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

"What happened? Did he suddenly have an epileptic seizure while we were doing it?"

"This looks like an acute medical emergency... Xu Mofeng's luck is just too outrageous! He can win even while lying down?"

"A bunch of idiots!"

An experienced old cultivator in the crowd scoffed, his face full of disdain, "What kind of acute illness could make a Nascent Soul cultivator collapse so easily? Anyone with a brain knows this is a case of being poisoned!"

"Have you been infected?"

The bystanders looked bewildered. "What move? His blade was clearly blocked!"

The old cultivator shook his head, his tone filled with shock: "The sword light was blocked, but what was hidden within it wasn't."

"What is it?"

The old cultivator took a deep breath, stared at Xu Mofeng, who remained calm on the light screen, and said, word by word, "This strike severed his very soul!"

"I have seen cultivators whose souls were damaged in my early years. The symptoms were exactly the same as this one: bleeding from all seven orifices, convulsing all over, no different from going crazy."

"Xu Mofeng... he's too unpredictable. He's got one trump card after another, and his potential is unfathomable. He's only at the ninth level of the Golden Core stage, yet he's mastered a sword technique that directly severs the soul—he's practically a monster!"

The surrounding crowd's expressions changed drastically upon hearing this. When they looked at Xu Mofeng on the light screen, their eyes were filled with shock and apprehension.

"Damage to the soul is far more serious than injury to the nascent soul; it could easily turn someone into an idiot..."

"From now on, anyone who messes with Xu Mofeng should stay away from me. He's a monster!"

The people outside the arena were absolutely right. Xu Mofeng's sword-drawing move just now contained most of its power in his divine sense. It was just a small test, but the effect was unexpectedly good.

"Divine sense attacks are invisible and intangible, making them impossible for ordinary cultivators to defend against. They are indeed a powerful weapon for defeating enemies."

As he was pondering this, the system notification sounded in his mind right on time.

[Congratulations, host, on successfully converting your destiny! You have received the following reward: Martial Arts Comprehension Pill (20%) x1]

Martial Arts Comprehension Pill!

Xu Mofeng's eyes lit up, and he happily put the pill into his storage ring. This thing was a good thing, and he had been looking forward to it for a long time. Finally, he got his hands on it again.

The rewards for battles in the secret realm will follow immediately.

"Crimson Flame Sword Technique, Mid-Rank Earth Level!"

They actually obtained a mid-grade Earth-rank martial art! Although it's a sword technique, it still has some reference value!

Xu Mofeng looked up at the platform on the next level and started making plans in his mind.

If they get a mid-grade Earth rank reward in just the semi-finals, wouldn't they be able to get a high-grade Earth rank reward if they win another match and take the final victory?

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, and the fighting spirit in his chest burned fiercely.

Meanwhile, the great battle between Zhou Bo and Xiao Qingwang has finally reached its final stage.

"Nascent Soul, emerge!"

Xiao Qingwang let out a low roar and spat out a golden natal core.

Six cracks were clearly visible on the core, indicating that it was a sixth-grade Nascent Soul.

Clearly, he had been driven to the brink by Zhou Bo and had no choice but to unleash his natal core to withstand the attack.

Zhou Bo remained calm, his mouth slightly open, and he also summoned his own Yuan Core.

Compared to Xiao Qingwang's core, Zhou Bo's core is larger and has a more refined and substantial luster. Most importantly, there are only five cracks on the core, and the fifth one is so shallow that it is almost invisible and can be easily overlooked.

Fifth-grade Nascent Soul!

He's only one step away from the fourth rank!

It should be understood that the natal infant form encased within the primordial core is also the seed that separates it from its mortal body and melts into its divine body. The fewer flaws it has, the more perfect it will be, and the higher its realm of growth will be in the future.

Xiao Qingwang stared at Zhou Bo's core, his eyes flashing with intense resentment and jealousy.

He roared and slammed his core into the opponent. Since he couldn't win by fighting with his cultivation, he would fight with his life!

Zhou Bo's expression darkened slightly, and he also controlled his elemental core to meet the attack.

A head-on clash between cores is the most dangerous way for cultivators in the Nascent Soul realm to fight. A slight mistake can lead to the shattering of the Nascent Soul and the complete loss of cultivation.

click-

Two crisp sounds rang out in succession.

The two elemental cores remained locked in a stalemate for only a few breaths before a crack suddenly appeared on the surface of Xiao Qingwang's elemental core.

His face turned deathly pale instantly, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the edge of the platform.

His breath quickened, and his expression became extremely listless.

Xiao Qingwang, defeated!

Ultimately, whether in terms of cultivation level or Nascent Soul stage, Xiao Qingwang was far inferior to Zhou Bo.

If you force yourself to fight to the death, you'll only end up hurting yourself.

The onlookers had mixed expressions, secretly marveling at Zhou Bo's reputation as the perennial number one on the list of talents, while Xiao Qingwang, despite his best efforts, ultimately fell short.

At this moment, only Xu Mofeng and Zhou Bo remained inside the secret realm.

On the mirror reflecting the martial arts arena outside the secret school, only this final duel scene remains.

All eyes were drawn to them, and the screen zoomed in, revealing every detail of their expressions.

A white teleportation circle lit up beneath Xu Mofeng's feet. He stepped into it and instantly appeared on a higher platform.

One more step up leads to the very top of the entire pyramid mountain, the final battleground of this secret realm trial.

A collective sigh rippled through the crowd, their expressions a complex mix of emotions.

Who would have thought that in this royal secret realm trial that gathered the top geniuses of the Jin and Liang Kingdoms, the one who would stand opposite Zhou Bo in the end would be Xu Mofeng, who was at the ninth level of the Golden Core stage?

