Where does that wicked woman get her conscience?

Chapter 253 Wasted Man

The tremors of the arena had not yet completely subsided. The broken ground was covered in charred black, and cracks spread like a spider web to the edge of the arena. The aftershocks of the earth-shattering collision were still lingering in the air.

All eyes of the crowd turned to the center of the competition stage.

Zhuge Yunzheng lay face down on the ground, his robes soaked in blood. The surge of energy he had generated when he used the secret technique was now completely gone, leaving only a faint, almost imperceptible breath.

Guan Xun was also lying on the ground, his clothes covered in blood, and he was clutching his chest, looking injured as well.

Everyone was shocked, and after a moment of silence, a tidal wave of astonishment erupted.

"My God! That was brutal!" someone exclaimed, clenching their fist in disbelief. "That fight almost blew half the stage off!"

"No, no way... Zhuge Yunzheng was actually beaten like this?"

"Didn't you see? It looks like the two of them bumped into each other at the end, which is why they fell to the ground." Someone waved their hand excitedly, trying to restore the surface of the scene.

Is this a lose-lose situation?

"I feel like Zhuge Yunzheng is dead, while the beautiful Ruhua is still able to stand up. She wins..."

"Call the physician." Elder Eagle Eye's heavy voice broke the noise. He flashed and leaped onto the arena in a few bounds, then squatted down to check on Zhuge Yunzheng's condition.

After a brief inspection, he stood up, quickly scanned his surroundings, his brows furrowed, and his face showed a hint of seriousness.

The Saintly Peak Selection Tournament has been held for many years. Although the competition is fierce, it is extremely rare for such serious injuries and deaths to occur, let alone a situation where the dantian is completely shattered, thus destroying the path of cultivation, and the entire competition stage is also destroyed like this...

His gaze paused for a moment, then fell on Guan Xun. Seeing that although she was also injured, she was able to stand up unsteadily, he ignored her and turned his attention to Zhuge Yunzheng, who was lying on the ground.

Two doctors rushed onto the competition platform and skillfully turned Zhuge Yunzheng over. Seeing that her face was ashen and blood was still flowing from the corner of her mouth, they immediately began to diagnose her.

They gathered a faint spiritual energy at their fingertips and probed towards Zhuge Yunzheng's dantian. The moment they touched it, their expressions changed drastically.

"Elder, this person's dantian... his dantian is completely shattered!"

"What?" Elder Hawkeye's tone was unusually tinged with disbelief. "His dantian is completely shattered?"

"His spiritual energy in his dantian is in complete disarray, his meridians are severed, and his dantian is completely shattered, making it impossible to gather spiritual energy anymore," the physician repeated, his tone heavy. "In this situation..."

Given the other party's status, the doctor dared not say anything disrespectful, but since things had come to this point, even if it wasn't said aloud, everyone understood what was going on.

With his dantian completely shattered, he was unable to gather spiritual power and was now nothing but a cripple.

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, and their gazes involuntarily turned to Guan Xun. Since his dantian was destroyed, the culprit must be the person he fought.

"How could such a thing happen?" Elder Eagle Eye stared at Zhuge Yunzheng's bloodless face, and subconsciously glanced at Guan Xun. Then, as if he had thought of something, he said in a deep voice, "He just used a secret technique to forcibly enhance his cultivation, didn't he? You should examine the situation carefully."

Upon receiving the order, the physician carefully examined the area again before saying, "There are traces of fire attribute residue around the dantian, indicating that it was indeed shattered due to flames."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding chatter instantly subsided, and the doubt in Guan Xunshi's eyes faded. They looked at each other to confirm whether this was indeed the case.

During their fight, only Zhuge Yunzheng possessed both ice and fire attributes, while the beautiful Ruhua only had the ice attribute. Everyone then nodded in understanding.

It seems that it is indeed due to his own actions.

While secret techniques can temporarily boost one's strength, they are also extremely dangerous, and a slight misstep can backfire.

"Since the elders have said so, Zhuge Yunzheng must have suffered a backlash from the secret technique!" someone whispered.

"No wonder his cultivation level suddenly surged so much. I thought it was hidden strength, but it turns out it was a secret technique. The power of his attack was so great. It turns out he risked his entire cultivation level..."

Sitting in the high seat, Zhuge Tianxia heard all the discussions around him. His face turned ashen, and his hands clenched into fists until his knuckles turned white.

The other palace masters behind him also looked grim, their eyes filled with disappointment and anger.

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!" A red-faced palace master roared, not caring that the other palace master was still sitting next to him, and vented his anger. "I warned him long ago during his cultivation that the Yin-Yang Blood Shadow Secret Technique should not be stacked more than seven times, but he wouldn't listen! He directly stacked it to ten times in one go... Now look what happened, his dantian is completely shattered..."

“Sigh…” Another white-robed palace master shook his head, his tone full of regret, “Yun Zheng’s talent is excellent, and she is usually calm and composed. Why was she so impatient and reckless today?”

Zhuge Tianxia took a deep breath, suppressing his anger and disappointment, and said in a hoarse voice, "Carry him away and take good care of him in the palace."

Unlike the others who felt sorry for him, Elder Mud Granny remained calm and chuckled twice: "Being less skilled and too eager for quick success, it's no surprise that he ended up like this."

Elder Qing Teng, who was standing nearby, was slightly taken aback when he heard this: "Elder Mud Woman, this is the pride of the True Inheritance Hall. Just because of a competition, he has become a cripple. Don't you feel sorry for him?"

"What's there to regret? What's there to regret..." Elder Mud Woman picked at her ear and scoffed, "He's just not as skilled as others."

Qing Teng: "..."

Just then, a clear voice rang out, breaking the solemn atmosphere on the stage.

"Elder." Guan Xun stood at the other end of the dueling platform, her aura already concealed. She exhaled lightly, as if she had just recovered after taking a pill. She patted her slightly disheveled clothes and said, "I won the duel just now. Can we announce the champion now?"

All eyes turned to Guan Xun instantly, and the previous discussion came to an abrupt halt.

Yes, although Zhuge Yunzheng is in a terrible situation, she is still a member of the three major halls. Even though she has become a cripple, she must be living a better life than them.

"That's right! Beauty wins!"

Hearing someone shout, the others began to echo, "Announcing the champion! Announcing the champion!"

"Hmm." Elder Eagle Eye pondered for a moment, then nodded. Just as he was about to speak, a charming voice tinged with dissatisfaction suddenly came from the high seat.

"Elder, wait a moment."