The third day of the tournament brought the matches everyone had been waiting for—the semifinals.

  Only eight participants remained, and each match would be held on the grand central stage, allowing the entire arena to watch simultaneously.

  Lin Feng arrived extra early, securing his usual spot in the general admission section. He'd brought a larger bag of snacks today—these matches would be longer and more intense.

  [Tournament Semifinals!]

  [Host's disciples are now facing the strongest young cultivators on the continent]

  [Recommendation: Observe carefully and provide guidance afterward]

  The morning's first match: Shen Yue versus Xue Lian, the ice prodigy from Frozen Moon Sect.

  As the two young women took the stage, the arena fell silent. This was a clash between two of the most talented female cultivators of their generation.

  Xue Lian's expression was cold as her name suggested. "I've studied your previous matches. Your Separation Dao is impressive, but ice is eternal—it cannot be separated from itself."

  Shen Yue bowed respectfully. "Your ice techniques are renowned. I look forward to learning from this match."

  The referee raised his hand. "Begin!"

  Xue Lian struck first. With a gesture, the entire stage froze over, temperature dropping so rapidly that frost formed on the protective barriers. Ice spears materialized from the air, hundreds of them, all aimed at Shen Yue.

  The audience gasped. This was a Soul Formation level ice technique that could freeze opponents solid in seconds!

  Shen Yue stood calmly in the center of the incoming storm. Then she drew her sword.

  Lin Feng, watching from his seat, leaned forward with interest. She's using the defensive form I taught her. Good!

  What Lin Feng had taught as "basic defensive sword work" was actually the Severing Void Technique, a supreme sword method that could cut through anything—even conceptual attacks.

  Shen Yue's sword moved in a perfect circle around her. The ice spears, upon touching the circle of her sword intent, simply... stopped existing. Not shattered, not melted—they ceased to be.

  Xue Lian's eyes widened. "Impossible! You can't cut cold itself!"

  "Master taught me that everything can be separated if you understand its nature," Shen Yue replied. "Cold is the absence of heat. I'm not cutting the cold—I'm separating it from the concept of existence within this space."

  She spoke as if it were a simple lesson, not realizing she'd just articulated a principle that most immortals would struggle to comprehend.

  Shen Yue advanced. With each step, her sword traced patterns in the air. Xue Lian threw technique after technique at her—Frozen Prison, Eternal Winter's Embrace, Glacial Decimation—each one more powerful than the last.

  All of them were severed before they could take effect.

  Finally, Shen Yue's sword stopped at Xue Lian's throat. The ice prodigy stood frozen—not by ice, but by the realization of the immense gap between them.

  "Winner: Shen Yue of Azure Sky Sect!"

  The arena erupted in chaos. In the VIP section, the Sect Master of Frozen Moon Sect stood abruptly, his face pale.

  "Tianlong," he said to the Heavenly Dao Sect Master, "who is this teacher? My disciple has trained for twenty years under my personal guidance, and she was completely outmatched!"

  Tianlong's expression was grave. "The Unfathomable Master of Tranquil Peak. We must find a way to establish contact with him after this tournament ends."

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  Lin Feng was clapping enthusiastically. "Well done, Shen Yue! That defensive technique is really paying off!"

  The people around him nodded in agreement, not realizing that the "nice young man" cheering was the very master everyone in the VIP section was discussing.

  The second match: Zhou Yuan versus a cultivator named Lei Dong from the Thunder God Sect.

  Lei Dong was massive, nearly seven feet tall, with muscles that crackled with lightning energy. He was at Soul Formation peak and specialized in overwhelming opponents with raw power.

  "Small swordsman," Lei Dong boomed, his voice like thunder, "I respect your skill, but this match will end quickly. I don't believe in holding back!"

  Zhou Yuan simply nodded. "Please, show me your full strength."

  The match began.

  Lei Dong immediately transformed, his body becoming wreathed in lightning. He charged forward like a human storm, his fists capable of shattering mountains.

  Zhou Yuan stood perfectly still until Lei Dong was upon him. Then he moved.

  To most observers, Zhou Yuan simply sidestepped and placed his palm against Lei Dong's back. The massive cultivator stumbled forward, his lightning dissipating, and collapsed face-first onto the stage.

  "Winner: Zhou Yuan of Azure Sky Sect!"

