Within the secret realm of the Scripture Pavilion, upon the arena, Meng Wushuang stood holding a halberd, its tip pointed directly at Qingdi. Qingdi, however, remained unarmed, standing with his hands behind his back.
"Meng Wushuang, you had better use your full strength," Qingdi said.
At these words, the aura around Meng Wushuang surged violently, his inner essence energy roaring like the sea.
"Dance of the Heavenly Demon!"
With his fighting spirit reaching a fever pitch, Meng Wushuang took a step forward, his halberd carrying an earth-shattering intent as he thrust toward Qingdi.
*Dance of the Heavenly Demon!* This was the final technique of the Unparalleled Halberd Arts, and its most powerful move. At this moment, Meng Wushuang poured every ounce of his essence energy into the weapon. A sharp, piercing metallic ring resonated from the halberd, and a blood-red light pulsed from its edge, as if ready to pierce the very firmament.
The crowd of talented prodigies watching from the sidelines were struck with shock at the sight of this technique.
"I never imagined Meng Wushuang had truly mastered this move! A Saint-level cultivation method brought to perfection!"
"He’s finally going all out. This fight is sure to be magnificent!"
"Both are prodigies of their time. I wonder if Meng Wushuang can defeat the young Qingdi."
Expectations ran high among the spectators.
"Die!"
Meng Wushuang charged forward, his aura soaring as he reached the absolute peak of his strength. Qingdi watched him, his expression calm, still standing with his hands clasped.
"Dance of the Heavenly Demon! Sever!"
Meng Wushuang roared, his energy climbing to its zenith. The halberd in his hand transformed into a blood-red divine dragon, sweeping toward Qingdi. Watching this sky-shattering strike, a faint smile appeared on Qingdi’s lips.
"Not bad."
"You have barely managed to master this final move. It is a pity, however, that it is still not enough to defeat me."
Qingdi shook his head slightly and uttered a single phrase: "Green Lotus Sword Song! Sword, come forth!"
As the words left his lips, a Green Lotus sword appeared in his hand. Clasping the blade, a monstrous aura erupted from Qingdi.
*Clang!*
The sword sang, and the world fell silent.
The next moment, Qingdi moved. With a single stride, the sword’s resonance shook the heavens. He swung, and a sword light soared into the sky, manifesting as nine blooming green lotuses, each a yard in size, before converging into one.
*Hum!*
The nine lotuses circled Qingdi before exploding outward toward Meng Wushuang.
*Boom!*
The lotuses collided with the halberd. The world held its breath, and then a blinding light erupted.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
A series of dull explosions echoed across the arena. The ground beneath them cracked, fractures spiderwebbing rapidly toward the edges, with fissures opening directly beneath Meng Wushuang’s feet.
*Boom!*
"Ugh!"
Meng Wushuang dropped to one knee, gripping his halberd. A mouthful of bright red blood sprayed from his lips; his face turned deathly pale, and the aura within him withered away. Qingdi remained standing on the arena, his expression serene.
With a single strike, the mighty Meng Wushuang had been defeated.
"I cultivated my techniques to perfection. The only difference between us is our constitution. I possess only an ordinary one... Is it true that no amount of day-after-day cultivation can ever bridge the gap between our bodies?" Meng Wushuang muttered, his head hanging low, his face pale and listless.
Because he possessed an ordinary constitution, he had to work harder than anyone else. Through every season and every year, he never stopped. Out of every twelve-hour day, he spent ten in practice, using only the remaining two for meditation and rest. It was no exaggeration to say that his status as one of the four great prodigies of Xianqin was built entirely upon his own relentless effort.
Looking at the man kneeling before him, Qingdi shook his head gently. "Constitution does not determine everything. If you work hard enough, you can compensate for anything."
Meng Wushuang felt a deep, sorrowful ache. He shook his head and offered a miserable smile. "Senior Qingdi, there is no need to comfort me."
