Chapter 210 - 123: Crushing the Embracing Pill, A One-Sword Victory, Zhang Su’s Invincible Pill Force

Silence!

The entire Martial Arts Arena fell silent.

In that instant, in the Martial Arts Arena filled with thousands of people, nothing could be heard but the sound of the wind rustling the banners.

It wasn’t until Zhang Su stepped onto the stage and stood firm that the crowd erupted in an uproar.

The uproar washed over the stands like a tide, surging from the east side to the west, from the front rows to the back.

Some were exclaiming in shock, others were murmuring amongst themselves.

All sorts of sounds mixed together, as chaotic as a marketplace.

Zhang Su was no longer a nobody.

On the contrary, his reputation was immense.

After all, there were rumors of his heaven-defying feat: killing an Embracing Pill master while only in the Huajin Realm.

Nearly every disciple of the Three Sects had heard of it.

Many Jianghu Cultivators had heard the rumors as well.

But most people were skeptical.

A Huajin cultivator killing a Pill Force master? It was too outrageous.

So outrageous that many preferred to believe the Guiyuan Sect was just boasting rather than accept it as fact.

During the earlier competition for those below the Pill Force Realm, many had actually been wondering why Zhang Su didn’t participate.

Was he afraid of being exposed?

If Zhang Su was truly as strong as the rumors claimed, he could have easily taken first place in the competition for those below Pill Force.

But he hadn’t registered.

This naturally led to suspicion.

But now, they understood.

Zhang Su didn’t join the competition for those below Pill Force because he couldn’t. After all, Zhang Su had already reached the Embracing Pill Realm!

If he were to participate in anything, it would have to be the Three Sects Gathering of Heroes.

"Senior Sister, this Zhang Su... he actually reached the Embracing Pill Realm?"

In the Medicine Valley section, many disciples were shocked.

The speaker was a female disciple sitting next to Ye Ling. Her eyes were wide, her face a mask of disbelief.

She had previously heard Ye Ling say that Zhang Su could only participate in the competition for those below Pill Force. She never expected that in the blink of an eye, Zhang Su would be standing on the stage of the Three Sects Gathering of Heroes.

Embracing Pill.

An Embracing Pill master at seventeen.

To reach this Realm at such an age, in any Sect, would be enough to be considered a disciple worthy of focused nurturing.

Ye Ling opened her eyes. She, of course, had also seen Zhang Su.

In truth, there were other matches happening on other stages at the same time.

But now, almost no one was paying attention to the other stages.

Everyone was focused solely on Zhang Su.

She sat in the front row of the Medicine Valley stands, her posture perfect, her expression cool and detached.

Her gaze passed through the crowd and landed on the figure on the stage.

"Embracing Pill... I remember, he’s only seventeen?"

Ye Ling asked aloud.

"Yes."

The female disciple beside her quickly nodded.

She remembered very clearly. Before coming to the Guiyuan Sect, Medicine Valley had already gathered intelligence on Zhang Su.

Seventeen years old, an Inner Sect Disciple, student of Instructor Pavilion Elder Zhao Qianfeng.

He first made a name for himself during the struggle over the mine in Hengshan County, where he killed Jiang Taizhen and Dugu Jian, becoming famous overnight.

Later, at Hidden Sword Manor, he defied the heavens by killing an Embracing Pill master while in the Huajin Realm, shaking the Three Sects.

"An Embracing Pill master at seventeen... even a Celestial Pride is nothing more than this! It seems Zhang Su wants to shine at the Three Sects Gathering of Heroes, to replicate his feat of killing an Embracing Pill master as a Huajin, and now he wants to kill a Gang Force master as an Embracing Pill?"

Ye Ling’s eyes turned cold.

Of course, she knew Zhang Su had killed Ouyang Yin.

But she was no Ouyang Yin.

And Zhou Dingshan was no Ouyang Yin either.

The Gang Force experts at the Three Sects Gathering of Heroes were not like those wandering cultivators from the Jianghu.

Although Ouyang Yin was at the Peak of Pill Force, in the end, he was just a Clan Elder from a Jianghu Family.

What’s more, Ouyang Yin was old.

His Pill Force was strong, but he was no longer in his prime.

But the Gang Force Martial Artists at the Three Sects Gathering of Heroes were different.

These people were either the top disciples of the Three Sects or renowned experts who had long made a name for themselves in the Jianghu.

They were in their prime, rich in combat experience, and masters of their Martial Arts.

Among them were hidden dragons and crouching tigers; quite a few Martial Artists were infinitely close to the standard of a Celestial Pride.

For Zhang Su to think he could kill a Gang Force master while in the Embracing Pill Realm and take first place at the Three Sects Gathering of Heroes was nothing short of a fool’s dream.

But Zhang Su had entered the Three Sects Gathering of Heroes after all, and he might even face Ye Ling.

Therefore, Ye Ling would not underestimate Zhang Su. She had to pay close attention to his true strength.

Zhou Dingshan of the Five Elements Sect was also watching Zhang Su just as intently.

And he knew more than Ye Ling.

Zhou Dingshan sat in the front row of the Five Elements Sect’s stands.

He had a square face, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a steady gaze.

When he saw Zhang Su step onto the stage, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Back at the battle in Hengshan County, did Zhang Su really kill Dugu Jian with a single sword strike? And at the time, Zhang Su only had an Inner Force Cultivation?"

Zhou Dingshan asked.

"Yes. Many Five Elements Sect Disciples witnessed that battle personally. Zhang Su did indeed kill Dugu Jian with a single strike."

A Five Elements Sect Disciple beside him answered respectfully.

He had been present at the battle for the Hengshan County mine and had seen Zhang Su’s sword strike with his own eyes.

The sheer brilliance of that strike was still etched into his mind.

Zhou Dingshan fell silent.

He knew of Dugu Jian.

Dugu Jian had achieved Perfection in the Five Elements Reincarnation Sword Technique, was exceptionally strong, and there were even rumors that while he was in the Huajin Realm, he was already comparable to a Pill Force master.

Of course, those were just rumors.

Dugu Jian had never challenged a Pill Force master.

But Dugu Jian’s strength was undeniable.

And yet, he had died at the hands of Zhang Su, who at the time only had a meager Inner Force Cultivation.

An Inner Force cultivator killing a Huajin master.

A Huajin master killing an Embracing Pill master.

And now, he had reached the Embracing Pill Realm himself.

’With such a terrifying track record, Zhang Su probably thinks that killing a Gang Force master would be as easy as flipping his hand.’

Zhou Dingshan was secretly alarmed.

Zhang Su’s list of accomplishments was indeed too astonishing.

He had originally thought that even if Zhang Su had potential, he was only in the Huajin Realm. At this session of the Three Sects Gathering of Heroes, his only rival would be Ye Ling from Medicine Valley.

But now, it seemed he had to add Zhang Su to that list.

He had to admit, Zhang Su was qualified to be his opponent.

For someone who could kill an Embracing Pill master while in the Huajin Realm, now that he had reached the Pill Force Realm, killing a Gang Force master no longer seemed impossible.