"Who are you?"
Gu Li stared at Fang Wang, her fine eyebrows furrowed as she sized him up carefully. For him to step forward at this moment, he must be no ordinary individual. Could it be that she had misjudged him, and this young man had a remarkable background?
Everyone scrutinized Fang Wang, including Greedy Sleeper.
Fang Wang said calmly, "My name is Fang Wang. Why don't we have a bout first? The winner will earn the right to fight everyone alone. How about it?"
As soon as these words came out, some people started to make a commotion. Everyone present had the backing of Cultivation families. Although they did not dare to rashly take the lead, they were excited to see someone challenging Gu Li's face.
Most people were wary of the Luo Bei Gu Family's reputation, but the rest were just being cautious. They felt that rashly vying for the position of direct disciple, they might not even get the chance to compete for the position of disciples wielding swords. With fifty-one people potentially attacking at once, they might be overwhelmed before having a chance to show their strength.
Greedy Sleeper stood on the side, twirling his beard with a face that reveled in the excitement. He had no intention of stopping them.
Gu Li stepped forward two paces and drew a slender sword from behind her back. It was two fingers wide, yet four feet long, its blade flashing with cold light.
"Then let's give it a try!" Gu Li's tone was forceful as she raised her sword towards Fang Wang.
Fang Wang lifted his right arm and raised the Flying Sword in his hand, but quickly let go. The Flying Sword hovered in mid-air.
Gu Li narrowed her eyes and immediately swung her sword, slicing out with a Sword Qi that was unstoppable, kicking up clouds of dust and sand as it barreled towards Fang Wang.
Fang Wang's right hand swung out fiercely, and the Flying Sword burst forth at terrifying speed, like a streak of cold light, ripping through the oncoming Sword Qi and dispersing the stormy winds in almost an instant, coming to a halt before Gu Li's forehead.
The draft from the sword blew away Gu Li's bamboo hat and veil, revealing a stunningly beautiful face that was now filled with a look of astonishment.
Looking at the Flying Sword hovering before her face, Gu Li stiffened, her pupils reflecting the tip of the sword, which twinkled with a cold light like the stars, and cold sweat ran down her forehead.
Everyone was shocked, including Zhou Xue, who couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.
"I really didn't misjudge him, but this kid's Sword Control Technique..."
Considering Fang Wang's performance that night, Zhou Xue had felt that Fang Wang's true strength was far greater than his cultivation level showed, which is why she had put him forward. She was surprised to see the extent to which Fang Wang had mastered the Sword Control Technique; even some cultivators in the Soul Sculpting Realm might not be able to match that speed.
Indeed, at that time, Fang Wang had used a mere mortal's sword, but now he held a magic sword in his hand.
However, even though this magic sword was of the most ordinary kind, it enabled him to unleash such power. Where was the limit for this young man?
Greedy Sleeper was also taken aback, his eyes gleaming as he focused intently on Fang Wang.
"Such domineering control and ferocious speed, to come to an instant stop... even I almost failed to react in time," Greedy Sleeper thought to himself with lingering fear. If Gu Li had died here, it would have been a major problem.
The Luo Bei Gu Family was not one to be trifled with!
He had to be vigilant, watching Fang Wang closely, fearing that the young man would be too heavy-handed.
Behind him, the Tai Yuan Sect Disciples all looked as if they had seen a ghost. Was this young man really at the Qi Cultivation Realm?
Fang Wang didn't look at Gu Li but swept his gaze over the others and asked, "I am standing as a candidate for the direct disciple, does anyone object?"
No one dared to answer. They all watched him as if facing a formidable enemy, and they began to silently take out their respective magic artifacts.
Zhou Xue's lips curved slightly upward as she thought to herself, "This kid is truly sharp. Usually, he seems restrained, but when it's time to contend, he exudes such an aura. If he hadn't died on the night of the clan's destruction in his former life, how high might he have risen?"
