Chapter 578 - 571: Concerns
「Three days later.」
Shangjing Prefecture, Donghua Martial Arts University.
In response to Zhou Yuanjue’s summons, the strongest Martial Artists from across the country, all below the realm of Saint Awakening, began to gather.
The list of candidates had been provided by the Secret Inspection Bureau.
There were twenty-five people in total, all of them standing at the absolute peak below Saint Awakening, with no path forward.
The majority of them were masters who had placed in the North-South Grand Martial Arts Convention back in the day, making them contemporaries of Zhou Yuanjue.
Despite their talent and mental fortitude, a great many of them remained trapped below Saint Awakening, unable to achieve a breakthrough. This showed just how difficult the barrier to Saint Awakening truly was.
Therefore, after receiving the invitation from the Secret Inspection Bureau, despite knowing the risks, every single one of them accepted. They rushed to Shangjing without a moment’s delay.
To them, the mere threat of death was no price to pay when weighed against the opportunity for a breakthrough.
8:00 AM.
A large area around the main auditorium of Donghua Martial Arts University was cordoned off by personnel from the Secret Inspection Bureau. Only the invited Martial Artists were allowed to enter.
SCREECH!!
An understated black sedan pulled up to the gate of Donghua Martial Arts University. The door opened, and a tall young man stepped out. He wore a blue Martial Arts Uniform, appeared slightly chubby, and had exceptionally fair skin.
He Runlin of the Hunyuan Sect.
Back at the Southern Martial Arts Tournament, he had been the first truly powerful opponent Zhou Yuanjue faced. Their magnetic fields had clashed violently, with Zhou Yuanjue narrowly clinching victory in the end. The two had even developed a friendship of sorts afterward.
But now, Zhou Yuanjue had broken through those unprecedented shackles. He Runlin, on the other hand, had perfected his White Dragon Water Dividing Technique to the absolute zenith below Saint Awakening, but with no way to advance, he was still searching for that opportunity to break through, stuck in place.
He Runlin stepped out of the car and gazed at the gates of Donghua Martial Arts University, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.
SCREECH!!
Just then, another car pulled up beside He Runlin. The doors opened, and two figures—a man and a woman—stepped out.
The man was over two meters tall. The moment he stepped out, the small sedan seemed to sigh in relief as its chassis rose significantly.
The woman had a large frame, a tall figure, and exquisitely cold features, her face seemingly veiled in frost.
Yang Guhong, successor of the Nine Dragons Sect, one of the Southern Eight Sects of the Southern Martial Arts Realm.
And Liu Lingjun, a victorious challenger from the Southern Martial Arts Tournament and the successor of Southern Border Gu Martial Arts.
"Huh, Brother He, what a coincidence."
Yang Guhong looked at He Runlin, a smile breaking across his rugged face.
"Brother Yang, long time no see. And Miss Liu... What brings you two here together?"
He Runlin glanced at Yang Guhong, then at Liu Lingjun, who was pointedly looking away. A peculiar expression crossed his face.
’I remember Yang Guhong and Liu Lingjun being like fire and water, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. During their tournament match, Liu Lingjun used her Gu Martial Arts to poison a careless Yang Guhong, causing him to lose. Neither of them ever conceded to the other, so how did they end up in the same car?’
"We..."
Yang Guhong chuckled and scratched his head, looking for all the world like a drowsy brown bear.
"We were heading the same way."
However, before he could finish, Liu Lingjun, who was standing to the side, cut in with a cold reply.
"Right, right, just heading the same way."
Yang Guhong chuckled again. He Runlin, whose mind was consumed by the Martial Dao, couldn’t quite connect the dots. ’It doesn’t look like they were just heading the same way,’ he thought.
But the day’s business was too important, so he quickly pushed the trivial thought from his mind.
"Are you two prepared? I wonder what this opportunity he mentioned truly is."
The three of them chatted idly as they walked onto campus, guided by a staff member.
"What preparations are there to make? From the moment we set foot on this path, haven’t we always been prepared?"
"Life or death, success or failure... as long as I can touch that realm. ’If I hear the Dao in the morning, I can die that evening without regret.’"
Liu Lingjun said coolly.
"That’s right. He once competed on the same stage as us. Among the Southern Eight Sects, nearly half of our old acquaintances have already broken through. How can we let them hog all the glory?"
"To be frank, Brother He, before coming here, I had my sect contact a funeral home. If I can’t break through, they can just carry my corpse back to the Southern Boxing Three Capitals."
Yang Guhong said this with a smile, as if the line between life and death no longer held any terror for him.
"Your mindset is wrong."
Just then, Liu Lingjun suddenly spoke, her words directed at He Runlin.
He Runlin’s brow furrowed slightly at her words.
"I can’t explain it precisely, it’s just a feeling. Perhaps the fact that you once competed on the same stage as him has become some kind of mental block for you."
"Whatever it is you’re dwelling on, now that you’ve come this far, you must let it all go."
"That’s all I have to say."
Liu Lingjun stated coolly.
’Dwelling on something?’
’Am I? Am I dwelling on something?’
’What am I dwelling on?’
He Runlin lowered his head, saying nothing.
Seeing He Runlin’s expression, Yang Guhong frowned but also remained silent.
At a time like this, the only one who could help him was himself.
For a moment, the three of them were silent. They followed the staff member to the vicinity of the Donghua Martial Arts University’s main auditorium. After their identities were verified, they walked inside.
The main auditorium had been cleared out by the university and was now a vast, empty space. A group of people sat cross-legged on the floor, each separated from the next by several meters.
Looking around, he saw they were all familiar faces.
And the person sitting at the very front was someone He Runlin knew all too well.
Just as he looked toward Zhou Yuanjue, Zhou Yuanjue’s gaze met his, and he offered a slight nod.
He Runlin nodded in return, but the apprehension in his heart only seemed to grow heavier.
The three took their seats. One by one, more people entered the auditorium until all twenty-five spots on the floor were filled.
"Everyone."
At that moment, Zhou Yuanjue, seated at the head of the room, spoke, instantly capturing everyone’s attention.
"The personnel from the Secret Inspection Bureau should have already explained everything clearly, so I won’t waste words repeating it."
"I once mentioned in my Instinct Theory that the key to breaking through to Saint Awakening lies in suppressing the brain’s instincts, breaking the body’s limitations, and liberating one’s personal magnetic field. However, I never provided a precise method for how to do so."
"But now, I have found that method. Next, I will briefly draw your consciousness out from your bodies and expose it to the boundless Natural Magnetic Field. If you can withstand its dangers, then in that brief instant, from a third-person perspective, you will understand how to suppress your brain’s instincts."
"Succeed, and you will break into the Saint Awakening Realm. Fail, and your consciousness will simply dissipate into the world."
"This is your last chance. If anyone wishes to withdraw, you may leave now."
Zhou Yuanjue said, his tone calm.