Devouring Soul Emperor

"Profound Celestial Divine Pattern!"

"Thunderbolt Flash!"

A fiery red Divine Pattern lit up on Chu Qingyun’s right arm. A bolt of Thunder, carrying a terrifying power, shot straight toward the stone monument’s protective film.

BZZT.

Accompanied by a piercing sound, the protective film’s power-dispersing properties spread the Thunder across the face of the monument.

Starting from the lowest mark and moving upward, one mark after another lit up in quick succession, with almost no pause in between.

Six marks... seven marks... eight marks...

Nine marks!

Although there was a momentary pause before the final mark appeared, it eventually lit up. This meant that the attack from his Sword Pointing had reached the strength of a ninth-level Martial Artist!

"Whoa, he actually did it!"

"A Fifth-level Martial Artist unleashed an attack with the strength of a ninth-level Martial Artist, and he didn’t even use his Martial Soul!"

"His attainments in the Sword Dao must have already surpassed the power of Soul Techniques. This is a Sword Dao genius!"

When all nine marks lit up, the crowd below the stage exploded into an uproar.

Even for the Great Xia Dragon Guards, a Fifth-level Martial Artist in their Realm achieving the attack strength of a ninth-level Martial Artist was a sensational event!

’This damn bastard, he actually pulled it off.’

’Dammit, how is that possible? That’s a gap of four whole Realms!’

’His attack... it’s even stronger than mine and Tian Jie’s?!’

The three from the Zhao Family were all grinding their teeth, their hearts filled with shock.

Of the four hundred-plus people who had taken the assessment before, not a single one had managed to produce an attack four Realms above their own. They thought their bet was a sure win, but to their surprise, they had lost!

Recalling Chu Qingyun’s earlier behavior, the three of them finally understood. He hadn’t been provoked by their taunts at all; he had simply been confident and had nothing to fear!

They had proposed the bet, they had set the stakes, and yet, they were the ones who had lost. The hearts of the three Zhao Family members were filled with dejection and... fury! 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

While most of the people below were in shock, the few Great Xia Dragon Guard captains were staring intently at the stone monument, all of them wearing solemn expressions.

"It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? The vibrations on the protective film show no sign of dissipating," one captain said, his brow tightly furrowed.

When the other candidates were tested, the force that struck the protective film would quickly dissipate, allowing the film to gradually calm down.

But this time, a full minute had passed, and fine arcs of Thunder still erupted on the film’s surface from time to time, as if countless bolts were burrowing around inside.

"That Thunder Power isn’t Thunder Power manifested from Primordial Power... it’s... real Thunder!"

"Refining real Thunder... what level of Sword Technique would that be? Or is it a Secret Technique?"

"I’ve observed twenty-eight Spirit Level Sword Techniques, and not one of them is capable of Refining external forces, especially a power as fierce and unyielding as Thunder! Moreover, he just used the Second Layer of the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern!"

The captains discussed in low voices. In their minds, Chu Qingyun was gradually becoming a more mysterious figure.

To the Great Xia Dragon Guards from the County City, the Profound Celestial Divine Pattern was considered a powerful Secret Technique, but it wasn’t unobtainable. However, a Sword Technique that could refine Thunder was completely unfathomable.

Coupled with the fact that Chu Qingyun was only sixteen years old, it was hard to believe he was just some kid from a small mountain village.

’Just what is this kid’s background...?’

The Thunder Power had, after all, left his body. Without the support of Primordial Power, it was like water without a source. After two or three minutes, the Thunder Power slowly dissipated, and the protective film quickly returned to its calm state.

When Chu Qingyun walked down from the stage, no one dared to look down on him anymore for being a Fifth-level Martial Artist.

"Zhao Hanfeng, how about it?"

Stepping off the platform, Chu Qingyun stood before the three Zhao Clan brothers, a faint, mocking sneer on his face.

These three had caused Chu Qingyun to be unable to collect the Cao Family’s debt. If not for Qin Ya’s timely support of five thousand Top-Grade Primordial Stones, Chu Qingyun probably wouldn’t have even had the Primordial Stones to use his Puppet.

"Hmph, consider yourself lucky!" Zhao Hanfeng snorted, his face dark.

Chu Qingyun had slapped them in the face with his strength and the facts, leaving them speechless and able to do nothing but offer empty retorts.

"What I mean is, the three of you should get out of my way now. I’m coming through."

"You little bastard, don’t take it too far!" Zhao Yunhao couldn’t contain his anger and lunged forward, gritting his teeth.

The Zhao Family was a power that could blot out the sky with a single hand in Flame City, and they were the prodigies of the Zhao Family’s younger generation. They had grown up surrounded by flattery and had never stepped aside for anyone, let alone some poor, shabby kid who had appeared out of nowhere!

However, he was stopped by Zhao Hanfeng, whose face was grim.

"What, is this the so-called Zhao Family? So petty you can’t even afford to lose?" Chu Qingyun said with a contemptuous smile.

A buzz of discussion rose up from the surroundings.

Upon arriving in Flame City, these talented Great Xia Samurai from Lianshan County had all more or less inquired about the city’s influential powers. The one they heard about most often was, of course, the Zhao Family.

However, judging from these three, the Zhao Family didn’t seem all that impressive.

Listening to the surrounding chatter, Zhao Hanfeng’s expression grew even uglier. He shot Chu Qingyun a vicious glare and said, forcing a calm tone, "A loss is a loss. You were just lucky this time. Of course, my Zhao Family keeps its word. Yun Hao, Tian Jie, make way for him."

The three of them were filled with unwillingness, but they could only grit their teeth and move aside to let Chu Qingyun pass. The frustration in their hearts was immense...

Every one of them was at a higher Realm than him, yet they could only meekly step aside...

’Hmph, what a good actor!’

Chu Qingyun’s eyes darted about, and a mischievous grin suddenly appeared on his face. "Ahem, you three from the Zhao Family, if you’ll excuse me, could you please make way again? I’ve decided the view is better up front after all."

"You..."

After the first round of the competition ended, out of more than five hundred people, 372 remained.

Among the remaining three hundred and seventy-plus people, the lowest Realm was Fifth-level Martial Artist—and they were all Fifth-level Martial Artists capable of unleashing attacks with the strength of a seventh-level Martial Artist.

The first round tested attack strength, while the second round would test comprehensive ability.

According to the Great Xia Dragon Guards’ explanation, for the second round, they had gathered intelligence on many fugitives and wanted criminals near Flame City. The assessment’s content was to eliminate the person whose name you drew within ten days.

"The hell? Why’d they turn a perfectly good assessment into a manhunt for fugitives? What a pain. Wouldn’t it be easier if we all just competed in the arena?" a short, stout man couldn’t help but complain, shaking his head.

Someone next to him retorted, "Hmph, do you think the Great Xia Dragon Guards are just recruiting thugs and for the Nursing Home? Capturing fugitives is one of the jobs of the Great Xia Dragon Guards. Besides, compared to ordinary people, the Great Xia Dragon Guards hold high status and great power, so naturally, they have to carefully assess all kinds of abilities. The best way to test comprehensive skills is to go out and do it yourself!"

As the saying goes, the only way to tell a mule from a horse is to take it for a spin.

Some Martial Artists might have great strength and talent, but know nothing else. Those are not the kind of people the Great Xia Dragon Guards need.