A 50-kilometer radius surrounding a massive tree was crowded by slightly more than a thousand people who made up a large crowd prepared to watch the upcoming battle.

In the air above the tree stood a heroic man whose flowing black hair and robes fluttered in the calm wind. His sword-like eyebrows were calmly set above his closed eyes. He didn’t do anything special, but his presence captivated the attention of everyone in the vicinity.

From the distance, another aura emerged, flying at high speeds towards their location. Most of the crowd was only able to see an amethyst light approaching them. When it finally arrived, the figure it encased was revealed.

Another man whose aura was equally valiant, leaving no obvious discrepancies between him and his opponent. His hair was tied in a ponytail, the silver streaks within its deep black looking like shooting stars in the night.

His brows were equally sharp, drawing attention to his mesmerizing eyes. The two colors that made up his irises swirled hypnotically, causing his cross-shaped pupils to look like a small boat amongst a raging storm.

His clothing was styled much differently from those people were used to, giving him a unique and mysterious vibe.

Floating above the rich greenery of the forest, these two men looked like immortal cultivators peacefully gauging each other’s strength. However, this aura changed the second they met eyes.

Their auras flared, starting their preliminary competition. An amethyst aura met a gold one, each displaying its own unique properties.

Winds swirled around them as just the clash of their auras would have been enough to drop any 2nd class cultivator to their knees.

“You showed up.” Long Chen said, excitement slowly emerging in his tone.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” Damien responded with an amused smile.

But Long Chen shook his head. “I didn’t take you for someone without honor. I am simply excited to see whether I can finally find a challenge.”

Among those who had witnessed the devastating scene that suddenly began in one portion of the forest a few days ago, Long Chen was one of them. Although most were unaware of the cause, he had a good guess.

“Is there any need for more hesitation? Let’s fight.” He said.

In terms of pure aura, they were almost equal, with neither of them being able to gain a true advantage. It was pointless for them to continue with these insignificant altercations.

Long Chen chose not to draw his sword immediately, flying forward at speeds that caused small booms to resound through the environment as even the air was broken through.

In a mere instant, he arrived in front of Damien, throwing a fierce punch directly at his face. But Damien wasn’t perturbed. He slightly moved his body, allowing the fist to pass by him as he threw his own punch, his speed not slower than Long Chen’s in the slightest.

The two stayed in close combat for many minutes, maneuvering within the air as if it was solid ground. Still, neither of them had been able to land a proper hit.

Separating for a moment, they once again charged, their fists connecting. Each connecting punch resulted in a sonic boom,

As they were in the air, they didn’t cause any damage to the surroundings, but their clash resulted in fierce winds that attempted to shred the branches of the trees below them. They moved around the 50-kilometer stage that had been prepared for them at a rapid pace, unperturbed by any damage they might cause.

At this point, the only way they were using mana was to empower their fists, so they hadn’t been able to damage each other. Still, they were having plenty of fun.

Each time they connected a hit, grins would emerge on their faces. Both of them felt the refreshing feeling that came with talking with fists.

However, they didn’t have all the time in the world to play. At the end of the day, they still had to pass the disciple examination. After 15 minutes, they finally separated once more.

“It’s impressive enough for you to match me blow to blow with fists, but let’s see if you can do the same with your sword.” Long Chen said as he pulled out his massive greatsword.

Damien grinned in response as he withdrew his own weapon. The difference in size between the two was glaring, but the aura they gave off didn’t lose to each other.

Damien knew his sword itself wasn’t as refined as it could be, but he had confidence in the arts he created. “Let’s go then.”

Gold and amethyst covered their blades before they charged again. As their blades made contact, a loud screech could be heard from the grinding of metal.

As their exchange continued, Damien slowly lost ground. As he expected, Long Chen’s sword mastery was leagues above his. However, he wasn’t perturbed.

‘Void Sword Art 3rd Step: Dance of the Void’

Damien’s figure quickly became ethereal, flashing in and out of existence, randomly appearing in different places around Long Chen.

His movements were patterned in such a way that soon, Long Chen was surrounded by tens of afterimages.

With the addition of his spatial magic, Damien began gaining ground. Seeing himself get put at a disadvantage, Long Chen grinned. ‘”Using techniques? Let me join you!”

‘9 Dragons Soar through the Heavens!’

Just like before, the ground erupted, leaving way for 9 white dragon phantoms that charged toward Damien. Seeing the incoming dragons, he grinned.

Putting his palm out, Damien pushed down. Long Chen suddenly felt the air around him get heavy as his movements became sluggish. Even his dragons were slightly struggling against the pressure.

‘Gravity!’ He exclaimed within his head. ‘This fight won’t be as simple as I assumed.’

‘Heavenly Dragon Domain!’

A golden light expanded from Long Chen’s body before encompassing a 20-kilometer radius around him. Naturally, Damien was included in this.

Within the domain, Damien felt that his lie movements were slowed to match Long Chen’s under his gravity. Soon enough, those 9 dragons made their way to him, clamping down their massive jaws.

First blood had been drawn, and Damien was the loser. The dragon phantoms attempted to tear through his body, but he soon teleported out of their grasp. He no longer had the freedom to relax.

‘Void Sword Art 2nd Step: Horizon Break’

Long Chen suddenly felt immense danger coming from an unknown direction. He twisted his body at an impossible angle, but he was unable to fully dodge. A massive gash formed on his left side, along his ribs.

Grinning at Long Chen, Damien smugly declared, “Now we’re even.”

Ignoring the pain, Long Chen grinned back. Even though their fight hadn’t become serious yet, he knew. He met an opponent he couldn’t simply destroy if he didn’t show some of his cards.

But as if it was an unspoken agreement between the two, they didn’t use their most powerful attacks. As their clash continued, they only used the moves they had already shown each other.

Blood continued to spill, staining the green forest with blips of red, but neither fighter paused their movements.

It was time for round two.