Strongest War Emperor

The "Thunder Control Divine Technique" is the foundation of the Profound Dao Sect, its Supreme Secret Technique.

Thousands of years ago, the founder of the Profound Dao Sect was passing through the Celestial Profound Mountain Range where he perceived the great momentum of the mountains. He discovered a Great Spirit Meridian deep underground and saw that the Thunder Power of Supreme Yang and Firmness was dense in the nine heavens above. A touch of inspiration struck him, and he comprehended the apex of Martial Arts. He created his own supreme Secret Technique capable of communing with the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder: the "Thunder Control Divine Technique."

Thereafter, he established a sect here, founding the Profound Dao Sect. With the "Thunder Control Divine Technique" as his foundation, he swept across the Four Desolates.

Now, on the very day the Profound Dao Sect was opening its doors to new disciples, an outsider had used the Thunder Control Divine Technique to severely injure its people. How could this not cause shock and horror?

"And then what?"

A sharp glint flashed through Su Wenxuan’s eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and asked calmly.

Zhang Tianyue wore a strange expression as he said, "Afterward, the several thousand people who had been blocked at the valley entrance surged through Yunxi Valley like a tide. All the severely injured people heard a Divine Thought transmission. The voice warned them, then vanished without a trace."

"’Blocking the road to rob people of a few Spirit Stones is one thing, but to even ambush them with archers... If you want to kill people, you must be prepared to be killed.’"

"’I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll spare your lives. Just pray you don’t run into me next time you try something like this...’ Those were the two sentences the voice spoke."

Su Wenxuan said calmly, "Judging by those two sentences alone, the person doesn’t seem to bear us any ill will. On the contrary, they almost seem to be on the side of justice. However, no one can be certain if what they said is true or false."

After a short pause, Su Wenxuan continued, "The legend of the Nine-Star Linked Pearls may or may not be true, but the Earth Yin Qi has indeed begun to surge, and Demons and monsters are plaguing the Mortal World. Our Profound Dao Sect’s ’Thunder Control Divine Technique’ is the bane of all such creatures, so it’s being coveted once again. The number of people who’ve come this year is several times that of previous years, likely all for the sake of this technique. And now, to have such an expert hiding among them... we cannot be careless."

"I’ll trouble Junior Sister Leng Hui to make a trip to East Screen Peak. Go and borrow the ’Void Mirror’ from Senior Brother Liu Zongdao. We must carefully inspect everyone who qualifies to enter the Profound Dao Sect."

Leng Hui stood up and said respectfully, "Yes!"

With a flip of his wrist, Su Wenxuan produced a golden Token and handed it to Zhang Tianyue. "Junior Brother Zhang, take my Token and mobilize a squad of Thunder Guards to act under your command. Have them investigate the matter at Yunxi Valley, and also strictly investigate all suspicious individuals. My Profound Dao Sect may be one of the most open Sects, even accepting members of the Demon Race, but that doesn’t mean any fiend or phantom can just sneak its way in."

Zhang Tianyue was shocked. "Sect Leader, is the situation that serious? We’re even mobilizing the Thunder Guards? Even if there’s a Xuanwu Realm expert among these people, it shouldn’t be so severe as to require the Thunder Guards, right?"

Su Wenxuan turned to look at the cliff outside the pavilion. Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he said somberly, "The matter of the Nine-Star Linked Pearls has yet to be confirmed, but the legend of the Emperor Star has been verified by several Major Sects... These are eventful times. It’s best to take precautions. You are both dismissed."

"Yes!" Leng Hui and Zhang Tianyue replied in unison.

...

On the narrow mountain path, countless people were running with all their might.

Only then did the crowd realize the mysterious nature of the Profound Dao Sect.

These people sprinted at full speed, scrambling over each other as they crossed countless gorges and ravines. They had been running for over four hours and still hadn’t reached their destination!

More and more children began to slow their pace.

Some continued onward, while others sat down crying, giving up on this opportunity entirely.

