Divine Sense Reveals Its Edge! (Seeking Collections and Votes!)

"The items sold for a total of twelve High-Grade Origin Stones."

As he spoke, Zhao Hu moved to hand the storage bracelet over to Zhou Hao.

"Er Hu, help me bet it all on myself."

Zhou Hao did not take the bracelet, pushing it back toward him instead.

"Alright." Zhao Hu was not surprised; Zhou Hao had converted his items into Origin Stones specifically to place a bet. "What do you want to wager on?"

"Twelve High-Grade Origin Stones," Zhou Hao's gaze sharpened. "Betting that I can destroy the Vine Wood Puppet!"

Gulp! Zhao Hu swallowed hard.

He looked at Zhou Hao, then at the first arena, where Hu Yong was being chased around by six vine pillars.

"Brother Zhou Hao, why not reconsider? I think betting on you lasting thirty breaths—at odds of one to two point five—would be great. Twelve High-Grade Origin Stones would turn into thirty."

"I won't last that long," Zhou Hao shook his head.

The longer the Vine Wood Puppet fought, the stronger its power became.

Once twenty breaths passed, even he wasn't confident he could hold out for another ten.

Furthermore, Zhou Hao never intended to win by simply enduring.

By using his strongest attacks to destroy the Vine Wood Puppet before it grew invincible, he would secure the victory.

Besides, thirty High-Grade Origin Stones weren't enough!

Four High-Grade Origin Stones could make the Blue Flower Boss exhale a wisp of thirty-six silk-like water vapors, and he had used up more than half of that in a single night yesterday.

In other words, if he wanted to cultivate in the state of enlightenment, four High-Grade Origin Stones could support him for at most two nights.

Thirty stones would only last him a little over half a month.

He needed Origin Stones to rapidly improve his Qi refining as well; he couldn't just hand everything over to the Blue Flower Boss!

If not for the fact that he only had six unranked flying knives and a pair of Red Gold Copper Rods left, he would have sold everything else to bet on himself.

A five-fold return on investment—where else could he find such a good deal?

Zhao Hu blinked, and seeing Zhou Hao's persistence, he had no choice but to abandon the idea of persuading him.

"Fine, I'll go place the bet."

Watching Zhao Hu hurry back into the crowd of veterans, a smile tugged at the corners of Zhou Hao's mouth.

He had wagered his entire fortune; now it was just a matter of whether he could have the last laugh.

"Thirty breaths!"

An exclamation rang out, and everyone around drew a sharp breath.

It wasn't for Hu Yong, who had lasted thirty breaths, but for the Vine Wood Puppet.

...On the first arena.

As soon as the thirty-breath mark hit, the Vine Wood Puppet, which had been standing at the edge of the arena and attacking the challenger only with its vines and pillars, suddenly moved.

Boom!

Nearly three meters tall, with six vine pillars as thick as an adult's waist and dozens of feet long extending from its back, the Vine Wood Puppet was like a behemoth. It suddenly accelerated toward Hu Yong, reaching his position in an instant.

The six vine pillars enveloped the entire space, like a giant net closing in on Hu Yong.

"Damn it, I don't believe I can't hold out for one more breath!"

Hu Yong's eyes were bloodshot, the veins on his forehead bulging.

He knew the most critical moment had arrived.

"Break for me!"

A flash of a blade appeared.

Under Hu Yong's desperate effort, one vine pillar was finally severed.

But before he could escape through the gap, the Vine Wood Puppet's massive body slammed into him like a wall.

Damn it!

"Pfft!" Hu Yong spat blood and flew backward, soaring nearly twenty feet before crashing heavily to the ground with a thud.

First arena, Hu Yong, lasted thirty breaths, failed!

"Sigh..."

A wave of sighs rippled around the arena.

The news that Hu Yong had bet ten High-Grade Origin Stones on himself lasting over thirty breaths had long since spread among the well-informed veterans in the crowd.

