Chapter 5

"Two-Pole Realm! No, it's the Martial Apex Realm..."

With a roar like a vow, Zhu Ying's aura rose sharply, eventually undergoing a qualitative change, causing the students in the Inner Dormitory to scream in shock.

Zhu Ying finally revealed his true cultivation strength in front of everyone.

It wasn't the peak of the Martial Origin Realm, but the genuine second level of the Extraordinary Martial Path, the Two-Pole Realm, which should be formally called the Martial Apex Realm!

What does the Martial Apex Realm mean?

The standard for students in the Inner Dormitory of the Mystic Academy to enter the Upper Dormitory is to advance to the Martial Apex Realm!

The minimum standard for the six instructors in the Outer Dormitory of the Mystic Academy is also to reach the Martial Apex Realm!

Even the two instructors, Liu Zhifei and Sun Haiwei, have only reached the Martial Apex Realm!

But now, a student who had been held back in the Outer Dormitory had actually crossed this threshold and reached the Martial Apex Realm!

"Heh, he actually concealed his cultivation, even Jia Mou was deceived!"

Jia Yuntian, the instructor, looked at the scene with a smile that was hard to interpret.

Beside him, Zhang Haogu had a serious expression, seemingly deep in thought.

Liu Zhifei, who was standing by the training ground, looked rather displeased. He clearly didn't know about Zhu Ying advancing to the Martial Apex Realm, and the situation seemed to be slipping out of his control.

Sun Haiwei also looked worried as she watched the scene.

"It's over, Chief Shang will definitely lose this time!"

"The difference between the Martial Origin Realm and the Martial Apex Realm is a qualitative one!"

"Hehe, the rise of a once-fallen talent, trampling the former pride of heaven underfoot. If Mu Qingyu saw this, I wonder what she would think?"

"To think that Chief Shang and the others broke the engagement in front of everyone, they really went too far!"

"Indeed, which man could bear such a great humiliation?"

"Hehe, they only speak up now that they think Shang Xia has lost..."

"You, get lost..."

Zhu Ying's sudden display of Martial Apex Realm cultivation in the training ground shocked all the spectators, even Shang Xia was surprised.

"So this is your true trump card! In half a year, you advanced two major stages from the late Blood Qi stage. How did you do it?"

Shang Xia's face showed admiration, as if he felt he might be outmatched.

"Do you want to know? Wait until I trample you underfoot, and I'll tell you slowly!"

Zhu Ying's face twisted into a sinister smile, and the blood flames he controlled began to surround Shang Xia.

He not only wanted to defeat Shang Xia in front of everyone and claim the position of Chief, but also to humiliate him as much as possible, returning the humiliation he had suffered a hundredfold in front of everyone!

He could already imagine Shang Xia's panicked expression.

However, the expected scene did not occur. Shang Xia looked at the surrounding blood flames with a calm expression, even a hint of disappointment, and asked, "Is that all?"

Zhu Ying was shaken by Shang Xia's calm demeanor, but thinking of his own advancement to the Martial Apex Realm, his confidence soared again, and he sneered, "Pretending to be mysterious, today I'll make you, the Chief of the Outer Dormitory, a laughingstock!"

As soon as Zhu Ying finished speaking, the blood flames that had surrounded Shang Xia instantly turned into a sea of fire, surging towards him.

"This is the Fire Pole of the Two-Pole Realm. So, his second layer of the Two-Pole Realm must be the Water Pole or the Ice Pole?"

Some students in the Upper Dormitory were whispering, and others from the Inner and Outer Dormitories were listening intently, afraid to miss anything.

These specific descriptions of cultivation realms are not casually shared by the academy unless the students have reached the necessary level.

This is not for secrecy or self-importance, but because some knowledge, if taught prematurely, can be harmful to the students.

At the edge of the training ground, instructors Liu Zhifei and Sun Haiwei were ready to intervene if necessary, but the arbitrator, Yuan Zilu, remained unmoved, his eyes shining with a frightening intensity.

"Ah," as the sea of blood flames was about to engulf Shang Xia, a sigh came from within: "Brother Zhu, I was looking forward to your challenge, but I never expected you to rashly choose to advance to the Martial Apex Realm. To be honest, I'm very disappointed!"

