81: The axe's thunder and the strong list of names

Three days later, the atmosphere in the Inner Academy's arena was more fervent than ever before. Yao Sheng, ranked twenty-ninth on the strong ranking list, was challenging Xiao Chen, the newly emerged dark horse ranked fifty-eighth! This was not just a jump in rankings; it was also seen as a significant clash between the Inner Academy's old and new forces, and different cultivation systems. The stands were packed with people, and even some of the top thirty experts on the strong ranking list, who usually remained in seclusion, quietly appeared. From the high platform, Elder Su Qian and other high-ranking academy officials also cast their gazes of concern.

On the arena, Yao Sheng stood with his hands behind his back. He wore a dark green robe, his face was feminine, and his eyes were as cold as a viper's. Faint green mist, both sweet and foul-smelling, swirled around his body, causing dizziness. His aura was profound, having clearly reached the Peak Dou Zong (Fighting Sect) Rank, just one step away from Six-Star! His 'Myriad Poisons Corroding Bone Technique' was infamous in the Inner Academy; his Dou Qi (Fighting Skill) contained potent toxins and was extremely corrosive. Coupled with his elusive movement technique, he was incredibly difficult to deal with.

"Xiao Chen, it's true you have some skill to have come this far," Yao Sheng's voice was sharp, tinged with a hint of mockery. "However, this is as far as you go. I will make you understand that opportunistic soul tricks are no match for true strength."

Xiao Chen's expression remained calm, unfazed by the words. He could feel the potency of the poisonous gas surrounding Yao Sheng. His Spirit Realm Soul keenly detected the multiple mixed toxins it contained, enough to easily poison low-level Dou Zong (Fighting Sect) Rank practitioners to death. This battle was more perilous than any before.

"Senior Brother Yao Sheng, please." Xiao Chen cupped his hands, his eyes grave, his internal Dou Qi (Fighting Skill) and soul power already elevated to their peak.

"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!" Yao Sheng sneered, his figure suddenly blurring into several green afterimages, rushing towards Xiao Chen from different directions with astonishing speed! At the same time, he flicked his sleeve, and a rain of green poisonous needles poured down like a storm, blocking all of Xiao Chen's escape routes!

Thousand Illusory Poisonous Shadow! Azure Phosphor Poison Rain!

He immediately unleashed killing moves! Before the poisonous needles even arrived, the putrid stench was already nauseating, and the protective barrier at the edge of the arena sizzled as it was corroded.

Xiao Chen's pupils contracted slightly. He instantly unleashed the Illusory Spirit Steps to its maximum, leaving trails of afterimages within a small area, narrowly dodging most of the poisonous needles. At the same time, his Spirit Realm Soul power formed an invisible vortex around his body, forcefully repelling the encroaching poisonous gas and soul interference. Yet, a few poisonous needles still penetrated his defenses, striking his Dou Qi (Fighting Skill) armor with a "hissing" sound. The armor's glow rapidly dimmed, and several small holes were corroded into it!

"Such potent poison!" Xiao Chen's heart was solemn; the virulence of the poison far exceeded his expectations. He dared not delay, pointing his fingers like a sword, and unleashed a highly condensed Soul Breaking Finger towards the core of one of the afterimages!

"Puff!" The afterimage dissipated, but it was not his true body. Yao Sheng's true form appeared like a ghost behind Xiao Chen, his five fingers forming a claw, green light flickering at his fingertips, carrying a pungent, foul wind, aiming directly for Xiao Chen's back! Five Poisons Splitting Heart Claw!

In that critical moment, Xiao Chen's initial grasp of the Power of Space came into play! With a slight thought, the space beside him subtly twisted, causing a minuscule deviation in the speed and trajectory of Yao Sheng's fatal claw strike!

"Screech—!"

The claw wind grazed Xiao Chen's ribs, drawing a string of blood beads and a torn piece of clothing! A burning pain spread, and potent poison furiously invaded his body through the wound!

Xiao Chen grunted, enduring the severe pain, and used the momentum to slide several feet forward, simultaneously circulating his Dou Qi (Fighting Skill) and soul power to expel the poison. Fortunately, the Xiao Clan bloodline had some resistance to toxins, and his powerful soul power temporarily suppressed the poison near the wound.

"Oh? Power of Space?" Yao Sheng's strike missed, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, followed by an even stronger killing intent. "You do have some tricks, but let's see how many times you can dodge!"

His offensive intensified, and he transformed into a green poisonous dragon, weaving frantically across the arena. Poisonous palms, poisonous fingers, and poisonous mist emerged endlessly, his moves vicious and cunning, completely enveloping Xiao Chen within his attack range. Xiao Chen combined the Illusory Spirit Steps with spatial distortion, his figure erratic, like a small boat in a storm. He narrowly avoided fatal attacks at every critical moment, but he still accumulated several more wounds, and the poisonous gas continued to invade, placing him in a precarious situation.

Gasps of alarm constantly erupted from the stands; everyone was worried for Xiao Chen. Yao Sheng's poison technique was too overbearing; a touch meant injury, and prolonged defense would surely lead to defeat!

"Xiao Chen is probably going to lose!"

"Yao Sheng's poison is simply unstoppable!"

"Soul attacks seem to have little effect on Yao Sheng; his soul defense is also very strong!"

On the high platform, Elder Su Qian frowned slightly, ready to intervene at any moment to prevent irreversible consequences.

