Chapter 132: Lu Zhangsheng

Outside the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

Numerous martial artists looked toward the void ahead with expressions of shock.

The two pieces of information displayed above left everyone in disbelief.

Challenger: Anonymous.

Talent: Supreme (Upper).

Currently challenging the ninth level...

The fact that two anonymous powerhouses had passed the eighth level in succession caused the entire plaza to instantly boil over.

The talent of these two individuals had already reached the level of Han Mingxuan; if they were to pass the ninth level, it would be even more astonishing.

"It is possible that a genius-level figure has appeared in the prefecture city today."

"Hard to say; the ninth level is not so easy to pass."

"Indeed, even Han Mingxuan failed to pass it; these two will likely stop here..."

A group of people began to discuss.

Han Mingxuan looked at the information ahead, his expression extremely unsightly.

There were likely variables in this assessment, and if things went poorly, he might not be able to secure first place.

Even if all three possessed Supreme (Upper) talent, the ranking would still require the Tower Spirit to judge.

He had racked his brains and challenged the tower publicly, yet he had not expected such a result, leaving him feeling extremely unwilling.

Beside him, Zhou Mei'er's expression was also quite gloomy.

She had not expected such a situation to arise during this assessment; her bet with Qin Ruobing was now hard to call.

If she lost, not only would she lose face, but the loss of ten Heaven Crystal Stones would also cause her immense pain.

Just as everyone began to discuss, inside the Heaven-Reaching Tower, on the ninth level.

Lu Zhangsheng stood on a patch of grass, his hands behind his back, his expression as calm as water.

His entire body exuded an aura as immovable as a mountain.

"Zzz..."

Suddenly, the void ahead rippled gently, and in an instant, a man in black appeared on the open ground not far away.

The man held a long blade, his face resolute, his aura as deep as an abyss.

"Kill."

Lu Zhangsheng did not waste words, slashing his blade forward.

The sharp blade light roared through the void, as if to cut through everything; the baleful aura was astonishing.

With this strike, he directly unleashed twenty percent of his Killing Intent, and combined with the secret art within his body, his attack power reached its limit.

"Slash."

The man in black was not to be outdone, drawing his blade and slashing violently.

This strike came from above, like Mount Tai pressing down, carrying immense force.

At the same time, a powerful vitality surged from the man's body.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The two collided instantly, and violent energy swept in all directions; Lu Zhangsheng's protective Qi erupted, isolating all the overflowing blade energy.

After one strike.

The man in black retreated more than ten meters, his figure even appearing unstable.

Conversely, Lu Zhangsheng stood firmly in place, his expression as calm as water.

In this full-force clash, Lu Zhangsheng held the absolute upper hand.

This person had only comprehended about ten percent of their Martial Dao Intent, still far behind his own.

Lu Zhangsheng did not hesitate, raising his blade to attack again.

The man in black also drew his blade to meet the challenge.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The two engaged in a fierce battle in the void, the powerful air waves sweeping in all directions, causing their robes to flap loudly.

Inside the DemonSubduingOffice main hall.

Qin Ruobing watched the scene of Lu Zhangsheng's battle, the surprise in her eyes lingering for a long time.

This level of strength was already top-tier within the entire Changping County.

And looking at the momentum of the battle, Lu Zhangsheng still held the absolute upper hand; it was entirely possible for him to claim the title of genius in this assessment.

This made her feel extremely joyful.

She had not expected this trip to the prefecture city to bring such an unexpected delight.

As for that vixen Zhou Mei'er, she would take this opportunity to humiliate her properly.

Even Liang Jinghui, the prefecture city Hall Master, had a strange look in his eyes.

It was entirely possible for the other party to become a genius.

Such a figure only appeared once every few years in the entire Qingning Prefecture; as long as he did not fall, he would be a future Innate powerhouse.

He was completely worth investing in.

Inside the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

The battle continued.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Lu Zhangsheng caught a flaw in the opponent, his body flashing like a swimming dragon to the opponent's side, slashing his blade forward.

"Whoosh..."

Before the man in black could react, he was instantly pierced through the chest by the sharp blade light, subsequently turning into specks of light and disappearing into the void.

"Ninth level passed."

Talent Grade: Genius (Lower).

The information in the void ahead changed once again.

Even the font had turned gold, as if celebrating the birth of a genius figure.

"Shoo..."

Countless golden petals began to fall, filling the entire space, and bursts of cool air swept out.

Lu Zhangsheng took a deep breath, his spirit instantly refreshed, and even the circulation of Qi and blood in his body accelerated significantly.

"Such strong spiritual energy."

It seems there are benefits to passing this level; his physical body had undergone subtle changes.

Inside the DemonSubduingOffice main hall.

"Good."

Seeing this, Qin Ruobing was overjoyed, her eyes filled with shock.

She had not expected Lu Zhangsheng to actually break through this level and reach the threshold of a genius.

Given his strength, he might even be able to continue breaking through further.

"Congratulations, Niece Qin, for cultivating a genius figure; the benefits will be significant."

