noveltune Chapter 81 A prodigy, truly a prodigy!
Chapter 81 A prodigy, truly a prodigy!
Chapter 81 A prodigy, truly a prodigy!
"Hey, this little guy's got some good potential, why don't you come out?"
Seeing that Mo Zheng had gone in for five or six breaths and showed no sign of coming out, Zhao Kuang's approval of Mo Zheng's strength increased even more.
"It seems that Junior Brother Mo has made great progress in the past three years."
He Kuang's face was gloomy. Mo Zheng's prolonged absence made him feel uneasy.
Inside are ten second-tier demonic beasts comparable to martial artists at the Bone and Tendon Realm!
When he first broke in a year ago, he was killed in one fell swoop, without even a glimpse of his shadow.
Even though a year had passed and his swordsmanship had improved significantly, he didn't have any illusions about passing the fourth level. Instead, he wanted to see how long he could last and how far he was from the Unity Realm.
Although the Tower of Ascension can injure the mind and spirit, it can also aid in cultivation.
Zhao Kuang noticed He Kuang's expression and guessed what he was thinking. He smiled and said, "Do you think he'll break through in one go?"
He Kuang stared silently at the mirage bead, staring at Mo Zheng. Several more breaths passed, but there was still no change.
He said somewhat uncertainly, "I don't think so?"
"Hahaha, you don't actually think he can get through, do you?"
Seeing He Kuang's hesitant and uncertain appearance, Zhao Kuang burst into laughter and said, "Even Lan Jun, who wielded the Deadly Spear, failed when he first tried to enter the fourth level, only lasting for twenty breaths."
"I have been guarding this fourth level for over thirty years, and I have never seen anyone pass through it on their first try."
Hearing this, He Kuang felt a little relieved and agreed, "Yes, the fourth level is far more difficult than the third level. He must be struggling to hold on."
"Of course, it's not absolute."
Zhao Kuang's sudden remark immediately made He Kuang's heart leap into his throat again.
"Don't be nervous, little guy. In the thousand-year history of Liangzhou Martial Arts Academy, only two people have ever successfully passed the fourth level of the Tower of Ascension. One was seven hundred years ago, and the other was three hundred years ago. Well, basically, one person appears every five hundred years on average. Do you think Mo Zheng will be the third person?" Zhao Kuang said with a smile.
One in five hundred years?
He Kuang was completely relieved. If the other party were truly a genius who only appears once every five hundred years, he wouldn't have disappeared for three years.
Just like Lan Jun, who climbed one level of the Tower of Ascension each year, he passed four levels in just three and a half years, dazzling all the disciples of the Martial Arts Hall.
"See, it's over now, isn't it?"
Zhao Kuang pointed to the lips and said that the white mist on them was shrinking.
"Twenty-three breaths. It seems he lasted longer than Lan Jun did on his first attempt."
He Kuang, who had been keeping track of the time, immediately spoke upon hearing this.
"No, look at his expression!" Zhao Kuang suddenly exclaimed.
He Kuang's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly looked at Mo Zheng's face.
The man's face remained normal, showing no signs of mental or emotional distress.
This is impossible!
In an instant, He Kuang's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost, his face filled with disbelief!
If the Mirage World ends but you are unharmed, there is only one possible outcome: you have successfully passed this level of the Tower of Ascension!
But this—how is this possible?!
"He broke through the fourth level on the first level!" He Kuang was completely dumbfounded.
Zhao Kuang was also shocked.
"This little guy actually—he actually cleared three levels of the Tower of Ascension in one go, including the fourth level, which is significantly more difficult!"
Having guarded the Tower of Ascension for over thirty years and witnessed countless prodigies, Zhao Kuang was seeing such an achievement for the first time and couldn't quite believe it.
"Is it possible that the power of this mirage pearl has been exhausted and needs to be replaced?" He Kuang cautiously raised a possibility.
The cupid's bow needs to be replaced after a while; it's a consumable item.
"No, this mirage pearl was replaced a month ago. It should last at least two more years, but there's no guarantee that this won't happen."
Zhao Kuang lost confidence and reached out to touch the mirage pearl.
However, in that instant, light and shadow shifted before his eyes, and many illusions appeared.
"No problem."
Zhao Kuang withdrew his hand, having already made his judgment.
"Mo Zheng, he passed the test of the fourth level of the Tower of Ascension. Another remarkable figure is about to emerge in our Hun Tian Sect. A genius martial artist who appears only once every five hundred years. I remember those two geniuses who passed the fourth level of the Tower of Ascension on their first attempt both later became Martial Saints."
"A genius that appears only once every five hundred years? They all became Martial Saints?!"
He Kuang stared at the young man's figure, muttering, "Impossible, how is this possible? This guy is actually a once-in-five-hundred-years genius?!"
However, his disbelief was useless; the facts were the facts.
Zhao Kuang ignored him completely and stood there, staring at Mo Zheng, waiting for him to wake up.
