Fellow Daoist, I gladly accept this heaven-defying opportunity.

Xu Mofeng looked up and saw that Zhou Bo, Xiao Qingwang and other Nascent Soul Realm experts had already rushed to the fourth platform, and they were all racing towards the top.

Xu Mofeng no longer hesitated and strode into the nearest white halo.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared on a small platform at the bottom.

In the blink of an eye, a humanoid ball of light appeared opposite him, conjuring swords and blades in its hand, and charged straight at him.

"Golden Core Stage Five".

Xu Mofeng sensed the opponent's aura and casually threw a punch, causing the ball of light to explode into countless points of light.

"This platform involves a lot of knowledge about formations, and I wonder if it was built by the person who died in the center of the illusion formation back then..."

Just then, a white jade slip fell to his feet.

Xu Mofeng picked it up and glanced at it, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Azure Blood Sword, a top-grade Human Rank item. Others can get a Profound Rank cultivation technique on the first level, but I only got a top-grade Human Rank item. So the quality of the reward depends on luck."

He shook his head helplessly and stepped into the newly appeared white halo.

The humanoid ball of light they encountered this time was slightly stronger, having reached the sixth level of the Golden Core stage.

As usual, it was resolved with a single punch. After collecting the reward, I continued to the next level.

And so, Xu Mofeng pushed his way upwards.

Golden Core Stage 7...

The eighth level of golden elixir...

Nine levels of Golden Core...

After he blasted a humanoid ball of light with a punch that was close to the Void Realm, he looked up and saw that he was already standing on the eighth platform.

One more step up is the central platform of Pyramid Mountain.

Zhou Bo, Xiao Qingwang, and the others who rushed forward the fastest were now standing on the central platform, where there seemed to be no way to go any further.

bang-

A white jade slip fell in front of Xu Mofeng. He picked it up and saw that it contained a high-grade Xuan-level cultivation technique.

At this moment, a new white halo appeared, and Xu Mofeng stepped into it, and was immediately teleported to the central platform.

Those waiting on this platform, even the weakest among them, were at the Void Origin Realm, each with a cloud of aura several tens of feet high above their heads, exuding an extraordinary aura.

Xu Mofeng, who was at the ninth level of the Golden Core stage, stood out conspicuously among the group of people.

Many people looked him up and down, their faces showing surprise, but even more so, undisguised contempt.

After a short while, more people were teleported up one after another.

All the people had gathered, making a total of twenty-eight.

To reach the central platform, one must defeat the humanoid light cluster with the power of a Void Origin on the eighth floor.

The ball of light lacks intelligence and is much weaker than a true Void Origin expert, but it is by no means something an ordinary cultivator can defeat.

Those who have reached this point are all geniuses ranked in the top thirty of the list of outstanding talents.

"what!"

With a low, unwilling cry, the last cultivator who had fought so hard on the bottom platform was teleported out of the secret realm.

So far, only these twenty-eight people remain on the central platform in the entire secret realm.

"It seems the next match will be among us."

Xiao Qingwang sneered and looked at Zhou Bo provocatively.

In his eyes, only Zhou Bo was qualified to be his opponent.

Zhou Bo maintained his aloof demeanor and said calmly, "I'll be waiting for you at the top."

Just then, the white halos that had disappeared for a long time finally reappeared, exactly twenty-eight of them.

The people on the platform exchanged glances and stepped into the light one after another.

The next second, the twenty-eight people were divided into pairs and teleported to different platforms at the next level.

"The real battle of the elites is here!"

Outside the secret realm, the flowing light imagery of the Wave Shadow Mirror suddenly contracted, leaving only fourteen split screens silently floating.

The newly eliminated trial participants, as well as the various martial artists who came specifically to watch the battle, were all rooted to the spot, their eyes glued to the screen, their necks craned, their excitement and tension almost overflowing from their faces.

"Today we will see who is truly the number one among the younger generation in the Jin and Liang kingdoms!"

Xue Changhe stood side by side with Feng Wubian and the others, their eyes fixed on the water curtain belonging to Xu Mofeng, not even daring to blink for fear of missing the slightest detail.

"There are currently twenty-eight people on the field, and their strength is clearly divided into three tiers. The first tier is led by Zhou Bo, who are Nascent Soul Realm experts. The second tier consists of experts in the Void Origin and Pseudo Core Realms. The remaining tier is the third tier, which consists of those who have not yet entered the Void Origin Realm. I have watched Junior Brother Xu fight a few times, and his combat strength is roughly at the upper-middle level of the second tier."

Xue Changhe stroked his chin, analyzing the situation logically: "In this round of drawing lots, as long as Junior Brother Xu doesn't run into a tough opponent in the Nascent Soul Realm, or one of those notoriously freakish opponents in the Pseudo-Core Realm, his advancement is basically guaranteed."

"If we really manage to get through..."

Xue Changhe's eyes gleamed, and his voice trembled with excitement, "Junior Brother Xu has secured his place in the top twenty of the Talent Ranking, and might even break into the top fifteen! Our six sects of the Southern Ridge haven't produced a genius of this caliber for hundreds of years!"

The people around him nodded in agreement.

As soon as he finished speaking, the water screen that Xu Mofeng was facing suddenly expanded slowly, and the figure of his opponent clearly appeared.

