Beginning at the three-hundredth step, Hong Yu intentionally slowed his pace.
He had discovered a shortcut within the Celestial Ladder's crushing gravity and ntal Shocks to quickly break through to the Sixth Transformation of his Eight Desolates Saint Slaying Technique.
The Eight Desolates Saint Slaying Technique was now approaching the Perfection Realm, and the difficulty of cultivating it was increasing accordingly.
He could no longer strengthen his body simply by devouring energy as he had before. Now, he had to use pressure to push his body to its limits, unlocking greater potential and increasing its toughness.
The pressure and ntal Shocks of the Celestial Ladder were a perfect example!
That was why, starting from the three-hundredth step, Hong Yu had slowed down, carefully feeling out the shifting gravitational pressure and ntal Shocks at every stage.
And now, he finally had an epiphany.
The Eight Desolates Saint Slaying Technique broke through once more!
The Sixth Transformation of the Eight Desolates Saint Slaying Technique was incomparably powerful. His original Holy Light Dragon Armor evolved once more, becoming the Supre True Dragon Armor.
A True Dragon spun into view as nine streams of draconic energy shot toward his Celestial Spirit. Then, a golden light fell, enveloping Hong Yu completely.
He was now clad in battle armor adorned with Nine Dragons Coiling. A crimson halo radiated from his feet, and every twitch of his muscles sent out heart-stopping waves of power.
A re flick of his finger now seed to hold the power to pierce through Refined Iron and Profound Steel.
This was the Sixth Transformation of the Eight Desolates Saint Slaying Technique!
Lifting his head slightly, Hong Yu watched the figures slowly advancing ahead of him and suddenly broke into a grin.
mories flashed through his mind—the words and actions of every expert who had overtaken him while he was focused on advancing his Eight Desolates Saint Slaying Technique.
The experts from the Guiyuan Sect had been full of nothing but taunts and sarcasm, saying things like...
"Hong Yu? He's nothing special!"
"I saw how fast he was at the start and thought he was so hotshot, but he petered out after just three hundred steps. A coward like him dares to provoke Senior Brother Zheng? He really has a death wish!"
"I can't wait to see Hong Yu make it to the Championship Arena, only to be stomped to death by Senior Brother Zheng!"
Even though his eyes had been closed in cultivation at the ti, it wasn't hard to imagine their ugly mugs and gloating gazes.
As for the experts from the Royal Family, after Tian Tao's screening, those who remained held no hostility toward him, mostly just offering sighs of pity.
Of course...
And then there was Qin Mutian. As the Personal Guard Corps Commander carried him past on the Celestial Ladder, the bone-chilling cold and venomous hatred that erupted from his eyes had put Hong Yu on high alert. 'The dogs that don't bark are the ones that actually bite!'
It also solidified Hong Yu's resolve to eliminate Qin Mutian.
Taking a deep breath, Hong Yu shook out his limbs.
His body, which had felt sowhat heavy before, now felt incredibly light. With the Sixth Transformation of the Eight Desolates Saint Slaying Technique, his physical toughness was now comparable to a Spirit-level, top-grade Primordial Weapon. Add to that his Early-stage Celestial Soul Realm cultivation and the augntation from Tyrant's Walk and the Illusion Spirit Spear Technique...
The Hong Yu of today now possessed more than enough power to contend with Zheng Tian.
And if he factored in the Senluo Seal...
Hong Yu was fully capable of slaying him!
However...
The price for using the Senluo Seal was simply too steep, and Hong Yu was unwilling to deploy it lightly.
'So you're all waiting to see crushed underfoot, are you? Heh heh...'
With a cold laugh, Hong Yu shot forward.
Tyrant's Walk was a Spirit-level, Middle-grade Body Technique Martial Skill.
Legend had it that this Body Technique was created by a Tyrant who had reached the Primordial Core Realm.
To cultivate this Body Technique, one needed the dauntless heart of a king.
Hong Yu strode forward, head held high, channeling the Tyrant's Walk's first technique, Thunder Step, into the soles of his feet. Each step he took was accompanied by a rolling, roaring thunderclap.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Amidst the tremors, Hong Yu's speed increased, getting faster and faster.
Soon, he was as fast as lightning, swift as a hurricane, his montum like crashing thunder, his aura piercing the very clouds!
Tyrant's Walk, Heaven-Ascending Step!
In ten minutes, he ascended one hundred steps of the Celestial Ladder.
By this point, Hong Yu had already overtaken three people.
All three were disciples of the Guiyuan Sect who had previously mocked him.
The three of them stared at each other in shock, gulping. "Hey, I… I think my eyes are playing tricks on …"
"Holy crap, is… is that Hong Yu?"
"H-How is he so fast? My god, look! In the ti we've been talking, he's already climbed another fifty steps! Not even Senior Brother Zheng is that fast…"
The three stared at each other in horror, then shook their heads frantically in denial. "Impossible. He can't be more amazing than Senior Brother Zheng. Absolutely impossible. After a few more dozen steps, he'll definitely have to stop…"
They exchanged a look and nodded with conviction.
Ti ticked by. Half an hour later, Hong Yu had surged from the five-hundredth step to the eight hundred and thirtieth.
Along the way, he had overtaken dozens of experts.
Many of them were masters from the Guiyuan Sect, people who had all, to varying degrees, mocked Hong Yu and written him off as all flash and no substance, certain he would never complete the Celestial Ladder's trial.
But now...
Hong Yu drifted past them like a breeze. They, on the other hand, were crawling on all fours, as exhausted as dogs.
The stark contrast made them all flush with sha.
Recalling how they had mocked Hong Yu earlier, they were on the verge of tears from regret.
