Unrestricted Dao Lord

"Wait, what did you say? You want to apply for a ’Two-Star’ Rating?"

The Inner Sect Elder’s eyes widened, as if he hadn’t heard correctly.

"Yes, I request to undergo the ’Two-Star’ Rating."

Zhang Su spoke slowly.

This time, the Inner Sect Elder heard him clearly.

Not only did the Inner Sect Elder hear him, but so did every other disciple in the grand hall.

"Zhang Su, you are now a ’One-Star Disciple,’ so in theory, you can apply for a Two-Star Rating. However, to become a Two-Star Disciple in the Guardian Sequence, you’ll need to defeat ten ’One-Star Puppets’ of the same realm."

The Inner Sect Elder cautioned in a deep voice.

"I understand."

Zhang Su already knew that the ranking of Star Level Disciples in the Guardian Sequence was primarily based on actual combat strength.

A One-Star Disciple needed to defeat ten ordinary puppets of the same realm.

A Two-Star Disciple needed to defeat ten One-Star Puppets of the same realm.

A Three-Star Disciple needed to defeat ten Two-Star Puppets of the same realm.

"As long as you understand. Since you’re applying for the Two-Star Rating, then as you wish..."

The Inner Sect Elder gave Zhang Su a deep look.

The difference in combat strength between a One-Star Disciple and a Two-Star Disciple was immense.

A single One-Star Puppet could easily defeat ten ordinary puppets.

To say nothing of ten One-Star Puppets.

Working in tandem, their combined strength was inconceivable.

Among the Guiyuan Sect’s Inner Sect Dharma Protector Disciples, One-Star Disciples were actually not that rare.

For disciples who had spent a few years in the Inner Sect, achieving a One-Star Rating wasn’t too difficult after a period of consolidation and accumulation.

But Two-Star Disciples were different.

Their numbers dropped sharply.

And it wasn’t a level one could reach simply through time and accumulation.

Having entered the Inner Sect with the prestigious title of "Outer Sect’s First," it wasn’t a huge surprise that Zhang Su could quickly become a "One-Star Disciple."

But a Two-Star Disciple?

Almost no one would have thought that Zhang Su would dare to apply for a Two-Star Rating right away.

Zhang Su, however, paid no mind to what others thought.

As the Inner Sect Elder released ten One-Star Puppets, Zhang Su’s attention was completely focused on them.

One-Star Puppets were completely different from ordinary puppets.

Their speed, power, agility, and so on were all greatly enhanced.

Yet, as the ten One-Star Puppets charged at Zhang Su, from his perspective, their movements suddenly seemed to slow to a crawl.

He seemed to be able to sense their every step.

It was as if he could predict the puppets’ next moves in advance.

This feeling had only been hazy before.

But now, it seemed to be gradually becoming clearer.

’Zhang Su didn’t know if this was Martial Sense.’

’Even if it wasn’t, it couldn’t be far off.’

Under this miraculous perception, the ten One-Star Puppets were like living targets.

What Zhang Su had to do was simple.

And that was to draw his sword!

RUMBLE.

This time, Zhang Su’s Cold Frost Sword tore through the air.

It unexpectedly produced the faint sound of wind and thunder.

"Is that... the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique?"

Many disciples’ eyes widened.

They had clearly recognized this sword technique.

It was also the only top-tier, Inner Strength-level sword technique that Zhang Su had mastered.

It was, by all accounts, his strongest sword technique!

As he executed the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique, accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder, the Cold Frost Sword transformed into ten bolts of light that instantly and precisely struck the ten One-Star Puppets.

And then...

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

The ten One-Star Puppets instantly exploded.

Just like the ten ordinary puppets before, they scattered into pieces all over the ground.

CLICK.

Zhang Su sheathed his sword, looking even more composed and unconcerned than when he had instantly destroyed the ten ordinary puppets.

The entire hall instantly fell deathly silent.

"A-Another instant kill with a single strike?"

"That last strike... was that still the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique? It looked nothing like the version I’ve seen before."

"Is the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique that powerful?"

"The Wind and Thunder Sword Technique is just a top-tier technique. But with that kind of power... forget top-tier techniques, not even an Unparalleled Swordsmanship should be this terrifying. To instantly destroy ten One-Star Puppets with a single strike..."

Not only were the disciples baffled, but even the dignified Inner Sect Elder, a Postnatal Realm Martial Artist, couldn’t comprehend what he had seen.

After all, not everyone knew about "Martial Sense."

However, the Inner Sect Elder reacted quickly this time.

