In the fifth group selection, wherever Long Jiang'an went, there was no one within ten steps of him. Under his iron palms, countless individuals were sent flying. The fifth group selection lasted merely five minutes. The other forty participants on the field were eliminated one by one under Long Jiang'an's iron palms.
Apart from Long Jiang'an, Jiang Yun, and Xiao Jinhu, who stood out in this selection, several disciples from each sect began to catch the attention of the elders.
Wang Kaihai undoubtedly stood out among them. Besides Jiang Yun's group, he had the most outstanding performance. Using his longsword, he managed to contend with ten disciples from Yanyue Sect simultaneously. Ultimately, he single-handedly eliminated all ten Yanyue Sect disciples. This performance was enough to make Hu Qing start paying attention to him.
Wang Kaihai's sword technique was both cunning and practical, and his speed was astonishing. Many elders of Tianjian Sect admired his talent in swordsmanship. After the joint assessment ended, Wang Kaihai might be sought after by these elders to become their disciple.
Besides Wang Kaihai, another impressive performer was Zhou Ziyue. Although many outer disciples disliked him, his excellent performance in the selection might also attract elders who recognized his talent to take him as their disciple.
However, these weren't concerns for Jiang Yun anymore. Since he had unlocked his sword power, Zhou Ziyue and others couldn't pose a threat to him anymore. He had to be wary of those at the level of Luo Qi.
Apart from Wang Kaihai and Zhou Ziyue, Yanyue Sect also had a few disciples with notable performances. One of them was Chen Si, and another was Chen Dong. Chen Dong's style was similar to Wang Kaihai's. Both were speed-based fighters, but while Wang Kaihai used a sword, Chen Dong wielded a knife.
Chen Dong's knife technique was slightly slower than Wang Kaihai's in terms of speed, but it made up for that in ruthlessness. He was merciless not only to his opponents but also to himself. In the fourth round of the selection, anyone who fought against him ended up injured, although he himself suffered injuries too.
After the selection ended, Jiang Yun discussed Chen Dong with the Tianjian Sect's qualifiers. Chen Dong had a tendency to take risks. He often chose not to dodge opponents' attacks but rather to counterattack if he thought he could gain an advantage from the exchange. Jiang Yun warned them that while Chen Dong might be a formidable opponent, he might not be the best friend either.
After evaluating Yanyue Sect's prominent participants, Jiang Yun was asked to comment on the disciples from Shen Dao Sect. Specifically, what they should be cautious about during the knockout stage.
"Most of Shen Dao Sect's disciples have shown relatively balanced strength, but there are a few you should be wary of if you encounter them in the knockout stage."
Jiang Yun recalled the standout disciples of Shen Dao Sect during today's eighth group selection and said, "Li Da Dan, do you remember the Shen Dao Sect disciple you faced in the first round?"
Li Da Dan, embarrassed by Jiang Yun's reminder of the incident, scratched his head and said, "I remember. I later found out his name is Liu Er Shao. His strength in Shen Dao Sect isn't particularly outstanding. Mainly, I was too careless at the time."
"You're mistaken. Liu Er Shao's strength isn't as weak as you think. His strength is probably second only to Long Jiang'an within Shen Dao Sect."
Li Da Dan clearly didn't believe this. When he fought against Liu Er Shao, he found nothing particularly noteworthy about the guy apart from his agility.
"You don't believe it? Do you remember what changed when you fought him? Just before you were ambushed by the Yanyue Sect disciple, Liu Er Shao suddenly appeared. If there weren't only ten people left in the field at that moment, you might have been eliminated."
Jiang Yun didn't spare Li Da Dan's feelings, stating it plainly, "Do you remember any changes before he fought against you?"
Li Da Dan tried to recall and suddenly slapped his thigh, saying, "I remember. He seemed to suddenly grow larger, as if he had gained more power. What caused that?"
"According to what I know, it's a secret technique. After using it, his cultivation can temporarily reach the strength of a Rank 8 Elemental Martial Stage warrior. With your current strength, how likely do you think you are to win against a Rank 8 warrior?"
"Secret technique? That powerful? His original strength should only be around the Rank 6 Elemental Martial Stage. Can a secret technique really allow him to instantly gain two stages of power? That's terrifying!"
Though Li Da Dan doubted the technique's potency, he still believed what Jiang Yun said. As a result, he regarded Liu Er Shao as a formidable opponent.
"However, you don't need to worry too much. Such techniques usually can't be sustained for long periods. When you encounter him, avoid confronting him directly after he uses the technique. With your strength, defeating him shouldn't be a problem once the effect of the technique wears off."
Seeing Li Da Dan's somewhat downcast expression, Jiang Yun tried to console him.
"There's not much else to pay attention to among the other Shen Dao Sect disciples. Of course, some might be hiding their true strength. I didn't see through them all. In any case, just do your best in the knockout stage."
Jiang Yun reminded them to give it their all in the knockout stage, hoping that the Tianjian Sect's disciples would excel. The elders would be watching, and if they performed well, they might gain the elders' attention and become disciples under their guidance.
After the debriefing, Jiang Yun dismissed Yang Jin Yan and the others, encouraging them to prepare for tomorrow's knockout stage. He then returned to his room, unusually not engaging in cultivation but instead resting on his bed.