"Come!" Meng Chuan's gaze burned as he looked down at the arena.
Wu Qi, startled at the dean's command, slowly brightened as his eyes focused on Meng Chuan. A grin spread across his face. "Alright, then. Let's have a fight."
Whoosh.
With a single step, he was on the arena, far faster than Bai Guan had been.
Clang!
He lifted the shield on his back and drew a heavy-bladed cleaver from within. The blade was black, faintly shimmering with red light.
One hand on the shield, the other gripping the massive cleaver, Wu Qi stood like an immovable mountain. An invisible aura radiated from him, causing the surrounding junior disciples to shiver instinctively.
"Senior Wu Qi cultivates the Godfiend Body, the Dark Cloud Demon Body, right?" Meng Chuan observed. That terrifying aura was unmistakably that of a Godfiend Body.
"Correct, the Dark Cloud Demon Body!" Wu Qi confirmed before charging at Meng Chuan, his singular figure surging forward like an entire army. There were no tricks—only raw speed and power.
Boom!
Wu Qi's shield smashed forward at Meng Chuan, fast as an apparition. The impact alone could collapse a house.
Meng Chuan moved his feet, sidestepping the shield and appearing at Wu Qi's side, blade flashing toward him.
"Strike!" Wu Qi swung the cleaver in a practiced arc, colliding with Meng Chuan's blade.
Bang!
The blades clashed, sparks flying.
Wu Qi stepped back to stabilize, while Meng Chuan flew several yards backward with a single step.
"Unleashing a secret technique can produce such force?" Wu Qi's pupils constricted.
Mundane cultivation: Foundation Establishment, Inner Refinement, Marrow Refinement, Rebirth, Wu Lou.
The first three stages were relatively ordinary, enhancing one's vitality and gradually strengthening the body; differences between cultivators were minor.
The fourth stage, Rebirth, meant shedding the mortal shell. At this point, one began cultivating the Godfiend Body, granting mortals partial divine power—a staggering leap. Wu Qi's Dark Cloud Demon Body had reached Rebirth Stage Completion. His strength and speed were terrifying, far surpassing a Marrow Refinement Stage master.
Against normal Marrow Refinement Stage disciples, a single strike from him could be fatal—even if they carried a shield, they might vomit blood from the impact.
The gap was immense.
"The force he just unleashed… was nearly seventy percent of mine, equivalent to my own late Rebirth Stage strength," Wu Qi thought in surprise. "So this is the power of a secret technique?"
He had long known the terror of secret techniques, yet even so, his chances of winning this match were slim.
"I can still hope to win," Wu Qi gritted his teeth and charged again, a reckless cavalry-like assault.
Seventy percent of my power… but my speed is still superior, Meng Chuan thought. The Three Autumn Leaves secret technique favored velocity. He moved, and in an instant, another 'Meng Chuan' appeared tens of yards away.
"Here!"
Wu Qi's Dark Cloud Demon Body allowed him to sense his surroundings. He could detect the approaching figure—unlike Bai Guan, who had no counter.
Boom!
Wu Qi swung his cleaver.
Clang!
The blade cut empty air. His shield, however, intercepted Meng Chuan's seemingly ghostlike strike.
"Too fast… I missed again," Wu Qi tensed. Thankfully, his careful use of shield and cleaver—the Mirrored Lake Academy's pinnacle Two-Polarity Shield and Blade Technique—ensured maximum survivability. Wu Qi had chosen the Dark Cloud Demon Body to synergize perfectly with it.
Defense was flawless, attacks ferocious. It was why Wu Qi ranked first among Rebirth Stage disciples.
"Two-Polarity Shield and Blade Technique… Yin and Yang… impressive. But let's see how many moves it can block," Meng Chuan said as he surged forward.
"Useless. You can't harm me," Wu Qi stood firm, shield and cleaver coordinating to intercept Meng Chuan's elusive strike.
Pfft!
Pfft!
Whoosh!
Meng Chuan's movements were blindingly fast, blades flashing continuously—his mastery of the Fallen Leaves Blade.
At first, Wu Qi could defend with confidence, but Meng Chuan's relentless succession of strikes formed a seamless chain, forcing Wu Qi into increasingly desperate defense. Each block deformed his guard slightly, and Meng Chuan exploited these openings to tear apart his defenses.
After only six strikes, Wu Qi staggered, barely maintaining defense.
Shhh!
A rapid thrust—too fast for Wu Qi to react. The blade's tip rested at his throat.
"This…" Wu Qi stared at the blade, at Meng Chuan before him.
This was his first fight against a Marrow Refinement Stage disciple who had mastered a secret technique. And he had lost badly.
"I've lost," Wu Qi admitted in a low voice. "Secret techniques are far more terrifying than I imagined. They allow one to unleash extraordinary power and speed, and the blade control… exquisite beyond measure."
Meng Chuan nodded.
Indeed.
A secret technique was the perfect unity of body, mind, and skill—capable of unleashing terrifying strength and speed. Ancient godfiends once said the mortal body had immense potential. Even a novice could struggle to lift a hundred pounds. But perfectly mobilizing every muscle and bone, one could theoretically unleash tens of thousands of pounds of force.
In reality, the higher the mastery of blade or sword techniques, the more one could channel potential.
The Unity Stage was the first grand level of blade mastery.
The Three Autumn Leaves secret technique amplified power and speed. Meng Chuan's strength reached roughly seventy percent of Wu Qi's (Rebirth Stage Completion), while his speed utterly surpassed Wu Qi. Blade control was refined; techniques flowed seamlessly. In just seven consecutive strikes, Meng Chuan had broken Wu Qi's famed Two-Polarity Shield and Blade Technique.
"From today, you are the strongest among the thousands of disciples in Mirrored Lake Dao Academy," Wu Qi said, looking at Meng Chuan. "You are the current senior brother of our academy."
In the academy, the senior brother was the strongest disciple. Having defeated Wu Qi, Meng Chuan naturally became the academy's senior brother.
"Senior Brother Meng Chuan!" suddenly shouted countless junior disciples.
"Senior Brother!"
"Senior Brother!"
The title of senior brother carried weight—it required both authority and reputation. Previous holders had little prestige, as none had mastered secret techniques; their skill gaps were minor, making them vulnerable in matches.
But Meng Chuan was different.
He had mastered a secret technique, defeated a Rebirth Stage Completion disciple while still Marrow Refinement Stage, and would soon enter Rebirth Stage himself. The gap with peers would only widen, leaving even Rebirth Stage disciples defenseless against him.
A truly invincible senior brother commanded full respect from all juniors.
"Ha ha ha… Alright, step down," Dean Ge Yu chuckled, unusually amiable. "Let the remaining Marrow Refinement Stage disciples compete for the other two spots."
"Yes," Meng Chuan immediately stepped down.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Meng!" Wan Mang bowed with a smile.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Meng," the surrounding Shanshui Tower disciples responded, smiling. Many already sought favor, fully aware Meng Chuan was unlike any of them—a peerless genius of Dongning Prefecture, destined to become a godfiend.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Meng clan disciples, using their lightness skills, raced back to the ancestral mansion.
"What are you running so fast for, you little brats?" the guards at the grand gate asked, recognizing the young clan members.
"Meng Chuan has mastered a secret technique!" shouted the first Meng youth, stunning the guards. He barreled into the mansion, continuing loudly, "Meng Chuan has mastered a secret technique!"
Others followed, shouting in unison:
"Meng Chuan has mastered a secret technique!"
"Senior Brother Meng has mastered a secret technique!"
"Meng Chuan has comprehended a secret technique at Mirrored Lake Dao Academy!"