Along the way, he slew countless prodigies at the Void Core Realm and even the Nascent Soul Realm.

A ninth-level Golden Core cultivator versus a fifth-level Nascent Soul cultivator.

Regardless of the final outcome of this battle, Xu Mofeng's name is destined to be written into the annals of the younger generation of the Jin-Liang Kingdom.

Xu Mofeng looked up at Zhou Bo not far away, his fighting spirit burning ever brighter.

Zhou Bo possesses a top-tier, deep purple opportunity. By capturing him, one can not only obtain this opportunity but also unlock the final reward of the secret realm.

The rewards are so substantial that there's no reason to back down.

It's like playing a game and clearing dungeons. You clear all the monsters and finally reach the final level. There's only one big boss left in front of you, and the reward for clearing the level is within reach. Why would you turn back?

"Your talent is indeed very strong."

Zhou Bo looked at Xu Mofeng, his eyes filled with undisguised amazement and admiration, and slowly said, "If we were at the same level and the same age, I would be no match for you. But now..."

He shook his head, a domineering aura suddenly rising from him, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable arrogance: "Now is my era. If you want to rise to the top, you'll have to wait a few more years."

Xu Mofeng grinned, his arrogant and sharp brows revealing his true colors.

"How will you know if it will work if you don't try?"

He gripped the Ice Soul Blade in his backhand, and a cloud of aura suddenly shot up from above his head.

The smoke cloud was several zhang thick and over a hundred zhang high, seven or eight times the size of an ordinary Void Core Realm cultivator. It resembled a lurking evil dragon, hovering above his head, baring its fangs and claws, with a terrifying aura.

"hiss--!"

A collective gasp rippled through the audience; everyone was stunned.

Who has ever seen such exaggerated aura and mist? It's practically like a divine pillar reaching to the heavens!

"This foundation...it's incredibly profound!"

"Give Xu Mofeng a few more years to hone his skills, and he'll definitely be able to break through to the third-grade Nascent Soul stage!"

"I remember when Zhou Bo condensed his Yuan Core, his aura and mist were only fifty or sixty feet tall, right? Even that was considered a once-in-a-century genius. Compared to Xu Mofeng, he was far inferior!"

Looking at the aura and clouds above Xu Mofeng's head, Zhou Bo's face finally changed color, and a hint of undisguised jealousy even flashed in his eyes.

Xu Mofeng's foundation is so strong that even he, the number one on the list of talents, is wary of him.

What's even more terrifying is that he's so young. Once he reaches the Nascent Soul Realm, probably no one in the younger generation of the entire Jinliang Kingdom will be able to rival him.

In other words, now is the only chance to curb Xu Mofeng's rise.

"No matter how lofty your aura or how profound your foundation, the Golden Core Realm is still just the Golden Core Realm! If you can't cross the threshold of the Nascent Soul Realm, everything is just empty talk!"

Zhou Bo snorted coldly, flipped his hand, and a long sword with a cold, eerie luster appeared in his palm.

The sword gleamed with a cold light, so sharp that it seemed a mere glance could cut one's eye.

Earthly Rank Sword!

Zhou Bo didn't bother to say a word, and immediately raised his hand to slash Xu Mofeng with his sword.

On the high platform, the massive amount of spiritual energy of heaven and earth was stirred up by this sword, and the air currents surged like boiling water.

When the longsword was first moved, the halo on the sword was only a few inches of thin light, but when the sword was swung to its end, the sword light had already grown to tens of feet in size, like a huge sword falling from the sky, with the force of Mount Tai pressing down, slashing down on Xu Mofeng.

This is the most brutal chasm between the Nascent Soul Realm and the Golden Core Realm.

Once a Nascent Soul is formed, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that a cultivator can readily mobilize is dozens or even hundreds of times greater than that of a Golden Core cultivator.

How can we fight this war? There's no way we can fight it!

Compared to the colossal sword that blotted out the sky, Xu Mofeng's figure was as insignificant as an ant under a giant's feet.

The aura and clouds, hundreds of feet high, were instantly shattered by the sword energy, leaving not even a trace of its aftertaste.

Xu Mofeng swayed precariously under the terrifying pressure of the sword energy. It seemed as if he was already doomed from the moment they met.

"Zhou Bo is Zhou Bo, and the Nascent Soul Realm is the Nascent Soul Realm; these are completely different things!"

The audience erupted in uproar. "He's been in the Nascent Soul stage for a long time, who knows what level he's hidden at? The difference between the middle third-grade Nascent Soul and the lower third-grade is greater than the difference between the initial Golden Core stage and the tenth level of the Golden Core stage! Xu Mofeng is too arrogant, now he should pay the price for his arrogance!"

The power of Zhou Bo's sword strike was so great that even Zhao Xu and other powerful cultivators who had already condensed their Nascent Souls paled in comparison.

Everyone secretly thought that perhaps only Xiao Qingwang, who was also a mid-level third-grade Nascent Soul cultivator, could exchange a few blows with Zhou Bo, and even then, it would only be a few blows.

"He's definitely got something..."

Xu Mofeng, standing on the high platform, had an astonishingly bright gaze.

This was the first time since he started practicing martial arts that he had ever felt real pressure in a head-on confrontation.

But this pressure did not make him back down in the slightest; on the contrary, it made the flames of war in his heart burn even more fiercely.

"I'd like to see just how big the gap is between us!"

Xu Mofeng's eyes hardened, and he swallowed the two Golden Core Advancement Pills he had in his mouth.

In an instant, the spiritual power within his body surged wildly like a volcanic eruption, and with a crisp crack, the original barrier of his realm shattered.

Golden Core Stage 10!

The dissipated aura and mist gathered again, its momentum several times greater than before, approaching the two-hundred-foot mark!