The deflated cultivator refused to give up and vowed to turn the tables.

As the three approached, Su Zinong realized that the person who had spoken earlier was Chen Rangli from Tianli Mountain.

The reason I recognized him was because he was ranked ninth among the top ten young cultivators, ahead of Huang Chenghe.

At that time, he was at the early stage of the fifth star realm, so he should have made considerable progress by now. If he is at the same speed as Huang Chenghe, he should be around the early stage of the sixth star realm, so Su Zinong doesn't need to be afraid of him.

The people on his left and right looked to be less skilled than him.

Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit. Su Zinong, not daring to be careless on someone else's turf, went all out in his first move. His sword suddenly drew a graceful arc, slashing across the throat of the white-clad man on the left. The wound was deep in the middle and shallow on the sides—a perfectly round, auspicious sword strike!

Chen Rangli and another man in white were stunned. Taking advantage of their momentary daze, Su Zinong had already launched several attacks.

Chen Rangli reacted quickly, drawing his longsword in a flash to block Su Zinong's sword. The loud clang made his right hand go numb.

Su Zinong mainly uses the Tianqi Mountain's Round and Flowing Ruyi Sword Technique to fight his enemies.

He had just learned this sword technique, and although he had practiced it with Qinghe, it wasn't a real fight. Now, when he fought against the two experts from Tianli Mountain, he was inevitably clumsy and awkward, and at first, he was at a disadvantage. Fortunately, he had high cultivation and good agility, and he managed to dodge the danger at critical moments, but he also frequently encountered danger.

Seeing Su Zinong's state, Chen Rangli gradually calmed down, realizing that Su Zinong's initial fierce sword strike was merely a surprise attack to gain the upper hand, and that his actual skill level was just so-so, which he could easily handle.

Su Zinong was not in a hurry. To avoid being stabbed by the opponent's sword, he used his movement skills to fight nimbly.

Chen Rangli, however, was very experienced in combat. Seeing that Su Zinong's footwork was superb, he shouted, "Junior brother, let's not move and each guard one side, and make our own moves!"

As a result, Su Zinong's footwork, which was as unpredictable as a ghost, was greatly reduced in effectiveness.

His movement technique was designed to confuse his opponent, making it impossible for them to predict his next move. If Chen Rangli were to attack on his own, regardless of where Su Zinong was, his sword would be aimed there, which would actually increase the chances of Su Zinong being stabbed.

Su Zinong was taken aback, because he had thought that Chen Rangli's cultivation level was low and not worth worrying about. He did not expect that this person's combat experience was so rich and his insight was so unique. He was really not going to underestimate any opponent.

So he stopped, no longer using the Sixteen Palaces Steps, and instead stood face to face with the two men in white to fight them with swords.

The Tianli Sword Technique of Tianli Mountain is also exceptional. They are known for their speed, and the two men in white have practiced this sword technique for many years and are very proficient in it.

Therefore, Su Zinong, having mastered the new sword technique, found himself at a disadvantage.

Su Zinong thought to himself: One of these enemies is only at the early stage of six stars, and the other is five stars. How could I not defeat these two enemies?

He was forced to observe his opponent's sword techniques. He saw that Chen Rangli could unleash sword energy, but it only extended to a foot or two, and it was fast and sharp. His other junior brother, however, had a lower cultivation level of only five stars and no sword energy. Moreover, his sword speed was relatively slower.

Su Zinong changed his strategy, choosing to block or dodge Chen Rangli's sword attacks, and mainly targeting his junior brother.

As a result, the junior brother in white gradually couldn't hold on any longer and had to use his movement skills to hide to Chen Rangli's side or behind him. The coordination between the two men in white was gradually disrupted.

Su Zinong breathed a sigh of relief.

He was originally a highly skilled swordsman with unique attack directions. In order to speed up his attacks, he switched to using mostly the sword techniques he had practiced before, occasionally using a round and flexible sword move, which actually forced the two men in white to be flustered.

Having tasted success, Su Zinong thought to himself: "It turns out that I can just use whichever sword technique I'm familiar with, regardless of whether it's the Ruyi Sword or the Ruyi Sword."

