Neither Lin Xun nor the black-dress girl was aware that the other party had the exact same thoughts.

The battle soon began.

To Lin Xun’s surprise, his opponent confidently stood there as if waiting for him to attack first.

"What an arrogant person." Lin Xun inwardly grinned.

Meanwhile, the black-dress girl frowned. He seems to be rather fearless. Is he waiting for me to attack?

But is he so certain he can block my attack?

"How arrogant..."

The corners of her lips curled in interest. It was the first time she had met such an opponent.

Her opponents had always treated her as a formidable foe and were exceedingly cautious. None of them had acted as arrogantly as the fellow opposite her.

As a result, a strange scene appeared on the stage. The bell to signify the start of the battle had already sounded, but the man and woman remained standing in place, facing each other without any movement.

Some of the watching cultivators were clearly unhappy with this. Why aren’t they fighting yet? The young people these days are getting more and more unbecoming!

"Big Brother Lin Xun, go and beat her. Don’t act all gentlemanly just because she’s a woman!"

Xia Xiaochong's clear voice rang out from below the stage, "My master said that isn’t being gentlemanly, but an insult to a woman’s dignity. A true woman doesn’t need such consideration!"

In the arena, veins popped on Lin Xun’s forehead while a stunned look appeared on the black-dress girl’s half-covered face.

"Big Sis, go and attack. Big Brother Lin Xun wishes someone could defeat him!"

Xia Xiaochong shouted again, completely unafraid of causing chaos.

"Shut your trap!"

Lin Xun was triggered. What does she mean by wishing someone can defeat me? Why would anyone speak that way? What if others misunderstood?

The black-dress girl was angered. That lass must be using some kind of sarcasm to say no one can defeat her ‘Big Brother Lin Xun!’

The black-dress girl coldly said, "Friend, if you don’t make your move, don’t blame me for being rude."

Her voice was as clear as spring water and as pleasant as the sound of nature. There was also a hint of cold loneliness within it.

She was indeed slightly dumbfounded and had secretly decided to make this youngster suffer a little. Let’s see if he still dares to be so arrogant later.

"The ruder, the better."

Lin Xun naturally wanted the other party to go all out. After all, it had not been easy to finally encounter such a decent opponent.

"You..."

The girl secretly ground her teeth. She glared at Lin Xun and said, "Good, you’d better not cry and beg for mercy later!"

Her aura suddenly became cold and intimidating as a powerful pressure spread from her body.

Lin Xun’s eyes brightened at the change. She’s definitely an apex-level expert among her peers!

It made him increasingly happy and filled with anticipation. He grinned and said, "Cry and beg for mercy? Heh heh, I should be saying that to you instead."

In the rest area, the old woman displayed an odd look that was a mix between amusement and pity. What a bold youngster, I can’t believe he dares to say something like that to the Young Miss...

The black-dress girl’s aura grew increasingly cold as her clear eyes glowed with a terrifying light. She was clearly angered now.

"Ignorant fool!"

With an icy snort, she finally made the first move. She slapped her hands together, causing mist to descend and envelope the entire stage.

"I've covered the stage in 'Godly Concealment Mist,' so you’ll have to get past me first before you can admit defeat!"

Since she was intent on teaching Lin Xun a lesson, she had used this secret art to stop him from admitting defeat mid-way.

However, it only made Lin Xun more elated, "That will be best. I was worrying about what I should do if you panicked and tried to escape."

Although he was being honest, his words were no different from an open provocation to the black-dress girl.

She originally had no intentions of hurting him, After all, someone like her bullying a nobody like him was far too disgraceful.

However, she had already cast aside such thoughts. Her one and only desire was to give him a vicious beating!

Rumble!

Without any hesitation, the black-dress girl stepped forward and lightly flicked her wrist. Sacred light ferociously surged forth like a divine sword, shattering even space itself.

The attack immediately ignited Lin Xun’s fighting spirit. An intimidating light shone from his eyes as he raised his hand and thrust.

The thrust rumbled loudly as if a god or demon was shouting and was accompanied by terrifying sheets of light.

The black-dress girl’s heart rippled. She knew that she had encountered an extremely formidable opponent and was surprised that there was still someone like this in the Heaven Ascension stage.

Crack!

Her beautiful figure strolled through the mist as her finger gently traced the air. The lights within the mist instantly shattered, effortlessly neutralizing Lin Xun’s attack.

Lin Xun's black eyes became deep as the abyss while he was inwardly alarmed. This woman was indeed a powerful expert.

