Zhao Rushuang was also stunned, momentarily forgetting to support Chu Lingguang.

Long Xin and Xu Kanghui were equally thunderstruck.

They never expected Chu Lingguang to once again be a step ahead of them, awakening the second layer of the Dragon Elephant’s power.

The roar from his Qi Sea had already made them wonder if they were hearing things. Before they could even recover, they were sent reeling by Chu Lingguang’s punch.

It was enough to make their jaws drop!

"MOO!"

The Demon-Horned Bull flew into a complete rage. As Chu Lingguang pinned its head down, it gathered every ounce of its strength. It tried to throw him off and smash his body against the stone wall above, wanting to turn him into a bloody pulp.

However, at that very moment, a Qi Wave Armor began to form over Chu Lingguang’s hands and feet, gradually enveloping his entire body.

It formed a complete suit of Qi Wave Armor.

"TRUMPET!"

The elephantine trumpet reached a crescendo, drowning out the roar of his Qi Sea.

The fifth layer of the Dragon Elephant Dharma Aspect: the Qi Phase!

It had finally erupted.

It wasn’t that Chu Lingguang had been deliberately hiding his strength. In the sudden, lightning-fast exchange, he hadn’t been able to unleash all his power at once, forced to reveal it one layer at a time.

He had just barely managed to pin the Demon-Horned Bull’s head down when he felt a powerful force trying to fling him against the stone wall above. At that critical moment, Chu Lingguang finally succeeded in activating his fifth layer Dharma Aspect.

With the power of the Qi Phase, the might of the Divine Image was fully unleashed. The Demon-Horned Bull had just begun to rise, but its momentum was viciously crushed by Chu Lingguang once more.

All the onlookers saw...

...was a figure covered in Qi Wave Armor, forcefully pinning an Ox Demon—a creature more than ten times his size—to the ground.

A mere novice Great Demon.

This was a beast that even a Qi Sea Great Success expert might not be able to defeat, yet in Chu Lingguang’s hands, it was a completely different story.

In the eyes of the crowd, Chu Lingguang was the real Great Demon here.

Countless people rubbed their eyes hard, unable to believe what they were seeing.

"The Qi Phase... He’s activated the fifth layer Dharma Aspect?"

Poisonous Snake exclaimed, thinking he was hallucinating. He couldn’t stop himself from taking a few steps forward, desperately wanting to go up and touch Chu Lingguang’s Qi Wave Armor.

"A roaring Qi Sea, a trumpeting Divine Image, a suit of Qi Wave Armor... This..."

Xu Zhongguo was also dumbfounded. In his shock and excitement, he accidentally ripped out a clump of his goatee. He grimaced in pain, but his eyes were shining with admiration as he praised him nonstop.

"The fifth layer Dharma Aspect! Chu Lingguang, there’s no question—you are the best candidate!"

Yun Hong’s face was also a mask of pure shock.

He had originally assumed that by focusing on cutting down the Dragon Claw Tree, Chu Lingguang had let his cultivation slide and wouldn’t see any improvement for some time. But who could have guessed? Not only had he reached the Qi Sea Minor Achievement realm and awakened the power of the Divine Image, but he had even activated the fifth layer of his Dharma Aspect. It was simply breathtaking.

If he and Xu Zhongguo hadn’t previously examined Chu Lingguang with their Spiritual Perception, Yun Hong would have sworn the young man had been hiding his true strength all along—a wolf in sheep’s clothing. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

’How is this guy... Qingqing was right to tell me to recruit him.’ Zhao Rushuang felt as if she’d been struck by lightning, a sense of defeat welling up inside her. ’At the Qi Sea Minor Achievement realm, Chu Lingguang’s Qi Power already far surpassed my own. Still, with my superior Martial Arts, I thought I might be able to hold my ground against him. But when I saw him awaken the power of the Divine Image, I knew I could no longer hope to have an advantage. Strength overpowers technique. Even with my superior Martial Arts, I would be no match for him. And now, seeing him activate his fifth layer Dharma Aspect, I understand even more clearly. I can’t even be considered his opponent anymore. An immense, unseen gap has already opened between us.’

Even the ever-arrogant Xia Tianzhong felt as though he’d been struck by lightning, a sense of powerlessness washing over him. The power of the Divine Image? Given time, he was confident he could awaken that too. But the fifth layer Dharma Aspect... that wasn’t something one could activate so easily.

Even if he did manage to activate it one day, by then, Chu Lingguang might have already mastered Primitive Power, or even activated the sixth layer Dharma Aspect: the Divine Image!

In any case, Xia Tianzhong knew in his heart that when it came to their training in the Trial Ground, he had already lost to Chu Lingguang. The title of ’best candidate’ was all but guaranteed to go to him.

If even he was thinking this, then it went without saying for Long Xin and Xu Kanghui. The two of them stared at Chu Lingguang in disbelief, their hearts a tumultuous mix of jealousy and shock. They had to fight the urge to start cursing out loud.

"MOO!"

Chu Lingguang was using all his might to hold the Demon-Horned Bull’s head to the ground. The beast truly lived up to its reputation as a creature that even a Qi Sea Great Success expert might not defeat. He was only able to pin it down because he had seized the opportune moment; the sudden eruption of his Divine Image and Qi Phase had caught the Demon-Horned Bull completely off guard.

Furthermore, its front hooves were injured, preventing it from standing up with the same force as before. Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Chu Lingguang to hold it down.

"Kill!"

Fortunately, while Xia Tianzhong, Zhao Rushuang, and the others were astonished by Chu Lingguang’s transformation, they didn’t just stand there gawking at the critical moment.

Everything had happened in a flash. Though they were all reeling with their own thoughts, stunned by Chu Lingguang’s new power, they reacted quickly. They swarmed forward and seized the opportunity to slice off both of the Demon-Horned Bull’s ears.

Instantly, the strange vibrating waves vanished. The dizziness and nausea afflicting the group disappeared, and their combat effectiveness soared.

As for the Demon-Horned Bull, with its ears severed, the power it was using to try and throw Chu Lingguang off instantly diminished by more than half. Even just trying to stand became an immense struggle.

Chu Lingguang seized the opportunity. Borrowing Strength, he used the bull’s own upward momentum against it, flipping the Demon-Horned Bull’s massive body through the air and slamming it into the stone wall.