166: Chapter 166 Testing

On the arena stage, the air was heavy.

Ye Tian and Lei Zhen stood thirty meters apart, their gazes clashing in mid-air and igniting sparks.

Neither launched an attack immediately; they stood like two mountains, neither moving an inch.

This extreme silence was even more suffocating than any clamor.

Below the stage, tens of thousands of spectators held their breath, their heartbeats clearly audible.

Liu Ruyan clutched her chest, finding it hard to breathe as her beautiful eyes remained fixed on the stage, afraid to miss a single detail.

Leng Feng stood with his sword in his arms, his cold eyes more focused than ever before.

Ren Qianyang’s mouth hung open, forgetting to cheer, while Chen Jianfeng unconsciously leaned forward.

On the high platform, the Elders ceased their conversation, their sharp gazes locked onto the center of the arena.

Elder Lei Gang’s rugged face tightened slightly, while Elder Shuiyue’s slender fingers unconsciously toyed with the corner of her robe.

In a duel of this level, the initial probing often revealed the final outcome.

Finally, Lei Zhen moved.

He did not draw his saber, merely taking half a step forward with his right foot.

The movement was slow and gentle, but the moment his foot landed, the entire massive arena let out a low, muffled boom and trembled slightly!

An invisible pressure spread toward Ye Tian!

This was no simple Aura suppression; it contained his understanding of 'Force'!

"The application of Force has nearly reached the Transcendent level!"

The refined Transmission Elder marveled in a low voice, "This boy Lei Zhen is truly just one step away from the True Martial Realm!"

Facing this mountain-toppling pressure of 'Force,' Ye Tian's pupils constricted slightly, yet he did not back down.

Within his body, the five-colored Stellar True Essence circulated quietly.

The pressure, which would have made the bones of an ordinary Ningyuan Realm Disciple creak, was quietly neutralized by his clever use of force, leaving his figure as steady as a rock.

"Hmm?"

A flicker of surprise flashed in Lei Zhen's eyes.

This use of 'Earthen Force,' although not his full power, was certainly not something an ordinary tenth-level Ningyuan cultivator could handle so easily.

Ye Tian's understanding of power and the subtlety of his movement techniques far exceeded his estimations.

"Good kid! He's got some skill!"

Below the stage, Lie Yang couldn't help but growl. As a master of Body Refining, he could better appreciate the brilliance of Ye Tian's force-deflecting technique in that instant.

"It's more than that; it's an insight into the flow of power."

Shi Gandang added; having been defeated by Lei Zhen's 'Force,' he knew its power well.

In this initial clash of Auras, Ye Tian did not fall into a disadvantage!

The corners of Lei Zhen's mouth curled up—an expression of interest reserved for meeting an opponent worthy of a fight.

No longer content with just 'Force' suppression, he held his right hand with fingers together like a blade and made a light slashing motion toward Ye Tian from a distance!

A condensed, arc-shaped blast of Qi tore through the air, crossing the thirty-meter distance in an instant to slash at Ye Tian!

This Qi blast seemed ordinary, but it contained a Concept capable of severing everything!

This was the manifestation of Lei Zhen integrating his Saber Intent into his fingers and palm.

Palm Saber Sea-Splitter!

Even before the Qi blast arrived, Ye Tian felt a stinging pain on his skin!

He dared not be careless, knowing the power of this strike was far beyond anything his previous opponents had produced.

Instead of using the Overlapping Wave Fist or Starfall Finger, he spread his right fingers slightly, a five-colored glow restrained in his palm as he met the attack with a palm strike.

It was the Heart-Piercing Palm, infused with the Concept of Five Elements rotation and force deflection. It had evolved from the Heart-Piercing Finger but focused on defense and redirection.

"Wring!"

The palm-Saber Qi collided with the five-colored palm phantom; there was no explosion, only a strange humming sound!

Ye Tian's palm phantom acted like a vortex, constantly spinning and grinding away the sharp Qi blast.

The five-colored radiance flowed: Water feeds Wood, Wood feeds Fire, Fire feeds Earth, Earth feeds Metal, Metal feeds Water... the Five Elements generated each other in an endless cycle, breaking down the seemingly indestructible palm-saber force layer by layer until it finally vanished into nothingness!

Meanwhile, Ye Tian used the slight force of the collision to drift back a few meters, easily neutralizing the impact.

"Brilliant!"

On the high platform, Elder Shuiyue couldn't help but praise softly, "Using softness to overcome hardness, using flow to break sharpness!

This boy's understanding of the Five Elements' generation and overcoming has actually reached such a level!

This is definitely not something an ordinary Profound Rank martial art can achieve!"

"He could actually take Senior Brother Lei's palm-saber so easily?"

Below the stage, Han Bing's beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief.

She knew that if she were facing that palm-saber strike, she would have to dodge with all her might and would never dare to take it head-on.

Liu Jingtao's expression grew even gloomier; the strength Ye Tian displayed exceeded his expectations every single time.

The interest in Lei Zhen's eyes grew even stronger.

Although he had only used thirty percent of his power in that palm-saber strike, the Saber Intent within it was real; an ordinary tenth-level Ningyuan Realm Peak Disciple would never have handled it so easily.

