Chapter One Hundred and Six: A Breakthrough in Sudden Enlightenment

A dozen or so Spirit Warriors were present. Besides the five elders, there were also the Four Kings, as well as the chief of the Spirit Elixir Hall of the Heaven Character Battalion, and the chief of the Spirit Weapon Hall, among others.

With the Fifth Elder’s exclamation, all the elders showed surprise, while the other Spirit Warriors could not help but narrow their pupils; the four words "the Way of Heaven" struck them like a thunderclap.

The Way of Heaven might have been unknown to others, but to Spirit Warriors it was no stranger. It was the longing of every one of them.

The Way of Heaven was reputed to be the strongest, most mysterious, and most elusive path of cultivation. The reason Yu Yang, the foremost expert in human history, had become so overwhelmingly powerful was because he had gone far enough along that road.

One must know that, in the entire human race today, only the five elders had touched the threshold of the Way of Heaven. The rest of the Spirit Warriors had yet to even glimpse its entrance. That path was simply too ethereal, something that could be understood only by intuition and never put into words. Thus, from ancient times to the present, there had never been any secret manual on cultivating this road.

In their eyes, for a youth who had not yet undergone spiritual transformation to rival a sixth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior was already monstrously heaven-defying. They could not, no matter what, believe that such a youth could step onto the Way of Heaven.

At that moment, the other Spirit Warriors all looked toward the five elders, their eyes full of inquiry.

The five elders stared without blinking at Chu Feng on the combat platform, astonished and delighted. Their attainments on the Way of Heaven might be far inferior to Yu Yang’s, but how could they possibly have mistaken it?

The Great Elder glanced at the crowd, nodded, and said, "That’s right. He truly has stepped onto that path! The power of heaven and earth is being bestowed only upon his sword. It seems he is using the sword as a vessel to enter the Way of Heaven. What terrifying talent. How did he do it? This boy truly cannot be judged by ordinary standards."

When the others heard this, they all drew in a cold breath. Their expressions grew complicated, each face bearing a different look, and they were left speechless as they looked at Chu Feng on the platform. At this moment, in their eyes, Chu Feng was simply more monstrous than Yu Yang himself.

On the combat platform, Chu Feng swung his longsword and directly met his opponent head-on. The spiritual energy on the blade was merely an outward manifestation; what mattered most was that within that spiritual energy seemed to dwell a mysterious force, allowing Chu Feng’s battle strength to rival that of a late sixth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior.

Moreover, with that mysterious force empowering the sword, the opponent’s lightning power was completely blocked and could not be conducted through the blade into Chu Feng’s body.

The two were evenly matched, and the fight was incomparably fierce.

The white-haired Chu Feng’s battle strength at this moment was almost the extreme level achievable by a Battle King at this rank, and Chu Feng could fully contend with him. This battle was nearly the pinnacle clash of early sixth-rank Earth Spirit Warriors.

By the time their fight reached this stage, it had drawn the attention of every student. They no longer even had the heart to wonder why Chu Feng was so powerful.

For Chu Feng, this was the strongest opponent of the same level he had encountered since beginning his cultivation. Whether in the use of techniques and secret arts or in the execution of various combat skills, everything was perfect to the utmost degree.

This battle stirred boundless fighting spirit within Chu Feng. The more he fought, the more fervent he became, the more intoxicated he grew, not only by the struggle before him, but even more by the profound and wondrous state of insight he had entered.

After they fought for a while, the white-haired Chu Feng’s cultivation once again began to rise.

Yet Chu Feng no longer felt much about this. His heart held only endless fighting spirit. Combat had become something like instinct, no longer a deliberate pursuit.

Every sweep of Chu Feng’s sword was filled with overwhelming dominance and an unstoppable momentum. He had almost reached a state of selflessness, his mind filled only with surging battle intent, only with a single sword, only with one unfathomably profound sword intent.

The white-haired Chu Feng’s battle strength was increasing, yet Chu Feng showed not the slightest sign of being at a disadvantage; he remained evenly matched with his opponent at all times.

And this situation was quickly sensed by the upper ranks of the human race, especially the Spirit Warriors, who were all shaken to the core. They could feel that Chu Feng was clearly different from before, as though the whole of him had become somewhat ethereal, seeming to resonate with this world itself.

After a while, the four light screens displayed the white-haired Chu Feng’s cultivation as mid-sixth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior.

The white-haired Chu Feng’s cultivation had reached mid-sixth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior, and his battle strength at this moment was enough to rival an ordinary early seventh-rank Earth Spirit Warrior. Yet Chu Feng still did not fall behind, continuing to fight him on equal terms.

This outcome was terrifying, because Chu Feng’s cultivation still had not changed. In other words, with the cultivation of an early sixth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior, he was unleashing the battle strength of an ordinary early seventh-rank Earth Spirit Warrior.

The students were flushed with excitement, so stirred they could not speak. Their eyes were fixed on the battle, unwilling to look away even for a moment.

The Great Elder looked at Chu Feng on the platform, his expression moved as delight surfaced on his face. "He has begun to comprehend in a flash of insight. I’m afraid that in this brief time, he will make breakthrough progress on the Way of Heaven."

At this moment, the East King looked at Chu Feng with hatred in his heart. He truly wanted to interrupt Chu Feng’s state of insight, but with the five elders here, he did not dare make the slightest move.

On the combat platform, Chu Feng paid no attention to anything else, completely immersed in his comprehension of the mysterious and wondrous state. Just as the Great Elder said, he had now entered a state of sudden enlightenment, and his understanding of the Sword Path was increasing at a frightening speed.