Although few dared to follow Hu Yong's bet—and even if he had won, it wouldn't have been their share—watching him fail just one breath away from winning the bet and carving a piece of meat off the presiding lieutenant was still a disappointment.

"It seems the position of the new commander will be Brother Hu Yong's this time."

"Yeah, other than Hu Yong, the strongest among the rest only lasted twenty breaths. The gap is too large."

"No suspense left."

"Even though Hu Yong lost his Origin Stones, if he can secure the position of commander, he'll earn that back in ten months of salary alone, not counting the military merits from missions. It's not a loss."

The crowd discussed among themselves, while those close to Hu Yong hurried over to help him up and offer their immediate congratulations.

Hu Yong was a dual cultivator of Qi and body refinement; although he had vomited blood from the impact of the Vine Wood Puppet, it wasn't a serious injury, and he had already recovered.

Being congratulated by everyone, his face even flushed with color.

"Haha, it's too early for congratulations. The newcomers haven't finished yet, and there's still the second round to go."

Hu Yong laughed heartily. "Once today is over, if I truly win and obtain the commander position, I'll treat you all to drinks tonight."

"What kind of experts could those newcomers have? The strongest one only lasted fifteen breaths."

"Exactly. This time, the position of the Fifth Squad's new commander belongs to Brother Hu Yong."

On the viewing platform.

"Haha, that kid Hu Yong really gave me a scare," Ren Baili laughed. "It's a pity he couldn't exceed thirty breaths in the end."

Although everyone placing bets were Xiantian Lifeforms, they were mostly doing it for fun, with wagers usually being ten or twenty catties of Thunder Gold—at most, a few Origin Stones.

Few had the audacity of Hu Yong, who had put up ten High-Grade Origin Stones in one go.

Ten High-Grade Origin Stones could be exchanged for an ounce of Origin Liquid, enough to purchase a common ranked magical treasure.

"He is quite good," the silver-haired elder nodded. "To grasp a trace of the True Meaning of the Dao in his footwork—among the Xiantian Battalion, his movement technique should be the strongest. His future is limitless."

He and Ren Baili were both Purple Mansion Cultivators, and in terms of realm, they were only at the fourth level, the 'True Meaning of the Dao'.

If they were Purple Mansion cultivators from ordinary clans or tribes outside, most would only be at the third level, the 'Unity of Heaven and Man'.

By the recruitment standards of their immortal sect, the Jade Dragon Sect, once Hu Yong stepped into the Purple Mansion realm, his 'True Meaning of the Dao' level alone would be enough to become an inner sect disciple and study more profound techniques and arts.

Of course, even at the same level of True Meaning of the Dao, the application, transformation, and depth of one's grasp would lead to a vast difference in strength.

But at the very least, Hu Yong had truly stepped into this level and had the strength to become a squad commander, standing alongside the other four commanders like Li Zhan and Cao Rong.

"Eh? A kid actually dares to bet that he can destroy the Vine Wood Puppet?" Ren Baili suddenly exclaimed in surprise. "And twelve High-Grade Origin Stones at that—what immense confidence!"

"Who is it?" the silver-haired elder asked curiously, and even True Person Muxuan cast a glance over.

"It's Zhou Hao, that kid who practices the Chiming Nine Heavens Map," Ren Baili laughed. "Good lad, he's got guts. After seeing the Vine Wood Puppet's burst of power after thirty breaths, he still dares to gamble. Interesting, truly interesting."

Cao Rong, standing to the side, heard Ren Baili say that Zhou Hao had bet on himself to destroy the Vine Wood Puppet. His eyes rolled, and he spoke up: "Lord Baili, Zhou Hao is my brother. I'll also wager five High-Grade Origin Stones that he wins."

"Cao Rong, you little rascal, you're always cunning and never act without a sure target," Ren Baili glared. "What, is this kid Zhou Hao that strong?"

"Heh heh, whether he's strong or not, we'll know in a moment," Cao Rong laughed. "Lord Baili, are you afraid to take the bet?"

