At this moment, a spectral shadow of a Flood Dragon seemed to coil and swim within the water pearl.

[Longxi Sword Drawing: Dragon of the Profound Abyss Vortex (Shadow)!]

This was already Zhong Ming’s strongest attack under normal conditions.

His Heart Soul attached to the Sword Seed, fusing with the Dao Rhyme: Vortex Dragon to elevate his own state.

Then, he would imprint a reflection of the Vortex Dragon, merge it into the Heavy Abyss Water, and finally launch it using the Longxi Sword-Drawing Technique.

This strike, infused with all of Zhong Ming’s power, had reached the level of the late stage of Qi Cultivation.

The Longxi Sword-Drawing Technique, meanwhile, concentrated Zhong Ming’s power—which had reached the level of late-stage Qi Cultivation—into a single point. This pushed the strike to its apex; even a master in the late stage of Qi Cultivation could not have withstood it directly.

’Come to think of it, I never imagined that the Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step would grant the ’Water Reflection’ ability upon reaching the Fourth Realm.’

Zhong Ming had thought to himself as he condensed the droplet, recalling his recent Cultivation progress.

After learning that the sect assessment’s main objective was survival, Zhong Ming had spent the last two days practicing only the Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step.

He hoped it would improve his chances of escape.

Relying on Mind Reading, Heaven Rewards Diligence, and the elevation provided by the Vortex Dragon, he had actually managed to raise this Cultivation Technique to the Fourth Realm before the assessment began.

[Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step, Fourth Realm Proficiency (11/37000), Traits: ① Water Stepping, ② Body Like a Stream, ③ Flow of Water, ④ Water Reflection]

This trait was also related to survival. It allowed Zhong Ming to use his reflection and the water’s flow to create a phantom clone. An infusion of life force enabled this clone to move autonomously, even to the point of fleeing.

The clone wasn’t strong, but it could divert attention while Zhong Ming made his escape.

Zhong Ming, however, used the principle of water reflection to replicate the shadow of the Vortex Dragon within his Sword Seed.

This transformed the Sword Seed’s power from a single-use attack into something reusable.

Of course, a reflection was still just a reflection. It wasn’t as powerful as unleashing the Sword Seed’s full might, which would burn through all of its energy.

But its reusability was its greatest advantage.

...

Zhong Ming had prepared the Longxi Sword Drawing: Dragon of the Profound Abyss Vortex (Shadow) long ago. Unfortunately, the Demon Ape’s defense had been impeccable; if he had launched the attack then, he would have only managed to injure it.

But once Xue Yao engaged it in battle and created an opening, the situation changed entirely.

’All its power is concentrated in its fists. I’ve found your weakness!’

THWIP!

With that murmured thought, the Heavy Abyss Water Pearl hovering at Zhong Ming’s fingertip shot forward.

CRACK! CRACK! KRA-KOOM—

Zhong Ming had put his all into this attack, causing the Heavy Abyss water droplet’s flight speed to instantly multiply beyond the speed of sound.

By the time it reached the center of the Demon Ape’s back, the sonic booms from the droplet piercing the air had only just reached Zhong Ming’s ears. The Demon Ape, however, would never get the chance to hear them.

SPLAT!

The droplet made a crisp, light sound as it landed on the Demon Ape’s body and splattered apart.

The next moment, the furious and sharp Longxi Sword Drawing Power penetrated the Demon Ape’s body, carried by the Ripples of Water.

In response, the Demon Ape’s qi and blood instinctively tried to block it.

Unfortunately for the ape, had it not concentrated most of its power in its fists, it might have been able to stall the attack long enough to survive, though it would have been heavily injured.

But Zhong Ming had exploited its opening. The qi and blood defenses were weak at the point where the droplet struck.

Furthermore, the penetrating power of Zhong Ming’s Ripples of Water had evolved.

Imbued with the essence of the Vortex Dragon, this power acted like a whirlpool, carrying a spinning Spiral Force. This force bored through the Demon Ape’s defenses of qi and blood, transferring the bulk of the attack’s power deep into its internal organs.

Then, with a deafening RUMBLE, a terrifying explosion erupted inside the Demon Ape.

This explosion also carried the Dao Rhyme of the Vortex Dragon, causing the explosive force to spin and churn violently within the Demon Ape’s body, just like a natural vortex in water.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...

The violent explosion and the vortex-like force shredded all the Demon Ape’s internal organs to pieces.

At this point, the Demon Ape was nothing more than a shell of flesh and blood, completely empty on the inside.

Under these circumstances, no matter how strong the Demon Ape had been, there was no way for it to survive.

THUD!

Just like that, the fist that had been about to strike Xue Yao stopped in its tracks, never landing.

Instead, the Demon Ape’s massive body froze for a moment before it collapsed completely, blood streaming from its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

!!!

It had revealed a single opening, and in that instant, the beast—a creature at the late stage of Qi Cultivation—was utterly destroyed.

Its death sent a chill through the hearts of every person and monster who witnessed it, and they subconsciously began to scan their surroundings.

The crowd on the viewing platforms outside erupted into an uproar.

"One strike?!"

"That monster was in the late stage of Qi Cultivation!"

"...Just how strong are the prodigies from Longxi Peak?"

"That’s not even the most terrifying part! Did any of you even see the Longxi Peak prodigy?"

"...No."

"Instantly killing a late-stage Qi Cultivation beast without even being seen... Is that something a disciple who’s only been in the sect for a month can do?"

At that moment, everyone truly understood just how terrifying Zhong Ming was.