"Little junior sister, you are still young with limited cultivation. Go back to Qingyun Peak to practice, and maybe in ten or eight years, you'll be able to defeat me."
Yang Ren, a disciple of Zhiyue Peak, came to the competition stage. His opponent was Qingyun Peak's youngest disciple — the ten-year-old Lian.
Defeating such an opponent would not only fail to make a name across Mount Shu but might even seem like an easy, unearned victory.
"Hmph, don't underestimate me!"
Lian placed her hands on her hips, clearly unconvinced.
Yang Ren helplessly said, "Alright, alright, I'll let you have three moves."
"Oh really? Then take this punch from me."
Lian's eyes swiveled as she swung her little fist.
"Come on then."
Yang Ren was utterly unconcerned.
A ten-year-old girl, how advanced could her cultivation be?
Let alone giving her three moves, even if he allowed her thirty moves, what would that change?
Since Qingyun Peak's Lu Changsheng and Zhiyue Peak's Zhao Wuyan were both Dao Palace realm elders of Mount Shu, their disciples' competition drew considerable attention from other Mount Shu elders.
"Elder Lu, this is getting out of hand."
Zhiyue Peak's Elder Zhao Wuyan also felt this friendly match was somewhat inglorious.
"Is it?"
Lu Changsheng still had a calm and composed demeanor.
Zhiyue Peak's Elder Zhao Wuyan, who had reached the fifth level of the Dao Palace realm, was long-famous, and his disciple, a genius who achieved the first level of the Golden Core Realm after only eight years of practice, letting a little girl have three moves wasn't surprising.
"Disciple, you may use the cultivation of the first level of the Golden Core Realm."
Lu Changsheng transmitted his voice to Lian.
Although Lu Changsheng had requested his two disciples to only use the strength of the seventh or eighth layer of the Qi Transformation Realm before the Disciple's Conference, considering that the opponent was a disciple of Mount Shu from the Golden Core Realm, allowing his own disciple to employ the same level of cultivation wasn't too much, was it?
"Disciple understands!"
Lian, who had her cultivation severely restricted to an entire realm lower, became even more excited when Lu Changsheng allowed her to lift some of the limits.
"Ha!"
Lian let out a light shout, took a lunge forward, and in the next instant appeared in front of Yang Ren, her little fist carrying Gang Qi as it smashed outward, shaking the heavens!
Yang Ren felt the power of the punch and immediately sensed something was amiss, but it was already too late.
The next moment, Lian's little fist made contact with Yang Ren's chest.
Boom!
That punch contained the strength of myriad aspects!
Yang Ren felt as though he was struck by tens of thousands of rampaging elephants; even the spiritual energy in his body could not circulate in time, and he was sent flying by Lian's fist!
Bang!
Yang Ren fell hundreds of meters away, like a kite that had lost its string.
Sputter!
Yang Ren spat out a mouthful of blood, on the verge of unconsciousness.
The Mount Shu disciples and elders on site were all engulfed in stunned silence.
A genius disciple of the Golden Core Realm, severely injured by a punch from a little girl around ten years old?!
The world had gone mad!
Zhiyue Peak's Elder Zhao waved his sleeve, instantly appearing beside his disciple Yang Ren, and fed him a healing medicine before using his divine sense to check for life-threatening injuries. It was only after discovering none that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But Yang Ren had almost all his ribs broken and needed Elder Zhao's power for healing. It would take a good while to recover, and even Zhao Wuyan, who was at the fifth level of the Dao Palace Realm, was shaken.
Just one punch, just one single punch, and his genius disciple had been reduced to such a state by a mysterious little girl.
Zhao Wuyan did not blame his own disciple but marveled at the monstrous talent of the other: "Elder Lu, it's not that I, Zhao Wuyan, have failed in instruction, but rather that your disciple is truly a monstrosity."
"Indeed, indeed."
"Elder Zhao took eight years to guide a disciple from the Qi Transformation Realm to the Golden Core Realm, which was already commendable. Truly, it is Elder Lu's disciple who possesses an excessively grotesque talent. So young, yet able to injure a Golden Core Realm disciple with a single punch—tsk tsk tsk—such a talent is simply unparalleled in the world."
