88: With a condensed will, Chu Xiong broke through.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~~

The cold wind howled, and heavy snow filled the air.

On the massive Ice Snow Square, a giant black stone pillar, over ten meters in diameter and over two hundred meters tall, stood like a heavenly pillar connecting earth and sky.

The giant black pillar was incredibly majestic, constantly emitting terrifying waves of willpower impact that made the surrounding hundreds of meters a forbidden zone, where not even a bird or an ant could survive.

Suddenly—

"Swoosh!"

On the vast, empty Ice Snow Square, a streak of black light suddenly arrived and transformed into a handsome youth dressed in black; it was Lin Yi.

Behind him were various multicolored streaks of light—Chu Xiong, along with other Disciples, teachers, the Pavilion Master of Tianshan Pavilion, and the Sect Master of Tianshan Sect.

"I announce!"

On the massive Ice Snow Square, seeing that everyone had almost arrived, the Vice Pavilion Master of Tianshan Pavilion, a young man in black named Zhang Lun, said loudly:

"The second match between Tianshan Pavilion Disciples Lin Yi and Chu Xiong begins now!"

"This competition is a test of willpower, and the rules are very simple."

"In a moment, upon my command, you two will immediately enter the 800-meter range of the willpower stone pillar."

"Within the next twenty-four hours, whoever can get closer to the willpower stone pillar will be declared the winner of this match."

"Lin Yi, Chu Xiong, do you both understand?"

"We understand!"

Lin Yi and Chu Xiong nodded simultaneously.

"Good! In that case, go!"

Zhang Lun waved his hand.

Seeing this, the two moved and walked toward the willpower stone pillar together... "Roar!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

On the square, as soon as they stepped into the 800-meter range of the willpower stone pillar, familiar roars and battle cries instantly flooded Lin Yi's mind, as if trying to crush his mental willpower.

Unfortunately, this level of willpower impact was nothing to Lin Yi even when he first joined Tianshan Pavilion; for the current him, it was naturally even more insignificant and easily resisted.

Of course, the same was true for Chu Xiong on the other side.

And so.

"Thud, thud, thud!"

On the square, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, Lin Yi and Chu Xiong walked steadily, leaving a footprint with every step. The distance between each step was as precise as if it had been measured, as they slowly advanced toward the willpower stone pillar.

The 750-meter mark!

The 700-meter mark!

The 650-meter mark!

In front of the willpower stone pillar, the two continued to advance. From the initial 800 meters down to 650 meters, they were like they were walking on an ordinary road, their expressions not even changing as they rushed through in one go.

"Strong! So strong!"

"Is this the clash between the two top Disciples of Tianshan Pavilion? It's truly terrifying!"

Seeing their performance, the ordinary Disciples couldn't help but exclaim in amazement:

"I've cultivated hard in Tianshan Pavilion for a year, but I'm still a bit short of reaching the 700-meter mark."

"But these two have already reached the 650-meter mark, and they're not even blushing or out of breath."

"This willpower... let alone teenagers in their teens, do even those weather-beaten Second-Rank Martial Artists have such strong willpower?"

"No! Definitely not!"

"Reaching the 650-meter mark in one breath, this willpower is definitely close to the 400-meter level. How could those Second-Rank Martial Artists from the outside, who haven't been tempered by the willpower stone pillar, be this powerful?"

"However, it's within my expectations that Chu Xiong could reach this point; after all, in the last Tianshan Grand Competition, he was already only one step away from the 400-meter mark."

"But the fact that Lin Yi can actually keep up with Chu Xiong now is the most Heaven-Defying part!"

"I remember a month ago, didn't he barely reach the 430-meter mark?"

"It's only been a short month, and he hasn't even come to challenge the willpower stone pillar during this time, yet his progress is still so great that he's nearing the 400-meter mark?"

...Several Disciples who had been following Lin Yi's progress said with shock on their faces.

It should be known that improving willpower has always been extremely difficult; the growth rate of willpower is completely different with and without the help of the willpower stone pillar.

