8mi Chapter 2209 Yu Xi, Yu Xi, what can I do?
Chapter 2209 Yu Xi, Yu Xi, what can I do?
In the teahouse, the monks gathered in small groups, arguing heatedly until their faces turned red.
"If you ask me, Xu Ziqian is the real hero. He was at the peak of the Tai Cang Realm and defeated three half-step Heavenly Monarchs in succession. This achievement is enough to be recorded in the history of the competition."
"He's fierce, but he's too reckless. You didn't see what he looked like, tsk tsk, he looked like a blood gourd. I heard he's still being treated. This kind of life-risking fighting style is ultimately not the right path. If his foundation is damaged, his future will be ruined."
"What do you know? The path of cultivation is inherently about defying fate and fighting against destiny. Without this kind of will to live even in the face of death, how can one reach the pinnacle? Xu Ziqian's tenacity and unwavering will are truly a model for us all."
"Chen Fei is not bad either. His Dao Domain is unbreakable among those of the same level. He has not met an opponent yet and won with ease. I think his strength is unfathomable. Even if he faces a true half-step Heavenly Monarch prodigy tomorrow, he may still have a fighting chance."
"Hmph, Chen Fei is just lucky. He didn't encounter any real powerhouses. His Dao Domain seems unsolvable, but don't forget, today he encountered peak Tai Cang Realm experts."
The difference between a half-step Celestial Monarch and the peak of the Tai Cang Realm may seem slight, but in reality, they are worlds apart. Their comprehension and application of the Great Dao's rules, as well as the quality and quantity of their Yuan Power, are incomparable.
His Dao Domain might be invincible against opponents of the same level, but it might not be so effective against those prodigies who have progressed extremely far on their respective Great Daos, even touching the threshold of the Heavenly Monarch realm.
"That makes sense. Even half-step Heavenly Lords are divided into different levels. People like Feng Butong and Dugu Jue are already among the best. But as far as I know, there are a few monsters among monsters in this competition, just one step away from becoming a true Heavenly Lord. If Chen Fei and Xu Ziqian were to encounter them..."
"Xu Ziqian will likely find it difficult to continue his stellar performance from today. As for Chen Fei... well, that depends on his luck with the draw. If he draws another ordinary half-step Heavenly Lord, he might be able to advance further. But if he encounters those real monsters earlier..."
The debate eventually focused on Chen Fei and Xu Ziqian.
Although both of them demonstrated the strength to defy a half-step Heavenly Monarch, most people believed that their path to miracles was about to come to an end.
After all, those who can reach the top 162 of the Half-Step Heavenly Lords are all outstanding among their peers.
While the capital was embroiled in heated debates over the daytime battles, the gambling dens and betting odds hidden behind the bustling city were already rapidly adjusting their odds based on the latest lists and performances, offering a dazzling array of betting options.
The biggest betting odds, of course, are about who will ultimately win.
Several universally acknowledged prodigies topped the list with pitifully low odds. Feng Butong's name was also prominently featured, though his odds were slightly higher, making him a popular choice.
The betting odds between Chen Fei and Xu Ziqian were varied and attracted the attention of countless speculators.
"I bet Chen Fei will advance to the top 81 tomorrow."
"It looks interesting to bet on how many consecutive wins Chen Fei can achieve tomorrow."
Behind the odds lies the bookmakers' meticulous calculations and a reflection of the market's general understanding.
Although Chen Fei is powerful, his prospects are not entirely optimistic when facing true half-step Heavenly Monarch elites, especially top geniuses he may encounter earlier.
Xu Ziqian is very strong, but ultimately he is not a true half-step Heavenly Monarch.
A few shrewd gamblers, or those simply hoping to win big with a small bet, placed their bets on a miracle.
They believe that Chen Fei's Dao Domain may still have untapped power, and Xu Ziqian's indomitable resilience and ability to become stronger when facing stronger opponents may create another miracle.
But such gamblers are ultimately a minority.
The changing odds are like a microcosm, reflecting the general expectations of the people in the capital for tomorrow's battle.
The true battlefield of geniuses is about to begin. On this stage for those at the half-step Celestial Monarch level, can the peak of the Tai Cang Realm continue to shine?
Will it be like a shooting star, leaving a brief moment of brilliance before fading away, or will it truly break through the shackles of its realm and stage a legendary tale of the underdog overthrowing the superior?
Everything will be revealed tomorrow.
The following day, as the sun rose, it bathed the ancient and magnificent capital in a golden glow.
