154: Chapter 154 A Battle of Heroes, Aspiring to Be Number One!

The copper bell atop the Hundred Refinements Pagoda chimed softly in the morning breeze. As Zhang Wen retracted his spear, a wisp of faint golden Lightning Radiance still lingered on the tip of the sky-splitting startling thunder spear, refracting tiny specks of light under the morning sun.

He gazed at the familiar scenery of Azure Mist Mountain outside the pagoda and took a deep breath—three hundred days of hard cultivation within the pagoda had finally brought him to the Peak of his Domain, while in the outside world, a storm unprecedented in history was brewing across the land of the Dragon Country.

"Zhang Wen, the Principal is waiting for you." The voice of Teacher Lin Mo came from below the pagoda.

Zhang Wen jumped down the last stone step. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Lin Mo shoved a bronze mirror into his hands.

The mirror reflected a youth with a straight posture. The callowness of the previous year had faded from his brows and eyes; only the lightning scar on his left arm remained clear, though the light flowing within it was now deeper and more restrained.

"You brat, you've been in seclusion for a whole year. Do you have any idea that the country has been in an uproar this past year!"

Lin Mo explained unhurriedly, "The Global Cultivator League is about to begin. The Dragon Country is holding preliminary matches first. Whether you are a university Disciple or a Loose Cultivator, as long as you are under 25, you can sign up—in the end, we must select the 10 strongest to represent the Dragon Country and compete against those foreigners!"

Zhang Wen's steps paused: "Global League?"

"Yes! I heard that the 'Shield Bureau' in the neighboring Eagle Country has already boasted that their 'Gene Warriors' can sweep aside our cultivators!"

Lin Mo clenched his fists, "And there are the Yin and Yang masters of Sakura Country, the Ice Plains Shamans of the White Bear Country... everyone coming this time is a tough nut to crack!"

By the time they finished speaking, they had arrived outside the building where the Principal was staying. The hall doors were open, and Principal Gongsun was conversing with several elders wearing different school uniforms.

One woman wearing a dark green cheongsam turned around; she was Principal Gu Wangshu of Dongmo University. Standing beside her was a youth with cold eyes, wearing a black school uniform with silver embroidered patterns on the cuffs—presumably Ye Chen, the most outstanding Disciple of Dongmo's generation.

"You're here."

Principal Gongsun waved with a smile, "Let me introduce you. This is Principal Gu of Dongmo, and this is her Disciple, Ye Chen."

Gu Wangshu examined Zhang Wen, her fingertips playing with a string of sandalwood prayer beads: "Principal Gongsun hides things well. To think he kept such a good sapling cooped up in the Hundred Refinements Pagoda for a whole year."

Ye Chen gave a slight nod to Zhang Wen. His gaze lingered for a moment on the sky-splitting startling thunder spear before moving away, as if he couldn't muster any interest in anything around him.

However, Zhang Wen noticed that the fingers hanging by his side were slightly curled, with a layer of extremely thin calluses on the knuckles—the marks of long-term sword practice.

"The qualifying matches start next month in the capital."

Principal Gongsun handed a bamboo scroll to Zhang Wen, "This is the current registration list. Take a look."

The bamboo scroll was unfurled. Next to the dense list of names were their backgrounds: the Ice-type Genius Chu Yao, the "Wind Shadow" Ling Feng known for his speed... The most eye-catching were the last two names, marked as "Hidden Family," with "SSS-Rank Talent" written in cinnabar ink next to them.

"These two are..." Zhang Wen's fingertips landed on the names "Murong Wu" and "Xiao Zhan."

"The Murong Family and the Xiao Family."

Principal Gongsun's voice deepened, "The two oldest existing Hidden Families in the Dragon Country."

"Murong Wu is a direct descendant of the Murong Family's current generation, born with the ability to draw upon the power of the stars. It is said that at 18, she fully grasped the killing formation in 'Zi Wei Dou Shu';"

"Xiao Zhan of the Xiao Family is even more ruthless. His ancestral 'Overlord Body' has been refined to the seventh level. It is said that last year, he shattered a kilometer-wide glacier with a single punch."

Gu Wangshu chimed in: "These two families never participate in worldly conflicts. The fact that they have sent people this time shows how much they value the Global League."

She looked at Zhang Wen, her eyes carrying a hint of amusement, "Your Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder against the power of the stars and the Overlord Body... that will be worth watching."

Just as they were speaking, a commotion suddenly came from outside the hall.

Several plainly dressed youths were standing at the hall entrance. The girl leading them carried a rusted sword on her back, and a token engraved with the words "Loose Cultivator" hung from her waist. She was about seventeen or eighteen, but her eyes were startlingly bright.

