**”Pfft!”**
Gu Dong’s expression changed drastically as he spat out a mouthful of blood. His body was sent flying uncontrollably, crashing into the ground a hundred meters away with a loud **boom**, creating a deep crater.
The outcome was decided!
The howling winds continued, but the battlefield fell into dead silence.
“Gu Dong… lost?”
“Lin Yun, relying solely on his own strength, actually defeated Gu Dong? He’s… so strong!”
The cultivators watching from a distance were all struck with shock.
Although they had expected the battle to be intense, none of them had anticipated that Lin Yun would emerge victorious!
“How could this be? How could this be?!”
Gu Liuyue, who had been watching the battle, let out a roar of unwillingness. His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the young figure standing proudly with his sword, his gaze filled with disbelief.
He had pinned his hopes on Gu Dong defeating Lin Yun. In his eyes, this should have been an easy task. Even if Lin Yun could defeat him, there should have been a significant gap between Lin Yun and Gu Dong, the most outstanding young talent of the Gu family!
But now, Lin Yun had actually defeated Gu Dong, the most exceptional young master of the Gu family?
“Lin Yun won!”
After a moment of stunned silence, Mo Qing and Zhi Jin erupted into cheers, their eyes filled with joy and excitement.
The strength Lin Yun had displayed had also taken them by surprise, giving them an enormous sense of delight.
Only now did they realize.
Lin Yun had already grown this powerful!
He could even defeat a third-level Mahayana peak cultivator, and Gu Dong was one of the best among third-level Mahayana peak cultivators, backed by the Gu family’s vast resources!
“Pfft!”
Gu Dong, lying on the ground, clutched his chest and spat out another mouthful of blood. He felt as though his internal organs were in agony, especially his heart!
Blood gushed from his chest. Although the sword hadn’t pierced through, it had left a gruesome wound.
Fortunately, he had managed to block part of Lin Yun’s attack with his blades at the last moment, and his protective armor had prevented the sword from piercing his chest.
Otherwise, he might have already been dead!
“Gu Dong, since you’ve lost, it’s time to pay with your life!” Lin Yun’s voice thundered like a clap of thunder.
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Yun stepped on the void and charged toward Gu Dong, slashing out with his sword once more. His goal was simple—to take Gu Dong’s life!
Seeing Lin Yun charging at him, Gu Dong’s face turned pale with fear.
Now that he was severely injured, he had no way to resist Lin Yun. Moreover, he couldn’t use any artifacts or other means. What could he possibly use to defend himself?
If he didn’t want to die, his only option was to forfeit!
But the cost of forfeiting was being eliminated in the first round of the Ten Thousand Flowers Competition!
Gu Dong had carried the hopes of the entire Gu family, aiming to break into the top ten!
“I… I forfeit!”
As Lin Yun’s attack closed in, Gu Dong gritted his teeth and let out a low, unwilling roar.
To save his life, Gu Dong had no other choice. No matter how unwilling or reluctant he was, he had to make this decision!
**Boom!**
Gu Dong was instantly enveloped in light and removed from the spatial barrier.
Seeing Gu Dong forfeit, Gu Liuyue also quickly shouted, “I forfeit!” With Gu Dong gone, how could he dare to stay any longer?
Gu Liuyue was also removed from the spatial barrier.
With the two of them gone, the surroundings fell into silence.
“You ran fast enough!” Lin Yun sheathed his sword.
Lin Yun knew that it would be difficult to truly kill them here, given the forfeit rule.
So this outcome was within Lin Yun’s expectations.
…
**Outside, at the Ten Thousand Flowers Banquet:**
The Gu family members were staring at the Ten Thousand Flowers Ranking.
“The second young master has dropped to 14th place, but it’s not a big deal. He’s probably in a lull between hunting for points,” a Gu family elder said.
“Gu Liuyue is also doing well, currently in 81st place. He should be able to stabilize within the top 100,” the Gu family head said, his eyes fixed on the ranking.
The performance of these two members filled the Gu family head with pride and joy!
But at that moment, Gu Dong’s name, which had been in 14th place, suddenly disappeared from the ranking!
“What’s going on? Why did the second young master’s name disappear?!” the Gu family elder exclaimed in shock.
“It’s gone! It’s really gone! The second young master’s name isn’t anywhere in the top 1,000! What’s happening?”
“Look! Gu Liuyue’s name has also suddenly disappeared from 82nd place!”
The Gu family members stared at the ranking in shock.
These were the two best-performing members of their family, and now both had vanished from the ranking without a trace. How could the Gu family not be alarmed?
“Huh? Why did Gu Dong’s name suddenly disappear?”
“What’s going on? Gu Dong’s name is completely gone from the ranking? That shouldn’t be possible!”
Gu Dong’s sudden disappearance from the ranking also caught the attention of many others present.
After all, Gu Dong had been ranked quite high, and most people paid close attention to the top ranks.
Those who noticed this found it extremely strange. It was too bizarre!
Had Gu Dong fallen out of the top 1,000? That couldn’t be possible!
“Huh? Why is Gu Dong’s name missing?”
Even Starry Sky Emperor and the few immortal beings at the front noticed this. They had just mentioned Gu Dong’s name earlier, with the Starry Sky Emperor even praising him as a talented individual from the Gu family.
But now, Gu Dong’s name had mysteriously vanished from the entire ranking!
**At the Gu family’s location:**
“Could it be a mistake in the ranking? Even if Dong’er’s ranking dropped, it would only be by a few places, maybe a dozen at most. How could he suddenly disappear from the top 1,000?” the Gu family head said, his expression grave as he stared at the ranking.
“That’s right! It must be a mistake!” the Gu family members insisted.
“Fourth Elder, go and report this immediately. Tell them there’s an error in the ranking!” the Gu family head ordered.
Just as the Fourth Elder was about to carry out the order, Gu Dong and Gu Liuyue suddenly appeared in the center of the plaza, one after the other.
It was important to note that only those who had been eliminated would appear here!
In an instant, countless eyes in the plaza turned toward them.
“Look! It’s Gu Dong and Gu Liuyue from the Gu family!”
The crowd was shocked to see that Gu Dong’s robes were torn, his chest covered in blood, while Gu Liuyue had lost an arm.
It was clear that the two had been through a fierce battle and had been defeated and eliminated!
**Boom!**
The entire plaza erupted in an uproar.
“Gu Liuyue being eliminated is one thing, but Gu Dong was ranked 11th or 12th! How could he be eliminated in this round?!”
“Who did it? Who eliminated Gu Dong?”
…
In an instant, the plaza was filled with discussions and speculations.
Everyone knew that Gu Dong had been a contender for the top ten. Even if he didn’t make it, he should have easily secured a spot within the top 15!
In other words, only a handful of people had the strength to challenge Gu Dong.
And to defeat Gu Dong? That would require strength far surpassing his, which was even rarer!
Moreover, in this round, most participants would avoid direct confrontations with opponents of similar strength to save time and energy for accumulating points.
For this reason, very few in the top 100 had been eliminated, let alone a top 15 contender like Gu Dong!
Yet, Gu Dong had been eliminated!
