Chapter 177

The elders from both sects felt uneasy upon hearing this.

The Wanhuamen elder particularly doubted the Inner Door’s Lv Fangxuan, who’d shown no exceptional talent beyond being Yang Lingshu’s companion cultivator.

Yet with no better alternatives and surrender being shameful, Mo Xian ordered Lv Fangxuan to ascend the Debate Platform.

Knowing Yang Lingshu wasn’t one to speak carelessly, Mo Xian trusted his disciple’s claim of a forty percent victory chance.

When the messenger relayed the order, Lv Fangxuan glanced at Yang Lingrui.

“Second Young Master, Young Master must’ve summoned me to fight.”

“Go,” Yang Lingrui nodded.

He’d have told Zhao Qi’s group to “try without overexerting,” but since Lingshu chose his companion cultivator, there must be a plan.

Lv Fangxuan leaped onto the platform amid stares. “Wanhuamen’s Lv Fangxuan, third-level Gathering Qi, accepts the challenge!”

Pang Yong studied him, baffled. This opponent’s aura felt weaker than Pan Qi’s—why volunteer for defeat?

“No difference. All small fry anyway!” Pang Yong snorted.

When the guards signaled the match’s start, he lunged, fist darting toward Lv Fangxuan’s ribs—a feint that had worked on Pan Qi. The flustered disciple had fallen into Pang Yong’s rhythm earlier.

“Begone!”

His hidden whip-kick coiled as the punch feinted. But instead of panicking, Lv Fangxuan calmly summoned sand armor on his right arm, intercepting the strike’s path.

“Predictions won’t save you!”

Pang Yong shifted his weight, turning the feint into a real strike—only to freeze as Lv Fangxuan’s swirling sand engulfed his left side the instant he moved.

“You…?!”

Enraged at being read, Pang Yong’s moonlight-wreathed arm swelled via Moonfall’s boost—a crude mimicry of Yang Linghu’s true body amplification.

A martial arts cultivator who disdained drawn-out fights, he craved overwhelming victories through brute force.

Therefore, he decided not to hold back and used his full strength immediately.

He thought even if Lv Fangxuan could block this attack, the impact would send him flying back several meters. Then he could press the advantage and finish him off the Debate Platform in few moves, just as he did with Pan Qi.

But his confidence shattered the moment his fist met the sandy defense.

"Wrong! This feels strange!"

Instead of solid resistance, the defensive technique felt soft and granular.

He instantly knew his punch had failed.

"Fine technique, Friend."

Lv Fangxuan’s calm voice sounded as the shattered sand suddenly clung to Pang Yong’s arm, crawling upward.

"Trouble!"

Pang Yong tried shaking it off, but the sand moved faster with his frantic movements.

He gathered spiritual power to break free through brute force.

Yet every punch sank uselessly into the clinging sand.

Cultivators on both high platforms murmured in surprise.

The Lanyue Sect elder looked startled – he hadn’t expected minor sect Wanhuamen to produce someone matching Pang Yong. Their intelligence said no notable new disciples existed in Wanhuamen or Daoyuanshan.

Meanwhile, Wanhuamen and Daoyuanshan elders beamed with unexpected joy.

None knew Lv Fangxuan had secretly reached the fourth level of Five Elements techniques!

Mid-stage Five Elements techniques develop unique forms. While earth techniques typically emphasize solidity, Lv Fangxuan exploited flowing sand’s softness to redirect Pang Yong’s brute force.

"Victory chance: sixty percent now."

Yang Lingshu calculated silently. Having observed Pang Yong’s fight with Pan Qi, he’d predicted this clash. Though Lv Fangxuan hid his fourth-level achievement from others, he’d never conceal it from his Young Master.

On the battlefield, sand now covered Pang Yong’s limbs, slowing his movements and weakening attacks. Worse, his frustrated struggles only made the sand cling tighter.

Meanwhile, Lv Fangxuan’s stone-faced composure unnerved the martial cultivator. Once a fighter’s momentum breaks, defeat follows swiftly.

After fifteen minutes of struggle, Pang Yong collapsed. Sand encased everything but his face, immobilizing him completely.

"I… yield…"

He spat through clenched teeth.

Panting heavily, Lv Fangxuan finally dropped his calm facade. Maintaining fourth-level techniques with third-level cultivation drained him dangerously – three more breaths and he’d have collapsed.

But battles hinge on such fine margins. Had Pang Yong tested defenses instead of charging headlong, outcomes might differ. The gap in their strategies decided this match from the start.

"Second match winner: Wanhuamen’s Lv Fangxuan!"

Cheers erupted from Tiger-Chasing side.

Still catching his breath, Lv Fangxuan bowed toward Yang Lingshu’s direction. Two Condensing Essence elders restored his energy, and he prepared for the next challenge.