But now, the Dragon Seizing Sect has suddenly appeared. What exactly are they planning?
Did they accumulate enough strength to challenge the Xuanyuan family? Of course, from Luo Xiaofeng's perspective, he would naturally welcome anyone causing trouble for the Xuanyuan family; the weaker the national strength of the Tianyuan Empire, the more secure his own nation's safety would be.
But the issue was that if the Dragon Seizing Sect intended to trouble the Xuanyuan family by passing through his territory, he couldn't afford to let his guard down... Neither the massive Tianyuan Empire nor the enigmatic Dragon Seizing Sect were factions he could afford to provoke...
Setting aside whether the founding ancestor of the Dragon Seizing Sect was still alive, if the sect possessed even one or two masters at the Martial Saint realm, he wouldn't even have the strength to resist... Martial Saint, Martial Saint—what is a Martial Saint?
They are beings who have transcended the mundane and achieved sainthood. Especially after reaching this realm himself, he understood the terrifying power of a Martial Saint.
Yet, rumor had it that Huangfu Yun killed a Martial Saint with a single punch. What level of attainment did such strength represent?
Even if he is dead, how could one guarantee that his ultimate techniques wouldn't produce another such individual? If they weren't absolutely certain, why would they show themselves so easily?
In an instant, Luo Xiaofeng's brows furrowed deeply. The man who thought he controlled everything discovered that the very first step had already slipped beyond his grasp...
While Luo Xiaofeng was lost in his melancholy, the martial contest on the raised platform grew ever more spectacular... These four were indeed supreme experts of the Innate realm, and deservedly known as once-in-a-century talents...
Thick Innate True Qi enveloped their entire bodies. Every strike they executed was their ultimate esoteric technique, imbued with endless killing intent.
Yet, with every move, they held back at least thirty percent of their strength, ready to adapt to any sudden emergency... The battle had raged for over a quarter of an hour, yet the four showed no sign of exhaustion.
Innate True Qi was released as if it were free, and their formidable power tore at everything around them. Curiously, however, the wooden floor, reinforced by some unknown means, managed to withstand the ravages of the four masters...
At this moment, Yue Youqun's figure flickered, evading a Fatal Finger strike from Bieli. The True Qi within his body erupted violently, causing his white robe to billow outward.
A sharp glint shot from his eyes, and his hands swept forward, manifesting streams of nearly invisible Astral Qi that flowed continuously toward... (Read the full text novel at .1.(1.m.Literature Network) the front.
Eventually, the solid Astral Qi transformed into soft, yielding True Qi, moving like waves... "Breaking Waves Following the Wind..." Suddenly, Yue Youqun shouted, his seemingly calm hands slamming forward.
The seemingly steady True Qi suddenly exploded, surging toward Bieli like ocean waves under a fierce storm... Sensing the immense pressure of this wave, a grave expression appeared on Bieli’s face.
He lowered one hand, gathering the True Qi in his body toward his palm. With a seemingly slow extension of his right hand, he drew a slight arc in the air, where a faint halo could be discerned before it shattered...
Immediately after, his right palm shot out like lightning... In that instant, a cold, ruthless pressure radiated outward...
As if capable of destroying heaven and earth without the slightest hint of mercy... Ruthless Palm...
One of the strongest esoteric techniques of the Heartless Gate... Legend claimed that the highest stage of the Ruthless Palm could shatter everything in the world...
"Crack, crack, crack..." Following several sharp sounds, Yue Youqun’s massive wave was shattered by this single palm strike, disintegrating as if countless pieces of glass had been smashed... Seeing his potent move neutralized, Yue Youqun remained expressionless.
His figure retreated rapidly, and as he reached the edge of the platform, he suddenly pushed off with his back foot, launching himself fiercely forward... An intense surge of Astral Qi formed around his body, and he transformed entirely into a meteor, slamming violently toward Bieli...
"Heavenly Astral Star Fall!" Hearing Yue Youqun unleash such a devastating technique, gasps of shock simultaneously escaped Bieli, Ye Longyi, and Ying Xiaoxiao... This move was the ultimate esoteric technique of the Heavenly Astral Gate, unparalleled.
