At this moment, Ding Fan has already become the focus of many, after all, Ding Fan's performance is simply too shocking!

Defeating Gu Feng in one move!

This is something that none of the outer sect disciples could achieve, yet Ding Fan did it, and now he seems unaffected, sitting cross-legged to cultivate.

Now that everyone sees Ding Fan meditating, there is no longer any disdain but rather admiration for his cultivation mindset. After all, his strength is evident, who would dare to say a word against him!

Immediately, Ding Fan continued to cultivate, not bothered by the discussions around him. To him, cherishing time for cultivation is what matters. If there is anything more important, it would only be finding Zhou Ruoran, Gusu Qingwen, and Ye Ningbing.

Other than that, nothing else is of much use.

The first round of the competition proceeded normally, and by dusk, the first round was gradually reaching its conclusion. As darkness fell, it ended, and after a day of competition, about half of the participating disciples were eliminated!

From initially nearly forty thousand participating disciples, only twenty thousand remain. Although the tournament process may seem cruel, some cultivators with bad luck might encounter ones with much higher cultivation, resulting in their elimination. However, in the same way, this competition is highly efficient, ending in just three days, making it the most efficient competition.

The first round takes the longest; subsequent rounds will not take much time. After the competition ended, Ding Fan went straight back to his residence with Wang Hu.

Because they have to participate in the competition the next day, Wang Hu did not chat idly with Ding Fan, and they both returned to their rooms. Wang Hu began cultivating, while Ding Fan did not cultivate. He had gained new insight into the stele's fist technique today, so he went directly to the stele in the grove.

At the stele, Ding Fan promptly released his Divine Sense and entered. Before going in, Ding Fan already thought about it; tonight, he would study for only a short while since he has to compete in the outer sect disciple tournament tomorrow. Staying too long at the stele would deplete his spiritual power, insufficient for facing the competition tomorrow.

Upon entering the stele, the man in white quickly appeared. Ding Fan hurriedly focused on observing him; he must learn more, but he was not entirely satisfied with the result, even though it was much better than the first time.

The man in white remained elusive, and Ding Fan concentrated his spiritual power to observe, but the man's moves were still a bit unclear. Ding Fan realized the technique in the stele is not ordinary. Learning it quickly is absolutely not easy.

For ordinary people, let alone learning a move in just a month like Ding Fan, smoothly navigating the stele is difficult. Their spiritual power is not as abundant as Ding Fan's.

Ding Fan's spiritual power is exceptionally strong, unmatched by regular cultivators.

After more than two hours, Ding Fan moved his Divine Sense and exited the stele. Despite not learning the second fist technique, there was significant progress in the first; Ding Fan changed some small details.

Ding Fan was relatively satisfied with this; although he is a late Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, with the fist technique at hand, even a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator might not be his match. Hence, among Nascent Soul cultivators, Ding Fan surely possesses the strength, and there are probably few who could be his opponents.

After exiting the stele, Ding Fan digested what he learned and returned to his residence to sit cross-legged and cultivate. For cultivators, the best rest is cultivation.

Unknowingly, the night passed by.

On the following morning, Ding Fan concluded his cultivation, feeling energetic and relaxed, having improved his state considerably after a night's cultivation.

Soon, Ding Fan and Wang Hu, among others, arrived at the Southern Square field for the outer sect disciple competition from yesterday, where many cultivators were already gathered. The number was not less than yesterday, possibly even more, as some disciples who went on tasks had returned.

Though these disciples can no longer compete, watching the competition is vital for most cultivators, a rare learning opportunity and a chance to assess oneself. Observing the best of the outer sect disciples shows the gap between oneself and them.

One can also learn some things from these talented disciples, so the outer sect disciple competition is important for every cultivator, even those whose strength is weak hope to watch some matches between excellent disciples.

It's known that when watching others battle, there might be sudden realizations in cultivation, which are very precious and rare. Such realizations can occur through plenty of practical experience or watching skilled cultivator matches, or through advice from a master.

However, for outer sect disciples, few receive guidance from elders, who are few themselves and have many core disciples. The opportunity hardly arises for outer sect disciples. Moreover, practical battles always carry danger, so watching skilled cultivators' matches is a great option.

At this time, many cultivators noticed Ding Fan and Wang Hu entering, and eyes turned towards them.

"Ding Fan is here! Truly excited to see Ding Fan's match!"

"I didn't expect that we have two dark horses among the outer sect disciples this time, and they are together!"

"I wish I could have an elder brother like Ding Fan..."

