Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

Only after Lu Changsheng's figure had vanished did Elder Liu turn to question the disciple. "You wanted to say something earlier and held back. Speak now. Who exactly is this man?"

Clearly, Elder Liu was not entirely oblivious. He had noticed the disciple seemed to know something, and anyone who insisted on the titled elder assessment was clearly no ordinary individual.

"Elder Liu, this Martial Saint is no simple figure. He is Lu Changsheng, Martial Saint of the Sacred Earth Heavenly Sect, known to the outside world as Saint Lu. He is extraordinarily talented. He once slew a Martial Saint head-on while still at the Divine Ability Realm, and his name has shaken the entire Sacred Earth!"

At that, Elder Liu frowned slightly.

"Slew a Martial Saint while at the Divine Ability Realm? No wonder he holds himself so high. Fighting up against a Martial Saint is indeed no small feat," Elder Liu acknowledged.

"Still, outside Martial Saints are mediocre," he went on. "Our sacred land's supreme disciples may not all be able to slay Martial Saints from below, but some of our once-in-a-generation prodigies are certainly no weaker than Martial Saints. Yet even talents of that caliber stand little chance of passing the titled elder assessment."

Elder Liu shook his head. There was a difference between sacred land Martial Saints and outside Martial Saints—and a vast one at that. To Elder Liu, this was no prejudice but a simple fact. In his eyes, outside Martial Saints were hardly worth mentioning.

The sacred land's Martial Saints had built their foundations from an early age: the Divine Treasury Realm, Divine Ability Realm, Martial Saint Realm, each step firm and unshakable, condensing divine abilities that ranked among the most supreme of major divine abilities. Martial Saints forged on such foundations were undoubtedly fearsome.

Otherwise, how could the sacred lands hold such transcendent standing in the Sacred Earth, so high above all others? Their standing was not based merely on the name of a Heavenly Saint.

As for the disciples of the Heavenly River Sacred Land , while they were not invincible within their tier, they could absolutely sweep aside great swaths of outside martial artists of the same tier.

The disciple drew a deep breath. "Elder Liu, the matter of Saint Lu isn't so simple," he said gravely. "Lu Changsheng did not merely slay a Martial Saint while at the Divine Ability Realm. What matters more is the nature of the divine abilities he's condensed. They are immeasurable divine abilities, and not just one, but three!"

"When Lu Changsheng became a Martial Saint, he would certainly have forged his Saint Body upon them, and a Saint Body founded on immeasurable divine abilities must be a Saint Body of the most supreme grade. His strength is such that he can scarcely have a rival left among Human Saints..."

Elder Liu's expression changed completely.

"What did you say? A Saint Body forged on the foundation of immeasurable divine abilities?" Elder Liu asked incredulously. "He's just some outsider. How could he possibly condense an immeasurable divine ability? Could this be some rumor the outside world has garbled in the telling?"

Elder Liu could scarcely believe what the disciple had said. As a martial artist of the sacred land, Elder Liu knew very well what immeasurable divine abilities entailed.

The sacred land's inheritance stretched back ages, and it had produced dazzling talents beyond counting. Still, among all those brilliant disciples, anyone who managed to condense an immeasurable divine ability was, without question, one of the most supreme disciples in the sacred land's entire history.

Indeed, only those with historic talent could condense an immeasurable divine ability.

Elder Liu had assumed Lu Changsheng might have a fearsome reputation outside, perhaps something like the overlord of a region. However, he had never imagined the man was so formidable as to have mastered three immeasurable divine abilities. He even questioned whether the whole thing was just a garbled rumor.

The guard disciple remained silent. However the outside world might distort its stories, news of something like immeasurable divine abilities could not possibly be mistaken.

Elder Liu's face was grim. He could only stare in the direction Lu Changsheng had gone, wondering if a Saint Body forged from immeasurable divine abilities could actually pass the titled elder assessment. His certainty that Lu Changsheng would fail had started to waver.

Lu Changsheng, unaware of the impression he had left on Elder Liu, followed Elder Feng all the way to a stone tower that thrust up into the clouds, a rather magnificent sight.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, this is the All Saints Tower, where the Martial Saints ordinarily spar and trade insights," Elder Feng said evenly. "The tower itself is an enchanted treasure of the utmost power. Not even a Heavenly Saint could destroy it. Pass the assessment within, and you become a titled elder of the Heavenly River Sacred Land!"

