Liu Ruyan clenched her hands tightly, her beautiful eyes shimmering with wonder.
"Junior Brother Chen is just... too dazzling!"
Qingyang stared fixedly at the arena, his heart shaken as he silently marveled:
Had he been hiding his strength this deeply all along?
Elder Liu Mu narrowed his eyes slightly at the sight and could not help praising:
"That boy Changqing always manages to give people a surprise at the critical moment!"
At this moment, True Person Tianbo, floating in midair, felt a spark of interest arise within him.
"The limit of Body Refining?"
A trace of surprise flashed through True Person Tianbo's eyes.
As a Nascent Soul-level existence, he naturally saw Chen Changqing's condition clearly.
"A mere Outer Sect disciple has actually reached the limit of Body Refining?"
"This boy can indeed be called a genius."
"To use Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivation to forcibly contend against a body cultivator at Foundation Establishment Late Stage is rather rare."
True Person Tianbo spoke softly, feeling that this Outer Sect Grand Competition had become somewhat interesting.
Just as everyone was stunned.
On the arena, Chen Changqing and Shi Tian continued their fierce exchange.
"Boom!"
Amid the earth-shaking collision, explosions erupted one after another, and shockwaves swept outward.
After their clash, both men retreated more than ten steps at the same time.
Once he steadied himself, Shi Tian took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the roiling blood and qi within his body.
"Chen Changqing, you are the first opponent to force me to this extent."
Shi Tian stared directly at Chen Changqing, seeming to finally begin taking him seriously.
"Likewise."
Chen Changqing replied blandly.
If not for the powerful cultivation method he practiced, he could never have contended with Shi Tian.
At this moment, Chen Changqing deeply realized something.
Even with the system at his side, the geniuses of this world were not to be underestimated.
Hearing Chen Changqing's words, Shi Tian's lips curled upward, revealing a meaningful smile.
"In that case... let us fight without restraint!"
Shi Tian let out a thunderous roar!
Immediately afterward, his upper garment suddenly burst apart, revealing a body as sturdy as iron.
"Today, I will show you my true strength!"
"Rumble!"
A strange sound rang out as Shi Tian's skin began to change bizarrely, turning into grayish-white rock in the blink of an eye.
"Stone Man Body!"
An elder cried out in alarm.
At this moment, Shi Tian was like a stone statue come to life, his entire body radiating a suffocating pressure.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble!"
As Shi Tian's body transformed, the arena trembled and shattered stones flew everywhere!
Chen Changqing frowned slightly, his gaze fixed upon Shi Tian.
Looking closely, he saw that Shi Tian's skin had completely turned into grayish-white rock, with dense earth-attributed spiritual energy coiling around him.
Just as Chen Changqing examined Shi Tian's transformation, Shi Tian said coldly:
"Junior Brother!"
"I possess the Stone Spirit Physique. I can absorb all earth-attributed things to cultivate and strengthen myself. So long as I stand upon the earth, I am invincible!"
As soon as Shi Tian spoke, every elder and disciple present was shocked.
"Stone Spirit Physique?"
"A special constitution?"
"Who would have thought that Shi Tian, besides being a body cultivator, also possessed such a constitution!"
"So he had merely been playing around with Chen Changqing earlier, and now he is getting serious?"
"Chen Changqing is truly in danger now!"
"..."
The crowd discussed fervently, their faces full of disbelief.
One had to know that special constitutions were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns in the cultivation world, and every one of them possessed heaven-defying abilities!
The Stone Spirit Physique, in particular, was a top-tier constitution known as one where "so long as the earth remains unbroken, the fleshly body remains indestructible"!
Seeing this, True Person Tianbo, floating in midair, had a brilliant gleam surge in his eyes. He was genuinely moved.
"Good! Good!"
"I never expected to discover such an uncut jade in this Outer Sect Grand Competition!"
"This truly counts as a great harvest!"
True Person Tianbo sighed inwardly.
