The Demon Hunter and a Panorama of Cangyuan Realm

"Come on!" Meng Chuan looked at the stage with fiery eyes.

Wu Qi was momentarily stunned by the Principal's command, but then his eyes gradually lit up. He looked at Meng Chuan on the arena and grinned, "Alright, let's have a fight."

Whoosh.

With a single step, he was on the arena floor, much faster than Bai Guan before him.

"Clang." He took the shield from his back and drew a thick-backed machete from within the shield. The machete was entirely black, with a faint red glow.

Holding the shield in one hand and the thick-backed machete in the other, Wu Qi stood there like an immovable mountain, releasing an invisible aura that made the many junior disciples watching from afar tremble.

"Senior Brother Wu Qi, the Divine Lord Physique you cultivate is the Dark Cloud Demon Body, right?" Meng Chuan said. The aura that made him somewhat nervous was clearly the aura of the Divine Lord Physique.

"Correct, it is indeed the Dark Cloud Demon Body!" Wu Qi said, then suddenly charged at Meng Chuan. His charge was like an army pressing forward, with no feints, just pure speed and power.

"Boom."

Wu Qi, holding the shield, rushed forward like a phantom, directly slamming the shield towards Meng Chuan. The force was enough to topple a house.

But with a single step, Meng Chuan evaded the shield strike and positioned himself at Wu Qi's side. A flash of his blade was already arcing towards Wu Qi.

"Kill." The moment the shield missed, Wu Qi expertly swung the thick-backed machete, clashing with Meng Chuan's blade.

Bang—

The two blades collided, sparks flying.

Wu Qi took a step back to stabilize himself, while Meng Chuan tapped his foot and flew back several meters.

"Using a Secret Technique, you can unleash such power?" Wu Qi's pupils contracted.

Mortal cultivation: Foundation Realm, Internal Refinement Realm, Marrow Washing Realm, Transfiguration Realm, Impervious Realm.

The first three realms are relatively ordinary, cultivating True Qi and gradually strengthening the mortal body, with not much difference between them.

But the fourth realm, 'Transfiguration Realm,' means transcending the mortal form! At this stage, one begins to cultivate the Divine Lord Physique, granting mortals a portion of Divine Lord power, which is a significant leap. Wu Qi cultivates the Dark Cloud Demon Body and has reached the peak of the Transfiguration Realm. His strength and speed are astonishingly terrifying, far surpassing those at the peak of the Marrow Washing Realm.

If facing a normal Marrow Washing Realm cultivator, a single slash from him could kill them.

Even if a Marrow Washing Realm cultivator held a shield, they would be shaken to the point of spitting blood from a single strike.

The disparity in strength is simply overwhelming! "The power he just unleashed is close to seventy percent of my full strength, which is equivalent to the strength I had in the late stages of the Transfiguration Realm," Wu Qi was astonished. "Is this the might of a secret technique?" He had long known the terror of secret techniques. Even in this battle, his chances of victory were slim. "I still have a chance to win," Wu Qi gritted his teeth and charged forward again, ferocious like a charging cavalryman, rushing forward with great force. "The power I unleashed with the help of the secret technique is still slightly weaker than his. Autumn Leaves, after all, is a secret technique that leans toward speed," Meng Chuan thought to himself. With a swift movement, another 'Meng Chuan' appeared over ten zhang away. "Over here!" Wu Qi, who had cultivated the Dark Cloud Demon Body, was adept at sensing his surroundings and could detect that a figure had already closed in. Unlike Bai Guan, who was completely defenseless, Wu Qi could even sense the speed that the secret technique 'Autumn Leaves' excelled at and could respond accordingly. "Boom." His heavy-backed broadsword slashed out. "Clang!!!" His slash missed, but the shield in his hand intercepted Meng Chuan's elusive strike. "So fast, I still couldn't land a hit," Wu Qi's heart tightened. Fortunately, he was cautious and used his shield to protect his surroundings. With a shield in one hand and a broadsword in the other, he was executing one of the Jinghu Taoist Academy's supreme techniques, the "Two Forms Shield and Blade Art." This top-tier technique significantly enhanced one's chances of survival on the battlefield. That's why Wu Qi had chosen the Dark Cloud Demon Body, which complemented this technique. The Dark Cloud Demon Body, paired with the Two Forms Shield and Blade Art, rendered his defense impenetrable and his attacks devastating. It was also the reason he ranked first among the Transfiguration Realm disciples of the Jinghu Taoist Academy. "The Two Forms Shield and Blade Art, one yin, one yang, is indeed formidable. However, I wonder how many of my strikes it can withstand," Meng Chuan's voice echoed as he pounced forward. "It's futile, you can't harm me," Wu Qi stood there, his blade and shield working in unison to block another of Meng Chuan's elusive strikes. "Swoosh." "Swoosh." "Whoosh." Meng Chuan's movements were lightning-fast, one after another, his blade lights flashing as he unleashed the Falling Leaves Blade Technique.

