Over these two days, even Zhao Feng received some challenges.
Zhao Feng accepted them all and used Star Finger to finish the opponent off in one move. To attract less problems, Zhao Feng released his seventh rank aura.
He did this for two reasons.
Firstly, fewer people would challenge him. Since his cultivation reached the seventh rank, he had entered the stages of a Martial Master and a whole new level. Even if you gave the other youths a hundred guts, they wouldn’t dare to challenge him.
Secondly, the higher the cultivation that Zhao Feng showed, the higher chance of getting picked by Lord Guanjun. Zhao Feng also admired the mysterious and legendary Lord Guanjun.
“Oh my god! Zhao Feng had reached the seventh rank!”
“The Sky Guards Battalion now has another super genius!”
The news of Zhao Feng reaching the seventh rank exploded. Zhao Yufei and Huang Qi both came to congratulate him.
“Congratulations to Brother Zhao for reaching Martial Master.” Huang Qi looked respectfully and admiringly at Zhao Feng.
The three tiers in the nine ranks of the Martial Path were called Martial Learner, Martial Artist, and Martial Master. Once someone reached a higher tier, their status would change significantly.
Martial Learners were the bottom tier of cultivators. Martial Artists not only had some strength, people would respect them. But one would enter the top tier only by entering the Martial Master rank.
Once someone reached the seventh rank, they could receive invitations from any of the thirteen countries.
“I knew Brother Feng wouldn’t lose to Feng Hanyue and Lei Cong.” Happiness shone in Zhao Yufei’s eyes. She felt it easy to accept Zhao Feng reaching the seventh rank and she was happy for him.
From an outer disciple to an inner disciple, then to a genius in Sun Feather City, Zhao Yufei had been there and witnessed his rise.
“Yufei, with your potential, you’ll reach the seventh rank soon.” Zhao Feng smiled and scanned his left eye over Zhao Yufei’s body. Zhao Yufei’s cultivation had reached the peak sixth rank and she was ranked fifth within the Ten Sky Guards.
In the building in the middle of the area...
“There’s been quite a few geniuses in the Sky Guards Battalion, I hope it doesn’t disappoint Lord Guanjun…” Third Guard murmured.
Although he stayed in the building most of the time, he still knew the situation in the Sky Guards Battalion. After hearing that Zhao Feng had reached the seventh rank, Feng Hanyue and Lei Cong were shocked.
Time crept towards the end of the three days and the atmosphere became more and more tense.
The ninth position was changing almost every hour. Those that didn’t get challenged were the three great geniuses of the seventh rank, who all used unsurpassable strength to beat their opponents.
Zhao Feng calmed down and focused on increasing his strength for the last two days. The time Zhao Feng that had was limited, so he focused on Returning Breath Technique and Star Finger, which broke through to the fifth level on the third day.
Star Finger was split into seven levels and the fifth level made Zhao Feng’s finger send out pulses of beautiful light.
Extreme perfection! Extreme speed!
This was Zhao Feng’s feeling as he used Star Finger. In just one breath of time, he could fire seven to eight fingers and make the attacks threaten seventh ranks.
The ultimate move One Line Star Finger reached the power of the eighth rank and this was when he wasn’t even using Silver Wall Technique.
“Understood, Lord Guanjun will arrive tomorrow.”
The night of the third day, the competition was red hot.
At night...
Huang Qi finally reached rank ninth in the Ten Sky Guards and he settled down there. Now, he had two peak ranked martial arts that had reached a high level and he had also reached the peak sixth rank as well.
“I’m finally back.”
Huang Qi let out a breath and he challenged number eight who he beat. He did this because the ninth position was just too dangerous as there were too many people challenging it.
Even with Huang Qi’s peak sixth rank cultivation, he was only placed eighth, which proved how intense the competition was.
“Zhao Feng, with your strength you can reach top three.” Huang Qi was curious.
He knew Zhao Feng’s strength, Zhao Feng could kill quasi-Martial Masters when he was only at the peak sixth rank, and Feng had received many battle points after the mission. Huang Qi was certain that Zhao Feng could become first or second. He put second in because Feng Hanyue had reached the peak seventh rank.
