Martial Ascent to Divinity

Mountain and River Origin: "Under the witness of the Starry Giant, I will not hold back."

"Of course, I also want to battle you at your fullest strength," Zhou Leng said.

"Then...let's begin."

Mountain and River Origin stared at Zhou Leng.

His skin was between that of a human and a giant, a tint of white within the blue.

A pair of black and white luminous giant eyes, as if they could see through everything.

Standing about three and a half meters tall, he exudes a sense of oppression, adding an extra ten percent strength merely from this oppressive momentum.

The two quickly approached each other, Mountain and River Origin waved his large hand, striking towards Zhou Leng.

Zhou Leng dodged, kicking towards Mountain and River Origin's left leg, which he quickly retracted back.

Both were extremely cautious as they engaged.

Within just a few moves, Zhou Leng realized a very serious problem.

All previous cultivation and tactics focused against giants were against ordinary giants.

Ordinary giants have a limited understanding of human martial arts and fight following their original methods.

Mountain and River Origin was different.

He not only had the body of a giant but also had experience in martial arts.

He could anticipate and speculate about seventy to eighty percent of Zhou Leng's attack methods.

Moreover, there was a vast difference in attack distance and strength between them; even if there were slight skill differences, it couldn't make up for the gap in distance and power.

Previously, Zhou Leng thought that Mountain and River Origin was particularly good at countering giants.

Now he discovered that Mountain and River Origin countered human martial artists even more.

With overwhelming strength, a giant could outmatch dozens of master tacticians.

An inch longer, an inch stronger, their arms are several dozen inches longer.

Additionally, he mastered human martial arts and could be considered invincible.

Mountain and River Origin's slow maneuvering was a weakness.

But his arms and legs were so long they could easily neutralize an attack before it landed.

Zhou Leng continued to strike, but he couldn't get close.

"I also know grapples and joint techniques," Mountain and River Origin said leisurely.

Zhou Leng showed a helpless expression; Mountain and River Origin's understanding of human techniques was too thorough. Truly grappling close with him would be instantly countered by his strength.

After over a minute of fighting, Zhou Leng couldn't even touch Mountain and River Origin's clothing; he had to shake his head and say, "Let me test your strength then."

With that, he gathered True Qi and launched his strongest killing move, Thousand Tides Pouring into the Sea, towards Mountain and River Origin.

Mountain and River Origin was not polite, gathering power for Mountain Charging Fist and charging straight in.

At the moment Mountain and River Origin struck, Zhou Leng felt it was as if a massive mountain was crashing towards him.

Breathing became difficult, and his True Qi showed subtle turbulence.

The Martial Arts Will from the Land of Blades was faintly unsettled.

Mountain and River Origin's fist technique had blended with his will, forming a tangible martial arts suppression.

Will into Fist, also named Mountain River Guardian, was a highly advanced battle technique.

More difficult to master than Heart and Mind Shadow and No Return Battle Technique.

At this moment, Zhou Leng finally understood why it felt like Mountain and River Origin's attacks were hiding something; it was the Mountain River Guardian Technique.

Yet, Zhou Leng did not retreat and persisted forward.

The fists and palms collided.

Bang!

Mountain and River Origin remained unmoved, while Zhou Leng flew backward over ten meters, crashing to the ground and tumbling.

"Are you okay?" Mountain and River Origin shouted.

Zhou Leng got up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and said, "I'm fine."

Zhou Leng had fought the Black Bone Tiger, also at the Late Stage of Body Refining, and Mountain and River Origin's True Qi combined with Giant's Power surpassed even that of the Black Bone Tiger.

"You...are indeed immensely strong." Zhou Leng said helplessly.

"How's your right arm?" Mountain and River Origin asked.

"A bit sore and numb." Zhou Leng said while gently shaking it.

Mountain and River Origin said, "You're the first to take my full-force punch without your arm breaking. Your body is indeed strong."

"Full force? Tell the truth."

