Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1184 - Setting A New Record
Chapter 1184 – Setting A New Record
A scene both familiar and foreign unfolded before Liu Wuxie’s eyes. He had once walked the Bridge of Heaven at the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy, where he merged seamlessly with heaven and earth, reaching the far end with ease.
“I believe there’s no need to explain the rules,” Elder Ding’s voice resounded across the valley. “We will eliminate half of you in this trial. Only the six thousand who walk the farthest will advance.”
The Heavenly Dragon Sect was always direct—no excess words, no hidden tricks—just absolute, crushing competition.
At Elder Ding’s wave, a celestial road descended into the valley and linked to the Bridge of Heaven, which hung in the skies. Mu Heng stepped forward first, striding swiftly onto the bridge.
“What is he trying to prove? Hasn’t today humiliated him enough?” someone whispered.
Indeed, others had struck Mu Heng down thrice that day, and this move seemed to throw his final shred of dignity into the fire.
“Put yourself in his shoes,” another muttered. “How would you feel if the Heavenly Dragon Sect’s elders invited Liu Wuxie but ignored you?”
It was true. Li Chen and the others had openly courted Liu Wuxie, while the elders disregarded Mu Heng and Shen Yue. That humiliation was fuel enough to ignite Mu Heng’s fury. He had always believed himself to be a true prodigy, yet Liu Wuxie stole away his brilliance.
Now, he was determined to reclaim what he thought was rightfully his.
“I fear he’ll only embarrass himself further,” another spectator sneered. “That boy Liu Wuxie isn’t simple.”
Aside from Mu Heng and Shen Yue, other prodigies stood present, and the two overshadowed them. Thus, they naturally felt glad to see someone overshadow the pair.
More cultivators surged forward. The Bridge of Heaven stretched broad and vast, wide enough for thousands to walk without hindrance.
Liu Wuxie and He Yingwu exchanged a glance. They needed no words. They had taken a similar trial before, and they both knew this would be far harsher.
The heavenly path lifted them skyward along with ten thousand others. Mu Heng charged ahead, already a third of the way across within minutes. The bridge stretched a thousand meters in length, and in past assessments, people considered reaching two-thirds of the bridge a monstrously prodigious feat.
The instant they set foot onto it, the world shifted; each participant stood in isolation. The bridge became an endless silence, one path stretched forward without end; the bridge erased all other paths from existence.
The silence gnawed at weaker hearts. Screams rang out as some fell into madness, and the bridge hurled them back into the valley in disgrace. With every passing moment, the trial eliminated more walkers.
From the valley below, the eliminated could see the ongoing trial. Mu Heng led, Shen Yue close behind, other prodigies trailing their steps.
When Liu Wuxie stepped onto the bridge, a vast force descended upon him. Awareness of the outside world vanished, leaving only the path before his feet. He let go of every thought and emotion, allowing the Heavenly Dao Book to unfold within him.
Invisible radiance wrapped around him, carrying him forward in silence.
Those watching from below gasped.
“Look! How is Liu Wuxie moving so fast?” Gasps echoed from the spectators.
Mu Heng’s speed was astonishing; he was already halfway across within minutes. When Liu Wuxie stepped onto the bridge, however, he streaked across like a falling star, devouring distance in a blur.
“Holy heavens!” The southern elder clenched his fists in disbelief. Even as a Primal Origin Realm expert, he couldn’t explain the sight before him. Liu Wuxie’s pace defied comprehension.
The Heavenly Dragon Sect had seen countless prodigies through the ages, and there would be prodigies each year. But this defied their comprehension.
Elder Ding’s lips curved into a bitter smile. He had known Liu Wuxie’s talent was extraordinary, but this was too monstrous. He wasn’t walking the Bridge of Heaven. He was sprinting across it.
If Mu Heng were outside to witness the sight, he would vomit blood. In less than half a minute, Liu Wuxie overtook him with ease, accelerating even further.
Before anyone could react, Liu Wuxie reached the far end. Radiance flared beneath his feet, and in the blink of an eye, the bridge transported him back into the valley.
“Nineteen breaths!” the northern elder exclaimed, his voice trembling. “He shattered the sect’s record! The best before this was thirty!”
For a million years, no one had surpassed that record. Yet Liu Wuxie had crushed it as though it were nothing.
“He’s a monster! The Heavenly Dragon Sect has found a true treasure today!” the southern elder nearly shouted, his excitement barely contained. Such a prodigy wouldn’t appear once, even in tens of millennia.