For example, for a super Genius to break through from the 500-meter mark to the 400-meter level.

If he has the help of the willpower stone pillar, it might only take him a year.

But if he doesn't, it would take at least three years—a difference of a full three times! This is the value of the martial emperors relic, the willpower stone pillar!

Yet Lin Yi clearly didn't have the help of the willpower stone pillar over the past month, and his willpower has still improved so much; how on earth did he do it?

Everyone was amazed, their faces filled with confusion.

However, Lin Yi on the square smiled inwardly upon hearing this.

The synergy between the two talents "My Heart is Like Iron" and "Heart Like Pure Ice" was not that simple.

Both were talents that would only explode with super-strong potential when facing a desperate situation. Although they would slowly exert force every time Lin Yi was being squeezed by the willpower stone pillar—the stronger the pressure, the stronger the force.

However, the time they truly erupted was during that short period when Lin Yi was squeezed by the willpower stone pillar to the point of being on the verge of fainting and just after he had fainted.

Only during that period was Lin Yi's progress the greatest!

And since Lin Yi was unable to continue after fainting each time, everyone naturally didn't know his true willpower results at that time.

For example, last month, Lin Yi seemingly fainted upon reaching the 430-meter mark, but in reality, after he woke up, his true willpower had improved to at least the 420-meter mark or even higher.

This is the truth behind why he can now break into the 410-meter mark of the willpower stone pillar!

..."Thud, thud, thud!"

In this way, amidst the waves of amazement from the crowd, Lin Yi and Chu Xiong continued to advance toward the willpower stone pillar step by step.

The 600-meter mark!

The 550-meter mark!

On the square, the two advanced rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, they had entered the 500-meter range of the willpower stone pillar.

But once they reached this range, Lin Yi's advancement speed gradually slowed down.

Firstly, after reaching this range, Lin Yi wanted to use the two talents "My Heart is Like Iron" and "Heart Like Pure Ice" to temper his willpower and improve his willpower strength.

Secondly, it was also because his willpower did indeed have a certain gap compared to Chu Xiong's.

"Haha! I knew it! I knew it!"

Seeing this, Chu Xiong was instantly overjoyed:

"I knew this damn Lin Yi's willpower would definitely be inferior to mine!"

"Haha! What does winning on the arena matter? As long as I beat you in willpower this time, even if I lose ten arena battles, I can still clear my name!"

"Charge! Keep charging for me! Charge into the 400-meter mark! Aaaah!"

Chu Xiong roared in his heart, his eyes turning bloodshot, his blood and Qi surging as he advanced toward the distant black willpower stone pillar like a demon god.

The 500-meter mark!

The 450-meter mark!

The 430-meter mark!

The 420-meter mark!

Chu Xiong's eyes were bloodshot, he gritted his teeth, veins popping on his head as he advanced step by step.

At this moment, he only felt his blood and Qi boiling, his soul and willpower condensed to the limit, and the consciousness in his mind was incredibly focused!

In this moment, his mind was completely devoid of thoughts about whether he would lose to Lin Yi in the future! He didn't have thoughts of helping Chen Jiangping! He didn't even have thoughts of obtaining the purple flame dragon blood flower!

There was only one thought in his mind now, and that was—charge!

Charge into the 400-meter mark!

Charge until he broke through his own limits!

And then defeat Lin Yi! Reclaim all the dignity he had lost!

"Ah! Charge for me!"

Chu Xiong roared and charged all the way, his silver teeth biting until they bled, his body advancing rapidly, instantly surpassing his previous limit of 403 meters.

Next was the 402-meter mark!

The 401-meter mark!

Until—

"Thud!"

A heavy footstep sounded; on the square, Chu Xiong's body trembled, his eyes were bloodshot, and his teeth were bitten so hard that blood flowed, but his foot still stepped forward forcefully, entering a new area.

Chu Xiong had broken through the 400-meter mark of the willpower stone pillar!