Chapter 470 - 467: The Seventh Gate

Chapter 470: Chapter 467: The Seventh Gate

"He’s cultivated not only a swordsmanship-based Mental Realm Martial Art, but a body technique-based one, too?"

Xu Qing turned her head to look at Bai Yan, the surprise in her eyes deepening.

Mental Realm Martial Arts was the formal term Overlord-level influences used for Grandmaster-Level Martial Arts.

These were martial arts whose true power could only be unleashed by comprehending the corresponding attribute’s intent.

Even among the disciples of the Celestial Essence Sect, it was extremely rare for someone to reach the Entry Level of a Mental Realm Martial Art before the age of thirty.

As for those who cultivated two different Mental Realm Martial Arts at the same time, and succeeded at both, they were practically nonexistent.

"And he’s reached the Entry Level in both."

Bai Yan’s gaze fell upon the cyan figure, his voice carrying a trace of wonder.

"He has comprehended Wind Sword Intent. With that as his foundation, cultivating a Wind-Attribute Body Technique of the Mental Realm is indeed far less difficult. But even so..."

He paused, leaving the thought unfinished.

Xu Qing knew what Bai Yan meant.

Even with the aid of a Sword Intent of the same attribute, cultivating a Mental Realm Body Technique to the Entry Level was no simple feat.

After all, Body Techniques and Swordsmanship were fundamentally different; many aspects didn’t carry over.

She knew all too well how difficult it was to cultivate Mental Realm Martial Arts.

She herself had been stuck at the threshold of Sword Intent for two years, unable to take that final step.

Yet this young man before her, from some remote Commandery City, had not only comprehended Sword Intent but also brought a Mental Realm Body Technique to the Entry Level.

’Compared to this man from a small town, *I’m* the one who feels provincial.’

"The sixth trial won’t stop him."

Bai Yan looked away, his voice calm.

Xu Qing was silent.

Just moments before, she had said that Fang Han probably couldn’t pass the sixth trial.

But now, watching that cyan figure weave effortlessly through the siege of seven puppets, she had to admit she had misjudged him.

Inside the passage, Fang Han’s movements grew faster and more elusive.

After reaching the Entry Level in the Wind God Step, his speed and agility had reached an entirely new plane.

To an observer, the coordinated attack of the seven Late Stage Third Grade puppets would seem impenetrable. To him, however, it was riddled with flaws.

As the Fierce Tiger Puppet lunged, he slid past it and, with a backhanded slash, forced the Giant Bear Puppet back.

The giant python puppet’s tail swept out. With a light tap of his toes, Fang Han shot several feet into the air, dodging the attack. At the same time, he slashed at the incoming giant eagle puppet, knocking it up into the air.

When the Mantis Puppet’s scythes came slashing down in a cross, he ducked low, slipped beneath them, and thrust his gleaming sword toward the Spider Puppet.

One strike, two strikes, three strikes...

He weaved between the seven puppets, his swordsmanship and body technique growing more and more synchronized.

After dozens of exchanges, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

SWOOSH!

He suddenly accelerated, pushing the Wind God Step to its absolute limit. Like a wisp of invisible wind, he slipped through the gap between the Fierce Tiger Puppet and the Giant Bear Puppet.

The Mantis Puppet’s scythes slashed down, but he dodged them with a subtle flicker of his body.

The Spider Puppet’s eight metallic legs stabbed at him from the side. He tapped his toe lightly on one of them, using the momentum to float forward several dozen feet.

For a brief moment, an opening appeared in the puppets’ encirclement.

He did not let the opportunity pass.

Like a streak of cyan light, his figure flashed through the gap.

By the time the seven puppets closed their circle again, he had already passed through the passage and landed steadily on the other side.

Behind him, the seven puppets, having lost their target, grew still as the light in their eyes slowly faded.

Xu Qing watched Fang Han walk toward them. Suppressing her astonishment, she spoke slowly in a hushed voice.

"To think that such an incredible person would come from a place like this."

Bai Yan said nothing, merely watching Fang Han in silence.

His placid eyes betrayed no emotion, but his gaze held a newfound gravity.

Upon entering the hall for the seventh trial, Fang Han’s gaze swept across the room.

This was a hall similar to the previous one, with a high dome, countless Luminous Pearls embedded in the walls, and a floor as smooth as a mirror.

His gaze fell upon the two from the Celestial Essence Sect.

Bai Yan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, Xu Qing at his side. Both were now looking at him.

He gave a slight nod in greeting.

Bai Yan nodded back in acknowledgment.

Just then, the wall at the far end of the hall began to change once more.

Ripples spread across its surface, and the wall turned transparent before vanishing completely.

Behind it, another passage was revealed.

All three of them turned to look at the passage.

Upon seeing the sight within the passage, even Fang Han couldn’t help but frown.

In the center of the passage stood eight metal puppets arranged in a circle.

A Fierce Tiger, a Giant Bear, a giant python, a Giant Ape, a giant eagle, a Mantis, and a Spider—and among them, there was one more puppet.

It was a Metal Puppet shaped like a scorpion, its entire body a dark red and its size comparable to the Mantis Puppet.

A long, metallic stinger was raised high, its tip glowing with an eerie blue light where faint runes seemed to flow.

As its pincers opened and closed, they made a soft, metallic grinding sound.

Its compound eyes were a dark gold, and they stared coldly toward the entrance of the passage.

An oppressive aura, incomparably stronger than that of the sixth trial, radiated from the passage.

