His body flickered, and the Forest of Thunder and Lightning ended.
Lan Jue watched as the dark yellow light tore through the air.
The dark yellow light emitted by the girl number 122 rose until it was less than two meters away from the protective barrier before stopping.
The yellow light instantly spread. It felt like a sandstorm had suddenly expanded, and a thick and solid feeling suddenly filled the sky.
Number 122's original liveliness and excitement disappeared without a trace. The deep yellow light made her look as if she had become one with the earth. As the sky turned yellow, the earth also turned yellow, and it was even deeper than before.
The entire tournament stage had turned into a yellow world. Even the ordinary spectators could faintly feel the energy storm brewing within the stage.
Lan Jue, on the other hand, remained suspended in the air, unmoving. Lightning crackled around him, and he gave the impression that he was a bystander, not a part of what was happening.
However, he was the only one who could truly feel the pressure at this moment.
The pressure came from both the sky and the ground. He felt like stuffing in a sandwich, squeezed with all the force he could muster.
'This feels good!'
Lan Jue thought to himself.
If the girl in yellow knew what he was feeling right now, she'd want to tear him to pieces.
In truth, Lan Jue was feeling pretty good. It wasn't that he was confident he'd be able to defeat his opponent, it was just that the pressure was building on him.
Just as the Pharmacist had said, his foundation was much stronger now that he'd re-cultivated to the ninth level. No one in the world of Adepts could surpass him.
How many Adepts would be willing to give up their hard-earned Discipline and re-cultivate?
Almost none.
Even if there were one in ten thousand who would be so heartless as to do so.
If he wanted to reduce his cultivation without harming his body, instead of simply dissipating it, it would be impossible for him to just stop at the beginning of the ninth level!
Lan Jue's situation was a result of being blessed by the heavens.
Because of that.
He was the only one who'd ever experienced it.
At first he hadn't felt it too deeply. But after the Pharmacist's reminder, and while he was training with Zhou Qianlin, he took the time to feel the changes in his Discipline. And it was proven.
It was different.
The structure of the energy core seemed to have changed slightly. If the original energy core was formed from energy molecules, then the current energy core seemed to be formed from energy molecules that had been dehydrated.
It was more solid and solid than before.
It wasn't a distinct feeling.
He'd ignored it before, but now that he felt it, it was there.
Lan Jue immediately understood that his Latent Potential was different after his re-cultivation. He was much stronger than before.
But if he wanted to bring out his potential.
He would have to train harder, or face pressure from the outside world.
The best pressure came from fighting.
To be able to exert pressure on him, one had to be at least an opponent of the same level.
Even though this number 122 girl was slightly inferior to him in terms of cultivation, she was still able to defeat him easily.
Her Discipline, however, was different.
Earth Adepts excelled in defense, and their oppressive power was strong. There was no way to escape, and if you were suppressed, you could only face it head-on.
In a normal fight, Lan Jue would have attacked from the get-go.
She wouldn't have given her opponent the chance to use her full strength.
While there were all kinds of advantages, the Earth-type ability also had its flaws.
It was slow to use it.
With Lan Jue's lightning-fast speed, he could easily gain the upper hand before his opponent could use her advantage.
But he didn't do that.
He wanted his opponent to use her full strength, to put pressure on him.
Against an opponent of this level, the pressure was manageable.
If Lan Jue had to describe the current situation, he'd say it was perfect.
The arena began to sway. The girl in yellow watched Lan Jue hovering in the air, her face serious.
As an Earth-type ability user, it was definitely a good thing for her to have enough time to prepare. She was fully confident that she could unleash a sufficiently destructive skill.
But Lan Jue, hovering in the air, gave her a strange feeling.
She didn't think that Zeus, whom she'd never met before, would go easy on her.
However, he still allowed her to fully display her special ability.
Could it be that he was that confident?
That he could break my all-out attack in an instant?
Unwilling to accept this outcome, Number 122 gritted his teeth, and the energy core in his chest glowed brightly as the energy within his body surged outwards with all his might.
Lan Jue's body began to sway unsteadily in the air as the pressure grew heavier and heavier.
