That upper-court disciple was broad-shouldered and knotted with muscle. Though only fifteen or sixteen, he was as sturdy as a black bear. He sprang up and swept a vicious kick into Zhong Yue's knee joint. The force in his foot exploded—it could shatter stone pillars and snap a great tree in half!
Boom!
A muffled thud rang out. Zhong Yue's body swayed, and his left knee nearly buckled. At the same time, the power of the two Totem God Pillars bore down, making the pressure on his back even heavier!
"Surname Tian? Tian Feng Clan? Could he be that old examiner surnamed Tian from Azure Sky Hall?"
Like flint striking fire, Zhong Yue instantly pieced together the whole affair. The Tian Feng Clan wielded considerable influence within Sword Gate. That old qigong practitioner surnamed Tian controlled Azure Sky Hall in the outer court, which was tantamount to the Tian Feng Clan controlling the outer court's upper court and giving its disciples special advantages.
During Zhong Yue's examination at Azure Sky Hall, he had made Zuo Xiang Sheng realize that only by taking control of Azure Sky Hall himself could disciples from humble families have a path forward. Thus, he had challenged that old examiner from the Tian Feng Clan and seized his authority.
The matter had begun because of Zhong Yue, causing the Tian Feng Clan to lose control of Azure Sky Hall. Naturally, it had invited the Tian Feng Clan's retaliation!
"Hm? The engraving on my Totem God Pillars is the Turtle Mountain Totem. Once activated, they bear down with the force of mountains. You can still stand?"
The upper-court disciple kicked again. Seeing that Zhong Yue was still standing, he was startled and praised him, "No wonder you passed Azure Sky Hall's examination through strength alone. But you're bringing this suffering upon yourself. If you went with the flow and knelt down, kneeling for several hours in front of the upper-court disciples before the Scripture Hall, this matter would be over. My Tian Feng Clan wouldn't make things too difficult for you."
Whoosh!
He swept out another kick and laughed. "But you just have to refuse to kneel. I'm afraid you'll suffer even more!"
Zhong Yue's legs bent a little farther. The pressure transmitted from the two Turtle Mountain Totem Pillars grew heavier, pressing him firmly down!
"You must be wondering why no qigong practitioner has come down these past few days to take you as a disciple, right?"
The upper-court disciple sent kick after kick toward Zhong Yue's knees. Before the Scripture Hall, upper-court disciples came and went in a bustling stream, yet not one stepped forward to interfere. They merely watched from afar.
"That's because my Tian Feng Clan lost Azure Sky Hall. The other qigong practitioners are worried that taking you as a disciple would anger the Tian Feng Clan, so none of them are willing to accept you."
Thud!
The kick swept Zhong Yue down onto one knee. He clenched his fists and braced them against the ground, desperately refusing to let his other knee touch down. Veins stood out on his forehead and hands, each one stretched taut.
"You have no one in Sword Gate to teach or guide you. You can only waste away. Your cultivation will stop here, and as for becoming a qigong practitioner—dream on!"
The upper-court disciple viciously swept another kick into Zhong Yue's right leg and laughed. "The higher-ups of my Tian Feng Clan never ordered them not to accept you. They simply refuse to take you because the Tian Feng Clan is one of the ten great clans of the Great Wilderness! Having offended the Tian Feng Clan, you won't have a day to rise above the crowd even if my clan never lifts a finger. Today, you only need to kneel here for several hours. Then you can go down the mountain and leave Sword Gate on your own."
Outside the Scripture Hall, the upper-court disciples looked over one after another, shaking their heads repeatedly.
A female disciple shook her head. "The Tian Feng Clan is one of the ten great clans of the Great Wilderness. He offended them and caused them to lose Azure Sky Hall. Not only will he be unable to remain in Sword Gate—even across the hundred-thousand-mile Great Wilderness, I'm afraid there won't be anywhere for him to stay..."
"What happened?" someone asked in a low voice, unaware of the details.
"I heard that a few days ago, Uncle-Master Zuo from Azure Sky Hall and Uncle-Master Tian quarreled over this junior disciple from the Zhongshan Clan. Uncle-Master Zuo severely wounded Uncle-Master Tian and seized control of Azure Sky Hall. The Tian Feng Clan lost Azure Sky Hall, and its higher-ups were furious. They pressured Uncle-Master Zuo, and the matter became extremely unpleasant."
