At first glance, Zhaang Ye’s third slash didn’t seem as domineering as his Reverse Flow Slash. However, the moment he executed it, Sang Fan felt the Air Wall he had created rapidly dissipating, like snow on a high mountain suddenly meeting the scorching sun!

"Hm?"

Sang Fan was startled. His Air Wall Rotation Technique was a transformation derived from an Advanced Combat Skill, the Wind and Cloud Technique. Although he could only use ten percent of his True Qi and couldn’t execute many of its profound aspects, the Air Wall’s power was still nothing to scoff at. An ordinary expert at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Late Stage would immediately lose their balance upon being swept up by his Air Wall and be easily tossed into the air.

But he never expected that the moment he deployed his Air Wall Rotation Technique, Zhaang Ye would shatter it with a single slash. Seeing Zhaang Ye’s relaxed expression, Sang Fan almost suspected his eyes were deceiving him!

Though surprised, Sang Fan maintained a leisurely expression. His hands began to rotate, and under their guidance, the dissipating Air Wall transformed into two incomparably fierce tornadoes that swirled straight toward Zhaang Ye.

Zhaang Ye couldn’t help but secretly admire Sang Fan’s ability to manipulate True Qi at will. ’It’s a good thing he can only use ten percent of his True Qi. If he could use his full power, I wouldn’t be able to break his Air Wall, no matter how well I understand Rotating Power. I’d probably be crushed by it in a single clash.’

Facing the tornadoes sweeping toward him, Zhaang Ye didn’t even blink. He swung his Heavy Saber in what looked like a casual slash. As the Sword Qi passed, two loud POPS echoed, and Sang Fan’s tornadoes were simply cut apart. Ferocious True Qi erupted, making the air howl.

Seeing his two tornadoes destroyed so easily by Zhaang Ye, the leisurely look on Sang Fan’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a hint of tension. His hands moved, and he shouted softly, "Dragon Transformation Strike!"

At Sang Fan’s soft command, a dragon as thick as an arm materialized before him. It bellowed, unleashing a series of draconic roars as it twisted its long body and charged straight at Zhaang Ye.

This Dragon Transformation Strike was the first move of the Wind and Cloud Technique. The Wind and Cloud Technique had three strikes in total. Since he could only use ten percent of his True Qi, the Dragon Transformation Strike was the only one he could execute.

The Wind and Cloud Technique was worthy of being an Advanced Combat Skill. Although the Dragon Transformation Strike Sang Fan executed with ten percent of his True Qi had less than five percent of its usual power, it was still formidable. The moment the Little Dragon struck, Zhaang Ye felt the world darken. The arm-thick dragon was like an ancient beast that had suddenly locked onto his body, charging at him with a terrifying Suppression!

Suppression!

Low-Level and Mid-Level Combat Skills used stances to channel True Qi, allowing it to display greater power. Advanced Combat Skills, however, in addition to more profound True Qi application, also involved the use of one’s aura. The moment Sang Fan attacked, his entire Spiritual Qi was poured into the technique. His powerful aura transformed into a chilling Suppression that even caused the True Qi within Zhaang Ye’s body to circulate sluggishly!

The Little Dragon’s approach was unbelievably fast. Zhaang Ye had just seen it form when it had already crossed several dozen feet to appear before him. The immense Dark Force it carried made it difficult for Zhaang Ye to even breathe.

Zhaang Ye had no time to think. He gave a soft shout, and the Dragon Elephant Skill within his body ignored the Little Dragon’s Suppression and began to circulate at high speed. Then, he abruptly slashed out with the Heavy Saber in his hand.

For this slash, Zhaang Ye used Mountain-Breaking Slash. The Heavy Saber carved a profound arc through the air, striking the Little Dragon head-on.

"BOOM!"

Zhaang Ye felt dozens of powerful forces surge out from the Little Dragon. These forces were bizarre and varied: horizontal, vertical, rotating, heavy as stone, sharp as a blade...

Dozens of forces tore at him at once, as if trying to rip his body into pieces. Startled, Zhaang Ye roared, and his body began to spin rapidly. He used his Force-Dissipating Technique to unload all the forces down through his feet.

"CRACK, CRACK, CRACK!"

Zhaang Ye retreated three steps before he finally managed to completely dissipate the force.

Although he wasn’t injured, his clothes had been torn to shreds in countless places by the terrifying True Qi during the exchange, making him look like a beggar.

Looking down at his tattered clothes, a flicker of shock crossed Zhaang Ye’s face. ’Sang Fan’s power is truly immense. I was almost injured by an attack he launched with just ten percent of his True Qi. If he had used his full strength, I doubt I would have even had time to react before being killed by that blow.’

As Zhaang Ye was secretly horrified, Sang Fan was equally shocked. Although the Dragon Transformation Strike he had just unleashed was only backed by ten percent of his True Qi, its power was considerable when channeled through the Wind and Cloud Technique. Moreover, the Little Dragon contained his entire aura, and its Suppression would affect even an expert of the Martial Arts Sixth Layer.

He hadn’t expected Zhaang Ye to be completely unafraid of his aura and to brazenly meet the attack head-on. After the clash, Zhaang Ye hadn’t even coughed up a drop of blood—only his clothes were a little tattered.

