Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 109 - Shock

Liu Wuxie, with a single punch, sent the three bronze men, equivalent to the sixth-level Xiantian Realm, flying. The bronze men were crafted from materials on par with spiritual artifacts, intricately engraved with numerous runes. A skilled blacksmith from the Imperial Academy was responsible for their creation.

The process of refining these bronze men was akin to crafting artifacts. The bronze men had the unique ability to move autonomously, making their construction a more complex task. These self-moving bronze men were often referred to as mechanical puppets or mechanism art.

As the elimination process continued, only eighty participants managed to withstand the fifteen breaths. This year’s recruitment fell short of reaching a hundred, marking an unprecedented event.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t that brat out yet?” The eliminated participants gritted their teeth. They were naturally unhappy that they were eliminated but not Liu Wuxie.

“That’s impossible! He’s merely in the fifth-level Xiantian Realm, so how can he possibly last this long?!” The expression of a participant at the seventh-level Xiantian Realm, who barely endured ten breaths, contorted dramatically. He would have had a high chance of becoming a student of the Imperial Academy if not for Liu Wuxie.

“Did the teacher go easy on him? After all, how can he possibly last this long when so many of us were eliminated?” Someone in the crowd began to stir up trouble, planning to confront the teacher as they couldn’t accept their defeat.

“Silence! Zhao Enzhu is a star teacher at the Imperial Academy, possessing a noble status. Do you know the consequences of doubting a star teacher?” Chen Leyao roared, interrupting them. The star teachers were the face of the Imperial Academy and the Great Yan Dynasty.

Everyone shut their mouths, not daring to say another word. If they persist in questioning the credibility of a distinguished teacher, their tribes could be at risk of being ostracized by the Imperial Academy. This could result in a perpetual loss of the privilege to enroll in the Imperial Academy.

As the assessment resumed, more students were eliminated towards the end.

“This is strange. It has been over fifteen minutes. Not only are Bai Yu and Yu Yifan still in the Profound Gate Pass, but that brat hasn’t emerged yet, either. Could it be that he died inside?” someone speculated in a hushed tone as most participants had completed their assessment, leaving only three remaining.

Xue Pinzhi’s face darkened. He was well aware that the Profound Gate Pass would become progressively more challenging, and it was difficult for anyone to endure fifteen minutes without reaching the Spirit Cleansing Realm. The fact that Liu Wuxie had yet to emerge was causing him unease.

In the control room, Zhao Enzhu also looked nervous, with a smear of shock in his eyes. The old man in the control system also couldn’t maintain his composure and muttered, “Another bronze man destroyed.”

The destruction of each bronze man would make the old man tremble.

Meanwhile, Zhao Enzhu’s eyes sparkled. Even though the bronze men were destroyed, they could always be reformed. However, a genius like this was a rarity, perhaps only appearing once in a century. The images on the crystal wall gradually dwindled as all participants were eliminated, leaving only Bai Yu, Yu Yifan, and Liu Wuxie.

With a thunderous explosion from the depth of the Profound Gate Pass, Bai Yu was sent flying away by a bronze man who had reached the Spirit Cleansing Realm. He was just one step away from the Profound Gate Pass exit. Yu Yifan was also sent flying out of the Profound Gate Pass shortly after.

With that, there was only one image left on the crystal wall. Liu Wuxie was up against a bronze man in the Spirit Cleansing Realm. Bai Yu and Yu Yifan were both defeated at this stage.

If Liu Wuxie could surpass this bronze man, there should be a final stage, but its nature was still a mystery. The bronze man in the Spirit Cleansing Realm stood roughly twice the height of two people, resembling a mountain and radiating intense pressure.

Liu Wuxie leaped to the sky. He was unaware of the outcomes for Bai Yu and Yu Yifan. If he wanted to secure the top spot, he would have to strive to pass through the Profound Gate Pass.

The bronze man moved, throwing out a punch that created a formidable shockwave. When Liu Wuxie and the bronze man clashed, their punches were like two meteorites clashing together. The entire Profound Gate Pass began to tremble violently, and even those outside the Profound Gate Pass could sense the tremors. Many participants, seated on the ground recovering their true essence, quickly stood up, sensing these tremors.

“What’s going on?” Everyone was shocked, thinking it was an earthquake, as they looked at the Profound Gate Pass.

Zhao Enzhu’s gaze never left Liu Wuxie. At the moment of impact between Liu Wuxie and the bronze man, the shockwave they produced was comparable to the third-level Spirit Cleansing Realm, and the bronze man staggered, taking a few steps back.

“Teacher Zhao, is that kid really in the Xiantian Realm?” The old man in charge of the central control system wore a look of disbelief; his face filled with shock.

“I’m just as curious!” Zhao Enzhu responded, his expression one of helplessness. Despite having encountered countless prodigies during his six decades as a star teacher, today’s spectacle left him baffled.

He couldn’t believe that someone in the fifth-level Xiantian Realm would unleash such immense power. Could it be due to his unique constitution? That was the only possible explanation that Zhao Enzhu could find.

Liu Wuxie didn’t retreat and attacked the bronze man head-on. He wanted to find the bronze man’s weakness to defeat him. He used his agility to his advantage, moving like a fox as he spun mid-air before striking the bronze man’s face. Before the bronze man could even react, Liu Wuxie was already behind it, swift as a blade.

