Chapter 782: Verify

"I... I..."

Zi Zaitian felt the sword qi pierce through his skull.

The wound it left would've been fatal to any ordinary person—but for an Astral God with a Divine Body, it barely counted as an injury.

Even so, he knew full well that if this had been a true life-or-death battle, the energy contained in that sword qi could have easily destroyed his brain. With his brain acting as the vessel of his consciousness, its destruction would mean annihilation on a spiritual level.

Zi Zaitian's eyes were filled with disbelief. "I lost?

He wasn't alone. The other participants in the Overlord Competition felt the same way.

"Zi Zaitian... lost? How could he lose just like that?"

"This doesn't make sense. Just moments ago, Zi Zaitian clearly had the upper hand. How did things turn around so fast? What happened?"

"It was like... Li Pin broke straight through Zi Zaitian's inner spirit defenses and saw through every change in his mind."

"It was almost as if Li Pin had anticipated his every move and struck the fatal blow. The way he did it... it reminded me of how we used to deal with the unguarded inner spirits of the Solar Flare beings back when we were still in the Cosmic Radiance Realm. But... how could that be possible?"

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"What exactly happened? Does Li Pin possess some powerful inner spirit secret art that quietly revealed Zi Zaitian's inner secrets? Or was there something else? I just can't understand how he lost."

The crowd's inner spirits were in disarray, revealing their shock and confusion.

Even the Divine Martial Emperor and Mo Xuan wore looks of astonishment. None of them could comprehend how Zi Zaitian had lost.

At first, the battle between Zi Zaitian and Li Pin had been fairly even.

Zi Zaitian's swordsmanship and inner spirit techniques were put to the test in a short but fierce exchange with Li Pin.

Li Pin, in contrast, relied on his movement techniques, swordsmanship, and an unknown defensive-type inner spirit secret art to withstand Zi Zaitian's onslaught.

But just as Zi Zaitian was about to make use of the Eternal Oblivion Force to secure victory, Li Pin seemed to transcend into a state of omniscience—seeing through past, present, and future all at once.

Saying he saw the entirety of time might be an exaggeration, but in that instant, he truly appeared to grasp every shift in Zi Zaitian's swordplay and secret arts.

He dismantled the attack with ease, like Cosmic Radiance dispelling a Solar Flare, or a True Spirit suppressing a False Spirit. It was a crushing blow that shattered Zi Zaitian completely.

The gap between them felt like the difference between worlds.

"How did he do it?" mused the Divine Martial Emperor, turning to look at Mo Xuan. "Or rather, what kind of inner spirit secret art did he master to break through Zi Zaitian's defense in a single strike? And how was he able to reflect the changes in his opponent's mind with his True Spirit before he could even react, landing the final blow?"

"Don't ask me." Mo Xuan shook his head. "I haven't the slightest clue."

The Divine Martial Emperor gave him a strange look, clearly unconvinced.

"I'm telling the truth," Mo Xuan helplessly said. "From what I see, Li Pin's talent is so extraordinary that he might not just become a Heavenly Emperor in the future. Perhaps he may even rise to the level of a Supreme.

"With that kind of talent, every moment of enlightenment could trigger a breakthrough in his Supreme Techniques, pushing them beyond their limits. His mastery of secret arts and combat skills can't be measured by ordinary standards. Trying to fully grasp the potential of a Supreme seed like him... is simply too difficult."

The Divine Martial Emperor stared at Mo Xuan for a long while, as if trying to confirm he wasn't hiding anything. Eventually, he looked away.

"Supreme seed..." he muttered, still reeling from Mo Xuan's words.

That was the highest possible assessment of one's potential—far beyond even the personal disciples of a Heavenly Emperor or a Supreme.

If a Supreme's disciple could stand on equal footing with figures like the Cosmic Radiances and the Tyrants, then a Supreme seed... might one day rival the Sacred Monarch.

His gaze fell on Li Pin.

This young man... could he really be someone with such limitless potential?

But it no longer mattered whether he was or not.

What mattered was... with just this battle, everyone in the arena had already started to pay close attention to him.

***

Li Pin thought to himself,

He's much stronger than I expected. A flawless fusion of secret arts and combat skills, paired with an incredibly rich battle experience that let him control the flow of the fight with precision... Even after everything I've been through—the Illusion Pagoda, the Supreme Ladder—I still came up short. I had no choice but to activate the Endless Reincarnation Secret Art's power of the past...

He looked at the dazed Zi Zaitian and smiled. "Zi Zaitian, you're truly remarkable. No wonder you were chosen as one of the main representatives for the Human race in the Overlord Competition, fighting for our people in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War."

Zi Zaitian's face darkened at Li Pin's words. Though they were sincere, he clearly took them as mockery.

Still, he wasn't someone who couldn't accept defeat. "I lost."

But he wouldn't stay down. Wherever he fell, he would rise again.