Soon, Mo Zheng opened his eyes, a smile on his lips, showing no signs of mental injury.
By this point, the outcome was self-evident.
He Kuang swallowed hard, took a deep breath, forced a smile, and said, "Congratulations, Master Mo—"
"Um... Senior Brother, congratulations, Senior Brother Mo, on passing the fourth level of the Tower of Ascension."
In martial arts, those who have mastered the skills come first, regardless of age.
Once Mo Zheng has passed the fourth level of the Tower of Ascension, he will naturally become a true disciple of the Martial Arts Hall. Since He Kuang is not a true disciple, he should naturally change his address from junior brother to senior brother.
Even if he was unwilling, even if he didn't want to, he had no choice but to do it this way.
Thanks.
Mo Zheng thanked him softly, looked at Zhao Kuang, and smiled without saying a word.
Zhao Kuang also smiled, and he smiled very happily. As a teacher of the Martial Arts Hall and a disciple of the Hun Tian Sect, what could be more joyful than seeing a brilliant genius emerge in the sect?
He praised, "You are truly remarkable. Mo Zheng, you have remained silent for three years, but when you do, you amaze everyone! It's laughable that I just thought you would embarrass yourself, that attempting to climb the Tower of Heaven was overestimating your abilities. I was truly blind."
Zhao Kuangji frankly revealed his thoughts, which were purely self-deprecating.
He jokingly admitted that after sitting in the Tower of Ascension for over thirty years and seeing countless outstanding disciples, he had become narrow-minded and looked down on geniuses.
He was well aware of how terrifying Mo Zheng's cultivation speed was. Back then, Lan Jun took three and a half years to pass the fourth level of the Tower of Ascension, while Mo Zheng only took a little over three years to enter the sect, which was even faster than Lan Jun!
It can be said that the Liangzhou Martial Arts Academy has produced two unparalleled geniuses at once. In particular, Mo Zheng's feat of conquering three levels of the Tower of Ascension is even more impressive than Lan Jun's, and he has a great chance of becoming a true disciple of the Martial Saint.
"Master Zhao, you flatter me. I was just lucky," Mo Zheng said modestly.
"Heh heh, luck. The name on the authentic inscription doesn't come by luck!"
Zhao Kuang smiled, then his expression suddenly turned serious. He gathered his inner energy and shouted loudly, "Third floor of the Tower of Ascension! Inner disciples, do not strive to pass! You may be promoted to True Disciple!"
The voice, amplified by internal energy, resounded like thunder, spreading throughout the entire martial arts hall and reaching every corner.
This is the standard procedure for treating true disciples.
After saying this, he took out a token from his pocket and handed it to Mo Zheng, saying, "According to the rules of the Martial Arts Hall, after passing the Tower of Ascension, you need to meet the headmaster. With this token, go to Xiaohan Peak later. I believe your name will soon be engraved on the True Inheritance Stele."
"Thank you, Master Zhao."
Mo Zheng accepted the token, bowed, and asked, "May I leave now?"
"Of course you can, but why don't you try the fifth floor?" Zhao Kuang said.
Mo Zheng laughed and asked in return, "What's the reward for passing the fifth level?"
"this----"
This question stumped Zhao Kuang. He opened his mouth, then shook his head and laughed, "If you can get through this, how about I personally reward you with a Bone Strengthening Pill?"
"Then I won't trouble Master Zhao. Once I have the strength to pass the seventh level, I will naturally come and try again. Farewell."
After saying this, Mo Zheng put away the token and headed towards the stairs.
"A seventh-level Tower of Ascension, what a boastful claim! But it doesn't seem impossible to complete."
As Zhao Kuang watched Mo Zheng's figure disappear, his face revealed undisguised admiration.
He murmured, "Lan Jun and Mo Zheng, these two little guys are quite interesting. Neither of them wants to continue trying the fifth level of the Tower of Ascension."
However, Mo Zheng's statement is not entirely wrong. After all, apart from the first, fourth, and seventh floors of the Tower of Ascension, which offer rewards, the other floors are mostly for testing strength and are not particularly significant.
Thinking of this, Zhao Kuang walked to the shelf in the corner where the bronze bells were placed and struck them hard.
Xiaohan Peak, in Wu Feng's courtyard.
Liu Qing and the other two gathered together to discuss the results of their observations over the past few days.
"The level of the disciples in Liangzhou Martial Arts Hall is not much different from before. The most surprising one is Lan Jun. He has good aptitude, is focused in his cultivation, and has the talent to multitask. I think he will definitely have great gains in the Haotian Secret Realm this time." Xiao Ling looked at Lan Jun very clearly.
"Not only Lan Jun, but Zhou Xian, who is under Senior Brother Liu Qing's tutelage, is also very good. What I admire most about him is his mentality. He is calm and composed. For a martial artist, a calm mentality is the most important thing," Wu Feng said.
