C4 Han Dongling

Certainly, Hsu Fann's reason for coming here wasn't to catch the eye of the sect's elite, but to make a splash. He aimed to become a household name within the sect, which would allow him to forge more friendships and gather more energy!

But...

No sooner had Hsu Fann arrived than he encountered a very familiar face — Han Dongling!

"Hey! Isn't this our dear little Hsu Fann? Just a friendly reminder, this isn't a place for just anyone to join the excitement!"

"Exactly. Not to mention whether you could last an hour, but the entry fee alone is a hundred top-grade spirit stones. You'd probably need to save up for three to five years. Can you even afford it?"

Before Han Dongling could speak, his two lackeys stepped up, blocking Hsu Fann's path and looking down on him with contempt.

"Didn't I make myself clear a few days ago? When you see me, you should take a detour. Did you forget?"

Han Dongling approached at a leisurely pace, his face shadowed with a chilly demeanor.

Internally, Hsu Fann was already chuckling. He had been pondering how to boost his reputation, and here was the perfect opportunity handed to him on a silver platter. Could the heavens be any more generous?

Struggling to keep a straight face, Hsu Fann looked panicked, a mix of defiance and anxiety playing across his features as he blurted out, "You... Han Dongling, don't push me too far... What do you want?"

Seeing Hsu Fann's apparent terror, Han Dongling and his entourage couldn't be more smug. A crowd quickly gathered, eager for the spectacle. It was clear that drama was a crowd-pleaser.

"Hmph! What do I want? Don't you know? Crawl under my crotch, swear to steer clear of Junior Sister Lin Qingyao from now on, or else..."

"Or else what?"

Hsu Fann's face was still etched with fear, but now tinged with conflict, he spoke up with righteous anger, "If you keep this up, Qingyao won't stand for it! You think I'll crawl under your crotch? In your dreams!"

As expected, the mention of Lin Qingyao once more shifted Han Dongling's expression. Murmurs of disapproval rippled through the onlookers, who derided Hsu Fann for his lack of dignity, hiding behind Junior Sister Lin as he did.

"Since you can't appreciate what's good for you, I'll thoroughly extinguish any hope you have for Junior Sister Lin! Today, I'll cripple you!"

A murderous glint shone in Han Dongling's eyes. Hsu Fann understood that although the Mysterious Sect had strict rules against disciples inflicting serious harm during sparring, if Han Dongling really did cripple him, the sect would likely still side with him.

This was not just because he was an Inner Sect disciple, but also because his brother was a student of the sect's enigmatic Great Elder. Han Dongling had a history of crippling others and his continued arrogance was a clear indication of his protected status.

Now, with the system on his side, Hsu Fann knew it wouldn't be easy for Han Dongling to kill him. But today, he intended not only to make a name for himself but also to utterly humiliate his opponent and ensure Han Dongling could never hold his head high in the Mysterious Sect again.

"Hmph! How shameless can you be, a mighty fifth-layer Breatharianism Stage, picking on someone at the fifth circle of the Golden Core Stage like me?"

As expected, Hsu Fann's words resonated with some in the crowd. The gap of an entire realm was indeed too much; it was outright bullying.

This was exactly the reaction Hsu Fann was aiming for. Han Dongling might have been domineering within the sect, but he still cared about his reputation.

"Fine! Today, I'll seal my own realm and defeat you with the strength of the Golden Core Stage. Then we'll see what you have to say! But there's another condition. If you lose, you must swear a Great Dao Oath to leave the Mysterious Sect and never show your face to Junior Sister Lin again! How about that?"

Han Dongling, provoked, accepted Hsu Fann's challenge.

"Fine! But what if you lose?"

"Me, lose?"

Han Dongling and his entourage laughed as if they'd heard the funniest joke, and even the spectators joined in. No one believed Han Dongling could lose, even with his cultivation suppressed.

"If I, Han Dongling, lose, then you can decide my fate. Are we clear? You'd better watch out!"

Unconcerned, Han Dongling was about to strike when Hsu Fann cut him off once more!

"Slow down! I'm not ready yet... Everyone knows your brother is a disciple of the Great Elder. What could I possibly do to you? And if you lose, you're going to swear never to bother Sister Qingyao again, and to leave me alone for good!"

"Agreed! Bring it on!"

Once they had exchanged oaths, Han Dongling swiftly suppressed his cultivation to the fifth level of the Golden Core Stage, while the onlookers cleared a space for them. The duel was officially underway!

"Prepare to die!"

With those words, Han Dongling's palm surged with spiritual energy, lightning crackling around it, as he unleashed a fearsome blast of power straight at Hsu Fann's chest.

Hsu Fann, confident in his ability to handle the attack, didn't let his guard down. Muttering incantations, he employed an evasion technique to sidestep Han Dongling's frontal assault.

"Sword Flight, Seek the Path!"

Drawing a long sword, he wielded it with the Sword Control Technique, aiming a thrust at Han Dongling's back.

"Hmph! Child's play."

Han Dongling scoffed, summoning his own sword. With a swift maneuver, he evaded Hsu Fann's strike. His sword flew from his grasp, hurtling toward Hsu Fann's face with a terrifying velocity and a thunderous sonic boom.

Hsu Fann was taken aback. Even with his cultivation suppressed, Han Dongling's combat instincts and weapon mastery from the Breatharianism Stage were not something a Golden Core Stage cultivator could easily match.

But Hsu Fann was no ordinary Golden Core Stage cultivator!

Thus, the two exchanged blows in a fierce contest. To make the fight convincing, Hsu Fann took hits that made him spit blood, and allowed Han Dongling to land several stabs, tearing his clothes and leaving him looking quite disheveled.

As the fight wore on, Han Dongling's expression grew increasingly grim. Half an hour had slipped by, and he realized that despite Hsu Fann's constant retreat and passive defense, he couldn't land a critical hit. Failing to defeat a mere Golden Core Stage cultivator was a serious blow to his pride.

"The time has come to finish this!"

Spiritual energy within Han Dongling's body surged violently, unleashing a formidable pressure that bore down on Hsu Fann.

Sensing the moment was right, Hsu Fann rallied the rich and potent spirit energy from his dantian, bracing himself to withstand his adversary's lethal strike.

Han Dongling leapt into the air, his form resembling a colossal sword, descending upon Hsu Fann with a fearsome force from above.

"Boom!"

A thunderous noise echoed from Shadow Peak, clearly surpassing the might of a cultivator at the Golden Core Stage. As the dust settled, Han Dongling's entourage, poised to celebrate their leader's victory, instead found him battered and disheveled, lying motionless in a deep crater.

Despite appearing disheveled and even spitting blood, Hsu Fann remained standing at the edge of the pit.

The outcome was clear—victory had been decided.

"Han Dongling... actually lost?"

The onlookers were in shock. To them, even with Han Dongling's cultivation sealed, Hsu Fann's defeat seemed certain. Yet there lay Han Dongling, unconscious, while Hsu Fann stood tall.