Liu Wuxie stood in the valley once more, frowning slightly. He raised his head and saw that Mu Heng had reached two-thirds of the bridge.
“That’s it?” he muttered. To him, it had felt far too simple. He hadn’t realized that the Heavenly Dao Book had carried him forward, its countless laws of heaven and earth harmonizing perfectly with the bridge.
On the bridge, Mu Heng’s steps slowed, every inch heavier than the last. Eliminations came steadily. Hundreds now stood below in dejection.
At last, Mu Heng faltered, three steps short of the end. He collapsed, and the bridge hurled him into the valley in failure. Shen Yue and other prodigies soon followed, tumbling down in defeat.
When Mu Heng landed, his eyes darted across the bridge in search of Liu Wuxie. Seeing no trace of him, a smirk crept across his lips. Then he spotted him in the valley.
“Liu Wuxie, the Heavenly Dragon Sect cannot be fooled with cheap tricks. Leave now before you humiliate yourself further,” Mu Heng sneered. His pride, bred from a life of privilege, could not endure the thought of losing.
Seeing that Liu Wuxie was already in the valley, many assumed the bridge had expelled him at the very beginning. Though the previous trial had given him glory, suspicion of trickery lingered.
However, the Bridge of Heaven was different. Only true harmony with heaven could carry one forward. Without it, expulsion was inevitable.
“You’re certain I failed?” Liu Wuxie’s cold smirk cut across the air. He had ignored Mu Heng until now, but the repeated provocations demanded a response. If not for the ongoing assessment, he would have already slapped him to the ground.
“There’s no shame in failing the test. Come speak to me again when you reach the Transcendent Realm,” mocked the disciples around Mu Heng mocked. Their words dripping false comfort.
After all, Liu Wuxie had returned to the valley too quickly, and the majority didn’t know that Liu Wuxie had only spent nineteen breaths to cover the entire bridge. They only assumed the bridge had hurled him away.
“Why waste your breath, Young Master Mu Heng? The assessment will end soon. Let’s watch him crawl away in disgrace,” others added, eager to flatter Mu Heng.
Only a handful exchanged knowing looks. They had seen Liu Wuxie’s feat with their own eyes.
“Since you’re so sure the trial will eliminate me, why don’t we make a bet?” Liu Wuxie asked suddenly, his smile sharp as a blade. If he didn’t put these fools in their place, they would take him as a pushover forever.
“Oh? How do you want to wager?” asked Zhang Cheng, an eighth-level Transcendent youth hoping to curry Mu Heng’s favor.
“If I pass this trial, each of you will hand me ten thousand astral stones. If the trial eliminates me, I’ll bow to Mu Heng before everyone and call him the strongest prodigy. How about that?” Liu Wuxie said with an easy smile.
With tens of people surrounding Mu Heng, Liu Wuxie stood to claim hundreds of thousands of stones if he ended up winning. The elders forbade combat under their watch, but betting? Perfectly fair. And humiliating at that.
“Very well. I’ll wager with you,” Zhang Cheng said readily. Ten thousand astral stones meant little compared to the chance to watch Liu Wuxie suffer humiliation.
The three elders exchanged glances. If they hadn’t witnessed it themselves, even they would doubt Liu Wuxie’s feat. Nineteen breaths across the bridge was something beyond imagination.
It was no wonder that so many would assume that Liu Wuxie had failed. After all, crossing the bridge in nineteen breaths was beyond imagination.
“Mu Heng, what about you?” Liu Wuxie asked, his gaze sharp, his intent piercing. This boy had targeted him from the start. If anyone needed humbling, it was him.
“Too small,” Mu Heng spat. “Make it fifty thousand. And if you fail, you’ll kneel and beg for forgiveness.”
Murderous intent burst from him as he raised the stakes fivefold.
“You…” Liu Wuxie clutched his chest, feigning hesitation. His face was twisted as if he were reluctant.
The crowd laughed at the sight. In their eyes, his bravado had finally cracked. His earlier challenge had been nothing but a bluff. Upon being exposed, he finally showed weakness.
“This boy is cunning,” the southern elder chuckled.
“Mu Heng was spoiled and pampered by his family since he was born. It’s time he tasted defeat,” Elder Ding remarked. He had never liked Mu Heng, whose arrogance stemmed solely from his powerful family.
At last, he was about to learn humility.
The other elders nodded in agreement. Regardless of the level of talent Mu Heng possessed, he was nothing compared to Liu Wuxie. Soon, the truth would humble him completely.
