Wielding the power of the True Martial Realm, they advanced faster than Chu Lingguang.
CLANG!
But Chu Lingguang had the advantage of distance. He stepped onto the stone altar first, and at that moment, the resistance vanished completely.
A look of delight appeared on his face.
He quickly reached for the Iron Sword.
"What?"
Everyone watched in horror.
Their expressions changed drastically. If Chu Lingguang pulled out the Iron Sword, he would become the one-in-ten-thousand Martial Champion Scholar.
"Huh?"
However, when Chu Lingguang’s hand touched the Iron Sword, it passed right through the hilt. He tried to grab it several times, but his hand met nothing but air each time. It was as if the Iron Sword on the altar was just an illusion.
"How can this be?"
Chu Lingguang was completely baffled.
At that moment, Yan Zhen, Qin Yu, and Hu Yanlin stepped onto the stone altar at almost the same time. The three of them felt the resistance disappear instantly and all reached for the Iron Sword. But just like Chu Lingguang, their hands passed right through it.
Refusing to believe it, they tried grabbing for it several more times.
In the end, none of them could touch the Iron Sword.
"Strange. Could it be that this sword doesn’t actually exist?"
Qin Yu wondered aloud.
"Hmph. Whether it exists or not, the final judgment is based on who is closest to this Sword Shadow. Anyone standing on this altar is an obstacle in my way!"
Hu Yanlin snorted.
Hearing this, Chu Lingguang and the other two were instantly on guard.
"Chu Lingguang, the three of us are at the True Martial Realm. This is no place for you,"
Hu Yanlin said, looking at Chu Lingguang.
"My realm may be lower than yours, but it’s not over until it’s over."
Chu Lingguang shot back.
BOOM!
Upon hearing this, Hu Yanlin threw a punch at Chu Lingguang.
The punch came with the force of an avalanche. Though there was only a single afterimage of his fist, it felt like a mountain was crashing into Chu Lingguang’s chest.
Chu Lingguang hastily defended with his Long Spear, channeling his Black Tortoise Divine Power without holding anything back.
The distance was too short and the stone altar was only ten square meters, so he couldn’t strike Hu Yanlin’s fist with the tip of his Long Spear. He could only block with the shaft.
BANG!
The Lightning Spear bent and sprang back. Hu Yanlin advanced fearlessly, easily neutralizing the force. In contrast, Chu Lingguang was caught off guard, and with his realm being weaker, he nearly fell off the stone altar.
BOOM!
Hu Yanlin pressed his advantage, punching at Chu Lingguang’s chest again. The attack was accompanied by the roars of tigers and dragons, seeming to contain the purest power from his Dantian.
Yan Zhen and Qin Yu cried out inwardly. The three of them were allies, and seeing that Chu Lingguang was about to be knocked off the stone altar, both wanted to help.
"Don’t help me!"
But Chu Lingguang shouted.
He once again used the shaft of his spear to block Hu Yanlin’s punch.
BANG!
Despite using his Heaven and Earth technique to deflect some of the force, Chu Lingguang was still knocked off the stone altar and swallowed by the viscous resistance.
As if caught in a current, he slid backward, about to be pushed out of the zone of resistance entirely.
CLINK!
At the last moment, Chu Lingguang stabbed his Long Spear into the ground, stopping himself at the very edge.
Then, a sea of fire once again appeared before his eyes. He saw it again—the teetering flag.
But under the might of his Sea of Consciousness Power, the illusion quickly dissipated.
"If you don’t have the strength of the True Martial Realm, don’t step onto the stone altar. Don’t even dream of fighting for the top three!"
Hu Yanlin said, looking down at the people below the altar.
Hearing this, Pu Shiyi, Tuoba Yunhong, and the few others instinctively looked back at Chu Lingguang, who had just gotten to his feet.
They had all witnessed Chu Lingguang’s strength. He had trained at the academy for a month under an expert from Yuanchu Mountain, yet he had been sent flying by just two of Hu Yanlin’s punches.
Even if they managed to get through the resistance and onto the altar, they would be no match for Hu Yanlin, let alone with Yan Zhen and Qin Yu watching like hungry tigers.
"It’s just the three of us on the stone altar now. As for who will be the Martial Champion Scholar, let’s let our fists decide!"
Hu Yanlin took a stance, unleashing a terrifying Fist Force. As his fists moved, a powerful Fist Stance enveloped the stone altar. He had used his fists to achieve a stance, actually reaching the Form Realm.
His Fist Force surrounded them, appearing on the altar like a flurry of leaves.
"Bring it on!"
Yan Zhen was not to be outdone.
He rapidly unleashed his Sword Momentum. A tangible Sword Qi appeared on the stone altar, enveloping both Qin Yu and Hu Yanlin.
"Let’s go!"
Qin Yu roared in response.
His Sword Momentum had only reached the first level, but it was enhanced by several Bloodline Divine Abilities. The shriek of his sword was ceaseless, and faint traces of Sword Qi materialized around him.