He stopped suppressing his strength, and qi began to roar around his body. An azure radiance spread from him as he dashed forward using the Hornless Ice Dragon Step.

It was an astonishing transformation. He had been quite ordinary a split second ago, but now felt like a demon god. It was a completely different presence.

Rumble!

He unleashed his fist-force, shaking the world around him and causing space to crumble, making it feel as if an unrivaled power was sweeping through the cosmos.

The girl’s expression changed as the anger in her heart vanished. She realized that this opponent was far stronger than she had expected.

When did such a genius appear in the Fire Spirit Province?

Although various thoughts were flitting through her mind, it didn’t slow her down at all. Her figure floated like a lotus as sword phantasms appeared around her. The almost corporeal swords shone brightly as they pulsed with sharp sword will that made the weather change.

Twaang~~

The swords shot forth like rain as they wove and danced through the air. They filled the arena with dreadful killing intent, seemingly capable of destroying Yin and Yang and extinguishing the five elements.

Lin Xun's fist-force was easily pulverized to dust and scattered into the wind.

The entire stage violently shook and rippled.

Lin Xun’s expression finally changed. Only a few breaths had passed since the start of the battle, but the power and technique shown by the black-dress girl had already surprised him several times and greatly exceeded his expectations.

She was undoubtedly the strongest person from the same generation he had ever encountered and made him feel an aggressively suffocating pressure.

It should be known that he had already attained the supreme path of the Heaven Ascension stage and was akin to an invincible king who could look down upon everyone else at the same cultivation stage.

Despite this, the black-dress girl was capable of matching him blow for blow. Wouldn’t this mean that she had also attained the supreme path?

Rumble!

A great battle erupted in the arena as blinding light exploded everywhere. One side resembled a demon god while the other resembled a heavenly immortal.

Light rained down as dao thundered, causing space to collapse. It was a horrifying scene to behold.

The stage shook violently as the defensive array around it operated at maximum output, barely able to contain the destructive power within.

In the audience, countless cultivators were alarmed by the disturbance and quickly turned to look only to be shocked and stupefied by what they saw.

It was simply astonishing. It was a duel that made the world tremble and caused the weather to change, producing power that could ripple across the nine heavens.

Compared to this, the duels in the other arenas immediately became unremarkable like fireflies that could never match up to the brilliance of the sun and moon!

Soon after, the other fighters stopped their matches and also turned their attention to the earth-shaking duel.

The higher-ups of the Pine Smoke Martial Arena were also alerted and quickly appeared.

The duel was incomparable. Every strike from the man and woman released power that could burn down mountains and evaporate the sea. Such peerless might deeply shocked several older-generation cultivators and made them feel ashamed in comparison.

Needless to say, it was an unprecedented clash between the true apex. It was a fight of the likes that had never occurred before in the Flame Capital!

Lin Xun and the black-dress girl had become the focal point of the entire arena, causing everyone in the entire Pine Smoke Martial Arena to fall into a dazed state.

No one could imagine how such an insane duel had suddenly occurred today. No one knew who the man and woman were and why they were so unrivaled.

The only thing they knew was that the duel would shake the entire world regardless of who won!

……

In the audience area, the old woman in green had a grave expression. Horrifying light seemed to shoot from her eyes as she closely observed the two duelists.

By this juncture, she no longer felt any pity for Lin Xun. She realized that she had been mistaken earlier and had sorely underestimated the young man.

"When did someone like this appear in the Fire Spirit Province? I can’t believe he’s able to exchange blows with the Young Miss. I wonder which sect he is from?"

The old woman’s heart rose and fell in her chest. She was the only person who knew how big of an impact would result if word of this spread. In fact, the entire West Infinity World would probably be in an uproar.

"It is fortunate that the Young Miss’ identity hasn’t been uncovered. So the Young Miss won’t be affected no matter how huge of a splash this causes..."

The old woman took a deep breath and turned her focus to Lin Xun. She was very curious about who he was.

……

Xia Xiaochong was also dumbfounded. It was a long while later before she finally managed to mumble, "Will Big Brother Lin Xun lose this time?"

……

Rumble!

In the arena, Lin Xun moved and fought like a true master of his art. Although he was only a youngster, he gave off a mighty presence that was unshakable and strong like a king.

The black-dress girl felt greatly pressured, but did not panic as she calmly matched each blow.

Her eyes grew brighter and brighter as a mysterious sacred light began to flow around her. She had decided to bring out everything she had.

Because she knew that she had somehow encountered a truly strong opponent this time!