This time, Han Yu faced a Laborer Disciple with deeply tanned skin.

As soon as the match was announced, the disciple’s eyes sharpened with wariness. He clenched his hands, revealing two talismans—one held in the left, one in the right.

Facing a fellow winner of the first round, the opposition was clearly better prepared.

Seeing this, Han Yu immediately circulated his Spirit Breath. He brought his fingers together and swept them forward, sending a streak of flame shooting straight toward his opponent.

He didn’t know what talismans the man held, so a probing attack was necessary.

Seeing the Flame Technique hurtling toward him, the tanned disciple tensed. He instantly activated one of his talismans, conjuring a protective shield as thin as a cicada’s wing.

The flames struck the barrier, causing it to ripple violently before slowly dissipating.

Han Yu understood immediately. So that is the effect of a Protection Talisman.

It could withstand a single strike from an ordinary spell.

The opposing disciple fixed his gaze on Han Yu and activated the second talisman. A Wind Blade materialized and slashed through the air toward Han Yu.

Han Yu waved his hand again, channeling his Spirit Breath. A second Flame Technique surged out to meet the Wind Blade head-on.

Without waiting to see the result of the collision, he followed up instantly with a third Flame Technique.

In the span of a few breaths, three fire spells were released with fluid precision. The spectators below gasped in unison.

“Who is that?”

“How is his casting speed so fast?”

“How many times must he have practiced that?”

It wasn’t just the Laborer Disciples of Wanchun Valley who were astonished; even the Outer and Inner Disciples watching from the sidelines were impressed. This disciple on stage hadn’t even reached the third layer of Qi Refining, yet his combat instincts were remarkably refined.

Nearby, the two purple-robed Deacons overseeing the matches exchanged glances and nodded.

“One after another, almost without pause. This Han Yu has real talent for spellcraft! No wonder he managed to kill that traitor.”

“Our Wanchun Valley rarely sees even Outer Disciples so proficient in battle.”

Amidst the surprised murmurs, Han Yu’s first fireball collided with the Wind Blade. A dull thud echoed across the stage as the structures of flame and wind shattered against each other, erupting into a man-sized ball of fire that briefly illuminated the entire arena.

Before the glare could fade, Han Yu’s third Flame Technique punched through the lingering fire, heading straight for his opponent.

The tanned disciple, squinting against the sudden brightness, couldn’t react in time. The spell struck him square in the chest.

With a startled cry, he tumbled off the stage, frantically beating at the flames on his clothes.

One of the purple-robed Deacons stepped forward, raising a hand to conjure a sheet of ice that extinguished the fire instantly.

“Han Yu wins.”

After announcing the result, the Deacon gave Han Yu an approving nod.

Han Yu bowed respectfully to the Deacon, then stepped down from the platform.

Zhong Yue, Sun Kang, and Liu Lan all rushed forward, looking at him with amazement.

“Junior Brother Han, you’re incredible! You’re only at the second layer of Qi Refining, yet you’re so powerful. I feel like even I wouldn’t be your match!” Zhong Yue exclaimed.

Sun Kang and Liu Lan nodded in agreement. “I feel the same.”

“Your Flame Technique is terrifying!”

Han Yu smiled and accepted the handful of roasted sunflower seeds Zhong Yue offered him.

Before he could speak, a portly figure pushed through the crowd to stand before him. “Aha! Junior Brother Han, you are truly remarkable!”

“That Flame Technique was masterfully executed. No wonder that spy met his end at your hands!”

Zhu San—Pig Third—beamed, his chest hairs peeking out from his robe as he launched into effusive praise. Then, his tone shifted smoothly. “Junior Brother Han, during that fight just now, did you perhaps feel some aspects weren’t quite perfect?”

“For example, if you had a defensive Magical Artifact or a Protection Talisman, you wouldn’t have needed to risk wasting energy to intercept that Wind Blade, right?”

“Or, if you possessed an offensive Magical Artifact, or perhaps a Wind Blade or Flame Talisman, you could have ended the fight much more easily, don’t you think?”

“And another thing,” Zhu San leaned in with an oily grin. “At the second layer of Qi Refining, releasing three Flame Techniques in a row must have drained your Spirit Breath. It will take time to recover naturally. Surely you need spirit-replenishing pills to ensure victory in the upcoming matches—am I right?”

He hinted broadly that Han Yu should buy something from him immediately.

Han Yu’s mind stirred slightly. While Zhu San’s words were aimed at peddling his junk, the underlying logic wasn’t wrong. If he had offensive and defensive Magical Artifacts, a flight artifact, plus talismans, fights would indeed become trivial. Even outside the tournament, having such items for self-defense was necessary.

But there was no need to buy Zhu San’s pile of scrap.

Zhong Yue cut in sharply. “Zhu San, stop embarrassing yourself with that trash. Taking your pills means spending hours patiently cleansing the pill toxins afterward, and even then, you might not get it all out! Get lost!”

She pulled out a small vial. “Junior Brother Han, I have a Qi Condensation Pill here I can lend you. Do you want to use it to recover some Spirit Breath?”

“You…” Zhu San’s face darkened with annoyance. “Zhong Yue, interfering with my business is crossing a line!”

“Junior Brother Han is my friend. Trying to scam my friend means you crossed the line first,” she retorted with a smile.

Zhu San shot her a displeased glare but ultimately chose not to make a scene. He grunted, “You don’t have any other friends among the Laborer Disciples, do you?”

“No.”

“Good.” He pointed a warning finger at her. “Interfere again, and I really will get angry!”

He turned and started shouting to the crowd of Laborer Disciples. “Did you see that? Did you see? Even a Junior Brother with such superb spellcraft needs pills! My stock of pills, talismans, and Magical Artifacts is limited! First come, first served!”

He had only shouted a couple of times before several desperate Laborer Disciples gathered around.

Zhu San was overjoyed and about to start selling when the crowd suddenly scattered like startled birds.

Puzzled, Zhu San looked around and froze. A purple-robed Deacon was standing right behind him.

He shuddered violently. “Deacon Bai…”

Deacon Bai looked down at him with a cold sneer. “Kid, I’ve been watching you for a while now.”

“Selling toxin-laden pills to Rogue Cultivators at the Green Grain Market is one thing; the sect can’t be bothered to police that. But now you dare sell them to disciples within the sect? That is intentionally harming fellow disciples. It violates sect rules. Do you understand?”

Zhu San’s blubber trembled. “Deacon Bai, I… it’s my first time… I didn’t know… please spare me this once…”

“Go wait for your punishment at the Enforcement Hall!”

Deacon Bai grabbed him by the collar, stepped onto a flying artifact, and hauled him away from the arena.

With Zhu San gone, the Laborer Disciple tournament became much quieter. Without the constant shouting and fear-mongering, the disciples stopped looking for shortcuts and focused on the matches.

Han Yu fought two more rounds. In one, his opponent knew the Wind Blade Technique; in the other, his opponent used a defensive Magical Artifact bought from Zhu San. Neither posed any real threat.

Fewer than a hundred Laborer Disciples remained.

After refining the remaining potency of his Qi Gathering Pill to replenish his energy, Han Yu participated in two final rounds.

With a record of complete victories, he secured his place among the final twenty Laborer Disciples.

These final twenty would all ascend to the Outer Sect.

Only one thing remained: the final ranking of the tournament.