C24 Cheating!

Lin Xuan's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

That punch was intentional.

Had Zhang Hee not held back his ace, he wouldn't have withstood the blow.

He would've been blasted off the platform long ago.

Lin Xuan's strategy was to amass a greater number of energy points.

Zhang Hee rose to his feet, shaking his right arm, a persistent pain coursing through it.

His gaze towards Lin Xuan was laden with astonishment.

He recognized Lin Xuan's formidable strength, suspecting he was outmatched.

Yet, the breadth of their disparity was beyond his imagination.

He had barely survived a single punch. He was on the brink of defeat.

And Lin Xuan? He seemed unfazed, clearly not having exerted his full power.

This realization only deepened Zhang Hee's sense of alarm.

Both at the Early Enlightenment Stage, Lin Xuan's prowess vastly surpassed his own.

Clearly, Lin Xuan's natural talent was far superior.

Reluctant as he was to concede, concede he must.

"At least I have one last card to play," Zhang Hee reassured himself silently.

But truth be told, his confidence had waned.

He fixed Lin Xuan with a steely look and declared:

"Lin Xuan, your strength is undeniable!

But victory today will be mine!"

With those words, he activated the Boiling Blood Technique.

The onlookers snickered at his claim.

He had barely caught Lin Xuan's punch and nearly toppled from the stage.

How could he claim victory now?

Where did Zhang Hee's confidence stem from?

But their laughter was short-lived.

On the stage, Zhang Hee's aura was surging.

It accelerated rapidly to the Middle Enlightenment Stage and showed no signs of stopping.

It wasn't until reaching the Late Enlightenment Stage that it finally steadied.

His presence filled the arena, stirring a gust of wind.

Zhang Hee appeared larger, his eyes threaded with veins of red.

Yet the crowd was oblivious to these changes; their attention was riveted on Zhang Hee's cultivation level.

Eyes widened in disbelief.

Moments ago, Zhang Hee was at the Early Enlightenment Stage. How had he ascended to the Late Enlightenment Stage in such a brief span?

Was it possible that Zhang Hee had been concealing his true power all along?

The crowd was simultaneously shocked and bewildered.

Their gazes then shifted to Lin Xuan with a sense of regret.

Lin Xuan's talent was undeniable; he truly deserved the title of Green Jade City's top prodigy.

But in this tournament, second place would be his ceiling.

They were clueless about how Zhang Hee managed to advance to the Late Enlightenment Stage.

Despite Lin Xuan's previously demonstrated formidable combat prowess, nobody believed he stood a chance against Zhang Hee now.

Silence fell over the eastern stands where the Lin Family sat. The Patriarch, the Head Elder, and others wore somber expressions.

They recognized the use of a special secret technique.

Zhang Hee was essentially cheating.

The Drifting Cloud Sect's emissary, perched on the high platform, surely couldn't miss it.

His silence was as good as complicity.

All the Lin Family could do was bite back their rage, silent and seething.

Lin Xuan was meant to clinch first place.

Now, he was relegated to second.

Still, he would retain his status as the premier genius of Green Jade City.

Lin Shiyun watched Lin Xuan with concern etched on her face.

She wasn't preoccupied with whether he would win first place.

Her only wish was for him to emerge unscathed.

The Wu and Chen families reveled in schadenfreude.

The Zhang family members from the City Lord's Mansion were all smiles, as if Zhang Hee had the championship in the bag.

In their view, Lin Xuan's defeat was a foregone conclusion.

At this juncture, whether it was the Wu Family, the Chen Family, the City Lord's Mansion, or even the Lin Family, none held much hope for Lin Xuan.

The power gap between the Early and Late Enlightenment Stages was simply too vast.

It was a chasm that far exceeded anything in the Body Refining Stage.

Lin Xuan might have overcome stronger opponents in the Body Refining Stage, but besting those at a higher level in the Enlightenment Stage would be a much tougher challenge.

Atop the high platform, Zhang Wenyong's face broke into a grin as he watched Zhang Hee invoke the Boiling Blood Technique, catapulting his strength to the Late Enlightenment Stage.

He couldn't fathom Lin Xuan defeating Zhang Hee.

No matter how talented Lin Xuan was, was it really possible for him to leap across two whole realms and contend with the Late Enlightenment Stage while only in the Early Enlightenment Stage? Such a prodigy was unheard of.

And he certainly couldn't bring himself to believe Lin Xuan was one.

Zhang Wenyong then shifted his gaze to Lin Qiyuan, eagerly anticipating a look of frustration and anger.

But his expectations were dashed.

Both Lin Qiyuan and Zhao Quxin wore expressions of calm indifference, as if the spectacle before them hardly merited a second glance.

A sense of foreboding crept over Zhang Wenyong, but he pushed it aside, convinced of Zhang Hee's victory.

He figured Lin Qiyuan's demeanor stemmed from a cold detachment, an indifference to his family's affairs.

It wasn't that Lin Qiyuan had faith in Lin Xuan. Rumors of his aloof nature were already widespread in Green Jade City. Otherwise, with Lin Qiyuan's unmatched prowess, the Lin Family would have easily eclipsed the other three major organizations and taken sole control of Green Jade City by now. Yet, the Lin Family remained in second place.

This was the logic underpinning Zhang Wenyong's speculation.

Regrettably, he was mistaken.

He had misjudged not only Lin Qiyuan but also Zhao Quxin's stance.

Unseen by Zhang Wenyong, Zhao Quxin and Lin Qiyuan were intently observing the contest in the arena. A glint of icy sharpness flickered in Zhao Quxin's eyes. He was not blind to the underhanded tactics at play.

His reason for not intervening against such foul play was the same as Lin Qiyuan's: confidence in Lin Xuan.

As a Condensation Spin Stage warrior, three major realms above the Enlightenment Stage, his insights were naturally clearer.

They both recognized the robust foundation and formidable strength of Lin Xuan, which outshone all other young disciples present. Throughout the match, Lin Xuan had yet to reveal his full capabilities.

That's why he refrained from interfering with Zhang Hee.

It was a rarity, after all, to encounter such a promising talent in a modest city like Green Jade City.

Zhao Quxin was eager to gauge the true extent of Lin Xuan's abilities.

He planned to use Zhang Hee, who had advanced to the Late Enlightenment Stage, as a means to test Lin Xuan.

Should Lin Xuan emerge victorious over Zhang Hee, it would be ideal.

However, if Lin Xuan proved to be no match for Zhang Hee, Zhao Quxin was prepared to intervene and rescue him.

In Zhao's view, Lin Xuan's worth far exceeded the combined value of the other nine available spots.

Furthermore, he intended to harshly discipline the Zhang Family afterward, serving as a stern warning to all.

The trend of cheating must not be allowed to grow; he was determined to put a stop to it.