Monts later, all the disciples crashed to the ground, suffering nurous injuries across their bodies. Although they had protected themselves from the lightning strike, the sheer physical prowess behind the attack was so overwhelming that their entire bodies were shaken purely by the pressure carried within the punch.
"Wh-what was that devastating force?" one of the elders gasped.
"Is he truly at the Awakened Sage Realm?" another added.
"The lightning attack was clearly at the early stage of the Awakened Sage Realm, but the physical might behind that punch was closer to that of a True Sage," Robert said, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the red-haired calamity standing at the centre of the platform with a confused expression.
---
On the opposite side of the elders, the Core Disciples were equally shocked.
"Brother Thorin, could you defend against that attack?" Lyra asked, a smile of curiosity tugging at her lips.
"In a surprise attack, I might suffer a minor scratch," Thorin replied seriously. "But in a head-on clash, that attack would not pierce my defences."
"So even you are not completely immune to it," Lyra gasped. "Junior Brother Lucifer truly is amazing."
---
"Br-brother Lucifer, please forgive if I ever offended you," Rowan mumbled, swallowing hard. "In the end, we are all disciples of the Thunderbane Sect."
Lucifer did not hear any of Rowan’s pleas. He knew his physical might far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators, so he was not surprised by the aftermath of a punch in which he had not even used half of his strength.
What truly shocked him was the result.
Not a single cultivator, descendants of the strongest warriors in the history of the Western Continent, could withstand even one of his punches, despite being at the sa realm.
How far had the Thunderbanes fallen? What was the reason for this pathetic weakness?
These thoughts clouded his mind.
"Brother Lucifer?" Rowan called again, seeing no response.
"Oh right, you are still on the platform," Lucifer said, turning his attention to Rowan.
"B-brother Lucifer?" Rowan whimpered, slowly stepping back.
In the blink of an eye, Lucifer grabbed Rowan by the back of his collar. Before Rowan could react, Lucifer shot him into the sky like a javelin.
"Aaaaaasaaaaa!" Rowan’s scream echoed for several seconds before a loud thud followed as he crashed to the ground, eting the sa fate as the rest of the participants.
"I-is that it?"
"T-the competition that was supposed to last an hour ended within a minute!"
"Th-this man is a monster!"
The Inner Court disciples who had gathered to spectate the clash between the strongest Inner Court disciples murmured with widened eyes and gaping mouths.
"Master Robert, please announce the results," Lucifer said, turning toward Robert, who was montarily dazed in his seat.
"L-Lucifer Morningstar has qualified for the next trial to beco a Core Disciple," Robert announced, pulling himself together.
Turning to Lucifer, he continued, "Choose any one of the two Core Disciples you wish to face in a duel."
Lucifer turned toward the pair seated opposite him and declared after briefly scanning them, "In that case, I choose both of them."
A wave of gasps rippled through the crowd at the sheer audacity contained in Lucifer’s words.
"Lucifer, even if you defeated the Inner Court disciples with ease, those two are at the late stage of the Awakened Sage Realm," the Martial Hall Master said, stepping forward. "Are you trying to disrespect the Thunderbanes?"
"I have no such intention, Martial Hall Master," Lucifer replied with a slight bow. "I have heard much about the might of the Thunderbanes. Since I am blessed with the sa attribute, I simply wish to see how I compare against the descendants of the strongest warriors of this continent."
The Martial Hall Master wanted to protest, but he could not find the words. If he stopped Lucifer now, it would appear as though he lacked confidence in the Core Disciples of the sect to defeat a naless outsider.
"Since this is your decision, you cannot complain later," Robert declared, approving Lucifer’s request.
With the Acting Sect Master’s permission granted, Lyra and Thorin rose from their seats and stepped onto the platform.
"Junior Brother Lucifer, go easy on us," Lyra said with a playful smile, while Thorin remained as stiff as ever.
"The duel will last ten minutes," Robert announced. "If you remain standing after that ti, you will be promoted to Core Disciple. Now, begin the duel!"
The mont Robert announced the start, Thorin vanished from his position, leaving behind a trail of lightning as his sword descended sharply toward Lucifer.
Just as the blade ca within a nail’s breadth of Lucifer, he leapt sideways, narrowly dodging the strike.
Still furious over Lucifer’s disrespectful remarks from last week and his audacity in choosing both Core Disciples, Thorin gave him no mont to breathe.
In rapid succession, he unleashed a barrage of deadly sword strikes at Lucifer.
At first, Lucifer attempted to dodge, but monts later he drew his own sword, eting Thorin’s blade in a clash of steel.
"You do not seem as arrogant as before," Thorin muttered, pouring more pressure into his blade.
---
"Where did this brat co from?" the Martial Hall Master gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I can clearly sense that his Soulforce signature is only at level one of the Awakened Sage Realm, so how is he holding his ground against Thorin, who is at level seven?"
His reaction was natural given the sheer absurdity of the situation. The gap between cultivation levels could not be bridged by talent or hard work alone. A low-realm cultivator could only hope to defeat a higher-realm opponent if they possessed a superior foundation, and even then, that advantage could only close a gap of one or two levels.
Yet the person before them was standing evenly against Thorin, despite a difference of six entire levels.
"Where did you find such a monster, Master Robert?" the Martial Hall Master asked. "Is he so royal from another continent?"
"He ca from the Abandoned Lands," Master Robert replied, sending ripples of gasps and exclamations through the elders.
"Y-you must be joking, Master Robert," another elder said.
Robert shook his head and continued, "After learning that he climbed thirty-six thousand steps in the first trial, I investigated his past. The deeper I dug, the more absurd it beca. This child first appeared in the Forlorn City of the Abandoned Lands, where he and his three companions killed one of the core mbers of El Dorado."
"El Dorado?" the Martial Hall Master raised an eyebrow. "Is that not the infamous criminal organisation that ruled the Abandoned Lands?"
Robert nodded. "Lucifer erged as a force of nature there, leading a war against the atrocities of El Dorado. In just a few months, he wiped out the entire organisation. The people revered him as a god and called him the Harbinger of the Dawn."
As Robert made this shocking revelation, a heavy thud echoed across the platform.
A chill ran down the elders’ spines as they witnessed the unbelievable sight before them.
Thorin lay barely conscious on the ground, while Lucifer Morningstar stood before him, completely unscathed.
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