Chapter 364 - 171: Breaking the 3 Limits, the Purple Ribbon Immortal Robe, So What? Before Me... You Too Must Bow

Chapter 364: Chapter 171: Breaking the 3 Limits, the Purple Ribbon Immortal Robe, So What? Before Me... You Too Must Bow

The Prefecture Official Examination involved competing against numerous other prefectures. All the participants were hidden masters, and the trials often involved the ’Realm Gate’. The slightest misstep could be incredibly dangerous!

Without the support of one’s peers, the ordeal was incredibly arduous.

Thus, while the Mansion and Institute Students were competitors, if one of them managed to secure a position as a prefecture’s Leader, the tensions would ease considerably. On the surface, at least, they would be sure to address each other as brothers.

"Chen Zhi, this ’Overseas Fierce Dragon’ has some serious momentum!"

"It seems he has no intention of playing nice with us. He’s determined to take a different path."

"Can you keep him in check?"

Beside Chen Zhi, whose expression flickered, stood the young master from the Wood Element lineage. Dressed in a white robe, his entire body was enveloped by Divine Thought, and from time to time, star-like glimmers of Daoist Skill illuminated his form.

This was Xuu Nian, the young master of the Wood Element. Legend had it that he had specialized in the Divine Soul since childhood, and after more than a decade of cultivation, he had already reached the peak of ’Divine Thought’.

Within the Mansion Courtyard, where the cultivation of Dao Skills was rare, he was considered the foremost expert in the Divine Soul Realm.

Among the five great Leaders of Jiangyin Prefecture, two were scions of the Grand Lineages.

As for the other three...

They were last year’s champions of the Great Hunt, Beast Taming, and the fighting arena!

All these contests involved practical skills and martial prowess, and without exception, the victors were all legacy disciples from overseas Schools!

Among them,

Two of them had yet to make an appearance.

But the ’Little Boxing Saint,’ Zhou Tong, merely glanced at Chen Zhi beside him. Zhou Tong was the current head disciple from ’Three Punch Mountain’—one of the six great peaks—and had once taken the top spot in the armored combat arena.

"A year ago, you broke through the Three Limits and reached a height of eight zhang and eight chi. No matter how amazing Gao Ye is, he’s still so much younger than you."

"He may have broken through nine zhang, but if you were to try now, you wouldn’t necessarily do any worse."

"There are only a few positions available. If he thinks he can leave the rest of us in the dust and force us into submission, he doesn’t have what it takes. Not yet."

"But if you can’t even compete with him..."

"...then the position of ’Prefecture Official’ might truly be lost to you forever."

Zhou Tong crossed his arms, his gaze indifferent. His words made Chen Zhi hesitate:

"But the masters of the Thirty-Six Professions just granted an audience to this Young Lord not long ago. If I oppose him head-on, my backers..."

Hearing this, Zhou Tong, the heir to the legacy of Three Punch Mountain, sneered.

"Chen Zhi, this Cultivation is your own path."

"Forget the Fishing Trade. If this Gao Ye were to block my path, what would it matter if I killed him?"

"Looking over your shoulder is the greatest taboo for a Martial Artist!"

"Or, if you’re content to be the first one eliminated..."

"...then you can just hand over your qualification to compete for the Prefecture Official Merit. I won’t object."

At these words, the color drained from Chen Zhi’s face, but he didn’t retort. His expression was simply one of resignation.

"It’s not that I want to hesitate."

"You all ceded the title of Leader of the Climbing Martial Arts Tower to me because you knew I had no chance of reaching the very top."

"And it’s not just me. None of the current top contenders have a real chance of reaching the summit and seizing the fated opportunity within."

"That kid managed to manifest a nine-zhang pillar of Martial Dao Qi. Even with a full year of training, I can’t guarantee I can surpass him."

"After all, beyond nine zhang lies a completely different ’scenery’..."

Zhou Tong frowned.

"Back in the day, your Martial Dao Qi manifested at eight zhang and eight chi in the Climbing Martial Arts Tower, nearly reaching nine zhang. Weren’t you just a single step away? Is the difference truly that exaggerated?"

Chen Zhi sighed.

"That’s not how it works."

"Once you enter the Climbing Martial Arts Tower, Heaven and Earth are inverted. The climb is like a mayfly ascending a staircase."

"The martial stairway has a hundred steps, and on every step, residual phantoms of the Martial Dao appear to obstruct your path."

"The first fifty steps are filled with nothing but pushovers. I felt no fear, ascending as if on wings and shattering the obstacles with a flick of my fingers."

"After the fiftieth step, however, I had to get serious. I began to encounter the hidden masters among the senior Mansion and Institute Students of the past three years. Still, I was not afraid. I advanced one steady step at a time, moving with practiced ease."

"Then, after the eightieth step, I saw phantoms of you all. I managed to pass eight more steps, proceeding with the utmost caution, but ultimately, my strength failed me."

"And at the very end..."

"I managed to glimpse the scenery beyond nine zhang."

Chen Zhi took a deep breath, his eyes bitter.

"In that place, I saw the phantoms of the past sages who made their mark on the Mansion Courtyard’s history..."

"So for that kid to reach that point and face those sages right after breaking his Great Limit... it truly is remarkable."

Zhou Tong was taken aback.

"But you’re right. How can I simply hand over the Prefecture Official Merit to someone else!"

"If he really thinks he can pick on the weakest link and snatch a top spot, I won’t let him."

"And if he plans to dominate all Five Gates, force us all into submission, and make us bow our heads and beg him for a position... Heh."

"Then I, Chen Zhi, will be the first stone he tests his blade against. We’ll see if he... truly has what it takes!"

Chen Zhi closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a purple light swirled within his pupils.

Then, cloaked in his Immortal Robe, he took a deep breath and strode forward. Even before Gao Ye had emerged from the ’Climbing Martial Arts Tower,’ Chen Zhi followed in his footsteps, unwilling to be outdone!

「Several minutes later!」

SWOOSH!

A manifestation of Martial Dao Qi once again shone from the Climbing Martial Arts Tower. It, too, stretched for nine zhang, seemingly on par with the one left by Gao Ye—the two were indistinguishable!

The scene immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the onlookers:

"Chen Zhi, the Leader of the Climbing Martial Arts Tower, saw his record get broken. Is he refusing to back down and planning to go head-to-head with this Young Lord?"

"Two more tiers in one year! It seems... he’s reached his limit as well."

"But I wonder... both of them manifested a nine-zhang pillar of Martial Dao Qi in the Climbing Martial Arts Tower, but there’s only one spot for the Chief Leader. How are they going to decide which of them is stronger?"