Among the crowd.
Luliduo was starting to feel a little numb herself. "Li Dui... is he that strong?" Though she was a Domain Lord, she had only passed the Seventh Level Heavenly Bridge.
"He, he, that kid... Could he actually pass another level?" Qianshui stammered.
In midair, King Lightning Flash said, "That's the second axe from the Giant Axe Chaos Stele, right?"
King Gold Ember nodded. "That's right. A very complete second axe. He'll have no problem passing the Seventh Level."
King Thorn Leaf chimed in, "Looks like it really is him. That kid's talent for secret techniques is pretty good, too."
King Huansha agreed with King Thorn Leaf. "Mm. We can be fairly certain."
These King-level Immortals had been sent to investigate by Venerables who'd received the news and taken an interest.
"What's the point of investigating? Li Dui is under our Venerable's command," King Huansha thought.
At the Seventh Level of the Giant Axe Heavenly Bridge, Li Dui flew toward the end with a cold expression, neither hurrying nor slowing down.
Among the crowd, a female prodigy who looked like an Earthling called out, "Wow~ He's so handsome!"
Everyone turned to look.
Qianshui muttered, "Handsome my ass."
The end of the Seventh Level stretched into the starry sky. Across the bridge was a meteorite several kilometers across.
After Li Dui made his choice, a fragment flew off the meteorite and landed on the bridge, transforming into a Gatekeeper.
Li Dui wasn't one for chatting on the Heavenly Bridge. The Gatekeeper seemed used to that, too, and went straight into battle mode.
It was the same slash as before. This time, the Gatekeeper was suppressed, but at least didn't lose in a single move.
They clashed for a while, weapons ringing out. The Gatekeeper was at a disadvantage with every collision. After taking several wounds, he was finally struck in a vital spot.
The spectators below breathed a sigh of relief. He'd already killed two Gatekeepers in a single blow. If the one at the Seventh Level had been killed just as easily, would their hearts have been able to take it? Now it looked like the Eighth Level would be a tough fight.
Hong and Thor were incredibly excited, sending each other messages nonstop. They couldn't believe this fellow Earthling was so powerful. Without making a sound, he'd already left them far behind.
Qianshui patted her chest and let out a breath. "Thank goodness, thank goodness. This kid still can't beat me."
Luliduo rolled her eyes at her. "Even if he passes the Eighth Level, he still won't be able to beat you."
The few watching from midair had entirely different opinions.
King Gold Radiant said, "Still the same slash. And it's... about as far as he can go. He should have to use his Law of Earth on the next level."
The other King-level Immortals agreed. It was hard enough for someone so young to comprehend the laws while also cultivating secret techniques to such a high level. There just wasn't enough time.
Li Dui flew past the meteorite and continued upward, eventually reaching the end of the Eighth Level.
A martial artist Gatekeeper took shape.
This time, the Gatekeeper finally spoke. "To reach the Eighth Level as a Universe Rank, you're impressive. Among the Universe Rank members of your Giant Axe Martial Arena, no one has ever passed the Eighth Level. There was one before, but he advanced to Domain Lord not long ago. I hope you'll soon be the next."
Li Dui nodded. "All right. Right away."
The spectators were still wondering what he meant by "right away."
Then a dazzling blade of light suddenly flared in Li Dui's hand.
It swept past the Gatekeeper and shot unhindered into the endless distance. The Gatekeeper vanished on the spot, as if he'd never existed.
Li Dui suppressed his delight and kept his expression cool. He'd come to make a big show of himself today. At a moment like this, it was best to look cool.
For a moment, more than a thousand people below fell silent.
Bafen sent out email after email, summoning nearly everyone from Li Dui's cohort.
After Li Dui passed the Seventh Level, Bafen began emailing the older members, too.
Naturally, some veteran members of the Four Great Secret Realms couldn't resist coming to watch.
People kept teleporting in. Those who had just arrived all felt that the atmosphere seemed a little strange.
In midair, King Star Fighter was the first to speak. "Was that... an original secret technique?"