"Indeed, though Wang Hu defeated Gao Qi, there's a significant difference in strength compared to Ding Fan and competitors like Gu Feng!"

"Seems like there's another strong contender for the outer sect disciple championship this time..."

"Don't speak nonsense; remember, the outer sect disciple champion is only one person, and that is Senior Brother Ye, Ye Qingfeng!"

"Do you think Ding Fan is a match for Ye Qingfeng? Don't be ridiculous!"

"You're right, Senior Brother Ye had the strength to enter the inner sect a long time ago. He's participating in the outer disciples' tournament this time purely for the generous rewards!"

"But I feel that Ding Fan won't be too bad either! At least we can learn a thing or two, after all, his fist technique seems formidable. He even easily broke through Gu Feng's large blade!"

"But he absolutely can't compare to Senior Brother Ye, who's a hundred percent the champion!"

"..."

For a moment, many cultivators started discussing. Some believed that Ding Fan might become a notable figure in this outer disciples' tournament, but most thought he was no match for Ye Qingfeng.

Ding Fan, with his keen senses, heard these discussions clearly but didn't pay them any mind. He couldn't control others' mouths. Obviously, Ding Fan knew he had made a name for himself within the sect. This result was quite favorable for him as it meant that if Zhou Ruoran, Gusu Qingwen, and Ye Ningbing were in the sect, they would know of his existence, and they would surely come looking for him later.

That way, the tension in his heart would be alleviated. However, up until now, Ding Fan hadn't gotten news of Zhou Ruoran, Gusu Qingwen, or Ye Ningbing.

Ding Fan hadn't given up and absolutely wouldn't give up. At this moment, he constantly used his Divine Sense to scan all the cultivators, hoping to locate Zhou Ruoran, Gusu Qingwen, or Ye Ningbing.

But after a while, the participating disciples had finished drawing lots, and Ding Fan still hadn't found Zhou Ruoran, Gusu Qingwen, or Ye Ningbing.

At this moment, Ding Fan and Wang Hu also drew lots. Shortly after, the second round of the competition began.

Soon, Lianzi, Zhou Xiao, and others found Ding Fan and Wang Hu and joined them. They got along very well, and Zhou Xiao quickly grew fond of Ding Fan and Wang Hu, always feeling that there was something different about them compared to other male cultivators. This difference made her feel relaxed and less constrained.

Wang Hu gave Zhou Xiao the impression of being honest and reliable, with decent strength. Ding Fan, however, seemed a bit enigmatic, even Lianzi and Wang Hu's attitude towards Ding Fan showed that he was definitely not ordinary. Zhou Xiao had already witnessed this during the first round of the competition.

In no time, the second round was intensely underway.

This time, it was different from the first round for Ding Fan. It was soon his turn to go on stage. As soon as his number was called, Ding Fan directly walked up to the Martial Arts Platform.

"Look, Ding Fan has entered the stage!"

"It would be great to see the opponent's fist technique again. We didn't learn much last time."

"..."

A moment of excitement swept through the crowd as they saw Ding Fan step onto the stage. Clearly, apart from Ye Qingfeng, only Ding Fan's fame seemed this prominent.

Many cultivators remembered Ding Fan's fist technique deeply, as he had withstood Gu Feng's blade without fear and defeated him in one move. It was simply unbelievable.

But many also felt they hadn't fully grasped the form of Ding Fan's fist technique. It seemed unruly, yet upon careful study, it appeared to have profound, unchanging principles behind its myriad variations.

At this moment, many cultivators were eagerly anticipating Ding Fan's demonstration of his fist technique once again.

As Ding Fan stepped onto the Martial Arts Platform and saw his opponent, he couldn't help but be taken aback, then internally chuckle.

To his surprise, Ding Fan's opponent turned out to be Meng Zihao.

At this moment, Meng Zihao looked like he was about to cry. He had painstakingly used medicine pills to restore his cultivation but unexpectedly ran into this guy again in the second round. Was this some kind of joke?

Meng Zihao's face looked very grim as he eyed Ding Fan.

Why was fate so unfair?

Below the stage, many in the crowd recognized Meng Zihao. Clearly, due to Meng Zihao's character, they didn't think highly of him, though they did acknowledge his strength.

"I heard Meng Zihao was seriously injured recently and had to use a large amount of medicine pills to recover. It's said he even broke through in cultivation and is now at the Early Nascent Soul Stage! His strength cannot be underestimated!"

"It looks like this match will be quite the spectacle..."

"I wonder if Ding Fan will showcase his fist technique against such a cultivator?"

"..."