Overwhelming All Opposition

Outside the Scripture Hall, the other upper-court disciples erupted in an uproar, utterly shocked. The first time Zhong Yue had defeated Shui Lingshan with the speed of thunder before the ear could cover itself, there had still been grounds to suspect that he had caught Shui Lingshan off guard, winning because Shui Lingshan had not known how formidable his physique was.

But this time, the Shuitu Clan disciple had brought out the Totem God Pillar the moment he appeared, specifically countering body refiners. Even under such circumstances, Zhong Yue had still crushed him like rotten wood and dead branches, leaving him in the same state as Shui Lingshan. This was no longer luck—it was strength!

The Shuitu Clan's core disciples were not empty reputations. They were veterans of countless battles. Using the Totem Pillar to counter Zhong Yue was indeed the best way to deal with someone with a powerful physique, and it was also the brilliant strategy acknowledged by the vast majority of disciples. Yet Zhong Yue had still shattered the Totem Pillar's power with a single kick. It was clear just how terrifyingly strong his physique had become!

"Take on ten? What an arrogant tone!"

Someone recognized Zhong Yue and said, "So he's that Zhongshan Clan fellow. No wonder he's so arrogant! He himself is an arrogant person. Last time, this Zhongshan Clan junior brother beat a senior brother from the Tian Feng Clan right here, saying to the Tian Feng Clan qi refiner's face that the Tian Feng Clan was nothing. It's only been a month since we last saw him, yet his strength has improved this much. He can even beat a Shuitu Clan core disciple whenever he wants—his strength is already higher than that of most upper-court disciples!"

Someone beside him lowered his voice. "Does this fellow have a grudge against the Ten Great Clans? Why does he keep fighting their disciples? After beating the Shuitu Clan this time, will it be the Lishan Clan and Taolin Clan next?"

A Lishan Clan disciple nearby sneered when he heard that and was about to step forward to challenge Zhong Yue, but a fellow Lishan Clan disciple beside him stopped him and shook his head. "The Shuitu Clan and our Lishan Clan are competitors as well. We'll definitely encounter each other in the Unrestricted Duel two months from now. Let's take this opportunity to find out how strong the Shuitu Clan's disciples are."

That Lishan Clan disciple understood. He drew back his foot and nodded. "I originally thought the upper-court disciples were all weaklings. Now it seems there are experts in the upper court too. This is just the right chance to see what the upper-court experts are made of!"

Ting Lanyue was carried out of the quiet room by several disciples under Elder Pu. He Chengchuan hurried over and said, "Senior Sister, your injuries?"

"A few ribs are broken, and my internal organs took a bit of an impact. I've taken a spiritual pill, so I won't die."

Ting Lanyue struggled to sit up and looked toward Zhong Yue in the arena. Junior Brother Zhong's tone is a little too big—too overbearing and too arrogant. I'm afraid he'll draw an attack from the entire Shuitu Clan. But he's standing up for us... Hmm? No, that's not right. His little lover, Shui Qingyan, is from the Shuitu Clan. He just beat the Shuitu Clan so brutally—is it possible he and his little lover have completely fallen out, and he's beating up his brother-in-law to vent his hatred?

"Take on ten disciples of my Shuitu Clan? Who's being so reckless?"

Many of the Shuitu Clan's core disciples had originally been watching from the quiet room of a Shuitu Clan qi refiner in the Scripture Hall. Shui Lingshan had just been carried in, and several core disciples had gathered around to feed him medicine. Before he could even take it, the Shuitu Clan disciple had already been sent flying by Zhong Yue.

At that moment, Zhong Yue's voice reached them, leaving the Shuitu Clan core disciples in the quiet room both shocked and furious. One after another, they rose abruptly, looking murderously toward the area outside the Scripture Hall.

Core disciples were naturally different from ordinary disciples. They often came from a clan leader's branch or descended from a clan qi refiner. Their status and position far surpassed those of others. They were people who could follow qi refiners in cultivation—quite literally the elite of the elite among the Shuitu Clan's younger generation!

Having followed the clan's qi refiners in cultivation, which of them had not received a true transmission? Without receiving a true transmission, they would not even have been qualified to cultivate alongside a qi refiner!

