In the game "High Martial Arts," players start with the blessing of the Martial God.

Chapter 68 Ultimate Showdown

On the arena, Ji Ming shook his head and chuckled, not taking it to heart. He then turned to look at another arena and took a light breath.

"Wow, that's really strong!"

Gu Yi was beating the mage from Yunmo City, his punches and kicks crackling with lightning. After watching for a while, Gu Yi understood that it was an explosion, an explosion in every sense of the word!

This talent is somewhat similar to "Stellar Transformation," enhancing all-around abilities, but it consumes far less resources than "Stellar Transformation," making it almost usable as a regular method.

The only good news is that innate talents need to grow with the cultivation level until they reach their peak, and at the current stage, the increase in power seems to be better than that of the Star Change.

He's a formidable rival!

Ji Ming observed for a moment and came to this conclusion: Gu Yi's aura fluctuations had maintained a life intensity of 12.0, which meant he was not using his full strength. Even so, he was still fighting as if he were a mage of the same realm.

"This is the Nine Roars of Wind and Thunder, rated as a high-level extraordinary talent by the Professionals Association!"

Liu Shuo stood beside him at some point and said slowly, "This talent gives him an extremely high level of comprehension of the two elements of wind and thunder, and these two elements will constantly transform his body. Even if he doesn't cultivate physical martial arts techniques, his physical strength will not be weak."

"Furthermore, when needed, he can forcibly absorb a large amount of wind and thunder energy from the surrounding area for his own use, causing his combat power to surge!"

Ji Ming's eyes showed contemplation. He could transform the power of heaven and earth into his own power. This was an ability that only those at the fourth level or above could possess, and it was indeed unsolvable at this stage.

But it's only relative; there's no such thing as absolute invincibility. He quickly came up with a solution.

"Perhaps I can give it a try," Ji Ming muttered to himself, an idea forming in his mind.

"Don't feel too much pressure. Getting this far is enough to prove yourself. I believe the Holy Land admissions office will change their evaluation of you next."

Liu Shuo patted him on the shoulder and said in a gentle tone.

Ji Ming was slightly taken aback and shook his head. This meant they didn't have high hopes for him at all, and were afraid that he would be too badly defeated and discouraged.

That makes sense, though. In other people's eyes, he had only just broken through to the Jade Purity Realm, with a life strength of 11.0. No matter how well he cultivated his martial arts, it would be difficult for him to surpass Gu Yi.

Without saying much, Gu Yi seemed to have noticed the situation on his side, so he was eager to end the battle. He suddenly burst out, and powerful energy waves spread from his body. He threw a punch that created a vacuum, and with wind and thunder around him, he was like a god descending from heaven. With a flash of lightning, his movements were extraordinary, and his opponent was kicked off the stage with almost no power to resist!

"Life strength is at least 13.5, or even higher!"

Sensing the fluctuations in Gu Yi's aura just now, Ji Ming muttered to himself, a hint of fighting spirit rising within him. He really was hiding his true strength!

"Hiss! Quickly write this down, Gu Yi's life strength has reached a new high!"

Many university admissions officers got excited. Of course, they had no interest in Gu Yi, but this information could be sold to top-ranked institutions.

In the Xia Kingdom, the competition for students has become an open affair every year, and many have even fought over it. Apart from the four major star palaces, which remain high and mighty, even the ten holy lands have had their share of conflicts.

"Hmm, not bad, but I wonder how your Qian Tian Yi Qi Gong is progressing?"

Liu Zhiming also showed interest. "Nine Howls of Wind and Thunder" is a very powerful talent with a high potential. He was optimistic that Gu Yi might stand out in the Star Realm Grand Examination.

Hou Gang's eyes flickered, clearly he was also considering it, but he didn't say anything. Unless it was a genius of extraordinary talent, they wouldn't lower themselves to compete for it.

Gu Yi's level can only be described as excellent, but he is still far from good enough!

"Teacher Zhao, you have keen insight! This student, Gu Yi, has indeed concealed his true level. His life strength is between 13.5 and 14.0, and his combat power is assessed as the fifth to sixth level of the Jade Purity Realm!"

