The group with the most people in the arena was naturally the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion, with a total of six people!

Huo Qingfeng, who had once fought Shen Yunhao, was among them.

The other person seemed to sense Shen Yunhao's gaze as well, casting his eyes over the crowd and curving his lips into a half-smile.

After observing the surroundings, what surprised Shen Yunhao the most was the Tai Xuan Dao Sect.

Shi Junfei stood quietly on one side of the square, his dark yellow Taoist robe spotless, his face calm and expressionless.

However... apart from him, there was not a single other person from the Tai Xuan Dao Sect in the arena.

The once mighty and supreme righteous sect was now reduced to just him.

Seeing this scene, Shen Yunhao felt not mockery, but rather a sense of solemnity.

Is it because the swordsmanship of the Tai Xuan disciples is indeed mediocre, or... is it for some other reason?

At this moment, Shi Junfei's gaze also swept over Shen Yunhao, paused slightly, and a dark look flashed deep in his eyes.

Clearly, his actions in the cave of the rock python in the valley that day had finally made him abandon his usual kind demeanor.

Before long, as the last contestant stepped into the open space in front of the Xuanlei Pavilion, the two huge dark purple metal doors emitted a deep and distant hum, and then slowly opened, revealing a deep blackness and faint spatial fluctuations behind the doors.

"Those who participate in the third phase will be admitted to the cabinet!"

A deep, resonant voice emanated from inside the door, drawing solemn glances from everyone present.

The first to act were the disciples of the Sword Pavilion. They ignored the gazes around them and calmly walked into the gate.

As a disciple of Tai Xuan, Shi Junfei naturally did not want to fall behind.

With someone taking the lead, everyone else followed suit.

The interior space was much larger than it appeared from the outside, as if it were its own world. The high dome emitted a soft white light that illuminated the entire interior.

Most striking are the four enormous square arenas in the central area, each tens of feet long and wide, paved with some kind of dark blue hard rock, and covered with mysterious reinforcing runes. They are clearly the arenas for the third stage of the competition.

The arena was surrounded by a series of gradually rising viewing platforms, which were now filled with people.

Besides the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion, there were also high-ranking members from various sects and factions who came to observe the ceremony.

For example, the three main hall masters of Guanghan Palace, the elders of Taixuan Dao Sect, the elders of Medicine King Valley, and so on.

Their gazes swept across the thirty-four contestants standing in the square below like searchlights, searching for their own disciples. Some looked pleased, while others frowned. Clearly, not all sects were satisfied with their disciples' performance.

This also explains why the eliminated disciples did not have direct contact with their respective sect elders after their jade tokens were broken, and the details of the bloody battles within the secret realm were not fully disseminated.

The gate slowly closed, and Shen Yunhao glanced at the number of people in the room, a slight thought stirring in his heart.

"Only thirty-four people? Mo Chengxuan's guess was right!"

Aside from those who didn't meet the score requirements, it's estimated that quite a few people chose to withdraw from the competition at the last minute.

As he pondered, a faint buzzing sound suddenly came from the Guixue Sword at Shen Yunhao's waist, and the sword trembled slightly, conveying an uneasy feeling.

Shen Yunhao's expression hardened, and he subconsciously touched the hilt of his sword, feeling a cool and familiar sensation travel through his fingertips.

"Shuang'er..."

He silently thought to himself, his eyes subtly scanning his surroundings, "So you really are trapped here..."

Just then, a vast and unfathomable sword intent enveloped the entire interior space of the Xuanlei Pavilion, instantly suppressing all the noise.

A figure slowly emerged from the main seat on the high platform.

The old man was dressed in a simple gray robe, his eyes were peaceful but seemed to contain an endless sea of ​​swords. He was none other than Ouyang Jingfeng, the current master of the Azure Sky Sword Pavilion and the leader of the seven great sword saints!

"quiet!"

Ouyang Jingfeng's voice was not loud, but it seemed to reach the depths of everyone's soul.

"The Kendo Tournament, Phase Three, begins now!"

His gaze swept over the thirty-four faces below, and he slowly announced the rules:

"In the final stage, a double-elimination tournament will be held. The loser in the first round will be placed in the loser's bracket and will still have a chance to compete for a place in the top ten."

"Your cultivation levels are still suppressed to the early stage of the Profound Soul realm within this pavilion. Furthermore, all magical treasures other than spirit swords are prohibited. Violators will be eliminated. Only the sword in your hand is the foundation for your survival!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a small door next to the open space where the contestants were located opened, and two figures walked out and entered the square.

Those who should be eliminated in the second stage, but retain their eligibility to participate in the third stage after accumulating 20,000 points.

Shen Yunhao's pupils constricted when he saw one of the women.

This person is actually Zhen Ruoqi, a core disciple of Medicine King Valley and ranked extremely high in the Record of Wind and Cloud!

"Even people of this caliber have been eliminated? Just how terrifying are these people on the field...?"

With these two people added, there are exactly thirty-six people.

"Double elimination, thirty-six people... So, as long as you win two consecutive battles, you can secure a top-ten spot? Luck probably plays a big part..."

"But... anyone qualified to stand here is probably no pushover!"

On the high platform, Ouyang Jingfeng said no more and raised his hand to point at the void in the center of the square.

Buzz!

In an instant, the identity jade pendants on the waists of all the contestants lit up simultaneously, broke free from their owners' control, and transformed into thirty-six streams of light that flew into the air, quickly converging and swirling above.

Immediately afterwards, the light flowed and the light projected from the jade tablets intertwined in the air, quickly revealing the names of the contestants and their corresponding arena numbers!

"On the Jia-class arena, Yao Xiangxue faces Zhang Hai."

"On the second-tier arena, Shi Junfei will face Wang Meng."

"C-class arena..."

"T-shaped arena..."

The first round of matches in the four arenas was quickly arranged. The contestants whose names were called all walked to their respective arenas with solemn expressions. After exchanging greetings, they didn't waste any more words and started fighting directly!

Shen Yunhao stood off the field, his gaze sharp and intense.

Those who have made it this far are truly exceptional!

Some unknown rogue cultivators possessed formidable strength; their swordsmanship, movement techniques, combat awareness, and adaptability were all top-notch.

Yao Xiangxue, who ranked high on the Fengyunlu (a Chinese online forum), fought against a man named Zhang Hai for over a hundred rounds before narrowly winning.

On the other hand, Shi Junfei was much luckier, forcing his opponent out of the arena in just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

On this arena, even without an identity jade token to protect your life, you don't need to hold back. With so many powerful figures watching, there's almost no chance of anything going wrong.

The first and second rounds of eight matches passed quickly, until the third round...

"On the Jia-class arena, Huo Qingfeng faces Li Yuan."

"On the B-class arena, Guan Yingying versus Chen Wuji!"

"Category C Arena: Yin Tianhao vs. Sun Miao!"

"T-shaped arena..."

When the list for the last T-shaped arena was displayed, Shen Yunhao froze on the spot. "Holy crap... what's going on?"

The light in mid-air was clearly visible:

"T-shaped Arena: Superman Strong vs. Wu Yun'er!"