Nangong Yao was a veteran. She hadn’t survived to the late Golden Core stage by being stubborn.

After the initial shock of the puppets’ brute strength wore off, she immediately steadied her mind. She stopped trying to batter down the iron walls and instead shifted her focus. She would bypass the constructs and strike directly at the core—Zhang Xian himself.

Amidst the chaos of clashing steel, she found her opening.

A cold, lethal glint exploded in Nangong Yao’s eyes. She went all in. Her left hand formed a rapid seal, and from her fingertips burst a terrifying golden light, purer and more scorching than anything she had unleashed before.

“The World-Illuminating Golden Burning Art!” A knowledgeable disciple below the stage screamed in shock. “That’s Elder Nangong’s signature technique!”

The golden light, condensed with indestructible force, carried a might that dwarfed all her previous attacks. This was the killing blow.

Facing the familiar golden light that had once brought him despair, Zhang Xian’s expression remained as calm as a stagnant pond. Not only did he not retreat, but he stepped forward to meet it.

A surge of cyan-green light erupted before him.

Green Tide Life and Death Art!

The phantasmal images of two ancient, towering giant trees entwined with an illusory emerald sea materialized out of thin air, rising to meet that peerless golden radiance.

Hum!

The blinding golden sun collided violently with the ever-renewing emerald forest.

They remained locked in a stalemate for no more than three seconds.

Crack!

The two illusory ancient trees shattered into motes of light.

But after breaking through two layers of the Green Tide Life and Death Art, the dazzling golden light had dimmed considerably. Finally, it slammed fiercely against the last barrier, just three feet in front of Zhang Xian.

A layer of nearly invisible, yet unbelievably tenacious, transparent film.

The film rippled violently under the impact, distorting the air around it like heat haze, but ultimately—with remarkable resilience—it did not rupture. The remnant golden light dissipated into harmless sparks.

Blocked?

This killing blow was actually blocked?!

Nangong Yao’s eyes widened, genuine astonishment cracking her icy facade for the first time. What exactly was that final defense?!

In that split-second lapse of concentration, Zhang Xian struck.

He commanded one of the water puppets to lunge. The longsword thrust forward with mechanical precision, piercing accurately through Nangong Yao’s left shoulder. The destructive sword energy carried on the edge detonated instantly inside her wound.

“Ugh!”

Nangong Yao was launched backward as if struck by a siege hammer. A shocking spray of blood painted a crimson arc in the air.

At this life-and-death juncture, she forcefully suppressed her churning qi. Ignoring the agony in her shoulder and the chaotic surge of her spiritual power, she reached for her chest without hesitation and crushed an ancient jade pendant.

Hum!

Several petal-like white light screens instantly blossomed around her. It was clearly an extremely precious, single-use Ephemeral Artifact.

Boom! Boom!

Almost simultaneously, the longswords from the two puppets slammed viciously onto the newly formed barrier. The light screen trembled violently, spiderweb cracks racing across its surface, but it held.

However, the sheer kinetic force of the impact transmitted through the screen, jarring Nangong Yao’s injuries further.

“Pfft!”

She spat out another mouthful of blood, staining the inner wall of the light screen. Her face turned deathly pale, and her aura withered. Her eyes were filled with the terror of a narrow escape—and a trace of utter disbelief.

The entire square fell into a deathly silence. Everyone was stunned.

“He… he’s completely suppressing Elder Nangong?”

“Did you see that? He never took any pills! He’s fighting solely on his own power and those extravagantly expensive items!”

“Damn! The talismans Old Thief Zhang burned are Earth-grade! Just one of those costs ten times more than the champion’s reward! Isn’t he going too far?!”

“And Elder Nangong’s Ephemeral Artifact… consumed just like that in a tournament match! What a waste! That was a life-saving treasure meant for secret realms!”

“I get it now!!”

Suddenly, a manic, excited voice exploded from the crowd. It was Lu Renbing from Green Wood Peak, who hadn’t been seen in ages—Zhang Xian’s former “bosom friend” and the Yunmiao Sect’s resident romance novelist.

His voice cracked with the thrill of discovery. “Zhang Xian! He’s doing this on purpose! He is absolutely a Grandmaster of the Romantic Arts!”

“Oh? What does Junior Brother Lu mean by that?” A curious disciple immediately took the bait.

“Think about it! When he faced Elder Wang Yue before, why did he use such a pathetic, drawn-out delaying tactic? And then directly conceded defeat?”

Lu Renbing’s eyes shone with the light of revelation. “It was to attract Elder Wang Yue’s attention! To plant a seed of deep impression, creating an opening for future approaches! That was the strategy of ‘Using Softness to Overcome Hardness, Using Entanglement to Breed Affection’!”

“But for this lofty, aloof, and peerless Elder Nangong? He chose the exact opposite route!”

Lu Renbing’s tone grew increasingly certain, his hands gesturing wildly. “What he wants is conquest! Suppression! To crush her will!”

“Didn’t you see? All his methods were used at the most brutal, violent moments! He didn’t hesitate to spend a fortune to dominate her!”

“Old Thief Zhang wants to drag this aloof elder down from the clouds right here on this arena! He wants to trample her into the mud and shatter that icy exterior!”

Lu Renbing paced back and forth like a maddened sage solving the ultimate riddle.

“When Old Thief Zhang defeats her with an invincible posture, that subversive shock will leave an indelible mark deep within her Dao heart!”

“As her spirit wanes and his waxes, coupled with Old Demon Zhang’s way with women… showing tenderness at a critical moment later… taking advantage of her vulnerability…”

He glanced around at the stunned crowd, a smug smile of “I saw through everything long ago” hanging on his lips. “This is the superior method of handling women: combining hardness and softness, tailoring the approach to the target!”

Countless disciples stood dumbfounded. Then, slowly, their faces morphed into expressions of sudden enlightenment and profound admiration.

“Holy shit! So that’s how it is!!”

“It sounded outrageous at first, but upon careful analysis, it makes perfect sense!”

“Although Old Demon Zhang is ugly, has low character, and is lustful… the depth of his schemes is terrifying! We can’t even hope to match him!”

“No wonder he managed to hook up with three goddesses of our Yunmiao Sect. He really has substance!”

“Junior Brother Lu truly lives up to being a top-tier novelist. His insight has enlightened me!”

“So there’s such a high-level method for picking up girls… He’s trying to completely tame Elder Nangong!” One disciple had an epiphany, entering a whole new realm of understanding.

The boiling discussions threatened to lift the square off the mountain.

However, Nangong Yao, protected within that final ephemeral light screen, heard none of it.

Conquest?! Bullshit!

She felt with crystal clarity the pure, unadulterated killing intent radiating from her opponent. It was a cold, boundless will to erase her from existence, sparing no cost.

He isn’t here to compete at all! He’s here to kill me!

Just as the square descended into chaotic uproar over Zhang Xian’s so-called “tactics,” filled with either amazement or curses, a figure silently appeared on the central seat of the viewing platform.

She was tall and slender, dressed in a plain white robe embroidered with subtle jade patterns. Her face was clear and cold, her eyes deep and indifferent. Her hair was styled in a simple Daoist bun, and she exuded an intangible aura of absolute authority.

“Greetings, Sect Master!”

“Sect Master Zhenren!”

Led by Zhenren Wang Ya, almost all the elders on the viewing platform simultaneously rose and bowed in deep respect.