"Congratulations to Elder Lu for having such an exceptional disciple."
Many Elders of Mount Shu chimed in with their agreement.
In doing so, they not only saved face for Elder Zhao but also praised Elder Lu's disciple.
"Is this the Huang Tribe girl who was hunted by the Demon Race?"
"There must be secrets yet to be discovered about her."
"No wonder your Mount Shu insists on protecting her, her future achievements are boundless."
Elders from the other five Orthodox Sects covertly sent messages, speaking to Li Changye.
"This girl's physique is extremely suited for the martial path, and our Martial Alliance possesses many Body Refinement techniques. She should join our Martial Alliance. Our leader would be very happy to take her as a disciple!"
Elder Ye of the Martial Alliance, upon seeing Lian, who possessed the Martial King Divine Physique, was thrilled.
The Martial Alliance sought enlightenment through martial prowess, focusing on the tough cultivation of the body, indubitably the most suitable for the overbearing special physique that is the Martial King Divine Physique.
"She has already been accepted into Mount Shu and has become our disciple; you of the Martial Alliance should give up the idea. Unless one day, the leader of the Martial Alliance can defeat the Sect Leader of Mount Shu."
Li Changye was protective and uncompromising.
Upon hearing the revered name of Taiyuan, the true person of Mount Shu, Elder Ye involuntarily shuddered.
Although the leader of the Martial Alliance possessed an extremely domineering special physique and could shatter a great mountain with a single punch, at the past Six Dao Conferences, he was still defeated by Taiyuan, the true person of Mount Shu.
Every Sect Leader of Mount Shu was an outstanding figure, and talents emerged in droves, which is why Mount Shu stood as the leader among the six Orthodox Sects of Xia State.
With Lian having joined Mount Shu and becoming a disciple, trying to woo her away from Mount Shu was exceedingly difficult.
"Although this girl's physique is unique and her cultivation speed is extraordinarily rapid, when I saw her three years ago, she was but at the fifth level of the Qi Transformation Realm. Only three years have passed, yet she now possesses the strength of the Golden Core Realm. Her speedy cultivation must also be related to her master, Lu Changsheng."
Xia Ningxue of the Inquiry Immortal Pavilion pondered to herself and realized the crux of the issue.
Even if Lian were monstrously talented, to condense a Golden Core in three years was beyond astounding.
In Xia Ningxue's memory, only she cultivated at such a rapid pace—after all, she reached the Dao Palace Realm at the age of twenty...
Xia Ningxue looked towards Lu Changsheng, whose cultivation seemed somewhat elusive and difficult to discern.
"Master, how did I perform? I didn't kill him, did I?"
Lian returned to Lu Changsheng's side, clinging to his arm, and sought credit for her performance.
The surrounding Elders and disciples of Mount Shu looked at Lian as if seeing a beast.
She was absolutely the most monstrous presence among the new generation of Mount Shu disciples!
Even the disciple of the eldest brother who possessed the Spirit Sword Physique, Xiao Xiangdao, seemed somewhat overshadowed in Lian's presence.
According to the Mount Shu's chronicle "Records of Special Physiques Through the Ages," the Spirit Sword Physique had manifested ten times over the past several hundred thousand years, while Lian's Martial King Divine Physique had only one record, which also emerged in Huang State.
"You did very well."
Lu Changsheng praised succinctly.
His little disciple had only used the force of the first layer of the Golden Core Realm. The reason behind such a shocking display was because Yang Ren of Zhiyue Peak was too complacent, daring to face her without any defenses, and thus suffered a punch from the Martial King Divine Physique for nothing.
If Lian had used the force of the seventh layer of the Golden Core Realm, perhaps Yang Ren might have been killed by a single punch, and not even a Daluo Golden Immortal could have saved him.
"Who's my next opponent?"
Lian waved her little fists excitedly, looking incredibly adorable.
However, the Mount Shu disciples panicked, hastily checking their own numbers.
"It's me..."
The one with number 140, who had overcome the disciple with number 139, turned pale.
He would be the next to face Lian, denoted as number 137.