26: Chapter 26 Words Become Law

The shock of breaking through over a dozen Realms in a single breath slammed heavily against everyone's hearts.

Ziyang's hand trembled, accidentally plucking out two whiskers. The pain made the corners of his mouth twitch, but he didn't have time to rub it as he stared intently at the man on the stage.

What kind of method was this? Forced empowerment? It didn't seem like it.

Lu Chen broke the silence, glancing around. "Since her Realm has been raised, let's not waste time. Didn't you want to test her? Come then."

He slowly stood up and waved his wide sleeves.

"Rise."

Just a single word.

Rumble—!

The center of the square trembled violently.

A massive block of pure white jade, a hundred zhang in length and width, sprouted from the ground like bamboo shoots after a rain, its surface flowing with natural Formation light patterns.

"Since it's a spar, we must insist on fairness. I, the Emperor, value fairness above all."

Lu Chen sat back down in his rattan chair. Every word he spoke seemed to contain the irresistible will of the Heavenly Dao.

"All who enter the White Jade Arena shall have their cultivation suppressed to the Dao Palace Realm Perfection!"

"Buzz—"

A golden ripple centered on the white jade stage rippled out instantly.

At this moment, all the prodigies and Elders standing in the front row, even including the two Quasi-Emperors Ziyang and Han Jing, felt the spiritual power in their bodies encounter the suppression of rules—though it wasn't by much!

"And one more thing."

Lu Chen cracked a melon seed and added casually:

"Since we are testing true ability, don't bring out those messy external objects to make fools of yourselves."

"All Magic Treasures, Talismans, and Secret Arts above the Dao Palace Realm are hereby nullified!"

Words Carry the Weight of Law!

This was the terror of a contemporary Emperor! In this world, his words were the law!

The faces of the Disciples from Zixiao Holy Land and Wanhua Immortal Gate turned pale instantly.

The reason they were called geniuses was largely due to their reliance on their Sect's high-grade Magic Treasures and life-saving trump cards.

Now, their trump cards were sealed?

"Go on, Qingqiu." Lu Chen brushed the melon seed husks off his hands. "Be quick about it, your Revered Master is waiting to eat lunch."

Leng Qingqiu nodded, tapped her toes, and like a flickering fire in her red robes, landed lightly in the center of the white jade stage.

She did not draw a sword, nor did she even take out that Emperor Weapon embryo; she simply stood with her hands behind her back.

Her gaze was not that of someone looking at opponents, but rather someone looking at a flock of sheep and pigs waiting to be slaughtered.

"Who's first?"

The two cold words carried a chill that pierced to the bone.

"Humph! Playing tricks!"

In the Zixiao Holy Land camp, a True Disciple from a small Sect wishing to curry favor with the Central Province forces was the first to jump out.

"Liu Tao of the Heavenly Sword Sect, here to learn from you! Even if you've forcibly raised your Realm, it's nothing more than a castle in the air. How can your combat experience compare to ours..."

"Noisy."

The other Disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect were cheering him on!

"It's Liu Tao, it's Liu Tao, it's Senior Brother Liu Tao! I heard Senior Brother Liu Tao was born with Divine Power. It's likely some kind of Physique; he's incredibly tough..."

Before those Disciples could finish their words, a red shadow flashed before their eyes.

There were no fancy spiritual power fluctuations, only speed and power pushed to the absolute limit.

Slap—!

An incredibly crisp sound of a slap echoed across the square.

The Disciple named Liu Tao spun in the air like a top for over a dozen rotations before hitting the ground outside the arena with a thud. Half his face was swollen like a steamed bun, and he was instantly knocked unconscious.

An instant kill!

An instant kill with pure physical strength!

"Keep the music playing, keep them coming."

The entire audience was in an uproar.

"Is this really that Blood-Moving Realm girl from just now?"

"What ruthless methods! She didn't use any spiritual power, just pure physical combat!"

