The Heavens: Man Covers the Heavens, Refines Treasures to Become an Emperor

"It's not just the elimination rate! I heard that all the top geniuses in our Southwest Province, like 'Young Marquis' Ling Tianhou, 'Jade-Faced Rakshasa' Su Yuhan, and Tuoba Xiong from the border region who is said to have barbarian blood, have all come! The competition is too fierce!"

"Yes, we must seize this last bit of time to train like crazy! This assessment is a crucial battle that will determine our future!"

Listening to the discussions around him, Jiang Xuan suddenly realized that there were less than half a month left until the provincial examination that would determine the fate of countless cultivators.

He pondered in his heart.

"Five thousand to one hundred... indeed cruel. Senior Xue Jin is right, those who can get to this point through layers of selection are no ordinary people. I must gather intelligence in advance, and be especially wary of the top few. I cannot be careless in the slightest."

Composing himself, Jiang Xuan walked to the front desk of the training ground and paid a servant ten gold coins, requesting a top-level training chamber specially provided for cultivators of the Human Gang Realm.

After following the waiter into a spacious secret room with walls reinforced by special metal, Jiang Xuan's gaze fell on the ten "copper-skinned puppets" standing quietly in the center of the room, their bodies shimmering with a dark metallic luster.

These puppets are one of the signature features of the Azure Sea Dojo.

Each one possesses combat power and astonishing defensive capabilities that are no weaker than ordinary Gang Realm cultivators. More importantly, they are engraved with special spiritual patterns that can mimic and unleash a variety of different martial arts techniques. Apart from lacking true intelligence, their difficulty in dealing with them is almost equivalent to ten well-coordinated, painless, and fearless Gang Realm cultivators!
This is exactly the sparring partner Jiang Xuan needs!

After the waiter left and closed the heavy door to the secret room, Jiang Xuan took a deep breath, his eyes sharpening.

He activated the mechanism in the secret chamber, bringing all ten bronze-skinned puppets to life!
"Om-!"

The ten puppets' jewel-like eyes suddenly lit up with a crimson light, locking onto the only living creature in the arena—Jiang Xuan!
The next moment, a whooshing sound rang out! Ten puppets charged towards Jiang Xuan from different directions, like hungry wolves that had smelled blood! Their movements were swift and their coordination was perfect, instantly blocking all his possible escape routes!

One of the fastest puppets had already rushed in front of Jiang Xuan, its metallic fist, gleaming with spiritual light, slamming into his throat with a piercing shriek! Ruthless and precise!

Faced with an attack that would have made even ordinary cultivators at the Gang Realm flustered, Jiang Xuan advanced instead of retreating! His spiritual energy surged instantly along the unique and complex path of the [Nine Shaking Heaven Collapse Dao], and he thrust his palms out in front of him, a sky-blue illusory light flowing from between his fingers. A heavy, oppressive aura, as if accumulating destructive power, suddenly spread out!
Immediately, he clenched his outstretched palms into fists, and a terrifying force burst forth from his fists!

First move – Mountain Splitting Collapse!

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a dull sonic boom that seemed to instantly crush and shatter the very space!

The copper-skinned puppet that charged forward first, its fist about to touch Jiang Xuan's throat, was as if it had been struck head-on by an invisible ancient divine hammer. Without even a fraction of a second of pause, its incomparably sturdy metal body shattered and disintegrated inch by inch, starting from the fist, and finally exploded into a shower of flying metal powder with a "bang"!
And this is just the beginning!
The force of the punch, though seemingly unstoppable, remained condensed and rolled forward like an invisible, furious dragon! It carved a terrifying chasm several meters long and bottomless into the ground! The chasm was aimed precisely at the other three puppets charging towards it in a triangular formation!
The three puppets didn't even have time to react before they were slammed into the edge of the spreading fist wind!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three explosions, almost consecutive! The three copper-skinned puppets with astonishing defensive capabilities, were like ice and snow encountering the scorching sun. The moment they came into contact with the force of the punches, they followed in the footsteps of the first puppet, exploding into three clouds of metallic dust!

Even the walls of the secret chamber, reinforced with special metal and engraved with protective spiritual runes, trembled and hummed violently under the impact of the aftershocks of this power!

Jiang Xuan remained in his punching stance, staring blankly at the scene before him, which resembled a hurricane sweeping through, and at the four clumps of metal powder that had not yet completely landed. He was somewhat stunned.