Clearly, he was just one step away from the second level of Sword Momentum: the Form Realm.
"This..."
Below the altar, Pu Shiyi, Tuoba Yunhong, and the others, who were already considering retreat, instinctively fell back upon seeing this. They could never withstand the oppressive Potential Power of three True Martial Realm experts.
They felt that if they stepped onto the stone altar, they would be torn to shreds by the three forces.
After all, they were only at the Qi Sea Perfection realm.
However, Chu Lingguang, who had nearly been thrown out of the turbulent zone, used his Black Tortoise Divine Power to walk back in front of Tuoba Yunhong and the others.
As they watched, he continued toward the stone altar.
WHOOSH!
On the stone altar, it was every man for himself.
Three streams of Potential Power enveloped the stone altar.
BOOM!
Hu Yanlin threw a punch.
Enveloped by his Fist Stance, Yan Zhen and Qin Yu were both attacked simultaneously, blanketed by the Fist Force.
SWOOSH!
At the critical moment, both Yan Zhen and Qin Yu struck out with their weapons.
The three forces converged in the center of the stone altar.
BOOM!
A massive explosion echoed.
Tuoba Yunhong, Pu Shiyi, and the others felt their scalps tingle with fear and involuntarily retreated.
On the stone altar, Yan Zhen and Hu Yanlin each took a step forward, relying on the second-level power of their Sword Momentum and Fist Stance.
Qin Yu, however, retreated half a step.
Just then, Chu Lingguang reached the base of the stone altar.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he stepped onto it.
"Chu Lingguang, are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Tuoba Yunhong yelled.
"Who says you can’t fight for the top three without being in the True Martial Realm!"
Chu Lingguang seemed not to hear him, roaring the question instead.
His answer was a full-powered punch from Hu Yanlin.
Having stepped onto the altar, Chu Lingguang was now within range of Hu Yanlin’s Fist Stance. Wielding the power of the second-level Form Realm, this punch completely enveloped Chu Lingguang.
WHOOSH!
Yan Zhen and Qin Yu were also forced to defend and attack. All three streams of Potential Energy fought for dominance on the stone altar.
HFF!
In that instant, Chu Lingguang saw three forces sweeping toward him at once.
Standing on the very edge, he decisively thrust his spear forward. He used all his strength, unleashing his Flesh and Blood Divine Power, which merged with the formless Penetration Power from his Sea of Consciousness Power.
His weak Spear Stance also enveloped the stone altar at that moment.
The three looked at him, their faces filled with astonishment.
Chu Lingguang was only at the Qi Sea Perfection realm. The more his Spear Stance spread out, the weaker its power became. By stepping onto the altar, he had to face all their attacks at once.
"Even if I’m not as strong as you, I’ll make you understand! Anyone who tries to take the top three from me will pay a price!"
"AARGH!"
A crazed look was on Chu Lingguang’s face.
In that instant, it was as if he had been the first to thrust his spear forward.
His Black Tortoise Divine Power and Flesh and Blood Divine Power resonated invisibly. The Sea of Consciousness Power between his brows trembled violently, and a diamond-shaped ripple, carrying both Flesh and Blood Divine Power and Black Tortoise Divine Power, penetrated the bodies of Yan Zhen, Qin Yu, and Hu Yanlin.
’So that’s how it works.’
Chu Lingguang finally understood why his Flesh and Blood Divine Power could ignore all defenses and directly penetrate his opponents’ internal organs.
At first, he had thought that power was just a special fluctuation, like Spiritual Sense, that things like a Dharma Aspect and Qi Power simply couldn’t block.
Now, through the brief resonance between his Flesh and Blood Divine Power and Black Tortoise Divine Power, he understood. The power that caused his enemies such piercing pain was a special fluctuation that manipulated their own Qi Blood, causing it to invisibly strike their internal organs from within.
THUD!
Yan Zhen, Qin Yu, and Hu Yanlin all felt a sharp pain in their chests.
The Sword Shadows and the fist shadow swept over Chu Lingguang. His body was sent flying from the stone altar, soaring over Tuoba Yunhong and the others before crashing heavily outside the turbulent zone, disqualifying him from competing for the top three.
PTUI!
But on the stone altar, Yan Zhen, Qin Yu, and Hu Yanlin all spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, their bodies involuntarily doubling over.
They felt as if Chu Lingguang had landed a solid spear thrust right into their internal organs. Their own Sword Momentum, Sword Momentum, and Fist Stance powers all collapsed from that single attack.
Chu Lingguang had taught them a lesson: the strength of the Qi Sea Perfection realm was not to be underestimated.
Zhang Xuan and Li Mao stared wide-eyed at Chu Lingguang, who had crashed to the ground and fallen unconscious.
Chu Lingguang had a dream. He dreamt he was in a sea of fire, where he raised the teetering flag. In his hands, the flag transformed into an Iron Sword.