"That's right — this is the Lingyun Sect's ultimate martial art, the Deadly Seven Injuries Fist."
"This martial art may be Fifth-rank, but it's the hardest technique in the entire Lingyun Sect to cultivate. For an ordinary person, reaching the third layer already makes you a genius. Reaching the fourth layer makes you a super genius. But our Senior Brother Dugu has already pushed this technique to the sixth layer!" A Lingyun Sect disciple announced proudly.
"Heavens — sixth layer? Just how powerful is Dugu Aoyun's comprehension?" The spectators were utterly flabbergasted by the Lingyun disciple's words, showering the feat with praise.
But when they looked back at Chu Feng, their faces were filled with concern. Earlier, with a four-stage gap between them, Chu Feng and Dugu Aoyun had fought to a near-standstill.
Now, with a five-stage difference, Chu Feng clearly couldn't hold on. Dugu Aoyun had already overwhelmed him with sheer dominance — and he didn't even need to use any martial art. His aura alone would be enough to finish Chu Feng. This was the suppression of absolute power.
*Sizzle...*
But right at that moment, Chu Feng's body suddenly underwent a change. Layer upon layer of golden lightning surged outward from within him, and under the cloak of that golden lightning, his aura skyrocketed — breaking through from Xuan Wu Third Stage to Xuan Wu Fourth Stage.
"Look! Chu Feng's aura — he, he, he's actually broken through to Xuan Wu Fourth Stage!"
"How is this possible? Did Chu Feng also cultivate the Deadly Seven Injuries Fist? How could his cultivation suddenly surge like that and break through a whole stage?"
"Look closely — there's golden lightning around Chu Feng's body. That lightning must have boosted his cultivation by one stage. What a spectacular martial art — what kind of technique is that?"
Chu Feng had activated the golden lightning in his blood, a power unique to him. Yet the onlookers mistook it for a dazzling and powerful martial art. The brilliant golden lightning drew gasps of amazement and envy from everyone watching.
Because they believed it was an extraordinary martial art — an incredibly powerful technique that shouldn't even exist. And yet Chu Feng possessed it.
"Not bad. It seems your Azure Dragon Sect still holds treasures left behind by the Dragon Daoist. So many martial arts I've never seen before, all coming from you."
"But did you really think raising your cultivation by one stage would be enough to compete with me?" Dugu Aoyun stared at Chu Feng with icy eyes.
"You think I can't compete with you?" Chu Feng smiled faintly, unconcerned.
"Hmph, of course you can't. Did you think my Deadly Seven Injuries Fist only boosts my cultivation?"
"If that's what you think, you've severely underestimated it. Let me tell you — though this technique is classified as Fifth-rank, once mastered to perfection, it's comparable to a Seventh-rank martial art." Dugu Aoyun's voice grew heated with emotion.
After all, he — someone who could easily defeat even Sect Master-level experts at Xuan Wu Ninth Stage — was being pushed this far by Chu Feng, who was merely at Xuan Wu Third Stage. The thought was humiliating, and he was desperate to cut Chu Feng down to prove himself the greatest genius of Qingzhou.
"All right then — show me what this so-called Seventh-rank martial art can do." Chu Feng's expression didn't change. He smiled provocatively.
"Ask and you shall receive!" Dugu Aoyun's rage boiled over. Without another word, he lunged forward and unleashed a barrage of punches.
Each fist, infused with Yuan Force, appeared ordinary on the surface, yet contained devastating power. The sheer force of the onslaught made heaven and earth tremble, and the spectators' faces twisted in fear as they were awed by the might behind those blows.
"Then let me show you how I, Chu Feng, block your Seventh-rank martial art!"
Chu Feng neither dodged nor retreated. With a shift of his will, a vast barrier force materialized and formed a massive barrier shield before him. The gray barrier appeared in the blink of an eye, like a fortress standing in front of Chu Feng.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
At the same time, Dugu Aoyun's Yuan Force fists crashed in, constantly erupting into terrifying ripples that spread across heaven and earth. The destructive aura was so overwhelming that even the sturdily built Combat Platform could not withstand it — layer by layer, it crumbled apart, fissures spreading across its surface before it collapsed entirely.
Yet such a terrifying assault could only stop at Chu Feng's front. It couldn't get any closer — every strike was blocked by the barrier Chu Feng had deployed.
"Heavens — look, everyone! Chu Feng actually blocked Dugu Aoyun's attack! He blocked such a terrifying attack!!"
At first, everyone had been frozen by the horror of Dugu Aoyun's offensive. But when they saw that the terrifying ripples kept exploding yet failed to so much as graze Chu Feng, the shock on their already stunned faces deepened a hundredfold.
"That's—!!!" At the same moment, Yan Yangtian, standing atop the high platform, noticed it too, and a rare look of surprise flickered in his eyes.
"That's correct — that is a gray barrier. This Chu Feng has mastered the power of a gray-robed Spirit World Master, and his Mental Power is exactly the same as what I sensed before. He's the Spirit World Master who probed your cultivation at the start of the Hundred Sect Assembly." The gray-robed Spirit World Master behind Yan Yangtian spoke up in astonishment.
"What? You mean Chu Feng is a gray-robed Spirit World Master?" At those words, never mind Yan Yangtian — everyone on the high platform gaped in disbelief, their faces etched with incredulity.
"That's a gray barrier — Chu Feng condensed a gray barrier! This Chu Feng is actually a gray-robed Spirit World Master!!"
In that instant, it wasn't only the Lingyun Sect who had noticed something off about Chu Feng. Every major sect had people who realized what was happening and recognized at a glance that Chu Feng was deploying a barrier — a gray barrier. Chu Feng was a gray-robed Spirit World Master.
"Chu Feng — he, he, he — he's not only a martial cultivation genius, he's also a gray-robed Spirit World Master!!!"
When word of this spread, virtually everyone present had their expressions change completely. They were thoroughly stunned by Chu Feng's abilities.
A gray-robed Spirit World Master — there were only two such figures in the entirety of Qingzhou. And now a third had appeared, and he was this young — a martial cultivation talent with terrifying potential. The revelation was too much for anyone to process.
In their shock, people couldn't help but think of someone else — the mysterious figure who had taken Qingzhou by storm over half a year ago: Master Gray-Robe. Could Chu Feng be connected to Master Gray-Robe in some way?
While everyone buzzed with speculation, Chu Feng reached out his palm toward Dugu Aoyun and made a grasping motion. Layer upon layer of formidable barrier force began manifesting around Dugu Aoyun, eventually enclosing him completely before pressing inward.
Facing this situation, Dugu Aoyun unleashed his Deadly Seven Injuries Fist in an attempt to shatter the barrier. But he couldn't damage it in the slightest. For the first time, the ever-arrogant young man felt genuine fear.
ps: Fourth update complete. I know you brothers have been waiting hard — appreciate your patience!