Zhuang Bufan turned a deaf ear to Yang Kai's persuasion. A hint of madness flickered across his usually composed features as he bellowed, "In my world, there is no such thing as backing down!"
"Very well!" Yang Kai roared in response, his dazzling golden light blazing even brighter. His body trembled as every ounce of his Source Energy surged outward, pressing down with frenzied force. "If that's how you want it, then I'll grant your wish!"
Boom…
A deafening roar shook the air as the golden light completely suppressed the white radiance, gradually swallowing it whole. Where Zhuang Bufan stood, a massive crater had already formed. Atop the mountain, sand and stone whipped into a frenzy as the wind and clouds shifted in turmoil.
Amid the blinding glare, a figure suddenly shot out and hovered in midair, gasping heavily, his entire body drenched in blood.
The members of the Wuhua Hall looked on, their minds reeling with shock.
Though they couldn't clearly make out who hung suspended in the air, judging from the posture of their Source Energy clash moments ago, it had to be Yang Kai.
Their gazes then shifted to the massive crater below, where Zhuang Bufan knelt on one knee. His robes were shredded, his hair disheveled, and he too was soaked in blood — a thoroughly wretched sight.
"Senior Brother Zhuang!" several of them cried out.
Zhuang Bufan seemed to have no strength left to respond. He merely maintained that kneeling posture, his body trembling uncontrollably. It took him a good while before he staggered to his feet, raising his head to look toward where Yang Kai hovered. His gaze was complicated.
"I yield," Yang Kai said with a cupped-fist salute, his voice low and steady.
Zhuang Bufan did not reply. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the ground, pulled healing and restorative pills from his spatial ring, stuffed them into his mouth, and began meditating to recover.
The Wuhua Hall members glared at Yang Kai with fire in their eyes, but beyond their anger lay deep wariness and shock.
Because just now, right before their very eyes, Yang Kai — a mere Dao Source Realm first-stage warrior — had bested Zhuang Bufan in a direct contest of Source Energy. Though the final outcome appeared to be a case of mutual devastation, a win was still a win!
Could this guy really pull off something like this? In the domain of Source Energy, Senior Brother Zhuang had actually lost to him?
Even if it were Xia Sheng or Wu Chang in his place, they might not have been able to do the same!
A flurry of wild thoughts flashed through their minds in an instant. They no longer dared to underestimate Yang Kai in the slightest. In their eyes, he had become someone who stood on equal footing with Zhuang Bufan — perhaps even more terrifying than their own Senior Brother. After all, Yang Kai was currently at only the first stage of the Dao Source Realm. If he cultivated to the third stage… which Dao Source Realm warrior under heaven would be his match?
This man… might well be another blazing new star in the Star Realm. One day in the future, he would surely unleash a brilliance so dazzling it would illuminate the entire sky of the Star Realm.
On the other side, Yang Kai descended slowly and settled cross-legged on the ground, pulling handfuls of spirit pills and medicines from his spatial ring and shoving them all into his mouth at once.
His condition looked far better than Zhuang Bufan's, and his own recovery ability was formidable. But after such a fierce battle, his strength had fallen from its peak. He needed to recover as quickly as possible to handle whatever troubles might arise next.
As for Zhuang Bufan, Yang Kai suspected he would no longer vie for anything. The man was forthright in his dealings — having lost, he certainly wouldn't covet the wondrous Treasure Lotus. Yang Kai was fairly confident about that.
"Oh my…" A sudden voice called out from somewhere behind them. A figure appeared not far away, glancing casually around before grinning with nonchalance. "I was wondering who was causing such a ruckus over here. Turns out it's you two!"
"Oh?" At the sound of that voice, Yang Kai immediately opened his eyes, a hint of a smile forming on his lips as he spoke slowly, "So you're the second to arrive here… Brother Xia!"
He didn't even need to turn around to know that the newcomer had to be Xia Sheng.
In that instant, he felt considerably more at ease.
He had genuinely feared that Wu Chang might show up at this very moment. After all, he desperately needed some time to recover, and Wu Chang's arrival would have been troublesome indeed. Xia Sheng, on the other hand, was at least someone Yang Kai knew. He wouldn't act recklessly.
"That would be me," Xia Sheng replied with a faint smile. "I noticed the entrance is about to close, so I was heading over to wait for my fellow disciples and return together. But then I spotted celestial anomalies and the sounds of fighting over here, so I came to see what the fuss was about…"
As he spoke, his gaze sharpened, and he said in a lower tone, "It looks like the two of you had quite the battle…"
There was unmistakable astonishment in his voice.
He had simply never expected Yang Kai's strength to be comparable to Zhuang Bufan's. While he had considered Yang Kai exceptional before, he had still believed there was a significant gap between someone like Yang Kai and someone like himself. The only ones who could stand as his equals were a select few — and Zhuang Bufan was among them.
But now, the fact that Yang Kai and Zhuang Bufan had fought to mutual ruin spoke volumes.
Though he didn't know who had held the upper hand in that clash, what he had just witnessed was more than enough to gauge Yang Kai's true strength — he had clearly underestimated him before.
As he finished speaking, his gaze drifted toward the wondrous Treasure Lotus, and his eyes lit up. He let out a low whistle, "Well, now… that's quite the treasure there. Xiaobai, do you recognize what that is?"