"The seventh trial."

Xu Qing murmured, her voice laced with gravity.

"Eight puppets... Following the pattern, their strength is likely comparable to the Early Stage of the Second Grade."

The Early Stage of the Second Grade.

Eight Metal Puppets at the Early Stage of the Second Grade. They were perfectly coordinated, tireless, impervious to pain, and had nearly indestructible bodies.

Just thinking about such a lineup was daunting.

"Senior Brother Bai."

Xu Qing suddenly spoke, her voice quiet.

Bai Yan turned to look at her.

"Let me go first."

Xu Qing met his gaze, her cool eyes filled with an unyielding resolve.

Bai Yan’s brow furrowed slightly. "Your injuries..."

"It’s nothing."

Xu Qing interrupted Bai Yan, shaking her head slightly.

"The puppets in the seventh trial are as strong as martial artists in the Early Stage of the Second Grade. With my level of strength, I’d have no chance of passing even if I were uninjured. That’s exactly why I have to be the one to go first."

She paused, her gaze fixed on the eight puppets.

"I can probe the eight puppets’ strength for you, Senior Brother Bai. I can find their attack patterns, their coordinated tactics, their weak points."

"That way, your chances of passing will be that much higher."

Bai Yan was silent.

He understood what she meant.

With Xu Qing’s current strength, she had no hope of passing the seventh trial anyway.

She would use her last chance to pave the way for him.

"There’s no need," he said, his voice laced with concern.

"You’re already injured. If you..."

"Senior Brother Bai."

Xu Qing interrupted him again, a rare obstinance in her voice.

"Let me go."

Without waiting for his reply, she strode toward the passage.

Her moon-white robes shimmered faintly in the glow of the Luminous Pearls. Blood was beginning to seep through the bandage on her left arm, but she walked without a trace of hesitation.

Bai Yan watched her go. He opened his mouth to protest, but ultimately, no words came out.

Xu Qing stepped into the passage.

In that same instant, the eyes of all eight puppets lit up.

The Fierce Tiger, the Giant Bear, the giant python, the Giant Ape, the giant eagle, the Mantis, the Spider—and the dark red Scorpion Puppet.

Eight metallic figures lunged at her simultaneously from eight different directions.

Xu Qing drew her sword, its blade flashing with a cold, sharp light.

The aura of her explosive Secret Technique flared up once more, her Cultivation surging in an instant.

However, after a little more than ten exchanges—

The Scorpion Puppet’s stinger shot through a gap in her sword defense, its speed astonishing.

Unable to dodge in time, she could only turn her blade to parry.

CLANG—!

The ringing clash of metal sent her staggering back several steps.

Before she could even regain her balance, the Spider Puppet’s eight metallic legs stabbed at her from the side.

She dodged six of them with all her might but was still pierced in the left arm and right leg by the other two.

Fresh blood splattered, instantly drenching her moon-white robes.

The Mantis Puppet’s scythes followed immediately after, scissoring toward her chest.

She no longer had the strength to evade.

A golden barrier materialized out of thin air, enveloping her.

The Mantis Puppet’s scythes struck the barrier with a dull thud, unable to shake it in the slightest.

She knelt on one knee, gasping for breath.

The wounds on her left arm and right leg were still seeping blood, her moon-white robe soaked through, clinging to her body.

Her face was ashen, her aura completely depleted.

Within the golden barrier, a simple, ancient-looking Beast Hide Booklet materialized and fell into her hand.

The booklet’s cover was a deep cyan, made from some kind of tough beast hide. On it were three words written in an ancient script: *Azurewood Sword Technique*.

This was a Grandmaster-level Sword Technique.

No, according to the Celestial Essence Sect’s terminology, it was a Mental Realm Sword Technique.

A Mental Realm Sword Technique was a reward far more precious than a High-Grade Magical Soldier.

No matter how strong a Magical Soldier was, it was ultimately an external object that could only be used by one person, not many.

Furthermore, it would wear down with use and eventually be destroyed.

But a Mental Realm Martial Art could not only be studied by many, it could also be passed down through generations, becoming the foundation upon which a family or a sect could stand.

The Fang Family, where Fang Han came from, was confined to Liangshui City and struggled to produce any Middle Third-Grade Martial Artists for the very reason that they lacked a high-grade cultivation method.

Enveloped in the golden barrier, Xu Qing’s figure vanished from the passage entrance.

In the hall, only Fang Han and Bai Yan remained.

’I won’t let the opportunity you’ve created for me go to waste!’

Bai Yan stared in the direction where Xu Qing had vanished, silent for a moment.

His moon-white robes hung perfectly still in the light of the Luminous Pearls. His face was unreadable, but deep within his placid eyes, the faintest ripple of emotion flickered and was gone.

He looked away and turned toward the passage.

The eight Metal Puppets stood in a circle: the Fierce Tiger, the Giant Bear, the giant python, the Giant Ape, the giant eagle, the Mantis, the Spider, and the dark-red Scorpion Puppet with its stinger held high.

Their multi-colored eyes shone with an eerie, cold light, exuding a chilling indifference under the glow of the Luminous Pearls.

The Early Stage of the Second Grade.

Eight Metal Puppets, all at the Early Stage of the Second Grade.

It was a lineup that even he had to take seriously.

TAP, TAP—

He began to walk, heading for the passage.

His moon-white robes billowed gently behind him. His pace was unhurried yet filled with resolve.

The moment he stepped into the passage, all eight puppets moved as one.