He... he just wanted to test the power of the [Nine Shaking Heavens Collapse Path]. He felt that he hadn't even brought out one-tenth of the essence of this move, "Mountain Splitting Collapse," and had only just begun to understand it, barely imitating its form and meaning.

But this result...

"This power... is terrifying..."

Jiang Xuan's heart was filled with turmoil.

He originally estimated that he would be successful if he could severely injure or even destroy one puppet with a single blow, but he never expected that the aftershocks of his fist would instantly annihilate four bronze-skinned puppets that were comparable to cultivators at the Human Gang Realm! This kind of destructive power has completely exceeded the scope of the Human Gang Realm!
He couldn't help but think that if he had mastered this technique when he fought Huang Jianchen in the arena, even if it was just this rudimentary "Mountain Collapse," he probably wouldn't have needed to exert so much effort and could have easily secured victory with a single move! And if he could fully master the Nine Collapses Dao, its power... was simply unimaginable!
Just as Jiang Xuan was thrilled by the terrifying power of this technique, and the remaining six puppets were still charging forward fearlessly—

"Bang!"

The heavy door to the secret room was suddenly pushed open from the outside!

According to the rules of the training ground, the opening of the gate signifies the end of the training, and all the puppets will immediately cease their actions.

Sure enough, the six rushing puppets froze a few feet away from Jiang Xuan, and the red light in their eyes went out.

The waiter who had led the way earlier rushed in, looking anxious and panicked, shouting.

"Honored guest inside! Are you alright? The commotion inside was really too much..."

His words stopped abruptly.

The waiter's eyes widened as he quickly scanned the secret room.

Jiang Xuan stood there unharmed, but of the ten bronze puppets that should have been standing in various parts of the secret chamber, only six remained! The other four had vanished without a trace!

The ground was covered with a thick layer of metallic powder...residue?
"This... this distinguished guest, what... what was that noise from inside just now?"

The waiter was a little confused and stammered as he asked, his eyes still searching for the four missing puppets.

Jiang Xuan withdrew his fist, a hint of apology on his face, pointed to the four conspicuous piles of metal powder on the ground, and said.

"I apologize. I lost control of the situation and destroyed four puppets. I will compensate you for the losses."

"Destroy...destroy?"

The waiter was taken aback at first, seemingly not understanding what "destroyed" meant. After all, the copper-skinned puppet was known for its sturdiness; at most, it would be deformed or its spirit patterns damaged. How could it be "destroyed"? But following the direction Jiang Xuan pointed, he carefully looked at the four piles of "remains"...

The next moment, the waiter's eyes widened instantly, his mouth opened so wide it could fit an egg, and he froze on the spot as if struck by a bolt of lightning!
He stared intently at the four piles of metal powder that were no longer recognizable, gasped, and his voice changed, filled with extreme shock and horror.

"Powder...powder?! They...they were actually...blasted to smithereens?!" This left him utterly horrified and heartbroken! Each of these bronze-skinned puppets at the Azure Sea Dojo was incredibly expensive, worth a staggering eight hundred gold coins! Their material was a mixture of various rare metals, forged by skilled weapon refiners, and then engraved with runes of sturdiness and power. Their defensive capabilities were exceptionally strong, reportedly capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a powerful Earthly Realm expert without being completely destroyed!
Even if cultivators train here on ordinary days, at most they will damage the puppets, causing the spirit patterns to dim, the joints to twist, or some dents to appear on the surface. They can then send them back to the workshop and spend tens or hundreds of gold coins to repair them so that they can be restored to their original state.

But this was the first time he had ever seen anything like it before, blasted into dust and leaving not a single intact part. He had worked at the Azure Sea Dojo for so many years! What kind of terrifying, concentrated destructive power could accomplish this? It was practically a massacre!
The waiter looked at Jiang Xuan with a mixture of surprise and scrutiny.

Jiang Xuan looked at the waiter's expression, as if his parents had died, and at the four piles of powder on the ground, and felt somewhat helpless.

He really didn't expect to cause such a commotion, and underestimated the power of the [Nine Shaking Heavens Collapse Dao], even if he had only scratched the surface of it.

He touched his nose and explained with a hint of apology in his voice.

"It was indeed an accident. I wanted to test the power of my new move, but I didn't expect... I will compensate you for your losses."

Upon hearing this, the servant's facial muscles twitched, and he forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace, waving his hands repeatedly.

"You flatter me, esteemed guest! A few mere puppets are easily damaged, how could I dare ask you to compensate me? However... this secret chamber and puppets of the Human Gang Realm are probably no longer sufficient to meet your training needs."