"Eighty percent..." Mountain and River Origin said with an embarrassed smile.

"In other words, in terms of strength, I'm about sixty percent of yours?"

"Pretty much," Mountain and River Origin nodded.

"Now it's clear," Zhou Leng didn't mind; after all, this was a battle he was destined to lose.

"I concede." Zhou Leng indicated to the giant examiner.

In the fourth round, he failed in the two hundred to one hundred face-off, having to wait for the elimination match.

Coming up was the battle for the top eighty.

Among the six, Mountain and River Origin, Mountain River Oak, and Zhang Xinglie successfully entered the top eighty.

The other losers competed for the remaining twenty spots.

A portion of participants withdrew due to serious injuries, leaving just over twelve hundred remaining.

In the first elimination match, Zhou Leng met an ordinary late-stage Body Refining giant.

That giant glanced at Zhou Leng and said, "I remember, you're friends with Mountain and River Origin."

"Indeed," Zhou Leng said.

"He crippled my friend; either you admit defeat, or you face punishment."

"So, you don't dare challenge Mountain and River Origin?"

The giant's bluish face turned slightly red, roaring as he charged at Zhou Leng.

Maintaining his composure, Zhou Leng fought cautiously from the start, not using his full power.

He soon made a basic assessment.

As expected of the Giant Race, the power was far stronger than his.

Even with his True Qi, his destructive capability was slightly weaker than this giant's.

The Beastmen, Sea Siren, or ordinary Demons encountered before are far from comparable to the Giants.

Yet, everything is within expectations.

This Giant doesn't know the Martial Arts of the Human Race.

As the Giant's right leg stepped forward, Zhou Leng moved like a swimming fish and stepped to the left side, kicking the side of his calf.

This kick contained powerful Sea Suppressing True Qi, but the Giant merely swayed and felt slight pain.

The skin where Zhou Leng kicked turned blue-red and swollen.

The Giant didn't care and continued attacking in his own way.

Zhou Leng continuously dodged, seized the opportunity, and attacked again.

This strike was still the Giant's left leg, still the same spot.

The third strike, still the same spot.

Fourth move, fourth move, fifth move…

Eight consecutive moves, all at the same spot.

The Innate Giant examiner frowned; this is the standard combat method humans use against powerful enemies. How could that Giant not know?

This attack method is called stacking strikes.

Initially, it only destroys part of the flesh and blood tissue.

But with continuous attacks, the True Qi continuously spreads, and the entire section of flesh nearby dies.

Not only does it cause severe pain, but it also affects the entire leg's blood circulation, causing imbalance in actions on the left side of the body.

The examiner quickly realized it's not that the Giant doesn't know; he couldn't dodge.

This human's Stepping Technique is too fast; only giants who cultivate Martial Arts like Mountain and River Origin can predict in advance.

The examiner carefully observed Zhou Leng.

As Zhou Leng was about to deliver the ninth kick, the Giant suddenly screamed, bent his left leg, and knelt with his right leg on the ground.

Sweat poured out from all over his body, and the intense pain made him lose control of his body momentarily.

Zhou Leng had long awaited this opportunity; he stamped his feet into the ground, leaped up, and kicked the Giant's knee with his right foot.

Then, his left foot kicked upward at the Giant's chest.

Right foot upward again, kicked at the Giant's face.

Using the Giant's body as a ladder to climb.

Zhou Leng jumped diagonally above the Giant, his feet turned into shadows, like climbing a cloud stair, repeatedly stepping on the Giant's face like a storm.

Chaotic Step Cloud Ladder.

The Giant's body retreated repeatedly, dizzy and unable to fight back.

Finally, Zhou Leng's body fell, a powerful kick struck the Giant's chest, retreating rapidly and landing on the ground.

A splat sound, his feet hit the ground, scattering fresh blood below.

All of it was the Giant's blood.

The Giant rolled his eyes and fell backward to the ground.

