The first day of every month was always the liveliest day at the Nine Spirits Sect. It was the only day when ambitious Outer Sect disciples could challenge the Top Ten of the Outer Sect and fight for their futures.
The challenges took place in the sect's Martial Arts Arena. It was a vast space, large enough for martial artists to unleash their full strength.
Martial artists revered the strong, so these challenges naturally drew countless spectators. Watching the fights could also help them improve their own abilities.
Zhou Heng arrived early in the morning. His gaze swept over the arena, where Kong Xiang and three others sat beside six unfamiliar faces, lined up along the edge. Each of them wore an air of absolute arrogance.
"I heard Ma Yunlong just came out of seclusion. His strength has improved again. He might challenge Jing Tian directly this time!"
"Guo Gang seems to have reached the fifth level of the Great Unintentional Fist Technique, too. His sights are set on the number one spot in the Outer Sect!"
"Please. Jing Tian's held the number one spot in the Outer Sect for a whole year. Who could possibly knock him off his throne?"
"Exactly. I think Ma Yunlong and Guo Gang will only have a shot at first place once Jing Tian reaches the Blood Refining Realm!"
"Hey, don't forget Zhou Heng. On his very first day in the sect, he taught Kong Xiang and the others a lesson. And a few days ago, he had a fortuitous encounter that raised him to the Ninth Layer of Body Refining!"
"That kid's just relying on his mysterious movement technique. In terms of actual fighting strength, he might not even be Kong Xiang's match!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, each person voicing their own opinion. But they mostly agreed on one thing: they didn't think Zhou Heng could become a dark horse this time.
Zhou Heng looked over the ten people. Kong Xiang, ranked last, sat at the far right. That meant the person at the far left had to be Jing Tian, the number one of the Outer Sect!
He was a young man of about eighteen, with an exceptionally ordinary appearance. His eyes were always half-lidded, and he looked listless. But Zhou Heng had barely watched him for a second before Jing Tian sensed his gaze. He looked up at Zhou Heng, then lowered his head again with a lazy air, not taking him seriously at all.
The number one of the Outer Sect truly was no ordinary person.
Zhou Heng had eyes only for Jing Tian. If he was going to challenge someone, he would challenge the strongest! A martial artist needed the confidence to be invincible among his peers. Since Zhou Heng was also at the Ninth Layer of Body Refining, he feared no one.
Before long, an old man in green robes glided forward. "I'm Ai Songtao, the referee for today's challenge day. As usual, any Outer Sect disciple may issue a challenge before sunset. Let's begin!"
Straight to the point.
Zhou Heng's gaze sharpened. He knew that only a Spirit Gathering Realm expert could serve as referee, so Ai Songtao had to be one. Yet the old man's appearance was utterly unremarkable, as ordinary as any elderly man.
The Spirit Gathering Realm and the Body Refining Realm were worlds apart. He couldn't judge Ai Songtao by the standards he was used to.
This was the first Spirit Gathering Realm expert Zhou Heng had ever seen, but no matter how he looked, he couldn't find anything extraordinary about the man.
"I'll go!" A shout rang out as Shi Qingfeng leaped down from the stands. "I challenge Kong Xiang!"
After being defeated by Kong Xiang in a single punch, Shi Qingfeng had been seething with resentment. He couldn't wait to beat Kong Xiang in front of everyone and win back his pride.
Kong Xiang sprang forward with a sneer. "You could train for another ten years and still wouldn't be my match. Trash is trash!"
"Bastard!" Shi Qingfeng roared and immediately launched his attack.
The two clashed, trading blow after blow. There was no denying that Shi Qingfeng had made great progress over the past twenty days or so, but it still wasn't enough. After more than fifty exchanges, Kong Xiang blasted him out of the Martial Arts Arena.
Defeat!
According to the rules, whether a challenge ended in victory or defeat, both fighters were given twenty minutes to rest, to prevent unfair successive battles. Anyone who wanted to challenge Kong Xiang would have to wait at least twenty minutes.
The strength of the Top Ten of the Outer Sect varied according to their rank. Naturally, anyone looking to challenge them would rather pick the "soft persimmon." Most people had their eyes on Kong Xiang and weren't interested in challenging anyone else, leaving a brief lull.
"I challenge Gu You!" A figure drifted down into the arena. She had a delicate nose and almond-shaped eyes, and was breathtakingly beautiful. It was Shen Xinqi.
"Seriously? She's challenging Gu You right off the bat? He's ranked sixth!"
"I heard Junior Sister Shen is Elder Shen Luohe's granddaughter. She's got the confidence to do it!"
"Wait, doesn't that make her a direct descendant of Elder Tianzhu's line?"
"Let's see how it goes!"
Gu You stepped into the arena when his name was called and began fighting Shen Xinqi. Their strength was evenly matched, and they fought for a full half hour before a victor emerged. Shen Xinqi won by a narrow margin.
With that, Shen Xinqi successfully claimed sixth place, while Gu You fell out of the top ten and would have to fight his way back in.
Meanwhile, Kong Xiang had rested enough and accepted another challenge, once again successfully defending his spot. But Gu You naturally wasn't willing to let things stand. He couldn't fight Shen Xinqi again that day, but he could challenge Kong Xiang and the others. That meant at least the top seven could still see a major reshuffle.
Growing impatient with the wait, Zhou Heng seized an opening and leaped into the arena. "I challenge Jing Tian!"
