Chapter 531 - 227: The Gap (3)
It was like a clap of thunder from the nine heavens!
The blinding light made many people subconsciously close their eyes.
When the light faded, Meng Qianxue’s Long Sword had been knocked from her grasp. She herself was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string, coughing up a mouthful of blood in mid-air. Her aura instantly weakened.
The victor was decided!
Ruan Lingxiu’s figure flickered, and she appeared below the stage, catching the falling Meng Qianxue. She quickly assessed her injuries, and her expression changed slightly.
She looked up, giving a deep glance at Lu Chenming, who stood with his saber sheathed, his aura as calm as ever. Without another word, she picked up Meng Qianxue and transformed into a streak of light, quickly departing to treat her wounds.
A brief, deathly silence fell around the Seven-Star Platform, only to be broken by a tsunami of discussion.
"She lost... Senior Sister Meng was at Astral Force Perfection, yet she was defeated so completely!"
"Is that the supreme Saber Technique of the Nine Heavens Lineage? It’s terrifying!"
"Brother Lu’s strength... what level has it reached? Is he really only at Astral Force Perfection?"
Several True Successor Candidates suppressed the shock in their hearts, but their minds were in turmoil.
Meng Qianxue’s display of her Astral Force Perfection Cultivation had already put them under immense pressure, but Lu Chenming defeating her with such ease was like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads.
Wu Anren’s brow was furrowed, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Han Xiong’s brow was also furrowed. He couldn’t help but look at Luo Chengxuan beside him and whisper, "Senior Brother Luo, could it be that Brother Lu... has already touched the True Essence Realm?"
Luo Chengxuan’s gaze remained on Lu Chenming. He slowly shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible gravity. "No, he hasn’t just touched it... If I’m not mistaken, he must have recently attempted to break through to the True Essence Realm, but... he didn’t succeed."
"He failed to break through?" Han Xiong’s heart skipped a beat.
A genius like Lu Chenming, who had been accumulating power for six years, could actually fail to break through?
And yet, after failing, he didn’t seem to be greatly affected. In fact, his strength seemed even more unfathomable!
So were the previous rumors about him just touching the threshold meant to mislead people, or was it...?
Standing to the side, Shen Xinyue’s heart pounded with fear as she listened.
The hierarchy among the True Disciples was far more terrifying than she had imagined.
If Lu Chenming was this powerful even after a failed breakthrough, then what kind of monsters were the True Disciples ranked above him?
Luo Chengxuan took a deep breath and said, "The more domineering and powerful the True Astral, the greater the difficulty in breaking through to the True Essence Realm."
"However, once they do succeed, they will be much stronger than experts who built their foundation with an ordinary Superior Heart Method!"
As he said this, his gaze drifted, intentionally or not, toward the geniuses from the Hundred Sects of Xu Wang Mountain.
Han Xiong understood. From the current look of things, the potential of these geniuses selected from the Hundred Sects was ultimately limited, making it difficult for them to contend with the Sect’s Direct Lineage, who had established their foundation with a Supreme Heart Method. This gap would only widen as their Realms increased, and it was not something that could be bridged by talent and hard work alone.
Upon hearing this, Shen Xinrou whispered, "Brother Chengxuan, are you saying that while these geniuses from the Hundred Sects seem to have a brilliant future, their path is... already set in stone?"
Luo Chengxuan nodded slightly. "With the exception of that He Shuang, you could say so. Unless they have a heaven-defying opportunity or make the difficult decision to switch to a Supreme Heart Method, their upper limit is likely becoming an Inner Sect Elite. Wanting to secure a position as a True Disciple is harder than ascending to the heavens."
Shen Xinyue pondered this to herself off to the side.
’The geniuses from Xu Wang Mountain are separated from the Core Disciples truly cultivated by the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect by a celestial chasm.’
’Chen Qing’s current rapid momentum is likely just a flash in the pan. Once he reaches a higher Realm and the potential of his original Heart Method is exhausted, the gap will quickly widen.’
These words were like an invisible barrier, silently separating the geniuses of Xu Wang Mountain from the true inner circle.
’Unless... they are willing to pay a huge price to switch to one of the Sect’s Supreme Heart Methods. But how could that be easy?’
’It would require immense perseverance and determination, and it would inevitably come with huge risks and time costs.’
At this thought, Shen Xinyue felt a sense of clarity, and the bit of resentment and frustration she had felt before vanished like smoke.
’Compared to the prodigies of the Inner Sect with their deep foundations, disciples like Chen Qing, selected from the Hundred Sects, were ultimately lacking.’
Meanwhile, Shen Xiuyong and Qiao Hongyun exchanged a glance. The latter sighed with emotion, "True Disciples truly live up to their reputation."
Lu Chenming was ranked tenth and was already this formidable. What about Ruan Lingxiu, who was ranked ninth?
Both of them felt the tangible gap in power.
Chen Qing stood quietly in the crowd, taking in the entire battle that had just transpired.
Both of them had used a Supreme Heart Method for their Foundation Establishment. The domineering and vigorous nature of their True Astral truly far surpassed that of an ordinary Martial Artist.
However, in his perception, while the True Astral of both Meng Qianxue and Lu Chenming was indeed extraordinary, his own Five Elements True Astral seemed... no less inferior. In fact, with its characteristics of Everlasting Life and all-encompassing nature, he faintly felt it had even more potential and was a cut above in its domineering power.
Chen Qing thought to himself, ’Even Supreme Heart Methods have different tiers... It seems this Five Elements True Astral is even more remarkable than I imagined.’
’However, these True Disciples have profound foundations, and every Martial Art they cultivate is an Unparalleled Martial Art.’
The commotion from the challenge for the True Disciple seat gradually subsided with Meng Qianxue’s defeat and Ruan Lingxiu’s swift departure.
The crowd of onlookers dispersed with a mix of complex emotions, but the buzz of discussion lingered for a long time.
Although the outcome was what most people had expected, Meng Qianxue’s display of her Astral Force Perfection Cultivation and Lu Chenming’s unfathomable strength still cast a shadow over everyone’s hearts.
The True Successor Candidates, like Wan Shangyi and Han Xiong, wore grave expressions. They each mentally re-evaluated the gap between themselves and Lu Chenming, and any trace of hope they might have harbored was now completely extinguished.
Should they try to step into the True Essence Realm before Lu Chenming, or wait until after he successfully broke through and face an even more difficult challenge?
As for the geniuses from the Hundred Sects of Xu Wang Mountain, the shock was particularly intense.
For the first time, they felt so viscerally the insurmountable gulf that existed between them—who relied on Superior Heart Methods for their Cultivation—and the direct lineage of the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect, who had established their foundation with Supreme Heart Methods.
A sense of urgency spread through the hearts of many. The idea of switching to cultivate one of the Sect’s Supreme Heart Methods grew like a weed in their minds.
Despite knowing full well the immense difficulty and huge risks of switching methods during the Astral Force Stage, the very name "Supreme Heart Method" represented higher potential and greater combat power. It had become a seed, deeply planted in their hearts.
Chen Qing took in everyone’s reactions, but his own heart remained calm.
The most urgent matter at hand was still to accumulate Contribution Points.
...