"The sixteenth layer, the seventeenth layer, the eighteenth layer."
Chu Fengmian’s pace had yet to slow down.
He had reached the thirtieth layer almost instantly.
"At the thirtieth layer, given Chu Fengmian’s current strength, what he faces now are illusions with the power of the Divine Sea Realm!"
The hearts of the martial artists present began to grow numb as they watched Chu Fengmian leap into the thirtieth layer.
They all wanted to see at which level Chu Fengmian would finally meet an obstacle.
In the first thirty layers, not a single illusion could trouble Chu Fengmian, each being shattered by his single punch.
But now, these thirtieth-layer illusions were of the Divine Sea Realm.
"This youngster’s pace is about to slow down. The thirtieth layer should be enough to force out his true strength,"
Murmured Elder Mo as he watched Chu Fengmian.
In the preceding twenty-nine layers, Chu Fengmian had defeated each with one punch; this was not just a demonstration of his strength but also a sign that he was concealing something.
Now faced with the Divine Sea Realm illusions, Chu Fengmian would probably have to exert his full strength.
"Youngster, it has been ten years since a newcomer reached the thirtieth layer; this is indeed a pleasant surprise for this entity,"
The illusion before Chu Fengmian suddenly spoke.
This illusion looked like another Chu Fengmian, but its tone was entirely different from his.
It was an extremely ancient voice.
Chu Fengmian gazed at the speaking illusion with a questioning look in his eyes.
"Are you the Artifact Spirit of this Heaven-reaching Path?"
"Oh? You are not yet qualified to know my status. If you wish to find out, ascend to even higher levels,"
The illusion replied arrogantly.
"Whether or not you can pass this challenge also depends on your own strength,"
"From this point on, the strength will be of the Divine Sea Realm, and I will not go easy on you! The spirits of the five elements!"
The power of the five elements surged into existence around the illusion.
Among them, the fire spirit was the most formidable and suddenly transformed into a fierce flaming tiger, pouncing ferociously towards Chu Fengmian.
The illusion’s strength had reached the Divine Sea Realm, and it wielded the same spirit manipulation techniques of that realm.
"Do you think such spirits of the five elements can stop Chu?"
A scornful smile appeared on the corner of Chu Fengmian’s mouth as he softly called out,
The Xuanqing Sword was summoned from his storage bag, clasped tightly in Chu Fengmian’s palm.
Facing the charging flame tiger, he suddenly twirled the Sword Edge.
Within what seemed to be a simple sword strike, there was a sharp Sword Intent.
The flaming tiger was cleaved in two by this Sword Intent and shattered apart.
The illusion standing before Chu Fengmian was also shattered by the Sword Edge in a sudden burst.
With just one sword strike, Chu Fengmian had defeated the thirtieth layer’s illusion.
"He’s too strong! Chu Fengmian’s strength is unimaginable!"
"To slay the illusion of the Divine Sea Realm with one sword, could it be that Chu Fengmian really has the strength to kill Divine Sea Realm martial artists with a single sword strike?"
"For a martial artist of the Forged Body Realm, defeating a Divine Sea Realm martial artist is already extremely difficult, let alone killing with one sword. Is this truly something a martial artist of the Forged Body Realm can achieve?"
Among the crowd below, uproarious voices of astonishment rose, and many martial artists had forgotten the rule against loud conversation, each exclaiming in utter shock.
But now, the overseeing elder responsible for maintaining order had long been overwhelmed with shock, unable to focus on keeping the peace.
When had a Martial Artist of the Divine Sea realm become so fragile? Under a single strike of Chu Fengmian’s sword, they were actually slain.
One must know that the apparitions on this Heavenly Path were no different from real Martial Artists of the same realm. The display of the Five Elements Spirit just now was almost stronger than many who had just stepped into the Divine Sea realm.
"This swordsmanship, Elder Mo, must have moved your heart by now."
Hall Master Qin looked at Elder Mo and spoke with a smile.
"What we witnessed this time was truly worth it. Our Martial Victory Academy has actually given birth to such an exceptional genius."
"At the least, I, in my capacity, can assert that this Chu Fengmian is at least no less brilliant than the once Zhi Lingtian."
Just that single sword strike was enough to stun everyone present—it was merely a small part of Chu Fengmian’s strength.
At the least, they believed that Chu Fengmian surely still had even more terrifying depths to his capabilities.
Another Zhi Lingtian had appeared.
This was the sole thought in the minds of all the Martial Artists, elders, and Hall Masters present.
Fifteen years ago, a Zhi Lingtian had appeared and completely reshuffled the Martial Victory Academy.
With the emergence of Chu Fengmian this time, who knew what kind of stir he would cause.
"Another Zhi Lingtian?"
The conversations of countless individuals reached Chu Fengmian’s ears.
In Feng Mian’s eyes, a flash of disdain passed.
Zhi Lingtian—what was that worth? He, Chu Fengmian, once the foremost in the Sword Dao, did he need to be compared with a youngster?
This Zhi Lingtian would sooner or later be trampled under Chu Fengmian’s feet, and in the future, when mentioning the name of the leading figure, it would be Chu Fengmian and not Zhi Lingtian.
Chu Fengmian, holding the Xuanqing Sword, went on another killing spree on the Heavenly Path.
Relying on his Sword Intent, the Divine Sea realm phase one apparitions were all easily exterminated by Chu Fengmian.
Before anyone realized it, Chu Fengmian had already reached the forty-fifth floor.
This forty-fifth floor was the record set by once Zhi Lingtian and also where he had to stop.
The apparition that Chu Fengmian now faced had already reached the fearsome level of the Divine Sea realm phase two.
It was a whole four phases higher than Chu Fengmian.
Not to mention, it spanned a major realm.
As soon as the apparition on the forty-fifth floor appeared, it was suddenly enveloped by a bundle of wind spirits.
It was as if he was the incarnation of the wind spirit itself.
Rushing toward Chu Fengmian, he launched a fierce assault.
These apparitions were not witless beings; they possessed combat experience and knew the principle of striking first.
As soon as Chu Fengmian stepped onto the forty-fifth floor, it suddenly attacked, hoping to catch Chu Fengmian off guard.
Chu Fengmian’s gaze sharpened, his Sword Edge moved.
A streak of Sword Qi followed the edge of the sword, slashing out.
This Sword Qi was incredibly fast, nearly silent, and in an instant, it raced toward the apparition.
As the Sword Qi passed, the body of the apparition was severed in half, now devoid of much strength.
Chu Fengmian’s feet shifted, and with a flash of the Sword Edge, a precise thrust pierced into the chest of the apparition.
Under Chu Fengmian’s sword, the apparition was once again slain.
The forty-fifth floor, the record set by Zhi Lingtian, still could not withstand Chu Fengmian’s onslaught.