"That's what the bespectacled man said in praise."

His assessment of combat strength was based on the most ordinary Jade Purity Realm. Which of these geniuses doesn't have a few trump cards to challenge those above their level?

"Yes, she is indeed very outstanding. She would be quite good even in the Star Realm Grand Examination." The middle-aged beautiful teacher Zhao nodded.

"Of course, Ji Ming's performance was also good. He may be a little lacking in the ability to break through bottlenecks, but his talent in body-refining martial arts is indeed top-notch. This shows that his martial arts will is also very firm, and his future prospects are promising."

She instructed, "Once he loses his fight with Gu Yi, we'll immediately send him an invitation. I'm sure he won't refuse!"

The bespectacled man nodded excitedly. Every genius he recruited was a significant achievement!

After Ji Ming's defeat, they "seized the opportunity" and used the admission invitation to soothe his wounded heart, believing that he had no reason to refuse.

As for whether Ji Ming will win?

What a joke! There's absolutely no way that's possible!

A first-level Jade Purity Realm cultivator possesses combat power exceeding that of a fifth-level Jade Purity Realm cultivator, a rare occurrence even in the eight central provinces, and sought after by the four major star palaces.

"Let's fight!"

Before Liu Shuo could announce it, Gu Yi jumped directly onto the arena belonging to Ji Ming. The sound of thunder striking and wind howling inside his body resounded incessantly. If he were facing Chen Jun's opponent, the opponent's thunder pool could only replenish his energy. Years of tempering his body with wind and thunder made his resistance to wind and thunder power far greater than ordinary people could imagine.

Liu Shuo wasn't angry at all; he simply smiled and left the stage, leaving the two of them to it.

"I know you must be hiding something too. Come on, you can't possibly be my match in this state!" Gu Yi's fists crackled. He didn't use any weapons, he only used his iron fists to conquer the world.

Ji Ming pointed the blade forward, not to be outdone, "Then let's see if you have the ability!"

Nine Luminaries Mystic Heaven, a Heaven-Shattering Kill!

Ji Ming unleashed the Nine Luminaries Profound Heaven Blade Technique with all his might, and a trace of the "Heaven-Shattering Kill" power could already be vaguely seen. The blade light was invincible, as if it could cut through the void. The seventy-two moves had been fused into nine blades, and even the space itself was trembling slightly.

"Sizzle!"

Like a tattered cloth being torn apart, the nine sword lights merged with the Moon Shadow Slash, adding three more points of power!

Feeling the stinging pain from his body's stress response, Gu Yi was not surprised but delighted. "Haha, good timing!"

Om-!

Gu Yi finally unleashed his body-refining martial arts technique for the first time. A Vajra phantom image entwined with a dragon and elephant enveloped him, and an ancient bell rang out, as if transporting people to an ancient temple thousands of years old.

Dragon-Elephant Vajra Body!

"boom!"

Nine moon-shadow blades struck the Vajra phantom, causing Gu Yi to stagger back several steps, but his body remained completely unharmed.

Ji Ming became serious. He had heard of this body-refining martial art before. It was also of the upper level of the Heavenly Rank, only slightly inferior to the Starry Sky King Body. Judging from this, Gu Yi had obviously already mastered the first characteristic.

"My turn! Wind and Thunder Dragon Elephant Vajra Fist!"

Gu Yi laughed loudly, merging the power of wind and thunder with his Vajra Body. He threw a punch, and a dragon-elephant fist aura, raging with wind and thunder, roared out.

boom-!

The dragon and elephant roared as they landed, causing the entire arena to shake violently. A large crater appeared, filled with sand, gravel, and smoke, which dissipated into the air and transformed into earth elemental power.

Gu Tiannian's expression changed, and with a flick of his sleeve, a beam of earthy-yellow light merged into the arena. "These little guys are truly remarkable!"

He stared intently at the center of the pit, and an extremely powerful aura gradually emerged.

Ji Ming grabbed the head of the dragon-elephant phantom with one hand. With just a light touch, the starlight on its chest flickered slightly. A tremendous force caused the dragon-elephant phantom to let out a mournful cry, and then a cracking sound rang out. Spiderweb-like cracks instantly covered its entire body, and finally it scattered into the sky and returned to the heavens and earth.

