In an instant, the collision of the two forces unleashed a massive gust of air that shot outwards. The impact was so strong that even nearby spectators were affected, their eyes swollen shut by the wind.

This single exchange of blows filled Yan Lingyi with dread.

How could this be?! Shi Xuan's strength... he actually managed to hold his own against him in a single move without showing any weakness! This was completely beyond his expectations!

Moreover, after the first move, Shi Xuan looked relaxed, showing no signs of strain, and even had a faint smile on his face, as if he were handling the situation with ease.

Yan Lingyi's expression changed, and he put away his contempt and began to re-evaluate the captain of this best team.

When she appeared as the team leader, her cultivation level was the lowest in the entire team. Unlike him, who had always been the most powerful in the team and could command respect through martial prowess.

At that time, as the team leader, what made Xuan gain the respect of the team? She must have had some extraordinary qualities.

So, how could she, with the lowest cultivation level in the team, defeat the person with the highest cultivation level?

That's unlikely... A ninth-level Golden Core cultivator can defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator? Especially a Nascent Soul cultivator who can easily defeat Qian Zheng and Chen Zhimo.

Thinking this, Yan Lingyi shook his head inwardly. He must be overthinking it; how could that be!

However, we must still pay attention to what needs to be paid attention to.

After the two clashed, Yan Lingyi immediately unleashed his second move, his signature Flame Burst Technique.

Fireball is a fire spell that is more powerful and faster than Fireball. When cast, it will rush towards the enemy like a meteor. If it lands near the enemy, it will also cause a huge explosion, making it difficult to defend against.

Shi Xuan possessed powerful spiritual sense, and she had already anticipated Yan Lingyi's move when he raised his hand. Almost simultaneously with Yan Bao, she dodged to the side and slashed her sword towards Yan Lingyi's direction. The sword energy was bright and clear, carrying the aura of cool water elemental power.

Water is the most effective element against fire. Coincidentally, Shi Xuan has all the necessary spiritual roots, so he can use whichever he wants, whichever he prefers.

This time, Yan Lingyi's fireball technique and Shi Xuan's sword energy just missed each other without colliding.

Shi Xuan began to dodge the moment the flames erupted, gaining the upper hand. By the time the meteor landed where she had been standing, she had already avoided the central area.

Shi Xuan didn't even need to use any defensive magic artifacts to withstand the residual power of the flames.

The myriad things were blocked from the direction from which the aftershocks of the fireballs arrived, directly turning a portion of the fireballs' residual power into their own. The remaining bit was of no harm to Shi Xuan, a cultivator whose Sacred Body Technique had reached a new level.

On the other hand, when Shi Xuan's sword energy arrived, Yan Lingyi was somewhat strained in dealing with it.

He dodged immediately, but did not completely escape the attack range of the water-attribute sword energy.

When that chilling sword intent exploded beside him, Yan Lingyi felt a chill run through his body, a terrifying sensation that made his hair stand on end.

At that moment, he reacted almost reflexively, activating his defensive artifact.

As a fragile mage, Yan Lingyi possessed countless magical artifacts, so summoning one was nothing out of the ordinary.

The problem is, after their second, merciless exchange, Shi Xuan easily countered, merely dodging slightly, while Yan Lingyi had already begun using her defensive magic weapon. The superiority of one over the other was obvious.

This move stunned the entire audience.

"What's going on? Shouldn't Yan Lingyi have defeated Shi Xuan within three moves? How come he's at a disadvantage after just two moves?!"

"You don't understand. When masters clash, it's not about momentary gains or losses. Yan Lingyi is unharmed now. Just wait and see."

"It shouldn't be like this, it really shouldn't be like this. I thought that Yan Lingyi attacking Shi Xuan was a very simple matter."

"Haven't you noticed that Shi Xuan is probably Yan Lingyi's nemesis? Look at the past, whenever the Hongmeng team has encountered the best team, when has it ever come out on top?"

"Are we about to witness history?!"

"Don't talk nonsense, Yan Lingyi is perfectly fine. His Flame Burst is so cool! It's the purest and fastest fire magic I've ever seen!"

"What's the use? No matter how perfect the spell, if it can't hit the enemy, it's just like setting off fireworks!"

...

Clearly, Yan Lingyi in the training ground also realized this.

At this moment, his face was ashen, and his gaze toward Shi Xuan seemed to blaze with fury.

The defensive artifact successfully blocked half of Shi Xuan's sword energy, and Yan Lingyi was unharmed. However, he desperately wanted to defeat Shi Xuan immediately. If the battle dragged on any longer, even if he eventually defeated his opponent, the prolonged fight would damage his reputation as the leader.

If Shi Xuan knew what he was thinking at that moment, he would probably give him a three-word comment: You're overthinking it...

But Yan Lingyi didn't think he was overthinking things. While dodging Shi Xuan's attack, he had already begun a new round of attacks.

Two walls of fire crisscrossed and rushed towards Shi Xuan, blocking her retreat. Immediately afterward, a third wall of fire arrived, followed by a fourth.

The four walls of fire formed a "well" shape, trapping Shi Xuan right in the middle. Shi Xuan had nowhere to go and was completely surrounded.

At this moment, Yan Lingyi unleashed another massive fireball spell without any pause, smashing it into the very center of the "well" character, leaving Shi Xuan with no way to avoid it!

At this moment, the hearts of the spectators outside the arena were in their throats. Yan Lingyi truly lived up to his reputation as the top player in the entire outer realm arena; his abilities were terrifyingly strong.

You must understand how terrifying it is for a cultivator to be able to unleash four walls of fire almost simultaneously in such a short time.

Spells used by cultivators generally cannot be cast continuously; each spell requires drawing a large amount of spiritual energy from the body, resulting in significant energy consumption. For an average cultivator, casting a wall of fire would take at least three or four breaths before they could cast another.

But Yan Lingyi is no ordinary magic cultivator; he is the strongest magic cultivator in the entire outer realm arena!

So after he cast four walls of fire almost simultaneously, he still had the energy to unleash a massive fireball, which slammed straight into the center surrounded by the four walls of fire.

Shi Xuan easily dodged the first Fireball spell, and she seemed quite pleased with herself. Yan Lingyi thought to himself, he wanted to see where she would hide when she was surrounded by the second Fireball spell!

The audience outside the stadium was already gasping in surprise.

"Boom!" With a loud roar and a gasp from the sidelines, Yan Lingyi's Fireball spell slammed solidly into the center of the "well" shaped fire wall!

The massive explosion that followed the landing of the fireball, along with the dust and smoke billowing up from the four walls of fire, caused the entire arena to be engulfed in flames and thick smoke, making it impossible for anyone to see what was happening inside.