"I see. Uncle-Master Zuo is the most outstanding young qigong practitioner in Sword Gate and is highly valued by many elders. The Tian Feng Clan can't touch him, but this junior disciple from the Zhongshan Clan has no background or backers. I'm afraid he's the one who'll suffer terribly caught in the middle..."
"Terribly? That's putting it mildly. Look—the Uncle-Master Tian from Azure Sky Hall has also come to the Scripture Hall. Officially, he's here to lecture, but he's probably here to see what happens to this junior disciple from the Zhongshan Clan."
Zhong Yue grunted. Hearing this, he looked into the Scripture Hall and saw that old man from the Tian Feng Clan, the one from Azure Sky Hall, sitting in a quiet room as expected. The old man stared at him expressionlessly.
Boom—
Something seemed to explode in Zhong Yue's mind. Humiliation and unwillingness surged into his heart all at once!
"The Tian Feng Clan..."
Crackling sounds rang out from within Zhong Yue. His bones trembled and popped like beans roasting in a pan. Streams of visible spirit power surged from his brow, forming dense dragon scales, dragon claws, and a Dragon Body around him!
"Roar—"
A dragon's roar suddenly rang out, its echoes unceasing. The low dragon chant grew louder and clearer. Zhong Yue slowly rose beneath the pressure of the two Turtle Mountain Totem Pillars, while the Dragon Markings and Dragon Body around him became increasingly distinct!
It was as though a Flood Dragon's body were swimming across his form, its thick body covered in scales that rose one after another.
The upper-court disciple from the Tian Feng Clan was startled and hurriedly shouted. The patterns on the two Turtle Mountain Totem Pillars grew brighter. Ripples spread across them, forming two great mountains—mountains shaped like turtles—that pressed down upon Zhong Yue!
He had driven the power of the two Totem Pillars to its utmost limit. He absolutely had to crush Zhong Yue!
"The Tian Feng Clan!"
Zhong Yue roared. His back straightened further and further. As he rose, an incomparably wild and ferocious aura surged from behind him. A hideous, terrifying Flood Dragon's head slowly lifted from behind his skull. Its pair of dragon eyes gleamed with savage light, while its dragon claws gripped Zhong Yue's shoulders!
Zhong Yue stood fully upright beneath the two Turtle Mountains. The straw sandals on his feet were crushed to pieces. He suddenly raised his foot and stomped down hard. The ground shook violently. The two Turtle Mountain Totem Pillars were jolted into the air, and the ripples of the two Turtle Mountain Totems shattered with a thunderous crash!
The upper-court disciple from the Tian Feng Clan grunted. Suddenly, faint cracks sounded from within the two Turtle Mountain Totem Pillars. Then they exploded with a series of pops, transforming into countless wooden strands that flew in every direction. They had failed to suppress Zhong Yue—instead, they had been shattered by the Dragon Power in his body!
"The Tian Feng Clan is nothing!"
Zhong Yue swept out a kick. The upper-court disciple from the Tian Feng Clan was horrified to see a Flood Dragon's body, formed from highly condensed spirit power, coiling around Zhong Yue's leg. His leg had become extraordinarily thick, filled with unimaginable explosive force!
The disciple had been kicking at Zhong Yue's knees repeatedly, so he was extremely close. Zhong Yue suddenly unleashed his strength, shattered the Turtle Mountain Totem Pillars, and swept out a kick, leaving him no chance to dodge!
The force contained in that kick was countless times greater than that of a lowly demon like the Otherworldly Demon. When it swept out, it seemed capable of toppling mountains and tilting the earth beneath one's feet!
A tremendous impact rang out. A figure was swept high into the air and smashed heavily into the doors and windows of the Scripture Hall. The doors and windows shattered instantly!
The upper-court disciple from the Tian Feng Clan flew straight toward the old man from the Tian Feng Clan in Azure Sky Hall. With a thump, he landed on his knees before the old man. Both knees struck the ground, and fresh blood gushed out, staining the floor red.
Inside the quiet room, the many disciples of the Tian Feng Clan were dumbstruck. Even the old man from the Tian Feng Clan was stunned.
