Chapter 32: A Decisive Breakthrough, A Suffocating Onslaught!
Under the weight of countless watching eyes, the disc-shaped spiritual void raged with wild energy, Zhao Yao’s presence climbing higher and higher with each passing moment.
Countless spectators simultaneously turned their gaze toward Gu Lin, who remained utterly calm throughout it all.
While Zhao Yao broke through, Gu Lin had no way to strike a sneak attack—an Energy Condensation body would have its internal organs and bones shattered instantly by the raw spiritual energy involved, so he had no choice but to watch helplessly as his opponent stepped into Cavern Mystery.
In that moment, nearly every spectator present felt a pang of regret on Gu Lin’s behalf.
A talent so extraordinary, so brilliant, that his name now resounded throughout Chuwei Prefecture!
When everyone had believed it impossible for an Energy Condensation Seventh Level cultivator to make a name for himself in a selection trial packed full of heaven’s chosen, he had done exactly that, forcing a direct clash with the Qilin Young Master himself and leaving the Qilin Young Master bloodied and disgraced, blood seeping from his waist.
But the gap in foundational resources was simply too vast!
The Qilin Young Master had an elder brother stationed within the Martial Extremity Palace itself.
He could break through into Cavern Mystery at any moment he pleased, using the sheer might of that realm to crush Energy Condensation beneath his heel!
All anyone could say was that fortune, in its mysterious workings, had abandoned Gu Lin.
In the Round of 64, had luck simply been ordinary, Gu Lin would already have secured his Blade-Bearer position, and with room to spare.
But of all people, he’d had to run into the Qilin Young Master.
A prodigy who had just suffered injury and humiliation was bound to resort to thunderous, merciless means to wash away his disgrace!
Time slowly ticked forward, every single eye fixed unblinkingly on the arena.
Until at last, the disc-shaped spiritual void gradually dimmed, Zhao Yao’s breath still wild and untamed, his fingers slowly curling into fists, his handsome face twisted with fury.
It was this Gu bastard who had subjected him to such humiliation!
It was this Gu bastard who had forced him to break through prematurely, utterly ruining his elder brother’s carefully laid cultivation plans!
He had to kill him!
Zhao Yao took a single step forward, channeling the body technique his elder brother had personally taught him. His sleeve split apart without any blade touching it, his entire arm turning as dark and black as the depths of an abyss, before transforming in an instant into a blinding, scorching red.
Yet another secret art belonging to the noble clans—
The Great Subduing Might Fist!
A single punch carrying the force to cleave through mountains, unimaginably fierce and powerful, the fist’s wind carrying pure yang energy as it bore down directly upon Gu Lin.
Now that he’d reached Cavern Mystery, the range of his externally projected inner energy had grown far vaster, easily capable of sealing off an area spanning several zhang in every direction.
Even with Gu Lin’s nimble lightness technique, there was nowhere left to dodge!
Just as Zhao Can had convinced himself that victory was already secured, his pupils suddenly contracted.
For up on Arena 3, an enormous phantom palm made of inner energy had appeared.
One palm split into two.
Two split into four!
Until 32 palms surrounded Gu Lin in dense, overlapping formation, forming a terrifying wall of palms!
As the Great Subduing Might Fist crashed down, the wall of palms, its inner energy hopelessly outmatched, shuddered violently under the strain, yet somehow never collapsed.
Zhao Yao leaped into the air, his eyes bulging with fury, the inner energy in his dantian surging wildly, the yang-infused might of the Great Subduing Might Fist growing ever more savage as his massive fist pressed forward another two inches with brutal force.
And Gu Lin’s wall of palms trembled uncontrollably, the granite beneath his feet beginning to crack faintly.
Watching this unfold, every spectator present grew so tense they scarcely dared to breathe.
The two of them had actually reached a standstill!
There was no question that the Qilin Young Master’s martial arts stood among the very finest.
Yet Gu Lin, with his inner energy at an extreme disadvantage, was somehow managing to hold his defensive wall of palms together well enough to resist.
So just how powerful was this technique, exactly?
To have cultivated it to such a peerless degree—how profound must Gu Lin’s comprehension of the martial arts truly be?
The clash between fist and palm-wall grew more and more violent with each passing moment. Gu Lin’s face had turned pale as paper, blood slowly seeping from all 7 apertures of his head.
And Zhao Yao’s face twisted into an ever more savage, contorted expression, his fury nearly piercing the heavens themselves, the Cavern Mystery inner energy stored within every aperture of his body pouring entirely into the Great Subduing Might Fist.
“10 breaths at most—if Gu Lin doesn’t withdraw that wall of palms soon, he’ll bleed to death from all 7 apertures himself!”
“But if he abandons the defensive wall of palms, how could he possibly withstand this punch from the Qilin Young Master? He’d be smashed clean through, his flesh and organs obliterated!”
Among the nearly 100,000 spectators, many martial artists from the various sects and noble clans had already seen through the hopelessness of Gu Lin’s situation.
The root cause, in the end, still came down to the gap in cultivation.
