C65 As Expected of a Madman(1)

Once upon a time, Woo Zhengyang saw a steadfast martial spirit in himself and in Huang Ruoshan. It wasn't until now that he truly understood that it was merely an attitude of persistence in martial arts. Everyone has this attitude, even people like Liu Tianli, though theirs might not be as resolute.

Zhengyang's attitude was considered firm, yet when faced with life-and-death decisions, he still felt fear. That's why he nearly crumbled under the pressure of the fifth stone gate. To possess a true martial spirit, one must truly confront life and death. Few achieve this, and Zhengyang, in the past, only faced despair.

At the moment he chose to confront the fifth stone gate, Zhengyang truly put life and death aside. What he faced could have been a shattered spirit or a broken martial heart, marking the end of his martial journey. For Zhengyang, this was more significant than life or death.

Only through such harsh choices and trials can one's persistence in martial arts remain unbreakable. This kind of perseverance is what truly defines a martial spirit. The past despair and helplessness made Zhengyang reckless, but now, with his spirit tempered, he moves forward with unwavering determination.

Woo Zhengyang's martial spirit is one of wild arrogance and fearlessness—truly a heart of the wild warrior!

...

The night passed without incident, and the sun rose in the east. Five stone gates stood majestically under the morning light, but to Woo Zhengyang, they were just gates. However, he soon noticed something different about the lowest gate; it was slowly absorbing the sunlight.

While it’s common to see things that absorb the vital energy of the world, this was the first time Zhengyang had seen something absorbing sunlight, further proving the extraordinary nature of these gates.

As the morning hour arrived, the lowest gate was fully charged, and a shimmering Light Door appeared. The Mystic Trace Realm had opened!

Witnessing this, everyone grew excited, yet no one dared to rush forward. In this world where strength reigns supreme, many unwritten rules exist, and entering the Mystic Trace Realm is no exception. Following tradition, the results of yesterday's sparring determined today's entry order.

The students from Heavenly Martial Academy, despite arriving last, consistently had the highest success rate. They were followed by the Iron Cloud Sect, the Profound Heaven Sect, and finally, the Wind Howl Sect. The Heavenly Martial group was accustomed to this order, standing confidently as they prepared to enter.

Just then, an unexpected figure suddenly stepped out from the Profound Heaven Sect. Despite their lower ranking, they were closest to the Light Door. Before anyone could react, the person had already entered the Light Door...

The entire place fell silent, followed by a burst of astonishment!

"What just happened?"

"Did I see that right? A disciple from the Profound Heaven Sect went in?"

"You saw correctly, and I thought I was mistaken... Why did I sense that person's skill level was pitifully low? Not even close to the eighth stage, maybe not even the fourth!"

"Woo Zhengyang... truly the Outer Sect Number One Madman, really made us proud this time!"

"Yeah, looks like we won't even need to lift a finger. Those guys from the Heavenly Martial Academy will handle any worries for us..."

While the disciples from the four major sects watched in curiosity, those from the Heavenly Martial Academy were filled with endless anger after their initial shock. They never expected someone to be so bold.

Although there was no official rule about the order of entering the Mystic Trace Realm, this tradition had been around for who knows how long. The person just now broke not only this tradition but also challenged the prestige of the Heavenly Martial Academy.

If other disciples found out that they entered the Mystic Trace Realm after someone else, even if they had dominated the four major sects in practice yesterday, their reputation would be tarnished!

Woo Zhengyang had no idea what was happening outside, nor was he aware of the many tales surrounding entering the Mystic Trace Realm. He simply saw others preparing to go in and followed suit. Even if he had known, Woo Zhengyang wouldn't have backed down. He never saw himself as inferior to anyone; he was always fiercely independent and determined.

Passing through the Light Door, Woo Zhengyang found himself in a dense forest. Before he could take in his surroundings, a demonic beast charged at him. Recognizing the creature, Woo Zhengyang couldn't help but chuckle. It was an Iron Armored Beast, a level-one demonic beast he was quite familiar with.

Now, Woo Zhengyang had no fear facing the Iron Armored Beast. He swung his fist directly at its head.

"Thud..."

The sound was like a drumbeat as the Iron Armored Beast was sent flying by Woo Zhengyang's punch.