Think as she might, she also drew out a magic artifact, which was the Yellow Talisman previously used by the Qingyi Daoist.
Fang Wang caught sight of this and his heart skipped a beat. You're not going to really go through with it, are you?
Hey!
We're on the same side!
Fang Wang's right hand rotated inward, and the Flying Sword hovering before Gu Li's forehead snapped back, landing in his palm.
Gu Li's heartbeat thundered, and as she looked at Fang Wang, she felt a sense of unreality.
In that instant, she had felt the breath of death. Had her opponent wanted to kill her, she surely would not have been able to escape.
Why was there such a large gap?
She hadn't even used her Five Saints Sword Technique yet...
At that moment, she remembered her father's words, "The Great Abyss Gate has the aspect of soaring. Titans are bound to emerge; once there, you must not let down your guard."
Fang Wang paid no attention to Gu Li's thoughts. Seeing the others begin to move, encircling him, he knew that just relying on his Sword Control Technique was not enough to handle the current situation.
With that thought, he plunged his Flying Sword into the ground and faced the surrounding adversaries empty-handed.
Madness!
That was the feeling of everyone present. Just as someone couldn't restrain themselves any longer, Fang Wang raised his right hand with his palm facing downwards.
Boom!
An overbearing aura erupted from within Fang Wang. Dust swirled up from beneath his feet as three fireballs formed behind his head, resembling miniature suns. His robe billowed out, and his expression became stern.
"This is..."
"How is that possible!"
Both Greedy Sleeper and Zhou Xue were shocked. The former was pleasantly surprised, while the latter was purely astonished.
The Solaris Scripture!
Zhou Xue claimed she had not mastered it before her ascension, using it to intimidate Fang Wang. But in truth, she had practiced the Solaris Scripture to the sixth layer, only to abandon it later due to other reasons.
Just the sixth layer alone took her decades to master. How long had Fang Wang been practicing?
Looking at the three blazing orbs behind Fang Wang's head, it was clear that he had achieved more than just the first layer. She suddenly suspected that Fang Wang might have reached the seventh layer—a realm she hadn't attained.
No wonder this youngster's cultivation was increasing so rapidly, advancing the Solaris Scripture to such a degree in just over a month…
The emergence of such a genius in Grand Qi made Zhou Xue suddenly feel the power of destiny; perhaps an unseen force was influencing the Fang Family's fate.
In this life, Fang Wang had survived. That meant the times were about to change.
Although Zhou Xue found it unbelievable, it was not beyond her acceptance; after all, she had ascended and had seen even more monstrous beings.
"Attack!"
The bamboo hat-wearing black-clothed man took the lead, slamming the ground as he spoke. His backpack opened, unleashing a volley of black arrows towards Fang Wang.
The others immediately cast their spells, all opting for long-range attacks, and even Zhou Xue made her move, her Yellow Talisman bursting into dozens of golden rays.
In an instant, multicolored lights enveloped Fang Wang.
Fang Wang's gaze sharpened, his right hand clenched into a fist, and the three fireballs behind him suddenly exploded, transforming into a rolling inferno that swept away the various spells and magic artifacts from all directions. The rising flames were spectacular.
The next second, Fang Wang dashed forward using the Shadowless Step. Having mastered the ninth level of the Solaris Scripture and reached Great Perfection, he no longer feared any flames. In just three strides, he was in front of a cultivator.
He struck out with his palm, swift as the wind and forceful as thunder.
Boom!
The cultivator was sent flying, coughing out blood in mid-air.
Fang Wang turned, his leg sweeping out in a horizontal kick aimed at the female cultivator beside him. He was not just a cultivator; he was also a martial artist, with extremely fast physical reaction time. Spiritual Power condensed on his right leg, striking the opponent's face directly and knocking her out on the spot.
He continued his assault on the next person; he intended to defeat all his adversaries in the shortest possible time, as his Spiritual Power was limited and couldn't sustain such an intensity of combat for long.
