Chapter 611 - 611: Beware of One Person

"If you could still use that saber technique of yours after activating your Tier Five Soul Technique, you might have had a fighting chance against me," Chu Qingyun said.

Hearing this, Pei Yongqing shook his head with a bitter smile.

"The power from a Tier Five Soul Technique is just too immense. It's impossible for me to control it perfectly, let alone execute a Saber Technique that complex."

"Besides, even if I could, it would be no match for your Lightning Sword..."

Pei Yongqing said, giving Chu Qingyun a deep look.

Even now, recalling the feeling of the Lightning Sword at his neck, he couldn't help but feel his heart tremble and a chill run down his spine.

Chu Qingyun thought for a moment, then nodded.

He understood. When power surged, the kind granted by a Soul Technique was naturally harder to control than power from one's own body.

And without perfect control over that power, one naturally couldn't execute powerful Sword and Saber Techniques, making it impossible to bring out one hundred percent of one's strength, let alone anything greater.

For example, power is like a weapon—a sword.

An ordinary person might be able to wield a one-kilogram sword proficiently, performing various Sword Techniques and flourishes.

But switch to a ten or even twenty-kilogram sword, and it's a completely different story.

Forget about flourishes and techniques; they'd be lucky if they could even swing it to chop at someone, and that would be pushing their limit.

When Pei Yongqing used his Tier Five Soul Technique, it was as if the one-kilogram sword in his hand had suddenly turned into a twenty-kilogram one. The exquisite moves from before were naturally impossible to execute; all he could do was resort to brute-force slashes.

After the fierce battle, the surrounding area of over a thousand meters was left in complete ruins.

The other hundred or so people had all retreated to a safe distance.

"He lost? How is that possible? Pei actually lost to some no-name kid?"

"He's too strong! That Chu Qingyun from the Saint Extreme Sect is just too powerful. He probably has no equal in the Martial Spirit Realm!"

"Heh heh, everyone says the Saint Extreme Sect is in decline, but from the looks of it, there's no sign of that at all..."

The battle had been over for a while, but the shock in everyone's hearts lingered, refusing to subside.

They had expected the fight to end cleanly and quickly. No one had anticipated that Chu Qingyun would not only fight on even ground but also defeat Pei Yongqing in one fell swoop!

After the battle, Chu Qingyun took out the Martial King Essence Pill from his robes.

Even now, the Martial King Essence Pill was still continuously emitting waves of exceptionally strong and distinct Primordial Power, tempting everyone who saw it.

At this moment, Pei Yongqing also seemed to notice something amiss.

'There seems to be a problem with that Martial King Essence Pill. Its fluctuations of Primordial Power can't be concealed.'

"Chu Qingyun, you may have defeated me, but I advise you to be careful of someone from my Celestial Sword Sect," Pei Yongqing said.

"Who?" Chu Qingyun asked.

"He Liang!" Pei Yongqing answered.

"He Liang... Don't tell me he's even stronger than you?"

Chu Qingyun was a little puzzled. 'Pei Yongqing has a powerful Saber Technique and a Tier Five Martial Soul, making him an absolute top-tier Level Nine Martial Spirit. Could there really be someone from the Celestial Sword Sect in the Withered Wood Forest who's even stronger than him?'

"Stronger than me... not necessarily. But if you run into him, you'd best be careful," Pei Yongqing said.

"Thank you."

Regardless, Pei Yongqing's warning was well-intentioned, so Chu Qingyun thanked him.

After the fight, Chu Qingyun called over the two Level Nine Martial Spirits from the Saint Extreme Sect who had been ordered to "protect" him, and they continued toward the center of the Withered Wood Forest.

"Junior Brother Chu, we were out of line before. Please be the bigger person and don't hold it against us."

"We didn't know your true strength, Junior Brother Chu. We truly offended you..."

The two of them apologized, full of shame.

But Chu Qingyun just smiled and said, "Don't worry about it, Senior Brothers. No matter what, you were here to help me."

After Chu Qingyun's group of three set off, Pei Yongqing wasted no more time and departed as well.

The rest of the crowd also quickly began to move forward.

For a time, over a hundred people were all moving through the forest together—a very rare sight in the Inner Sect Qualification Tournament.

These people followed behind Chu Qingyun, partly because the only direct path to the center of the Withered Wood Forest was the one straight ahead.

However, with the exception of Pei Yongqing, everyone else was, to some degree, still coveting the Martial King Essence Pill, hoping to fish in troubled waters.

After all, the temptation to ascend to the heavens in a single step—to become a Martial King Realm Expert and an Inner Sect Disciple—was simply too great.

As the group of over one hundred people advanced, new people, guided by the Primordial Power fluctuations from the Martial King Essence Pill, began arriving from all directions.

However, after hearing from their fellow sect members that Chu Qingyun had forced Pei Yongqing of the Celestial Sword Sect to admit defeat, their once-fiery hearts instantly turned cold.

If even Pei Yongqing had been defeated, what chance did they stand?

And so, drawn by the Martial King Essence Pill, the procession grew larger and larger.

As the number of people increased, the competition intensified.

After all, there were only a mere three hundred spots available to pass the final trial.

Moreover, disciples from the various major sects had unconsciously gathered together. Even the weakest sect had six or seven Level Nine Martial Spirits among them.

Therefore, no one dared to make a move.

The group had turned into a true contest of speed.

Of course, some unlucky people along the way were ambushed by withered-wood monsters.

When this happened, no one paid them any mind, except for a few close friends from their own sect who would stop to help.

So many people were following behind, all of them coveting the Martial King Essence Pill.

Of course, Chu Qingyun continued to travel through the night, not foolish enough to stop and rest.

They maintained this pace for a full day and night.

By the morning of the second day, the number of people drawn to Chu Qingyun by the Martial King Essence Pill had already surpassed three hundred!

But still, no one dared to make a move.

The procession had also stretched out; the faster ones were at the front, while the slower or more unfortunate ones had been left far behind.

"Junior Brother Chu, with so many people following us, isn't it getting a little dangerous?"

"Should we circle around or take a detour to shake them off?"

the two Level Nine Martial Spirits from the Saint Extreme Sect suggested.

Throughout the journey, the two of them had only managed to keep up with Chu Qingyun's pace thanks to his occasional help. As for the other disciples, they had been left so far behind that their auras could no longer be sensed, even through their imprints.

However, the three of them knew that the others were surely not too far behind.