Lu Ye suddenly realized that for these top-tier rivals, such opportunities to confront each other are rare, and missing this one would mean there won't be another chance. Before the Reincarnation Tree's revelation came, they couldn't accurately find each other's positions, but after the revelation, they could follow its signs to explore, making confrontation between top-tier rivals possible. Their aim might not necessarily be to kill the opponent; it's highly likely they simply want to engage in a duel to see where they stand compared to others. In this case, Lu Ye, who has impressive achievements at the top of the list, has become the best touchstone and the most suitable target. No matter what the actual strength of other high-ranked individuals is, the background of their strong domains is there, making them not so easy to provoke. Bao Shi should have come with such a mindset, which is why he didn't bother concealing his presence, walking over openly. Of course, it might also be due to his lack of skill in concealment. He is not the first, nor will he be the last. Under Yuk Yaorao's tense attention, Lu Ye slowly rises, with his long saber resting in front, both hands overlapped on the saber's handle, waiting silently. The earth continues to tremble slightly with each footfall, and the atmosphere in the air turns somber and murderous. A clear sense is felt that the lurking presences around are starting to retreat. For the cultivators hidden around, such a scene is also what they anticipate. They have gathered here for various reasons, and apart from a few who have witnessed Lu Ye's methods of killing enemies, the others have no idea what kind of foundation this temporary top from the Nine Heavens World possesses. Even those who have seen Lu Ye kill enemies haven't really seen clearly, because Lu Ye's speed in killing was too fast, almost to a level of complete crushing each time, with such a demeanor of easily slaying invaders, it easily gives rise to the illusion that "If it were me, I could do it too." Lu Ye is waiting for a worthy opponent, and aren't they also waiting? Bao Shi's arrival can be said to be timely and anticipated, ranked first and seventh, a colossal clash is definitely expected between them. It's a perfect chance to observe and see what foundation and methods others indeed possess. The tall and sturdy figure stops at a position just three hundred feet from Lu Ye. Up close, the pressure that figure exudes becomes unmistakably stronger. Bao Shi's face appears very honest, his head bald, and his entire head resembles a round stone ball, with facial features sprouting from it, having thick eyebrows and big eyes. Fresh chapters posted on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝙣𝙚𝙩 He looks at Lu Ye standing with his saber, then raises his large fan-like hand to rub his slick head, speaking in a muffled voice: "Nine Heavens, Lu Yiye?" Lu Ye nods slightly: "Yes!" Bao Shi grins widely, sticking his thumb at his nose and saying: "I am Bao Shi! Bao Shi of the Five Colors Territory! Today's contest is without personal grievances, purely out of excitement to see a worthy prey, so Fellow Daoist, please do your utmost, otherwise... I might accidentally kill you!" By the time he finishes the last sentence, his smile widens further, and his mouth becomes quite menacing. Almost at the moment his words fell, his figure suddenly charged forward. Anyone who saw him walking like that earlier would subconsciously think this guy's physique was heavy and his movement was inconvenient, but once he moved, the cultivators secretly observing were shocked to find that all of it was just a disguise. Although his physique might be really heavy, his speed in rushing forward was in no way inferior to anyone else. It was clearly intentional, deliberately moving that way to mislead others, allowing him to catch them off guard during a real attack. This made many secretly curse in their hearts; this guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, who looks honest, turns out to be no good either. With a loud boom, a large pit appeared in the spot where Bao Shi was initially standing, and his tall figure almost turned into a grey blur. On the other side, a fiery red light rushed forward to meet him, and no one saw exactly how Lu Yiye moved. Only Yuk Yaorao, who was secretly observing him, clearly saw that as Bao Shi made a move, Lu Ye also reacted immediately, with hardly any difference in timing. This proves that Lu Ye wasn't misled by the opponent's previous actions at all, he was fully prepared for the opponent's attack. The two different colored rays of light were manifestations of the explosion of their respective spirit forces, and after one breath, they suddenly collided together. The rapidly charging rays of light turned into a light halo upon collision, revealing two figures, one burly and the other small, the taller one punching, the smaller one holding a saber. The moment of collision was silent, but quickly followed by a violent surge of spirit force and an earth-shattering roar. Lu Ye's body was sent flying backward, and Bao Shi's figure staggered slightly backward as well. His honest face clearly showed a surprised expression because he didn't expect that such a little person could unleash such powerful strength. In the Taichu Realm, he has killed many so-called rivals from various domains, including some known for their strength, but