The youth who had returned from the heavens stood quietly atop the high platform.
He raised both hands to the sky and sang.
Petals came flying on the wind, filling the sky. Blossoms bloomed and fell, and flowers blanketed the heavens.
Countless petals, too many to number, fluttered down like mayflies onto Wang Xian's bald head, face, and Daoist robe.
They wrapped him up like a cocoon made of flowers.
In that instant, forget Lin Pojun, who had just stepped onto the platform—even Dantai Xiaoxue was dumbstruck!
Not a single person understood what they were seeing.
Only Dongfang Nishang knew about Wang Xian, who had spent ten years honing a single sword in the Heavenly Book.
He had saved up that power to shatter the heavens for this very moment.
He had lain dormant all winter, all to fight the Sword Sect's prodigy!
She let out a quiet sigh.
Stroking Dantai Xiaoxue's black hair, Dongfang Nishang smiled faintly. "Ten years to hone a single sword. His sword has been tempered for far longer than ten years..."
A petal landed on Wang Xian's hand.
A light gleamed between his fingers!
More petals continued to fall, crushing the countless fragrant petals already covering him!
Whoosh!
A whirlwind swept past, sending the millions of fragrant petals spiraling toward the prodigies in the square.
At last, they became a gentle rain of petals, drifting slowly down.
Lin Pojun, six feet tall, let out a roar, trying to wake Wang Xian from his slumber.
Wang Xian paid him no heed and simply raised his eyes to the sky.
No thunder crashed down from the heavens, but a cool breeze from the snow mountain brushed his face.
Myriad rays of golden light shone upon the mountain, refracting into myriad beams of silver, like the Milky Way pouring down...
Slowly, the light descended from the mountaintop and finally fell upon the youth.
The youth, who looked like a little monk, gave a mighty shake of his arms.
It was as if, in that instant, he had seized the light in the sky—the Milky Way cascading down from the mountain's peak.
It all poured into his arms and surged into his body.
To everyone watching, the three-zhang platform seemed like a vast sea, from which a bright moon was rising.
A bright moon rose over the sea!
Waves raged within Wang Xian's Divine Sea, piling up into a thousand drifts of snow in an instant and crashing toward the silent shore!
The carp leaping over the Dragon Gate—this was the moment!
In everyone's eyes, Wang Xian stood atop the platform, silver light blazing around him and shooting straight into the sky...
Good heavens, he was only breaking through the Foundation Establishment Realm. Did it have to be this terrifying?
Holy crap, Wang Xian was breaking through right before the fight!
Master, Junior Brother has gone mad!
Mother, did we make the wrong choice?
Tell me, could this guy break through nine levels in a row and step straight into the Golden Core Realm?
The elder from Hundred Flowers Valley sighed softly and glanced at the elder from the East Sea.
The East Sea elder smiled faintly. "Isn't breaking through the realms what we've devoted our lives to cultivating for?"
A tremendous force rose from Wang Xian and surged into the clouds!
He ignored Lin Pojun before him, and the countless people watching.
Tang Shisan sighed.
She murmured to Meng Xiaolou, "If he breaks through, you'll never be able to avenge yourself."
Ximen Tinghua smiled faintly. "Look, he's about to break through!"
Silver light glistened like snow as Wang Xian's slender frame gradually grew imposing.
He seemed on the verge of breaking through the heavens and ascending.
The unending spiritual energy of heaven and earth coursed through his body and meridians, surging forward like storm waves pounding the shore.
Amid the crowd's cries of astonishment, like spring flowers bursting into bloom, Wang Xian—who had spent ten years honing a single sword—broke through in an instant!
Then, amid Dantai Xiaoxue's cries of surprise!
Amid Tang Shisan's shrieks of praise!
Wang Xian, wreathed in silver light like snow, was like a water lily on a lake, unfurling a petal in an instant...
And that wasn't all. The flower had endured a whole winter; once it bloomed, it burst into full flower.
It would not stop until its final petal had bloomed!
One petal, two, three... until all ten petals had opened!
A column of silver light, stretching between heaven and earth, shot up from the three-zhang platform!