"Would you like me to move you to a secret chamber at the Earthly Rank Realm level? The puppets there are much more powerful, and I'm sure it would allow you, esteemed guest, to...have a more enjoyable experience?"

He asked cautiously, afraid of offending this boy whose origins were unknown but whose methods were terrifying.

Jiang Xuan was worried that the puppet in the Human Gang Realm was too weak to withstand attacks, preventing him from fully honing his newly acquired techniques. Upon hearing this, he immediately nodded in agreement.

"can."

The waiter, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly bowed and said...

"Honored guest, please follow me!"

As he led the way, he prayed frantically in his heart, hoping that the puppet at the Earthly Rank Realm could withstand this man's torment.

After leading Jiang Xuan to a more spacious secret chamber of the Earthly Rank Realm with walls shimmering with even stronger spiritual runes, the attendant practically fled.

He jogged all the way and rushed into the room of Yin Daxu, the person in charge of the Bihai Dojo.

"Owner! Owner! Something strange has happened!"

The waiter called out breathlessly.

Inside the room, a slightly overweight middle-aged man wearing a brocade robe and sporting a small mustache was leisurely sipping tea. Upon hearing this, he frowned and said unhappily.

"What's the panic? Is the sky falling? Speak slowly!"

The waiter quickly embellished the "tragedy" that had just occurred in the secret chamber of the Human Realm, especially emphasizing the horrifying scene of the four bronze puppets being blasted into dust.

Upon hearing this, Yin Daxu slammed his teacup on the table, stood up abruptly, and a fierce glint flashed in his small eyes.

"What? Four bronze-skinned golems destroyed? And they're just dust? Damn it, which blind competitor dares to come here and cause trouble?!"

But when the waiter explained that the one who did the work was just a young boy who looked quite young and whose cultivation level seemed to be only at the Human Gang Realm, Yin Daxu's anger instantly turned into absurdity and disbelief. He pointed at the waiter's nose and cursed.

"Bullshit! Human Realm? A Human Realm cultivator can blast a copper-skinned puppet to smithereens? Do you think I'm a three-year-old? Even an Earth Realm cultivator would have to put in a lot of effort to completely destroy that thing's defenses! You must be an idiot who saw it wrong, or that kid used some kind of one-time forbidden talisman!"

The waiter was so anxious he almost swore an oath.

"Master! It's absolutely true! I saw it with my own eyes! That young man just threw a punch, no, he just made a stance, and then the four puppets... they were gone! They really turned into dust! And he didn't use any external objects, just his bare hands!"

Seeing that the attendant didn't seem to be faking it, Yin Daxu frowned deeply, his heart filled with astonishment and doubt. Barehanded? Human Realm cultivator? Smashing a copper-skinned puppet? How could this be?! He had run his dojo for many years and had never heard of anything so outrageous!
Just then, he suddenly remembered what the waiter had just said, his expression changed drastically, he grabbed the waiter by the collar and said angrily.

"You just said... you lured him to the secret chamber of the Earthly Rank Realm?!"

The waiter was startled and stammered.

"Yes...yes, he said puppets at the Human罡 Realm are weak, so I..."

"You idiot! You're a useless idiot who's good for nothing and good for making things worse!"

Yin Daxu was so angry he almost spat out a mouthful of blood, and slapped the waiter on the forehead.

"Even puppets at the Human Gang Realm are weak, but puppets at the Earth Gang Realm are? You're inviting trouble! Quick! Take me there!"

He could no longer care about sipping his tea. He shoved the waiter aside and rushed hastily towards the Earthly Realm secret chamber area. The destruction of the Human Realm puppet was nothing to him; although it hurt, it was still within his tolerance.

Each puppet at the Earthly Rank Realm costs thousands of gold coins to make! If a few more are destroyed, his Azure Sea Dojo can forget about making a profit this year!
However, just as he rushed to the vicinity of the Earthly Rank Realm secret chamber, before he could even get close, he heard a muffled thunderous sound coming from inside the chamber, as if the entire passage was trembling slightly!
"boom--!!"

Yin Daxu's heart sank with the loud noise, and his face turned deathly pale! It's over! Judging from the noise, a fight has probably broken out inside, and the battle is extremely "fierce"!
He could no longer care about anything else. He rushed to the door of the secret room, disregarding all rules, and shoved the heavy door open!

The moment the door opened, a wave of heat, mixed with metal shards and a violent spiritual aura, rushed out! Yin Daxu squinted and looked inside, but the scene before him made his vision go black. He trembled with rage and almost vomited blood! (End of Chapter)