The third day of the Grand Competition of Ten Thousand Sects arrived as scheduled.
Today, the top twenty strongest individuals will be selected from among the 162 prodigies.
This means that to secure a spot in the top 20, a team must either win three consecutive matches today or be lucky enough to draw a bye.
The light from the thirty-six training arenas dimmed, and in their place, nine even larger, gigantic training arenas in the central area slowly rose up.
Like nine floating war arenas, they exude a chilling aura of majesty.
Outside the training ground, the crowds were enormous, and the noise was deafening.
Compared to the previous two days, the number of onlookers has increased rather than decreased, and the atmosphere is even more frenzied. This is because from today onwards, every match will be a clash of titans, and every battle could determine the final ranking of a peerless prodigy.
"Look, the list is out."
"The first round of matchups for the nine training grounds have been announced."
A massive light screen unfolded, clearly displaying the match information for nine groups. Countless gazes swept across the screen, searching for the names they were interested in and quickly assessing the match situation.
"In the Class A arena, Feng Butong faces Youquan from the Xuanming Sect. Good heavens, Senior Brother Feng has encountered a tough opponent in his very first match. Youquan's Xuanming True Water is extremely poisonous and impossible to defend against."
"Wait... Look at the Geng character field. Is that Xu Ziqian?"
When their gaze fell upon the Geng character area, the crowd erupted in a tremendous gasp.
The first matchup in the Geng-character arena was clearly written as: Dan Chen Sect, Xu Ziqian. His opponent was Man Shan, a half-step Heavenly Monarch from the Ju Ling Sect.
"Hiss... In the nine matches, only Xu Ziqian is at the peak of the Tai Cang Realm, the rest are all half-step Heavenly Monarchs."
"The only son, this..."
In an instant, almost 70% of the eyes in the entire arena focused on the Gengzi Martial Arts Arena.
Xu Ziqian, the man who created a miracle yesterday, has stepped into the ring again today. Can he still fight? Can he continue to create miracles?
Or is yesterday's glory his swan song?
Outside the training ground, Liu Ruxu clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms.
"Ziqian..." Liu Ruxu felt a pang of pain in her heart. Was it really worth it to fight at the cost of her life?
Chen Fei looked at Xu Ziqian's name on the screen. Everything was in accordance with his heart. However, this path was too difficult and too cruel.
The nine training arenas shone brightly at the same time, capturing the eighteen prodigies in the first round of competition.
The person in the Geng position instantly became the absolute center of attention.
Inside the Gengzi Martial Arts Arena.
Xu Ziqian stood quietly, his figure still as upright as a pine tree, but his face was so pale that it was devoid of any color. Only his eyes remained cold and sharp, burning with an indomitable flame.
Opposite him stood a giant man, over ten feet tall, like an iron tower, none other than Man Shan of the Giant Spirit Sect.
Man Shan's bare, bronze-colored upper body was bulging with muscles that looked like they had been cast from refined iron, exuding explosive power.
He held a bronze giant axe that was even larger than Xu Ziqian's Po Jun axe. Just by casually planting it on the ground, it gave people a sense of oppressive power, like a mountain.
"Danchen Sect, Xu Ziqian?"
Man Shan's voice boomed like a bell, his large, copper-bell-like eyes scrutinizing Xu Ziqian from head to toe. He said in a deep, gruff voice, "I heard you were very fierce yesterday, defeating two half-step Heavenly Lords in a row. But in your current state, how many more times can you swing your axe?"
Xu Ziqian did not answer, but slowly raised the Po Jun sword in his hand.
The dark gold axe blade reflected a cold luster under the light of the training ground.
A resolute and fierce aura slowly rose from his body and from Po Jun.
Man Shan dropped his disdain, his gaze turning serious.
He could sense the terrifying will contained within the other's body, as well as the ferocious aura emanating from that axe that made even him feel a little uneasy.
This is an opponent that deserves serious consideration.
"Giant Spirit Sect, Man Shan, please!" Man Shan roared, gripping the handle of the bronze giant axe with both hands.
"please!"
There was no probing, no fancy maneuvering, only the purest, most violent, and most direct clash of forces.
Man Shan took a step forward, and the ground of the training ground rumbled. He swung his bronze giant axe, which was as big as a door panel, down at Xu Ziqian with the force of splitting mountains and splitting the earth.
Before the axe even arrived, the violent shockwave made Xu Ziqian's clothes flutter loudly, and the heavy pressure was almost suffocating.