For many of these young children, being able to persist for more than four hours in these rugged, treacherous mountains—where they sometimes even had to climb—was already an incredible feat.

Watching more and more people by the roadside give up, Shen Lang felt a wave of emotion.

Because the Star Continent was rich in Spiritual Qi and valued Martial Arts, the people here, even children who hadn’t started their Cultivation, had excellent Physiques.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for them to run for over four hours, only giving up after reaching their absolute limit.

On Earth, forget eight or nine-year-old children; even a young man of twenty-seven or twenty-eight couldn’t walk for a few hours on such steep mountain peaks, let alone run!

Making a group of seven and eight-year-olds trek through mountains for over four hours was an unimaginable task.

In fact, it wasn’t just the children who had reached their limit; Shen Lang himself was almost there too.

Because throughout this journey, he had been relying solely on his physical strength to bear a weight of over 17,000 jin.

He hadn’t used even a shred of Spiritual Power.

After running for over four hours while carrying a weight of more than 17,000 jin, his physical body was also at its breaking point...

Shen Lang was using this opportunity to push himself to his limits and stimulate his potential.

"Hey, brothers! I can barely run anymore! Can we slow down a bit? We’re almost there anyway..." Shen Lang shouted at the top of his lungs.

Ahead of him, Su Shi, Zhan Wuji, Zheng Donghong, and the green-robed woman all stopped and turned to look at the sweat-drenched Shen Lang with exasperation.

The veiled, green-robed woman shot Shen Lang a scornful look. "It’s normal for those seven and eight-year-olds to not be able to keep up. But you’re at least sixteen or seventeen. Is it proper for you to be shouting that you can’t run anymore?"

Zhan Wuji was about to say a few words of encouragement, but then he glanced at Zheng Donghong, who was also at the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven and was only breathing a little heavily. Seeing Shen Lang in such a pathetic state, he couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head.

’This little brother probably comes from one of the larger Noble Families. He must have relied on Elixir Pills and such to cultivate, which is why his body is so weak.’

Shen Lang grabbed the gourd at his waist, took two big gulps—GLUG GLUG—and wiped the sweat from his brow before saying, "Er, actually, I heard the hubbub of a crowd up ahead and knew we were about to arrive. I just wanted us to slow down for a bit and chat."

"You’re certainly thick-skinned," the green-robed woman scoffed before turning away.

Zheng Donghong gave an honest smile, walked over to Shen Lang, and offered some encouragement. "Brother, I heard the sounds too. We’re probably about to arrive... But your body is too weak; you need to exercise more! Once you get into the Profound Dao Sect, you can’t keep frequenting those... pleasure districts."

Su Shi and Zhan Wuji let out a wicked chuckle.

Shen Lang’s face darkened. "Don’t talk nonsense! I’ve never even been to the kind of pleasure districts you’re talking about!"

"I know, I know. It’s men’s business, not something to be discussed here. You know what I mean," Zheng Donghong said with a wink.

"..." Shen Lang smacked his lips, momentarily speechless.

After the five of them crested a slope, the view ahead suddenly opened up to reveal a massive platform set against a cliff face.

It was packed with a sea of people, numbering more than three thousand.

"You... people... are... too... slow. You made... Grandpa Niu... wait here... for half a day. It’s... detestable! If it were... Grandpa Niu’s... old temper... I would’ve... beaten you up... one... by one!"

Just as Shen Lang and his group stepped onto the platform, a strange voice boomed from within the crowd.

The voice was as deep and booming as a bull’s bellow, and its pace was maddeningly slow.

The five of them instinctively turned their gazes toward the voice and were all stunned. The speaker was barrel-chested and stout, wearing a tiger-skin vest and a pair of bright red patterned pants.

That wasn’t even the most surprising part. The key thing was that this "Grandpa Niu" actually had two straight horns growing from his head!

"Damn, a transformed Demon Beast?" Zhan Wuji cried out.