He stared coldly at Li Pin. "I don't know what kind of secret art you used to break through my defenses. But wins and losses in a single battle don't matter. What matters is the Overlord Competition, securing victory for the Human race, and earning glory.

"I'll train even harder. Thirty years from now, when the final ranking tournament comes, I'll defeat you and take that spot as the main participant."

"Thirty years," Li Pin repeated with a smile. He nodded. "I'll be waiting."

He relished the memory of his battle with Zi Zaitian, but it wasn't quite satisfying enough. Zi Zaitian was powerful—too powerful, in fact.

He was so strong that the only way to defeat him would have been to reveal my trump card, the Endless Reincarnation.

Of course, I could have used the Ruoxi Sword to unleash a more potent Quantum Sword Intent and rely on sheer power to break through all of his attacks and defenses, shattering them.

But... the opponent hadn't used any divine weapons. If I had used the Ruoxi Sword first, it would have made the fight unfair.

A part of him longed for more. But it didn't matter. There were still so many competitors watching, after all.

Li Pin's gaze swept over the crowd before he smiled and asked, "Who's next?"

Then, as if struck by a thought, his eyes shifted from the person standing before him, Wu Meng, to Luo Wuji. "It seems you were eager to test your strength against me when I arrived."

He extended his hand in a welcoming gesture. "Come, I'll grant your wish."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Luo Wuji and the others tightened in displeasure.

Li Pin has already defeated Zi Zaitian, and in theory, he has fulfilled his agreements with the Heavenly Emperors. Yet here he was, challenging Luo Wuji. What did this mean? Did he truly believe he could defeat all thirty-nine of the Overlord Division's contestants on his own?

"Li Pin sure is bold!"

"However we view him, daring, arrogant, there's no denying he has the strength to back it up. Don't forget, he's only been cultivating for a few hundred years, yet he managed to defeat Zi Zaitian, who has cultivated for tens of thousands of years. With such a record, he's earned the right to be arrogant and bold."

Several waves of inner spirit fluctuations rippled through the crowd.

After a brief moment, the contestants regained their composure.

They held back from unnecessary arguments, insults, or exchanges, instead focusing their attention on Luo Wuji.

Under the watchful gazes of the crowd, Luo Wuji had no choice but to step forward. He asked in a low voice, "Do you still want to challenge me?"

"Please," Li Pin responded confidently. "I hope you don't disappoint me with your strength."

Luo Wuji's eyes instantly sharpened.

His strength matched that of Zi Zaitian's. In fact, due to his greater reliance on external objects compared to Zi Zaitian, he was actually somewhat weaker than him.

But just moments ago, Zi Zaitian had been defeated without even understanding the technique Li Pin had used. If it were him... the outcome would probably be no different.

However, as a Tyrant secretly trained for the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, Luo Wuji's mental resilience was unquestionable.

He quickly steadied his mind.

So what if I couldn't see what technique Li Pin used? So what if I couldn't defend against that kind of attack?

The best defense is offense. As long as I don't give Li Pin any chance to use that secret art to annihilate me, I can still emerge victorious in the end.

Luo Wuji soared into the air, heading straight for the Divine Martial Battlefield.

"Disappoint?" he muttered.

He swung his hand through the air. With a flash of light, a war spear over three meters long appeared in his grasp. It was a perfect fit for his already towering, two-meter frame.

As he shot upwards, his aura surged, gathering power as if the very act of charging was fueling him. "I'll show you what a real surprise is!"

With his battle spirit surging, Luo Wuji let out a mighty roar and swung his spear without hesitation. The sound that followed was like a roaring tsunami, echoing through the void.

It was as though he alone was sweeping up the power of a massive tsunami, crashing forward with unstoppable force.

The grandeur of it, the intensity of it, was enough to make any adversary instinctively increase the level of their combat techniques and secret arts.

But as they did, they would realize that the tsunami wasn't made of water. It was starlight, countless dazzling stars shining brilliantly. Each glimmer of starlight resembled a speck of stardust. As Luo Wuji spun and swept his spear, they surged together like a tidal wave, crashing forward.

"Stardust Wheel Technique!"

"Luo Wuji's going all out!"

"Keep your eyes sharp—we need to catch exactly what technique Li Pin used to defeat Zi Zaitian!"

The contestants watched with intense focus.

Zi Zaitian, still puzzled over his earlier defeat, paid close attention. Even Yue Shu and Xuan Chengming fixed their gazes on the battlefield.

Only Emperor Ara remained composed.

Li Pin's technique might be remarkable, but if Luo Wuji could see through its flaws, then so could he.

The key was to stop Li Pin from making a move in the first place.

One force could shatter all techniques.

In the face of absolute strength, all so-called secret arts and techniques were mere trifles. As long as he displayed his strongest strike and crushed through it, victory was assured.

And for Emperor Ara... against Li Pin, he undoubtedly had the advantage of absolute strength.