With a look of utter frustration, Meng Zihao stared at Ding Fan across from him, never expecting to run into him. Isn't this just courting death?

At this moment, Alliance Hierarch Zihao was acutely aware that although he harbored intense hatred for Ding Fan, he also clearly understood that Ding Fan was still not someone he could confront. Last time, he was easily beaten to a pulp, and thinking about it still made him tremble. To deal with Ding Fan, he would definitely need to use underhanded tactics; directly confronting him like this was indeed a suicidal move.

What, does Ding Fan not hate me just as much?

Below the stage, many cultivators focused intently on Ding Fan and Meng Zihao, not wanting to miss any of their actions. After all, most cultivators were eager to witness Ding Fan's battle, as it was a very rare learning opportunity for them.

However, there were some cultivators who had little faith in Ding Fan. Even though Ding Fan had already defeated Gu Feng in the first round of the competition, many still thought it was a mere coincidence because, in the eyes of many disciples, Gu Feng was a formidable presence. The fact that Ding Fan beat Gu Feng with just one move was hard for many to accept.

"Let's see if Ding Fan really has genuine skills. You know, opportunistic tricks are nothing to brag about!"

"Meng Zihao is also a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator; dealing with Ding Fan shouldn't be a problem. Besides, his cousin is Meng Haotian! Their strength isn't weak!"

"Whether Ding Fan truly has skills will soon be clear!"

"..."

At this time, quite a few cultivators began doubting Ding Fan, sparking a flurry of discussions.

Below the stage, Meng Haotian, seeing Meng Zihao encounter Ding Fan, was taken aback. How did Meng Zihao end up meeting Ding Fan? This was too unfortunate! Naturally, Meng Haotian felt a bit anxious about Meng Zihao.

"I surrender."

Meng Zihao looked at Ding Fan with some reluctance in his eyes, and said slyly.

Meng Zihao was very clear that he was absolutely no match for Ding Fan, and surrendering was the best option. Moreover, Meng Zihao's heart was filled with cunning; even if he couldn't confront Ding Fan directly, he would die for sure by Ding Fan's hand in secret! After all, this was the external disciples' grand competition. Unfortunately, he was so unlucky to encounter him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been eliminated; with his strength, entering the inner sect seemed possible, but now all was lost...

The officiating judge was taken aback when he heard Meng Zihao's surrender. Who would've thought this disciple would just concede right away? After all, this was the external disciples' grand competition. Simply giving up like that, even knowing that he wasn't the better opponent, one should still fight arduously. After all, an actual battle greatly benefits cultivator disciples.

The officiating judge looked at Meng Zihao with some disdain and then walked onto the Martial Arts Platform and directly announced:

"Ding Fan wins!"

Witnessing this scene, everyone below the stage was momentarily dumbfounded.

He actually conceded without a fight; this was too incredible!

"Meng Zihao admitted defeat without even starting, isn't this too cowardly?"

"I was hoping to see Ding Fan make a fool of himself..."

"Could Ding Fan really be that formidable? He won against Meng Zihao without fighting!"

"..."

Many cultivators were indeed very surprised. No one expected Meng Zihao to surrender just like that!

"Ding Fan, don't be too proud; there'll come a time when you'll be crying! Then everyone around you will have to die!"

Meng Zihao said to Ding Fan with a very malicious expression.

Ding Fan looked at him coldly, deeply disdainful. From his words, Ding Fan realized that they might be targeting Wang Hu.

Firm in his resolve, Ding Fan decided that after this external disciples' grand competition concluded, he might have already entered the inner sect and becoming a core disciple was very likely. By then, with the backing of his Sect, he would make sure to completely eliminate these people, leaving nothing to worry about.

...

At the Elders' Area, a disciple beside the fat Elder leaned over and whispered something. This disciple was the one the fat Elder sent to investigate Ding Fan's current situation.

The disciple whispered to the fat Elder, and shortly after, the fat Elder's face turned gloomy, and he even seemed furious.

Bang!

The fat Elder slammed the table, his face suddenly clouding over, and then calmly said to the disciple beside him:

"I understand!"

The disciple walked away, visibly scared by the fat Elder's demeanor. When had they ever seen Elder Ruv this furious, or seen him so enraged, even for an external disciple?

The fat Elder then quickly strode over to He Zenfen, respectfully saying:

"Sect Master, I have something important to report!"

Seeing the seriousness on Elder Ruv's face, He Zenfen knew it was indeed important, so he nodded, signaling him to proceed.

The fat Elder recounted everything that had happened to Ding Fan since joining the sect, taking only a short while before He Zenfen's face turned equally grave. He couldn't believe such a thing happened within his Sect; it was a disgrace! How could they expect any disciple to join Dayang Sect in the future?

In no time, the fat Elder detailed everything, including how Meng Haotian and Meng Zihao treated Ding Fan.

"This is outrageous!"