"Don't try to goad me," Ren Baili said dismissively. "When I was playing these games, your mother hadn't even started cultivating yet! Since you want to gift me Origin Stones, fine! I'll take it!"

After taking the five High-Grade Origin Stones handed over by Cao Rong, the bet was officially in effect.

Ren Baili looked at Zhou Hao, who had just leaped onto the Fifth Arena, his gaze carrying a hint of seriousness.

Although he had absolute confidence in the Vine Wood Puppet, looking across the entire Xiantian Battalion, apart from that monster Li Zhan—who had cultivated the Chiming Nine Heavens Map to the sixth level and might possibly destroy the puppet—Ren Baili felt everyone else was still far off.

A Purple Mansion-level Vine Wood Puppet, especially a wood-type puppet known for its strong vitality and recovery, would require a burst of strength at the early or even mid-Purple Mansion stage to be destroyed.

One had to know that crossing a major realm was not that simple.

Even with the number one body-refining technique, the Chiming Nine Heavens Map, a peak Xiantian at the sixth level could barely unleash combat power comparable to an early-stage Purple Mansion body-refining expert.

Moreover, raw power wasn't enough; one had to find the Vine Wood Puppet's vital point.

It wasn't like a human Xiantian Lifeform, whose vital point was the head.

And that was assuming the Vine Wood Puppet couldn't regenerate from a drop of blood or cultivate divine abilities like a Purple Mansion body-refining expert.

Otherwise, no matter how strong or heaven-defying a Xiantian Lifeform was, they would be no match for the Vine Wood Puppet.

Killing across levels within the same major realm was easy, but killing an opponent across a major realm?

The difficulty was beyond imagination!

"I set this bet without ever intending for anyone to actually take it, and yet, there really are people who think they have too many High-Grade Origin Stones."

After weighing the gap between Zhou Hao and the Vine Wood Puppet in his mind for a long time, Ren Baili finally set his heart at ease.

Zhou Hao was only at the fourth level of cultivation; even if he were a monster who had also grasped the True Meaning of the Dao, in his eyes, he was still far behind.

"It's starting," True Person Muxuan, who had been sitting calmly, suddenly spoke, his gaze toward Zhou Hao full of intrigue.

The interesting kid Jingzhi mentioned was indeed quite interesting.

...On the fifth arena.

Zhou Hao looked at the Vine Wood Puppet on the other side of the arena. With a flick of his wrist, the Red Gold Copper Rod appeared in his hand out of thin air.

Because their newcomer squad had seven people challenging, they had two more than the other arenas.

Now that the battles on the other arenas had all concluded, Zhou Hao was the only one left who had yet to challenge the Vine Wood Puppet.

At this moment, whether it was the six hundred Xiantian Lifeforms or the ten thousand Green Flood Dragon Army soldiers further away, everyone's eyes were fixed on this arena.

"This is quite the spectacle," Zhou Hao thought silently. "Let this battle be my first appearance in Jade Dragon City."

In any world, geniuses attract the attention of the powerful, thereby gaining better opportunities and more resources than ordinary people.

If he wanted to rise in this Wilderness World and travel further on the path to immortality, he had to first don the mantle of a true "monstrous genius."

Below the arena.

"Brother Zhou Hao," Shangguan Yun shouted, "you have to win back some face for us newcomers!"

The veterans' congratulations to Hu Yong and their mockery of the newcomers had left Shangguan Yun and the others feeling stifled.

Seeing that Zhou Hao was the only newcomer left, they naturally pinned all their hopes on him.

Zhou Hao nodded with a smile, gripped his Red Gold Copper Rod, and took a step toward the Vine Wood Puppet.

In every duel, the Vine Wood Puppet would wait for its opponent to move first before attacking.

Since Zhou Hao had moved—even if it was just a single step—the Vine Wood Puppet struck immediately.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Six long vines whistled through the air from all directions like six long whips.