Within the Ten Sky Guards, Feng Hanyue was first, Zhao Feng second, and Lei Cong third.
Obviously, this was the rankings that the other youths had given them, but Zhao Feng was still tenth in the Ten Sky Guards.
“I’ve already reached the seventh rank, so it doesn’t really matter,” Zhao Feng smiled casually.
Huang Qi couldn’t help but give him an envious look. With Zhao Feng’s current cultivation, there was a high chance of him being chosen by Lord Guanjun, so his rank didn’t really matter.
He was a super genius who had reached the seventh rank before turning sixteen years old.
Time passed slowly.
Finally, morning arrived and Third Guard walked out of his building. “Time is up! All of the Ten Sky Guards come meet me here tomorrow morning. At that time, Lord Guanjun will come personally to give you pointers.”
Hearing this, the Ten Sky Guards screamed with excitement, while the ones who weren’t chosen felt sad.
“Hahaha… I can finally sleep now!” Huang Qi laughed out loud.
It was obvious that Third Guard wanted the youths to be in their peak state when meeting Lord Guanjun. Zhao Feng was also excited. Ever since he had merged with the eye, he had progressed by leaps and bounds.
When he had entered the Guanjun Palace, the competition between the geniuses had ignited his potential and now, he had the chance to meet the legendary figure of the Cloud Country.
That night, the Ten Sky Guards slept sweetly.
The next morning...
All the youths got up early, full of power. Without Third Guard calling for them, the Ten Sky Guards walked into the building in the middle of the fields. They arrived half an hour early.
“Not bad, you’re all early.”
Third Guard counted the people present and confirmed their names as there was just too many changes in the ranks in the last few days.
“Mm-hmm. Ten people here, Feng Hanyue, Lei Cong, Lu Xiaoyu, Zhao Yufei…Huang Qi, Li Ziwen, Zhao Feng.”
When he read Zhao Feng’s name, he was slightly stunned and the other youths had weird expressions when they heard this, but no one questioned his strength.
Tah! Tah! Tah…
Just at this time, footsteps sounded from outside.
The ten youths held their breaths. Before the door even opened, a terrifying power had already pressured upon them. The footsteps seemed to stand upon their hearts.
Under the gazes of everyone, a few figures walked in…
Chapter 82 – Lord Guanjun
Tah! Tah!
The footsteps made the heart of the youths clench. Only Third Guard stood there expressionlessly.
Creeeek! The door was opened and three figures entered.
The person leading was a fairly handsome youth with clear eyes and a sharp aura.
“It’s him…” Zhao Feng found that he knew the person.
Yi!
Surprise flashed in Zhao Yufei’s eyes. This person was the person that brought them from Sun Feather City, Ye Linyun. Behind Ye Linyun were two youths, one smiling and the other expressionless.
Nan Gongfan! Bei Moi!
Feng Hanyue and Lei Cong felt their hearts jump.
Why did they come?
Zhao Feng felt was shocked, he had interacted with Nan Gongfan and Bei M
oi, so he knew how terrifying they were. Especially Bei Moi, who had reached the peak eighth rank and could slay cultivators of the ninth. The Ten Sky Guards were dim compared to these two.
“Brother Ye is here too,” Third Guard greeted Ye Linyun.
Zhao Feng found that Ye Linyun’s seat was in front of Third Guard.
“Master Ye is also a disciple of Lord Guanjun?” Zhao Feng was stunned.
Just at this moment, he saw Ye Linyun looking at him, it was obvious that Ye Linyun had high hopes for Zhao Feng.
“Lord Guanjun has come out of secluded meditation this time to confirm one to two core disciples. We don’t have any chances,” Ye Linyun and Third Guard discussed.
Core disciples? Questioning expressions showed on the youth’s faces.
“There nothing strange. Master Ye, Nan Gongfan, and I are all outer disciples. Only Bei Moi is a core disciple,” Third Guard explained.
Outer disciple! Waves of shock surged in the Ten Sky Guards’ heart.
