Lying Low in the Martial World to Become a Saint

Chapter 460: Chapter 204: Selection, Part 3

CLANG!

Sparks flew. The puppet reacted with lightning speed, its long saber blocking the attack. The blow was powerful and heavy, sending a numbing sensation through Chen Qing’s arm.

’Its strength and speed are on par with a typical early-stage Astral Force Martial Artist, but its moves are a bit rigid and lack spirituality.’ Chen Qing made an instant judgment.

The probing was over. Chen Qing stopped holding back.

He activated the Startled Swan Escape Shadow Technique, his figure flashing like a phantom to evade the puppet’s downward slash. The long spear in his hand was like a venomous dragon emerging from its lair, piercing with unerring accuracy into the joint at the puppet’s throat!

CRACK!

The puppet’s movements froze. The red glow in its eyes extinguished, and with a CLATTER, it fell to the ground in a heap of pieces.

The stairs leading to the Second Layer then appeared before him.

On the Second Layer, five puppets wielding different weapons rushed him simultaneously, their assault surging like a tidal wave.

Chen Qing infused his True Qi into the Cloud-Coiling Spear and executed the Mountain Prison-Suppression Spear technique. His Spear Momentum became steady and heavy, like a mountain standing over a deep abyss, instantly erecting an impenetrable defense.

He didn’t use the Mountain-Splitting Thunder Shock Spear, which was better suited for offense, intending to conserve his energy and defeat his enemies in the most efficient way possible.

Amidst a flurry of spear-shadows, he would thrust or smash, at times deflecting attacks from all sides, at others using their force to counterattack. Relying on his exquisite control and formidable Power—far surpassing others of the same Realm—he managed to precisely shatter the cores of all five puppets within seven or eight moves, causing them to disintegrate and fall.

On the Third Layer, ten puppets formed a battle formation, instantly enveloping Chen Qing in a storm of flashing blades and sword shadows.

This was the beginning of the real test!

Many people got stuck on this layer. After all, fending off ten puppets of the same Realm was impossible without a certain level of strength.

Chen Qing’s gaze sharpened. The Cyan Wood True Gang surged within him, and he whirled the Cloud-Coiling Spear like a wheel, pushing the defensive capabilities of the Mountain Prison-Suppression Spear to their absolute limit. The incessant sound of DINGS and DANGS filled the air.

He defended steadily for a moment before spotting an opening. His Spear Momentum abruptly shifted from defense to offense. A swift Sweeping Thousand Troops forced back several puppets in front of him, and he immediately followed his spear’s movement, weaving into the formation like a fish. The tip of his spear jabbed out repeatedly, each flash precisely shattering a puppet’s core.

In just ten breaths’ time, all ten puppets were reduced to scrap metal.

「Outside the Celestial Treasure Tower.」

At this moment, Sang Yanping and Chu Jinyun were extremely nervous and uneasy.

After all, this was a ranking of the many geniuses from the Three Paths and Fifty-One Mansions.

Suddenly, a brand-new name shot into the one-hundredth position—Chen Qing, Fifth Layer!

"It’s Chen Qing!"

Xiao Bieli exclaimed under his breath, his eyes locked onto the name.

"He reached the Fifth Layer so quickly?"

Zhu Yu and Kong Yian exchanged a glance. They had been through the first five layers themselves.

The speed Chen Qing was demonstrating had already surpassed both of them.

’Could Chen Qing’s final ranking be higher than ours?’

Just then, Chen Qing’s rank shot up again with a WHOOSH, pushing Xiao Bieli’s name down and stabilizing at around eightieth place!

"This speed is incredible!"

Even Granny Hanzhuang couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.

From the Fifth Layer to the Sixth Layer, this Chen Qing barely paused at all, his speed far exceeding most of the previous challengers!

Chen Qing’s sudden appearance had caught many people’s attention, but they quickly felt it was to be expected.

After all, Chen Qing was ranked sixty-fifth on the Heroes’ Record. A genius who had reached the Astral Force Realm under the age of thirty was bound to attract a lot of attention.

Just then, Li Wang and a few disciples from the Wutai Sect walked out, looking dejected.

