Lie Renwo VS Lu Feng.

"Who is this interloper, and how dare he distract us from our impending match?" Jiao Long sneered, his eyes narrowing at Lie Renwo's sudden arrival.

Jiao Long propelled Lie Renwo backwards with a fluid motion, his menacing demeanor unmistakable. Lie Renwo's ire was piqued, and he took a step forward, his fist clenched in indignation.

"Enough!" Mei intervened, her voice firm yet tranquil. "This is not the time for petty squabbles."

Lie Renwo's anger simmered, but he slowly lowered his fist, albeit reluctantly. Jiao Long's malevolent laughter echoed through the air as he declared, "Are you the one I'll vanquish last, Lie Renwo? Pray for your very existence, for if we meet in the match, your soul will rue the day."

As they parted ways, Lie Renwo escorted Ling Yin to safety.

"Are you unscathed, Ling?" Lie Renwo inquired, his concern evident.

"Yes, I am," Ling replied, her countenance radiant with a warm smile.

"Thank you, Lie," Ling Yin expressed her gratitude.

"For what, Ling?" Lie asked, his curiosity piqued.

"You saved my life, and I'm eternally grateful," Ling replied, her voice filled with sincerity.

"It was my pleasure, Ling," Lie Renwo replied, his tone magnanimous.

"How did he discover the trap?" the Dark Emperor inquired, his voice tinged with curiosity.

Tianyang emerged, explaining, "It was my stratagem to inform him."

"You will rue the day for your actions," the Dark Emperor's voice thundered, as Tianyang retorted, "It's too late; he has escaped."

The Dark Emperor stood calmly, his eyes fixed intently on Tianyang. Suddenly, he rotated his body clockwise, his feet gliding in a circular motion. A deep, guttural grunt escaped his lips as he generated torque.

Tianyang launched a straightforward punch, but the Dark Emperor continued rotating, his right palm angled at 45 degrees. "Bagua palm strike!" His palms slammed into Tianyang's wrist, deflecting his punch with ease.

Tianyang rapidly recovered and kicked, but the Dark Emperor rotated counterclockwise, his left palm angled downward. "_Earth trigram strike!_" His palm struck Tianyang's kicking leg, neutralizing the attack and sending him stumbling backward.

Tianyang quickly regained his balance and attempted a hook punch. The Dark Emperor continued his counterclockwise rotation, his right palm angled upward. "_Heaven trigram block!_" His palm blocked Tianyang's hook punch, creating an opening for a devastating counterattack.

The Dark Emperor seized the opportunity, rotating clockwise once more. "_Thunder trigram strike!_" His angled palm thrust forward, striking Tianyang's chest with concentrated force.

Tianyang stumbled backward, gasping for air. The Dark Emperor maintained his circular footwork, adapting to Tianyang's retreat. "_Water trigram flow!_" He flowed forward with Tianyang's movement, his palms poised for another strike.

Tianyang, in a state of desperation, unleashed a frenzied flurry of punches. The Dark Emperor rotated rapidly, his palms weaving in intricate circular motions. "_Wind trigram deflection!_" His palms deflected each punch with ease, creating openings for devastating counterstrikes.

The outcome was unequivocal; Tianyang stumbled backward, vanquished. The Dark Emperor stood victorious, his Eight Trigrams Palm technique superior. Tianyang's body vanished into thin air.

"Next time, I shall vanquish Lie Renwo," the Dark Emperor declared ominously.

The match commenced, with only three families remaining: the Xiao Family, Li family, and Wang family. The crowd was ecstatic, their excitement palpable.

These three families boasted superior cultivators. The Wang family's young cultivator, Jiao Long, had unlocked the highest core breakthrough tier and was at level nine, poised to advance to the early nascent soul tier.

The Li family's young cultivator, Lu Feng, was at the middle stage of the core consolidation tier, level 8.