"No," Shen Lang said, shaking his head. "A Demon Beast in the Transformation Stage would be equivalent to a King Martial Realm expert. Why would it come to the Profound Dao Sect to become a disciple? This guy must have taken something like a Transformation Pill to achieve a human form."

"The Human Race and the Demon Race may be allies, but Sect rules are usually quite strict. The Profound Dao Sect is one of the few Sects that allows the Demon Race to enter. Forget about the Demon Race, though; with several thousand people here... the competition is going to be brutal. What a hassle," Su Shi lamented.

The others were taken aback. They glanced at the dense, dark crowd on the platform, and all of them frowned slightly.

"Ah? You... dare... ignore your... Grandpa Niu? How... outrageous! In the Wooden Man Alley... I’ll make you... pay!"

Seeing Shen Lang and the others ignoring him and talking amongst themselves, the horned member of the Demon Race flew into a rage and shrieked like a child.

’The Thunder Guards, who can only be mobilized by the Sect Leader, have appeared. It seems the Profound Dao Sect is taking this assessment very seriously. Or... did my actions in the valley attract their attention?’

Having discovered the hidden Thunder Guards, Shen Lang became even more cautious. He completely concealed his aura, locking his Cultivation at the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven.

’I came here in good faith to become a disciple. It would be no laughing matter if I were mistaken for a spy.’

Shen Lang scanned the platform, noticing many Profound Dao Sect disciples in gray robes bustling about.

Meanwhile, some disciples in blue robes, who seemed to hold a higher status, stood around the perimeter, cautiously observing the candidates.

In the center of the platform was a long table made of brown bronzewood. On it were some Jade Scrolls and two quaint teapots covered in intricate patterns.

Wisps of steam rose from two cups of emerald-green tea, drifting up until they vanished.

Three people sat before the long table. The one in the middle appeared to be in his forties. He wore a suit of silver Soft Armor, had a heroic and imposing bearing, and his ink-black hair flowed freely behind him in the wind. His aura was as deep as the sea. This was the Peak Master of Luoyan Peak, Zhang Tianyue.

Seated to Zhang Tianyue’s left and right were two blue-robed elders. They both appeared to be in their seventies, with hair as white as snow and faces as smooth and fair as jade, without a single wrinkle. A divine light shone from their eyes, making it difficult for one to look at them directly.

These two were Elders of Luoyan Peak.

The Profound Dao Sect had a total of Nine-Nine Eighty-One Peaks, each with one Peak Master and four Elders.

Among them, only nine peaks belonged to the Inner Sect, which formed the backbone of the Profound Dao Sect. Luoyan Peak was one of these Nine Inner Sect Peaks.

Just then, a middle-aged man standing beside the three looked up at the sky, then turned to Zhang Tianyue and said, "Senior Brother, the time has come. What are your thoughts?"

Zhang Tianyue nodded slightly. "Let’s begin. This is the last batch."

The middle-aged man inclined his head and immediately announced in a loud voice, "Everyone, line up to begin the first test!"

As soon as he spoke, a dozen or so blue-robed disciples came forward and formed a line, guiding the crowd into four long queues to begin the aptitude test.

At the head of each queue stood a stone stele, one meter high and half a meter wide, and a thick wooden stake driven into the ground.

The stele was inscribed with intricate and complex runes. It radiated a brilliant light, wreathed in a seven-colored luminescence, giving it an air of profound mystery to anyone who glanced at it.

As for the thick wooden stake, it was so large it would take nearly two adults to wrap their arms around it. It too was inscribed with countless faint runes, but it showed no luster. If one weren’t paying close attention, they would simply mistake it for a dead log.

Zhan Wuji and the others went forward for their test, and all of them passed with ease.

Moreover, Zhan Wuji, Su Shi, and the green-robed woman all seemed to have excellent aptitude, attracting the attention of Luoyan Peak’s Peak Master, Zhang Tianyue.

When it was Shen Lang’s turn, he walked over, placed his palm on the stone stele, and closed his eyes to meditate just like the others.

A moment later, Shen Lang opened his eyes, and was instantly speechless...