Rumors were going about that Mu Zhiqiu was a definite pick to enter the Holy Zhi Palace. But no one knew the exact reasons.
The chief of the Zhaixing House knew, of course. Mu Zhifan had recommended Mu Zhiqiu to the elders of the Holy Zhi Palace while he was there. Afterward, an influential figure from the Palace had personally come to the Zhaixing House to meet Mu Zhiqiu. After ascertaining her abilities, she had been invited to the Palace to train. As such, Mu Zhiqiu was granted direct admission to the Palace without having to go through any tests—an unimaginable honor.
The chief also knew that this granddaughter of his was incredibly competitive. Despite being admitted directly to the Palace, she continued to prepare in order to enter the Palace through her own merit. From this, her talent and ability were clear to see.
Not many people in the vast eastern region of the Barren State had the opportunity to train in the legendary Holy Zhi Palace. Even students of the Top Three Schools did not find it easy to gain admission—only the monstrously powerful and those of the highest abilities would be able to go. Ye Tianfu’s plane was far lower than Mu Zhiqiu’s, yet he had been able to hold up against her in battle. This was no easy feat, and the chief’s opinion of him shifted for the better. Indeed, the chief thought to himself, that old man Chen Yuan certainly had picked well this time.
The Starry School had finally produced a character that was truly heads and shoulders above the rest, arguably even more powerful than Long Yitian, but that didn’t mean that the conclusion to this battle would be any different.
In the instant Ye Futian looked at Mu Zhiqiu, he felt himself sink into her gaze in which saw a dazzling night sky. It seemed to be a world created by Eye Sorcery. Mu Zhiqiu was actually a powerful spirit-elemental Mandate Cultivator. Furthermore, she was talented in navigating multiple elements as well.
The stars revolved about that dazzling night sky. An endless stream of starlight shone upon Ye Futian, bringing about a force that pressed down unforgivingly upon Ye Futian. Both his Spiritual Energy and his physical body felt incredibly heavy, and the pressure was almost unbearable.
The starry storm around Ye Futian reflected the sight he saw within his Spiritual Will; meteorites began to revolve in a more orderly manner around Ye Futian, with each rock emitting a blindingly dazzling light. The starry sky was revolving and shifting in an orderly fashion.
Countless people looked on in shock. They knew that this was far beyond the abilities of an individual of the Arcana plane. Mu Zhiqiu must have mastered a tenet of Sage Intent and combined it with her own power in order to move the stars. With such great power, no one would be able to defeat her, save for a person of the Noble plane.
Everyone stared at the beauty who held herself upright in the starry sky, speechless for a moment. Who would be good enough to deserve a talented beauty like her? To even look at her was already an undeserved privilege.
Ye Futian’s heart was beating out his chest, while his blood boiled in his veins. His physical body was barely enduring a frighteningly heavy pressure, and the amount of pressure placed on his Spiritual Will was enough to bring a person to the brink of breakdown.
“Still not admitting defeat?” A cool, detached voice rang out to him. This was the first time Mu Zhiqiu had spoken since entering battle. She knew just how powerful the energy she was releasing could be. If she were to keep up her attack, she would not be able to maintain control over what happened next. If Ye Tianfu was unable to hold up against her, then he might be destroyed right where he was.
Ye Tianfu ignored her. A streak of dazzling light surrounded him. In his Spiritual Will where the illusion of the orderly starry night sky was, Ye Tianfu stood upright, surrounded by light and polearm in hand. He cut a dignified figure, like a statue of an ancient saint. He looked towards the sky, and the streams of light that fell from it were instantly absorbed into his body and flowed with him. The stars trembled, and the starry dimension which had been flowing in turmoil was now slowed down with his gaze. It was as if the dimension was operating according to his will.
Mu Zhiqiu’s clothes fluttered about her. Her eyes were still as dazzling as the stars, and starlight glowed within, making them even more striking. She stared at Ye Futian, who stared back. Time seemed to come to a standstill.
This strange sight had many baffled. Just what was going on? The two figures—one the long-haired pride and glory of the Zhaixing House, the other the Son of the Starry School with his holy robes resplendent on him—seemed to be staring at each other. Some onlookers guessed that they were battling through Spiritual Energy.
Within the Sky Dome, menacing meteorites floated about to a strange order before gradually forming an incredible storm. Ye Futian looked as though he was about to sink downwards. Suddenly, endless streams of starlight shot out and rained down on Ye Futian like a meteor shower.
Ye Futian’s body, flowing with dazzling eye-catching starlight, no longer seemed like flesh and blood. Instead, it felt as though he possessed a body crafted from the stars themselves. He glowed with the starlight in his body, and the polearm he wielded also emanated a dazzling light.
Ye Futian then began to wave the polearm about. Every move seemed to belie a sort of mystical rhythm. It seemed as though his power was limitless, and with the might of the stars, he would assert his authority over all.
When a meteorite plummeted down towards him, Ye Futian struck out with the polearm, the seemingly sluggish movement belying incomparable power. A deafening boom resonated across the sky, and the starry dimension seemed to tremble at the impact. Even so, more meteors rained down upon him menacingly in a fury of sound. It seemed as though he was going to be buried alive.
With a twist of his body, Ye Futian sent another strike singing towards the meteorites. The winds roared, and the light of the meteorites was scattered in all directions by the impact.
“This…” The hearts of the onlookers were beating fast at the battle. They felt the immensity of Ye Futian’s power.
Mu Zhiqiu was like a fairy, creating the rules of the stars and releasing meteorites. On the other hand, it was as if Ye Futian had truly mastered the teachings of the Divine Path. Starlight glowed from his being and his features were almost completely obscured by the light. It was as if he had transformed into light.
