Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 314 - 302 You’re Not My Match (3/3)

Chapter 314: Chapter 302 You’re Not My Match (3/3)

Seeing Zhou Heng come out so quickly, the guard who had led them over thought he had failed and quickly said, "Elder, don’t be disheartened. Among a thousand people who try to break through the Great Heaven-reaching Array, it’s rare for even one to surpass fifty levels!"

Having received Zhou Heng’s kindness, he naturally sided with Zhou Heng and started to comfort him.

Mei Yixiang and the other two women wouldn’t think so; it was just that Zhou Heng’s speed was so fast that everyone here thought he had failed, which truly surprised them.

Zhou Heng laughed heartily and was about to speak when he saw two figures flying towards them at high speed, both middle-aged men around forty years old exuding an aura as powerful as dragons and tigers.

"Greetings to Elder Tuolan, greetings to Elder Ling Dong!" The guard quickly knelt down to pay his respects, showing utmost reverence.

Both middle-aged men had the cultivation level of the Spiritual Sea Realm, and they were at the peak of the Third Layer Heaven, a pity that they hadn’t formed deities and it was unknown how far they were from breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm.

These two were Lin Tuolan and Zhang Lingdong, both direct disciples of Saint Yangtian. Upon receiving the notification that someone was attempting to break through the Great Heaven-reaching Array, they watched everyone’s performance through the Video Transmitting Stone.

Zhou Heng’s strong advance had shocked them, but what nearly drove them to frenzy was that this fellow, clearly able to continue challenging, perhaps even breaking through all ninety-nine levels and becoming a direct disciple of Saint Yangtian, had actually given up.

Just like that, without even trying!

That’s why they had rushed out here, to ask Zhou Heng in person.

"Why did you not continue onward?" Lin Tuolan asked, his face filled with curiosity.

The Heavenly Arena would adjust the strength of the Metallic People according to the realm of the challenger, but the minimum would be of the Heaven-Opening Realm, and the highest was the Spiritual Sea Realm. However, because of the Stealth Talisman’s concealment, Lin Tuolan and Zhang Lingdong were unable to see through Zhou Heng’s true cultivation level.

Otherwise, if they knew that Zhou Heng was also of the Spiritual Sea Realm cultivation, they definitely wouldn’t have treated Zhou Heng so lightly, because even they could not defeat the Metallic People in the Great Heaven-reaching Array with such ease.

"Why should I continue to move forward?" Zhou Heng replied with a question.

Why?

Lin Tuolan and Zhang Lingdong were both frustrated. Wasn’t the reason obvious? To become a direct disciple of Saint Yangtian was what every Martial Artist on the continent dreamed of!

If this youngster did not harbor this desire, then why had he come here?

"Even if you had taken one more step, you would have drawn the attention of the Saints. Why would you give up?" Lin Tuolan asked again.

Zhou Heng shrugged and said, "I just wanted to come in and take a look; I had no intention of taking a master."

"How dare you!" Both Lin Tuolan and Zhang Lingdong’s eyes bulged. In their eyes, Zhou Heng’s words were nothing short of disrespect towards Saint Yangtian. As direct disciples, their reverence for Saint Yangtian was boundless, and they tolerated not the slightest disrespect towards him.

Zhou Heng actually held a lot of respect for this Saint Yangtian, who had such a martial spirit that deserved admiration from everyone. But respect was one thing; he would definitely not betray his own principles.

His words were indeed the truth.

"Elders, who has come to break through the Great Heaven-reaching Array?" At this moment, several more people ran over, all young men and women in their twenties, about seven or eight in total.

Zhou Heng smiled faintly and said, "Whether to challenge or not is my freedom, and I haven’t violated any rules of the Martial Pavilion, have I?"

Lin Tuolan and Zhang Lingdong were both livid yet simultaneously nodded and said, "From now on, you are a member of the Shangtian Martial Pavilion!" This was a rule set by Saint Yangtian, which they dared not disobey.

"Your name?" Zhang Lingdong asked, admitting Zhou Heng’s status, though his complexion was still very unsightly.

"Zhou Heng!"

This name was already very famous in Cold Blue Country, Langshui Country, and even some surrounding countries, but in the Heavenly Dragon Empire, it was quite unknown. Somehow, the news of Zhou Heng killing Mao Yuheng yesterday had not spread.

"Eh, elders, did this guy pass the trial of the array?" The newly arrived youngsters asked.

"What is your current cultivation level?" Lin Tuolan asked somewhat awkwardly.

As an expert of the Spiritual Sea Realm, he should have been able to see through Zhou Heng’s cultivation level at a glance, but he just couldn’t do it. The Shangtian Martial Pavilion classified disciples into three levels according to their cultivation level, corresponding to the heaven, earth, and human separate institutes, each with Saint Yangtian’s disciples explaining the Martial Path. Then, every month or so, this Martial Sage would personally appear to give lectures, and everyone could attend as listeners.

Not knowing Zhou Heng’s cultivation level, they had no way of assigning him to the appropriate institute.

Whoosh!

A figure flashed by, and suddenly Nangong Yuerong appeared out of thin air with a few colorful marks on her; fortunately, her breathing wasn’t too disordered, indicating her injuries weren’t severe.

"Yuerong, are you hurt?" Orchid Concubine asked in a hurry. Although she wasn’t Nangong Yuerong’s biological mother, emotionally, she had always considered Nangong Yuerong her own daughter.

"It’s nothing, just some minor injuries. However, I only managed to reach the thirty-sixth level before failing!" Nangong Yuerong said, her face full of dejection. She looked around and found that apart from Zhou Heng, she was the first to be eliminated, which made her feel even more downhearted.

"Yuerong—" A cry of surprise sounded, and whoosh, a figure flew swiftly towards Nangong Yuerong’s location.

