C271 Is He Crazy?(2)

Woo Zhengyang had heard tales of Heavenly Martial City, often accompanied by awe-struck descriptions of its grandeur. Yet, hearing about it was one thing; seeing it from afar was when he truly grasped the extent of its magnificence.

Heavenly Martial City had no traditional walls. Instead, two continuous mountain ranges formed a natural fortress, standing like sentinels. At the central meeting point of these ranges stood a colossal city gate, even taller than the mountains themselves, exuding an air of majesty. Above the gate, the words "Heavenly Martial City" were inscribed with a flourish, their presence commanding the sky.

This was Heavenly Martial City.

Backed by the mountain gate of the Heavenly Martial Sect, the mountain ranges served as its walls, and the enormous gate was forged entirely from refined iron. These days, with the Ultimate Battle of the Heavenly Martial Dao Discussing Great Association about to commence, the gate, resembling a sheer cliff, stood wide open. Exquisite buildings lined the path, and a sea of people surged forward.

As Woo Zhengyang approached, he realized entering wasn't as simple as just walking in. At the massive gate, stood large cauldrons, and each person entering the city was required to deposit one hundred Heavenly Essence Stones into them. Beside each cauldron, several disciples of the Heavenly Martial Sect supervised the process.

Woo Zhengyang managed to gather a hundred low-grade Heavenly Essence Stones and, after handing them over, joined the bustling crowd entering Heavenly Martial City. The city was vast, but the sheer number of people made it feel crowded. It wasn't until Zhengyang had ventured a few miles in that the throng began to thin out.

Following the usual style of the Heavenly Martial Sect, there should be a Heavenly Martial Plaza at the city's center, with the Heavenly Martial Academy nearby. So, Zhengyang continued without needing to ask for directions.

Before long, Zhengyang was taken aback. He couldn't find the Heavenly Martial Plaza but instead came upon another city gate—the Inner City! Heavenly Martial City had an Inner City, and judging by the scale of its walls, it was as large as the capital of a small country.

What really surprised Zhengyang was the heavy guard presence at the Inner City. Only those participating in the Heavenly Martial Dao Discussing Great Association were allowed entry. Zhengyang had considered using his Profound Heaven Sect badge to try his luck, but he saw a disciple from another sect already attempting it. That person left dejectedly, so Zhengyang decided not to bother.

After asking around, Zhengyang confirmed that the main campus of the Heavenly Martial Academy was indeed inside the Inner City, which only added to his frustration. For now, his only option was to wait for the rest of the Profound Heaven Sect to arrive, hoping for a chance to get in. However, he knew it wouldn't be that simple.

Since he couldn't go inside, Woo Zhengyang, like many others, sat cross-legged at the base of the city wall.

"Woo Zhengyang!"

He had just settled down when he heard someone call his name, startling him. He had scanned the area earlier and didn't spot anyone he knew.

Following the voice, Woo Zhengyang saw someone he didn't recognize speaking to another person nearby.

"You haven't heard of the Madman, Woo Zhengyang?"

"Who is this guy? Tell us more," someone chimed in, moving closer.

"This guy, they say, comes from a small family in the East and wasn't well-regarded. Later, he joined the Profound Heaven Sect, where he was quite ordinary until one day, he supposedly snapped under pressure and unlocked his Origin Genuine Qi on his own!"

"Unlocking Origin Genuine Qi on your own is something only real prodigies can do!" someone else remarked in admiration.

"If that's true, I won't say more. Haven't you heard his nickname? The Madman!"

"Tell us, what makes him so mad?" Another person joined the growing crowd around Woo Zhengyang, who remained still but had become the center of attention.

With nothing else to do, Woo Zhengyang listened in on how others talked about him.

"After unlocking his Origin Genuine Qi, he broke the arm of someone who bullied him, who was reportedly the grandson of an elder in the Profound Heaven Sect. Later, Woo Zhengyang passed the assessment and became the last-ranked outer disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect, supposedly by choice. When it came to choosing a practice method, he opted for the path of body strengthening."

"Choosing the path of body refinement? That's foolish, not bold!" someone chuckled.

"Is it? On his third day in the outer sect, he took on a mission to descend the mountain. Bold, right?"

"Returning from the mission, he engaged in a life-and-death duel with a disciple who had already advanced to a four-star martial disciple through elixirs. Bold, right?"

"On the life-and-death stage, that disciple brought out a spirit sword, but he defeated him in a few moves. Realizing he was tricked due to ignorance of the rules, he directly challenged the seventh-ranked outer sect disciple. Bold, right?"

"After defeating the seventh-ranked disciple, he showed no interest in the rank, and shortly after joining, he participated in the Mystic Trace Realm trial in Dongjue Country. Bold, right?"

"When the Mystic Trace Realm opened, he ignored everyone from the Heavenly Martial Academy and was the first to enter. Bold, right?"

"In the Mystic Trace Realm, he eliminated all the academy's disciples participating in the trial. Bold, right?"