C79 Zhou Muyuan

What Zhou Muyuan didn't expect was how long the wait would be. From what he knew, the odds of a Nine-star Martial Disciple passing the third trial were slim to none. He couldn't believe anyone would succeed where he himself had doubts. The only explanation was that this guy was relentlessly persistent.

Leaving might mean missing out on some treasure, but waiting felt like a waste of time. This made Zhou Muyuan furious. The moment Woo Zhengyang appeared, he wanted to strike him down immediately, leaving him bewildered. Yet, to his surprise, Zhengyang managed to evade him.

Given this, Zhou Muyuan decided not to rush. He planned to torment the guy who wasted his time. As for failure, Zhou Muyuan never considered it. Lee Kaiyuan's ranking in the Heavenly Martial Sect was over a hundred, and beating him three times over would be a breeze. He didn't regard the other disciples from the four major sects participating in the trial as worthy opponents.

"Zhou Muyuan? Are you here to avenge Lee Kaiyuan?" Woo Zhengyang was a bit surprised to see him.

The Mystic Trace Realm was divided into the Outer and Inner Realms. Participants initially appeared in the Outer Realm, and passing the trial at Profound Heavy Mountain meant entering the Inner Realm. The entry point from the Outer to the Inner Realm had been the gathering spot set by the major sects for years.

In ancient times, the sect located in the Mystic Trace Realm was a major one, with many disciples participating in trials. There were over twenty testing sites like Profound Heavy Mountain. However, this time, fewer than eighty people were participating in the Mystic Trace Realm trial.

Woo Zhengyang was unaware of the girl in blue, but with the addition of Lee Kaiyuan and his two companions, there were already four challengers within the bounds of Profound Heavy Mountain. The odds of encountering another were slim, yet here was a fifth, and from the Heavenly Martial Academy no less.

"I told you, he was just a nobody, not worth avenging. What I'm curious about is the treasure that sparked your conflict," Zhou Muyuan sneered.

"A treasure?" Woo Zhengyang pondered briefly and understood Zhou Muyuan's implication.

This guy assumed that Woo had eliminated Lee Kaiyuan and his friends over some treasure. In a way, that was true. Zhang Caiyun had targeted Woo Zhengyang, believing he'd acquired some rare herb in the canyon. There was indeed an herb, but Woo had already transformed it into sword-shaped energy.

"You don't need to tell me what the treasure is. I'll find it myself after I kill you—that's the real surprise. But I don't think I've seen you before. If you managed to take down those three, you must have some skill. Name yourself!"

"Woo Zhengyang!"

"So, you're Woo Zhengyang? Ha! Not bad, not bad. Killing for treasure and restoring the Heavenly Martial Academy's honor, all while making a name for myself. I love a two-for-one deal. It was worth waiting for you all this time," Zhou Muyuan laughed, clearly pleased with himself.

"Let's see what you've got!" Woo Zhengyang maintained a calm demeanor, though he was a bit conflicted inside.

Should he test the power of the Four-Character Sword Technique, or see how effective the Profound Heavy Gathering Silk Gloves were?

When it came to making choices like this, Woo Zhengyang was never skilled. In the end, he could only stick to tradition, trying each option one by one. With this in mind, Woo Zhengyang retrieved the Frostblade Sword from his Hidden Heaven Bag.

"Wow... a Hidden Heaven Bag? That's a great find! No wonder your pack looks empty. Seems like I've hit the jackpot this time!" Zhou Muyuan's smile grew even wider.

Zhou Muyuan was brimming with confidence, leaving Woo Zhengyang speechless and unwilling to waste any more words. He launched into the Floating Light Step, charging toward Zhou Muyuan.

Zhou Muyuan's laughter was wild, but he wasn't foolish enough to underestimate his opponent. Seeing Woo Zhengyang make the first move, the smile vanished from Zhou Muyuan's face. He gripped his silver spear tightly and thrust it directly at Woo Zhengyang.

A spear has the advantage of reach over a sword. Normally, a swordsman would try to deflect the spear, but this was far from a normal situation. As Zhou Muyuan's spear lunged forward, Woo Zhengyang ignored it, focusing solely on his own swift strike.

With the force of two thousand pounds behind it, Woo Zhengyang's sword strike was incredibly fast. Since he wielded the sword directly, it was even quicker than a Nine-star Martial Disciple who needed to channel energy into their weapon.

"Are you crazy?" Zhou Muyuan couldn't believe what he was seeing and couldn't help but scoff. "I've got a spear here. No matter how fast your sword is, it'll be skewered by my spear before it even touches me."

In the next moment, Zhou Muyuan was stunned.

"Pop..."

The sword-shaped energy erupted, and the tip of the Qingshuang Sword flashed with a cold gleam. Accompanied by the sound of an explosion, the gleam shot forward like a meteor, striking Zhou Muyuan's chest with force. His clothes tore apart, revealing a glaring wound at his heart, bleeding profusely. Meanwhile, Woo Zhengyang seized the opportunity as Zhou Muyuan was injured and his spear paused, effortlessly sidestepping the attack.

"An energy burst... How is this possible? Are you at the Martial Master Stage? No... it can't be the Martial Master Stage; they can't enter the Mystic Trace Realm!" Zhou Muyuan staggered back three steps, his face filled with terror.

The strike from Woo Zhengyang had only caused a superficial wound, but the sight of the energy burst from the sword cutting through the air struck a heavy blow to Zhou Muyuan's spirit.

Woo Zhengyang had no intention of explaining. He advanced again, his long sword sweeping in a semicircle. Zhou Muyuan raised his spear to block, but was at a loss for how to defend against it.

A sword arc flew out with the motion of the sword, leaving a long wound at his waist. Then, with a fluid motion, Woo Zhengyang's Qingshuang Sword lifted and slashed down from above, adding wounds to both of Zhou Muyuan's shoulders.

As the fight progressed, Zhou Muyuan forgot even to block. He realized that from the start, Woo Zhengyang hadn't used any advanced sword skills—just simple thrusts, flicks, spins, and slashes. Yet, Zhou found himself unable to fend them off.

Woo's sword was incredibly fast, leaving several cuts on Zhou in the blink of an eye. Finally snapping out of his fear, Zhou noticed that Woo's sword, despite its explosive impact, lacked the power of a true Martial Master. If it had, Zhou would have been in far worse shape.

Understanding this, Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. If this was all Woo had, Zhou figured he could endure a few superficial wounds and still take him down. With this realization, a fierce determination flashed in Zhou's eyes.

Though Woo's sword seemed average in strength, Zhou knew better than to underestimate him again. He prepared to unleash his most powerful martial technique for a swift victory.

As Zhou swept his spear, the surrounding energy became chaotic. A dragon, formed from the very essence of the world, began to appear along the surface of his silver spear. With each swing, the dragon grew more defined, its scales almost visible.

"Dragon Spirit, Invincible Spear!" Zhou roared, as his spear transformed into a streak of light, whistling toward Woo Zhengyang's brow...