At first, Wu Qi managed to hold his ground with confidence, but Meng Chuan's strikes, one after another, completely connected in a single flow, made it increasingly difficult for him to defend. Each block caused his defense to weaken, and Meng Chuan's relentless blade technique tore open larger and larger gaps in his guard.

In just six strikes, Wu Qi was forced to stagger, barely managing to block.

"Whoosh."

An extremely swift thrust.

Wu Qi didn't have time to raise his shield before the blade tip was already at his throat.

"This…" Wu Qi stared at the blade pressed against his throat, then at Meng Chuan before him.

This was his first time facing someone with a secret technique in the Marrow Washing Realm, and he lost miserably.

"I've lost," Wu Qi said in a low voice. "The secret technique is even more terrifying than I imagined. Not only does it allow you to unleash terrifying power and speed, but your blade mastery is also far more refined."

Meng Chuan nodded.

Yes, A secret technique is the unity of body, mind, and skill, naturally unleashing terrifying power and speed.

An ancient Divine Lord once remarked that the potential of the human body is immense. An ordinary person who has never trained would struggle to lift a hundred pounds. But if one could perfectly harness their potential, mobilizing the strength of every bone and muscle, they could unleash a force exceeding ten thousand pounds! Of course, that's purely an imagined scenario of perfectly utilizing all potential.

In reality, the higher the realm of blade or sword techniques, the more astonishing the potential one can mobilize.

The Unity Realm is the first major realm of blade technique mastery.

The secret technique "Autumn Leaves" causes a surge in power and an even more astonishing increase in speed! It allows Meng Chuan's strength to reach roughly 70% of Wu Qi's (who is at the peak of the Transfiguration Realm), while his speed completely overwhelms Wu Qi. Moreover, his blade control becomes more precise, and his strikes are more perfectly coordinated. In just seven consecutive strikes, he broke through Wu Qi's renowned defensive Two Forms Shield Blade Technique.

"From today onward, you are the strongest among the thousands of disciples at Jinghu Taoist Academy," Wu Qi said to Meng Chuan. "You are now the current senior brother of Jinghu Taoist Academy."

At Jinghu Taoist Academy, the strongest leads.

The senior brother of the academy is the strongest among all its disciples. After defeating Wu Qi, Meng Chuan naturally became the senior brother of Jinghu Taoist Academy.

After speaking, Wu Qi directly walked off the arena.

"Senior Brother Meng Chuan!" Suddenly, shouts erupted from the bustling crowd of junior disciples.

"Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother!"

The position of senior brother also depends on one's ability to command respect.

The past few senior brothers of Jinghu Taoist Academy didn't have much authority because their strength advantage wasn't significant. None had comprehended a secret technique! Without a substantial gap in skill, they could be overthrown by other junior disciples in a competition!

But Meng Chuan is different!

He comprehended a secret technique and defeated Wu Qi, who was at the peak of the Transfiguration Realm, while still in the Marrow Washing Realm. Moreover, Meng Chuan will soon step into the Transfiguration Realm, at which point the gap between him and his peers will become even more exaggerated… even those in the Transfiguration Realm won't be able to withstand a single move from him!

Only an absolutely invincible senior brother can command the complete respect of all junior disciples.

"Hahaha… alright, come down now," Principal Ge Yu said with a rare, unusually amiable smile. "Let the other Marrow Washing Realm juniors compete for the remaining two spots."

