As they watched the man take the stage, whispers rose from every corner. At the sound of those discussions, some clenched their fists, while others quietly retreated half a step. These were all contestants with a chance of securing a place at the Golden Sun Temple.
Their eyes filled with scrutiny and gravity as Qin Ju stepped onto the stage. With his cultivation at Qi-Blood Fourth-Level Perfection, he was almost certainly the strongest of all the contestants present.
Yi Zhanzhi stood among the Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall contingent, his gaze fixed on Qin Ju, his pupils contracting slightly.
He had fought plenty of Third Level opponents, but the oppressive presence of someone at the perfected Fourth Level was another matter entirely. This was not a difference in strength; it was the crushing disparity between realms. The gulf between the Third and Fourth Levels was deeper than all the gaps from the First to the Third combined.
Behind him, Liao Xu said quietly, "Keep steady. Watch his spearwork. He was the previous generation's senior disciple at the Azure Cloud Martial Hall. Our hall has some old grudges with the Azure Cloud Martial Arts Hall, so you need to watch out for their current senior disciple. He's no weaker than Qin Ju. You can study his approach now."
Yi Zhanzhi said nothing, his jaw drawn tight.
Qin Ju stood on the stage, raised his spearpoint, and aimed it toward the north side of the drill ground.
The man he chose-Sun Xing.
The Deputy Patrol Chief of Cloud Pattern Town had late-stage Qi-Blood Fourth Level cultivation and could be considered the town's strongest fighter after Fang Yue.
The drill ground fell silent for two breaths when everyone saw Qin Ju's chosen opponent, then erupted into an even louder uproar. A deputy hall master