Like a sword cleaving the heavens, it shot toward the mountain peak amid the crowd's cries of astonishment!
A rumble of thunder gathered in the sky, but in the end, no thunderbolt fell.
Only a few dark clouds drifted over, gradually blotting out the golden light descending from the heavens!
Holy crap!
Ten breakthroughs in a row—what kind of realm was this?
Master, did Junior Brother go straight into the Golden Core Realm?
No. He was still at the Foundation Establishment Realm!
Everyone was numb in that instant. Who among them had ever seen someone reach the tenth level of Foundation Establishment?
On the viewing stand, Yun Yiluo looked at her daughter in the square, her heart tossed by raging waves.
How was this possible?
A good-for-nothing had broken through ten levels in a row under everyone's watchful eyes!
He had nearly stepped straight into the Golden Core Realm!
Dongfang Nishang smiled faintly. "This is the first time I've ever seen anyone break through like that. Not bad—you haven't disgraced your senior brother."
Meng Xiaolou sighed. "A monster!"
Ximen Tinghua thought for a moment, then said, "Let's fight again in five years!"
Tang Shisan shook her head and called to Wang Xian on the platform. "Wang Xian, you can make your move now!"
Wang Xian drew his gaze back from the snow mountain.
He looked at Lin Pojun on the platform and said quietly, "One move. I'll only use one. If you can withstand it, I'll count it as my loss!"
After breaking through, his vital energy and spirit were at their peak. He didn't want to waste that power!
He didn't know if anyone else would challenge him afterward.
"I agree!"
Lin Pojun replied coolly, "Although you're no match for me, trading blows back and forth is always lacking something. Let's settle it with one move."
His words sent a shock through the crowd in the square!
These two monsters were clearly even prouder than the prodigies who'd fought before them. They intended to decide the winner with a single move.
Unbelievable!
Wang Xian said, "I'm a disciple of Kunlun Daoist Temple, and you're a prodigy of the Sword Sect. Come on—let me see your fists!"
With that, Wang Xian turned his fist into an open palm and took up a stance!
Lin Pojun shouted fiercely, "Then today, I'll use the power of Kunlun Snow Mountain to fight the Daoist Sect's monster!"
Wang Xian's expression was calm. Though beside Lin Pojun, who stood six feet tall, he looked like an ant.
But an ant who had broken through was no longer an ant crawling on the ground!
It was an ant with wings, able to fly.
An ant that could soar into the ninth heaven!
Lin Pojun had been gathering momentum, drawing together all the power in his body!
At last, the moment came for him to unleash his fury. He would burn, and turn Wang Xian before him to ash!
His fist came down like a mountain!
Lin Pojun's expression suddenly flared with intensity. His right fist swung like a small mountain collapsing.
The most direct, simplest punch blasted toward Wang Xian!
Even Meng Xiaolou wondered: if he faced a punch that toppled like a mountain and came crashing down like a great peak, would he be gravely injured?
Ximen Tinghua wondered: faced with a punch like this, could he withstand it without using his sword?
That punch was terrifying.
An unremarkable punch, yet it drew the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the snow mountain.
In everyone's eyes, a sun seemed to roar across the platform toward the motionless Wang Xian!
Wang Xian quietly watched the punch hurtling toward him!
The force of the punch was like fire.
The punch was like a snow mountain.
If the two had fought in the back mountain, the trees there would have snapped beneath that punch, and who knew how many boulders would have crumbled?
But now, Wang Xian didn't retreat a single step!
In that instant, he had the strange feeling that he was standing on the three thousand stone steps in the Heavenly Book World!
I am a snow mountain too. How could I retreat?
I'm standing here—where else could I go?
His gaze passed through the oncoming gust of the punch!
Just as he had stood in the Heavenly Book World, watching this moment ten years into the future!
He murmured, "Is this time? Or space?"
"Ah!" Tang Shisan cried out. In her eyes, Lin Pojun's fist came down like a mountain and struck Wang Xian on the head!
"Ah..."
Amid Dantai Xiaoxue's scream, her junior brother's chest had already caved in...
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