Crushing Defeat

Before they came to the Myriad Phenomena Hall, Pei Shan had told Pei Yangrong that the Yellow Tier high-grade movement technique, Wandering Dragon Steps, suited him perfectly. Now that Pei Yangrong had read it, he felt as though he had found a priceless treasure.

After just one reading, Pei Yangrong had already gained some insight.

"You trash with a First-Grade Martial Soul! Even if I gave you a lifetime, you'd never master a Yellow Tier high-grade movement technique!"

Pei Yangrong brimmed with confidence. "You brought this on yourself!"

"Everyone, watch me perform it!"

"Wandering Dragon Steps!"

Pei Yangrong laughed wildly, and his feet suddenly moved.

Whoosh!

The instant his words fell, Pei Yangrong took one step, then a second, a third...

As his third step landed, his speed suddenly surged!

The next moment, Pei Yangrong was light as a swallow. He seemed to turn into a swimming dragon, darting and weaving through the first floor at astonishing speed!

The first floor of the Martial Arts Hall covered a vast area and held many bookshelves.

Under such conditions, an ordinary new disciple could never weave through it so quickly and effortlessly.

Yet Pei Yangrong had done it!

"What?!"

"Not even half an incense stick has burned, and Young Master Pei can already perform it!"

"As expected of Young Master Pei! Not only is his Martial Soul powerful, but his comprehension is monstrous too!"

The many outer hall disciples in the Martial Arts Hall were stunned.

In so short a time, none of them could have begun to master a Yellow Tier high-grade martial skill.

Yet Pei Yangrong had done it!

Liu Ruoxue smiled faintly. "Junior Brother Pei is exceptionally talented, and his strength is impressive too. He has a chance of reaching the top twenty in this Initiation Trial."

As for Qin Hao...

Liu Ruoxue looked over.

Qin Hao stood with his eyes closed in thought, his brows deeply furrowed, as though he had run into some difficulty.

At the sight, Liu Ruoxue gave a derisive laugh and shook her head. She could not be bothered to say another word.

"Not bad!" A faint smile touched Bu Yunfeng's lips as he nodded in approval.

The Cyan-Robbed Deacon nodded to himself as well. Though he had failed to advance to the inner hall, as a Meridian Opening Realm expert, he could naturally tell that Pei Yangrong had just barely begun to master the technique. Given time, mastering it fully would be no problem.

Such comprehension was already remarkable.

What is Qin Hao doing? Is he still trying to understand it? Don't tell me... he couldn't even make sense of the manual?

The Cyan-Robbed Deacon looked at Qin Hao and immediately frowned.

Half an incense stick had already burned!

Pei Yangrong could already perform Wandering Dragon Steps, while Qin Hao was still standing there... in a daze?

"Tsk, tsk. Compared to Young Master Pei, this fellow's a complete idiot. What's he doing, daydreaming?"

"Hahaha! I bet he couldn't even understand the manual!"

"My Martial Soul is only Tier 3, so I couldn't begin to master it in half an incense stick like Young Master Pei. But I'm still confident I could grasp a thing or two about this Yellow Tier high-grade martial skill. This fellow, though... he can't even understand what he's reading?"

The weak did not deserve respect!

"Exhilarating! That felt good!"

Pei Yangrong stopped, landing right in the middle of the crowd. He laughed wildly. "With Wandering Dragon Steps, I'm even more confident about the Initiation Trial! Hm? Only half an incense stick has passed?"

His gaze fell on Qin Hao, and he laughed. "Trash is trash. You can't even understand the manu—"

Before Pei Yangrong could finish his last word, a figure flashed past his eyes.

Whoosh!

"Hm? What was that?" Pei Yangrong froze.

Whoosh! Whoosh! ...

The figure flashed by again and again.

The noisy crowd gradually fell quiet.

The outer hall disciples stared, startled by what they saw.

Ahead of them, a figure moved swiftly, though clearly not as fast as Pei Yangrong had.

It was Qin Hao!

"That fellow... he actually managed to perform it?"

"He's got some ability. His Martial Soul may only be First-Grade, but his comprehension isn't bad."

"You've got it wrong. Don't forget, Qin Hao was already holding the Wandering Dragon Steps manual before we arrived. He'd obviously studied it once already. It's no surprise he can perform it now."

"Exactly! You can tell from his speed that he's probably much slower than Young Master Pei."

Pei Yangrong was taken aback for a moment, then sneered. "Trash! Even if you can perform it, your speed can't compare to mi—"

Whoosh! ...

Qin Hao was still performing Wandering Dragon Steps!

And this time, his speed had noticeably increased.

"What?" Pei Yangrong's pupils contracted.

"Hm?" The many new disciples also froze, surprise filling their faces.

"Am I seeing things, or is Qin Hao still getting faster?" murmured an outer hall disciple with an impressive aura.

"You're not seeing things! That fellow is practicing Wandering Dragon Steps! He... he's practicing it right here, and his speed is improving so much!"

"How is that possible?"

Faster!

Qin Hao's Wandering Dragon Steps grew faster each time. If his speed had been less than half of Pei Yangrong's on his first attempt, it was now close to catching up.

Wandering Dragon Steps is different from Seven-Star Step. Seven-Star Step has only seventy-two steps in all, while Wandering Dragon Steps has a full three hundred and eighty-nine. Right now, I can barely perform all three hundred and eighty-nine, but it still feels awkward...

I hesitate for a moment on the ninety-ninth step. If... I put more force into that step, perhaps the movement will flow better?

Let's try it!

Qin Hao was utterly absorbed. He had no idea what was happening around him. As he thought, he consciously adjusted his practice according to his own ideas.

Wandering Dragon Steps was a Yellow Tier high-grade movement technique. The basic sign of beginning to master it was the ability to perform it from start to finish without error. Even at that stage, its speed could rival a fully mastered Seven-Star Step!

Once Wandering Dragon Steps was fully mastered, it would only be faster!

Whoosh!

As Qin Hao moved again, afterimages suddenly appeared in the air!

At the sight, the outer hall disciples' eyes widened, their faces filled with shock.

"How is this possible?!" Pei Yangrong's breathing quickened. His eyes bloodshot, he roared, "He's just a good-for-nothing with a First-Grade Martial Soul! How could he have grasped Wandering Dragon Steps to this extent within one incense stick?"

At almost the same moment—

"Time's up!"

The Cyan-Robbed Deacon suppressed his shock and called out loudly.

His shout struck like spring thunder, jolting everyone.

Since when could someone with a First-Grade Martial Soul possess such terrifying comprehension?

As expected of a Yellow Tier high-grade movement technique. I've only just begun to master it, yet its speed already rivals Seven-Star Step.

Qin Hao stopped, feeling thoroughly exhilarated. "And it really is much harder to practice than Seven-Star Step. Yellow Tier high-grade martial skills are profound. There were plenty of places I could improve while performing it just now."

Qin Hao smiled faintly.

Practicing a martial skill took time. Given a little more, Qin Hao was confident he could reach minor mastery, or even master it fully!