"When it comes to venturing into the Haotian Secret Realm, a disciple's potential is one aspect, but luck is the most important."
Liu Qing laughed and said, "Anyway, every time the results come out, they're always surprising. Let's just wait and see."
-
"Hahaha, Senior Brother Liu is right, luck is very important." Wu Feng recalled the results of his previous attempts and couldn't help but laugh. "The Haotian Secret Realm only allows martial artists below the Visceral Realm to enter. It's not just a test of aptitude; many times, martial artists with good aptitude and strong strength may end up with nothing."
"You guys are just looking for a laugh."
Xiao Ling shook her head and smiled bitterly. She was selecting talents for the sect. Although the Haotian Secret Realm depended on luck, martial arts cultivation did not.
"Um?
'
Suddenly, Liu Qing's ears twitched.
The other two also experienced ear twitches for a moment that night.
A voice echoed from afar: "The fourth level of the Tower of Ascension, inner disciple Mo Zheng has passed and can be promoted to True Disciple!"
"That's Old Zhao's voice. He said Mo Zheng has been promoted to a true disciple?"
Wu Feng blinked, then asked in confusion, "You two, did I hear that right?"
"That's right, it sounds like that kid surnamed Mo to me."
Xiao Ling looked at Liu Qing with a solemn expression and said, "I'm afraid we've all misjudged you. Your disciple actually has such ability, choosing the most difficult path and even comprehending the Unity Realm!"
"Zhao Kuang, could there be a mistake?" Liu Qing asked uncertainly.
It's no wonder Wu Feng and Liu Qing questioned it; it was truly unbelievable that Mo Zheng had managed to pass the fourth level of the Tower of Ascension.
Although he was talented and cultivated quickly, he chose to cultivate the Twelve Swords of Wind.
It's important to know that even a genius like Di Xiao, who eventually became a Martial Saint, spent a full eight years comprehending this path.
But Mo Zheng only spent three years.
In just three years, he has mastered everything and will be able to pass the fourth level of the Tower of Ascension?
In particular, the group of them once thought that Mo Zheng had gone mad and wanted to wake him up. Although they had observed him secretly earlier and felt that it was not quite like that, they did not expect that Mo Zheng had already fully comprehended the Twelve Swords of Wind!
This cultivation progress is just too fast, unless he hasn't encountered any bottlenecks in the past three years!
"Old Zhao wouldn't be mistaken. The mirage world of the Tower of Ascension—if you pass through it, you pass through it; if you don't, you don't. How could he be wrong?"
Xiao Ling said confidently, "Besides, after passing through the Tower of Ascension, we still need to meet with the Headmaster and demonstrate our external martial arts skills."
"Senior Brother Liu, your disciple is destined for greatness!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a melodious bell rang out from the foot of the mountain.
Clang, clang, clang—
Three bells rang in succession, echoing throughout the martial arts hall and the surrounding area for miles, announcing to everyone that a new true disciple had been born.
"This—Don't fight over this little guy—"
Even with his extensive experience and life-and-death encounters, Wu Feng's heart was still filled with turbulent waves upon hearing the bells from the foot of the mountain.
And it's not just him.
Xiao Ling and Liu Qing both looked surprised and shocked.
The questioning just now stemmed from the fact that the news was so shocking that even a master of the Visceral Realm couldn't accept it for a while.
Now that they have calmed down, they cannot help but be moved by Mo Zheng's achievements.
In three years, they have covered the same path that Di Xiao had taken in eight years. Most importantly, Mo Zheng is only eighteen years old this year.
"Could it be that our sect is about to produce a twenty-year-old Visceral Realm cultivator?" Xiao Ling murmured.
Upon hearing this, Liu Qing and Wu Feng felt another tremor in their hearts.
The internal organs of a twenty-year-old —
This is, however, a highly probable possibility.
Since Mo Zheng has chosen this path, martial arts intent cannot stop him at all. Moreover, his cultivation speed is even more terrifying than Di Xiao's back then. Perhaps, he can reach the Visceral Realm in less than two years!
What a terrifying rate of growth!
A powerful expert at the Internal Organs Realm who is not even twenty years old —
"A prodigy, truly a prodigy! In the entire history of the human race, there have been no more than ten great masters who could reach the Visceral Realm before the age of twenty, and each of them eventually became a Martial Saint."
Wu Feng exclaimed, "Senior Brother Liu, you're incredibly lucky to have found such a fine disciple! It's a pity I didn't practice swordsmanship, otherwise I would have definitely fought you for him!"
"I didn't expect that either."
Liu Qing laughed. If he could really cultivate a Martial Saint, that would be a wonderful story.
"No, I don't feel at ease. I'll go check on Headmaster Feng!"
Xiao Ling stood up abruptly and walked directly out of the courtyard, ready to see Mo Zheng's swordsmanship with her own eyes.
"Let's go, let's go too."
Wu Feng and Liu Qing also stood up and walked towards the small courtyard at the top of the mountain.