The only son of the Supreme God, Lie Renwo, was at the high Supreme level, but his cultivation was unknown, as it changed and hid. His current cultivation was at the early core breakthrough tier.

After the judge announced their stages, Jiao Long approached Lie Renwo and declared, "You are now at the early stage of core breakthrough, and you want to defeat me? Impossible, Lie Renwo."

He walked away from Lie Renwo, and Mr. Wang, the head of the Wang family, smiled and said, "This tournament will be ours this time, and no one can break our record since the Supreme God's demise."

"Lie Renwo, you're going to fight Lu Feng next. I believe you can win this match,

The atmosphere was electric, with anticipation hanging palpably in the air. The forthcoming match between Lie Renwo from the Xiao Family and Lu Feng from the Li family had everyone on the edge of their seats, wondering who would emerge victorious. The announcer's voice boomed, "The winner of this match will proceed to face Jiao Long in the next round."

The two cultivators assumed their positions on the stage, poised to clash in the mystical realm of Jianghu.

[Li Renwo ]

- Cultivation Level: Early Core Breakthrough Stage (40% core formed)

- Techniques:

- Rapid Fist: Expeditious punches generating turbulent whirlwind effects.

- Renwo Burst: Sudden release of inner energy augmenting physical prowess.

- Core Strike: Partially formed core energy infused into attacks, amplifying their potency.

- Abilities:

- Qi Circulation: Efficient energy flow maintaining stamina and vital energy.

- Instinctual Defense: Reactive protection against unexpected attacks, honed through intuition and experience.

Lu Feng:

- Cultivation Level: Core Consolidation Tier (70% core formed)

- Techniques:

- Core Explosion: Powerful blasts of consolidated core energy, capable of devastating opponents.

- Feng Claw: Sharp claw attacks infused with wind attributes, augmenting speed and agility.

- Shield of Qi: Protective barrier generated by dense Qi, affording defense against incoming attacks.

- Abilities:

- Core Reinforcement*: Enhanced strength via consolidated core energy, amplifying physical power.

- Wind Affinity: Augmented speed and agility through wind manipulation, allowing for swift movements.

The battle commences

The crowd erupted into cheers as Li Renwo and Lu Feng faced off, their eyes locked in a fierce stare. The referee's voice thundered, "Begin!"

Lu Feng unleashed Core Explosion, a potent blast of energy, but Li Renwo countered with *Instinctual Defense*, barely deflecting the attack.

Li Renwo riposted with Rapid Fist, striking Lu Feng repeatedly with expeditious punches, yet Lu Feng withstood the assault using Shield of Qi.

Lu Feng employed Feng Claw, swift claw attacks slicing through the air towards Li Renwo, but Li Renwo leaned back, avoiding the initial strikes, and then countered with Renwo Burst!

Enhanced strength propelled Li Renwo forward, his fists clashing with Lu Feng's claws in a flurry of motion.

Both cultivators exchanged blows, neither yielding:

Lu Feng's Wind Affinity augmented his speed, but Li Renwo's Qi Circulation maintained his stamina.

Lu Feng attempted Core Explosion again, but Li Renwo anticipated this!

He utilized Instinctual Defense to deflect the initial blast energy, then struck back with 'Core Strike'!

Partial core energy infused into Li Renwo's punch destabilized Lu Feng's Shield of Qi.

Lu Feng stumbled back, momentarily open to attacks.

Li Renwo seized the opportunity with rapid combinations of Rapid Fist!

Lu Feng tried to recover with Feng Claw, but Li Renwo's flurry overwhelmed him.

Lu Feng collapses, defeated.

Li Renwo stands victorious!

Energy expenditure:

Li Renwo - 60% energy remaining

Lu Feng - exhausted

Li Renwo bowed respectfully towards Lu Feng, acknowledging his strong opposition.

The crowd cheered wildly, impressed by Li Renwo's strategic victory!

Li Renwo's thoughts: "The next match awaits... I must conserve my remaining energy wisely."