“Oh shit!” the old man in the central control system exclaimed. He knew that each bronze man had their weakness. If someone could identify this weakness, defeating them would be a simple task.

The bronze man’s head exploded, shattering into fragments. This made the old man’s heart bleed, as each puppet was worth over 100,000,000 gold coins.

“This kid is strange. How did he know that the bronze man’s weakness was the back of its head?” Each bronze man had a different weakness that would change at any time, increasing the difficulty of the assessment. The weakness would be adjusted prior to each puppet’s activation.

Liu Wuxie discovered the weakness in a split second, shocking the old man. After all, the Profound Gate Pass would suffer an immense loss if this continued.

Zhao Enzhu was also baffled, wearing a wry smile. Liu Wuxie was about to reach the end of the Profound Gate Pass.

“Teacher Zhao, it’s been nearly half a century since anyone has successfully navigated the Profound Gate Pass, hasn’t it?” The old man took a deep breath to steady himself. Ever since he took over the management of the Profound Gate Pass, no one had made it through. But today, they might witness someone shattering a fifty-year-old record.

“Yeah, it’s been close to fifty years!” Zhao Enzhu’s eyes held a depth of reminiscence. Unbeknownst to him, he had spent over sixty years at the Imperial Academy, transitioning from a young man to a centenarian.

Liu Wuxie moved forward, his posture upright, with the exit just ahead of him. However, after taking about thirty steps, he came to an abrupt halt, sensing a formidable pressure emanating from the darkness.

“There’s a real person!” Liu Wuxie was taken aback. He had anticipated a powerful puppet, not a real person, at the end of the Profound Gate Pass.

He didn’t dare to be careless. He could defeat those puppets because he could sense their weaknesses. However, facing a real person would be a different challenge altogether, especially if he wanted to keep his trump cards hidden.

As Liu Wuxie approached, a gray figure appeared five steps away from Liu Wuxie. This person carried a long sword behind him, radiating a potent sword aura.

What a powerful sword aura! Liu Wuxie pondered to himself. This person didn’t have a high cultivation level and was only in the second-level Spirit Cleansing Realm. But he gave off a powerful sword aura that was endlessly close to comprehending sword intent.

“Draw your weapon. I won’t hold back, and I can only apologize in advance if I kill you,” the gray-clothed man said coldly, prompting Liu Wuxie to draw his weapon. After all, it was rare for deaths to occur in the assessment. However, this year was an exception due to Feng Bingquan’s death and the injuries of a dozen others, leading to a change in the assessment’s supervising teacher.

A blade appeared in Liu Wuxie’s hand as he narrowed his eyes. The best method was to take this gray-clothed man’s life with one strike, ending the Profound Gate Pass test. He was aware that every move he made during the assessment would be recorded, and a prolonged fight would reveal too many of his secret techniques.

“You have a strong bladesmanship!” The gray-clothed man narrowed his eyes when Liu Wuxie drew his blade, sensing a potent threat looming.

Zhao Enzhu couldn’t perceive it clearly as he was observing through the crystal wall. He could only infer from the injuries of the dozen or so crippled participants that Liu Wuxie was a powerful bladesman.

“Your swordsmanship isn’t weak either!” Liu Wuxie replied as a powerful blade aura swept out from him, stirring up the dust on the ground.

Murderous intent radiated in the eyes of the gray-clothed man, and he was serious about what he said. Anyone who could come this far would have to experience a brutal battle, and only those who survived were qualified to pass the test.

The gray-clothed man drew his sword, and his sword aura formed into a powerful storm, raining down and covering every inch of space, leaving Liu Wuxie with nowhere to hide.

Liu Wuxie also raised his blade to the sky. He knew he only had one chance, and they shared the same intention to end the battle with a single strike.

It had been an hour, and the assessment wasn’t over yet. The long wait made the participants outside complain because Liu Wuxie still hadn’t come out after so long.

As Liu Wuxie began to prepare his attack, a hint of blade intent started to form, which took the gray-clothed man by surprise. The gray-clothed man became serious and praised, “You’re quite extraordinary to condense your blade intent in the Xiantian Realm!”

After all, anyone who could comprehend blade intent could be considered a genius. The gray-clothed man raised his sword as soon as he finished speaking and swung it down, generating layers of shockwaves that morphed into a soundwave, charging towards Liu Wuxie.

His cultivation was in the second-level Spirit Cleansing Realm, but the power he unleashed was comparable to the third-level Spirit Cleansing Realm. It was as expected of a genius produced by the Imperial Academy.

Liu Wuxie didn’t dare to be careless and swung his blade down, producing a violent shockwave in the air. He also activated the Ghost Eye, capturing every trajectory and movement of the gray-clothed man’s swordsmanship.

The two rapidly closed the distance. Initially five steps apart, they clashed in a fraction of a moment, with sparks flying from their colliding weapons, illuminating the entire Profound Gate Pass.

Only then did Liu Wuxie manage to see the gray-clothed man clearly. This man had a long scar on the left side of his face, stretching from his forehead to his chin, making him look sinister. It was no wonder that this man chose to remain in the Profound Gate Pass, as someone with his appearance might scare many people if he ventured out.