Energy Condensation Seventh Level—how could a single stream ever hope to match a mighty river?
Had Gu Lin chosen to meet this technique head-on with his leg technique from the very start, he would likely already be collapsed on the ground, his fate hanging in the balance!
Up on the high platform, the muscles in Zhao Can’s face drew taut. He shut his eyes tightly and murmured under his breath:
“Zhao Yao, Zhao Yao!”
“If you repeat the same mistake again, I will hold you in contempt for the rest of my life!!”
7 or 8 breaths at most, and this Gu bastard would meet his end.
Never stumble over the same stone twice!
In that moment, every sacred grounds member present kept their eyes fixed on Gu Lin.
The same trick again?
Sure enough.
“Who do you think I am?”
Zhao Yao let out an abrupt, cold laugh, withdrawing the majority of the Great Subduing Might Fist’s force and redirecting the overwhelming inner energy toward his own waist and stomach.
Though that claw-print strike still carried no visible trace of inner energy flow whatsoever, he had remained wary throughout, and the very instant he felt a scorching heat touch his robe, he severed the connection at the fastest speed possible.
A Cavern Mystery cultivator’s inner energy reacted far faster than even someone at the very peak of Energy Condensation Ninth Level ever could.
This time, only a corner of his robe burned black—the heat never even reached his flesh.
Watching this unfold, the tension gripping Zhao Can’s heart finally released entirely—but in the very next instant, he felt as though he’d plunged into an ice cave, a chill sweeping through every organ in his body.
“This isn’t merely a defensive technique…”
The many sacred grounds members present wore expressions of open shock.
The claw-print sneak attack had only ever been a feint meant to distract Zhao Yao!
For the wall of palms, already trembling on the verge of collapse, suddenly released a single palm strike carrying an unmatched, murderous offensive force.
32 palms in total—31 phantom palms serving purely as defense, and 1 solid palm carrying a devastating offensive strike!
And it happened at the exact moment Zhao Yao withdrew his force, focusing his attention entirely on defending against that silent, traceless claw-print strike—he could never have imagined that hidden within the defensive wall of palms lay a single solid palm carrying such ferocious offensive intent.
The sudden strike slammed directly into the right side of his body with brutal force, sending him flying backward several zhang through the air, half his entire chest caving inward, blood spraying continuously as he soared through the air.
Gu Lin pushed off the ground and surged forward, his speed reaching its absolute peak.
Before Zhao Yao had even touched the ground, he was struck by 18 consecutive kicks in midair, the thunderclap sound accompanying each terrifying kick leaving Zhao Yao dizzy and disoriented, his mind and spirit trembling uncontrollably as he threw every last ounce of strength into dodging.
“You call yourself a Qilin, so what exactly does that make me?!”
“You wanted me to submit to you, to become your servant, so that you could graciously bestow a Blade-Bearer position upon me as a reward—do you have any idea how laughable that is?!”
“Something as fragile as you, unable to withstand even a single real blow—you’re not even worth my full effort!”
“You couldn’t even cross the threshold into the Round of 32!”
Kick after brutal kick landed, each accompanied by a voice utterly devoid of warmth.
Zhao Yao struggled desperately to dodge, his entire body drenched in blood.
This was a suffocating, crushing pressure beyond anything imaginable!
Every single person present was left utterly and completely stunned!!
“I…”
After being struck by the Nine Heavens Divine Leg, Zhao Yao collapsed onto the arena in a dazed stupor, his entire body trembling from the agony.
Gu Lin pushed the Wave-Treading Steps to their absolute limit, closing the distance in just two strides, and with the last of his remaining strength, unleashed the Three Yang Bloodline-Severing Hand Seal directly onto Zhao Yao’s throat, searing it.
Speak now?
Could he even force out the words “I concede”?
Zhao Can lost all composure, breaking into a frantic, mad sprint toward Arena 3.
“Zhao Can!!”
The Martial Extremity Palace’s centurion roared furiously, stepping forward to block his path and delivering a brutal slap through the air at Zhao Can.
The centurions of the other three sacred grounds wore equally grim expressions, and nearly every member present moved as one, completely surrounding Zhao Can.
This was utterly absurd!
Should Zhao Can actually set foot on the arena to intervene and rescue his brother, forget the Divine Dynasty putting Zhao Can to death—every single official present would have their official robes stripped from them on the spot. Every single one of them would share in the guilt.
The sacred grounds selection trial wasn’t confined merely to Chu Province’s Chuwei Prefecture—countless prefectures and counties across all 28 provinces of the Divine Dynasty were holding their own trials simultaneously. Whoever dared to violate the principle of fairness would be committing an act of open treason!
This sudden, unexpected loss of control left everyone present utterly shaken and bewildered!
But upon witnessing the scene unfolding on the arena itself, the nearly 100,000 spectators felt a chill crawl down their spines.
The Qilin Young Master lay collapsed, his throat burned black and charred, thrashing desperately against the ground.
And a single figure was walking toward him, unhurried, taking his time.
“What is Gu Lin planning to do?”
Countless hairs stood on end across the crowd.
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