"Eleventh on the list of outstanding talents: Tan Anbo!"

Xue Changhe and the others' expressions tightened, their brows furrowing instantly: "Tan Anbo is a Pseudo-Core Realm cultivator, his aura and mist are a full twenty-five zhang long, he is truly one of the top freaks among Pseudo-Core Realm cultivators. This... is a bit troublesome."

Yan Wanxia of Jiuxiao Palace gazed at Xu Mofeng's tall and straight back in the water curtain, her eyes gleaming with a strange light, and whispered, "Junior Brother Xu is a genius. Even if he faces Tan Anbo, he may not be without a chance of winning."

"That's right. Junior Brother Xu Mofeng has comprehended a high-grade sword intent, but he hasn't truly shown it much yet. It's his trump card. Even if he's at a disadvantage in the early stages, he might still be able to turn the tide later..."

Xue Changhe was meticulously analyzing the situation, looking every bit like a seasoned commentator.

Inside the secret realm.

"To have reached this level even at the ninth level of the Golden Core stage, you are quite a rare exception."

Tan Anbo possessed a handsome appearance, but his temperament was somewhat effeminate. A haughty smile played on his lips as he sized up Xu Mofeng, his eyes as venomous as a scorpion's. As he spoke, he unconsciously raised his orchid finger.

"I dare not accept such praise."

Xu Mofeng glanced at his orchid-like fingers sticking out high and waved his hand modestly: "When it comes to oddballs, it has to be you. You are the real deal, the ultimate oddball."

Tan Anbo could easily hear the sarcasm in those words. A flash of anger crossed her face, and she shrieked in a shrill voice, "You're asking for death!"

Before he finished speaking, a cloud of energy more than twenty feet high suddenly rose above his head. His cultivation at the Pseudo-Core Realm erupted completely, and his oppressive aura swept in all directions, creating an astonishing spectacle.

Just as he was about to make his move, Xu Mofeng suddenly swayed and appeared in front of him like a ghost.

Caught off guard, Tan Anbo's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively raised his hand to retaliate.

But all he saw was Xu Mofeng slowly raising his right fist.

boom--

In that instant, Tan Anbo felt as if a lava volcano had suddenly exploded before his eyes.

A surge of intense, fiery energy erupted, like a blazing sun overhead, making one's skin feel tight.

A cloud of mist, several meters thick and nearly a hundred meters high, suddenly rose from the ground and shot straight into the sky!

Xu Mofeng, like a lurking dragon, suddenly pounced on him, his killing intent chilling and his aura overwhelming.

Tan Anbo was completely stunned. His pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints, and all he could see was that rapidly enlarging fist.

Before the fist even landed, a sudden gust of wind whipped up, blowing his long hair and robes back and clinging to his body, making a loud rustling sound.

He was like a delicate flower in a storm, dumbfounded, trembling all over, his very thought of fighting back crushed by the force of that punch.

boom!

A muffled thud shook the platform.

Within the golden vortex, Tan Anbo's figure flew out like a cannonball, crashing heavily onto the hard ground of the martial arts arena, creating a crater several feet deep and sending up clouds of dust.

"this……"

The members of the Six Sects of Nanling, led by Xue Changhe, were all frozen in place, completely dumbfounded.

"One move... just one move?"

Xue Changhe's throat was dry, and his voice was as dry as sandpaper. He managed to squeeze out a few words with great difficulty.

He had just given such a logical analysis, and he was really worried for Xu Mofeng, but what happened?

Xu Mofeng didn't even use any high-grade sword intent; he simply punched Tan Anbo, who was at the pseudo-core realm, and instantly killed him. It was clean and swift, like a dragon swatting a fly with its tail.

"What's the big deal?"

Seeing Xue Changhe and his group standing there dumbfounded, a martial artist watching nearby couldn't help but interject, "Xu Mofeng knocked Ren Chongran down with a single punch before. Ren Chongran's strength is no less than Tan Anbo's, and he's still bedridden..."

Ren Chongran was also knocked down by a single punch.

Xue Changhe and the others felt a buzzing in their heads, and then the world spun around them again.

They thought they had overestimated Xu Mofeng, only to find out in the end that what they had seen was merely the tip of the iceberg.

"This guy is way too violent..."

In a corner of the crowd, a young man in a red robe looked at Tan Anbo, who had been blasted away, and couldn't help but recall the scene of Xu Mofeng defeating Ren Chongran with one punch. His cheeks flushed slightly, and he was feeling shy when a figure silently appeared beside him.

"Princess Ying, I've been looking for you everywhere!"

The old eunuch wore a distressed expression: "His Majesty has been calling for you for days, searching everywhere for you. He never imagined you'd be hiding here. Princess, what are you doing dressed like that?"

The boy in red robes was startled, but quickly recovered and muttered, "None of your business. I'll explain to Father myself. Don't bother me here..."

"All right."

The old eunuch looked helpless and turned to leave when the young man in red robes suddenly grabbed his sleeve.

"Wait a minute, Eunuch Cao, can I discuss something with you?"

The young man in the red robe whispered something in the old eunuch's ear, and the old eunuch would occasionally glance up at the water curtain, his expression growing increasingly strange.