This was the terrifying nature of a powerful cultivation. Even with the most common Sword Control Technique, the strength on display was on a completely different level from that of a Qi Refining Cultivator.

Many ordinary second-year students had only just recently mastered the Sword Control Technique. Yet Hua Feng could already seize the weapons of others and turn them to his own use, forming this inescapable net. The gap between a prodigy and an ordinary student was even greater than that between a cultivator and a mortal!

"Go!"

With a flourish of his longsword, Hua Feng sent countless flying swords howling forward like a vast tornado. At the same time, the blades connected tip to hilt, swiftly intertwining and crossing over one another. In the blink of an eye, they formed a Demon Dragon made entirely of swords, its scales and claws glinting as it revealed its ferocious majesty!

And the Demon Dragon’s target was none other than Chen Che.

"The aura of the Foundation Establishment Third Layer!"

"What? He’s already cultivated to the Third Layer?"

"That’s a Tier Two Middle Grade Sword Dragon Storm! He can cast it so easily?"

Such a display of power was simply astonishing.

Qiu Beixuan’s face suddenly paled. He had originally thought that by cultivating an air of invincibility, he would be able to fight Hua Feng. Only now, watching this, did he realize how ridiculously wrong he was! Even if he defeated everyone else, he still wouldn’t be able to withstand a single blow from his opponent!

"Excellent!"

The Sword Dragon streaked across the sky like a surging, angry tide, reaching Chen Che in an instant.

Facing this overwhelming Demon Dragon, the fighting spirit in Chen Che’s eyes flared as he gripped his Pure Jun Sword in a reverse hold.

"Slash!"

The blade met the dragon head-on.

In the eyes of the crowd, the Sword Dragon was a world-engulfing flood, while Chen Che’s strike was but a withered twig caught in the torrent, seemingly destined to be washed away in an instant. Yet, the reality was that his sword cleaved directly into the Sword Dragon. As if drawing a blade through water, it split the Sword Dragon in two, from head to tail, in midair.

CRACK! POP! SNAP!

Countless flying swords shattered into dust.

But the force of Chen Che’s strike was far from spent. It continued its arc through the air, rushing directly at Hua Feng. Hua Feng’s eyes narrowed. He gathered his True Essence, condensing it all into his longsword, and braced himself to meet Chen Che’s attack head-on!

"CLANG!"

The two swords crashed together.

The sound was as sharp and deafening as a great bell.

"Your True Essence reserves..."

After that single exchange, Hua Feng instantly understood why his opponent had been able to slice through the Sword Dragon. The man’s True Essence was as vast as the sea, almost on par with his own.

"Exactly how many meridians have you opened?"

To a student like Hua Feng, that ’Forbidden Book’ on opening meridians was hardly a secret.

In fact, even Hua Feng himself had tried it.

But he stopped after only a few days.

"Take a guess."

Chen Che’s expression remained unchanged.

"Hmph, those are nothing but unorthodox methods! So what if your True Essence reserves are high? I’m two minor realms above you. What makes you think you can compare to me? If I were a whole Grand Realm ahead, dealing with you would be like an adult scolding a child."

Hua Feng chuckled.

"But have you managed that?"

Chen Che sneered, his eyes narrowing. "My cultivation speed can’t compare to yours, so I had no choice but to find another path!" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

’What a classic case of "let them eat cake"!’

He had to rely on Yunzhou’s immense Spiritual Qi and the resources of Jinyun Valley just to barely keep pace with these prodigies. If he had an Earth Spirit Root, he wouldn’t have given the Forbidden Book on opening meridians a second glance; he would have charged straight for the Golden Core realm.

"Fine!"

A sharp light flashed in Hua Feng’s eyes.

"Then let’s see just how this ’other path’ of yours plans to defeat me!"

BOOM!

The moment he finished speaking, his aura surged. Immense True Essence instantly flooded his body, then erupted outwards like a pillar of flame, shooting dozens of feet into the air. The muscles on his sword-wielding hands bulged and swelled, his veins and meridians standing out like writhing earthworms, looking as if they might burst at any second.

Chen Che’s expression was calm, his sword unwavering. But at the same time, his True Essence and Qi and Blood churned, rising to their absolute peak.

The two of them stood motionless.

It was as if neither had moved an inch.

But all around them, bits of rubble had begun to quietly float into the air.

First, it was just bean-sized pebbles. Then came stones several inches wide, then rocks several feet across, and finally, massive boulders... All of them hung suspended in the air, creating a bizarre and shocking spectacle!

At the same time, it was as if both men were shouldering the weight of a great mountain; their feet began to slowly sink into the ground.

The arena floor beneath them could not bear the strain. It began to crack and splinter, starting from the spot where they stood. Inch by inch, it collapsed inward. In the space of a few dozen breaths, the entire section caved in, forming a massive crater as if from a meteor strike!

Neither man had retreated a single step. It was a stalemate!

"What are they...?"

The students watching the fight were utterly astonished.

"The two of them aren’t just clashing with their True Essence, they’re also testing their Qi and Blood!"

Li Xiaoshuang’s eyes narrowed.

"How is that possible?"

The spectators outside the examination grounds were also dumbstruck.

To be so evenly matched, didn’t that mean Chen Che was Hua Feng’s equal in every respect? Hua Feng had an Earth Spirit Root, so it was only natural for him to possess such power. But Chen Che only had a Middle Spirit Root. How could he possibly be this strong?

"BOOM!"

With a tremendous roar, the arena stage could no longer withstand their contest of strength and completely exploded.

Countless shards of rock shot out in all directions like a volley of crossbow bolts. Many of the Qi Refining Realm students tried to block the debris with their Protective True Essence, only to be knocked backward, their Qi and Blood thrown into turmoil to the point they nearly coughed up blood.

In midair, the two fighters were blown apart, only to immediately rush toward each other again at an even greater speed.

"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"

In the blink of an eye, they clashed in midair.

Their movements grew faster and faster.

Eventually, the figures of Chen Che and Hua Feng became almost impossible to see. All that remained in the sky was a sheet of flame and a swirling tempest, constantly crashing into one another. Each impact unleashed a deafening roar, and the stray Sword Qi blasted outwards in all directions like bolts from a powerful crossbow.