The nearest student to the arena, who was also directly facing the Spirit Stone, was the first to notice the anomaly. In shock, he shouted out.
"What?! Could it really be a Spirit Root? Impossible!"
This single outburst sent a ripple through the crowd, and every student's gaze turned toward the source.
Zuo Heng was momentarily stunned, while Wu Qiyue's body trembled slightly. Her watery eyes flickered, ripples spreading through them like waves on the surface of a pond.
Time seemed to freeze, and for a moment, everyone forgot to breathe. On the transparent Spirit Stone, a faint glow gradually began to shine.
"Indeed, it's the light of a Spirit Root!"
Qin Zhen's heart trembled. In shock, he shouted, "Quick, quick, check what quality it is!"
The Spirit Root test could reveal up to nine levels of soul light. Every three levels represented a tier—low, medium, and high quality—and there were legends of even higher-quality Spirit Roots, with up to ten levels of soul light.
Yang Qingxuan, however, remained much calmer. As his hand touched the Spirit Stone, a feeling of comfort spread through him, even carrying a nourishing effect for the soul.
At this moment, his main soul had returned and integrated, making his soul power far superior to that of an ordinary martial artist. Thus, it was no surprise that the Spirit Light appeared.
But just then, his left shoulder twitched slightly. An indescribable sensation surged through his meridians.
"It's the power of that seal!"
"Damn it! What is that seal? It's out of control!"
A wave of horror swept through Yang Qingxuan's eyes as he felt a violent force erupting from the seal, flowing into the Spirit Stone through his meridians.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the Spirit Stone shattered into pieces with a loud explosion.
Yang Qingxuan could only watch in astonishment as the Soul Light on the Spirit Stone seemed to explode into ten brilliant beams, which then merged into an intense burst of light before the stone completely disintegrated.
"What… what's happening?!"
Everyone was stunned. The destruction of the Spirit Stone was something they had never heard of before.
Wu Qiyue was shaken to her core. Hidden within her long sleeves, her jade-like fingers trembled slightly.
In her lively black eyes, veins of blood began to form, spiraling into tiny circles that formed an intricate, strange array.
Wu Qiyue's mind was in turmoil as she berated herself: "It's all my fault for being so careless! Just now, I seemed to have seen ten Soul Lights, but I didn't activate the Qingyan Eye, so I couldn't see clearly!"
At that very moment, as the Spirit Stone shattered, a thunderous sound echoed from the sky, followed by a surge of wind and clouds, and a crack of lightning exploded!
A flash of purple flames soared into the heavens, setting the entire sky alight!
A terrifying aura descended from above, as if an army of a thousand troops was marching through the sky, sweeping through the world!
But what was most shocking was that this oppressive aura didn't just cover the Tiancong Academy, but the entire Cangnan Kingdom!
"What's happening? What is this?!"
From the arena to the academy and even to the imperial capital of Baishui City in Cangnan Kingdom, panic spread.
All the strong figures within the city looked up, their eyes fixed on the terrifying celestial phenomenon.
"This is…"
Wu Qiyue quickly looked up, a gleam of green light flashing in her eyes.
Deep in her gaze, countless tiny blood droplets gathered together, transforming into millions of chains that intertwined to form an array.
In the center of this array, a massive green eye slowly opened.
The green eye emitted a dark, grayish light. When it was focused, it resembled a still black sea. Under the changing light, it became deep and vast like the universe itself, as though it could swallow millions of stars and observe all the phenomena of the world.
Wu Qiyue's fingers, hidden within her long sleeves, formed hand seals as she tried to use her "Qingyan" to peer into the Spirit Phenomenon. But the instant she gazed upon it, a bolt of purple lightning shot through the void, striking her giant eye and shattering the entire array with a thunderous crash.
Wu Qiyue trembled violently, and not only did her Qingyan shatter, but it felt as though her mind had been shattered as well. A terrifying force assaulted her spiritual realm, her internal organs, and everything in her body!
In that instant, she lost all her senses, her entire being empty. Within the vast emptiness of her consciousness, an illusory figure seemed to look down upon the world, its cold voice sneering, "Who do you think you are to dare to spy on my Spirit?"
