You're Strong

Boom!

The volcano erupted, flames soaring into the sky. Boulders hurtled through the air, and lava spread across the land. The earth split open, tearing into terrifying fissures. Scorching red magma coursed through them, forming lava streams of every size.

Two figures moved without touching the ground, exchanging blows over the smoke-wreathed lava streams and deep chasms.

"Wind Severing!"

Whoosh. Qianshan Huo struck again, sending a thousand blades of wind sweeping across the land and engulfing everything around them. His blade's force ran wild, churning the lava into towering waves. Two contestants fighting nearby were caught in the attack and torn apart in an instant.

Lin Huang's expression darkened. He flicked his hand and struck with a hand blade, fingers held together like a heavenly sword as he cut through the air.

Qianshan Huo kept his long blade moving and burst into laughter. His Wind Severing strike had yet to end when he shifted his hand and swung again, his expression feverish. One strike followed another.

"Water Severing!"

"Earth Severing!"

Lin Huang grunted. His fingers shifted as he swiftly struck out with two palms and a fist. He planted his feet and stood firm beside the Lava Lake, smoke billowing behind him so thickly that his expression could not be seen.

Qianshan Huo flipped through the air and drove his long blade into the ground. With a clang, he was forced back three feet, one foot hanging over the edge and the other planted in the Lava Lake.

Qianshan Huo rubbed his wrist, cracked by the impact, then pointed his blade at Lin Huang and regarded him arrogantly. "You're strong. Very strong. But you're still going to lose."

Lin Huang's eyelid twitched. He felt a little vexed. Being told he was strong by a junior at Marquis Rank who had drawn his blade was absolutely no compliment to him.

But Lin Huang soon steadied his mind and lowered his gaze to his palm. Once smooth as a mirror, it was now covered in blade marks and slick with blood.

He clenched his hand. At last, Lin Huang's heart truly settled. "Only by knowing shame can one find the courage to strive. Three Holy Mothers, perhaps this is the true reason you had me enter the First Martial Arts Tournament."

Qianshan Huo was a worthy opponent. He had helped Lin Huang understand his own strength. Apart from his soul at Saint Rank, Lin Huang's mastery of the Six Paths in One had only given him the combat strength of someone in the middle stage of Marquis Rank.

The truth shamed Lin Huang, but then came calm.

A person had to know himself before he could know others.

Now Lin Huang had a clear grasp of his own strength, and he could adjust his plans for the Future accordingly.

"In the end, I still have to return to the path of the Six Paths in One." Lin Huang smiled faintly. In truth, this had been his plan from the start. But first he had faced a Divine Being, then his state of mind had wavered several days ago, bringing him close to breaking through the Human Tribulation. He had also learned about the Three Steps of Treading God from the Three Holy Mothers. All this had made Lin Huang impatient, and he had nearly forgotten that his foundations were still unstable.

But after today's battle, Lin Huang had finally awakened. He now understood completely which path truly mattered most to him.

"Soldier Rank, Scholar Rank, General Rank, Marquis Rank, King Rank, Saint Rank. Six ranks, eighteen stages. They measure the strength of the soul, but true strength still depends on mastering the Six Paths in One. I want to become a god, and I can't do without the means to protect my path. At the very least, I have to be stronger than Dream God Machine. Otherwise, how can I become a god?"

Lin Huang murmured softly. His heart held both deep shame and great joy.

With his mind completely at peace, Lin Huang shifted his feet and attacked for the first time.

"Who would've thought I'd meet an opponent like you in the very first preliminary round? What a thrill! What a thrill!" Qianshan Huo raised his long blade and laughed. Its edge turned through a hundred twists and turns before he brought it down in a sudden slash. It swept forward with the force of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, Yin and Yang. The instant his blade moved, it was already at Lin Huang's face.

"This strike severs Earth! Wind! Water! Fire! Yin and Yang! Take this move—Blade Slashing the Six Paths!"

Qianshan Huo's aura grew even stronger as his strike burst forth. The mighty blade-force raised a hundred-foot blaze of light, its radiance sweeping everywhere as it ravaged Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, Yin and Yang. The impact shook the entire arena, and the whole Volcano Valley trembled. Every contestant was startled.

"What a powerful blade-light! What a powerful blade-force! One strike to cut down all six paths—wild and domineering. Who is that guy?!"

"Damn! This is only the first preliminary round, and we've already run into an expert like that?"

"Move, move, move! Don't get caught in it!"

The moment the strike came, everyone was shocked. They retreated three feet, not daring to touch Qianshan Huo's edge.

Lin Huang was startled, too. Only now did he realize that the First Martial Arts Tournament truly was filled with countless geniuses. This strike had already grasped the essence of the Six Paths. It was powerful and domineering, nearly a match for a King's strike.

