Yan Lingyi was in a real predicament, especially since he had also been injured in his fight with Shi Xuan. So it wasn't until three days later that he reappeared before everyone.
No one paid any special attention to his condition, but everyone's eyes were on him, watching his every move.
What happens when someone who's always been number one suddenly falls from grace? Will they choose to try again for the top spot, or will they accept their fate and settle for second place?
For the past three days, no one has challenged Shi Xuan, and those behind him are also watching to see if Yan Lingyi will turn around and challenge Shi Xuan.
If the two were to fight again, it would surely reveal the exact difference in their abilities, and whether Shi Xuan truly possessed the skills of a champion or if his victory over Yan Lingyi the first time was merely due to good luck.
Therefore, when Yan Lingyi reappeared on the training ground, hundreds of people were watching his every move.
Some people stared directly at him, while others, more subtle, released their divine senses to follow him.
As a Nascent Soul cultivator, Yan Lingyi sensed the difference today almost the instant he entered the training ground.
He used to be the center of attention, but he knew that today was different.
If people used to pay attention to him because of his outstanding abilities, this time, those who are paying attention to him are doing so with a sense of anticipation, like watching a good show.
This was an experience Yan Lingyi had never had before, making her feel extremely uncomfortable and as if she had a fishbone stuck in her throat.
He seemed to have fallen from a highly sought-after, unattainable figure into the dust, the kind of person anyone passing by could step on.
Especially at times like these, we must not show weakness.
Yan Lingyi walked to the center of the field with her head held high and her posture upright, seemingly unaffected by this setback.
But only those who know him well know that his behavior is quite different from usual.
He was being too deliberate.
Yan Lingyi used to always hold her head high, but that was an arrogant look. Now, Yan Lingyi's head-up expression is like a stubborn insistence on not bowing her head and not showing any fear.
"I, Yan Lingyi, from the Hongmeng Sect of the Ten Continents, challenge you," he said, standing in the arena, enunciating each word clearly.
Everyone in the training ground held their breath, awaiting his decision.
Yan Lingyi continued, "Challenge: Lu Shenzhi, Lianfeng Sword Sect, Qianyuan Continent."
"Wow..." As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding silence turned into a cacophony of noise, as if he were in a bustling downtown area. And these clamoring discussions felt like sharp knives stabbing his face.
He had never been ridiculed like this before.
Accustomed to being high and mighty, Yan Lingyi really couldn't stand any of these kinds of voices. Every single glance from everyone, no matter what it meant, felt like a merciless mockery to him now, mocking him for being nothing more than someone who had succumbed to Shi Xuan's power.
Yan Lingyi really wants to challenge Shi Xuan.
If he could reclaim his first glory, he would even give up all the rewards from the Outer Realm Arena, including the qualification to enter the Nine-Story Tower.
However, in the battle three days ago, he was defeated by Shi Xuan. While recuperating, he kept thinking about one question: if he could fight again, could he turn the tide and win?
After careful consideration, the answer is no.
In the simultaneous battle, he believed he had already unleashed his strongest abilities.
Although there are many unused moves besides Blazing Clouds, Blazing Clouds is still the most powerful.
Furthermore, considering Shi Xuan's teleportation technique at the last moment, he couldn't think of a way to counter it no matter what.
For the past three days, every time I close my eyes, I see Shi Xuan's ambiguous smile, which is extremely confident yet full of contempt for me.
She was absolutely confident of defeating him. She even waited for him to make a move each time, and even when he was injured, Shi Xuan disdained to pursue him.
Yan Lingyi understood that she wanted to convince him.
Now, standing on this training ground again, he desperately wanted to challenge Shi Xuan, but as soon as he spoke, he chose Lu Shenzhi instead, the second-place finisher.
In that instant, he seemed to have gritted his teeth and given in.
At this moment, none of the members of the Hongmeng team wanted to provoke him, so they all kept their distance from their captain, including Qian Zheng.
Yan Lingyi glanced at Qian Zheng from afar. This good-for-nothing was more of a hindrance than a help. He said he wanted to kill Shi Xuan, but he made Shi Xuan so powerful. Today, he lost his top spot. It was all because of this traitor!
Thinking this way, Yan Lingyi felt better knowing that someone had taken the blame.
On the Qian Yuan Continent, it's best for the entire team to gather in one location.
Just before Yan Lingyi spoke, they were still betting on who he would choose.
Apart from Shi Xuan, Lu Shenzhi, Zhang Yingxin, and Sun Shaoxing, everyone else chose Shi Xuan.
Lu Wenxing had a good reason: "If it were me, I wouldn't be able to swallow this! After being number one for a year, you just take it all away? Yan Lingyi wouldn't accept that, right? You're so competitive!"
Chen Qi wholeheartedly agreed with his idea: "Absolutely! Even if it's just for face, we have to challenge for first place!"
Things didn't go as planned.
The moment Yan Lingyi uttered Lu Shenzhi's name, Lu Wenxing let out a wail of despair. His ten high-grade spirit stones were gone just like that!
Lu Shenzhi, holding a spirit stone, smiled and accepted the challenge: "Let's fight now!"
As he spoke, he didn't forget to put the spirit stones he won into his storage ring before leaping into the arena.
Lu Wenxing was exasperated and scolded, "This Yan Lingyi is really hopeless! I thought he would be more ambitious, but he's not even as ambitious as Chen Yaoqiang!"
Chen Qi said bitterly, "This has instilled fear in them, and they will surely suffer damage to their Dao heart in the future!"
Shen Wuyang: "People outside have made him out to be incredibly powerful, thinking he must be amazing, but the result is truly disappointing!"
...
A group of the best team members complained that Yan Lingyi lacked ambition, as if they were all his mentors.
At this moment, in the center of the training ground, Lu Shenzhi and Yan Lingyi stood facing each other.
Yan Lingyi was serious, while Lu Shenzhi smiled easily. That smile inexplicably reminded Yan Lingyi of Shi Xuan standing opposite him three days ago, looking at him with the same smile.
How infuriating! Don't any of them know how to laugh?
Lu Shenzhi had already taken out his Frost Condensation Sword. The snow-white blade trembled slightly as he sent out a faint sword aura at Yan Lingyi.
This was a sword aura that posed no real threat; it seemed more like a sword aura that had accidentally escaped while drawing the sword. Yan Lingyi didn't even dodge; he simply flicked his sleeve and neutralized the useless sword aura.
Yan Lingyi was thinking that he had already lost face by facing the second-place opponent. If he had to fight the second-place opponent for too long, he would be even more embarrassed.
So he decided to finish the fight quickly and knock his opponent out of the ring in one move!
Thinking this, Yan Lingyi raised her hand first, and a surge of rich fire spiritual power came out. She actually used the same move as yesterday, "Blazing Cloud Piercing," right at the start!
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