"Dodge!" many people shouted in their hearts simultaneously.

The six menacing vines were closing in, yet Zhou Hao stood perfectly still, looking as if he had been frozen by fear.

"He can't even last a single breath?" someone sneered. "After watching so many matches, to still be scared stiff by vines, how pathetic..."

Now!

With a thought from Zhou Hao, the Divine Pattern on his back suddenly flared.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Twelve water and fire dragons formed from the power of heaven and earth appeared out of thin air. They coiled head-to-tail in the middle of the six long vines, transforming into six massive Water-Fire Taiji Diagrams that ground against the vines like millstones.

After reaching the Xiantian stage, Zhou Hao's soul had improved once more, allowing him to control the six Taiji Grindstones with his divine sense effortlessly.

Furthermore, the water and fire controlled through the Chiming Nine Heavens Map after entering the Xiantian stage were far superior to those of other techniques.

The six long vines, which twenty-six challengers had struggled to sever, were instantly coated in frost. Then, the endless scorching heat of the fire dragons caused them to char rapidly, compounded by the crushing force of the Taiji Grindstones...

Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!

The charred vines snapped clean in the middle.

The tips of the vines, which were about to touch Zhou Hao, crashed to the ground, completely devoid of life.

"Divine sense?"

On the viewing platform, True Person Muxuan's expression changed abruptly, his gaze toward Zhou Hao becoming scorching hot.

As for the others in the training grounds, even the two Purple Mansion-stage lieutenants beside him would only assume that Zhou Hao's display of the Water-Fire Taiji Diagrams was merely the result of the water and fire controlled by the two Divine Patterns he had condensed through the Chiming Nine Heavens Map—cleverly used, perhaps, but nothing more.

But True Person Muxuan was different; he was a Myriad Phenomena True Person whose own soul had already manifested divine sense.

Under Muxuan's observation, while it was true that Zhou Hao used the power of the Divine Patterns to condense the heaven and earth energy into water and fire, he was using his divine sense to manipulate them into the Taiji Diagrams.

"A Xiantian-stage cultivator with such a powerful soul? He can even manifest divine sense, and he does it so easily," True Person Muxuan marveled.

He had only managed to manifest his own divine sense after entering the Myriad Phenomena stage and having his soul continuously nurtured.

In comparison, Zhou Hao's soul strength was simply heaven-defying.

"A monster, he is absolutely a super monster. Even the core disciples in the inner sect might not have been this strong when they were Xiantian lifeforms."

At this moment, True Person Muxuan even wondered if Zhou Hao was a reincarnated immortal starting over.

It was simply too abnormal for a Xiantian lifeform to possess divine sense, something that should only appear at the Myriad Phenomena stage.

PS.

I'm worried that those reading on other official platforms won't see the chapter comments from Qidian, so while this is still a free chapter, I'll explain here:

I only updated one chapter yesterday because I had to take my wife and child back to my hometown. She had a high fever for four or five days that wouldn't break, and being the only one here to take care of them, I was completely overwhelmed.

The test results came back this morning; it's confirmed pneumonia, and we are currently in the process of being admitted to the hospital.

Updates will not stop. I guarantee at least one chapter, and if I have the energy, I'll do two.

If you see that Suifeng only updates one chapter on any given day, please don't blame me.

I have a lot of chores to handle today, so there will only be one chapter. My apologies.

Once everything is settled tonight, I will try to write another chapter to make up for yesterday's missed update.

As long as I owe a chapter, I will definitely make it up later!

Thanks to 'Wuji Guizhen' for the 100-point tip.

Thanks to 'Pingyi Jinren 2014' for the 100-point tip.

Thanks to 'Supreme Prince Zuo' for the 100-point tip.

Thanks to 'Boss Add Some Spice' for the 1500-point tip.

Thanks to 'QWER5883' for the 100-point tip.

Thanks to 'Ku Wei' for the 3000-point tip.

Suifeng bows in gratitude!