Of course, while so felt regret, others beca hysterical...
Qin Mutian clenched his jaw, his venomous, resentful gaze locked on the distant youth. He cursed through gritted teeth, "Stop! Stop, damn you! Hong Yu, you bastard, why can't even the Celestial Ladder stop you? Why?"
"Your Highness, please calm down! This… this is…"
The Personal Guard Corps Commander thought for a mont, unsure of how to placate him. Finally, he braced himself and forced out, "Comparisons will only drive you mad with anger, Your… Your Highness. You should try not to take it so hard."
"…"
Qin Mutian's eyes bulged and his face instantly flushed crimson. With a great "GACK," he sprayed a mouthful of blood and fainted dead away.
This sent the panicked commander into a flurry of activity.
anwhile, Hong Yu...
He looked ahead. Only the three assassins from the Blood Killing Tower were left, struggling around the nine-hundred-and-tenth step, while Zheng Tian had already reached the nine-hundred-and-seventieth. He was on the verge of reaching the Championship Arena.
Hong Yu took a deep breath. 'Zheng Tian is about to reach the Championship Arena. I have to speed up!'
The mont the thought crossed his mind, Hong Yu surged with power.
At that mont, his speed reached its absolute limit.
Thunder crackled all around him, the roar of lightning from beneath his feet deafening.
'Go!'
He leaped into the air.
While others were reduced to crawling on all fours, Hong Yu, with a single leap, could clear two steps at once!
Now, everyone who looked at him wore an expression as if they were seeing a god.
A chorus of shocked cries rose and fell in his wake.
"What's going on?"
Hearing the commotion behind him, Blood the Second paused. He glanced back, his eyes widened, and he froze in place.
The three of them were supporting one another as they advanced, so when Blood the Second stopped, Blood the Third and Blood the Fourth were forced to halt as well.
The other two were already exhausted and glared at him in annoyance. "Second, what the hell are you doing?"
"Y-You… you guys, look…" Blood the Second stamred, pointing behind them.
Puzzled, the other two looked back.
At the sight, they too were left dumbfounded, staring at the youth who was as agile as an ape. "Hong Yu? How is this possible?"
But no matter how shocked or disbelieving they were, Hong Yu was undeniably closing the distance between them.
In the blink of an eye, he was beside them.
Glancing at the dumbstruck trio, Hong Yu grinned. "I'll be waiting for you in the Championship Arena!"
The trio stared blankly as Hong Yu sped off in pursuit of Zheng Tian. "…"
Zheng Tian had been maintaining a steady pace.
Zheng Tian hadn't faced much resistance before the nine-hundredth step, but after passing it, his pace finally began to slow.
Gazing up at the fewer than ten steps remaining, Zheng Tian's eyes flashed with excitent. 'Almost there! I, Zheng Tian, will be the first to reach the top of the Celestial Ladder! The Young Master Celestial Beast's Dragon Fla Beast Technique is a Secret Technique from a Primordial Spirit Realm expert. It's likely on par with my Guiyuan Sect's ultimate treasure, the Guiyuan Heart Scripture, if not better. I must have it! I'll kill anyone who dares to compete with !'
With this thought, Zheng Tian was about to take another step forward.
Just then, he heard footsteps approaching from behind and his heart jumped. 'How is that possible? Soone caught up?'
He looked back and saw Hong Yu bounding toward him like a cheetah.
Zheng Tian's expression changed. 'It's Hong Yu? How can he be this fast? No, I can't let him catch up…'
Zheng Tian also burst forward with extraordinary speed.
With nine steps left to the top, Hong Yu was six steps behind him.
Eight steps left. Hong Yu was five steps behind...
When Zheng Tian's foot landed on the third-to-last step, Hong Yu's foot landed on it at the exact sa mont.
"Damn you, Hong Yu! Scram!"
Zheng Tian threw a punch.
It was a punch powerful enough to level a small mountain.
Hong Yu's gaze turned cold. He was already prepared and threw a punch of his own.
Compared to Zheng Tian's domineering fist, Hong Yu's punch seed remarkably ordinary—a simple, straight jab.
And yet, this ordinary punch made Zheng Tian's pupils shrink. He felt a mortal threat and subconsciously poured more power into his fist.
The two fists collided.
BOOM!
In the initial clash of energy, they were evenly matched.
Zheng Tian sneered and took a step forward. "You're nothing special. In the end, I'll be the one to reach the Championship Arena first!"
However…
Hong Yu just grinned. "Are you sure about that?"
Staring at the brilliant, sun-like smile on Hong Yu's face, Zheng Tian's expression suddenly changed. He was horrified to discover that after their initial clash, Hong Yu's Fist Force hadn't weakened or dissipated at all. Instead, it was surging forward like an endless tide.
Mighty waves of energy stacked one on top of the other.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Under the continuous shocks of their clashing Fist Force, Zheng Tian was forced back, stumbling down several steps.
In stark contrast, Hong Yu steadily advanced upward.
By the ti the exchange of blows concluded, Hong Yu had already stepped onto the very top of the Celestial Ladder, becoming the first to arrive in the Championship Arena.
Hong Yu slowly turned, looking down from his high vantage point at Zheng Tian and the others. He suddenly felt a heroic, thrilling passion, like a man standing at the highest peak of a mountain.
He stared down at the grim-faced Zheng Tian, and thinking of all the frustration and humiliation he had suffered over the past few days, he finally stopped suppressing the hatred in his heart. He let out a great roar that rolled like thunder and echoed like an Azure Dragon soaring through the nine heavens...
"Zheng Tian, do you dare to fight ?!"
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