Moreover, the Shuitu Clan was one of the Ten Great Clans. Its core disciples had spiritual pills and wondrous medicines in abundance, as well as heavenly treasures. A mountain of spiritual pills alone could pile a disciple into an expert!

On ordinary days, these disciples possessed a natural sense of superiority over upper-court disciples. They believed that since upper-court disciples could not obtain true transmissions, they were a notch below core disciples like themselves. This time, they had come to the upper court to take stock, to find out which experts were among its disciples. In truth, they had not thought much of this trip.

Indeed, once they arrived at the upper court and went through several challenges, they had crushed one upper-court disciple after another like rotten wood and dead branches. So far, they had yet to encounter an opponent stronger than themselves, and as a result, they had grown somewhat lax.

Yet now, these elite Shuitu Clan disciples had actually been challenged by a body-refining fellow who opened his mouth and said he would take on ten!

"An insignificant upper-court disciple practices a Body Refining Method and then thinks he can swagger about, treating the inner-court elites as nothing? How outrageous! Simply too outrageous!"

A female disciple's eyes flashed brightly. She rose and was about to leave the quiet room, her robes fluttering and her bearing heroic and spirited. "I'll make him learn what it means for the sky to be high and the earth to be thick!"

Before she had even left the quiet room, she had already begun visualizing. Her spiritual power transformed into flowing water that swirled around her body, forming a surging river. It revolved around her like a soaring dragon and a swimming python!

"Water Sword Qi, Thirteen Forms of Sword!"

The Shuitu Clan female disciple cried out softly. One water sword after another slowly rose from the river, their heights varying. It was clearly an extremely profound sword art!

She was cautious by nature and had fought countless battles. She had not underestimated Zhong Yue. Shui Lingshan and another Shuitu Clan disciple had underestimated him earlier and had been defeated cleanly and crisply, naturally putting her on guard. Thus, before the battle even began, she had started visualizing, lest this body refiner, Zhong Yue, catch her off guard.

A Shuitu Clan disciple's eyes lit up, and he laughed. "As expected of Senior Sister Shui Sheng, a person valued by the clan's higher-ups. Your thoughts are meticulous. Once you go out this time, you'll certainly teach that upper-court brat a lesson!"

Before he had finished speaking, an incomparably savage aura surged in through the doorway. At the entrance, a ferocious flood dragon tumbled and thrashed, whipping its tail as it encountered the female disciple, Shui Sheng, at the quiet room's door!

The Water Sword Qi and Thirteen Forms of Sword erupted together with the flood dragon. For a moment, a flash of lightning crackled into being, dazzling like a small sun. Within that little sun, a vicious dragon shook its head and whipped its tail as it pounced forward. It collided with the river, twisting its body and smashing the river apart, while every water sword qi was blasted into mist!

The female disciple, Shui Sheng, let out a shriek as the flood dragon's tail struck her and sent her flying through the air. She crossed the quiet room, which spanned several acres, flying from one end to the other before slamming into the far wall with a bang!

The wall shook violently, and shattered stones pattered down. Shui Sheng was actually pinned to the wall, all four limbs spread wide in the shape of a character, with spiderweb-like cracks surrounding her!

It was easy to imagine how ferocious the power unleashed by Zhong Yue's strike had been!

"Since the Shuitu Clan isn't coming out to seek instruction, I'll come in and seek it myself!"

Wrapped in a flood dragon, Zhong Yue strode into the quiet room. He swept his gaze around and saw the Shuitu Clan disciples staring at him in shock and fury.

"One, two, three... There are only seven Shuitu Clan disciples?"

Zhong Yue was a little disappointed. He muttered, "I thought I could take on ten..."

"Outrageous!"

The Shuitu Clan disciple nearest to him reacted extremely swiftly. He immediately shifted his body as his spiritual power transformed into totem patterns. At the same time, a Totem Pillar flew up from behind him and landed on the ground. The power of the water-element Totem Pillar was activated, and he shouted, "This is the quiet room of a Shuitu Clan qi refiner, not a place where you can act arrogantly!"