those so-called powerful races in front of him are like children in front of adults; he could easily crush them. Because in the realm of strength, the Stone Race has always had a natural advantage, not inferior to any race in the stellar space. Though Lu Yiye from the Nine Heavens World is still not his equal in strength, he did make Bao Shi feel some pressure. Frankly speaking, among all the opponents he has encountered so far, Lu Yiye's strength is the strongest, barely reaching the level of being able to compete with him. This made him very surprised, marveling that the human race is indeed a magical race. Clearly, they possess no special talents, yet always manage to have eye-catching abilities. While thinking this way, Bao Shi's actions were quick. He lunged forward to steady his stance, thrusting out his arms, flattening his palms, and suddenly slapped them together, as if he were swatting a fly. Lu Ye was the fly being swatted! Upon seeing Bao Shi's physique and features, he realized that this fellow's strength might be strong, but after truly engaging in combat, he discovered the opponent's immense power completely exceeded expectations. This was the first pure opponent he had encountered in a long time who completely outmatched him in strength. The disadvantage of the initial collision immediately put him in a tough spot. Faced with the opponent's combined palm strike, he had no choice but to sink along with the motion, narrowly avoiding the blow. A resounding boom resonated from above, as the two palms snapped together with an ear-splitting sound akin to mountain collapses and ground fissures. It was a sound that hurt the eardrums. Without giving Lu Ye any chance to react further, Bao Shi had gripped his fists tightly and slammed them down, the change of moves swift and smooth, with no apparent pattern. Not only that, Bao Shi's knee suddenly lifted, aiming directly at Lu Ye, swift as lightning. It was foreseeable that whether Lu Ye was hit by Bao Shi's fists or his knee, there would be no promising outcome. Every strike from this guy was immensely powerful, dealing either death or severe injury. The instant clash was so dangerous that it left all the cultivators secretly watching covered in cold sweat. They too had experienced many life-and-death struggles, but in comparison to their own experiences, what they saw seemed to be on a completely different level. Each considered how they would deal with such deadly moves, only to find no feasible solution. But in the next moment, Lu Ye demonstrated how to respond to such a crisis with actual actions. Ignoring Bao Shi's knee coming at him, instead, he forcefully stepped down with both feet, simultaneously wielding the long saber in his hand, clashing with the opponent's fists. Amidst the flying sparks, Lu Ye's figure soared straight toward the sky, forcibly breaking through the deadly strikes to carve out a path to survival. This moment of change left the audience awestruck. Such reactive ability wasn't something everyone possessed. More importantly, it required absolute confidence in one's own strength. Otherwise, the slight misstep would lead to death on the spot. Bao Shi shook his head, clearly dissatisfied with his previous performance. As he raised his eyes, he saw Lu Ye in the sky, swooping down like a hawk, with spirit force surging, and the saber stance erupting. In a daze, Bao Shi seemed to see a sky full of Myriad Stars rising behind Lu Ye. In the next moment, as the blade stabbed straight, those Myriad Stars all plunged down upon him as if intending to engulf him like a hurricane. Tyrannical Saber 1st Movement, Myriad Stars! As the saber light cut through the air, a continuous sound "thud-thud-thud" echoed, and Bao Shi remained motionless, merely punching back to counter. The saber light gradually dimmed but quickly lit up once more. Attacks like Crescent Moon swept in from all directions, each possessing the power to shatter gold and break jade. Tyrannical Saber 2nd Movement, Crescent Moon! Yet the Crescent Moon-like slashes merely left insignificant marks on Bao Shi's body, unable to harm him in the slightest. Just as the Crescent Moon ended, a dazzling Lotus Sun rose. Its bright light nearly made all the cultivators secretly watching unable to open their eyes. That big sun exploded like a blossoming lotus flower, each petal an icy saber light, with none other than Lu Ye holding the saber at the center of the lotus. Tyrannical Saber 3rd Movement, Lotus Sun! When this astonishing scene caught their eyes, the spectators finally realized what it meant to have a top-ranked foundation. Needless to say, just these three saber movements alone left the cultivators present without confidence to block, if any among them were on stage, they would surely face a dire situation. On the contrary, Bao Shi remained indifferent and not only showed no signs of injury but was instead provoked into ferocity. Almost at the moment the Saber Lotus bloomed, he roared as he charged towards Lu Ye. Looking at that massive figure, nearly all felt deep despair. The Stone Race's monstrous physique was simply unbeatable. This shows that Bao Shi ranked seventh not because his strength only warranted seventh place, but because he had fewer achievements than others, which led to his current position. If those ranked in the top ten were all brought out for a real fight, his ranking would surely be much higher.