Chu Feng’s spiritual will resonated with the void, as if continually merging with heaven and earth. This world, in turn, seemed to link soul to soul with him through his spiritual will, ceaselessly imprinting increasingly profound insights upon his soul.

He felt himself drawing ever closer to that ethereal and wondrous state he had once comprehended when sword qi was first unleashed. To be precise, it was the perfect state that the first realm of the Sword Path, sword control by qi, was meant to embody.

On the Domain-Suppressing Sword, the surging spiritual energy grew stronger and stronger. With each strike he delivered, both his swordsmanship and the power contained within the blade became several degrees more formidable.

Another quarter hour passed, and the white-haired Chu Feng’s cultivation had risen to late sixth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior, with battle strength sufficient to rival an ordinary mid-seventh-rank Earth Spirit Warrior.

But what was even more unbelievable was that Chu Feng not only failed to show any sign of defeat, his own battle strength seemed to be rising even faster. At this point, the white-haired Chu Feng was actually being pressed into a disadvantage.

The Holy Trial Grounds possessed tremendous adaptability. At this time, it began making adjustments, and the white-haired Chu Feng’s strength actually started to rise in step with Chu Feng’s pace, always maintaining battle power equal to his.

This result left the upper ranks of the human race deeply moved. One must know that for the Holy Trial Grounds to adapt to a trial-taker’s condition was the first time such a thing had ever occurred.

"A monster. This is a heaven-defying monster!" The chief of the Spirit Elixir Hall could not help but sigh.

Time passed relentlessly, and Chu Feng’s presence before the Spirit Warriors grew increasingly ethereal. His battle strength soared all the way upward, while the spiritual energy on the Domain-Suppressing Sword grew ever more intense, until the entire blade was completely swallowed by dense, heavy light.

The white-haired Chu Feng’s cultivation continued to rise with the passing of time.

Early seventh-rank Earth Spirit Warrior.

Mid-seventh-rank Earth Spirit Warrior.

...

Late eighth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior.

Early ninth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior.

From the start of the battle until now, nearly two hours had passed. The white-haired Chu Feng’s cultivation had astonishingly risen to early ninth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior, and his current battle strength was enough to rival an ordinary late ninth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior.

Outside the combat platform, all the students were dumbstruck and completely petrified. They simply did not know how to react anymore, only feeling as though they were dreaming.

"My god, could he be the reincarnation of a deity? Is he trying to create a miracle?"

"At this moment, the world has gone utterly mad!"

"This brat is a monster!" Liu Yantao exclaimed in amazement. Beside him, whether it was Long Yue, Murong Qiuxue, or Sun Xuan and the others, all had brilliant light in their eyes, visibly excited.

Even Xiao Yue, who understood the Sword Path, could not help but feel his scalp tingle. He had never imagined that Chu Feng’s comprehension of the sword would already be this terrifying.

On the other side, Mo Xuan wore a grave expression, yet deep in his heart there was a stubborn and unyielding fighting spirit.

Mo Chen was shocked and somewhat fearful.

Yu Wenfeng’s face was dark, and his heart was filled with utter unwillingness. He had believed his strength had already far surpassed Chu Feng’s; who could have imagined that Chu Feng’s battle power would be so terrifying?

At this point, even many of the human race’s higher-ups felt as though they were dreaming, all of them petrified. Chu Feng’s performance was simply unprecedented in all history. Even Yu Yang back then had not displayed such heaven-defying prowess.

Moreover, the upper ranks of the human race could clearly feel that Chu Feng’s battle power was still climbing.

"His battle power has already become comparable to that of a late ninth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior. If this continues, could he be advancing to the level of a Heavenly Spirit Warrior?" one expert of the human race said in a daze.

The five elders stared at Chu Feng on the combat platform without speaking, though all of them bore an expression of irrepressible excitement.

On the combat platform, Chu Feng remained evenly matched with his opponent. At this moment, he held the Domain-Suppressing Sword, yet it seemed as though he were gripping a pillar of qi several zhang long. Spiritual energy roared, his aura was astonishing, and with each sweep of the sword, the power of lightning could not even draw near.

Chu Feng’s spiritual will became increasingly fused with the void, and his comprehension of the Sword Path grew ever deeper. Gradually, Chu Feng even began to sense that the void itself likewise contained that mysterious power.

The white-haired Chu Feng’s cultivation was still rising continuously. To be precise, he was increasing his cultivation in order to adapt to Chu Feng’s battle strength.

After a while, the white-haired Chu Feng’s cultivation reached mid-ninth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior, but at this point his battle strength still had not broken through to the Heavenly Spirit Warrior stage.

This was mainly because a vast chasm lay between late ninth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior and early first-rank Heavenly Spirit Warrior, and crossing that gulf was not easy.

However, as the white-haired Chu Feng’s cultivation continued to rise, after two more quarter hours it finally reached late ninth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior, and at that moment his battle strength was enough to rival an ordinary early first-rank Heavenly Spirit Warrior.

"His battle power has broken through!" the Fourth Elder said gravely, the shock in his voice impossible to conceal. He had originally been only an early sixth-rank Earth Spirit Warrior, yet now he possessed the battle strength of an early first-rank Heavenly Spirit Warrior. How monstrously heaven-defying was that?

Yet before anyone could think it through, a new situation had emerged on the platform.

At the very moment Chu Feng’s battle power broke through, the pillar of qi engulfing the Domain-Suppressing Sword also changed. In an instant, the surging spiritual energy roiled violently and actually formed a gigantic sword blade four to five zhang long.