Legend stated that the founder of the Heavenly Astral Gate once used his own body to collide with a star and bring it crashing down, illustrating the terrifying nature of this move... Though the founder of the Heavenly Astral Gate perished as a result—a rumor, perhaps untrue—when Yue Youqun employed this technique, the three felt an unimaginable pressure descending, suggesting that no other move could possibly withstand it...
"Yue Youqun, is such desperation necessary?" Bieli roared, his hands moving swiftly, unleashing seal after seal. The air faintly echoed with thunderous sounds...
Not only him, but Ying Xiaoxiao and Ye Longyi also simultaneously ceased their attacks, their hands moving rapidly, their inner True Qi operating at full capacity as they met Yue Youqun's charge head-on... Heavenly Astral Star Fall—this was fundamentally a technique that injured the enemy while causing significant self-harm.
It was generally reserved for Heavenly Astral Gate members when fighting to the death. Who could have imagined Yue Youqun would use it in a public competition...
"Heh heh, I am determined to win the Martial Champion title this time. If you insist on competing with me, then I naturally cannot be polite..." The intense Astral Qi spun wildly, vaguely forming a tornado, and Yue Youqun's voice carried from within, filled with smugness, seemingly unconcerned about the consequences of using this technique...
"You madman..." The three cursed in unison... "Spiritual Rhino Sword Finger..." Bieli shouted, instantly extending two fingers.
The Innate True Qi surged out, directly forming a three-foot-long sword radiance that sliced toward the charging Yue Youqun... "Dragon-Tiger Wild Dance..." Ye Longyi also roared.
Facing the Heavenly Astral Star Fall, no one dared to be careless... Streams of Innate True Qi coalesced into the forms of a dragon and a tiger, rushing frantically toward Yue Youqun...
"Thousand Hand Illusions..." Ying Xiaoxiao dared not be complacent either. He clearly understood that the Heavenly Astral Star Fall was an unstoppable technique once initiated; there was no stopping once it began.
If they didn't join forces to defeat Yue Youqun quickly, once one of them was struck down by this move, the others would inevitably share the same fate. Therefore, he also mercilessly unleashed his strongest esoteric technique, causing countless palms to appear, slamming cracklingly toward the speeding Yue Youqun...
And the four extremely potent forces collided instantaneously... "Rumble..." A massive sound erupted.
At the center of the collision, a blinding flash of light shot out, and the powerful concussion left the spectators’ ears throbbing. The forms of the four were simultaneously flung backward, crashing heavily onto the platform...
When the crowd could see clearly again, they saw a large hole, over ten square meters in size, where the four had collided. The four bodies lay around the edge of the chasm, motionless, their lives uncertain...
This... What happened?
All four collapsed simultaneously... Then...
who won this match? Minister of War Wang Zhong stood there dumbfounded, while the others were equally bewildered...
No one could have predicted an ending that resulted in mutual devastation. Of the forty-plus competitors, some were killed, some defeated, and some surrendered.
Even the final four ended in such a manner... This...
how was he supposed to report this to the Sovereign Lord... Silence descended upon the entire venue.
Hundreds of eyes stared fixedly at the platform, all hoping to see who would rise... But the stage remained utterly still.
Whether it was Yue Youqun, Bieli, or Ye Longyi and Ying Xiaoxiao, none moved. In that final clash, each had absorbed nearly the combined strength of the other three.
Even as Innate Masters, it was an unbearable load... Could this truly be an unadjudicated contest?
Could the first stage of the Martial Examination end without a victor? Just as the crowd was about to give up hope, a figure suddenly sprang upward...
But when the face of the person was clearly seen, everyone wore an expression of utter strangeness... Even Minister of War Wang Zhong stared in astonishment at the man who stood up.
Was he not killed by Yue Youqun’s punch? How was he still alive, and now standing?
According to the rules of the competition, the last one standing was the winner. Could this contest's victory fall to him?
Wang Zhong felt his head... splitting in two...
After several minutes, a slightly trembling voice finally emerged from his lips: "Ye Jingyu is the victor of the first match and advances directly to the finals..." The audience below erupted in an uproar... Even Luo Ruofeng found it hard to believe, rubbing his eyes.
He... how did he win?
How did he become the final victor? Had he even fought?
Meanwhile, the esteemed Young Master Ye very casually tossed his long hair back, displaying the composed demeanor of a master...