Thud, thud, thud!

The other six Shuitu Clan disciples sent Totem Pillars flying up from behind them one after another, planting them into the ground. These disciples were experts as well. They had been highly particular about where they planted their Totem Pillars, arranging them into a formation of seven stars in a chain. It precisely enveloped the entire quiet room, several acres in size, beneath the power of the Totem Pillars' totems. Moreover, the totem patterns between the Totem Pillars overlapped with one another, multiplying their power!

A single Totem Pillar could already cause immense trouble for a body refiner, the pressure of water restricting his movements. With the Totem Pillars stacked together, that pressure rose severalfold!

These Shuitu Clan disciples knew Zhong Yue was a body refiner, so they acted decisively, suppressing his greatest advantage. After that, it would no longer be his turn to swagger!

"River God Totem Visualization Art!"

"Water River Sword Qi!"

"Wei River Beneath the Azure Mountains!"

The seven Shuitu Clan disciples roared. In an instant, water vapor surged to the heavens within the quiet room. Great rivers rushed and flowed, and the quiet room seemed to transform into a world of water. The Wei River and mountains became one, the river forming sword qi. One disciple even visualized the River God, River God He Bo!

Clang—

Soul arms appeared one after another. These Shuitu Clan disciples had actually performed Soul Sacrifice on their soul arms, clearly preparing to go all out and return in full the humiliation Zhong Yue had brought upon their fellow Shuitu Clan disciples!

Yet the instant their first Totem Pillar fell, Zhong Yue had already begun to move. As the first Totem Pillar descended, before it could even be activated, the Thunderclap Sword Art had already erupted. A streak of thunderous sword light flashed across the Totem Pillar that had yet to land. As the Totem Pillar struck the ground, its water-patterned totem had just begun to spread in all directions when a crack appeared across it. Then the Totem Pillar split into two.

At the same time, the other six Shuitu Clan disciples' Totem Pillars finally landed. Before the seven-star formation could be completed, it had already been broken!

"Ride the Thunder Across the Sky!"

Zhong Yue shot into the air from below. Lightning blazed as he dodged attack after attack with the speed of lightning, avoiding the soul arms that came streaking toward him.

The soul arms changed direction in midair, moving incredibly fast. Sword light filled the sky and rushed toward him. One Shuitu Clan disciple shouted, "Surround him with the soul arms and leave him nowhere to escape!"

Crack!

Lightning suddenly appeared, and thunder boomed. The Shuitu Clan disciple was struck by a bolt of lightning, his body springing into the air and stiffening as he was blasted black all over. A dragon claw as large as a mat descended from the sky and pressed down on the disciple who had just been blasted upward, crushing him into the ground. The quiet room trembled, and a human-shaped pit appeared in the floor!

"Dragon Travels Ten Thousand Miles!"

Zhong Yue traversed the sky. In an instant, he shifted from one end of the quiet room to the other, so fast that even the soul arms in midair could not catch him. The soul arms posed the greatest threat to him. How could flesh and blood withstand treasures like soul arms? Fortunately, he was fast enough!

"Twin Dragons Competing for Food!"

A dragon's roar shook the room. Another flood dragon's head slowly rose behind Zhong Yue. The two flood dragons coiled around either half of his body, then suddenly dipped down, each biting a disciple and smashing them viciously into each other at the center. Both disciples were left with bloody, battered heads and passed out.

Outside the Scripture Hall, hundreds of upper-court disciples looked toward the Shuitu Clan's quiet room. Inside, waves of water surged to the heavens, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and dragon roars shook the air. The sounds of water, crashing waves, shouts, and bodies colliding reached their ears one after another.

After a while, the waves vanished, and the sounds of thunder, water, and dragon roars gradually fell silent as well. The quiet room returned to peace.

Zhong Yue walked out through the battered doorway of the quiet room, shook out his beast-skin robe, and shook his head. "Only eight..."

Someone craned his head toward the Shuitu Clan's quiet room and saw chaos within. Eight male and female Shuitu Clan disciples lay sprawled all over the floor.

In the blink of an eye, the eight Shuitu Clan core disciples had all been swept aside!