"Due to last-minute changes in the competition, after mutual coordination, the competitor from Golden Bull University has been replaced by Gao Xuan."

The host didn't mention any specific changes, nor did he mention that Lan Tianshou and another competitor had already withdrawn.

These things are too demoralizing; in a match, even if you lose, the audience wants to see the competitors fight bravely.

Conceding without even stepping into the fight is just too embarrassing.

If it wasn't for Gao Xuan, Tong Xiuying would surely have had Lan Tianshou and the others go up. Even if they were defeated, they couldn't just kneel down on the sidelines.

Beo's overwhelming power is enough to crush Lan Tianshou, making his participation pointless. It's better to just send Gao Xuan in.

If Gao Xuan wins, it's a win-win for everyone. If not, Tong Xiuying can only resign to fate.

Compared to last December, Beo's progress can be described as rapid. Beo has quickly widened the gap with Lan Tianshou.

Tong Xiuying is also quite helpless; it's only been a little over two months, and Beo's progress is too fast. Not to mention Minos and Helen, two more experts.

These two might also have made significant progress.

Especially Helen, who didn't participate in last year's Star Realm final, as it was reported that she had a sudden enlightenment and went into seclusion, missing the Star Realm final.

Seeing Beo's mighty prowess, he should have already reached Level 13. With his advanced cultivation secret techniques and fierce swordsmanship, Beo far surpasses the average Level 13 Silver Sword Hero.

Honestly, Tong Xiuying feels uncertain. She has no idea what Gao Xuan's upper limit is.

One thing is certain, Gao Xuan only advanced to Silver at the beginning of this year. In terms of Source Power levels, he is certainly not a match for Beo.

Right now, they can only rely on Gao Xuan's Heaven-defying Swordsmanship for any chance of victory.

Tong Xiuying's pessimism naturally showed on her face, adding a bit of solemnity to her expression.

The live broadcast camera projected Tong Xiuying's expression onto the screen, allowing the audience to sense her heavy mood.

Along with Beo's domineering momentum just now, single-handedly subduing hundreds of thousands of spectators.

The atmosphere inside Jintan Sports Hall became very oppressive, completely losing the home advantage.

Lin Chaotong from Golden Source University looked gloating, "Gao Xuan is in trouble!"

"I just can't stand that kid. Eating soft rice with his pretty face."

Wang Jia Yi expressed disdain for Gao Xuan, "What's he got!"

Lin Chaotong also sighed, "This kid hugged the Xiao Family women's thighs and climbed up. Now with the Xiao Family's dominance, he's even more pretentious."

He lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Did you know, Gao Xuan is shared as a toy by Xiao Wan and Xiao Ting."

"Tsk tsk..."

Lin Chaotong was full of admiration, "Handling two tigress-like women, this kid must have quite a sturdy waist!"

"Hahahaha..."

Wang Jia Yi laughed heartily. They were sitting in a front-row box, surrounded by air-tight glass, so he wasn't worried about others hearing his laughter.

"I heard some noblewomen even cut it off and replace it with an electric one..."

"Wow, that's brutal. Impressive!"

Lin Chaotong glanced at Gao Xuan with some sympathy and said, "All in all, he's just a plaything for women, which is quite pitiful."

The two sat comfortably in the box, with their coach beside them, and spoke without any restraint.

In noble families, the most crucial thing is heritage and bloodline. This is also a mark of maintaining family status.

Three thousand years of noble family rule has made lineage a person's most important label.

Given Gao Xuan's status, he rarely encounters direct face-to-face discrimination, because the backing he has is strong enough. Additionally, he is formidable in his own right.

Privately, noble youths still can't help but show various disdain towards Gao Xuan.

The Wang and Lin Families are in a secret feud with the Xiao Family, and the tension between them allows them to speak about Gao Xuan without any reservations.

Both of them are aware of Gao Xuan's prowess, and this guy handles things fiercely, having even gone alone into the cult's lair. They both have a slight fear of Gao Xuan in their hearts.

So they talk behind his back, feeling free in their speech.

Not only Wang Jia Yi and Lin Chaotong; so-called keyboard warriors tend to be the same. When it comes to gossip and negative matters, one is more excited than the other.

They never verify the truth, eager to spread whatever shocking claims they hear, afraid of spreading rumors too late.

Privately discussing others is even darker in nature.

Actually, this is quite normal; it doesn't involve matters of good or bad. It can't be simply measured by morality.

Gao Xuan understands all this and doesn't care what others say about him.

However, if someone talks nonsense in front of him, he won't hold back.

Wang Jia Yi and Lin Chaotong were happily chatting, unaware that everything they said had reached Gao Xuan's ears.

Gao Xuan had his eyes closed. No one could discern what he was thinking from his expression.

It was as if his mind was wandering, indifferent and absent-minded.

Neither Beo on the opposite side, the host on-site, nor the tens of thousands of spectators were aware.

In fact, the vast majority of the audience was seeing Gao Xuan for the first time.

Gao Xuan's exceedingly handsome face immediately captivated 99% of the audience. The remaining 1% was utterly smitten.

Many people were puzzled by Gao Xuan's closed eyes, wondering what it meant.

Of course, the host wouldn't openly mention Gao Xuan's eye condition. He merely announced Gao Xuan's age, weight, and personal information before finally stating loudly, "Gao Xuan has a resounding nickname: Taihua Sword Immortal."

He raised his voice by eight degrees: "Now, let's welcome the Taihua Sword Immortal, Gao Xuan!"

With the host's control over the atmosphere, the mood in the sports hall finally became lively.

All the audience spontaneously cheered and clapped for Gao Xuan.