"Yes," Meng Chuan immediately stepped down.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Meng," Wan Mang clasped his hands and bowed with a smile.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Meng," the surrounding Shanshui Tower disciples also bowed with smiles, some showing a hint of flattery. They all understood that Meng Chuan was now completely different from them—he was a peerless genius, one of the top talents in all of Dongning City, with the potential to become a Divine Lord in the future.

...

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!!

One after another, members of the Meng family were using their lightness skills, rushing toward the ancestral mansion.

"You little rascals, why are you in such a hurry?" The large main gate of the Meng family ancestral mansion was naturally guarded by clan members. They recognized these younger members of the family.

"Meng Chuan has comprehended a secret technique!" The first Meng family youth to arrive shouted loudly, leaving the guards at the gate momentarily stunned. While they were still processing, the youth rushed into the mansion, continuing to shout, "Meng Chuan has comprehended a secret technique!"

Other Meng family members followed closely behind.

Each one was shouting.

"Meng Chuan has comprehended a secret technique!"

"Senior Brother Meng has comprehended a secret technique!"

"Meng Chuan comprehended a secret technique at Jinghu Taoist Academy!"

Chapter 10: The Hope of the Family The Meng family members who burst in were all running and shouting with excitement. They immediately drew the attention of many clansmen in the ancestral residence. The clansmen listened in stunned disbelief. What? Did they hear correctly? Meng Chuan had comprehended a secret technique? "Stop right there," one clansman grabbed a fast-running youth and demanded, "Tell me clearly, what exactly happened?" "Uncle, it's Brother Meng Chuan," the thirteen-year-old youth said joyfully. "Today was the day for selecting candidates at Jinghu Daoist Academy. Brother Meng Chuan went up to the arena for a match and displayed the secret technique 'Autumn Leaves' of the Falling Leaf Blade. Even the principal and the instructors were thrilled." "The secret technique 'Autumn Leaves' of the Falling Leaf Blade?" The burly clansman's eyes widened. "Meng Chuan is only fifteen this year, right? He comprehended a secret technique at fifteen?" The entire ancestral residence was abuzz as clansmen gathered around the youths, asking questions and growing increasingly excited. A bald, skinny old man squinted as he listened to the youths chattering. His eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but murmur, "May heaven bless us, may heaven bless our Meng family." "Third Elder, it's a joyous occasion. Meng Chuan has comprehended a secret technique," a clansman ran over to report. "I know!" The bald, skinny old man still wore a cold expression as he turned and left. He was known as the strictest among the Meng family's elders, but as he turned to leave, the corners of his mouth slightly curled upwards. ... The Meng family ancestral residence covered a vast area, housing over two thousand clansmen. In one of the training grounds within the ancestral residence, a group of youths were practicing with weapons like swords, axes, and spears. The chubby Meng Dajiang sat to the side, watching. "Hmm, why is it so noisy outside?" Meng Dajiang frowned slightly, then the noise started approaching. With his strength as an Impervious Realm expert, he could hear the words 'Meng Chuan' and 'comprehended a secret technique' amidst the clamor. Meng Dajiang shuddered. It was as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water in the middle of winter. His head even felt a bit dizzy. "Did I hear wrong?" Meng Dajiang felt uneasy but couldn't help standing up and walking towards the entrance of the training ground. "Dajiang, Dajiang," an elegant old man and a group of clansmen approached together. The elegant old man's face was flushed with excitement and joy. "Fifth Uncle," Meng Dajiang quickly greeted him, "What's going on?" "Great news, great news," the elegant old man exclaimed. "Oh?" Meng Dajiang was both excited and anxious. Although he had some guesses, he still wanted to hear the full story. The elegant old man quickly said, "Some of the younger generation from our clan at Jinghu Daoist Academy came back to report that your son Meng Chuan displayed the secret technique 'Autumn Leaves' during the academy's candidate selection. It was witnessed by the principal, the instructors, and thousands of students. There's no way it's false. Hahaha... truly, may heaven bless our Meng family, may heaven bless our Meng family." "Chuan'er displayed the secret technique 'Autumn Leaves'?" Meng Dajiang felt his head grow warm, and his heart swelled with emotion. That was his son, after all! "Dajiang, your son is truly remarkable."