There weren't many martial artists on the battle drum platform.
There were thousands of contestants on the island, and about eight hundred of them stayed here.
The eight hundred challengers were all tall and sturdy, strength-type martial artists who specialized in cultivating their bodies.
The battle drums on the platform were huge, and there were nine of them arranged in a line.
When a martial artist successfully sounded the first drum and struck the second one, the power would be transmitted through the first drum to the second drum.
So on and so forth, the third strike would pass through the first two drums and strike the third drum.
But every time the drum sounded, there would be an incomparably terrifying backlash that would strike the martial artist's body. Moreover, each strike was stronger than the last. When the drum sounded three times, the power would be multiplied, and after three beats, the power would become incomparably turbulent.
The minimum standard set by the black-robed Emperor Yuan was to sound three drums in order to pass!
Qin Hao and Xiao Han had arrived, and the challenge was in progress.
In front of the drum, the figures of martial artists alternated, and the sound of tremors continued.
The nine drums were extremely heavy, and not everyone had the ability to sound them. After watching for about ten minutes, no one had successfully challenged three drums.
In just ten minutes, more than three hundred people had been eliminated.
"Let me try."
An Arhat Palace disciple stepped out, snorting heavily. He had a stalwart figure and a shiny head. He only wore shorts from head to toe, revealing his sturdy thighs and bulging muscles, giving off a valiant feeling.
The disciple stood in front of the drum, roared, and punched.
Boom!
An incomparably heavy drum sound spread out, causing the disciple's ears to ring and his eyes to become dizzy. Then, a surge of power surged into his body, destroying his body, meridians, and limbs.
The disciple gritted his teeth and let out a beast-like roar. Golden flames rose as he punched the drum again.
Boom!
The incomparably terrifying power penetrated the first drum and successfully sounded the second one.
However, what he got in return was an even more terrifying recoil. The Arhat Palace's disciple named Liang Tai's entire body was instantly filled with the sound of cracking bones.
"Liang Tai, hold on for me."
Luo Yuliang looked nervous. Liang Tai's talent was extraordinary. Although he was stopped at the Four Emperors' pressure after entering the ruins, he used the pressure to push himself to the limit and broke through to the Emperor Realm, stepping into the first level of the Emperor Realm.
There were very few outstanding disciples like Liang Tai in the Arhat Palace.
Among the accompanying team, Liang Tai's strength could be ranked in the top five.
Hearing Luo Yuliang's encouragement, Liang Tai's eyes became bloodshot. He suppressed the violent energy that was rushing into his body. A light flashed behind him, and a broad-backed multi-colored tiger appeared.
Roar!
Opening his source spirit, Liang Tai sent out his third fist.
Dong!
Another thunderous sound rang out, and the third drum finally sounded. It was the first time someone had successfully challenged it.
Puff!
At the same time, Liang Tai, who was standing in front of the drum, was shaken by the three drumbeats. He felt as if his whole body was being torn apart. He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, which flowed down his chest. Then, he threw another punch.
However, this punch did not produce a fourth echo.
Liang Tai was so tired that he collapsed to the ground. He opened his mouth and smiled foolishly at his fellow disciples.
In any case, he succeeded in his challenge, and gave his junior brothers a good start.
"Big Brother, how many rings do you think I can make?"
Tsiogua asked Qin Hao.
"Nine rings."
Qin Hao answered without hesitation.
Tsiogua was slightly taken aback. Then, he straightened his face and felt the power of the war drums up close. It was truly astonishing.
But if Big Brother said he could make nine rings, then he definitely could.
The challenges continued. Cultivators took turns, and the pace was fast. Liang Tai succeeded in his challenge with three rings. Many more monsters appeared after that, and one of them even managed to make seven rings. That was the best result so far.
However, even more challengers failed.
The disciples of the Arhat Palace were all of high quality. All eight of them passed, even though some of them made very weak sounds when they faced the third ring.
Still, the war drums sounded in the end.
"It's my turn now."
Luo Yuliang walked toward the war drums.
He threw a punch, and the ferocious fist energy turned into a beam of light. It pierced through five drums and hit the sixth, producing a resounding boom. Then, all six drums sounded in unison.
"This guy is amazing."
The spectators were quite surprised.
Luo Yuliang's expression was solemn. Golden origin energy surged around him as he used all his strength in his second level emperor realm cultivation. He threw another punch. Dong! The seventh ring rang out, matching the highest result so far.
However, at this moment, Luo Yuliang's complexion changed. His entire face turned pale. Then, he spat out a mouthful of blood at his feet and staggered a few steps back.
"Young Lord."
"Young Lord."
The disciples of the Arhat Palace were worried.
"Don't come over."
Luo Yuliang waved his hand to stop the people who were approaching. He clenched his teeth tightly and his gaze was fierce. He took large strides and sprinted towards the war drum. He ran like the wind, as if he had transformed into a giant beast that was sprinting. When he got close, the fist that was retracted under his armpit flickered with incomparably intense soul light. With a loud roar, his fist smashed towards the war drum. This strike caused the space to emit a cracking sound, as if this fist had swung over a heavy mountain.
Dong!
An incomparably heavy drumbeat reverberated through the air, inspiring the hearts of the spectators. The eighth echo was a success. However, the moment the fist landed, Luo Yuliang was also sent flying into the air, flying a full five feet high. His face landed on the ground below Qin Hao's feet.
"I made eight rings, hahaha …" Luo Yuliang's mouth was full of blood. He spat out a broken tooth and laughed wildly with pride.
"I congratulate you on behalf of the Second Master."