"Principal Gongsun, we are here to sign up." The girl's voice was crisp, "My name is Su Qing, from the Qinling Loose Cultivator Alliance, 23 years old, at the initial Realm of the Domain."

The youths behind her showed their wooden tokens one after another. The oldest was no more than 24, and they all carried an unpolished, wild aura.

Zhang Wen noticed that the scabbard of Su Qing's rusted sword was engraved with primitive cloud patterns. Although it had no ornate decorations, it exuded a natural, piercing sharpness.

Principal Gongsun waved his hand at the guards, signaling them to let them pass: "The rule of the qualifying matches is that as long as the age is right and the Realm is reached, anyone can come."

Su Qing walked into the hall, her gaze sweeping over Zhang Wen and Ye Chen, before finally landing on the two names on the bamboo scroll, displaying her Battle Intent without any avoidance.

"Whether it's university elites or Hidden Family Geniuses, once we are on the competition field, it is not certain that you can beat us Loose Cultivators."

A faint arc appeared at the corner of Ye Chen's mouth, but he said nothing.

Zhang Wen, however, gripped the sky-splitting startling thunder spear tighter—this was the way the young generation of the Dragon Country should be, growing wildly like weeds, carrying an unyielding tenacity.

"By the way," Gu Wangshu suddenly remembered something, "There is another variable in this qualifying match."

She took a secret report from her sleeve, "A Loose Cultivator has appeared in Jiangnan, named Lu Yan, 24 years old. No one knows his background, only that he can catch a 'Gravity Cannon' with his bare hands, and his Realm is unfathomable."

Principal Gongsun took the secret report, his brows furrowing slightly: "Catch a Gravity Cannon with bare hands? That is..."

"It is the pinnacle of the 'Body Refining' path."

Gu Wangshu continued, "The legendary 'Vajra Indestructible Body' that can withstand techniques with the Physical Body, but it has long been lost."

The hall fell silent for a moment, with only the wind outside the window rustling the fallen leaves.

Zhang Wen looked at the Disciples coming and going outside the hall and suddenly felt the lightning scar on his palm start to burn again.

Murong Wu's power of the stars, Xiao Zhan's Overlord Body, Ye Chen's tricky sword, Su Qing's wild methods, Lu Yan's mysterious Body Refining technique... This qualifying match was truly a gathering of heroes from the young generation of the Dragon Country.

"The venue for the qualifying matches is set at the 'Martial Arts Field' in the capital," Principal Gongsun put away the secret report.

"Three days from now, Azure Mist will send a special vehicle to the capital. You will go with the other seeds."

He patted Zhang Wen on the shoulder, "Remember, it is not just for Azure Mist, but for the banner of the Dragon Country."

Zhang Wen nodded. As he turned, he caught a glimpse of Su Qing standing in the corner of the hall, carefully wiping that rusted sword with a cloth. The sunlight falling on her focused profile gave it a strange brilliance.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen had already left with Gu Wangshu. His black figure disappeared at the end of the corridor like a bolt of lightning merging into the shadows.

When he returned to his residence, a new set of Lightning Radiance armor was on the table. Lightning patterns were embroidered with gold thread on the armor plates—it was the work of Teacher Lin Mo.

A note was pressed next to it: "Teacher Li has almost recovered in the back mountain. She said that when you return from the capital, she wants to spar with you."

Zhang Wen's fingertips traced the lightning patterns on the armor, and the corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily—Teacher Li Feiyuan had not only survived, but the gloom of the Li Group had completely dissipated. Now, a broader battlefield lay before him.

As for Teacher Chen Mingda, he ultimately could not endure the backlash of the curse power. Before he died, he entrusted someone to bring a message to Zhang Wen: "Don't be a coward like me."

He put the Lightning Radiance armor into his Storage Pouch, grabbed the sky-splitting startling thunder spear, and walked towards the Martial Arts Field.

Under the setting sun, the Lightning Radiance on the spear tip intertwined with the evening glow, forming a golden-red color that looked exactly like the flames of war about to ignite.

Three days later, young contestants from all over the country came to the capital one after another.

And there, not only was the Peak showdown of the young generation of the Dragon Country waiting, but the eyes of global cultivators were focused there as well.

Could Murong Wu's Star Orbit trap the thunder? Could Xiao Zhan's fists shatter the lightning shield? Whose style was more fierce, Ye Chen's sword or Lu Yan's fist? And what kind of killing move was hidden in Su Qing's rusted sword?