Liang Jinghui was also full of smiles.

The strength of their Qingning Prefecture DemonSubduingOffice would grow even stronger.

With the talent displayed by the other party, the Innate Path was just around the corner.

By then, he would surely be another great general for the prefecture city.

"This Zheng Yufan's performance is also quite good; it is highly likely he will pass the ninth level."

Qin Ruobing smiled faintly.

The other party's performance was far behind Lu Zhangsheng's, having only just managed to suppress the level guardian.

"This person does have some hope, but passing the tenth level is impossible."

Liang Jinghui nodded in agreement.

Outside the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

A group of martial artists looked at the information on the tower in shock.

They had not expected a genius-level powerhouse to actually appear in this assessment.

Just then, the information ahead changed again.

Challenger: Anonymous.

Talent Grade: Genius (Lower)...

"Another genius figure; I never expected two to appear in succession this time."

The numerous martial artists in the plaza began to boil over.

A group of people were excited, rushing to spread the news.

Han Mingxuan's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

He had not expected that he wouldn't even be able to keep second place.

He had truly become a clown.

The two anonymous genius figures had completely shattered his illusions.

"Hmph..."

Zhou Mei'er snorted coldly and flicked her sleeves, leaving directly.

She had lost completely, and lost miserably.

Not only had she lost face this time, but she would likely be fiercely humiliated by the other party for a while.

"These two will most likely stop here; the difficulty of the tenth level will increase significantly."

"Indeed, but even being a newly entered genius level is extremely astonishing."

A group of people waited for the challenge to end.

In everyone's view, passing the ninth level was already unexpected; breaking the tenth level was almost impossible.

Just as everyone was discussing, on the tenth level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

Lu Zhangsheng stood in place, quietly watching the void ahead.

"Zzz..."

As the space ahead rippled like water, a man in red robes suddenly appeared.

The man held a long blade, his expression sinister, his brows like hooks, his baleful aura extremely astonishing.

Not only that.

This person also had evil patterns on his face, spreading over his entire body.

"A high-level demon servant? Or a powerhouse who has comprehended Martial Dao Intent?"

Lu Zhangsheng's expression shifted slightly.

He sensed a powerful martial will from the other party.

Clearly, the other party had long since comprehended Martial Dao Intent, and quite deeply, about twenty percent.

Even he felt a trace of pressure.

The other party's strength was likely not much different from that demoness Zhao Yuanjing.

"Kill." The red-robed man immediately charged at Lu Zhangsheng, his baleful aura rolling.

In an instant, he arrived before Lu Zhangsheng and slashed his blade.

The blood-red blade light flickered in the void, as if to cut through everything ahead.

"Slash."

Lu Zhangsheng was not to be outdone, waving his blade and slashing forward violently.

His Killing Intent was pushed to the limit.

Infinite killing intent manifested on the blade, as if turning the void in front of him into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The two collided violently, and sharp blade energy splashed everywhere.

Lu Zhangsheng's protective Qi erupted, isolating all the surrounding energy, emitting a harsh, piercing sound.

The two collided with full force.

Lu Zhangsheng stood firmly in place, holding his long blade, immovable as a mountain.

The red-robed man retreated several steps, his aura faltering.

Clearly, in this collision, Lu Zhangsheng held a slight upper hand.

Lu Zhangsheng did not linger, raising his blade and charging up again.

The red-robed man also charged at Lu Zhangsheng.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The two fought a bloody battle in the void, the battlefield interwoven with blood-colored and pure white blade light.

The collision became increasingly fierce.

Relying on his powerful protective Qi, Lu Zhangsheng fought steadily, gradually forcing the opponent into an absolute disadvantage.

No matter how much the opponent roared, he could not break his defense.

As Lu Zhangsheng waved his long blade, it became increasingly seamless.

The power of his blade strikes also climbed steadily.

Inside the DemonSubduingOffice main hall.

Seeing Lu Zhangsheng gradually suppress the level guardian, Qin Ruobing's eyes were filled with surprise and joy.

Looking at it this way, Lu Zhangsheng had great hope of passing this level.

"This child is good."

Liang Jinghui was also full of appreciation.

He had seen many geniuses; there were even Innate experts in their twenties in the Great Zhou Capital, but it was truly rare for the other party to rise from the commoners.

It was not impossible for him to grow into a top-tier Heavenly Pride in the future.

Outside the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

A group of martial artists waited for the stone door to open.

Seeing that there was no movement for a long time, they couldn't help but look surprised.

"Could someone really pass the tenth level?"

One must know that the later levels were only passable by older-generation powerhouses close to the Innate realm.

For young martial artists, the tenth level was already extremely terrifying.

A group of people even began to secretly look forward to it.

Even the martial artists who had failed the challenge inside the tower were waiting quietly.

Everyone was shocked.

They hadn't expected that a big shot was hidden among their batch.

Tong Yuhua, Chen Zhanpeng, and others were also stunned.

