Chapter 254: Chapter 253: Poking a Hole in the Sky (Part 1)

Qin Feng’s muscles went rigid. The auras of these Ape Clan Kings were terrifying; it felt as if a single move from them could easily obliterate him.

Their auras alone were enough to doom him for all eternity.

As Qin Feng crept closer to the Ape Clan Kings, an immense pressure washed over him, as if he were carrying a mountain on his back.

His heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Qin Feng didn’t dare show the slightest sign of distress. He knew that experts of this caliber could awaken at any moment, even when deeply engrossed in their Cultivation.

Qin Feng circulated the Heavenly Snake Breath Technique with all his might, suppressing every trace of his own aura.

The Heavenly Snake Breath Technique was an incredibly profound Secret Technique for concealing one’s presence. It was passed down from the Ancient Snake Race and was considered a Supreme Secret Technique of the Celestial Serpent Race.

As he circulated the technique, Qin Feng’s aura became like the ancient trees on the mountain, blending flawlessly into the surroundings.

Qin Feng’s nerves were stretched taut. ’This place is a lion’s den. One wrong move, and I’m dead.’

He was gambling with his life!

Qin Feng’s heart hammered in his chest.

With a flicker in his eyes, Qin Feng forcibly suppressed the tremor in his heart.

His gaze swept over the several behemoth-like Ape Clan Kings and their terrifying auras. Then, with a subtle glint in his eyes, Qin Feng shifted his focus to the young Ape Race geniuses.

With a flicker of movement, Qin Feng appeared silently behind a Red Fire Fierce Ape.

The Red Fire Fierce Ape was tall and powerfully built, sitting cross-legged on the ground. Its crimson fur looked like a mass of burning flames.

This Red Fire Fierce Ape was incredibly formidable; the power it exuded was in no way inferior to that of Zhao Xuanmeng and the others Qin Feng had met.

He drew the Beiming Divine Water Sword and laid its edge against the Red Fire Fierce Ape’s neck. A flicker of emotion crossed Qin Feng’s eyes. With a single slash of the longsword, its unparalleled edge instantly severed the neck of the Ape Race prodigy.

SQUELCH!

As a trickle of blood escaped, Qin Feng’s heart skipped a beat. The White Lotus Mark appeared instantly, its countless tendrils piercing into the Red Fire Fierce Ape’s body to absorb its Essence Blood.

Qin Feng cautiously looked up. The surrounding Ape Clan Kings were completely oblivious, still lost in the potent Spiritual Effects of the Top-Grade Spirit Wine.

Qin Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

A few breaths later, the Red Fire Fierce Ape had been reduced to a withered husk.

Qin Feng set his sights on another Ape Race prodigy near the Red Fire Fierce Ape.

This one was a Mountain Giant Ape. Its build was massive, and it exuded a heavy, solid aura. It was born with the ability to control the power of the Earth Element. Legend had it that a Mountain Giant Ape at the Great Success stage could wield entire mountains as weapons.

The bloodline of the Mountain Giant Ape before him was incredibly pure; it was clearly one of the finest specimens of its kind.

Its aura was even more powerful than the previous Red Fire Fierce Ape’s, and its strength was clearly on another level.

Qin Feng tightened his grip on the Beiming Divine Water Sword. His steps light, he moved behind the Mountain Giant Ape. The razor-sharp blade shot out like a bolt of lightning, cleanly severing the creature’s head.

At the same time, the White Lotus Mark flew over to absorb the Mountain Giant Ape’s Essence Blood. Afterward, Qin Feng noticed a change in his mark.

It was gradually turning red!

It was changing from a White Lotus into a Red Lotus.

A hint of surprise appeared in Qin Feng’s eyes, quickly followed by elation. As far as he knew, after a White Lotus reached the Twelfth Grade, it would change color and become a First-Grade Red Lotus.

And above the Red Lotus was an even higher grade: the Cyan Lotus.

The more Essence Blood it absorbed, the more abilities the White Lotus Mark would unlock.

Clearly, after absorbing the Essence Blood of so many powerful members of the Ape Race, the White Lotus Mark was already evolving into the Red Lotus Mark.

A fervent glint appeared in Qin Feng’s eyes. Greatly encouraged, he looked at the Ape Clan Kings, who remained completely oblivious, and his courage swelled.

