"Him? What, you're interested too?"
The elder next to him chuckled and replied, "His na is Dugu Ao. He joined the Sacred Ground a year ago, and his cultivation was outstanding from the start. He practically challenged all the top disciples on the Hidden Dragon Ranking one by one, and didn’t lose a single fight. He's the most promising disciple in this batch."
"Interesting," Xu Zimo narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Does he have a master?"
Hearing Xu Zimo's question, the elder glanced at the Grand Elder, as if hesitant to speak.
"What is it?" Xu Zimo asked curiously.
"Speak freely. It’s nothing serious," the Grand Elder replied calmly.
"I had wanted to take him as my personal disciple, but unfortunately, he turned down."
"Really now?" Xu Zimo smiled and looked at the young man in the arena with interest.
The elder next to him nodded and said, "It’s said his master is a hidden expert.
He ca out this ti just to make his master’s na known."
"Then he’ll likely challenge a core disciple," Xu Zimo smiled.
...
At noon, the sunlight filtered through the clouds.
What had been a clear sky suddenly turned overcast.
The blue sky turned gray.
The sun was covered by dark clouds, and from deep within the clouds ca occasional rolls of thunder.
The inner court competition had ended, and the top three had been decided.
They were Dugu Ao, Ji Baiyu, and a youth nad Zhuo Yan.
Gao Xiong was very strong too, but due to his lower realm, he ultimately lost narrowly to Zhuo Yan.
The elder stepped forward and looked seriously at the three of them.
"As per the rules, each of you has the chance to challenge a core disciple. If you win, you’ll earn one use of the Legendary Furnace. Do you want to challenge?"
"I’ll pass," Zhuo Yan shook his head.
Ji Baiyu hesitated, then also shook her head.
She had been caught up in the matter of the Seven Ancients of the North Sea lately, leaving her little focus for cultivation.
Only Dugu Ao’s eyes remained sharp as he looked toward the core disciples.
Xiang Qianheng leaned lazily against a stone platform and chuckled,
"Looks like this year’s inner court still has so feisty ones."
"Wonder who’s gonna get underestimated," Xia Zihe said casually, wiping his broadsword.
Undefeated Sword Monarch slightly raised his head, his gaze filled with sharp sword intent as if countless sword auras surged out.
He stared only at Xiang Qianheng, ignoring everyone else.
...
"I challenge Xu Ze," Dugu Ao paused for a mont, then said slowly.
Hearing that na, everyone turned to look at the white-robed young man nearby.
Xu Ze, he was the youngest personal disciple of the Second Grand Elder.
Although not extrely talented, he had stepped into the early Imperial ridian realm.
Now hearing Dugu Ao's challenge, his face turned grim with a hint of humiliation.
"Little Ze, looks like soone’s looking down on you," Daoyang said with a gentle smile.
Xu Ze exhaled slowly and picked up his long saber, walking step by step onto the arena.
"I'll break his legs."
...
The dark clouds above gathered thicker and denser, and the sky had already dimd a lot.
Looking up, the rumbling thunder seed to roar in fury.
On the black iron arena, Xu Ze and Dugu Ao stood facing each other.
"You’ll regret this choice," Xu Ze said as saber energy surged around him.
All six of his vein gates were open, this was the full pressure of an Imperial ridian cultivator.
A wild wind howled through the area with every breath he took.
"You’ll lose," Dugu Ao said calmly.
The long halberd in his hand trembled slightly, as if eager for battle and hard to suppress.
From the upper seats, Xu Zimo looked toward the Grand Elder and asked, "Grand Elder, who do you think will win?"
"In theory, Xu Ze should win," the Grand Elder replied calmly. "Unless Dugu Ao has so hidden trump card."
"Then this should be worth watching," Xu Zimo said with a stretch and a smile.
...
Xu Ze held his long saber, releasing a blade aura several ters long.
He leapt into the air, gripping the saber with both hands and slashed down toward Dugu Ao.
Dugu Ao didn’t back down either. He spun his iron halberd a few tis as pressure from his Paragon ridian realm surged.
Dark spiritforce swirled on his right hand, and the halberd tip lunged forward with force.
Boom!
Endless saber energy and spiritforce exploded outward.
Dugu Ao was pushed back several steps, and cracks spread across the iron arena beneath his feet.
His hands holding the halberd trembled slightly.
"Still a bit forced..."
Seeing this, even Xu Ze was slightly stunned.
They were a full realm apart,
Yet the opponent had taken his strike head-on without injury, only slightly less powerful.
He gripped his saber tighter. If they were at the sa level, he couldn’t imagine the outco.
"That’s all you’ve got?" Xu Ze scoffed, refusing to admit weakness.
His spiritforce surged, and he pressed forward, giving Dugu Ao no room to breathe.
...
Dugu Ao held his halberd. Its long reach gave him strength, and the halberd tip radiated endless spiritforce, slicing through the surrounding space.
However, Xu Ze’s offensive was too fierce. Over ti, Dugu Ao was beginning to struggle.
Just as he was about to be knocked off the arena, Dugu Ao gave a sharp shout.
He rolled to the ground, narrowly dodging a saber slash and moved to the other side of the arena.
"What now? All that arrogance and now you’re just dodging?" Xu Ze said with disdain, saber aura raging around him.
Dugu Ao exhaled deeply and slamd the halberd down hard.
The arena cracked beneath him, the halberd driven a few centiters deep into the ground.
The dark spiritforce around him began to surge wildly.
He closed his eyes slightly and gripped the halberd at its center.
As the dark energy flowed, it ford the shape of a flying dragon at the halberd’s tip.
At the sa ti, the engraved dragon patterns on the halberd began to glow faintly.
...
"Ao'er, I began practicing the Heaven-Cracking Halberd at age seven. By forty, I had mastered halberd arts and swept through half of the Eastern Continent. At a hundred, I gave up the halberd. Grass, wood, bamboo, stone, all could beco my weapon. But to keep the divine weapon from gathering dust, I now pass it to you. Do not bring sha to my na."
Dugu Ao slowly opened his eyes as the wind howled before him.
His master’s words from his youth echoed in his ears.
"War Halberd Art," he said firmly and powerfully.
Then he slightly stepped forward with his right foot. The embedded halberd shot up into the air.
He and the halberd seed to rge into one.
Gripping the airborne halberd tightly with his right hand, he thrust it straight at Xu Ze.
Boom!
The halberd tip carried a burst of dazzling spiritforce.
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