He Zenfen said angrily. After listening to the fat elder, he naturally believed what the other said. Based on his understanding of the fat elder, he wouldn't lie. Besides, he had already witnessed Ding Fan's cultivation talent firsthand, and couldn't believe such a genius suffered so much injustice in his own Sect!

"Sect leader, how do you intend to handle this?"

The fat elder also showed some anger on his face as he spoke to He Zenfen.

"I'll handle this matter properly after the outer disciples' tournament. I will definitely give Ding Fan a fair explanation!"

He Zenfen said with a face full of fury.

If it weren't for the fact that Meng Haotian's father was an elder of the Sect, he might have erupted already. But he had to show respect to the Sect's elder; if he targeted this too aggressively, the Sect would be the one to suffer.

At this time, a patrolling disciple suddenly came up to the fat elder and He Zenfen, looking somewhat nervous and respectful as he reported:

"Reporting to the Sect leader and Elder Ruv, outside the Four Seas Sect, Green Leaf Sect, Xuantian Sect, and Martial Heaven Sect request to meet the Sect leader."

Upon hearing the disciple's report, He Zenfen couldn't help but be surprised. He hadn't expected so many Sects to come at once; clearly, there was something up.

At the same time, Elder Ruv and some others like Old Zhang also heard the disciple's report, and were momentarily stunned.

"Sect leader, with so many Sects coming, it seems there is something afoot. I wonder if it bodes well or ill for our Sect?"

"These Sects are surprisingly united; I've heard they've been getting cozy with the Wild Wolf Gang lately. What scheme is it this time?"

"Especially the Four Seas Sect, who is closest with the Wild Wolf Gang, yet they've come to our Sect. I suggest the Sect leader not meet them."

"..."

Clearly, many elders had heard the disciple's report and were quickly considering the implications, and some inadvertently spoke up.

"These parties coming during our outer disciples' tournament obviously want to gauge our outer disciples' potential. We might as well let them in to see our Dayang Sect is not to be trifled with, and let them witness how outstanding our outer disciples are, to give them a warning."

At this moment, the fat elder pointedly said to He Zenfen.

He Zenfen nodded upon hearing this and then said:

"Let's go and have a look."

After He Zenfen finished speaking, a group of elders proceeded directly to the Sect's guest hall.

Meanwhile, many disciples in the Southern Plaza saw this scene and couldn't help but be surprised. They never expected that many elders and the Sect leader would leave during the outer disciples' tournament; something must be more important than the tournament itself.

Nevertheless, some cultivator disciples continued to watch the competition.

At this time, Ding Fan calmly stepped down and returned to Wang Hu and Lianzi, successfully passing the second round of the competition.

When Ding Fan faced Meng Zihao on stage, Wang Hu below was also surprised. He didn't expect his big brother to encounter this scoundrel again. He was somewhat pleased, hoping Ding Fan would teach Meng Zihao another lesson.

However, he didn't expect Meng Zihao to surrender, which left Wang Hu somewhat displeased.

But he wasn't angry since his big brother Ding Fan had smoothly passed the second round of the disciples' tournament, a reason for celebration.

At this moment, Zhou Xiao was quite shocked. He knew Meng Zihao's character was bad and didn't expect him to surrender immediately upon seeing Ding Fan.

Could it be that Ding Fan knew how to deal with all sorts of people?

However, Zhou Xiao later learned about the enmity between Ding Fan and Meng Zihao from Lianzi, and it became clear. Meng Zihao was apparently worried about losing to Ding Fan, so he surrendered outright, which also left her quite shocked. She didn't expect Ding Fan's strength to be so intimidating, forcing someone to concede without a fight.

"Big brother, we can't let this Meng Zihao off!"

At this moment, Wang Hu said to Ding Fan with some resentment on his face.

Ding Fan nodded and said:

"Don't worry, it's currently the period of the outer disciples' tournament, and the elders and sect leader have already left, indicating that something major is happening. Once the tournament is over, they surely won't let them off!"

Wang Hu looked at Ding Fan, sharing the same resentful expression, and then nodded heavily.

At this time, the second round for outer disciples was still ongoing and didn't pause because the Sect leader and elders had left. It quickly came to Wang Hu's turn; this time, his opponent was a late-stage cultivator, and their cultivation seemed comparable to Wang Hu's.

Below the stage, Ding Fan showed no concern for Wang Hu. With Wang Hu's strength, it was rare to encounter an equal opponent among late-stage cultivators.

Wang Hu's opponent was a slightly swarthy youth, who became quite excited to see Wang Hu as his opponent. Clearly, the youth recognized Wang Hu, as Wang Hu's victory against Gao Qi had made him quite famous.

"Brother Wang Hu, I hope you'll graciously instruct me!"

The swarthy youth said to Wang Hu with respect. Clearly, he regarded Wang Hu as an important learning opportunity and hoped to gain some insights from him.