Wu Qiyue shuddered. It was as though she regained a fleeting sense of consciousness, and an overwhelming terror surged from all sides, flooding her soul.
At this moment, she realized just how foolish and dangerous her actions had been. Blood seeped from her autumn-water-like eyes.
The vision before her was that of a god descending upon the earth. Her Spirit was as insignificant as an ant, trembling before a monarch.
Standing beneath the arena, Wu Qiyue's lips turned pale.
Her mind was consumed by fear, leaving no space for any other thoughts. It felt as though she was a single leaf, drifting on the vast ocean, with no control over her fate, poised to capsize at any moment.
Around her, Zuo Heng, Qin Zhen, and the others, though they did not dare to gaze upon the Spirit Phenomenon, were also under immense pressure. Each of them struggled to circulate their true energy to resist the terrifying oppressive force!
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
More than a dozen figures could no longer withstand the pressure and dropped to their knees!
Zuo Heng was drenched in cold sweat, trembling uncontrollably. Finally, after coughing up blood and feeling a sharp pain in his chest, he collapsed to the ground, his limbs trembling like an ant.
Soon after, Yu Liang's face turned pale, and he fell to his knees, convulsing on the ground like someone suffering from epilepsy.
The other students were all horrified, watching in disbelief. Although many of them had Spirit Roots, not all had awakened their Spirits.
Those who hadn't awakened their Spirit had no right to feel such pressure!
Qin Zhen, too, was trembling severely. Beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead, and his face lost all color. The iron-willed man, once strong and proud, now appeared fragile, weak, and helpless, like a leaf in the wind.
Yang Qingxuan stood dazed, staring at the heavens. Amid the boundless sky, beyond the clouds and ink, a towering figure seemed to stand amidst the purple flames, waiting to descend.
At that moment, inside a vast secret chamber within Tiancong Academy.
In the dim light, a ten-zhang-wide formation slowly spun, emitting a soft glow. In the center of the array sat an elderly man, with snow-white beard and a deep blue robe that was spotless.
Only those who had reached the Yuanwu Realm could fly through the air.
The old man, sitting in mid-air, had clearly reached the Yuanwu Realm, a great master.
He was meditating when suddenly, the entire chamber shook violently, and the glow from the formation flickered.
His hand formed a seal, but just as he was about to materialize a phantom behind him, the shockwave disrupted the process, causing the phantom to shatter instantly!
"Poof!"
The old man's eyes snapped open, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his face filled with shock.
He extended his hands and looked down at his arms. Waves of energy rippled from his shoulders to his fingertips, trembling slightly.
"Spirit suppression!"
The old man barely managed to mutter the words, his heart sinking.
People only knew that Spirit Roots were divided into four levels: extreme, high, medium, and low. But in truth, there were also four major categories in the Spirit's ranking: Emperor, King, Lord, and Mortal.
The old man's Spirit was at the Lord level, a rare and exceptional existence, even among the Five Northern Kingdoms. But now, it was being suppressed by some force!
His heart churned with shock, and disregarding his injuries, he quickly opened the secret chamber door and rushed outside.
In the next moment, he flew into the air, heading toward Tiancong Academy's vast sky.
Above the long sky, purple clouds burned brightly, with myriad phenomena unfolding. It was as if purple dragon scales covered the sky, transforming into a sea of purple!
The terrifying pressure spread out with the light, blinding and unsettling, shaking the very soul.
The old man dared not look further. He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, hurriedly clasped his hands, bowed, and called out loudly, "I do not know which great being has arrived at Baishui City's Tiancong Academy. I, Qing Buli, failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."
The old man was none other than the Academy's principal, Qing Buli, known throughout the Five Northern Kingdoms as the "Martial King."
He stood respectfully, unwilling to raise his head, calling out three times without receiving an answer.
Qing Buli cautiously raised his eyes, and through the purple flames and lightning, he saw, behind the clouds, a thundercloud like a dragon, carrying a golden light so brilliant that it seemed to slowly descend.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and like a bolt of lightning