He took a deep breath and announced loudly, "Inner Sect Disciple Zhang Su has defeated ten One-Star Puppets of the same realm. From this moment on, he is rated as a ’Two-Star Disciple’!"

The moment his voice fell, Zhang Su spoke up, "Elder, I am now a Two-Star Disciple. I should be qualified to apply for a ’Three-Star’ Rating, right?"

At these words, the Inner Sect Elder’s pupils shrank.

He said through gritted teeth, "You may!"

"Very well. I apply to undergo the ’Three-Star’ Rating."

Zhang Su said calmly, his expression serene.

"A Three-Star Rating..."

This time, the Inner Sect Elder fell silent.

All the disciples in the Inner Sect Grand Hall also fell silent.

They could still somewhat comprehend the levels of One-Star and Two-Star.

But a Three-Star Rating?

That was far beyond the realm of ordinary geniuses.

Even for those in the Inheritance Sequence, achieving a "Three-Star" Rating was no easy feat.

One needed immense potential to have any hope of becoming a Three-Star Disciple.

But for the Guardian Sequence, achieving a "Three-Star" rating required truly unparalleled combat power—the ability to sweep aside all geniuses of the same realm. The difficulty was immense.

A saying circulated among the Dharma Protector Disciples.

"One-Star is easy to get, Two-Star is achievable, Three-Star is hard to come by."

It spoke to how the "Three-Star Rating" was as difficult as reaching for the heavens.

Zhang Su had only just entered the Inner Sect, and he was already applying for a Three-Star Rating?

"Release the puppets!"

The Inner Sect Elder bellowed.

Instantly, ten brand-new puppets were released.

This was the Three-Star Rating.

Therefore, these ten puppets were all Two-Star Puppets!

Even the Inner Sect Elder had to focus his full attention, his eyes glued to the Martial Arts Arena.

After all, every puppet at the "Two-Star" level was terrifying. A single moment of inattention could result in injury or even death.

SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH.

The ten Two-Star Puppets sprang into action.

Each one moved at an extreme speed.

In the eyes of onlookers, they were practically just afterimages.

Forget fighting them; the onlookers couldn’t even get a clear look at the puppets’ actual forms.

However, to Zhang Su’s perception—which was now infinitely close to true Martial Sense—the ten Two-Star Puppets moved with incredible slowness. Their forms even seemed clumsy.

CLANG.

Zhang Su drew his sword.

A blinding flash of sword light erupted.

Within the sword light, the faint sound of wind and thunder could still be heard.

It was still the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique.

It was still a strike that no one could comprehend.

To Zhang Su’s eyes, the ten puppets were slow and clumsy. It seemed he could shatter them with a casual strike.

But when he actually struck, he discovered that his sword had hit nothing but air...

It turned out that it wasn’t that the ten puppets were slow, nor that their forms were clumsy.

On the contrary, the ten puppets were too fast, and their movements were extremely agile.

It was simply that Zhang Su’s perception was too powerful. His perception, infinitely close to a Grandmaster’s "Martial Sense," was what created the illusion of the puppets being slow and clumsy.

Zhang Su’s perception was very sensitive.

However, his body could not keep up.

To put it simply, his perception was "off the charts"—far beyond what an Inner Strength Martial Artist, or even a Postnatal Realm Martial Artist, should possess.

This strike felt incredibly awkward to Zhang Su.

His perception was there, but his sword was not.

And so, the strike missed.

However, Zhang Su began to adjust.

Although he couldn’t control the speed of his perception.

But he could intentionally delay his strike by a fraction of a second.

This meant that when he perceived a puppet’s attack, he would deliberately guide his sword along its trajectory, aiming for where it would be next.

One strike, two strikes, three strikes...

Zhang Su gradually synchronized his swordsmanship with his perception.

After that, things became simple.

At a certain moment, his sword light once again emitted the sound of wind and thunder.

Even though his Wind and Thunder Sword Technique was only at the Great Success Realm, it did not affect the power of Zhang Su’s strike.

Because this strike was not just the Wind and Thunder Sword Technique.

Within it, one could see traces of the Nine Shadows Sword Technique, the Light and Shadow Killing Sword, and a whole host of other techniques.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

A series of explosions rang out.

When the sword light faded and the dust and smoke cleared.

When the crowd saw the same upright figure and the ground littered with puppet fragments, the Inner Sect Grand Hall was in an uproar.

Three-Star Rating!

Zhang Su had done it again!

Moreover, to go from an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple to an Inner Sect Three-Star Disciple... Zhang Su had taken only a single day!

Three Stars in One Day—this was an unprecedented feat in the history of the Guiyuan Sect!