Ye Linyun and Third Guard were both at the ninth rank and they were only Outer disciples!? Nan Gongfan was already at the eighth rank at such a young age and he was only an Outer disciple?
Only Bei Moi was Lord Guanjun’s core disciple.
That Bei Moi is only older than me by one year and he’s already at the peak eighth rank and he can kill cultivators of the ninth. Only super geniuses like him can become Lord Guanjun’s core disciple…, Zhao Feng took in a cold breath.
With Bei Moi’s strength, he could easily defeat everyone in Sun Feather City and he was a peak tier fighter in Guanjun Province City too. But a genius like him was a competitor.
When the youths looked at Bei Moi, their eyes dimmed. If it was ten years ago, Nan Gongfan and Feng Hanyue’s talents were the top in a generation, yet because Bei Moi existed, the other geniuses would pale in comparison.
At the same time, everyone looked at Bei Moi with envy, jealousy, and helplessness.
“Sir Third Guard, Master has orders to take these Ten Sky Guards to the Spiritual Martial Hall.”
The person that came was a Guanjun Corpsman that half-knelt on the ground. There were eighteen people in the Guanjun Corps, but the top three were all powerful cultivators.
“Spiritual Martial Hall?” Ye Linyun and Third Guard glanced at each other and they saw the curiosity in each other’s eyes.
Spiritual Martial Hall was an important area in Guanjun Palace and it was the place where Lord Guanjun cultivated. Usually, no one would be allowed to enter the Spiritual Martial Hall unless they were called for.
“It looks like Master has decided to take some disciples in. This is a big chance for all of you,” Ye Linyun said solemnly then stood up and led the way.
The Ten Sky Guards felt a different atmosphere, but they knew this was a chance to change their destiny.
“Three years ago, Brother Bei Moi and I went into Spiritual Martial Hall together, but I ended up as an outer disciple while he became a core disciple…” Nan Gongfan took a deep breath and glanced towards Bei Moi next to him.
Bei Moi stood there expressionlessly. Going back, Nan Gongfan still didn’t remember how it was decided, but from that day onwards, their destiny changed. Once they became Lord Guanjun’s disciples, even if they were an outer disciple, they would receive many precious resources to help them cultivate.
Soon...
Everyone arrived in front of an ancient silver grey hall. This hall looked like it was empty and dead.
Entering the hall, not a single figure could be seen, but Zhao Feng could sense the three-four Guanjun Corpsmen there if he opened his eye.
“Master, they’re here.” Ye Linyun stood at the door respectfully.
“Enter,” a voice came from the depths of the hall. The voice seemed to pass through the clouds, with no intention to shock them, but it still did so.
The Ten Sky Guards held their breaths and every step they took seemed to go towards heaven.
Zhao Feng felt excited and a warm feeling spread throughout his eye into his body. At this moment, he didn’t dare open his left eye because he had the feeling that a being in the hall was monitoring their every move.
Tah Tah! Tah Tah!
The group of youngsters walked uneasily into the hall. Even Bei Moi and Nan Gongfan had solemn faces on. In the center of the great hall, a person sat on a futon. If one didn’t see him with their eyes, they wouldn’t have sensed that someone was there.
The figure that sat on the futon was a middle-aged man wearing gold and silver robes that released no aura at all. It was like he was a commoner. It was hard to believe such a person was the legendary Lord Guanjun.
“Master, the Ten Sky Guards are here,” Third Guard said as he bowed down.
“Good!” Lord Guanjun nodded his head as he opened his eyes and waved his hand.
The second he opened his eyes the youths were attracted by the limitless ocean within them. Zhao Feng had the feeling that Lord Guanjun’s casual move seemed to interact with his surroundings. The casual swipe of his hands was like a king signaling them to sit.
Ye Linyun, Third Guard, Bei Moi and Nan Gongfan sat near Lord Guanjun, whereas the other ten youths sat on futons in accordance with their rank.
First was Feng Hanyue, second was Lei Cong, third Lu Xiaoyu…tenth Zhao Feng.
