"Okay, just like this. If you can take another one of my moves, I'll grant you a chance to witness the 'Champion Immortal Saber'."

Chen Ku held his staff against the blade, completely blocking the attack from the Champion Marquis's Sixth Realm cultivation strength imprint while listening to the arrogant words behind the opponent's attack.

"Alright!"

With a spirited response, Chen Ku swept away the opponent's staff with one strike and quickly distanced himself from the Champion Marquis, swiftly changing the stance of his staff!

"Watch closely! This strike is called the 'Iron Cavalry Formation', a strike with unmatched momentum. If you can't take it, you're allowed to retreat!"

The Champion Marquis also stepped forward with the blade, pointing slantwise at Chen Ku.

Boom!

Then, with a sudden stomp, an explosion of countless Sword Qi erupted from the forty-nine sword acupoints within his body, converging on his fingertips of both hands. The endless Sword Qi, like a mighty army, organized itself within his body and was injected into the double-edged blade in his hand.

Chen Ku realized immediately that this was an immensely powerful sword technique.

As the Champion Marquis delivered this strike from a great distance, it appeared less like a sword technique and more like a spear technique, unstoppable and forward-moving.

The blade jabbed directly forward.

In an instant, within the Drinking Horse River Secret Realm, the imperceptible sounds of thousands of charging cavalry echoed, and in Chen Ku's vision, it seemed as if he saw a Vanguard Army launching a long-distance assault under the charge of a young general, like a long spear piercing the enemy's formation!

With one strike, the Blade Qi had not yet reached Chen Ku, but it had already divided the entire Drinking Horse River into two halves!

"Battle!"

Chen Ku shouted fiercely, holding the staff with both hands, activating the Huntian Overlord Body, and deploying the world-surpassing martial arts combat skill 'Thousand One' passed down by his master Shan Lingguan, in an instant!

The staff swept out horizontally, immediately evolving into various transformations, seeming to encompass over a hundred forms of Palm Seals, Fist Marks, and Sword Energy, all converging into this one strike.

This move 'Thousand One' is an exceptionally high method integrated with the Huntian Overlord Body, combining the power of one thousand and one moves into one renowned combat skill.

Most practitioners of this martial art can integrate a dozen moves at most, limited by their martial arts qualifications.

With Hui Dragon Talented qualifications, Chen Ku reached a level of fusing one hundred moves into one upon initial contact, an advantage conferred by his rare Hui Dragon Talented aptitude, though he hadn't yet mastered this world-surpassing martial art to Perfection, but it far outstripped all martial arts of the Medicine King Hall.

No one had ever allowed him to test the power of this move before!

At this moment.

The staff force roared and changed in the sky, then swiftly transformed into a massive staff momentum, meeting the Champion Marquis's iron cavalry sweep.

Boom!

Before the two weapons even collided, their emanating aura had already clashed countless times over Drinking Horse River, until...

Like a meteor hitting the earth.

Staff and blade met again!

Clang!

As Chen Ku took this move from the Champion Marquis, he felt a violent tremor throughout his body, as if an army of thousands of cavalry were trampling on him, ready to tear him apart directly!

Clatter jingle!

His armor clashed noisily under the relentless slicing wind from the countless Blade Winds, penetrating bit by bit into the armor's interior. Even the Vajra Body and skin harder than Famous Soldiers were torn open with one gash after another, blood flowing!

"Five Elements Body! Wood Spirit! Transformation!"

At the moment the body was about to exceed its limit, Chen Ku shouted internally, and the Wood Spirit Power from the Five-colored Peacock swiftly took effect, generating a suction force that devours life, rapidly drawing vitality from the surrounding grass and trees near Drinking Horse River!

Simultaneously, his Jade Skin Realm and the Wooden Ox's regenerative abilities exploded with power at this moment.

Under the unseen armor, those wounds created by the Champion Marquis's Blade Qi began to rapidly heal at a speed visible to the naked eye…

The resurgence of vitality and Qi Power from several facets seemed to inject Chen Ku with adrenaline, lifting the staff high with all his might and then fiercely smashing down onto the Champion Marquis's double-edged blade!

