So Lu Wenxing has been a disciple for almost five years, and it's only today that he has finally met his senior brother. It's really amazing.

Upon their first meeting, Lu Shenzhi, the eldest disciple, generously took out two magical artifacts and presented them to his two junior brothers as a gift.

The moment it was handed over, another small, white hand reached out as well.

"Senior Brother, have you forgotten me? Am I not your junior sister?" Shi Xuan said righteously.

Lu Shenzhi thought back and realized he really hadn't given his junior sister any gift. He probably owed her too much; giving her such a magical artifact was insignificant and useless.

But since Shi Xuan had already extended his hand, Lu Shenzhi readily handed over a wooden hairpin. That hairpin was an eighth-grade magic artifact, currently the highest-grade item Lu Shenzhi possessed, which he had obtained in the secret realm before he fell unconscious.

"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Shi Xuan accepted the gift, revealing a triumphant smile. What was a simple settlement? This gift was just the beginning of a new round.

Based on Lu Shenzhi's usual behavior, it would be best if everyone in the team received a gift upon arrival.

But now, how should I put it, even though his junior sister has forgiven his debts, he still feels guilty about spending spirit stones, as if he were spending his junior sister's spirit stones.

After thinking about it, I decided against it. We should save where we can; things are different now...

Elder Jiang quickly came over and gave Lu Shenzhi an identity token. Only then did Lu Shenzhi officially have a status in the Outer Domain Arena, so when he declared war on Qian Zheng, he was not yet a member of the best team.

However, Lu Shenzhi had already seen through Qian Zheng's little trick. His magical artifact was extremely expensive and could not be used continuously; it would take at least until the next day. By the next day, his identity token would be issued, so neither of them would be delayed.

Only then did Lu Shenzhi suddenly feel a sense of reality.

He had been following Shi Xuan in the outer realms for some time now, and he had experienced everything Shi Xuan went through. But he had the intuitive feeling of an observer, not a participant, but an observer.

He had no physical body, no identity, and could not enter the virtual lobby to view information, so he always felt that something was missing.

At this point, having truly obtained his identity token, Lu Shenzhi suddenly felt a real sense of "I've really woken up," a feeling that was truly delightful.

-

A day passed quickly.

It was hot in the afternoon, but the outer perimeter of the open-air martial arts arena was already packed with a huge crowd.

They discussed excitedly, eagerly anticipating the start of the upcoming competition.

Yesterday, Shih-hsuan's boastful statement that whoever admits defeat is a grandson has piqued everyone's curiosity, making this contest destined to be exciting.

It will either be a life-or-death struggle, or someone will be reduced to a coward. Either way, it will be extremely intense and exciting!

Lu Shenzhi and Qian Zheng stood facing each other on the training ground. One looked casual and relaxed, while the other's eyes were full of disdain and contempt.

Lu Shenzhi slightly raised his hand, and a silver-white longsword appeared in his hand. The blade flashed with a dazzling light as Lu Shenzhi moved, and its perfect shape faintly revealed an extraordinary aura.

If a person with high cultivation were to use their divine sense to observe the sword, two small, sharply written characters would be engraved above the hilt: "Frost Condensation." The longsword reflected a bright arc in the sunlight, and a clear, melodious sword cry echoed in all directions, demonstrating its extraordinary spirituality.

"This sword is... is it the Frost Condensation Sword? This sword has quite a history."

"Is it really this? Or is it a fake?"

“I once heard my master mention that when Frost Condensation appears, a prodigy will surely be born.”

"So, this Lu Shenzhi is a capable person?"

"That's hard to say. Let's see how this match goes."

...

In the training ground, a white-robed man, seemingly relaxed, held his longsword upside down in one hand, elegantly executing a "Please Hand" sword technique. Upon seeing this, Qian Zheng, opposite him, unceremoniously raised his hand and unleashed an earth-based spell, sending a solid earthen wall crashing down on Lu Shenzhi with immense pressure.

The earthen wall pressed down directly on Lu Shenzhi's face. Lu Shenzhi remained unmoved. His white clothes fluttered in the wind, and a powerful sword aura suddenly erupted. The silver-white sword light drew an arc in the air, splitting the earthen wall in two, and slashed towards Qian Zheng's body with undiminished power.

Qian Zheng was startled.

He didn't have time to cast a spell to defend against the attack. He could only summon a defensive shield to barely block the blow, but the residual force of the sword energy still grazed his face and severed a strand of hair.

The moment the hair fell out, Qian Zheng's expression turned ugly.

Qian Zheng's expression became noticeably more serious.

But this wasn't because Lu Shenzhi's sword strike had triggered his defensive magic weapon, but because Qian Zheng suddenly realized that he couldn't see through Lu Shenzhi's moves.

When Lu Shenzhi swung his sword, Qian Zheng felt no sense of crisis whatsoever, completely unaware that this simple sword strike could directly cleave through his earthen wall without diminishing its power.

This is a troublesome swordsman, even more difficult to deal with than I had imagined!

Qian Zheng gritted his teeth. If he continued to fight with such a swordsman, it would not do him any good. He could be injured by him if he was not careful. If he lost because of such carelessness, it would be a loss that would not be worth it.

So, after activating his defensive magic weapon, Qian Zheng quickly leaped back several steps, widening the distance between the two, and at the same time, his array plate appeared in his hand.

He was unwilling to wait any longer and wanted to use his trump card right from the start!

This situation had never occurred in Qian Zheng's previous battles.

Qian Zheng was a very proud man. He didn't want others to say he was short, and he didn't want to hear others say that he was able to win because of his magic weapon. So, although he had to use this array plate every time, he only took it out when the battle had progressed to a certain point.

A situation where a powerful weapon appears right at the start of the game is a very weak position for Qian Zheng.

But when facing Lu Shenzhi, he did just that in a single move.

The cultivators outside the arena, layer upon layer, murmured amongst themselves, though their voices were faint, they were not to be ignored.

"No way, Qian Zheng used his ultimate move right from the start?"

"Perhaps they want a quick victory?"

"It's obvious that Lu Shenzhi has the upper hand; Qian Zheng is scared."

"Who cares if he's scared or not, as long as he wins."

"That's true. I didn't expect this match to end so quickly. It was too fast. I didn't get enough of it."

...

The moment Qian Zheng released the array plate, it shone brightly, and a complex array rose from it, then suddenly expanded, instantly enveloping Lu Shenzhi.

Without giving him any time to react, Lu Shenzhi was trapped in the formation in one fell swoop.