“Master, there’s quite a few talented geniuses in the Sky Guards Battalion,” Third Guard murmured.
Lord Guanjun was expressionless as he casually glanced at the Ten Sky Guards.
Ah!
The ten youths instantly felt like they had been struck by lightning.
In the blink of an eye, Lord Guanjun saw the cultivation of every youth.
Zhao Feng had a feeling that even though his Withering Wood Technique had reached perfection, he still couldn’t hide his cultivation from Lord Guanjun.
“Stronger than the previous lot, but none of you have the chance to become my core disciple,” Lord Guanjun said expressionlessly as if he was just saying a normal thing, but Zhao Feng saw the disappointment in his eyes.
Huang!
The ten youths felt like they had fallen into hell. Lord Guanjun said that none of these geniuses entered his eyes.
“How could it be like this!?” Ye Linyun and Third Guard were both shocked and full of disbelief.
In their eyes, even though they weren’t monsters like Bei Moi, there were geniuses such as Feng Hanyue and Zhao Feng who had both reached the seventh rank at such young ages.
“Master, how can you be sure if you don’t try…?” Ye Linyun asked carefully.
“Yes, Feng Hanyue has already reached the peak seventh rank and Zhao Feng has a better memory than Bei Moi,” Third Guard said unwillingly.
After all, these geniuses were all nurtured by him.
Chapter 83 – Future Potential
In the hall, the youths were on their tiptoes.
Zhao Feng furrowed his brow, refusing to believe that not a single one of the Ten Sky Guards had been looked upon by Lord Guanjun properly in just one glance.
“The nine ranks of the Martial Path are just a foundation. At this place, strength, cultivation and skills aren’t important if you can’t reach the next realm,” Lord Guanjun’s voice sounded in the hall.
The words seemed half understood and half weird to the youth’s ears. Only a few were able to comprehend the meaning of Lord Guanjun’s words.
“According to him, the nine ranks of the Martial Path are only a foundation… at this stage, even if your strength is stronger than others, there’s no point if you can’t reach the next realm,” Zhao Feng understood something.
He remembered one month ago when he had talked with Master Ye. Master Ye had said, “The nine ranks of the Martial Path train the body and bones and forms the foundation.”
Now, Zhao Feng remembered this point, and he realized that the true aim of the nine ranks of the Martial Path wasn’t about killing or skills.
�
��This youngster dare asks, if cultivation and strength aren’t important at the nine ranks of the Martial Path, then what is?” Feng Hanyue stood up and asked respectfully. As he did so, a thin layer of cold sweat appeared on his back.
The other nine Ten Sky Guards couldn’t help but sweat too, and admire his courage.
Lord Guanjun seemed to have a good impression of Feng Hanyue. “Strength is secondary at this stage because the future is most important. A path that can lead you further!”
Future. A path that can lead you further!
Zhao Feng immediately understood. When one had reached the level of Lord Guanjun they had different views.
Giving an example: A Martial Artist may be the strongest throughout his rank, but if he doesn’t have the potential and can’t break through to the seventh rank to become a Martial Master, then there’s no point in him being the strongest in the sixth ranks. And thus, they won’t be raised by their factions.
This also meant that a glance of Lord Guanjun had seen the potential of the Ten Sky Guards, and he didn’t look heavily at their current strength.
Obviously, those who had better potential usually had higher cultivation, which was why he would choose a disciple from the Ten Sky Guards.
“Although I say this, you still need to be tested.” As Lord Guanjun said this, he took out a transparent crystal sphere about the size of a fist.
This ball was made out of a unique material. Under his signal, Bei Moi took the crystal ball and gave it to the Ten Sky Guards.
“It’s that thing!” Nan Gongfan felt his heart jump.
That year he had come with Bei Moi to the Spiritual Martial Hall, Lord Guanjun had also taken this out.
Lord Guanjun said, “This is a special item in the world, as it can measure one’s future potential. It can estimate your future potential to around ninety-nine percent.”
Hearing this, the youths couldn’t help but feel nervous.
King of Gods_Book II_Chinese Translation Page 13