"Stellar Transformation is truly remarkable!"

Gu Yi frowned. Only through personal experience could one understand that his Dragon Elephant Vajra Body was still a notch short.

With a slight sigh, he coiled the power of wind and thunder around his legs, leaving an afterimage as he punched Ji Ming. Since that was the case, he had no choice but to rely on his innate talent to win!

"Whoosh!"

Ji Ming's figure also moved, his body almost becoming ethereal, about to transform into a rainbow and fly away, dodging the punch at the critical moment!

"What?"

Gu Yi was slightly taken aback. This was the first time he had encountered someone who could keep up with him in speed. What kind of movement technique was this?

"Void Escape, Nine Luminaries Mystic Heaven Blade!"

Liu Zhiming slowly uttered these words, his eyes widening in shock, "It seems Luo Zhao cares deeply for this student of his!"

He was filled with emotion. The Nine Luminaries Profound Heaven Blade was that person's signature skill when he was young, and many disciples of the Qian Tian School could not even get the true teachings!

"This is getting interesting!"

Liu Zhiming began to take the battle seriously and was astonished by Ji Ming's comprehension. He knew that Luo Zhao had not been back in his hometown for long, and Ji Ming was able to master these two martial arts in such a short time. If it weren't for his background, he might really be able to compete with the Star Palace Dao Seed!

Whoosh!

There was no one in sight on the arena anymore; only a rainbow of light and wind and thunder were colliding and chasing each other.

Furthermore, two distinct fields appeared on the arena: one half was an ancient sea of ​​thunder and lightning formed by wind, thunder, dragon, elephant, and Vajra, and the other half was a black gravity domain with twinkling stars that crushed the heavens and earth.

"drink!"

After the collision, Ji Ming staggered backward, retreating from his semi-rainbow form. His face paled, and he sighed inwardly, realizing that he still lacked mastery over the Void Escape Technique!

【Tai Xu Yi Xuan: Iv.6 (5%)】

The Book of Willpower was surprisingly effective. The first five levels of this martial art were not too difficult. He comprehended it to this extent with just one enlightenment. He also gained some understanding of [Heavenly Rainbow] and could briefly enter a semi-rainbow state, greatly increasing his speed.

The Tai Xu Yi Dun he learned was, after all, a castrated version of a movement technique, incomparable to the Nine Luminaries Profound Heaven Blade. It was somewhat similar to the Qian Tian Yi Qi Gong, with the difficulty increasing step by step, which is why he was able to cultivate to such a level in a short time. But now it seems that he is still a bit behind Gu Yi Jiu Xiao Feng Lei.

"Ji Ming, you certainly didn't disappoint me!"

Gu Yi clutched his chest, where there was a clear knife wound. The triple power boost provided by the Stellar Transformation, combined with the super penetrating power of the Nine Luminaries Profound Heaven Blade, was still too strong. Even his Vajra Body couldn't withstand it and was slashed open.

"But it's over!"

Gu Yi rarely showed a smug smile, "You were a little unlucky. If it had been a day earlier, I probably wouldn't have been able to beat you so easily."

As he finished speaking, his source power suddenly erupted, and four faint vortexes appeared on his body. Then he began to devour the source power of heaven and earth. The powerful source power fluctuations actually transformed into a tangible gale, and the power of wind and thunder also solidified to a higher level. Dark clouds pressed down overhead, and lightning flashed and thunder roared!

"Fourth level of jadeite?"

A series of gasps erupted from the audience. After seeing Gu Yi display four Heavenly Veins, they couldn't help but stand up, their eyes filled with undisguised shock.

At the fourth level of Jade Purity, opening four Heavenly Meridians signifies entering the mid-stage of the Jade Purity Realm. Compared to the previous three levels, there is a slight transformation. Gu Yi's ability to cultivate to such a level at this age is truly a rare talent unseen in Baichuan City for the past ten years.

"Gu Yi is going to win!"

The thought flashed through everyone's minds. Both sides had revealed their trump cards, but Ji Ming was still a few levels below in terms of skill.