The moment he spoke, the whole arena fell silent. Then laughter broke out.
"This guy doesn't even know the challenge rules!"
"Only those ranked in the top ten can challenge the top three!"
Only then did Zhou Heng realize he'd made a blunder. But he didn't care. He swept his gaze over the crowd and said, "Then I'll fight the one ranked fourth first!"
Fourth place?
This guy didn't even know who was ranked fourth. He only had eyes for first place!
Bold. Bold enough to be outrageous!
"Heh, I've been hearing your name a lot these past few days. I've been wanting to see what you can do!" Amid a cold laugh, an exceptionally tall youth strode out. He stamped one foot down, and the entire Martial Arts Arena trembled.
He'd done it on purpose, of course. Still, being able to make the whole arena shake proved he was no ordinary fighter.
"My name is Fei Qing. Remember it!" The youth charged forward and threw a heavy punch at Zhou Heng.
—Inside the Martial Arts Arena, fighters could go all out. The referee would stop them at the critical moment, and a Spirit Gathering Realm expert naturally had the ability to do so!
"I've never made a habit of remembering the names of those I've defeated!" Zhou Heng didn't draw a weapon. He simply used the Flying Cloud Steps to cut across to Fei Qing's flank, then drew back his right fist and struck!
Bang!
Fei Qing's towering body flew through the air and slammed heavily to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood and tried to push himself up, but immediately collapsed again, losing consciousness.
One punch!
Fei Qing had been knocked down with just one punch!
Hiss. Zhou Heng really was strong enough to challenge Jing Tian!
The Ninth Layer of Body Refining wasn't unusual. More than forty people in the Outer Sect had reached that level. But only the Top Ten could knock down a martial artist of the same rank in a single move!
And now even the one ranked fourth among the Top Ten had been flattened with a single punch. Just how terrifying was Zhou Heng's strength?
Everyone replayed the fight in their minds. Zhou Heng hadn't used any flashy moves, much less a martial skill. He'd simply closed the distance cleanly, struck, and turned complexity into simplicity, his movements as smooth as flowing water.
The more they thought about it, the more they felt that those simple movements held endless mysteries and offered countless insights.
Zhou Heng glanced at Jing Tian and took Fei Qing's seat. According to the rules, he had to wait twenty minutes before he could fight again.
"Arrogant fool!" Guo Gang snorted. "You only beat some piece of trash ranked fourth!"
"Kid, first place is mine. Don't get any foolish ideas. Just sit tight where you are!" Ma Yunlong said coldly.
Zhou Heng had completely ignored both of them, and they were understandably furious.
Zhou Heng didn't even lift his head. He kept his gaze lowered and thought, If that Despicable Donkey were here, I wonder how angry he could make these two.
Meanwhile, Gu You had also challenged Wei Jinping, ranked seventh, and successfully taken his place. Wei Jinping naturally wouldn't accept being knocked out of the top ten, and if Fei Qing regained consciousness, he wouldn't give up his rank either. Things were bound to get lively.
After twenty minutes, Zhou Heng drifted into the arena and cupped his fists toward Jing Tian. "Senior Brother Jing, I challenge you!"
The entire arena fell silent, every face filled with anticipation.
Jing Tian was a legend at the Nine Spirits Sect!
He'd been a late bloomer. Until he was fourteen, he'd been a vagrant, taken in by an old man from the sect. Back then, he hadn't even been an official disciple. But just three years later, he entered the Bone Refining Realm, and the sect formally accepted him as a disciple.
At eighteen, he reached the Ninth Layer of Body Refining and suddenly made his way into the Top Ten of the Outer Sect. He'd gone on to claim the number one spot and held it ever since!
Now, a year later, Zhou Heng had likewise stormed into the Top Ten and set his sights on first place. Would he write a new legend, or would Jing Tian keep his undefeated record alive?
How could anyone not be eager to see?
Jing Tian stood and gave Zhou Heng a faint smile. He pointed to the seat beneath him and said, "It's yours."
The crowd erupted!
What was going on? He'd withdrawn without a fight. Was this really Jing Tian?
Zhou Heng was taken aback at first, then cupped his fists and smiled. "Congratulations, Senior Brother Jing!"
Congratulations? Congratulations on what?
This kid was taking advantage of the situation and rubbing it in. Why was he making snide remarks?
"I broke through to the Blood Refining Realm. I haven't had a chance to report it to the sect yet, and they've already dragged me here!" Jing Tian explained of his own accord. "I wouldn't have been able to fight anyone who challenged me today!"
The Blood Refining Realm!
Hiss. A nineteen-year-old in the Blood Refining Realm—that was terrifying!
Across the entire Nine Spirits Sect, how many of the exalted Spirit Gathering Realm experts had broken through to the Blood Refining Realm by the age of nineteen?
Zhou Dinghai was hailed as the greatest genius in the Zhou Family's history in a hundred years, yet he hadn't entered the Blood Refining Realm until he was past thirty!
The threshold between Blood Refining and Bone Refining had stopped countless people throughout history!
His future was boundless!
"Congratulations, Senior Brother Jing!" Everyone called out loudly. A nineteen-year-old in the Blood Refining Realm was a peerless genius anywhere. Wouldn't even the Black Water Hall come shamelessly to poach him once they heard?
Jing Tian smiled faintly and bowed to Ai Songtao. "Elder Ai, I'll take my leave."
"Go ahead." Ai Songtao stroked his long beard, a satisfied smile on his face.
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