Special constitutions were exceedingly difficult to come by.
Even in the Inner Sect, disciples possessing special constitutions could be counted on one's fingers.
Yet one had now appeared in this Outer Sect Grand Competition, making True Person Tianbo's eyes light up and stirring his interest.
In the area of the Seven Courtyards.
After seeing Shi Tian reveal his special constitution, every disciple there had their hearts in their throats.
"Who knew Shi Tian still had another card up his sleeve."
"Can Junior Brother still withstand this?"
"..."
Everyone sweated for Chen Changqing.
On the arena, Chen Changqing looked at Shi Tian, who resembled a stone man, but his expression did not fluctuate much.
"So what if you have a special constitution?"
"Today, I will put it to the test!"
"Are you truly invincible as long as you stand upon the earth?"
With a light shout, Chen Changqing chose to strike first.
"Thunder Fist!"
Lightning flashed around his fists as he shot forward, his fists crashing toward Shi Tian like a torrential downpour.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Every one of those terrifying punches possessed enough force to shatter boulders.
Yet what astonished Chen Changqing was this.
His barrage of ferocious attacks landed on Shi Tian's body, but they only scattered a few sparks.
They could not even break through Shi Tian's defenses.
Seeing this, the First Courtyard disciples became wildly excited.
"Haha!"
"Wonderful, Senior Brother Shi Tian is serious now!"
"Chen Changqing cannot even break Senior Brother's defense."
"Admit defeat, brat from the Seven Courtyards!"
"Senior Brother Shi Tian was only toying with you earlier. Did you really think you were his opponent?"
"..."
The First Courtyard disciples cheered jubilantly.
When they had previously seen Chen Changqing and Shi Tian trading blows evenly, their hearts had been hanging in their throats.
Now that Shi Tian had unleashed his special constitution and Chen Changqing had immediately fallen into a disadvantage, they were naturally delighted.
"Useless."
Shi Tian looked at Chen Changqing indifferently and said smugly:
"I told you already. As long as I stand upon the earth, I am invincible!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Shi Tian stomped fiercely.
"Crack!"
As his foot came down, the ground beneath it directly split apart.
Within a few brief moments, the arena surrounding Shi Tian suddenly crumbled to pieces.
Before the crowd could react, countless fragments of rock swiftly gathered as though they were living creatures.
In fewer than several breaths, under Shi Tian's control, they formed a Rock Giant dozens of zhang tall!
The moment the Rock Giant appeared, it cast the entire arena beneath its shadow.
Chen Changqing stood below it, his expression turning somewhat grave.
"Junior Brother, you should admit defeat!"
"I have already activated the Stone Spirit Physique. You are no match for me."
"If you insist on continuing this battle, even if you do not die, you will still be severely injured!"
Shi Tian's voice rang out.
Upon hearing his words, every elder and disciple from the various courtyards watching the battle felt their hearts tremble.
They could all sense the terrifying pressure radiating from the gigantic stone man on the arena.
In the Seven Courtyards' area.
All the disciples looked terrible. The hope that had only just flared to life was directly snuffed out by Shi Tian's Stone Spirit Physique.
They had originally hoped Chen Changqing could defeat Shi Tian and seize first place in this Outer Sect Grand Competition.
But looking at things now, that seemed unlikely.
Liu Ruyan's heart was clenched tight as she stared straight at Chen Changqing, silently hoping:
Perhaps Junior Brother can still create a miracle!
At this very moment, on the arena.
Chen Changqing slowly raised a hand and brushed the dust from his body, staring directly at Shi Tian and the gigantic stone man.
"I have to say, Shi Tian, you truly are strong."
"But unfortunately..."
"First place in this competition is mine!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Changqing's mind stirred.
"Clang!"
A clear sword cry resounded through heaven and earth.
The instant the Shadow-Bearing Sword appeared, the light around them actually dimmed.
When they looked again, Chen Changqing had already bent at the waist, assuming a sword-drawing stance!
Before you continue