The online audience, watching through Celestial Net, also started flooding the screen with comments.

"Taihua Sword Immortal, my hubby is so handsome!"

"My hubby is so handsome..."

"Such a handsome man, is he real?"

"I can't believe someone is as handsome as me…"

The Celestial Net is advanced, but interplanetary connectivity remains very expensive, except for the Battle Net.

People on this planet rarely pay attention to matters on other planets.

Although Gao Xuan is a household name on Pegasus Star, very few people recognize him on Taurus.

Gao Xuan's first public appearance on Taurus sparked the enthusiasm of countless netizens.

The only reason being, Gao Xuan's looks are worth discussing for days.

"Quiet."

Beo didn't like the noisy audience. With a commanding shout, like a thunderclap, he immediately silenced everyone.

Beo's overbearing manner also caused some discontent among the live audience.

Many in the crowd screamed and cursed, causing some chaos in the arena.

Beo was indifferent. He swept his heavy sword with a cold laugh: "A bunch of useless waste only capable of shouting. Anyone dissatisfied can come down."

This statement quieted the stadium.

Among the hundreds of thousands of spectators present, there weren't many Silver Sword Heroes. Even fewer could assuredly defeat Beo.

Those who were powerful Silver Sword Heroes had long become influential figures. They wouldn't publicly step down to duel with a youngster.

Even winning would not be honorable, not to mention the risk of losing.

The audience's reaction made Beo even more disdainful. He said to Gao Xuan, "Stop with the flashy stuff, let's get on with it."

Gao Xuan chuckled, "You've been the one talking all along. Didn't realize you're a chatterbox."

Beo's face turned red; he had been full of himself and indeed spoke a bit much.

He turned to the referee and said, "Let's begin."

The referee glanced at Gao Xuan, who nodded to indicate there was no issue.

The referee asked Gao Xuan, "Aren't you going to wear armor?"

The loose golden sword robe, though made of special material and capable of resisting ordinary sword strikes, was not meaningful in formal competitions for its minimal defense.

Beo was a Silver Sword Hero; his heavy sword weighed fifty kilograms. Even with armor, this guy could possibly slice one in half.

Gao Xuan shook his head, "There's no need to wear armor against such weak trash."

The referee was speechless, while Beo, enraged, laughed, "You really aren't afraid of death. Quite bold!"

Since neither contestant had any objections, the referee wouldn't meddle. He struck the Golden Gong: "Begin."

Beo pointed his heavy sword at Gao Xuan, "Kid-"

Gao Xuan interrupted Beo, "You talk too much, take the sword."

Gao Xuan did not use the Hongyi Sword, as the competition rules prohibited using high-tier swords or special marvels.

The sword in his hand was just an ordinary match sword, yet it was enough.

Gao Xuan raised his sword and slashed, and the next moment the Ming Che Sword Blade was upon Beo.

The downward stroke, simple and direct yet vast and overwhelming, resembled a Divine Mountain falling from the Nine Heavens, enveloping all sides, seemingly with the power to destroy the sky and the earth.

Beo turned pale with fright, Gao Xuan's stroke was indeed exceptionally high-level and exceedingly powerful, leaving him with no place to escape or hide.

His only choice was to raise his sword to block and withstand this slash's might.

Some audience members were still discussing, finding Gao Xuan entering the duel without armor very strange and overconfident. Some were cheering for him.

The arena was quite chaotic.

But as Gao Xuan's sword descended, its impressive, all-encompassing Sword Momentum suffocated everyone.

Clearly just a sword, just a simple direct slash, yet possessing a divine power capable of cleaving through anything.

The audience fell silent, both those present and those watching through online platforms.

Such a Divine Sword, truly soul-stirring, striking straight to the heart.

In the guest team's seating area, Head Coach Rhea also changed her expression. She instinctively gripped her sword, wanting to intervene to stop Gao Xuan.

She hesitated for a moment, ultimately feeling too self-conscious to take action. As the head coach, interfering in the match would have extremely serious consequences.

Helen, Minos, and others were also shocked, but there was no time to say anything.

Gao Xuan's astonishing slash had already descended. Beo's dual-handed horizontal block saw his heavy sword break and fly out unexpectedly, and the eruptions of sword qi around him dissipated. Gao Xuan's sword pressed down Beo's shoulder, forcing him to his knees.

Beo tried to struggle, but the overwhelming Sword Qi crushed him, causing him to black out and collapse in submission at Gao Xuan's feet.

The miserable appearance formed a sharp contrast to his previous arrogance.

The broken half of the heavy sword turned into a light wheel, slicing right toward Wang Jia Yi and Lin Chaotong.

The enclosure's protective air glass shattered soundlessly, and the light wheel of the half sword blade kept going, directly slashing towards Lin Chaotong and Wang Jia Yi.

In shock, they drew their swords to block, but both their swords and the broken half of the sword shattered, sending fragments deeply into their bodies.

The two noble youths sprayed blood all over, filled with shock, fear, and pain, as they lay on the ground wailing incessantly.

Lin Liang, standing beside them, drew his sword but could only barely protect himself.

Seeing his two disciples in such a miserable state, Lin Liang was also aghast. He did not believe it was a coincidence; it was clearly intentional by Gao Xuan.

Lin Liang looked again at Gao Xuan. On the field, Gao Xuan appeared calm, showing no emotion.

With just a glance, Lin Liang felt apprehensive, not daring to look again. Such a divinely powerful Gao Xuan was truly terrifying.

In the Jintan Sports Hall, with hundreds of thousands of spectators, and billions of viewers online, everyone was watching Gao Xuan in stunned silence, filled with awe and dread.

(Today's update will be two chapters… the second is at six o'clock)