At the fourth strike that destroyed yet more of the meteorites that littered the sky, the starlight that emanated from Ye Futian’s body and the polearm had filled the vast dimension. An endless meteor shower then began to fall from the sky. It was impossible to destroy all of them.
Ye Tianfu took flight, and the dazzling polearm swung endlessly in the sky, destroying meteorite after meteorite to the point where the shadows of the moving polearm merged into one.
At the fifth strike of the Nine Heavenly Attacks, everything before the polearm was destroyed. The meteorites exploded violently and fizzled off in the sky.
To the onlookers, Ye Tianfu had bulldozed through the starry sky with his incomparably dazzling polearm. With a resounding boom, the starry dimension that Mu Zhiqiu had created collapsed, sending tremors all throughout the sky. The meteors had been destroyed, and their light was dimming.
Mu Zhiqiu’s delicate figure trembled with a soft cough before she spat out blood, which stained her clothes.
It was as if the starry storm no longer existed in this very moment. Everyone was stunned speechless at the sight of the beautiful figure with blood on her clothes and the young man who stood proudly in the sky with a polearm in hand.
Many of the onlookers began to recall what Master Yun had previously said: that the abilities of the Son way surpassed that of Long Yitian. Second to none in the eastern region of the Barren State, the Son was powerful enough to rise above all. Before this, many had felt that for how skilled the Son of the Starry School was, it was boastful to make such an exaggerated claim.
But at this very moment, things had changed.
Mu Zhiqiu was a jewel of a talent who had been able to enter the Holy Zhi Palace. But even with her peak Arcana plane abilities, she had been defeated by Ye Futian. If that were the case, was it really an exaggeration to claim that Ye Futian was powerful enough to rise above all?
Shi Yanfeng and Shi Qinglan’s eyes widened as they observed the happenings in the sky. Their long-held beliefs were crumbling before them, and it felt as though their hearts were breaking.
So there really was someone who was able to defeat Mu Zhiqiu with just the abilities of a middle Arcana plane.
Mu Zhiqiu was peerless in her talent. She was strong. No one dared to deny that. And yet she had still failed. The blood on her clothes was a shocking sight to see.
The chief’s gaze froze on her as well. However, he remained calm—though not to the extent of numbness unlike some onlookers in the crowd. He then looked at Ye Futian, his gaze sharp and glittering. No doubt Chen Yuan had sent Ye Tianfu to the Zhaixing House in pursuit of the Divine Destruction Polearm.
Just where had he found such a monstrously powerful Son?
With Ye Tianfu’s abilities, entering the Holy Zhi Palace would be absolutely no problem.
Ye Tianfu glanced at Mu Zhiqiu. The polearm in his hand disappeared, then he continued moving towards where the Divine Destruction Polearm was at the top of the Sky Dome.
The immense pressure within the Sky Dome grew stronger still. With every step he took, he was forced to slow down even more. But he was surrounded with starlight, and as he continuously ascended, he began to make progress.
Below him, Mu Zhiqiu lifted her head to look at Ye Tianfu ascending through the sky. The storm howled around her, but she remained firmly planted where she was.
The journey of training was long and never-ending, and there always was someone out there who was more powerful. Being peerless in one’s talent also depended on who it was one competed against. The chance to battle could only strengthen her will.
At long last, Ye Tianfu finally reached where the Divine Destruction Polearm was. The thousand-meter long polearm was too big for Ye Futian to hold even with both hands. He touched the ritual implement and then attempted to lift it up by carrying it on his shoulders.
The Sky Dome seemed to tremble, and an incomparable pressure weighed him down. He was in the middle Arcana plane, which meant he was strong enough to split mountains and break the earth, enough to lift 90,000 pounds. However, the weight he was enduring now was not just that of the Divine Destruction Polearm, but also of the monstrously heavy pressure that lay within.
Everyone was watching Ye Futian, including the chief of Zhaixing House. What did it matter if Ye Futian was powerful? He still couldn’t manage to take the ritual implement away.
Ye Tianfu’s expression was solemn. The roar of an ape pierced the air and reverberated before a gigantic Divine Ape seemed to materialize behind Ye Futian and attach itself to him. The Divine Ape was incredibly strong. Reaching out with a pair of thick, strong arms, the Divine Ape grabbed onto the ritual implement and attempted to lift it up with a resounding roar.
The ritual implement trembled before a frightening burst of starlight plummeted downwards. With a loud sound, the huge Divine Ape had been forced down. It was unable to endure the pressure of that energy.
The ritual implement possesses a spirit of its own, Ye Futian thought as the Divine Ape disappeared. With his current plane, he might not be able to take this ritual implement away. The chief probably knew this, which was why he let Ye Futian have a shot at it. However, College Chief Chen definitely had his reasons for sending him here.
“Don’t bother trying anymore, you won’t be able to take away the Divine Destruction Polearm,” the chief spoke to Ye Futian, who was at the top of the Sky Dome.
“Really?” Ye Futian looked down from where he was at the chief.
Ye Futian touched the Divine Destruction Polearm, moving upwards along the length of the pole. A streak of dazzling sunlight emanated from his hand, surrounding the ritual instrument. Ye Futian came to the top of the Divine Destruction Polearm, his hand remaining on the ritual implement still. The ritual implement trembled slightly at this moment as if it sensed the hidden significance of the streak of light.
The endless glow of the stars wrapped itself around the thousand-meter Polearm. Ye Tianfu closed his eyes in an attempt to resonate with the ritual implement. He sensed a strong resistance, as though the ritual implement was intent on remaining where it was, refusing to go anywhere else.
“I’ll only ask you this: are you leaving or not?”