The Solaris Spiritual Power was tremendously domineering. When Fang Wang used the Solaris Spiritual Power to execute the martial art of the True Dragon Palm, what emerged was not a dragon-shaped True Qi but a spectacular fire dragon that rampaged forth, overpowering several cultivators.
The bamboo hat-wearing black-clothed man came up behind Fang Wang, attempting a sneak attack, only for Fang Wang to evade using the Shadowless Step, causing his staff blow to miss.
Fang Wang spun around and executed a True Dragon Palm that the man dodged, but the cultivators behind him weren't so lucky.
Several more were sent flying, their bodies ablaze.
The observing Tai Yuan Sect Disciples reacted quickly, rushing to aid these newly burnt disciples, only to discover that the flames were difficult to extinguish, forcing them to resort to spells.
Fortunately, the flames suddenly disappeared, which gave them some relief.
This was Fang Wang's doing; the ninth level of Great Perfection of the Solaris Scripture allowed him to control the Solaris True Fire to the extreme; he was wary of burning these people to death.
In less than ten breaths' time, half the group was incapacitated, and the remaining cultivators retreated, daring not to let him get close.
Fang Wang moved fast as an arrow, constantly seeking targets. His True Dragon Palm was too domineering for anyone to withstand. When Zhou Xue appeared before him, Fang Wang showed no mercy, treating her as if she was a stranger.
Zhou Xue actually clashed palms with him!
Boom——
Their palms met, and a wild wind erupted. Fang Wang frowned as he felt a sinister Spiritual Power, snake-like, trying to erode his Solaris Spiritual Power, but luckily his power was strong enough.
The Greedy Sleeper couldn't help but glance at Zhou Xue, his eyes lighting up as he thought to himself that here was another genius.
He instantly categorized Zhou Xue as one of the sword-bearing disciples.
As this thought crossed his mind, Zhou Xue spat out blood and was sent flying, falling several meters away. She struggled to get up but failed several times.
Fang Wang really admired her; her acting skills were impeccable.
From that last exchange of palms, he was almost certain that Zhou Xue was not weaker than him.
Thinking about it, it made sense. It was unlikely that Zhou Xue would teach him her strongest cultivation technique. Likewise, if he were reborn, he would not foster someone stronger than himself.
One might care for their kin, but only to make them better, not to devote everything to their growth beyond the point of control.
With Zhou Xue defeated, the rest stood no chance against Fang Wang. Most of them were in the fifth to eighth levels of the Qi Cultivation Realm, with only three reaching the ninth level—among them, Gu Li and the black-clothed man.
Soon, only the black-clothed man was left fighting Fang Wang. This fellow had exceptional agility, which meant Fang Wang couldn't hit him for a while.
The black-clothed man felt the same way, even more frustrated, as his spells were rendered useless the moment they neared Fang Wang, dissipated by the fireballs behind him. After more than a dozen exchanges, Fang Wang's True Dragon Palm struck from an unexpected angle, and caught off guard, the black-clothed man instinctively met it with his own palm.
This clash spelled his defeat!
Falling to the ground, the black-clothed person clutched his chest, coughed up blood, and was unable to continue fighting.
Fang Wang turned his gaze to Gu Li, who had not taken any action and was watching from a distance. Sensing his look, she shook her head slightly, indicating surrender.
"Good! Very good!"
The Greedy Sleeper laughed heartily and called out loudly, "Fang Wang, promoted to Direct Disciple, is the Tai Yuan Sect's first ever new disciple to become a Direct Disciple upon joining since the sect's founding!"
His voice echoed beneath the firmament, and the observing Tai Yuan Sect Disciples all looked at Fang Wang with complicated expressions.
The Tai Yuan Sect valued not only cultivation talent but also combat talent, and often, the two were inseparable.
The Greedy Sleeper was already looking forward to what rank of precious spirit Fang Wang would have after his Spiritual Refinement, and whether he could catch up with that youngster.