178: Chapter 178 Strict Hierarchy, Activation! Hiding behind elders, what kind of prodigy is that!

"Not bad." She nodded slightly, starting her habitual practice of making empty promises. "You handle things very reliably. Once the heavenly demon stone is obtained, I will not shortchange you on the benefits I promised. With your aptitude, if you follow me in the future, you will surely become the top general under my command."

Lu Qingyun rolled his eyes internally, too lazy to respond. He turned and walked towards the most densely packed area of the Youth Group.

Watching his crisp and decisive retreating figure, Mu Susu was not angry; instead, the look of admiration in her eyes grew stronger.

Few words, strong execution, capable, and sensible—much more useful than those waste-of-space Heavenly Demon Sect members who only know how to shout slogans. Such talent must be firmly grasped in one's hands.

Little did she know, Lu Qingyun didn't care at all about being some general under the Heavenly Demon. Right now, his mind was filled with...

Hierarchical Severity, Activate!

The next second, Lu Qingyun stepped into the edge of the Youth Group's battlefield.

"What are you doing!"

A Sky-Flying Realm prodigy, who was fighting intensely, saw him approaching and immediately went on high alert. Just as he was about to circulate his blood energy for defense, he suddenly felt a pressure originating from the depths of his soul crash down!

It was like an ant facing a dragon; his entire body's blood energy instantly solidified, and he couldn't even move his fingers!

The color drained completely from his face, leaving only eyes filled with terror. He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.

Lu Qingyun reached out, grabbed the back of his collar like he was picking up a chick, and tossed him casually into the outermost corner of the arena.

Bang!

The prodigy slammed onto the ground, his body rigid. He could only lie there with a terrified expression, unable to even crawl up.

"Next."

Lu Qingyun did not stop his pace, spreading his Psychic Power as the Hierarchical Severity BOSS mechanism spread out without reservation.

Any Youth Group martial artist with a level lower than his, without exception, was pinned in place by this terrifying level pressure, unable to move, their eyes filled with shock and despair.

In their eyes, Lu Qingyun was like a walking demon god; wherever he passed, no one could remain standing.

One in each hand, he grabbed those prodigies who were usually high and mighty, and like tossing sacks, threw them one by one onto the open ground on the perimeter.

Some were Sky-Flying Realm, some were early-stage Divine Intent; usually, they were renowned geniuses in their own territories, but in Lu Qingyun's hands, they didn't even have the power to resist.

"This... what kind of ability is this!"

On the perimeter, the first prodigy who had been thrown over watched as his companions were tossed over one after another, and he was completely stunned.

Suppression! Unreasonable suppression! Even the slightly weaker early-stage Divine Intent prodigies had no power to resist; what level of pressure is this exactly?!

In the center of the arena, the originally intense battlefield paused for a moment due to this bizarre scene.

Mu Susu stood in place, her eyes sparkling with interest, muttering to herself: "Pressure? No... it's absolute suppression at the soul level. This talent is quite interesting."

On the high platform, the five Dharma Form Grandmasters also turned their gazes.

"What method is this kid using? To be able to make martial artists of the same level completely lose the ability to resist?" The purple-robed female Dharma Form Grandmaster raised an eyebrow, her tone carrying a hint of surprise.

Master Ming stared at Lu Qingyun's retreating back, his brows furrowing even tighter. This silent, crushing type of mental suppression... he seemed to have heard Qin Fenghuo mention it before...

"A bit interesting." The Grey-robed Elder in the center spoke indifferently, his gaze deep. "Keep watching."

Meanwhile, in the center of the arena, those few seed prodigies who had been protected behind their elders finally saw their expressions change.

Looking at the Youth Group members lying all over the perimeter, unable to move, and then looking at Lu Qingyun walking step-by-step toward the center, they instantly understood his intention.

He wanted to clear away all the small fry and isolate the members of the two groups. This way, after the Powerhouse Group decided their victory, the Youth Group would then decide theirs, and thus, they would be unable to rely on the protection of their elders.

"Who's afraid of whom? Come, fight me!"

Lin Jingxian's Sword Intent surged in his eyes. He stepped forward violently and said in a deep voice to the white-haired elder beside him: "Grandmaster, you don't need to protect me. I will fight this battle myself!"

He was a rare talent in the Sword Sect, proud and arrogant by nature, and had never been willing to hide under the wings of his elders. Now, being forced by Lu Qingyun in this manner, how could he endure it any longer?

On the other side, Zhao Lingfei also turned around and said to the red-robed middle-aged man: "Uncle, go focus on dealing with your opponents in the Powerhouse Group. I will contend for the championship title myself."

Li Feng went even further, carrying his long saber, and strode out of the military elder's protection range, his blade pointing directly at Lu Qingyun, his killing intent sharp and cold.

The few Peak Divine Will elders looked at each other, seeing helplessness and approval in each other's eyes.

So be it. Young eagles must eventually fly on their own. Since the juniors had the desire to fight, they were happy to let go.

Several of them simultaneously withdrew their protective gazes and turned back to re-engage in the slaughter of the Powerhouse Group.

In an instant, an area cleared in the center of the arena.

Lin Jingxian, Zhao Lingfei, Li Feng, and two other Divine Intent Level seed prodigies lined up, their gazes locking onto the approaching Lu Qingyun simultaneously.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense and ready for battle. Lu Qingyun stopped, swept his gaze over them, and the corners of his mouth curled into a nonchalant smile.

"It would have been fine if you had done this earlier."

"Hiding behind your elders one by one, what kind of prodigies are you?"

As the words fell, the atmosphere of the entire arena instantly solidified to the extreme. The five Divine Intent Level prodigies locked onto Lu Qingyun simultaneously.

And just at this moment, a voice, so cold and detached it seemed unworldly, suddenly rang out across the entire arena from mid-air.

"Your opponent is me."