This axe strike, simple and brutal, contains the ultimate profound meaning of the Great Dao of the Giant Spirit Sect, where one force can overcome ten techniques.
Xu Ziqian's pupils contracted. He could clearly feel the terrifying power contained in this axe blow, far exceeding that of his opponent yesterday.
"war!"
Xu Ziqian let out a roar, forcefully activating the Yuan Power within his body and the power of his Divine General Body. He gripped the Po Jun sword tightly with both hands, neither dodging nor avoiding, and slashed upwards in reverse.
"clang!!"
The two giant axes, carrying the full power and will of both sides, collided fiercely.
The ear-piercing clang of metal against metal resounded through the sky, and the violent energy exploded in a ring, tearing the ground of the training ground into spiderweb-like cracks.
At the center of the collision, space distorted slightly before shattering completely.
Xu Ziqian trembled violently, his face flushed red instantly, then quickly turned deathly pale, and he forced down a mouthful of blood.
His feet sank deep into the ground, sliding backward for more than ten miles, carving out two deep furrows. His arms, gripping the axe, trembled slightly, his tiger's mouth split open, and blood flowed down the axe handle.
Man Shan merely swayed slightly before regaining his footing as firmly as a mountain. His eyes flashed with a sharp light, his fighting spirit intensifying: "Good, that's powerful! Let's go again!"
He pressed his advantage relentlessly, striding forward and unleashing a torrent of powerful bronze axe shadows that crashed down upon Xu Ziqian. Each strike was incredibly forceful, as if designed to cleave Xu Ziqian and the entire training ground into pieces.
Xu Ziqian gritted his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes grew even more crazed and cold.
He was like a small boat in a stormy sea, struggling to defend himself against the raging onslaught from the barbaric mountains.
He no longer pursued head-on confrontation, but instead maximized the subtle control the Divine General Body had over its body and the power of the Great Dao Origin of the Broken Army, using minimal force to deflect and guide the counterattack.
"Clang! Clang! Clang..."
The continuous sounds of collisions, like a sudden storm, resounded wildly in the martial arts arena. The two figures fought with incredible speed, exchanging more than fifty blows in an instant.
However, the difference in their levels of understanding and states of being was fully revealed at this moment.
Man Shan grew stronger with each battle, his power seemingly inexhaustible. With each swing of his bronze giant axe, his understanding of the Dao of Power imbued every strike with a world-shattering might.
Xu Ziqian, on the other hand, was like a candle burning in a downpour, its light rapidly dimming.
His movements began to sluggish, his blocking became increasingly difficult, and his counterattacks increasingly weak.
Each collision caused his Dao Domain to tremble and his injuries to worsen. He was only managing to hold on by forcibly unleashing his potential with astonishing willpower.
After sixty moves, Xu Ziqian was completely at a disadvantage, only able to parry and powerless to fight back.
Although his Po Jun technique remained fierce, it was difficult for him to demonstrate its characteristic of becoming stronger when facing stronger opponents in the face of the absolute power suppression and more refined application of the Great Dao by Man Shan.
Man Shan had clearly studied Xu Ziqian's fighting style, giving him no chance to exchange injuries for a desperate burst of power. Instead, he relied on his superior strength, deeper and more enduring Yuan energy, and a deeper understanding of the Great Dao of Power to steadily advance and relentlessly press forward.
We must wear Xu Ziqian down and crush him!
"The great path of power is not just about brute force," Man Shan said in a deep voice, his voice like muffled thunder, as he continued his frenzied attack.
"Your application of power has not yet extended to the origin of the Great Dao. Your axe is fierce, and your will is strong, but the gap in your understanding of the Great Dao cannot be completely bridged by willpower alone."
As soon as he finished speaking, the power on the bronze giant axe suddenly changed. It was no longer a simple chopping and smashing, but carried a peculiar force.
With each block, Xu Ziqian not only felt an overwhelming force, but also a strange and domineering shockwave that traveled through the Po Jun point directly to his arms, body, and even internal organs.
This caused his already damaged body and Dao Domain to churn even more violently.
Xu Ziqian groaned repeatedly, blood continuously spilling from the corner of his mouth, and his blocking movements became increasingly distorted.
He knew that what Man Shan said was true. He was able to defeat a half-step Heavenly Monarch because of the powerful foundation of the Divine General Body, the Great Dao Origin nurtured in the Broken Army, and the will that broke through the limits under desperate circumstances.