Lin Huang took a deep breath and swiftly threw a punch. His fist changed shape in midair, opening into a palm before he turned his hand and pressed down.

One fist gripped the earth; one palm overturned the heavens.

Facing Qianshan Huo's strike, which seemed capable of severing Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, Yin and Yang, Lin Huang pushed himself to the utmost. He fully absorbed and mastered the earth-gripping fist and heaven-turning palm of the Sages of Zhongnan.

Rumble!

Powerful blasts of energy thundered, tearing the earth apart. Under the shockwaves of their clash, the Lava Lakes scattered across Volcano Valley were utterly transformed. A hundred streams converged into one enormous Lava Lake.

The landscape shifted. Many people, caught off guard, were swept into the churning lava. They cried out once and were reduced to ash.

Thud, thud, thud!

Lin Huang staggered and retreated three steps for the first time. He stopped at the edge of the Lava Lake, his expression grave as he looked at Qianshan Huo on the opposite bank.

A terrifying blade wound had torn across Lin Huang's chest. He had nearly been split in two by that strike.

"You're still alive?!" Qianshan Huo's expression was grave. He spat out a mouthful of blood. A palm print had caved into his chest, shattering his breastbone.

"Who would've thought I'd have to use my trump card in the very first preliminary round? You really are strong."

Qianshan Huo spoke slowly, his expression grave, each word distinct. He raised his blade in one hand and slowly grasped its hilt with the other, wielding it with both hands for the first time. "Fine. I'll use you to test my blade and prove my blade path."

"Take my final strike!"

"Severing the Mortal World!"

The moment the strike came, Lin Huang's expression shifted. "The Heavenly Blade Artistic Conception. Is this the Heavenly Blade Artistic Conception?"

"That's right. I began learning the blade when I was ten. I had nothing but the blade, and at last I cultivated a trace of the Heavenly Blade's true intent. You can't stop it!"

Qianshan Huo's expression was cold. He swung his blade, his face deathly pale, pouring every ounce of his essence, energy, and spirit into the strike. With nothing but the blade, he had forged this peerless attack, Severing the Mortal World, and touched upon the true intent of the Heavenly Blade.

Though Lin Huang had yet to master the Six Paths in One, he knew that for anyone who cultivated the blade path, having nothing but the blade was a state all blade practitioners dreamed of reaching.

To take blade cultivation this far was to have reached the threshold of comprehending the Dao in the mortal world, to have formed the embryo of one's own Dao. As long as one perfected their blade intent, they could comprehend the Dao in the mortal world.

And that was precisely the state Lin Huang longed for most.

So after a brief moment of surprise, Lin Huang felt delight. He stepped forward, joy on his face, a joy that made Qianshan Huo feel uneasy, and tested the blade with his body.

"You're courting death!"

Qianshan Huo's pupils contracted. Then he flew into a rage. Faced with his all-out strike, which had touched the Heavenly Blade Artistic Conception, Lin Huang was actually testing the blade with his body. His arrogance knew no bounds.

The blade-force came faster, slamming into Lin Huang in an instant. It erupted, sending him hurtling into the Lava Lake. No one knew whether he lived or died.

"Too much pride makes a fool of you. What a pity. You're not worthy of being my opponent." Qianshan Huo snorted. Angered by Lin Huang's choice to test the blade with his body, he coldly lowered his long blade. His gaze swept over the onlookers like a blade, and they cried out in alarm before quickly fleeing.

Qianshan Huo sheathed his blade and stood proudly, waiting for the preliminary round to end. Having witnessed his earth-shattering strike, no one foolish enough to challenge him dared step forward.

Pfft!

At a faint sound, Qianshan Huo's face froze in disbelief. At the edge of the Lava Lake, a deathly pale hand, half its finger bones exposed, slowly pressed against the bank.

"He's still alive after that?! Impossible!" Qianshan Huo was shocked. He stared in disbelief as Lin Huang, battered and nearly split in two, slowly climbed out of the Lava Lake.

Their eyes met. Qianshan Huo suddenly drew his blade. "You really are strong, but you're still too foolish. That strike didn't kill you. But this one will."

As he finished speaking, he struck. His blade tore through the air, carrying Qianshan Huo's faint frustration.

"The hundred survivors have been confirmed. The objective is complete. The first preliminary round is over. The second round begins tomorrow at ten. Please attend on time."

The announcement rang out abruptly, and the entire Volcano Valley began to collapse. The first preliminary round was over.

"Call it luck. Next time, you won't be so fortunate." His vision began to blur. Qianshan Huo spoke coldly, reluctant to admit it.