Advance to the Top Eight

Most of the people off the court didn't know how Jiang Yun made his move, but there was still a small group of people who witnessed Jiang Yun breaking Zhang Zhe's refined steel knife with his fingers. Xiao Jinhu, in particular, clearly saw this.

Xiao Jinhu, as a practitioner of psychic abilities with exceptional mental power, could see through appearances and grasp the essence. He wasn't misled by the meteor-like beam of light; he saw Jiang Yun's actions throughout the arena.

When Jiang Yun's fingertip gripped Zhang Zhe's knife, Xiao Jinhu instinctively touched the silver bracelet on his left wrist. He looked at Jiang Yun as he snapped Zhang Zhe's knife with his own hands, and in that moment, Jiang Yun's action left a considerable impact on his heart.

He pondered that while he might have been able to block Zhang Zhe's attack with relative ease if he were in Jiang Yun's place, he wouldn't have done it with just two fingers.

Compared to the disciples below the stage, the elders of the three sects situated at the higher tiers found Jiang Yun's intentional diversionary tactic somewhat laughable. They couldn't escape the discerning eyes of these seasoned experts.

"Master Hu's disciple seems to possess significantly higher strength compared to these outer sect disciples. His background must be extraordinary."

Though Liang Hangluo addressed this to Master Hu Qing, his gaze was fixed on Li Yifeng. Since Hu Qing's single remark had caused the alliance between Yan Yue Sect and God Dao Sect to collapse, Hu Qing had been frequently trying to establish rapport with Li Yifeng over the past few days. Liang Hangluo, observing this, wasn't about to let Hu Qing gain Li Yifeng's favor so easily, and his statement had the undertone of sowing discord.

"Master Li, your insight is truly sharp. Hasn't Elder Xia of your sect informed you that Jiang Yun is already my Senior Qu's disciple? I assumed Master Li was already aware, and I mentioned it to Master Li."

Hu Qing spoke candidly, inwardly amused that Liang Hangluo indeed lacked experience in managing sect affairs and political maneuvering. By explicitly mentioning Jiang Yun's identity, he mirrored Hu Qing's own strategy. He used this opportunity to disclose Jiang Yun's status, portraying it as if he wasn't intentionally concealing it and turning the situation back on Liang Hangluo.

Hu Qing's words were clear – he had revealed Jiang Yun's identity to Hu Xia, an elder of Yan Yue Sect, long ago. Therefore, as the sect master, Liang Hangluo must have been aware. Since Liang Hangluo knew Jiang Yun's identity but hadn't informed Li Yifeng, it would deepen Li Yifeng's suspicions of Liang Hangluo's intentions.

Li Yifeng's eyes flared with anger at Hu Qing's revelation. He stared at Liang Hangluo, practically seething. He exclaimed, "Master Liang, you're truly slow to react, huh? Don't tell me that even today was the first time you found out?"

"Master Li, don't let this old fox Hu Qing manipulate you. I truly only found out today," Liang Hangluo replied, his intention to tell Li Yifeng that he had indeed learned about it recently. But unexpectedly, Liang Hangluo's response was preempted by Li Yifeng, leaving him somewhat incoherent.

"Liang Hangluo, are you insulting my intelligence, or your own?"

Listening to Liang Hangluo shamelessly follow his lead, Li Yifeng couldn't contain his anger and frustration. He directly called out Liang Hangluo's name in his exasperation.

On the main stage, the tension between the three sect masters was palpable, while below, the eight contestants who had advanced were gathered to draw lots for their matches.

After Jiang Yun left the stage, the top eight contestants were determined: three from Tianjian Sect, three from Yan Yue Sect, and two from God Dao Sect.

Tianjian Sect's representatives were: Jiang Yun, Wang Kaihai, and Yang Jinyan.

Yan Yue Sect's representatives were: Xiao Jinhu, Chen Si, and Huang Xiongjie.

God Dao Sect's representatives were: Long Jiang'an and Chen Dong.

Conducting the draw was still Lu Yao. Jiang Yun had luck on his side this time, drawing Huang Xiongjie from Yan Yue Sect as his opponent. Jiang Yun had seen Huang Xiongjie's abilities in action before. Huang Xiongjie excelled in footwork, ranking among the best among Yan Yue Sect's outer disciples.

However, Huang Xiongjie's remarkable footwork came with a fatal flaw – his cultivation was comparatively low. In comparison to Jiang Yun's peak Elemental Martial Ninth Layer cultivation, Huang Xiongjie only had Elemental Martial Sixth Layer. This disparity was quite significant.

As the lots were drawn for the top eight, Wang Kaihai and Yang Jinyan of Tianjian Sect faced challenging opponents, particularly Wang Kaihai, who drew Long Jiang'an as his opponent. Similarly, Yang Jinyan's opponent was Chen Si, someone he had previously clashed with.

Facing Long Jiang'an was essentially an uphill battle for Wang Kaihai, and even for Yang Jinyan against Chen Si, the odds of winning were slim. Three months ago, they had fought and Yang Jinyan hadn't even lasted ten moves against Chen Si. Despite Yang Jinyan's progress over these three months, victory against Chen Si remained elusive.

Still, Wang Kaihai and Yang Jinyan had optimistic attitudes. Reaching the top eight was already a source of contentment, even if they didn't make it to the top four. At least, in the elimination rounds, they had shown their strengths to many.

"Even though the fight hasn't begun, why do you two belittle yourselves? Even if you lose, make it a splendid defeat. What do you say? Now, let's go and prepare well. Tomorrow, show your best."

Jiang Yun patted their shoulders, boosting their morale. Yang Jinyan and Wang Kaihai exchanged puzzled looks, wondering if something had happened to Jiang Yun today. He seemed more enthusiastic than usual.

"Did something good happen to you?"

Yang Jinyan looked at Jiang Yun with a mischievous smile, connecting the dots. He said, "Oh, I see now. Good brother, you have a sense of righteousness. We won't take up more of your time."

Yang Jinyan winked playfully at Jiang Yun and led Wang Kaihai away. As they left, Lu Yao approached, witnessing their departure, and asked with confusion, "Why did they leave? Aren't you going together?"

"They... had something to attend to and left early. Don't worry about them. Did you need something from me?"

Jiang Yun stumbled over his words, trying to brush off the topic. He then turned to face Lu Yao, meeting her crescent-moon-shaped, beautiful eyes.