The face of the Taixuan Sacred Land was utterly humiliated!
"Mike..." The Grand Elder of the Taixuan Sacred Land glared at the figure of Mike in the Water Moon Mirror, his teeth grinding in fury. Where did this ancestor come from? "Stop pretending you can't hear me, you shameless scoundrel!"
At this moment, everyone in the Taixuan Sacred Land plaza was stunned. What kind of spiritual treasure was this? It was terrifyingly powerful. It made them all want one too. It was simply a humiliating artifact! A bit too unethical, though—against decency!
The faces of the top elders in the Taixuan Sacred Land were as black as the soles of shoes.
"Grand Elder, if we lose even to the final test of Gu Yan, how will we explain this? The Banruo Axe..." A high-ranking member of the Taixuan Sacred Land spoke, his expression dark.
The Grand Elder fixed his gaze on the Water Moon Mirror without speaking.
That Banruo Axe was something Taixuan Sacred Master had painstakingly retrieved. If it was handed over to someone else just like that, their Taixuan Sacred Land's reputation would be ruined.
"No matter what, we can't let him pass this last test!" The Grand Elder's eyes flashed with a sinister gleam.
"Gu Yan, you absolutely cannot lose face for the Taixuan Sacred Land!" The Grand Elder transmitted a message to Gu Yan, who was on top of the mountain.
At this moment, on a green stone at the mountain's summit, a young man was lying there, holding a wine cup, leisurely sipping. Upon hearing the Grand Elder's transmission, he sneered and then slowly shook his head. "Don't worry, Grand Elder. I, Gu Yan, will not embarrass the Taixuan Sacred Land."
With that, Gu Yan extended his hand, and a massive rock nearby shattered, revealing a silver-hued battle axe that flew straight into his hand.
The axe hummed as it trembled, its sharpness almost capable of cutting through mountains and rivers.
"That's the Banruo Axe!"
The crowd outside couldn't help but be stirred by the sight of the weapon.
It was a divine weapon on the Divine Weapon List!
Even warriors who didn't use axes would be tempted to give up their weapon and learn the ways of the axe just to wield such a divine weapon.
Possessing such a weapon didn't just improve one's strength—it was a dramatic leap in power.
Such divine weapons could not be found just anywhere; only major forces like Taixuan Sacred Land had them.
Moreover, it was one of the top fifty divine weapons on the Divine Weapon List.
"Alright, let's use the Banruo Axe to deal with him!" The Grand Elder nodded, a trace of approval in his expression.
He wasn't sure if Mike still had the Vajra Talisman, but even if he did, it wouldn't matter. Gu Yan was a transcendent expert, and with the Banruo Axe in hand, no Vajra Talisman could stand up to it!
Besides, the rules didn't prohibit Taixuan disciples from using the Banruo Axe during the test.
At that moment, amidst the watchful eyes of everyone, Mike finally arrived at the mountain summit.
"Oh?" Gu Yan saw Mike and smiled. "Fifth rank?"
"Yes." Mike nodded and cupped his hands. "Senior, are you the one in charge of the final test?"
"That's right." Gu Yan slowly replied. "I've been watching your battles with Ma Heng and Xu Yun from up here. I have to say, your Seven-Treasure Gourd is quite interesting."
Mike frowned slightly. This person had seen his Seven-Treasure Gourd and still seemed so calm. It seemed like he was prepared for it. This was troublesome. This person must have some countermeasure.
Had he really made it to the final round only to fail here?
"Alright, senior, let's not waste time. Shall we begin?" Mike cautiously asked. "Earlier, the rule was that I would take the first three moves. That rule hasn't changed, right?"
"Of course not," Gu Yan raised his chin, arrogantly saying, "In the Taixuan Sacred Land, we keep our word."
"Then, I'm ready," Mike took a deep breath and grabbed the gourd.
However, at that moment, Gu Yan's lips curled into a slight arc. He stepped forward, and in the shocked and bewildered gazes of everyone, Gu Yan suddenly kneeled before Mike, holding the Banruo Axe above his head.
"I concede. The Banruo Axe is yours."
"Poof!" The Taixuan Sacred Land Grand Elder spat out a mouthful of old blood.
This kid actually conceded!
Everyone was dumbfounded. What was going on here?
Even Mike was completely confused. He hadn't even made a move yet, and Gu Yan had already conceded?
Mike stared blankly at the Banruo Axe, then took it into his hands. It was warm to the touch, giving off a gentle, comforting sensation.
Gu Yan stood up, laughing, and turned to leave.
He had watched everything clearly. He had seen Ma Heng and Xu Yun stripped of their clothes by Mike, forced to hide in the bushes, only showing their bare backsides and cursing. It was a complete embarrassment.
Gu Yan was a man of dignity; he didn't want to be caught in such a situation.
Moreover, the Grand Elder had said not to embarrass the Taixuan Sacred Land. Gu Yan naturally handed over the Banruo Axe to avoid being stripped as well. Otherwise, how could he maintain face for the Taixuan Sacred Land?
With Mike taking the Banruo Axe, the test was officially over. The transmission array beneath everyone's feet lit up.
Moments later, everyone returned to the Taixuan Sacred Land's plaza.
At this time, all eyes were on Mike.
Mike felt an overwhelming mix of gazes upon him—envy, jealousy, hatred, murderous intent, dissatisfaction, defiance, and fear...
Where did his strange treasure come from?
And that Vajra Talisman—who drew it, that it could block Gu Yan's Nine-Step Pounding Axe technique?
"Find out!" The Taixuan Sacred Land Grand Elder shouted angrily. "Find out where this Mike came from!"
"Yes!" The people behind him hurried off to investigate.
"You three, take care of Mike properly!" The Grand Elder then transmitted a message to the three Taixuan disciples in charge of the test.
At the foot of the mountain, the middle of the mountain, and the summit all had a disciple stationed there.
The three of them were meditating when they received the Grand Elder's transmission, their eyes filled with confusion.
Who was Mike?
Wasn't the person supposed to be Lu Tianxing, their fellow disciple?
Though they were also disciples of Taixuan Sacred Land, their cultivation was far beyond Lu Tianxing's. They had surpassed the Ninth Rank and reached the Transcendence Realm, placing them among the top experts of Taixuan Sacred Land.
Originally, according to the script, Lu Tianxing was supposed to arrive, and they would give him a pass through the test, sending him to the summit to receive the Banruo Axe in front of everyone. But to their surprise, it wasn't Lu Tianxing who arrived.
The Grand Elder had told them beforehand—if the unexpected happened, and it wasn't Lu Tianxing, they were to deal with the situation harshly.
They absolutely couldn't let him take the Banruo Axe.
The various sects watching from the plaza also didn't expect that the final winner would be an unknown disciple, and only a Fifth Rank at that.
How ridiculous!
The Taixuan Sacred Land had truly embarrassed itself today.
Everyone's hearts were filled with schadenfreude, eager to see the Taixuan Sacred Land's humiliation unfold.
Meanwhile, the Taixuan Sacred Land quickly dispatched people to send clothes to Lu Tianxing at the Wind Sand Valley.