Clang!!

He unexpectedly smashed the Champion Marquis's double-edged blade into two pieces from the air with a single swing!!

"Hahaha!!"

The white-robed young man, though seeing no fight result with one move and losing his battle blade, instead of getting angry, laughed aloud:

"Good, with such tough skin and astonishing flesh regeneration ability, it seems this superficial Sixth Realm method of the imprint is not enough against you. In that case, let me show you the full power of this imprint!"

As these words fell.

The young man in the white robe finally unlocked the third layer of seal on this imprint, unleashing its full power!

Seventh Realm!

He stood in mid-air like Shan Lingguan, floating above Drinking Horse River.

At this moment.

The setting sun, like blood, reflected on the young general's figure, adorning him like a heavenly god.

The white-robed young man stood mid-air, threw the broken blade into the river, and extended his left hand, whispering:

"Blade, come!"

Boom!

In the sky of the Drinking Horse River Secret Realm, a rift in the void suddenly opened, and at the other end of that rift was clearly a great hall!

"That's the Martial Temple Great Success Hall… No, it's not the Martial Temple of Baojiao County, it should be the Martial Temple of Qiu Dragon Mansion!"

Chen Ku instantly identified the hall within the rift, identical in layout to the Martial Temple Great Success Hall he had entered when entering the Martial Arts Heaven and Earth.

Inside, there were a total of seventy-two sacrificial statues.

But the size of that hall and the dimensions of the statues far exceeded those of the Great Success Hall of Baojiao County by several times; just the height of the statues was about ten feet tall.

In that hall, there was a bronze statue of a young general, looking exactly like the Champion Marquis's imprint, holding a long-handled chopping blade wrapped in immortal light.

Under the command of the Champion Marquis's imprint within the Drinking Horse River Secret Realm, the 'Immortal Blade' in the hall suddenly vibrated, the blade body resonating, streaking through the sky like a meteor towards the void rift over Drinking Horse River!

...

Boom~~

At the Martial Temple of Qiu Dragon Mansion, the Immortal Blade plunged into the Martial Arts Heaven and Earth, causing immense commotion.

This disturbance, unexpectedly, attracted the attention and shock of the high-ranking martial temple officials throughout Qiu Dragon Mansion.

"Chen Ku could actually make the Champion Marquis unseal his full power, summon the Champion Immortal Saber, and advance to the third stage, attempting to wield the Seventh Realm's strength?!"

"Just for this, he is already worthy of fame throughout Qiu Dragon Mansion!"

"Defeating the Seventh Realm Champion Marquis is impossible. Although this is merely a Martial Arts Mark, which only carries some of the Champion Marquis's martial arts will, it is still a mark left by the Champion Marquis. If he has at least Fifth or Sixth Realm cultivation, there might be hope to defeat this incomplete Martial Arts Mark, but to withstand several moves under the Sixth Realm power of the Champion Marquis already speaks of his strength!"

"It's now waiting to see if he can last even one move against the unsealed full power, holding the Immortal Saber, of the Seventh Realm Champion Marquis."

Inside the martial temple of Baojiao County.

Qin Yuxian also noticed the signs of the Immortal Blade being summoned, his heart was greatly shaken:

"This junior brother has really managed to summon the Immortal Blade successfully!"

As a Grandmaster of the martial temple.

Qin Yuxian is extremely knowledgeable about the Champion Marquis's mark, being one of the most breathtaking young men since the founding of the dynasty. Even his mark carries world-surpassing power.

Ordinary prodigies who can spar with the Champion Marquis in the first stage have already proven themselves.

If one can push the Champion Marquis to the second stage, unsealing the Sixth Realm power, then the contest becomes about enduring several moves at this stage.

And as for the third stage, restoring Seventh Realm strength, with the Champion Marquis wielding the Immortal Saber, it's purely a 'feat.' If one can reach here, it means the challenger has received the mark's acknowledgment, and regardless of how long they last, they will have opportunities to return and spar with the Champion Marquis in the future.

...

Chen Ku remains unaware of the external reactions, but he shares the same thoughts as them.