He made a diagonal circle to the left, and the sword moved to the right, casually thrusting it towards the empty space next to his junior brother's left waist.

The junior brother was slightly stunned, unsure whether to dodge or parry. He didn't know how to dodge, even though the sword wouldn't hit him. So he parried casually.

Su Zinong channeled his inner energy into his right arm and swung his sword with all his might. With a clang, the junior brother's sword was almost knocked out of his hand, and he was so frightened that he dared not block Su Zinong's sword anymore.

Seeing that he was gradually becoming evenly matched with his opponent, Su Zinong did not rush to unleash his sword energy. Instead, he engaged in a swordsmanship duel with his opponent, becoming more and more unrestrained as they fought. He gradually integrated his original swordsmanship with the Round and Smooth Sword, moving freely and smoothly.

The Ruyi Sword Technique inherently requires a high level of understanding and, even more importantly, fluid and graceful movements. The more fluid the movements, the fewer openings there are. Consequently, the greater the pressure on the opponent.

Gradually, Su Zinong gained the upper hand and slowly came into the lead.

Seeing that something was wrong, Chen Rangli unleashed a burst of scorching red true energy from his left palm.

Su Zinong knew how dangerous this was, as it was the minor success of the Li Huo Jue (a martial arts technique), and he quickly took two steps to the right to dodge.

At this moment, two men in white attacked from the left and right with two long swords, forcing Su Zinong to leap back ten feet.

Seeing that the Fire Separation Technique had taken effect, the two men in white leaped forward another ten feet and fought with Su Zinong again. Chen Rangli still used his right hand to wield the sword and his left hand to use his palm.

Su Zinong was unwilling to continue entangled with them. He channeled his energy into his right hand, and his longsword, mimicking the sword technique, swept across the battlefield in one move, unleashing a surge of fierce sword energy.

Chen Rangli was shocked and quickly ducked to avoid it. His junior brother was not so lucky. He was unable to dodge in time and was cut in the waist by the sword energy, falling to the ground.

Seeing that Chen Rangli was about to escape, Su Zinong had already gathered his inner energy and struck forward with his left palm.

Chen Rangli had just turned around when he was struck by the true energy of Su Zinong's left palm and lay on the ground unable to move.

Su Zinong darted forward and placed his long sword against Chen Rangli's neck.

"Have mercy, brave warrior!" Chen Rangli cried out.

Su Zinong deliberately raised his voice and asked, "Did your Tianli Mountain send anyone to Golden Island to participate in the auction? Why did you reveal information about Golden Island?"

Chen Rangli trembled with fear: "Brave warrior, I know nothing about Golden Island, let alone revealed any information about you."

As they were talking, the junior brother suddenly got up and ran away in a flash.

Su Zinong did not give chase, but continued to ask, "Are you holding this gathering of heroes solely to kill Su Zinong?"

Chen Rangli said, "Yes, the main purpose is to kill Su Zinong. In addition, my sect leader has obtained the title of the strongest cultivator and also wants to make a name for himself in the martial arts world, so he specially held the Heroes' Gathering."

"Let me ask you again, where did Li Daba go? Who did he go out with?" Su Zinong continued.

"I don't know. I only know that he went down the mountain a few months ago, taking two Seven-Star Elders and two Six-Star Stewards with him. He is the son of the Vice Sect Leader and has power in the sect. People usually don't bother with his affairs. He hasn't returned to the mountain yet."

"Why would anyone in your Tianli Mountain practice an evil technique that absorbs other people's true energy?" Su Zinong questioned.

“No, we are a righteous sect. No one would practice such evil arts. If anyone were to secretly practice them and the sect found out, we would expel them from the sect,” Chen Rangli said.

Su Zinong nodded and said, "I'll ask you one last question. Since you want to kill Su Zinong, isn't it fair that he killed you?"

Chen Rangli was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

Su Zinong deliberately drew his longsword and, with a spinning top-like motion reminiscent of the Ruyi Sword, ended Chen Rangli's life.