"In this life, some things are destined to be divided by a watershed from birth. If I possessed a Saint or Divine Physique today, I might not have lost to you."
He closed his eyes in pain, as if accepting his fate. Hearing this, Qingdi opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing. He possessed the Eternal Green Lotus Divine Physique; it was precisely his constitution that had allowed him to suppress the prodigies of his generation and ascend to the throne of Great Emperor.
*Snap!*
A crisp sound echoed in everyone’s ears. To their horror, the prodigies realized that Meng Wushuang’s unyielding fighting spirit was shattering like a broken mirror.
"Sigh."
Qingdi sighed softly. He had never expected that this battle would leave such a heavy scar on a talented youngster.
"It’s over. From today on, our Xianqin has lost a brilliant, unparalleled prodigy."
"What a shame. Meng Wushuang was one of the four great prodigies. If he falls, we lose one of our greatest pillars."
"Sigh, our constitutions are too weak. We were destined to be nothing more than stepping stones."
The onlookers lamented, their faces filled with pity. But just then, a mocking laugh thundered like a drumbeat in their ears.
"Meng Wushuang, you coward!"
"You lose a single fight and descend into such decadence? You even have the nerve to blame your constitution!"
The crowd turned to look and spotted Qin Feng emerging within their line of sight.
"Qin Feng! You’re merely in the Qi Condensation Stage—how dare you speak such nonsense!" A prodigy shouted, his voice filled with fury.
"Exactly! Meng Wushuang is already in such a miserable state; how can you kick a man when he’s down?"
"Do you know how much effort Meng Wushuang has put in? Do you know how much he has suffered?"
The group of prodigies glared at Qin Feng, their expressions hostile, as if looking at a sworn enemy. Qin Feng ignored them, walking slowly toward the arena, speaking to himself:
"One hundred thousand years ago, an Empress appeared among the Human Race. She was born an ordinary person with an ordinary constitution, yet she created the Heaven-Swallowing Devil Art, stepping upon the prodigies of all races to ascend to the throne of Great Emperor!"
"In that era, the Human Race was terrifyingly weak, but with her own strength, she suppressed an entire generation!"
"And you lot? You fall into this state of decay just because of your constitution! The enemies of our Xianqin are at our doorstep, yet you, the so-called prodigies, sit here wallowing in self-pity, unwilling to seek progress. Are you just waiting for the other races to slaughter us?"
Qin Feng roared, his voice like a thunderclap!
*Hum!*
Their ears rang as if struck by a bolt of lightning, and the group stood stunned, unable to move. Their minds felt empty, as if they were about to shatter. When they finally regained their senses and looked at Qin Feng again, their expressions had shifted entirely.
A soaring fighting spirit radiated from Qin Feng, enveloping the entire secret realm of the Scripture Pavilion!
"This is... fighting intent!"
"How is this possible! How can a mere ant in the Qi Condensation Realm erupt with such terrifying fighting intent?"
"This intent... it’s aimed directly at Qingdi! Has Qin Feng lost his mind?"
The onlookers cried out in shock. Feeling the surging, overwhelming intent, Meng Wushuang suddenly looked up at Qin Feng, his eyes filled with awe. This intent was even more intense than his own!
"This is... the Unbeatable Fighting Intent!"
He widened his eyes, his mouth agape as he muttered the words.
"Unbeatable Fighting Intent!"
Upon hearing the word "unbeatable," the eyes of the spectators nearly popped out of their skulls. At this moment, their gaze toward Qin Feng underwent a cataclysmic transformation, as if they were looking at a monster.
One had to understand that in the million-year history of the Human Race, every single one who had achieved the status of Great Emperor possessed an Unbeatable Fighting Intent! It represented an indomitable, unwavering conviction.
Fighting intent was the crystallization of a person’s will. It allowed a cultivator to transcend their own limits during battle and could even trigger the strength to challenge those of higher realms in times of crisis. It was, without a doubt, one of the most essential conditions for becoming a Great Emperor.