Xia Jiuyou looked up and slashed out with his blade. A pitch-black light swept through the void, slicing through it like a piece of paper as the blade flashed towards the tearful lady.
The tearful lady gathered her star energy in front of her to block the three blade intents while dodging.
The first slash tore through the star energy and sliced the ocean in two.
The second slash followed, its power doubled.
The tearful lady's pupils shrank to the size of needles, and she charged at Xia Jiuyou with a resolute gaze.
Xia Jiuyou's blade suddenly changed direction. The slash that should have hit the tearful lady deviated slightly and sliced the ocean in two again. The tearful lady suddenly stopped and stopped charging at Xia Jiuyou.
Xia Jiuyou's three blade intents had not been fully displayed, and the tearful lady's gaze gradually returned to normal.
The atmosphere fell silent.
At that moment, a figure appeared on the empty golden screen in the distance, and the two turned to look.
It was Lu Yin.
A mountain had split open, and the monkey had absorbed the Progenitor's blood while Lu Yin climbed up the mountain and walked towards the golden screen.
His appearance attracted everyone's attention.
Shangqing was shocked. He had always been unperturbed no matter who he faced, but now, Lu Yin had surprised him.
The one who had appeared should have been the Burial Garden's heir. How could it be him?
Even though he had hoped that Lu Yin could do it, he still found it hard to believe that Lu Yin had actually defeated the Burial Garden's heir.
Qiushi watched Lu Yin climb up the golden screen, and her gaze turned cold. She recalled what had happened in the Monolith Realm, especially how Lu Yin had suddenly recovered from his injuries and could use secret techniques multiple times in a row. This person was very troublesome.
Yuhua Mavis curiously sized up Lu Yin. Was this the classmate that Lulu had mentioned?
He was in the same batch as Lulu, and it was quite miraculous that he could reach this step.
Within the Mountain and Sea Realm, Xu He watched Lu Yin climb up the golden screen. His expression seemed casual, but there was a deep fear hidden in the depths of his eyes. He was the third Arbiter to be defeated by Lu Yin, and if not for those idiots in the Home of the Gods, he would have been in danger.
If this person had truly become one of the Five Astral Children, it would have been disadvantageous for him. Even his status as one of the Ten Arbiters would not have been able to protect him.
Tai Yuanjun looked at Lu Yin on the golden screen, and his eyes flashed with envy. This person who had once been like an ant had actually surpassed him in just a few short years, and he had even surpassed most of the Ten Arbiters.
Qing Longlong, Little Ye Wang, Shu Jing, Mu Ziying, Hua Xiao, Yao Ji, Tai Yishen, Qing Guangshen, Ku Lei, Hui Santong, Ce Jiu, Xie Xiaoxian, and the others were all looking at the people on the golden stage. These people were the supreme beings of the Fifth Mainland's younger generation.
Lu Yin's appearance was surprising, but those who had fought him before were not surprised. This person had unparalleled potential, and it was no surprise that he could reach such heights.
Atop the golden screen, Lu Yin walked forward step by step. From here, he could clearly see the Mountain and Sea Realm. His position was like a magnifying glass, allowing him to see every nook and cranny of the realm.
He saw Mu Ziying's trio, Tai Yishen, Ku Lei, and Ting He. He also saw Xia Jiuyou and Tearing Lady in a confrontation.
As he watched the two of them face off in the distance, Lu Yin finally understood why Teardrop had left the stage. She had met her match.
He had never seen this person before, but his appearance was very similar to Xia Luo's. He should be someone from the Xia family as well.
The Xia family was the head of the Seven Courts, and it had always been rumored that Xia Jiuyou was the weakest descendant of the Xia family. Now, it seemed that not only was he not the weakest, but he might even be the most powerful. Lu Yin understood Teardrop's strength, and from the looks of it, she might be at a disadvantage against Xia Jiuyou.
Shangqing and the others glanced at Lu Yin and then turned their attention back to the battle between Xia Jiuyou and Teardrop.
The golden stage had three levels. The first level was at the peak of each mountain, while the second level expanded towards the center, covering a small portion of the Mountain and Sea Realm.
The third level was the highest point in the center of the Mountain and Sea Realm. Only those who could stand there had the qualifications to be called the Five Astral Children. There had been rumors that the Five Astral Children could also be obtained by chance, but that was just the hope that the Hall of Honor had given to some people. Forget about chance, the Five Astral Children had already been decided beforehand.
Shangqing and the others did not move, and they all stood on the first level. Lu Yin did not move either, and they all watched the battle between Xia Jiuyou and Teardrop. That battle would determine who had the qualifications to climb up.
Wait, where are Wen Sansi and the others?
Lu Yin suddenly thought of the other Ten Arbiters. Wen Sansi, Liu Tianmu, Ling Gong, Drunkard, and Obscuring Light were nowhere to be seen. Were they all at the bottom of the sea?
Or had they been killed?
In the distance, Xia Jiuyou retracted his gaze from Lu Yin and looked at Teardrop. "If I'm not wrong, you were planning on receiving the second blade intent and then using a punishment technique to transfer the damage to me."
Teardrop's tone was indifferent. "That's why you gave up on the third blade intent."
"There aren't many women like you. Aren't you afraid of dying?" Xia Jiuyou was puzzled.
Teardrop replied, "I am, but you can't kill me."
Xia Jiuyou laughed. "Everyone who should fight has already fought, and I don't want to waste any more time. It's time for the battle to end." His palm then glowed with a dark light as he leapt towards Teardrop and struck out.