Qin Hao helped him up with a smile.
Luo Yuliang was the youngest son of the southern region's Emperor Luo. The strength of his bloodline was astonishing, so it wasn't surprising that he could make eight rings.
If his realm was higher, he might be able to make nine rings.
Luo Yuliang laughed and hugged the disciples of the Arhat Palace warmly. He had made eight rings, so his result was awesome enough. He was a model example of bringing glory to his ancestors.
At this time, Tsiogua walked toward the war drums and hammered a fist. A rumbling sound spread out, but before the first ring had subsided, he hammered a second time. For a moment, the sound of banging was frequent.
At the same time, a powerful aura mixed with incomparable recoil seeped into Tsiogua's body from the war drums. The raging power destroyed his meridians and flesh, weakening his physical strength. However, he didn't seem to feel it and continued to throw punches. Dong!
Dong! Dong!
Dong! In an instant, above the war drum platform, the violent drum sounds connected together. The dense sound waves stirred the space, and the spiritual energy in the area also went berserk.
The terrifying drum sounds rushed into the ears of the martial artists. It was as if their eardrums were torn and their brains were in chaos. Many people covered their ears with their hands and screamed in horror.
Was the guy who was beating the drums a human?
When the seventh drum sound rang out, it was as if a tsunami had occurred in the sea. The earth-shattering drum sound shook many people on the spot and made them foam at the mouth and faint on the ground.
Although Luo Yuliang had made a lot of noise before, and even punched through six war drums, his technique was simply too gentle compared to Tsiogua's.
The sound of Tsiogua's every punch was much more violent than Luo Yuliang's.
The overbearing power intertwined with the drum sounds, forming a terrible airflow that swirled around Tsiogua's body. It was as if Qin Hao had hit him with a Flame Dragon Revolving Sky Slash. The sharp airflow was like a blade that wanted to cut him into meat paste.
Tsiogua roared and threw another punch. No matter how the airflow raged, he stood there like a mad demon. At this moment, the eighth drum sound spread through the world like thunder, as if it had attracted the power of heaven. An incomparably terrifying power fell from the sky and fell on Tsiogua's body, crushing his flesh and blood.
Roar!
A dazzling light bloomed, and a huge shadow of a green ox rose into the sky, enveloping Tsiogua and resisting the power of the Great Path that fell from the sky.
Immediately, the shadow of the green ox turned into a mass of air and entered his body. At this moment, Tsiogua's soul entered his body and turned into a half-human, half-beast. He bared his fangs, swung his tail, and had a strong body that was far stronger than ordinary people. He looked like the Beast God that had descended.
Immediately, Tsiogua threw the ninth punch.
Boom!
The beast's fist hit the drum surface. Like a flying sound wave, it pierced through the first eight drums and shook the ninth one.
At this moment, a layer of invisible halo appeared on the ninth drum, like an invisible wall of air in front of it, preventing the power of this punch from coming into contact with it.
However, in the sky above, the power of the Great Path descended and kept attacking Tsiogua. Even if his soul entered his body, he could not resist it.
With a muffled groan, Tsiogua staggered and fell to the ground. A large amount of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Qin Hao's heart tightened. For a moment, he really wanted to shout, "Enough!" But he knew that even if he shouted, Tsiogua might not agree.
In fact, even though he was knocked to the ground by the power of the Great Path, Tsiogua still did not give up. He got up and threw another punch. Since Big Brother said that he could make nine echoes, then he must be able to.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
The second attack carried an indomitable momentum. Tsiogua was like a demonic beast that went berserk. The fierce fist pierced through the eight drums again and reached the ninth one. But no matter how hard he tried, the fist could not touch it.
Between the eighth and ninth drums, there seemed to be a peerless master standing. With a casual wave of his hand, Tsiogua's power was neutralized.
"Open for me!"
Amidst the hoarse roar, an incomparably shocking aura erupted. Tsiogua's beast form hummed and grew another foot taller. He had reached the seventh transformation of the Great Bull Demonic Power.
Under the suppression of the Great Path, the power of his bloodline was sublimated at this critical moment. At this moment, Tsiogua's surging soul power was even more intense. It wanted to break free from the shackles of the Great Path, and the barrier of the First Level Emperor Realm was broken.
His aura soared. Second Level Emperor Realm!
Boom!
The fist broke through the invisible barrier and hit the ninth drum. Nine drums sounded in unison!
"Oh my god."
"Nine war drums."
The cultivators who had not fainted were shocked beyond words.
"Oh my, how can he make nine echoes? My record, my record."
Luo Yuliang was so anxious that he jumped up and down. The disciples of the Sect hurriedly comforted him. He was not angry at Tsiogua, but he was not satisfied that the record he had worked so hard to set was broken just like that.
"Nine war drums. Among the disciples of the Divine Palace, Tsiogua is the number one physical martial artist. He will definitely be taught by an Elder."
Shou Wuque praised. According to this result, Tsiogua would definitely enter the Divine Palace, and his future status would definitely be high.
"Big Brother, I did it."
Tsiogua's back was drenched in sweat. Even though he was exhausted, his face was filled with great joy.
"Amazing."
Qin Hao gave him a thumbs up. Just as Shou Wuque said, Tsiogua would definitely be taught by an Elder after entering the Divine Palace. That Elder would be a Great Emperor with great brute strength. This was a blessing for Tsiogua.
Boom … Boom boom boom boom!
Before the crowd could recover from their shock, a series of drum beats erupted. Qin Hao looked over and saw that Lei Jiao had punched through seven drums.