The scar-faced man sensed the Killing Intent in Zhan Wujiâs eyes and his heart leaped. Without a second thought, he flourished his Red Copper Stick and plunged it into the ground with one hand.
"Thunder Skill, Earth Walk!"
BOOM! The green flagstones instantly shattered. Crackling lightning erupted from the Red Copper Stick, immediately splitting into two tendrils on the ground that shot violently toward Su Shi and Zhan Wuji!
"Watch out!"
Su Shi and Zhan Wujiâs eyes narrowed. They retreated rapidly, their longsword and great saber slashing down at the lightning almost simultaneously.
As the two energies collided, the scar-faced man spun. Dust instantly filled the air, and his stout body, completely shrouded, suddenly vanished on the spot.
"Damn it! He knows Earth Escape!" Zhan Wuji snarled, brandishing his great saber.
Su Shiâs expression was grave as he scanned the area. "To be able to use an Escape Technique to turn invisible at will with only a Spirit Martial Realm Cultivation... it seems the Earth Element Technique he practices is of a high grade."
"âHe claims to focus on a Gold Element Skill, yet he also knows Thunder and Earth Element Techniques. Cultivating so many different elements at the Spirit Martial Realm means heâs either astonishingly talented or a complete fool. It looks like heâs the former. But during the aptitude test, he didnât seem all that remarkable. Itâs rather strange.â"
Zhan Wuji glanced at the brawling crowd around them, the coldness in his eyes deepening. In a gruff voice, he said, "What now? If that guy gets away, weâll have big trouble later. He still has three companions. If all four of them team up, we wonât stand much of a chance."
Su Shi sneered. "Shang Xiaoran isnât as weak as you think. She should be able to handle those first few. Otherwise, how could she have made it to the Profound Dao Sect while they were hunting her? As long as she can take care of one or two of them, the others are nothing to fear."
He paused, his expression turning sour. "The biggest problem right now isnât them, but Xiao Tong and Liu Hai. Those two are so arrogant, blocking everyone at the entrance to the Fifth Stage. Do they really think the two of them can take on all several dozen of us?"
As they spoke, they both looked toward the entrance of the Fifth Stage.
There, two young men stood proudly on either side of the entrance. They carried themselves with an air of superiority, their gazes fixed only on each other, completely ignoring the chaotic battle around them.
The coldness in Zhan Wujiâs eyes intensified. "Damn it. So what if those two want to settle things before entering the Fifth Stage? Let them. But to block the entrance and hold up all sixty-plus of us... do they really think theyâre invincible?"
Su Shi glanced back toward the exit of the Fourth Stage. "Let them have their moment. Weâll wait for Shang Xiaoran to show up. Then the three of us can team up, rally the other experts here, and take those two down together! Theyâre treating a tiger like a housecat!"
Following their gaze to the entrance of the Fifth Stage of Wooden Man Alley, one could see a person standing on either side.
On the left stood a young man with a high forehead and sword-like brows, clad in a blue robe. A chilling aura emanated from him, daring anyone to approach. This was Xiao Tong, the one Zhang Tianyue favored most among this group.
On the right was a tall and strapping young man with thick brows and large eyes. His fiery red hair was particularly striking, and flames wreathed his body, giving him a formidable presence. This was Xiao Tongâs greatest rival, Liu Hai.
Both men were imposing, with extraordinary temperaments.
One was like glacial ice, a single glance enough to send a chill through oneâs bones.
The other was like a blazing sun, radiating scorching, dazzling waves of heat.
They were the kind of people who would command everyoneâs attention, the center of all eyes, no matter where they stood.
At this moment, they had eyes only for each other. It was as if the dozens of people brawling nearby didnât even exist.
Since they intended to settle the score at the entrance to the Fifth Stage, they naturally couldnât allow anyone to enter before them.
Passing through this Fifth Stage meant exiting Wooden Man Alley.
The first and second place positions were not up for grabs.
"Liu Hai, must we really fight in such a small space?" Xiao Tong said arrogantly. "Your Fiery Fire Dragon Fist is impressive, but youâve only cultivated it to the Fourth Floor. My Ice Technique, on the other hand, has already reached the Fifth Floor. You are no match for me."
Liu Hai scoffed. "We havenât even fought. How do you know Iâm not your match? I donât think much of your Xiao Familyâs so-called Ice Technique!"
"Is that so?" Xiao Tongâs voice was frigid. "Since youâre so eager to die, Iâd be happy to oblige!" A chilling aura instantly swept across the field.
Sensing the escalating auras of the two, the brawling crowd was shocked. They all stopped fighting and simultaneously rushed back toward the Fourth Stage.
The area was too small. These two had the highest Cultivation here, and their techniques were both pure and extreme. If they were really about to fight, it was best to get far away.
Otherwise, anyone caught in the crossfire wouldnât even know what killed them.
After the large crowd scrambled away, only Su Shi, Zhan Wuji, and a few other Martial Artists of the Spirit Martial Realm remained in the small plaza.