Ripples spread out from Teardrop's body. It was still her innate gift of hypnosis, but she did not succeed this time. Xia Jiuyou struck out at an empty space, hitting her right in the middle.
Tearful Lady was hit by the palm, and her body was pushed back a hundred meters. Xia Jiuyou didn't stop there, and continued to attack. Just as he was about to hit Tearful Lady, he turned around and shifted his palm by half a body's length, hitting Tearful Lady again.
Teardrop had already been hit by four Netherforge Palms, and half of her body had been frozen. Her movements had slowed down, but she quickly understood that Xia Jiuyou had been able to find her because of the unique chill of the Netherforge Palms.
She had been hit twice before, and she could not possibly dodge these two palms alone.
Xia Jiuyou looked at her. "It seems like you've thought it through. The moment you were hit by the first Netherforge Palm, the battle ended."
Teardrop's gaze was cold. "Not necessarily." She then pointed at Xia Jiuyou. "Secret technique — Punishment."
Xia Jiuyou's back hurt as soon as she spoke. The chill froze him, and a palm imprint appeared out of nowhere.
Xia Jiuyou frowned, but he did not dodge. He could not avoid the Hall of Honor's Punishment secret technique.
The Hall of Honor's most disgusting secret technique was Punishment. Injuries suffered by the user could be transferred to the attacker. It was unavoidable and could not be defended against. It had to be endured.
This was the Hall of Honor's secret technique that shocked the Neoverse — Punishment.
In the Neoverse, when the Hall of Honor was mentioned, the first thing that came to mind was the Glory Realm, followed by the Ruler, and finally, Punishment secret techniques.
The Hall of Honor had more than one secret technique, but Punishment secret techniques were the most terrifying and disgusting.
No one wanted to take their own attacks, but Punishment secret techniques had to be taken by the user. Many people did not dare to use too much strength in their attacks, afraid that the more they used, the more unlucky they would be. However, if they did not use their full strength, they would not be able to win the battle.
Punishment secret techniques were the most disgusting secret techniques.
No one knew who the Progenitor who had developed this secret technique was, or they would be cursed for countless years.
Xia Jiuyou was now suffering the consequences of the Netherforge Palm. He had not used his second blade intent because he was worried about Punishment secret techniques.
Crying Lady continued to point at Xia Jiuyou. "Secret technique — Punishment."
Xia Jiuyou did not move. His shoulder was frozen by the Netherforge Palm's power.
The third Netherforge Palm landed on his chest.
Like Crying Lady, half of his body was frozen.
Crying Lady panted heavily and looked at Xia Jiuyou unwillingly. A secret technique was not a battle technique, and she could not use it whenever she wanted. She had already reached her limit.
Xia Jiuyou's lips curled up. "Are you done venting?
You can admit defeat now. "
Crying Lady closed her eyes and stood quietly on the surface of the sea. "I lost."
The Netherforge Palm was very damaging, but the most troublesome part was the cold air. It could freeze the opponent's movements and locate them. This was why Crying Lady's innate gift had failed.
Crying Lady could return the damage caused by the Netherforge Palm to Xia Jiuyou, but she could not use it to fight back. In Xia Jiuyou's eyes, Crying Lady was just venting.
Crying Lady was defeated, and Xia Jiuyou's body trembled. The ice shattered, and he fell to the sea. The Netherforge Palm was useless against him.
Xia Jiuyou smiled at Crying Lady and then walked towards the mountain. He had replaced Crying Lady as one of the five people to step onto the golden stage. If nothing unexpected happened, he would become one of the Five Starry Children.
Outside the Mountain and Sea Realm, the older generation experts were silent, especially Mu En.
To the outside world, the Five Starry Children needed to be fought over, but to the Hall of Honor, it was just a formality. They had already decided on the Five Starry Children: Shang Qing, Crying Lady, Emergence Mavis, Autumn Shi, and Quiet Weep.
This was not only because the Five Starry Children were unparalleled, but also because of the distribution of benefits.
The Hall of Honor was in charge of the Hall of Honor. It was the dominating force of the entire Human Star Sector. Although it was the strongest, it could not rule the Human Star Sector by itself. They needed balance, just like how someone from the Seven Courts had become one of the Five Children of the Stars.
This balance had not been broken for many years, and it could not be broken.
The competition for the Star Tower was the same. The Hall of Honor already knew how strong the heirs of the Seven Courts were, and there were no experts who could threaten the five chosen.
The other powers of the Neoverse, including the Ten Arbiters of the Innerverse, had all been evaluated by the Hall of Honor. They had determined that they could not threaten the five chosen, which was why they had decided to compete for the Star Tower. However, no one had expected Xia Jiuyou to suddenly rise up and defeat Crying Lady with such shocking strength.
Crying Lady's Heartless Sorrow of Autumn was very difficult to defend against. She had two secret techniques, an innate gift, and various battle techniques from the Hall of Honor. Her physical strength and spiritual force were perfect, but she had been completely countered by Xia Jiuyou's Netherforge Palm and her innate gift. Although Xia Jiuyou had been injured, his injuries did not affect him at all.
To the Hall of Honor, this was an accident, an accident that broke the balance.
And this accident could even threaten the others.
It wasn't just Xia Jiuyou; Lu Yin had also defeated Quiet Weep and replaced her as one of the Five Starry Children. This was something that Mu En and the others had not expected.