’These Ape Race geniuses,’ Qin Feng thought, ’are basically potent elixirs for my advancement!’

Gripping his Beiming Divine Water Sword, Qin Feng took a few steps and appeared behind a large, golden-furred ape that radiated a sharp aura.

It was a Golden Ape. Its strength was immense, not far from the Tier Two Beast King Realm.

This Golden Ape possessed Copper Skin and Iron Bones, making it difficult for an ordinary Spirit Sword to even scratch it. But against a High-level Spirit Sword like the Beiming Divine Water Sword, a single strike was all it took. Its head tumbled to the ground, and it died without a sound.

...

One after another, nearly thirty Ape Race prodigies fell silently under Qin Feng’s sword.

One by one, the apes were reduced to desiccated corpses.

Qin Feng’s palms began to sweat. Killing so many Ape Race prodigies one after another had been an incredible risk.

If even one of them had woken up, he would have been killed without a chance for a proper burial.

After slaying nearly thirty Ape Race prodigies in a row, the White Lotus Mark on his palm completely transformed into a Red Lotus, a shade as crimson as fresh blood.

Joy flashed in Qin Feng’s eyes as he scanned the area. The Ape Race geniuses had been completely wiped out.

Qin Feng’s gaze shifted, slowly settling on the dozen or so remaining Kings. His eyes glinted, revealing a fierce internal struggle between greed and caution...

What Qin Feng didn’t know was that the moment the White Lotus Mark on his palm transformed into a Red Lotus, it caused a massive stir back at All Stars Academy.

...

「Within All Stars Academy, before the Star Hall.」

Before them stood a massive, magnificent palace. Ever since the Hidden Dragon Points Competition began, the Star Hall had been opened to the public.

Many disciples had flocked here, entering the Star Hall to observe the progress of the Hidden Dragon Competition.

In the vast plaza before the towering hall, an enormous black stone monolith stood, so colossal it seemed to touch the heavens and blot out the sun.

This was the Memorial Stone. Through it, the experts of All Stars Academy could use their Spiritual Power to directly observe the status of every competitor.

Crowds of people clustered around it, with many powerful experts fixing their gazes upon the Memorial Stone.

The Memorial Stone displayed 365 names.

The rankings from first to three hundred and sixty-fifth were all displayed.

In fact, only those within this top range could have their rankings viewed.

From time to time, a White Lotus would materialize in front of the Memorial Stone, transforming into the sorry figures of defeated contestants who then fell to the ground.

At the very top of the Memorial Stone, ten names blazed like golden suns, drawing the eyes of every spectator.

Deep within the Star Hall, a dozen or so Giants had gathered.

These were the Elders of All Stars Academy, each one a figure of immense power and authority.

Such Elders formed the core strength of a Supreme Sect. The status of each Elder was comparable to that of a True Disciple, and every one of them could command the elements.

Within the Star Sect, All Stars Academy held immense importance, and its Elders were true Giants, each capable of overseeing an entire region.

Within the Star Sect, while the Elders, unlike the True Disciples, did not all have the potential to become the next Supreme Sect Leader...

...every one of them could contend for the position of a Supreme Elder.

Every Supreme Elder of the sect was part of its very foundation. A Supreme Elder wielded immense authority, commanding dozens of mortal Empires and hundreds of thousands of disciples. Aside from the Supreme Sect Leader himself, such a Martial Arts Venerable was virtually peerless.

All Stars Academy was an extremely important part of the Star Sect. In fact, the influence of every Elder in the academy was vast. Historically, most of the sect’s Supreme Elders had risen from the ranks of the academy’s Giants.

Fifth Elder Ouyang Xu, who served under the Hall Master of Taiwei Hall, spoke up. "It’s a shame, really. This year’s batch of new students has quite a few with outstanding Innate talent. Unfortunately, they’re a full year behind the previous generation’s Four Great Elders. The gap is just too wide."

The Third Elder, Yuqing Shan, who served under the Hall Master of Ziwei Palace, shook his head. "The previous Four Great Elders are exceptionally powerful. They also hold special positions within the Top Ten Teams and are already well-established. They’re not opponents these new fledglings can hope to match. Truthfully, for the new students, this competition is more of a trial run. They’re just going through the motions. The real show is among the senior students."