"Something's not right!"

Liu Zhiming and Hou Gang, who were in the corner, were far more powerful than everyone else present. Only they could sense an unusual aura emanating from Ji Ming.

Zhao Yinman, who had been sitting silently with Shangguan Yue in a daze, suddenly sat up straight. A sword shadow appeared in her pupils, and she murmured, "This—could it be?"

"What's wrong?"

Shangguan Yue was stunned. She didn't know what had gotten into her senior sister that made her so agitated just because Ji Ming was about to lose. It couldn't be that serious, could it?

The battle on the arena continued. Feeling the powerful pressure emanating from Gu Yi, Ji Ming sighed slightly. "Still can't do it?"

If he is truly a piece of ordinary jade of the first grade, he has indeed reached his limit!

Recalling Master Luo's words, how could he, with his caution, not ask whether he needed to hide his entry into the path to godhood? But the latter simply shook his head and firmly told him that with the strength of the Xia Kingdom, there was no need for its own genius to play the fool.

He only needs to demonstrate his potential, and all the troubles ahead will be dealt with by others!

Moreover, the path to godhood is not unique to him; every year, some geniuses from the four major star palaces embark on this path.

Not uncommon!

"Phew! Let's do it!"

Ji Ming let out a soft breath, his aura no longer concealed, shining like the rising sun, revealing a powerful life force beyond his realm, and his rising aura actually rivaled that of Gu Yi.

"boom!"

The two auras clashed, causing a stir, and in the end, they were evenly matched.

"What's going on?"

Many professionals from the three cities of Hanyue who came to watch the battle looked bewildered. As Ji Ming unleashed his full power, they could sense that he had indeed only opened one Heavenly Meridian, undoubtedly at the first level of the Jade Purity Realm, but this life force was far too strong.

"Could it be some kind of special secret technique?" someone murmured, but no one offered an answer.

Many university teachers frowned, completely unable to figure out what was going on.

"Snap!"

A chair shattered in the audience. The admissions officer from Longhua Holy Land clenched his fists tightly. "No wonder... no wonder he's been stuck at the Mortal Realm."

The reason for the blockade of the Ascension Method is that some ordinary geniuses might try it recklessly, causing a shortage of talent and a lack of backbone in the Xia Kingdom. However, the Longhua Holy Land, as an entity aspiring to become one of the Ten Great Holy Lands, is aware of this.

So she quickly realized why Ji Ming had stayed at the tenth level of the mortal realm for more than a month – he was waiting to condense the heart of heaven and earth!

"Who collected this information? Didn't they say his cultivation level was only seven two months ago?" she retorted angrily.

How could someone skip several levels in just two months, especially during the most difficult stage of Qian Tian Yi Qi Gong? Therefore, there must have been a problem with the information at the time.

The bespectacled man looked bitter. Ji Ming wanted to hide his feelings, so what could he do?

"never mind!"

Her high, firm chest heaved slightly before she slowly sat down. In any case, Ji Ming was not meant to be with their Dragon Flower Holy Land, so there was no point in getting angry.

When Ji Ming demonstrated that he had taken a step towards godhood, she had no intention of trying to compete for it. Warriors on the path to godhood can only go to the Four Great Star Palaces, and even the Ten Great Holy Lands are difficult to reach. Bringing back ordinary holy lands would only mislead the younger generation.

"I hope Ji Ming can go even further!"

As her regret faded, she quickly calmed down. It was too late to regret it now. Martial artists on the path to godhood could indeed forge an unparalleled foundation, but this path was destined to be full of thorns. Countless geniuses had fallen and perished, and very few could reach the peak, let alone pursue the elusive legend of the Martial God.

Of course, the younger you are when you embark on the path to godhood, the better. It's just that Ji Ming's background is too low, and his family background can't provide any help, so joining the Star Palace is inevitable. Otherwise, she really wouldn't mind trying to snatch it.

Unlike the shock and bewilderment of the others, Hou Gang and Liu Zhiming's eyes were filled with excitement the moment they confirmed it!

Rob them! We must get Ji Ming back!

Hou Gang was even more frantic; he was about to be promoted and desperately needed such a good student!