Lu Changsheng nodded. "How many Martial Saints must I face?"

"It's ten Martial Saints in the ordinary elder assessment, thirty for the vice hall master assessment, and in the titled elder assessment... one must face one hundred and eight Martial Saints."

Lu Changsheng's eyes widened instantly, a chill running through his heart. "One hundred... and eight?"

"Indeed, one hundred and eight Martial Saints," Elder Feng reiterated. "In the All Saints Tower, one is allowed to concede. But if you apply for Titled Elder, the combined assault of one hundred and eight Martial Saints might not leave you enough room to concede. One hit and you're dead.

"That is why the death rate of the titled elder assessment is so high. Failure almost always means death. There is still time to withdraw. Within the All Saints Tower, Martial Saints can merge their power into one. With one hundred and eight Martial Saints fusing their attack, the heaven and earth will shake. So, this is your last chance to turn around."

It was clear Elder Feng did not favor Lu Changsheng's chances, and he had made the stakes plain. Once Lu Changsheng stepped into the All Saints Tower, there was a chance he would not return.

The tower's special environment allowed the Martial Saints inside to fuse their strength into one body. One could hardly imagine how mighty the combined power of one hundred and eight Martial Saints was. Even the ordinary elder assessment, with ten Martial Saints, was difficult, let alone the titled elder one.

Nevertheless, Lu Changsheng did not budge. "Thank you, Elder Feng. I will still apply for the titled elder assessment.

With that, he strode straight into the All Saints Tower.

A strange gleam crossed Elder Feng's eyes as he watched him. You've got courage, I'll give you that. Now let's see where that confidence really comes from.

With that, he followed Lu Changsheng into the tower.

Buzz.

The moment Lu Changsheng entered the All Saints Tower, darkness obscured his vision, as though he had crossed into another dimension entirely. He realized this had to be the space within the tower.

For an enchanted treasure of such dreadful power to contain its own space was only natural. Lu Changsheng was not flustered; he simply waited in silence. Since the assessment was about to begin, the one hundred and eight Martial Saints would surely make their appearance.

While Lu Changsheng waited, Elder Feng was already threading through the All Saints Tower, lightly directing it to carry word into its every space.

"Martial Saints, someone has applied for the titled elder assessment. One hundred and eight Martial Saints, to your positions at once!"

The voice echoed through the entire tower. The All Saints Tower held many spaces, each Martial Saint dwelling in his own, and now, at Elder Feng's summons, every one of them stirred with surprise.

"That's Elder Feng. Someone actually applied for the titled elder assessment? Do they have a death wish or something?"

"How many years has it been since someone last attempted the titled elder assessment? Color me surprised."

"Hah! I'm dying to know just who has the courage to go against a combined strike from one hundred and eight Martial Saints."

Responses rang out at once, and multiple Martial Saints moved into position at once.

Elder Feng quite waited for all of them to assemble. One hundred and eight Martial Saints was no small number. After all, for a city to field three to five Martial Saints was already great. Even the mightiest cities out there only had around ten Martial Saints.

However, the Heavenly River Sacred Land was a different story entirely. The All Saints Tower alone could assemble one hundred and eight Martial Saints without difficulty—so mighty as the sacred land's foundation.

The Martial Saints across the whole of the Heavenly River Sacred Land likely numbered well beyond a hundred, which was exactly why its momentum of the masses was so overwhelming.

Before long, all one hundred and eight Martial Saints had taken their position. Elder Feng stationed himself high at their center.

"You all know the rules," he said without a trace of courtesy. "The moment we strike, release your Saint Bodies at full power. Follow my lead. One strike, certain kill!"

All Martial Saints nodded. Most of them could not recall the last time they had unleashed a collective strike.

Of course, Martial Saints lived for three thousand years, and most of the Martial Saints who had previously participated in the titled elder assessment were the same ones who had gathered now, except for a few who had lived out their lifespans.

"I wonder who we're up against."

All of them waited for the signal with great anticipation.

"Strike!"

At Elder Feng's roar, the Martial Saints instantly released their Saint Bodies.

Rumble!

Lu Changsheng felt the surroundings shudder. The pitch-black space lit up all at once, and multiple violent waves of power washed over him at once. As he looked up, he spotted multiple Saint Bodies emerging. Just from a glance he estimated there were at least a hundred Martial Saints there.

