The moment this punch landed, the entire territory of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals fell dead silent.
The woman, however, remained utterly calm. She slowly withdrew her fist and said, "Let us return."
A flicker of dread flashed in the eyes of the Five Elders Association’s martial bout representatives as well. They trailed behind the peasant woman, gradually vanishing from the Viewing Mirror's display.
It was not until the peak Soul Formation cultivator representing the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, Xu Jing, woke from his stupor with a bewildered expression that the spectators finally snapped out of their shock.
"Whoa! That old woman is terrifyingly strong!"
"That punch felt as if it could grind the Great Dao itself into dust!"
"Did any of you catch how she made her move?"
Spectators everywhere, including Li Fan, repeatedly replayed the footage just recorded by the Viewing Mirrors.
Yet even slowed down to the absolute limit, they still could not see the peasant woman's movements clearly.
Their vision merely blurred, a fleeting shadow of a fist appeared, and Xu Jing had already been suppressed by the sheer force of the strike, knocked dead unconscious.
"Peasant Woman's Three Punches: heaven collapses, earth caves in."
As if even the commentator had been stunned into silence by the punch, it took a long while before a line slowly drifted onto the mirror's surface.
"Peasant Woman's Three Punches? Does that mean she still has two punches left in that ultimate technique?"
"*Hiss*... That very first punch could easily crush a prodigy like Xu Jing. If she unleashed all three, who could possibly withstand it?"
"Shuo Feng definitely couldn't. What about Di Luwu?"
"Di Luwu is too fast; she might not even be able to hit him."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
...
Amid the clamor of debate, the first day of competitions finally drew to a close.
The concluding draw seemed to have set a favorable opening for this "Friendly Exchange Gathering."
Yet as the days went by and the remaining contests—Dao, Artifacts, Formations, Alchemy, and Talismans—all unexpectedly ended in draws as well,
the atmosphere gradually grew bizarre.
If the bouts on the first and second days had ended in draws, one could still stretch it as a coincidence.
To have every single competition over six consecutive days end the exact same way...
The implications were rather intriguing.
It seemed the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Five Elders Association had reached a secret understanding, jointly broadcasting a certain message to all cultivators:
A signal of "peace."
In every field, both sides appeared evenly matched.
If war reignited, deciding a victor would be near impossible; at best, both sides would suffer mutual ruin.
In that case, what need was there to fight?
Thus, cultivators across the realm came to a collective realization. This so-called Friendly Exchange Gathering was nothing more than an elaborate show.
The final outcomes had likely been decided long before, with every match performed according to a script.
Still, spending a hundred contribution points just to enjoy the spectacle—and even getting to replay and study the battles of various prodigies to glean some insights—was hardly a loss for the vast majority of cultivators.
Moreover, this performance appeared to establish "peace" as the governing keynote for the foreseeable future, finally putting the cultivators' minds at ease.
Consequently, long after the gathering concluded, discussions about it persisted unabated.
"Looking at the prodigies who took the stage in these bouts, they aren't all that remarkable. Strong, yes, but hardly beyond our imagination. I'm currently at the Nascent Soul realm; once I break through, I might well be able to contend with them!"
"Indeed. Take that nine-year-old Soul Formation cultivator, Di Luwu, for example. He's young, after all. Looking at his combat style, he was merely a bit fast. With careful planning, one could surely find a way to counter him."
"I had the exact same thought! Seems it wasn't just my imagination?"
"Our generation must strive hard in cultivation. Who knows, if there's another exhibition match in the future, we might take the stage ourselves and make a name across the world."
...
Just as cultivators everywhere began to believe that they, too, had what it took, Li Fan received a transmission from Immortal Lord Hongxi.
"The true contest between both sides is about to begin. Kid, want to come watch?"
Li Fan's heart stirred slightly.
"The true contest? What do you mean, My Lord?"
Hongxi replied in a languid tone, "This Friendly Exchange Gathering is divided into public and hidden halves. On the surface, they were scripted exhibition matches with predetermined outcomes.
"Neither side could display power that would induce despair and terror. The great war has only recently ceased, and this is precisely when fresh blood is needed. It wouldn't do to crush their enthusiasm for cultivation.
"So neither side went all out in those matches.
"In private, however, they must truly determine a victor and probe each other's depths.
"The entire process must remain strictly confidential, with each province granted only two slots for remote viewing. Ziyun is observing in person on-site, which left one spot open,"
Immortal Lord Hongxi explained.
Hearing this, Li Fan accepted at once, feeling a sense of clarity.
He had also felt that the performances of those prodigies left something to be desired. While their techniques and moves were indeed astounding, none had displayed a truly breathtaking grand divine power.
At an equivalent realm, let alone compared to Li Fan himself, even Zhong Shentong—master of the Seven-Colored Divine Light—could not be said to hold a guaranteed victory.
Now it was clear that there had indeed been something fishy going on.
Li Fan arrived at the Administration Hall, where Hongxi was already waiting.
Hongxi lightly tapped the table, and in an instant, heaven and earth shifted scenes.
Moving from Congyun Immortal City, they found themselves atop a mountain peak shrouded in a sea of clouds.
Li Fan was startled at first. Seeing that Hongxi harbored no ill intent, however, he chose to watch quietly for the moment.
"This match is about to begin. There will be no commentary. How much you comprehend depends entirely on yourself."
As he spoke, Hongxi waved his wide sleeve. In the distance, the sea of clouds churned, revealing a massive square seal.
The pattern carved upon the seal bore a slight resemblance to the scenery of the Congyun Sea.
At that moment, the seal projected a beam of radiance upward, illuminating the firmament.
The next instant, two figures suddenly appeared.
These were not merely lifelike projections; even the aura and oppressive pressure radiating from them felt solid and real.
As if a mountain had abruptly crashed onto his back, Li Fan was nearly bent double, struggling to breathe.
The grotto-heaven dharmic power within his body circulated gently—not going all out, just easing the burden slightly.
Li Fan fixed his gaze on the two figures standing tall above the cloud sea.
One of them bore an uncanny resemblance to the nine-year-old Soul Formation cultivator who had appeared previously. Even his attire and weapon were identical.
Yet he appeared even younger—a child of merely five or six.
"Please instruct me!" Even his voice sounded soft, childish, and terribly adorable.
Yet when he made his move, Li Fan’s expression changed drastically.
With a gentle grasp at the void ahead, tens of thousands of silver rays instantly rained down across heaven and earth.
While completely dyeing the world into a silver realm, it also seemed to transform his surroundings into a domain under his absolute command.
In Li Fan's perception, the space ahead had already become like an independent world.
'I fear even the effect of my Insect Binding divine power would be drastically weakened in there,'
a thought flashed across Li Fan's mind.
Chapter 625