"Junior Brother Ye, be careful."

Before Lei Zhen's voice had even faded, his figure suddenly blurred!

In the next instant, he appeared to Ye Tian's left, his hand—fingers together like a blade—slashing directly at Ye Tian's shoulder with an Aura that seemed to tear through the Void Realm!

His speed was far greater than before!

Ye Tian's Divine Sense had been highly focused, and he detected Lei Zhen the moment he moved.

He instantly activated the Taixu Star-Shift Steps, his figure twisting like a phantom to narrowly avoid the rapid strike.

Simultaneously, he pressed his left index and middle fingers together, launching a Starfall Finger condensed with seventy percent of his power toward the opening at Lei Zhen's ribs!

The counterattack was incredibly swift!

"Well done!"

Lei Zhen neither dodged nor retreated; he slapped his left palm across, his True Essence condensing in his palm to form an invisible Qi shield!

"Clang!"

When finger and palm met for the second time, Qi overflowed in all directions, carving fine cracks into the arena floor!

Ye Tian felt a massive reactionary force from his fingertips, and his figure slid back again using that momentum.

Lei Zhen's figure also swayed slightly, the surprise in his eyes deepening.

The piercing power of Ye Tian's finger strike far exceeded what his apparent cultivation level should have been capable of!

"Your finger strength is not bad."

Lei Zhen commented indifferently, then resumed his offensive!

His palms flew, hacking, slashing, or parrying; every strike transformed his palm into a blade. Though he hadn't used the Overlord Saber on his back, his Moves already displayed the style of a saber master. His offensive was like the Yangtze River, continuous and unending, and like stormy waves, each more ferocious than the last!

Ye Tian pushed his movement technique to the limit, dodging through the sky full of palm-saber afterimages. He occasionally used the Heart-Piercing Palm to deflect force, the Starfall Finger to counterattack, and sometimes even used his powerful Physical Body to tank the shockwaves he couldn't entirely avoid.

He fought extremely intelligently, never matching Lei Zhen's strength directly. Instead, he fully utilized his agility and the cleverness of his Moves to contend with his opponent.

For a time, figures blurred across the stage as Qi surged in all directions!

The sounds of heavy impacts rang out incessantly!

The audience below was dazzled, their hearts racing with excitement!

"It's too fast! I can't see anything at all!"

"Ye Tian can actually exchange so many Moves with Senior Brother Lei without being defeated?"

"His movement technique is so bizarre! He manages to dodge at the critical moment every time!"

"That finger technique is incredible too! It actually forced Senior Brother Lei to defend!"

Liu Ruyan's palms were soaked with sweat from nervousness. Seeing Ye Tian narrowly escape attacks time and again, only to launch sharp counters, her heart raced up and down with him.

Leng Feng's clenched fists relaxed slightly; Ye Tian's strength was indeed enough to compete with the top prodigies.

"Boss Lei hasn't even gotten serious yet."

Although Lie Yang was surprised by Ye Tian's performance, he remained full of confidence in Lei Zhen. "He's just playing right now, testing Ye Tian's depths."

Hearing this, Mo Ling became unusually serious and said, "However, for Ye Tian to force Lei Zhen to use the 'Stormy Wave Palm Saber' just for probing is already quite remarkable. It seems he truly is qualified to make Lei Zhen take him seriously."

Luo Qiushui's cold eyes followed Ye Tian's figure throughout. Especially when he performed that palm technique containing the Five Elements Concept, her gaze would flicker slightly, her thoughts unknown.

On the high platform, one of the Elders nodded slightly. "The probing has reached this point, and both sides' depths are mostly clear. Lei Zhen has a solid Foundation and profound Saber Intent, holding a steady advantage.

As for Ye Tian... this boy indeed has extraordinary qualities. His movement, Martial Skills, and even his grasp of combat opportunities are all top-tier. Even more rare is his calmness and resilience.

If his cultivation were equal to Lei Zhen's, the outcome of this battle would be uncertain. But now..."

He shook his head slightly, his meaning self-evident.

Elder Lei Gang snorted, "I wouldn't be so sure! This kid Ye Tian is as slippery as an eel; he's definitely hiding a trump card! If Lei Zhen wants to win, he'll likely have to show some real skill!"

The clash on the arena grew increasingly intense.

Lei Zhen's palm-sabers became faster and stronger, his Saber Intent permeating the air as if it wanted to slice the entire arena apart.

Ye Tian's pressure increased sharply, his dodging space constantly compressed. Though he managed to withstand several clashes, his blood and Qi were churning, and his green robe was torn in several places by the sharp palm winds.

He knew the probing phase was about to end.

Lei Zhen was about to get serious.

After a fierce exchange, the two suddenly separated and stood fifteen meters apart.

Lei Zhen's breath was steady, his purple robe fluttering slightly. His eyes, burning like torches, locked onto Ye Tian. "Junior Brother Ye, your strength is worthy of me drawing my saber."

As he spoke, a sharp Saber Intent ten times more terrifying than before seemed ready to pierce through the clouds!

The unsheathed Overlord Saber on his back began to emit a low hum!

The atmosphere of the entire venue instantly tightened to the limit!

The real battle was about to begin!