The Martial Saints had wasted no time in unleashing their Saint Bodies; they really were going for a one-hit kill. Under the All Saints Tower's mysterious power, the Saint Bodies even showed faint signs of merging, their power converging into one overwhelming force.

Of course, this was no true fusion. A genuine fusion would have multiplied their power beyond reckoning; the tower's mysterious power seemed merely to stack the one hundred and eight Saint Bodies together, binding them by force. Even so, their might still surged tremendously, so much so that even a supreme Martial Saint would likely be reduced to ash by the attack.

Lu Changsheng drew a deep breath as he gazed at his opponents.

The next moment, a great rumble rose from within him, and the Primordial Chaos Saint Body strode straight out of his flesh to stand in the air. A hundred zhang tall and radiating terrifying might, his Saint body loomed like a true primordial demon god.

As soon as it manifested, the Primordian Chaos Saint Body swung its massive palm.

Rumble!

That single swing seemed to shake heaven and earth. The colossal hand blotted out sky and sun, and within it, the power of three divine abilities—Five Elements Decomposition, Mental Black Hole, and Four Symbols Prison—fused into one, amplified three hundredfold by the Saint Body itself.

Lu Changsheng had never once imagined that anyone at the Human Saint Realm could stand against his Saint Body. Now, he was going all out, unveiling the Primordial Chaos Saint Body before a skeptical audience.

That one palm swing shook the entire All Saints Tower. The Primordial Chaos Saint Body had etched disbelief onto the faces of all one hundred and eight Martial Saints.

"What the...?"

"The palm of that Saint Body..."

"What Saint Body is that? The moment it emerged I felt a crushing pressure wash over me."

"I don't think our Heavenly River Sacred Land has ever seen such a Saint Body throughout its entire history."

All one hundred and eight Martial Saints were stunned. None of them had ever witnessed such a mighty Saint Body.

BOOOOM!

The palm of the Primordial Chaos Saint Body and the fist of the one hundred and eight Saint bodies clashed head-on. There was no flourish about this; it was a pure clash of divine abilities, and the impact was brutal.

Ultimately, the joint attack of the one hundred and eight Martial Saints had crumbled for the first time in history. With a swing of his palm, Lu Changsheng had shattered their fist instantly.

This was all about the Five Elements Decomposition being amplified three hundredfold. Anything connected to the five elements would inevitably be decomposed by the divine ability, and among the Martial Saints, the vast majority had Saint Bodies tied to the five elements in one way or another.

Lu Changsheng's palm had swept through the combined fist of the Saint Bodies like a storm through dry leaves. Many of those Saint Bodies disintegrated almost instantly.

"Damn it! We lost!"

"Really... One palm strike was all it took?"

"Just who is this guy? How can his Saint Body be so powerful? To think one Saint Body can win against one hundred and eight..."

"Worse still, I don't even think he went all out. If we clashed like this outside the tower, we might've really died."

"For sure, we would've been done for..."

Horror spread across the faces of the one hundred and eight Martial Saints. It was only within the All Saints Tower that they were protected; the moment their joint strike had failed, the tower's power had activated and shielded them.

These were the Martial Saints of the Heavenly River Sacred Land, after all. The one taking the assessment could die, but not the Martial Saints. Still, if this battle had taken place outside the tower, the Martial Saints would have undoubtedly perished.

One strike destroying a hundred Martial Saints—the mere thought was astonishing.

Lu Changsheng withdrew his Saint Body and simply stood there in the air, hands clasped behind his back.

Some mysterious force blocked my palm strike at the very last moment. It must've been the power of the tower itself.

The outcome of the battle had been decided the moment the tower's power activated. The titled elder assessment had concluded just like that.

Whoosh!

Lu Changsheng's figure flickered before disappearing, ejected by the All Saints Tower. Outside, he spotted Elder Feng, who had been moved out a few moments before him.

The elder drew a deep breath before saying, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist. You have passed the assessment. I have to admit, your divine abilities truly are immeasurable."

He never would have imagined that a Human Saint could unleash a strike powerful enough to overwhelm one hundred and eight Martial Saints all at once. This battle had left no room for doubt: Lu Changsheng's standing outside the sacred land was extraordinary indeed.

Elder Feng admitted to himself that he had been wrong about Lu Changsheng. And now, he wanted to learn more about this mysterious and formidable martial artist.

Just who exactly are you, Lu Changsheng?