Zhaang Ye took a deep breath, preparing to use Mountain-Breaking Slash to defeat Sang Fan. But just as he raised his Heavy Saber, he heard Sang Fan say with a wry smile, "Alright, that’s enough. We don’t need to fight anymore. That Dragon Transformation Strike was my strongest attack. Since you’ve taken my strongest blow, you’ve passed this trial."

Zhaang Ye was slightly stunned. Sang Fan’s strength was extraordinary; even if Zhaang Ye could block one of his attacks, defeating him would likely take a considerable amount of time. He hadn’t expected the man to voluntarily let him pass after he blocked a single strike.

Since Sang Fan was letting him pass, Zhaang Ye didn’t stand on ceremony. He bowed to Sang Fan and said, "Senior Brother Sang, thank you for letting me win!" He then walked around Sang Fan and strode upwards.

Watching Zhaang Ye’s departing figure, Sang Fan shook his head in frustration. The restriction of using only ten percent of his True Qi was too great. He possessed many powerful techniques but couldn’t execute them; he couldn’t even bring out a full tenth of his true strength. Furthermore, his aura had no effect on Zhaang Ye. If the fight had continued, Zhaang Ye would have eventually forced him into close combat, and he would have lost in the end.

Since he knew he couldn’t stop Zhaang Ye, he decided to save his energy and just let him pass.

"BANG!"

Sang Fan raised his hand and fired a yellow firework. This was to notify the person at the next gate that Zhaang Ye had passed the first trial.

On another flight of White Jade Steps, Situ Houtu was currently fighting a youth in brocade robes.

Although the brocade-robed youth could only use ten percent of his True Qi, he was a veteran of countless battles with exceptionally rich combat experience. Even Situ Houtu couldn’t compare to him.

Moreover, the brocade-robed youth was using a Power-Borrowing Technique. This Combat Skill was exceptionally clever, allowing him to effortlessly neutralize any attack, no matter how fierce. In contrast, his own casual attacks were incredibly sharp. Despite his Fifth Layer Peak cultivation and the sharpness of his Cyan Light Shovel, Situ Houtu was still being forced back step by step.

Seeing the yellow firework bloom in the sky, Situ Houtu was startled. ’It seems Zhaang Ye has already passed the first trial!’ he thought. ’So fast! I have to defeat my opponent quickly, or I’ll fall behind!’

With this thought in mind, Situ Houtu abruptly retreated several steps. The handling of his Cyan Light Shovel suddenly changed as he unleashed the Heaven Burial Shovel Technique.

Situ Houtu’s Heaven Burial Shovel Technique was divided into three forms: "Burial Human Technique," "Earth Burial Technique," and "Heaven Burial Technique." Each form was stronger than the last. In all his years of cultivation, Situ Houtu had only mastered the Burial Human Technique to the Great Success realm. He had not yet cultivated the other two forms. Even so, he was already unrivaled among his peers.

The moment he executed the Burial Human Technique, a Realm of shared sorrow between heaven and earth, yet filled with helplessness, immediately spread across the White Jade Steps. This strange Realm even caused the brocade-robed youth fighting Situ Houtu to pause for a moment.

"WHOOSH—!"

The Cyan Light Shovel let out a strange shriek like the wailing of ghosts and howling of gods. Wreathed in a ghastly cyan light, it thrust toward the brocade-robed youth.

Faced with such a startling strike, the brocade-robed youth’s expression turned solemn. Situ Houtu’s attack contained all sorts of transformations. Even he could no longer use his Power-Borrowing Technique to neutralize the force on the Cyan Light Shovel.

If he dodged, Situ Houtu would seize the opportunity to flash past him and clear the trial. Under these circumstances, the only thing he could do was meet it head-on.

A sharp glint flashed in the brocade-robed youth’s eyes. His palm traced a perfect arc and gently pressed against Situ Houtu’s Cyan Light Shovel.

"BOOM!"

Their energies collided violently. Situ Houtu felt his entire body wracked with excruciating pain, as if a terrifying force was blasting every inch of him. It was like being hit by a giant boulder, his bones on the verge of shattering. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH!"

Desperately, Situ Houtu unleashed his final move. Three streams of hazy cyan energy suddenly shot out from his Cyan Light Shovel, flying toward the brocade-robed youth.

These three cyan lights streaked through the void, faster than the speed of sound. They appeared before the brocade-robed youth before their sound could even register.

Seeing Situ Houtu’s attack, the brocade-robed youth knew that while he could block it, he would inevitably be forced to retreat.

Shaking his head slightly to himself, the brocade-robed youth sidestepped Situ Houtu’s final attack and said, "You’ve passed this trial. You may go."

Situ Houtu nodded and strode upwards.

He had just traveled a few hundred yards when the brocade-robed youth behind him raised his hand and released a firework.

Zhaang Ye immediately noticed the firework signaling Situ Houtu’s passing. His heart tightened, and he picked up his pace, covering several li in the blink of an eye.

At that moment, a skinny youth appeared up ahead, standing straight as a bamboo stalk in the middle of the steps.

Needless to say, Zhaang Ye knew that this very skinny-looking youth was the one who would be blocking his path.

Sure enough, he heard the skinny youth say slowly, "I am the second trial on these White Jade Steps. Little guy, don’t think you can pass me so easily." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)