Chapter 514 - 292: Saber Momentum, Frenzied Imprint

How did you figure it out?

"With my eyes."

Su Mu spoke honestly. Although he possessed a comprehension panel that displayed enhancements in comprehension, Su Mu discovered early on that it was not just his comprehension improving.

His five senses, physique, bone structure, and spiritual power also experienced a certain degree of enhancement.

Whenever Su Mu focused intently, it was as if the world slowed down tenfold in his eyes, or even more. This slow-down allowed Su Mu to accomplish many things.

For instance, he could multi-task, utilizing his inference talent to analyze and deduce everything that had slowed down, and then unravel it with terrifying comprehension.

Su Mu spoke the truth. After a momentary pause, Li Changshan realized his slip of the tongue. Everyone has their secrets, and since Wang Chan was unwilling to divulge his, there was no reason for him to persist in asking.

"Tao Xinglie doesn’t seem as strong as you mentioned... Given the same realm, Sister Gu Xue’Er might not necessarily lose."

Li Yao suddenly spoke up.

The audience below was abuzz with chatter. Li Yao’s assessment wasn’t much different from many others, but on the stage, Tao Xinglie seemed to only hear the words from the Li Family.

"Humph!"

Tao Xinglie’s gaze with cold intensity landed on the Li Family, pausing briefly before settling on Su Mu.

"First round, the Tao Family’s Tao Xinglie wins!"

The level of excitement in the first round exceeded the expectations of most present. Originally thought to be a one-sided contest, Gu Xue’Er left the audience with a stunning performance in the end.

"Second round, White Whale Gang’s Guo Zhen versus Song Family’s Song Jingyuan!"

As the elder onstage announced the second round, a wave of cheers erupted, ushering in another climax. If the previous round was unexpectedly spectacular,

then this round was the most anticipated battle. Tao Xinglie, Song Jingyuan, Guo Zhen, and Baili Feng were the four geniuses of Donglai City.

Before the grand meet, the trio were the strongest contenders for the championship. This was a balanced and tough match.

"White Whale Gang’s Guo Zhen."

"Song Family’s Song Jingyuan!"

The two ascended the stage. Guo Zhen, with a robust physique, donned a white martial robe with a white whale pattern, carrying a massive saber nearly as tall as himself. The saber, with a silver spine and blue blade, from afar looked like a shimmering wave, his aura brimming with Qi blood, exuding a martial artist’s imposing presence.

Song Jingyuan, clad in elegant green attire, with a face like jade, walked with a crisp jingle of his jade pendant. Every gesture carried the noble air of being the second son of the Prefectural Governor of Donglai, yet his slender phoenix eyes occasionally held a shadowy glint, adding unpredictability to his nobility.

After exchanging formal greetings,

Guo Zhen made the first move. Once a martial artist reaches the middle third grade, they start refining their Qi blood. The externalized Qi blood greatly enhances a martial artist’s survivability, providing a countermeasure against the Three Religions cultivators.

However, until one reaches the upper three grades, martial artists lack long-range offensive capabilities. In close quarters combat, martial artists inherently possess the advantage.

Yet, the moment it became close combat, the martial artist had an absolute edge, a fact determined by the cultivation methods, which explained the initial shock but subsequent acceptance when Wang Chan subdued Tao Xinglie with a single move.

Below the upper three grades,

close combat was a martial artist’s domain, while beyond close range was the domain of the Three Religions cultivators, a long-standing consensus in the cultivation realm.

Guo Zhen was no exception. Onstage, he took a step forward, his black hair fluttering fiercely, his Qi blood coursing vigorously within him. A solid plume of smoke above his head instantaneously manifested into a grand four-zhang-three-chi long torrent of Qi blood.

The torrent rapidly condensed into a flood dragon shadow, which immediately transformed into a suit of Qi blood dragon armor. As the Qi blood surged again, Guo Zhen seemed to metamorphose into a humanoid furnace, his emitted Qi blood as scorching as molten lava.

The surrounding air twisted violently, waves of heat spreading like ripples.

In the span of a single breath, the ambient temperature soared by several dozen to over a hundred degrees. The chill left by Gu Xue’Er’s cube array from the previous round was swiftly dispersed, as if one had returned to the blistering heat of summer.

Martial artists’ Qi blood undergoes four transformations; each blood exchange marks a transformation. Generally, the number of blood exchanges is related to the length of the Qi blood river, which reflects one’s martial talent.

Most martial artists who have completed two blood exchanges will have a Qi blood river shorter than two zhang. Among them, especially talented ones might reach two zhang, and some prodigies might surpass the two-zhang limit.

Similarly, martial artists who have completed three blood exchanges are within a three zhang range and will eventually break the three-zhang limit as they approach a fourth blood exchange.

For instance, even the Blood Wolf Woman, with three blood exchanges, had just reached two zhang eight chi, and the Hall Master of the Jiao Blood, Liu E, only reached two zhang nine chi.

Guo Zhen, with his Qi blood river reaching a massive size of four zhang three chi, showcased extraordinary martial talent.

Furthermore, a Sixth-Grade Martial Artist can continue refining their Qi blood after the second transformation or choose to advance to the Fifth Grade and then resume refining. However, the latter choice means the Qi blood temporarily sets after advancing, making future refinement more difficult and resource-intensive.

The first transformation is the Qi blood smoke.

The second transformation is the Qi blood river.

The third transformation is the Qi blood dragon.

The fourth transformation is the Qi blood furnace, the pinnacle of blood exchange.

In an instant, Guo Zhen displayed all four transformations of his Qi blood, the transitions between the first three transformations astonishingly fast. In the eyes of the ordinary people, Guo Zhen seemed to just take a step forward, and his emitted Qi blood solidified into dragon armor.

"Four zhang three chi, four blood exchanges... Qi blood furnace!"

Su Mu’s eyes brightened, but he also slightly furrowed his brows, keenly noting the lag in Guo Zhen’s transition to the Qi blood furnace, indicating he had just recently mastered it.