Zhou Heng’s brow furrowed, and with a casual parry, although Nangong Yuerong was merely a slave in his eyes, since she was his woman, he absolutely wouldn’t allow another man to touch her.

Bang!

The figure was immediately sent flying, revealing a tall and handsome young man—it was Jing Tian!

More than two years had passed, and Jing Tian’s cultivation level had already reached the Second Layer Heaven of the Mountains and Rivers Realm, which was truly monstrous!

"Zhou Heng!" Jing Tian immediately gritted his teeth and shouted, with the aura of the Mountains and Rivers Realm billowing around him, forming the image of a giant above his head, roaring at Zhou Heng.

This guy’s cultivation speed is also too fast, isn’t it?

Although Zhou Heng had already entered the Spirit Sea Realm, how many fortuitous encounters had he had along the way? Just the Mysterious Yin Physique alone had brought him three, but Jing Tian’s path should have been quite ordinary, without any adventures in relics.

Without paying the price, how could one gain such significant improvements?

Could it be that he, like Ying Cheng’en, was blessed by the fortunes of heaven and earth, where treasures would automatically come to his door? Or perhaps... in the Wind Howl Forest, the benefits he received were far more than just an increase in bloodline concentration?

That place was inaccessible even to Nascent Soul Realm Old Ancestors, and it was very likely left by a Divinity Transformation Realm Expert. If Jing Tian truly obtained this peerless heritage, and even some peerless pills, then such rapid cultivation could be explained.

"Jing Tian, long time no see!" Zhou Heng said lightly. He used to have a lot of respect for this senior brother, but his fondness for Jing Tian had vanished after the Nangong Yuerong incident.

"Yuerong!" Jing Tian looked towards Nangong Yuerong, but Nangong Yuerong didn’t even bother to look at him directly. Jing Tian withdrew his gaze, his face full of chill, and said, "Zhou Heng, come fight with me in the Heavenly Arena!"

Saint Yangtian had decreed that private fights were forbidden within the Martial Pavilion, but how could martial artists lack the need to spar? The Heavenly Arena was the place for Martial Pavilion disciples to battle. With Spiritual Sea Realm Experts presiding over it, one could fight freely without fear of death or crippling injuries.

"You are not my match, forget it!" Zhou Heng brushed off his hands nonchalantly.

"Hahaha!"

Suddenly, all the young people present burst out laughing, their faces wearing mocking smiles.

"Zhou Heng, do you know that Jing Tian ranks second among the disciples in the Mountains and Rivers Realm? Moreover, he is currently only at the Second Layer Heaven. You dare to underestimate him, truly the ignorance of the fearless!" Several young people scoffed.

Every one of them taken in by the Shangtian Martial Institute was of exceptional talent. For them to wholeheartedly recognize someone, that person had to be exceedingly outstanding, like Zhao Duotian and Ying Cheng’en, peerless among their generation!

"With the two seniors present, let’s fight right here!" Jing Tian could hardly wait any longer; Nangong Yuerong was his heartache!

It wasn’t that Nangong Yuerong’s beauty was unmatched in the world—although she indeed was a great beauty. Even among those in the Heaven-Opening Realm, there were women who could match her, but a young man’s first love is always the most beautiful.

Jing Tian couldn’t let go. If he didn’t compete for Nangong Yuerong, he felt inferior to Zhou Heng. If it became a knot in his heart, the Spirit Sea Realm would be his limit, and he would never be able to form his own deities and advance to the Nascent Soul Realm.

"Fine by us!" Lin Tuolan and Zhang Lingdong looked at each other and nodded, believing that with the two of them presiding, nothing could possibly go wrong—the point of going to the Heavenly Arena was to avoid fatalities, wasn’t it?

Zhou Heng looked at the two with a somewhat mocking smile and said, "You really want to fight?"

"Zhou Heng, take my palm!" With the approval of the two Spiritual Sea Realm Experts, Jing Tian couldn’t wait any longer, immediately unleashing a palm strike towards Zhou Heng, which instantly grew as large as a hill.

When an Expert strikes, spiritual power can take various forms; this was not uncommon. However, Jing Tian was different; his palm truly enlarged as if it were a Giant Spirit Palm, emitting green light as it bore down on Zhou Heng.

This was the power of his bloodline. Zhou Heng had seen it more than once, and it was indeed very powerful.

Unfortunately, how could even the strongest in the Mountains and Rivers Realm be an opponent for someone in the Spirit Sea Realm? Even a strong individual like Zhou Heng could only entangle himself with the Spirit Sea Realm during his time in the Mountains and Rivers Realm, using the Swift Cloud Radiant Step to create distance and the mutant Purple Flame to strike!

Even he could not cross the threshold of this Great Realm; how could Jing Tian possibly do it? And all the more since Zhou Heng was the one at the higher realm!

He pointed his finger and met the approaching Giant Spirit Palm head-on.

Everyone showed a trace of cold smiles; the power gap between each minor realm was at most six times, and they were all prodigies who surpassed the usual strength of their peers in the same realm, capable of crossing minor realms in battle.

Although Jing Tian’s True Realm was only at the Second Layer Heaven of the Mountains and Rivers Realm, his strength was enough to suppress ninety-nine percent of those in the Mountains and Rivers Realm within Shangtian Martial Pavilion—except for another freak, the Azure Cloud King Liu Yun!

Clashing head-on with Jing Tian in terms of strength was not a wise move!

With this palm strike, Zhou Heng was sure to be severely injured.

Spurt—a spray of blood flew, Jing Tian’s Giant Spirit Hand immediately retracted, and his face turned deathly pale in an instant.

How is that possible!

Everyone’s mouths hung open! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)