After waiting for a long time without seeing the stone door open, they immediately realized.

A powerhouse was heading to higher levels; to be able to challenge for such a long time, it likely exceeded their imagination.

Zheng Yufan had just been easily defeated by the tenth-level guardian and thought he would be immediately teleported out of the Heaven-Reaching Tower, but he hadn't expected there to be no movement at all.

He also instantly realized that there were people stronger than him.

"Is there a peerless genius hidden among this group?"

A monstrous wave seemed to rise in his heart.

Having laid low for several years, he thought he was destined to take first place, but he hadn't expected there to be mountains beyond mountains.

He had still underestimated the powerhouses of Qingning Prefecture.

Just as everyone had different thoughts, on the tenth level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

Lu Zhangsheng was still engaged in a fierce battle with the red-robed man.

As time passed, he completely suppressed the opponent.

Not only that, but the opponent's aura also gradually weakened.

Half an hour later.

Lu Zhangsheng caught a flaw in the opponent and slashed his blade forward violently.

"Whoosh..."

The bright blade light seemed to cut through the void, carrying a powerful killing intent, slashing fiercely toward the man's head.

Before he could react, the blade light instantly penetrated the man's head.

"Zzz..."

The man's body suddenly collapsed, turning into wisps of light and disappearing into the void.

"Tenth level passed."

Talent Grade: Genius (Middle).

The information ahead changed again.

"Terminate subsequent challenges."

Lu Zhangsheng stopped directly; he knew that this level was likely his limit, as his own strength was only half a notch stronger than this red-robed man.

He would only be able to challenge the subsequent levels once his cultivation broke through again.

Outside the Heaven-Reaching Tower.

In the plaza, numerous powerhouses were already in a state of excitement.

"I never expected someone to actually pass the tenth level."

"This kind of talent is rare to see in Qingning Prefecture even once in ten years."

Everyone exclaimed, their eyes filled with disbelief.

A group of people gathered around the stone door, hoping to find that anonymous powerhouse.

Inside the DemonSubduingOffice main hall.

"Since the other party does not wish to be exposed, let's not announce it for now; from today on, issue cultivation resources to them according to the treatment of a Deputy Hall Master."

Liang Jinghui was full of smiles, clearly in a very good mood.

Having such a genius under his command was also a political achievement, and the Qingzhou City DemonSubduingOffice would also issue many rewards.

"Niece thanks Uncle Liang."

Qin Ruobing was full of joy.

Usually, one had to wait for a period of time after passing the assessment to be promoted; it seems Lu Zhangsheng was highly regarded by the other party.

That Lu Zhangsheng could reach the Genius (Middle) talent grade was also something she had never expected.

It seems it won't be long before the other party is promoted.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

As the stone door of the Heaven-Reaching Tower slowly rose, a large group of people walked out from inside.

A dense crowd of martial artists stood on the open ground.

Lu Zhangsheng blended into the crowd, appearing unremarkable, and Zheng Yufan also looked plain.

He had no intention of exposing himself; he understood the principle that the nail that sticks out gets hammered.

Even that medium-level genius powerhouse hadn't revealed themselves, so he naturally wouldn't expose his identity.

"Shoo..."

A large group of martial artists around immediately surrounded them, staring closely at the challengers who had just come out.

After scanning in many ways, they found nothing unusual.

They couldn't help but look strange.

"It seems those two genius figures practiced some secret arts to hide their strength."

Seeing that they could never find the traces of the two, they made this judgment.

Even Tong Yuhua, Zhu Houyu, and others were carefully scanning the surroundings, their shock lingering.

Subsequently, the last batch of challengers left the plaza.

Lu Zhangsheng also blended into the crowd, walking toward his own pavilion.

Over the next few days.

The news of the anonymous powerhouse taking first place spread instantly.

Countless martial artists in the prefecture city were shocked, never expecting such a genius figure to appear in this assessment.

Many even regretted not watching it in person.

As the event fermented, the news spread throughout all the counties under Qingning Prefecture.

Everyone was guessing who had taken first place this time.

After several failed attempts to find out, many people turned to the shadows.

As for how many people with ulterior motives were among them, it was unknown.

Late at night, in a gorgeous pavilion.

Qin Ruobing looked at Lu Zhangsheng with a complex expression.

"You hid it so deeply, even I had no idea, and I was worried that your strength was insufficient..."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled sheepishly: "The Wenxiang Sect has powerhouses hidden in the shadows, so this subordinate had no choice but to do so..."

He had always suspected that the demoness Zhao Yuanjing's backup plan had not erupted at all.

The day of the decisive battle would be when the other party launched their attack, and he had always been extremely vigilant about this.

"Your strength is likely not inferior to mine, so there is no need to call yourself a subordinate; you and I can treat each other as equals."

Qin Ruobing smiled beautifully, full of charm.

"Now that the decisive battle is imminent, your hiding in the shadows is also a major backup plan; you did well in this matter."

Her tone was gentle, as if chatting with an old friend.

(End of chapter)