King Huansha was astonished. "Some parts do seem rather crude. But the power of that technique..."
King Gold Radiant belonged to the Giant Axe School, so he understood very well. "It's not far from the Thirteenth Level. What does it matter if it's crude? It'll mature over time. That slash is far more powerful than the third axe. King Huansha, you've struck gold."
King Thorn Leaf, King Lightning Flash, and King Gale Fin were also there. The three King-level Immortals were already emailing the Venerables they served to report what they'd seen.
King Huansha naturally didn't forget her duty, either. This was even more astonishing than being acknowledged by an Origin Law. She had to report it to Venerable Meng Yu at once.
Li Dui slowly flew toward the Ninth Level.
After a brief moment of quiet, the crowd below erupted.
At that moment, all the Core Members of the Mad Axe Secret Realm and the God Origin Secret Realm paled in comparison to Li Dui.
He was now the strongest Universe Rank member in the entire Giant Axe Martial Arena and across all Four Great Secret Realms.
And everyone could see it. He could still go further.
The friends who often played with Li Dui had already huddled together, cheering excitedly.
Hong and Thor threw their arms up and shouted.
Qianshui grabbed Luliduo's hands and bounced up and down, crying, "Luli~ He's amazing. He really is amazing. He's so much stronger than us."
Luliduo let Qianshui bounce around in front of her, her eyes fixed on the big screen. In just over a hundred years, had that young man she'd casually pulled aside at the entrance to Chaos City and sent to the Healing Hall already gone far beyond her?
As Bafen sent his emails to an ever-wider audience, his wording grew increasingly exaggerated. "The strongest Universe Rank member in the history of the Battle Axe Secret Realm, Li Dui, has passed four levels of the Heavenly Bridge in a row." "Li Dui vaporized the Eighth Level Gatekeeper with one slash." "Li Dui is about to pass the Ninth Level of the Heavenly Bridge."
As a result, more and more people came to the Heavenly Bridge Plane plaza after hearing the news.
Those arriving were no longer limited to Universe Rank members or Core Members of the Giant Axe Martial Arena.
There were plenty of cases like Qianshui and Gaido among the Core Members of the Human Race's Five Great Powers.
Excitement like this spread easily by word of mouth, and the Virtual Universe made it all the easier.
Before long, the crowd had become a mix of all kinds of people, from Universe Rank to King-level Immortals. People naturally gathered with those of the same rank or with people they knew.
Of the Giant Axe School's King-level powerhouses who were qualified to lecture in Chaos City, 22 of the 30 had arrived.
The Giant Axe School was a large school with many King-level Immortals. Precisely because there were so many, there was no need for everyone to rush to Chaos City and give lectures. They'd discussed it among themselves and set thirty slots, rotating who filled them every so often.
Guardian Bafen was so delighted he couldn't stop grinning. It had been ages since his place had been this lively.
When Li Dui finally reached the end of the Ninth Level, the spectators quieted down, eager to see what he would do.
He didn't keep them waiting. As soon as the Gatekeeper took shape, Li Dui attacked, using his own incomplete third slash again.
This slash was based only on the laws shown in the third diagram of the Giant Axe Chaos Stele, which was the level of the Ninth Level Heavenly Bridge.
He used nine layers of the Law of Space and eight layers of the Law of Earth as his foundation, combining them to pursue the utmost power.
This was his greatest achievement in secret techniques so far.
Before he had gained the acknowledgment of the Origin Law of Space and the Earth Origin Law, this slash would probably have let him barely pass the Tenth Level.
Not much time had passed since then. But now that both laws had acknowledged him, his understanding was far beyond what it had been before, greatly improving his insights into combining earth and space.
So this slash should be not too far from letting him pass the Twelfth Level of the Heavenly Bridge.
It's fine if I can't pass the Twelfth Level. Better to keep a low profile. I don't want to suddenly become the benchmark for prodigies—it'd be a bit too jarring, Li Dui shamelessly thought.
Before you continue