On his blood-blurred face, his lips split, more than half of his teeth fell out, and his gums skewed.

His nose was stomped to pieces, his entire face flattened.

Seen from the side, his skull was flatly sunken.

"Number 247 wins!" The Innate examiner loudly announced.

Mountain and River Origin, Mountain River Oak, and Zhang Xinglie, who had already passed, were watching.

Mountain River Oak shouted loudly, "Good!"

Mountain and River Origin recalled the set of Chaotic Step Cloud Ladder, imagining if Zhou Leng's power could match his own, he might end up the same as the Giant, his head stomped flat.

Zhang Xinglie reviewed Zhou Leng's application of True Qi during consecutive kicks; he could cause similar damage but couldn't execute the move as well as Zhou Leng.

The strongest giants had already entered the top 180.

The remaining were just regular Late Stage Body Refining.

These Trial Takers first went through long trials, then multiple combats, greatly reducing their strength.

Zhou Leng and Molten Hammer continued breaking through.

Finally, successfully entered the top twenty of the loser's group.

Black Barrel failed, did not enter.

"Combat ended, the top two hundred Trial Takers successfully obtained the qualification for Ancestral Protection. Now follow me to the Ancestral Mausoleum for the grand ceremony," the examiner announced loudly.

The five bid farewell to Black Barrel and merged into the group of over two hundred.

Lou Fei Qiong and Jax were also among them.

Lou Fei Qiong was very strong, a top student of Yunhua Martial Arts Academy.

But Jax came from a conglomerate background; although having abundant Martial Arts Resources, his strength was not impressive.

Zhou Leng saw him lose firsthand; it's impossible for him to rank in the top two hundred.

As they walked, Zhou Leng whispered, "It seems like more than two hundred people."

Mountain and River Dao replied, "Others have been waiting at the Ancestral Mausoleum for a while, some redeemed with military merits, some are family slots, and there are slots gifted by the Royal Court, very normal."

Zhou Leng asked, "How to gain War Merits of the Giant Race?"

"Kill Giant Dragons. But, you don't need to embroil yourself in that mess."

Zhou Leng nodded; choosing to kill Giant Dragons, killing too many would surely lead to a curse from the dragons, becoming a public enemy of the Dragon Race, very dangerous.

"How about the other Ancestral Protection slots?"

"Some are slots exchanged by the Royal Court with various realms, some are slots from each major demigod family. The exchanged slots in the Human World are monopolized by Martial Clans and conglomerates, don't think about it. The latter…can only be traded to trusted forces, direct purchase is hard to obtain."

Zhou Leng said, "If I can obtain a high-level Giant identity, I'll have the right to more Ancestral Protection, right?"

"Certainly. But this trial cannot obtain Giant identity, only one Ancestral Protection, which can enhance your body strength. Unless you resonate with the ancestors, only then could you be recognized by the Giant Royal Court, but the possibility is very small."

Mountain and River Origin continued, "As for trials that can obtain Giant identity, they mostly involve hunting Giant Dragons; you must be mentally prepared. No one can navigate easily between Giant Dragons and Giants, let alone the need to obtain the Blood Marvelous Body." Mountain and River Origin said.

"Blood Marvelous Body?" Zhang Xinglie asked.

"Yes, but I don't know much about it, only that obtaining Dragon Blood Marvelous Body is far more difficult than the Giant Body. My father said he would try to find a way, but since I have Giant Bloodline, the possibility is slim."

"It's a pity I don't know how to obtain Dragon Blood Marvelous Body." Zhou Leng sighed.

"I will inquire in Xiong City." Zhang Xinglie said.

Molten Hammer spoke up, "I heard you need to soak in the Dragon Blood Pool, either in the Dragon World or find the Molten Demon Dragon."

Zhou Leng and Zhang Xinglie both shook their heads; the Molten Demon Dragon is the ruler of the fifteenth level of Demon Purgatory; it's more terrifying than the Dragon World.