Even if there are no opportunities, we must create them!

To be able to cultivate the Heart of Heaven and Earth in a small place like Shirakawa City is quite remarkable. Although he is still very immature now, given time, he may be able to compete with the descendants of those top-tier and peak martial artists!

It's unclear how much Luo Zhao paid for it, but it certainly wasn't much. Luo Zhao himself was in such a terrible state, the Qian Tian School was barely surviving, and they even had to ask the Hao Jian School for help. What kind of foundation could they possibly have?

"Hmph, Hou Gang, the resources needed for a warrior on the path to godhood will be considerable in the future. Can you afford them?" Liu Zhiming asked, his eyes gleaming.

He should have realized this long ago. As a member of the Qian Tian School, how could Luo Zhao's disciples not follow the path to godhood?

"No need for you to trouble yourself!"

Hou Gang waved his hand, unyielding, "I can't afford to support them, but I still have the Lingzhen School behind me, and even the entire Yuanwu Holy Land!"

"Then let's see who has the best skills!"

Liu Zhiming waved his sleeve and stopped arguing with him, because if they wanted to take Ji Ming away, the first person they had to face was Luo Zhao!

Hou Gang had also thought of this, but he remained confident. Now it's a new era, and it's only natural for students to have multiple teachers at different stages. If it's truly for Ji Ming's good, then the student shouldn't be prevented from pursuing a better future.

Compared to the Yanhuang Star Palace, their Yuanwu Holy Land is definitely more willing to spend a lot of money, because for the former, a martial artist who has reached the first step of the Divine Ascension Realm is not absolutely necessary.

Having already made up his mind, Hou Gang quickly sent out the message to let the bigwigs of the school decide. A young prodigy with a clean background was really worth winning over. It would be even better if he could be taken under their wing!

Hou Gang stared intently at Liu Zhiming, believing that the other was doing the same thing. They didn't have the authority to recruit a prodigy martial artist who had embarked on the path to godhood, so they had to report it to their superiors.

After all, while the Divine Ascension Technique is powerful, the increased difficulty of the bottleneck means that they will need a lot of rare resources in the future, so they are not qualified to make any promises.

Now he was actually glad that Ji Ming and Luo Zhao were connected, otherwise that old scoundrel might have done something like kidnapping people and taking them back to Yanhuang!

A hint of regret lingered in Liu Zhiming's eyes. He had indeed thought about it just now, but he dared not. Luo Zhao was now a toothless tiger, weak and frail, but his tigerish might still remained.

Given Luo Zhao's domineering style, he was afraid he would be beheaded on the spot!

"Senior sister, what's wrong with him?"

Shangguan Yue covered her cherry lips and widened her eyes. Zhao Yinman's eyes shone with excitement as she nodded. Although they belonged to the Immortal Path, they were not unfamiliar with the Ascension Techniques of Martial Artists.

"No wonder Uncle Luo had to ask Master for a spot!"

Zhao Yinman suddenly realized that martial artists who ascended to the Divine Path had to enter their Tianyi Star Palace!

It would be even more remarkable if Ji Ming could break through on his own before entering the school. This should have been beyond Uncle Luo's expectations, right?

"Wow, impressive. To cultivate the Ascension Technique at such a young age is quite rare even in the eight central provinces. But those people must come from top-tier martial arts families. This year's contest is going to be interesting!"

Shangguan Yue said with great interest, "Those monstrous martial artists have found their match!"

"It's too early to say!"

Zhao Yinman shook her head, "After all, he comes from a very low background and his skill level is far inferior. It's too early for him to go head-to-head with those guys."

After thinking for a moment, Shangguan Yue could only nod helplessly. Ji Ming did need some time to develop. It was very slow for martial artists on the path to godhood to break through their realms. It would probably be difficult for him to catch up with those people within a year or two.

"Ugh!"

She was somewhat disappointed; she had been hoping that Ji Ming would beat up one of the annoying guys, but that hope seemed to have vanished for the time being.

"The dust has settled on this battle!"

Without further thought, the two women simultaneously turned their gazes to the arena, and the outcome was already clear.