Compared to the guardian formation arranged by that white-haired man, Yuan Shu's guardian formation was far more elaborate.
This guardian formation was also semi-transparent, but incomparably magnificent — it took the shape of a palace.
Surrounding the palace sat Xuan Martial beasts in meditative repose, each radiating an imposing and extraordinary presence.
The aura pressing against one's face was one of absolute invincibility.
"Tch, all flash and no substance."
Yet, faced with Yuan Shu's guardian formation, the white-haired man simply smiled with contempt before he began setting up his own formation.
Soon, a golden longsword materialized before him.
But this sword was barely over a meter in length.
While it looked exquisitely crafted, compared to Yuan Shu's previously deployed offensive grand formation, the difference in sheer imposing force was beyond measure.
Moreover, the white-haired man had set up his formation faster than Yuan Shu.
In barrier technique contests, there were strict rules governing setup time.
Generally, as long as one did not exceed the allotted time, anything went.
Therefore, to achieve perfection, Spirit World Masters would typically take as much time as the rules allowed to set up their formations.
But this white-haired man had done no such thing. He chose to complete his formation ahead of schedule.
Such behavior was practically an open show of disdain for Yuan Shu.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh — and suddenly, the white-haired man struck.
But the moment he made his move, it became clear that the golden longsword in his hand was no simple weapon.
The golden longsword began to transform, and in the blink of an eye, it split into over ten thousand golden longswords.
The ten thousand-plus golden swords soared through the sky, blotting out the sun as they descended upon Yuan Shu in a dense, rain-like barrage.
The onslaught of the sword rain was so powerful that in the span of a single blink, Yuan Shu was already showing signs of being unable to hold on.
"How can it be this strong?"
Yuan Shu's eyes were wide with shock. He had already comprehended the first level of the Dragon Transformation. Even if he wasn't as skilled as his opponent, the gap shouldn't be this enormous, right?
Crack — crack —
But before Yuan Shu could dwell on it further, cracks had already begun to spread across his guardian barrier.
"Brother Li, I concede defeat."
Yuan Shu knew that continuing to hold on was pointless, so he openly admitted defeat.
Yet upon hearing Yuan Shu's words, the white-haired man merely smiled coldly. Far from showing any intention of stopping, his offensive only grew more ferocious.
Before long, Yuan Shu's guardian formation was completely pierced through.
And the golden sword rain converged upon Yuan Shu from all sides.
Crash — but before the golden sword rain could reach Yuan Shu, it shattered to pieces.
The white-haired man's offensive grand formation had been broken!!!
Seeing this, the white-haired man's face darkened with displeasure.
"Yuan Shu, we agreed — a barrier technique contest, no use of martial force. What is the meaning of this?"
The white-haired man asked in a stern voice.
"It was I who used martial force."
Suddenly, a voice rang out, and moments later, a figure landed beside Yuan Shu.
It was none other than Yuan Shu's Master, Grandmaster Tang Chen.
"Master, you've returned."
Upon seeing Grandmaster Tang Chen, Yuan Shu was both surprised and filled with shame.
Because he knew the identity of the other party.
The black-haired old man was called the Beast Sovereign.
He was not only a peak Sovereign realm expert, but also a renowned Spirit World Master throughout the entire Holy Light Galaxy.
As for the white-haired man, his name was Li Fengxue, and he was the Beast Sovereign's personal disciple.
The Beast Sovereign and Grandmaster Tang Chen were old acquaintances.
And Li Fengxue and Yuan Shu were close in age.
In this Spirit World Master contest, Yuan Shu's defeat had not only cost him his own face, but also the face of his Master, Grandmaster Tang Chen.
And his Master was someone who valued his reputation above all else.
This terrified Yuan Shu. He felt he had let his Master down, and he feared his Master's punishment.
"Yuan Shu, are you alright?"
Yet to Yuan Shu's surprise, Grandmaster Tang Chen — who had always been strict and fiercely protective of his reputation — not only did not blame him, but showed genuine concern.
"Master, your disciple is fine."
Yuan Shu replied.
"Good."
Grandmaster Tang Chen nodded, then turned his gaze toward the Beast Sovereign.
"Beast Sovereign, does this disciple of yours have a problem with his ears?"