  The crowd was silent for a moment, trying to process what they'd seen. Then the whispers began.

  "What happened?"

  "I didn't see any technique!"

  "Did he... did he just stop Lei Dong's cultivation?"

  What Zhou Yuan had done was use the Silent Mountain Palm, a technique Master had demonstrated while patting Xiao Hong one evening. "When you touch something with intent," Master had said, "you can communicate with it on a fundamental level."

  Zhou Yuan had touched Lei Dong's spiritual energy meridians and simply "asked" them to stop flowing. And they had obeyed.

  In the VIP section, the Thunder God Sect Master was hyperventilating. "That technique... that's impossible! Only Immortal realm cultivators can manipulate another's spiritual energy so casually!"

  The afternoon brought the remaining two semifinals matches.

  Feng Chen, the Heavenly Dao Sect's star disciple, faced a cultivator from the Sword Saints Sect. The match was brutal and impressive—Feng Chen displayed the full power of his Sect Master's teachings, combining supreme sword techniques with perfect spiritual energy control.

  He won, but it took him over an hour and he was clearly exhausted afterward.

  The final semifinal match was between two cultivators from smaller sects. It was a good fight, but after seeing Shen Yue and Zhou Yuan's matches, it felt almost anticlimactic.

  That evening, the tournament organizers announced the finals schedule:

  Tomorrow: Zhou Yuan vs Feng Chen (First Final)

  Tomorrow: Shen Yue vs Winner of 4th Semifinal (Second Final)

  Tomorrow Evening: Championship Match between the two winners

  In the Azure Sky Sect's quarters, Shen Yue and Zhou Yuan sat quietly, consolidating their cultivation.

  "We're both one match away from facing each other in the championship," Shen Yue observed.

  "If we do meet in the finals, let's give Master a good show," Zhou Yuan replied. "No holding back. He taught us both—let's demonstrate everything we've learned."

  Meanwhile, in the VIP lounge, an emergency meeting was taking place.

  "The finals tomorrow will determine the future balance of power among the sects," one elder said gravely. "If both of the Unfathomable Master's disciples reach the championship match..."

  "Then the whole world will know that a new supreme teaching power has emerged," Tianlong finished. "We need to decide now—do we try to establish relations with this Master Lin Feng, or do we accept that he wishes to remain in seclusion?"

  "Sect Master," Elder Tian spoke up, "when I visited the Azure Sky Sect, they mentioned that the senior values humility and genuine character above all else. Perhaps the way to his goodwill is not through grand gestures, but through sincere respect?"

  Tianlong nodded slowly. "Wise words. After the tournament, I will personally visit the Azure Sky Sect and request a meeting—not as a sect master seeking an alliance, but as a fellow cultivator expressing admiration. If he refuses, we'll respect his wishes."

  Lin Feng, meanwhile, was at his inn writing a letter.

  "Dear Liu Mei, Wei Ling, and Chen Bo," he wrote carefully. "The tournament is going wonderfully! Shen Yue and Zhou Yuan have both reached the finals. I'm so proud of them! They've worked hard and it shows. I'll be home in a few days. Keep practicing and take care of Xiao Hong. Your teacher, Lin Feng."

  He sealed the letter with a basic transmission talisman and sent it off, completely unaware that the "basic transmission talisman" had just created a spatial corridor that every expert in the Heavenly Dao Sect detected—and immediately pretended not to notice, not wanting to risk offending the hidden master.

  Back on Tranquil Peak, Liu Mei received the letter and immediately gathered Wei Ling and Chen Bo.

  "Master says Senior Sister and Senior Brother are in the finals!" she exclaimed. "We need to prepare a celebration for when they return!"

  The three disciples immediately began planning, not noticing that Xiao Hong was watching them with amused eyes, clearly thinking: These little ones don't realize that Master's disciples reaching the finals was never in question. The only question is whether anyone can even challenge them.

  The night before the finals, cultivators across the city were placing bets, discussing strategies, and debating outcomes.

  But in a small inn room, Lin Feng simply went to sleep early, wanting to be well-rested for tomorrow's matches.

  "I hope they both do well," he murmured before drifting off. "Win or lose, I'm proud of them. They've grown so much..."

  Tomorrow would bring revelations that would shake the cultivation world.

  But tonight, the Unfathomable Master simply dreamed of his quiet mountain peak and his growing family of disciples.