"Xiao Tong is from the Xiao Family in the southern Purple Chu Country. Heâs twenty-four, at the Peak of the Spirit Martial Realm Second Heaven, and practices the Ice Technique. He was born with a Water Attribute Physique. When he unleashes his Ice Technique, he can freeze anything. Itâs almost impossible to resist!" someone exclaimed in awe.
"Liu Hai is no slouch either. Heâs only twenty-five and has already cultivated Fiery Fire Dragon Fist to the Fourth Floor. Heâs been a prodigy since childhood, training beside underground magma from a young age. Not only is his Fiery Fire Dragon Fist incredibly powerful, his physical strength is ferocious. If they fight, I think Liu Hai has a better chance of taking first."
Just as the two rivals gathered their momentum, and the crowd murmured amongst themselves, high above Wooden Man Alley, the white-robed Zi Lan suddenly said, "Itâs over. Letâs go back."
"Senior Sister, weâre leaving already? Donât you want to watch a little longer?" the young woman in a blue dress beside her couldnât help but ask.
This young woman was Su Rong, the daughter of Su Wenxuan, the Sect Leader of the Profound Dao Sect. Previously, when Su Wenxuan was playing chess with Leng Hui, she had been standing to the side with Mo Ge.
Zi Lan nodded slightly. "This is the last group. I donât see him. Perhaps he hasnât arrived yet."
Su Rong pouted. "You and Xiaoge both seem to think so highly of him... Itâs strange. Iâve never seen Xiaoge admit defeat to anyone in all these years, but the moment you mention Shen Lang, his expression completely changes. Is that Shen Lang really so incredible?"
"I donât know how incredible he is, either. Forget me, Iâm afraid even Master canât see through him... Youâll understand in the future. Letâs go."
"Heâs that incredible? No wonder I heard Martial Aunt Leng Hui mention his name to my father. Now Iâm really getting curious!"
The two cast a final, casual glance down at Wooden Man Alley, then gracefully departed.
Not long after Zi Lan and Su Rong left, Shen Lang squeezed out of the crowd from the Fourth Stage, carrying a wooden manâs arm.
"Damn, why is everyone crowded here? Turns out youâre watching a show! Whatâs so good? Let me see too!" Shen Lang said gleefully.
The moment he spoke, all eyes turned to him. The crowdâs expressions immediately became incredibly complex.
How could anyone who hadnât experienced it know just how brutal Wooden Man Alley was? This final group, originally over three thousand strong, had been whittled down to just over sixty by the time they reached the entrance to the Fifth Stage.
Yet Shen Lang, a guy who was nearly disqualified during the aptitude assessment, had reached the Fifth Stage completely unscathed. How could this not leave people speechless?
"Damn it, that kid actually made it this far. Who knows how many Talismans he burned through... Is his family that rich?"
"If he wasnât rich, you think he could afford so many Talismans? The comparison is just infuriating. Iâve never heard of someone getting through Wooden Man Alley just by relying on support items like Talismans!"
"It might not be what you think. That veiled woman in green beside him has an extraordinary Cultivation. He probably only got this far by relying on her."
"Hmph, a good-for-nothing is still a good-for-nothing. Whether he relied on Talismans or that womanâs protection, none of it was his own strength! Do you know how hard it was for us to get here? How many wooden men we fought? How many competitors we had to defeat? And a guy like *that* gets to enter the Profound Dao Sect? Itâs so damn frustrating!"
The gazes from the majority of the onlookers toward Shen Lang had turned hostile.
Shen Lang noticed the hostile gazes. He froze for a moment, then shot them a sideways glare, his posture screaming, âYeah, Iâm the man. What are you gonna do about it?â
The group glared back fiercely, the threat in their eyes obvious.
Even the younger teenagers showed undisguised animosity toward Shen Lang.
Beside him, Shang Xiaoran and Zheng Donghong groaned inwardly. âLooks like the Fifth Stage is going to be tough.â
âThe wooden men were one thing, but these sixty-odd survivors were no pushovers!â
Shang Xiaoran wiped away a cold sweat. âLooks like everyone here has it out for Shen Lang...â she thought.
Just then, the auras of the two rivals ahead subsided slightly. Xiao Tong, on the left, suddenly spoke. "This space is too small for us to go all out. How about this: you and I will each choose a few people from this crowd with similar Cultivation levels. Weâll compete to see who can defeat them in the shortest amount of time. That will decide who gets to be first and second to enter the Fifth Stage. What do you say?"
"Choose people from here?" Liu Hai seemed not to understand.
Xiao Tong smiled. "Thatâs right. For example, we each pick two Martial Artists at the Qi Martial Realm Sixth Heaven. If I can heavily injure my target and disable them in one move, while it takes you two moves, you lose. The same goes for me. To ensure fairness, weâll each pick three people, matching them by Cultivation level."
"Best two out of three. Do you dare?"
Liu Hai laughed arrogantly. "Why wouldnât I dare? Weâll do it your way!"
As they spoke, both turned their gazes toward the crowd of onlookers.
"Bastards!" The crowdâs faces went pale with fright.