Regarding his own strength, after entering this Martial Arts Heaven and Earth and crossing paths with many masters and demons, he now acknowledges.

He can now kill Fifth Realm opponents from the Fourth Realm, without question. But facing Sixth Realm opponents, he can only superficially ensure he can survive in front of them, and as for facing Seventh Realm masters…

He dare not imagine.

"Young brother, watch carefully. This move is called 'Territory Expansion.' In the year I debuted, I wielded this blade and slew an Eighth Realm master like slaughtering a dog."

The white-clothed youth, holding a blade in the layer above the divine weapons, said:

"You don't need to parry it. Simply experience."

As the words fell.

He casually swung the Immortal Blade in Chen Ku's direction!

Boom!!

Almost at the instant the Champion Marquis wielded the Immortal Saber, Chen Ku knew that even if he drained his blood dry, he could never hope for any chance of winning against the Seventh Realm Champion Marquis mark wielding the Immortal Saber.

But he underestimated the terror of the Seventh Realm mark with the Champion Marquis wielding the Immortal Saber.

That blade gently swung over.

Chen Ku felt the world suddenly darkening, when in fact, it was just because the blade's radiant Sword Intent was so fierce, overwhelming his will and life entirely upon appearance.

In his perception, all existence was squeezed out into awareness by this blade!

Clang!

A soft blade's hum instantly echoed within the Drinking Horse River Secret Realm. Accompanied by the blade rising and whistling in, Chen Ku's vision saw spaces being obliterated and shattered.

His figure and the riverbank on which he stood were shattered by this blade in an instant.

As the sword light devoured him.

Even with Qin Yuxian's assurance that the Champion Marquis wouldn't take his life and hearing the Champion Marquis's pre-strike words of similar meaning...

His mind still jolted, feeling he was about to be killed!

Luckily, the blade whistled by, only directly shattering the large formation behind him, resulting in a vortex appearing beneath his feet, directly pulling him down.

Before falling into the vortex, Chen Ku saw that white-clad youth by the Drinking Horse Riverbank, putting away the blade and giving him an approving smile, saying:

"Victory or defeat is a common matter in military affairs. Young brother, please start anew."

Accompanied by these words.

Chen Ku saw a stream of light fly from the Champion Marquis, falling directly into the vortex, dropping before him.

He reached out to grab it, hearing a voice from within:

"This is the Champion Token. Holding this, upon entering Martial Arts Heaven and Earth, it will transport you to Drinking Horse River, where you can spar with me at any time. Whenever you can surpass my mark, you will qualify to take away this Immortal Saber."

By the river within Martial Arts Heaven and Earth.

A crack suddenly appeared in the void, Chen Ku fell from it, still grasping a metal token engraved with the body of a dragon entwining a sword, with the reverse featuring the decree runes of 'Champion.'

Almost at the moment Chen Ku gained the Champion Token.

A voice resounded between Heaven and Earth:

[Baojiao County examinee Chen Ku, challenged the Champion Marquis mark to the third stage, awarded a Top-Grade Named Weapon level accessory 'Champion Token.']

Chen Ku looked down at the Champion Token in his hand.

This turned out to be a Top-Grade Named Weapon level accessory, on par with the Fire Extinguishing Pearl.

"What's the use of this Champion Token? Top-Grade Named Weapon level, isn't it only to transport to the Drinking Horse River Secret Realm? Doesn't that function with a Martial Arts Gold Order?"

Just as he contemplated the token in his hand.

The token shimmered lightly, a message descended into his heart:

[Champion Token: Commissioned by the Champion Marquis during the establishment of the Champion Camp back then. Wearing it repels ghosts and gods, significantly enhancing the holder's spiritual defense, ignoring Spiritual Attacks from Five Realms divine beings, and can resist Spiritual Attacks from Sixth Realm divine beings up to three times]

Chen Ku rejoiced upon hearing this.

"That Champion Marquis is indeed generous; I haven't even defeated him, merely endured his assault and wore him down to the third stage, yet such a reward is given."

Resisting Spiritual Attacks from Sixth Realm divine beings up to three times.

This is practically granting him three extra lives.

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