However, in terms of the absolute depth of his understanding of the Great Dao and the quality of his Yuan Power, there is indeed an insurmountable gap between him and a true half-step Heavenly Monarch, especially elites like Man Shan who have been immersed in the Great Dao of Power for a long time.
He was able to win before because he seized his opponent's weakness, fought desperately, and disrupted the opponent's rhythm.
But Manshan didn't give him that opportunity at all.
Po Jun seemed to sense its master's predicament and indomitable spirit. Its axe trembled, and the dark golden light flickered. An even more ferocious and tragic aura attempted to rise, resonating with Xu Ziqian's will, wanting to unleash its power that grew stronger when faced with a stronger opponent once again.
However, Xu Ziqian's body was already at its limit and could not provide enough power to draw upon and support the deeper power of Po Jun.
Forcing resonance will only hasten his physical collapse.
Outside the training ground, Liu Ruxu stared intently at the figure struggling against the raging wind and rain inside, her heart pounding in her chest. Her fingernails had already pierced her palms, and blood was dripping from between her fingers, but she was completely unaware.
She could clearly see Xu Ziqian's body trembling with each block, feel his breath rapidly weakening, and hear the groans of his bones straining under the weight.
Every breath was an ordeal for her.
"Admit defeat, Ziqian, admit defeat now!" She wished she could rush onto the field and pull him down.
On the other hand, she knew perfectly well that Xu Ziqian would never admit defeat.
Getting him to admit defeat is harder than killing him.
Inside the training ground, Xu Ziqian's consciousness began to fade.
Excruciating pain, weakness, and dizziness assaulted his nerves like a relentless tide. The giant axe of the barbarian mountain transformed into an endless mountain range, relentlessly crushing down, determined to bury him completely.
Only the icy touch of the Broken Army sword in his hand and the fierce, unyielding resonance it evoked were sustaining him, preventing him from collapsing.
"Is this... the end?" A thought rose uncontrollably from the bottom of my heart.
No! Absolutely not!
In Xu Ziqian's eyes, the pupils that had been somewhat unfocused due to weakness and pain suddenly contracted, bursting forth with a terrifying light once more. Everything ignited, frantically pouring into the Broken Army in his hand.
"Buzz!"
The axe trembled violently, emitting an extremely sharp buzzing sound, and a blinding blood light suddenly shone on the dark golden axe blade.
That wasn't the light from the axe itself, but rather the radiance that erupted from Xu Ziqian after he burned his life essence and soul, forcibly resonating with the essence of the Po Jun weapon.
The fierce aura emanating from the axe surged at this moment, and a primordial beast, thoroughly enraged, awakened.
"Hmm?" Man Shan's expression changed drastically. He sensed a deadly threat from the giant axe wreathed in blood-red light.
This strike had exceeded the limits of Xu Ziqian's current level of skill; it was a truly desperate strike, a strike that burned everything.
Man Shan dared not be negligent in the slightest. He roared and pushed the Great Dao of Power to its limit. The bronze giant axe shone with a thick, earthy yellow light, and it truly transformed into a majestic divine mountain, which he cleaved down at Xu Ziqian with all his might.
He held nothing back, determined to strike decisively and completely crush the opponent's dying counterattack.
"cut!"
Xu Ziqian's arm muscles ruptured, blood gushing out, but he seemed oblivious, swinging the blood-red Po Jun sword with both hands and striking towards the mountain that was pressing down on him.
"Boom!"
An unprecedentedly terrifying roar erupted, blinding light filled the training ground, and an extremely violent energy storm swept out, causing large sections of the reinforced training ground floor to crumble and the protective light shield to ripple violently.
The light faded.
Man Shan knelt on one knee, propping himself up with his axe, breathing heavily. His clothes were torn in many places, and dozens of fine bloodstains appeared on his bronze skin. A trickle of blood also spilled from the corner of his mouth.
He looked up, his eyes filled with shock and lingering fear. Had he not fought back with all his might, he would likely have been severely injured by that attack.
More than ten miles ahead of Manshan, Xu Ziqian lay quietly on the broken ground, covered in blood, his breath extremely weak.
The light of the Broken Army axe in his hand had completely dimmed, and it was stuck diagonally in the ground not far away, with even a tiny crack appearing on the axe.
"Geng Character Field, First Round, Winner: Giant Spirit Sect, Barbarian Mountain."
The verdict was announced, tinged with a barely perceptible sigh.
A moment of silence fell over the entire hall, followed by a deafening chorus of sighs of regret that echoed throughout the capital city. (End of Chapter)