They had clearly fallen on the second trial.

「Inside the Treasure Tower.」

Chen Qing had already stepped onto the Seventh Layer, and the scene before him opened up.

Unlike the combat-focused lower layers, this one looked more like a quiet meditation chamber.

The light within was soft, and the air was filled with the faint, heart-soothing scent of sandalwood, which calmed the mind and spirit.

In the center of the room, there was only a solitary prayer mat.

Just as Chen Qing was surveying his surroundings, a serene voice sounded from an unknown source, speaking directly into his mind:

"If the heart is pure as ice, the heavens can collapse without causing alarm. Remain steadfast amidst endless change, your spirit serene and your qi calm. Sit quietly on the prayer mat for the time it takes one stick of incense to burn. If your heart remains undisturbed, you shall pass."

As the voice faded, a thin stick of incense appeared before the prayer mat. It lit itself without fire, and a wisp of cyan smoke slowly began to rise.

Chen Qing’s expression remained unchanged. He did as instructed, walked to the prayer mat, and sat down cross-legged. He focused his gaze and turned his awareness inward, swiftly entering a state of Cultivation where the self and the world faded away.

However, the instant his Heart and Spirit settled, the surrounding scenery changed abruptly!

The sandalwood chamber vanished in an instant, replaced by the familiar, dilapidated fishing boat in Mute Bay of Gaolin County.

A bitter wind howled, cold enough to make one shiver uncontrollably. His frail, sickly mother, Ms. Han, was coughing violently, her breath shallow. She looked at him with worried and helpless eyes, as if blaming him for not having gone to get her medicine...

The illusion was incredibly lifelike. The sounds, the smells, the sensations—everything was real, striking directly at the softest part of his heart.

But Chen Qing’s Heart and Spirit merely wavered for a moment before returning to the placid stillness of a deep, ancient well.

He knew very well that his mother was safe and sound now, and that everything before him was an illusion.

The illusion was like a reflection in water; once the ripples dispersed, it could no longer affect him in the slightest.

Then, the scene changed again!

He seemed to be back on the Xuanjia Sect’s plaza, facing a siege by experts from the Demon Sect. Zuo Feng, Hu Mei, Han Baiyi... even the long-dead Zhou Nianchu reappeared with a savage grin. They joined forces to attack him, their assault even more frenzied and ruthless than it had been in reality, every move lethal, creating a situation fraught with peril!

"Die, you little bastard!"

"Pay for my disciple’s life!"

Vicious curses and the sound of weapons slicing through the air intertwined, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Chen Qing didn’t even frown. He maintained a singular focus in his Heart and Spirit, like an absolute bystander, coldly watching this drama born from his own mind.

’No matter how you change, I shall remain immovable.’

These experiences had long since become nourishment for his growth, not a Heart Demon.

In an instant, he seemed to see himself failing to break through to the True Essence Realm, his Dantian shattered, his Cultivation completely lost. He was reduced to a cripple, suffering the taunts and humiliation of his former sect-mates and even his enemies...

Then, in the blink of an eye, he seemed to have reached the pinnacle of Martial Arts, annihilating the Chaoyang Sect with a single palm strike. Power, resources, beauties... everything in the world was his for the taking...

However, Chen Qing’s will had been tempered through countless trials; it was already as tough as refined Fine Steel and as clear as a crystal mirror.

What he pursued was the pinnacle of Martial Arts, not the phantoms of power and desire.

He was clear about his own path and understood that every step forward must be taken with steadfast resolve.

All the illusions, whether of fear or temptation, were like waves crashing against a Pan Stone the moment they touched his Heart and Spirit. They shattered and dissipated, unable to leave the slightest trace on his mind.

He just sat there quietly, his breathing long and steady, as if all the turmoil of the outside world had nothing to do with him.

The thin stick of incense burned silently, its ash slowly falling.

Finally, the last wisp of ash fell, and the incense stick burned out.

All the surrounding illusions receded like the tide, revealing the quiet sandalwood chamber once more.

Before him, the stairs to the Eighth Layer silently appeared.

...

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