On the arena, Xiao Chen appeared disheveled, but his eyes grew calmer. He was adapting to Yao Sheng's attack rhythm, while continuously using his soul perception to analyze the operational patterns and weaknesses of his poison technique. Although the opponent's poisonous gas was fierce, it seemed to require close-range contact to exert its maximum power, and his true body was not completely immune to soul attacks, merely highly resistant.

"I can't keep taking hits passively. I must get close, fight fast, and decide the outcome before his poison fully erupts!" Xiao Chen's thoughts raced, and a daring plan formed in his mind.

After narrowly avoiding Yao Sheng's sweeping poisonous palm once more, a glint flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes. He no longer retreated, but instead stomped his foot hard, his body not falling back but surging forward like an arrow from a bow, actively charging towards Yao Sheng! Simultaneously, his Spirit Realm Soul power erupted without reservation!

"Illusionary Dream Realm, extreme compression!"

This time, he wasn't creating a large-scale illusion. Instead, he compressed all his soul power to an extreme degree, focusing it only within three feet of Yao Sheng's body! In an instant, Yao Sheng felt the scene before him twist wildly, as if he had fallen into an endless cycle of a poisonous hell. Even the circulation of his own poisonous gas experienced a momentary stagnation and illusion!

"Now!" Xiao Chen had been waiting for this fleeting opportunity! He ignored the rampant toxins in his body, condensing all his Dou Qi (Fighting Skill), soul power, and his initial comprehension of the Heaven Opening Axe Intent, which originated from the depths of his bloodline, onto his right palm! At the edge of his palm, the air hummed under immense pressure, faintly revealing a subtle, almost imperceptible, golden sharpness!

He had no axe, but he himself was the sharpest axe!

"Heaven... Splitting!"

Xiao Chen roared inwardly, his right palm like an axe, carrying a terrifying will to advance relentlessly and cut through everything, striking directly at Yao Sheng's center! This strike had no fancy techniques, only the purest, most domineering crushing force of 'Intent'!

Yao Sheng had just broken free from the extreme interference of the soul illusion when he felt a death crisis that made his soul tremble! The palm striking towards him seemed to transform into a giant Heaven Opening Axe in his eyes, threatening to split him and this entire world in two! He was terrified, frantically activating all his poison techniques, creating layers upon layers of Myriad Poisons Barriers in front of him, the green mist so dense it was impenetrable!

"Block it for me!"

"Screech—!"

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a faint but piercing tearing sound! The Myriad Poisons Barrier, strong enough to corrode steel and withstand a full-force strike from a Five-Star Dou Zong (Fighting Sect) Rank, split apart like butter under a hot knife before the palm edge imbued with 'Heaven Opening Axe Intent'! Behind the barrier, Yao Sheng watched helplessly as that hand-axe sliced through the poisonous barrier and struck his chest!

"Puff—!"

Yao Sheng was hit as if by a heavy hammer, his chest caved in, the sound of bones shattering clearly audible. A large mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs spewed out, and his body flew backward like a broken sack, crashing heavily against the arena's protective barrier before sliding down. His aura instantly withered to an extreme degree; it was clear he had suffered severe internal injuries and was no longer capable of fighting!

And the residual golden axe intent even carved a fine, bottomless line into the arena floor!

The entire arena was deathly silent!

Everyone stared dumbfounded at the scene on the arena, almost disbelieving their eyes. Yao Sheng, a Peak Dou Zong (Fighting Sect) Rank, who had employed his strongest defense, was actually sent flying and heavily defeated by Xiao Chen's single palm strike?!

The sharpness of that palm, that will to cut through everything, was deeply imprinted in everyone's minds!

"What... what kind of Dou Technique was that?"

"Not a Dou Technique! It's Intent! It's the power of an Intent Realm!"

"Too terrifying! Yao Sheng's Myriad Poisons Barrier was torn apart like paper!"

"Senior Brother Xiao Chen... he's actually this strong?!"

On the high platform, Elder Su Qian's eyes burst forth with an unprecedented brilliance, and he murmured, "The Realm of Intent... This child has actually touched the threshold of 'Intent'! No wonder, no wonder..."

After the silence came a roar of exclamations and a thunderous uproar! Xiao Chen's name, accompanied by this earth-shattering palm strike, completely resounded throughout the Inner Academy! The strong ranking list's twenty-ninth spot had a new owner!

Xiao Chen stood on the arena, slowly retracting his palm, his face pale, his aura weak. That last strike had almost drained half of his Dou Qi (Fighting Skill) and soul power, and combined with the poison's erosion, he was not feeling well either. But his eyes were bright, and his heart was filled with strong confidence in the Heaven Opening Axe Intent.

He glanced at the unconscious Yao Sheng, then turned and walked off the arena. After this battle, his position in the Inner Academy would no longer be questioned by anyone. And he also knew that the real challenges still lay ahead. The threat of the Soul Hall, and the vast stage of the Central Plains, all awaited him.

In the following days, Xiao Chen healed his injuries and expelled the poison, while also digesting the insights gained from the battle, deepening his understanding of the Heaven Opening Axe Intent. And his ranking on the strong ranking list naturally rose to twenty-ninth, granting him more resource allocation and qualifications to cultivate in higher secret realms.

The winds and clouds of the Inner Academy stirred because of him. And his gaze had already turned to the distant future. Perhaps, it was time to make the final preparations for venturing into the magnificent Central Plains.