Ziyang's face was so dark it looked like it was about to drip ink.

"Just come at me together, I want to fight ten at once." Leng Qingqiu was getting a bit impatient; her Revered Master said they were in a hurry for lunch, so she couldn't delay.

Three more prodigies leaped onto the stage.

Subconsciously, they summoned their Magic Treasures as soon as they stepped up.

A folding fan, an ancient seal, and a Flying Sword.

However, an embarrassing scene unfolded.

Those King Grade and even Saint Grade Magic Treasures, which usually shone with brilliant light, were now like pieces of rusted scrap metal. No matter how much spiritual power they injected, there was no reaction, their glow as dim as mundane objects.

"Why isn't my Mountain-Flipping Seal reacting!"

"Why is my Flying Sword so heavy? I can't even lift it!"

Just as they were panicking, Leng Qingqiu moved.

As a former Devil Emperor, even without spiritual power, her combat instincts were already etched into her Soul.

Her figure moved like a ghost among the three.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Three crisp sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

Three figures flew out of the arena in various graceful parabolic arcs, stacking neatly on top of the previous Liu Tao. Each of them had a clear palm print on their face.

Sitting on the high platform, Lu Chen sipped his tea while shaking his head in critique, his voice broadcasting across the square through the Formation.

"Good Magic Treasures are fine, but in the end, they are just external things!"

Below the stage, the Elders of the various Sects were all flushed with embarrassment, wishing they could find a hole to crawl into.

For a moment, no one dared to step onto the stage again.

"A bunch of useless trash."

Immediately after, a golden light descended like a meteor, slamming heavily onto the white jade stage and causing a slight crack to appear on the jade surface.

As the dust cleared, a tall and straight figure was revealed.

The Saint of the Wanhua Immortal Gate, Hua Tian.

He held a dark-gold long spear covered in dragon scales. Although the glow of spiritual power was suppressed, the murderous aura emanating from the spear itself was still heart-stopping.

"Wanhua Immortal Gate, Hua Tian."

Hua Tian's gaze was like lightning as he stared fixedly at Leng Qingqiu.

"I didn't originally want to bully you, but since Emperor Yun believes in you so much, Fairy, then this Saint shall come to test you!"

"This spear..." Leng Qingqiu frowned slightly.

The material of this spear was special, forged from the bones of some ancient Vicious Beast. Even without spiritual power enhancement, its inherent hardness and sharpness far exceeded ordinary iron. As long as it wasn't activated with spiritual power, it wasn't restricted by Lu Chen's rules.

"Die!"

Hua Tian didn't waste words; with a flick of his long spear, the tip turned into points of cold starlight, enveloping Leng Qingqiu's vital points.

This was pure spear technique, honed through thousands of refinements.

Leng Qingqiu dodged to the side, a corner of her red robe torn by the wind of the spear.

She was, after all, empty-handed.

Facing a Body Cultivator expert wielding a Sharp Weapon, being bare-handed put her at a severe disadvantage.

Hua Tian pressed his advantage, his spear moving like a dragon with every strike being lethal, forcing Leng Qingqiu to retreat step by step.

Below the stage, Han Jing finally showed a trace of a smile.

Wei Hongyu looked at Lu Chen with some concern:

"Hey, your Disciple is going to lose. The spear in that kid's hand is polished from Saint Flood Dragon Bone; its hardness is comparable to a Saint Weapon."

"Is that a violation?"

Lu Chen curled his lips, looking at Leng Qingqiu who was being forced into a corner on the stage, and sighed with a bit of disappointment.

"So stupid."

"You have a tool of your own, too."

Under the confused gazes of the crowd, Leng Qingqiu pulled out a black, half-arm-length... stick?

That stick looked completely ordinary, even slightly bent, and was covered in some black soot. No matter how one looked at it, it looked like a Fire Poker used for poking ashes in a stove.

Everyone was dumbfounded.