty, whose cultivation was comparable to Han Jun's.

However, when facing that extremely cold Sword Intent, the opponent could not even last ten moves. The person, along with the Magical Artifact in his hand, was frozen until their spiritual light dimmed, leaving him with no choice but to concede and leave the stage.

Neither of them had suffered a single defeat so far.

The other Kunlun Disciples also had their share of wins and losses. Ao Qin won two consecutive matches after his fight with the Young Clan Leader of the Jiuqiu Fox Clan, while Mu Qingxue and Baili Qingfeng also maintained decent rankings.

Although Li Zhongyuan's cultivation had only just broken through to the Middle Stage of Soul Transformation, the Asura God-Slaying Art combined with the Karma Fire Red Lotus made his combat power far exceed his actual cultivation level. He did not fall into a disadvantage at all even when facing opponents at the Initial Stage of Void Refinement.

As match after match proceeded, the rankings on the scoreboard constantly shifted.

Kunlun's Lu Jinghan still stood high at the top of the leaderboard, and the one closely following him was neither Xu Mo nor Han Jun, but Duan Xinghe.

Only after him came Chu Xuan, Xu Mo, the Young Clan Leader of the Jiuqiu Fox Clan, Han Jun, and the others, with their scores being very close.

Furthermore, the score difference between fourth and eighth place was only one or two points. The outcome of any single match could lead to a massive shift in rankings.

Everyone was doing their utmost for those five precious spots, and the prodigies who had already lost a match were even more tense, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

The round-robin matches proceeded round after round, with spiritual lights flashing on the battle stage and clear victories and defeats.

By the second half, the score gap began to widen. The Disciples who had performed outstandingly in the first and second stages had accumulated enough wins, while those of slightly lesser strength had gradually lost hope of competing for the top five.

At the Kunlun seats, the atmosphere was much calmer than when the competition started.

Ao Qin leaned back in his chair, his gaze resting on the battle stage, his expression relaxed with a hint of relief.

He had just lost to Duan Xinghe. Although it was only a narrow defeat, that loss had completely knocked him out of the race for the top five.

He didn't feel much disappointment; instead, he felt a sense of ease, as if a burden had finally been lifted.

The situation for Mu Qingxue and Baili Qingfeng was similar. After fighting several tough battles with mixed results, their scores could no longer catch up to those in front.

Although Li Zhongyuan's combat power had greatly increased after his Bloodline awakened, he had lost a few matches early on, making him similarly out of the running for the top five.

Jiang Changge sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over them as he said casually, "No need to care too much. Kunlun's resources are not inferior to those Secret Realms. Cultivating in the Sect might not yield fewer gains than entering the Xuanhuang Fortress."

Although his words were plain, they carried a certainty that brooked no doubt, as if he were merely stating a well-known fact.

Kunlun's enlightenment tree, Trial Tower, Xuanqing Pool, and celestial spiritual Qi were indeed resources that the outside world could hardly match.

Ao Qin grinned. "The Sect Master is right. If my dad knew I was still dreaming about the Xuanhuang Fortress while being able to stay in Kunlun, he'd probably call me ungrateful."

Mu Qingxue nodded slightly, her expression calm. Clearly, she was not downcast by losing her eligibility either.

The matches on the battle stage were still ongoing. At this stage, only eight people were left competing for the top five.

Lu Jinghan, Duan Xinghe, Chu Xuan, Xu Mo, Han Jun, the Young Clan Leader of the Jiuqiu Fox Clan, as well as Zhou Tianchen and a Core Disciple of the Nanli Dynasty named Su Dingfang, who was famous for his saber techniques.

Every duel among these eight could directly change the direction of the rankings. Everyone present understood that the moment to truly decide the ownership of the five spots had arrived.

When the deacon announced the names for the next match, the chatter in the spectator stands suddenly fell silent for a moment.

Kunlun's Lu Jinghan versus Xu Mo.

This combination of names made everyone sit up straight. Over the past few days, the strong performances of Xu Mo and Han Jun had already caused everyone to list them among the most dangerous opponents.

As the Senior Brother of Kunlun, Lu Jinghan was widely recognized as one of the strongest combatants of this grand ceremony.

Neither of them had suffered a single defeat so far, so this encounter was destined to break one of their undefeated records.

Lu Jinghan stood up from his seat, his gaze falling upon that gray figure.

He had long known this match would come. From the moment Xu Mo appeared, he knew that as long as they both remained undefeated, they would meet in the round-robin tournament sooner or later.

Without saying much, he stepped down from the stands with a steady gait, the Jinghan Sword slung at his waist, glowing with a faint silver light.

On the other side, Xu Mo also stood up from his seat. His posture seemed even straighter than before, and his aura was restrained to the point of being almost imperceptible, but his eyes were sharper than ever.

The two stood at opposite ends of the battle stage, about dozens of feet apart.

The wind blew from the edge of the sea of clouds, gently lifting the corners of their robes.

The voices below the stage gradually quieted down. Even the Cultivators who were still chatting unconsciously lowered their voices, their gazes locked onto the two figures on the stage.

Xu Mo looked at the familiar figure opposite him and smiled. "Last time, I lost."

"This time, I will surely defeat you."

As his voice fell, a light that was serious to the point of being almost stubborn flickered in his calm eyes.

Lu Jinghan looked at Xu Mo, also having no extra words.

He nodded slightly, resting his right hand on the hilt of the Jinghan Sword. "Then let's begin."

The instant the words fell, both of them moved simultaneously, leaving only two afterimages on the battle stage and a crisp ring of a sword.