Outside the Scripture Hall, the upper-court disciples who had been watching the spectacle were likewise frozen, staring at the scene in disbelief. They had originally thought Zhong Yue would certainly be humiliated, forced to kneel before the Scripture Hall for several hours, and then sneak out of Sword Gate with his dignity in tatters.
After all, Zhong Yue had only just entered the upper court and had merely reached the Out-of-Body realm, while that upper-court disciple had cultivated there for a long time and far surpassed Zhong Yue in cultivation.
What was more, Zhong Yue had nothing, while his opponent had two Turtle Mountain Totem Pillars pinning him down!
Yet that upper-court disciple had been kicked flying by Zhong Yue!
Zhong Yue withdrew his leg and shook out his short beast-skin jacket. He raised his head toward the quiet room of the Scripture Hall. The old man from the Tian Feng Clan was also looking at him, his expression dark.
The upper-court disciple kneeling before him was both humiliated and enraged. He struggled to rise, but suddenly grunted and fell to his knees again.
The force of Zhong Yue's kick had been tremendous. Although the disciple's cultivation was deeper and he had entered the sect earlier, the Dragon Power filling Zhong Yue's body had crushed him. The muscles, tendons, and bones in both his legs had been shaken and injured, leaving them unable to exert any strength. He could only kneel.
"You're courting death!"
The upper-court disciple was furious and alarmed. Suddenly, a sharp blade at his waist rose into the air. Gorgeous Totem patterns were engraved upon it. It was clearly his Soul Weapon.
Without hesitation, the upper-court disciple raised the Soul Weapon and performed a Soul Sacrifice. In an instant, sword light filled the sky, slashing toward Zhong Yue!
The sword light was clearly a sword formation, most likely a high-level offensive art of Sword Gate. Zhong Yue could see nothing before him but a sheet of white; he could not distinguish illusion from reality at all!
This was where Sword Gate's inheritance was formidable. Although Zhong Yue had also cultivated to the Soul Sacrifice realm and could even transform spirit power into visible forms, he had never practiced any profound offensive arts. Faced with such a Soul Weapon and sword technique, he had no way to respond.
The Fire Epoch Palace Suihuang Visualization was a cultivation method, while the Dragon Totem Body Coiling Art was a body-tempering method. Without an offensive art, he was like someone possessing immense strength but unable to put it to use.
The dense sword light reached his eyes in the blink of an eye. With a Flood Dragon coiling around his body, Zhong Yue sprang backward, retreating five or six zhang in a single motion.
The sword light pursued him relentlessly. Sword rain filled the sky and fell in torrents, moving even faster than he could retreat. Its razor-sharp light could slice through hair; if it pierced him, even a body forged from iron would likely be riddled with holes!
"You've gone too far!"
Zhong Yue gritted his teeth. His soul suddenly left his body, and he performed a Soul Sacrifice on the bluestone slab beneath his feet. With a whoosh, the several-hundred-jin slab flew up and smashed toward the Scripture Hall!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
His soul emerged and returned in a flash. After hurling one bluestone slab, he immediately performed a Soul Sacrifice on another. In the blink of an eye, the bluestone slabs before the Scripture Hall rose one after another like waves, forming a straight line as they roared toward the hall!
The upper-court disciple inside the Scripture Hall was startled. He hurriedly recalled his Soul Weapon and swung his sword at the bluestone slabs filling the sky. In an instant, shattered stones flew everywhere and smoke billowed like thick fog.
"What a useless thing—you can't even deal with a brat who just entered the upper court!"
The old man from the Tian Feng Clan was enraged. He drew his hand into his sleeve and secretly flicked a finger. The upper-court disciple's Soul Weapon suddenly shot out with a sharp sound, piercing through the smoke and stabbing toward Zhong Yue like lightning. No one noticed that he had secretly intervened!
"So fast?" Zhong Yue's heart jolted. The Soul Weapon had already reached the space between his brows.
Brothers, Monday is precisely when the competition for the rankings is fiercest. This is Pig's new book, and I urgently need recommendation votes to climb the rankings. Pig earnestly begs all the brothers to log into their accounts and give me your recommendation votes!!!
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