But Lan Jue didn't move.
He silently sensed the changes in his energy core.
Under the immense pressure, the energy core in his chest, which had been flashing with bluish-purple electricity, had become a brilliant gold. Coupled with the layer of white light that enveloped the energy core, it was now radiating a whitish golden light.
The internal structure of the energy core seemed to be undergoing a subtle change. It was the feeling of the energy molecules that had been drained of all water.
It was as if the energy core was transforming from one form to another.
That's right, this is the feeling!
Lan Jue was overjoyed. With this discovery, it would be worth it even if she lost today's match.
Since this was the right path, then when she returned to Skyfire Avenue, she'd definitely reap special rewards if she followed this path and continued cultivating.
In the distance, in the stands.
Zhou Qianlin silently sensed the changes in the energy in her body.
She could also sense the pressure Lan Jue was enduring through their special ability connection. She could also sense the subtle changes in the energy core in her body.
Although it wasn't as obvious as Lan Jue's, she could still sense it.
The Morning Angel, Su Xiaosu, sat at her side. She wore a large sunhat and a pair of sunglasses to hide her face. Even the Pontiff's Citadel wouldn't be able to tell who she was unless they saw her face to face.
Metatron had never imagined that the person he'd been searching for would be so close.
Su Xiaosu didn't want to stay in the hotel any longer, so she'd come to watch the match.
For most people, buying a ticket would have been a problem. But with Chu Cheng there, it was a simple matter.
Su Xiaosu glanced at Zhou Qianlin. Because they were so close, she could feel the faint ripples of energy emanating from Zhou Qianlin's body.
Looking closer, Zhou Qianlin's eyes were wide open, but there was no light in them. They were blank, unfocused.
What did she feel?
Su Xiaosu turned her attention back to the ring. She didn't understand why Lan Jue was doing this.
She didn't know about Lan Jue's drop in Cultivation, so she assumed he'd purposely allowed his opponent to unleash his full power before defeating him.
"Boom!" After accumulating enough power, the 122 girl's attack finally began.
The attack came from the earth. Giant stalagmites sprouted from the earth, glowing with a yellow light. They were pointed at Lan Jue.
At the same time, the gravity on the stage seemed to have changed.
Although Number 122's Discipline wasn't gravity manipulation, she was a Controller of the earth. She could manipulate gravity to a certain degree.
If one day she became a Paragon, then her Domain would have the ability to manipulate gravity.
Lan Jue wasn't the least bit surprised.
The pressure on his body became even greater.
The sky changed as well. It twisted and warped, and then a streak of earthy yellow lightning streaked across the sky.
Chunks of rock the size of washbasins began to fall from the sky with an ear-piercing screech. They were headed for Lan Jue.
At first the boulders weren't particularly large, but they quickly grew to be more than a meter in diameter.
The stones blanketed the entire arena, making it impossible for Lan Jue to evade.
Whether it was the meteorites falling from the sky or the stalagmites on the ground, each one glowed with a deep yellow light. It was the power of the earth element.
Earth-based Adepts had always had a saying. Given enough time, they would become the strongest of all elemental Adepts.
Lan Jue was keenly aware of this fact. Surrounded by the blinding yellow light, he was in danger of being caught in a pincer attack.
The stalagmites on the ground had already been uprooted amidst the slight tremors, their sharp tips pointing towards his position.
Lan Jue didn't meet the attack head-on. Instead, he dodged the falling boulders in midair. He was fast, and always managed to weave through the gaps between the falling rocks.
However, every time a rock flew past, the sky would distort slightly, and the gravity around him would increase abruptly, making it more difficult for him to dodge.
He'd just dodged a meter-wide boulder when the gravity suddenly changed. Lan Jue lost control of his body, and was half a beat too slow.
An even larger boulder came hurtling towards him.
He had no choice but to meet it head-on.
He pushed out with both hands, and twisted his body, cleverly deflecting the boulder to the side to avoid a direct collision.
This was part of the taiji martial arts that Lan Jue was adept at. He only used the technique of borrowing force, and didn't use the essence of his martial arts.
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Seeking monthly votes, recommendation votes.
(To be continued)