Zhu Ying sneered, "Still talking tough at the brink of death, is this how you became Chief?"

While they were talking, Zhu Ying seemed to have completely suppressed Shang Xia, and the surrounding students began to discuss again.

"Did I hear that right? Chief Shang, no, Shang Xia, said he was 'disappointed'?"

"Zhu Ying is in the Two-Pole Realm, and he's only in the Martial Origin Realm, a whole stage apart. How can Shang Xia say such things?"

"What's this? Losing the battle but not the mouth! Just a few words to save face!"

At this moment, a light laugh suddenly came from the sea of blood flames, drawing everyone's attention again: "Well, since Brother has the heart to teach, I'll boldly teach you a lesson..."

Zhu Ying's blood flames clearly had the upper hand, but he couldn't secure a decisive victory. Even the arbitrator, Yuan Zilu, remained unmoved, and Zhu Ying began to feel a sense of unease.

However, his absolute cultivation advantage made Zhu Ying unwilling to believe or accept the possibility of failure. He continued to channel the fiery blood qi from his Two-Pole Essence Qi to maintain the suppression of the sea of flames.

"Arrogant!"

Zhu Ying gritted his teeth and spat out four words.

But at that moment, Shang Xia's voice came from the sea of flames: "... A Martial Apex Realm without a solid foundation is nothing but a mere chicken or dog to me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a blinding light erupted from the blood-red sea of flames.

This was followed by a deafening explosion that made the students' ears ring!

Then they saw a bolt of lightning extend from the sea of flames, extinguishing the blood flames in its path, and the vast sea of flames was instantly split in two, as if it had encountered a natural enemy and retreated.

"This..."

Zhu Ying's eyes widened in disbelief.

But before he could utter a word, the lightning struck him, and intense pain swept through his body. Zhu Ying felt as if he was being torn apart and was thrown back by the force.

With Zhu Ying's control lost, the vast sea of blood flames dissipated, and Shang Xia emerged unscathed.

At this moment, the students in the training hall finally came to their senses, and cries of shock echoed throughout the hall.

What happened?

Almost no one believed their eyes.

Shang Xia, who had not advanced to the Martial Apex Realm, how could he possibly turn the tide and win against someone a stage higher in cultivation?

In fact, while everyone else was shouting in shock, the instructors, trainers, students in the Upper Dormitory, and some students in the Inner Dormitory remained silent, with many of them showing complex expressions.

Unlike the others, Shang Xia's gaze was fixed on another figure.

At the moment Zhu Ying was thrown back, Yuan Zilu, who had been the arbitrator, also disappeared from his spot.

In mid-air, Yuan Zilu appeared, pressing his hand on Zhu Ying's body, and the intense white lightning that had enveloped him instantly vanished.

They then landed on the ground, with Zhu Ying staggering and almost falling.

Yuan Zilu's body trembled slightly, and a cracking sound came from under his feet. He then looked at Shang Xia with a surprised expression.

"I don't believe it... My cultivation is higher than yours, what trick did you use?"

Zhu Ying, unable to accept his defeat, ignored Yuan Zilu, who had just helped him, and immediately confronted Shang Xia.

At this moment, he suddenly seemed to realize the presence of the arbitrator, Yuan Zilu, and quickly turned to him, saying, "Please, Teacher, do something!"

In Zhu Ying's view, with his cultivation clearly higher than Shang Xia's, the only way Shang Xia could win in a hand-to-hand fight was by cheating!

Yuan Zilu's face darkened, and without looking at Zhu Ying, he said, "This match, Shang Xia wins!"

"Impossible!"

Zhu Ying's eyes turned red, and he said, "How could he win? He's only in the Martial Origin Realm, and I've advanced to the Martial Apex Realm!"

Before Yuan Zilu could explain, Zhu Ying pointed at him and laughed, "I get it, you're all in cahoots! Even the Academy Guard has to bow to Shang Bo's tyranny?"

Yuan Zilu's face turned grim, and he let out a heavy cold snort. Just as he was about to say something, Shang Xia spoke up.

"Brother Zhu, losing isn't scary, and it's understandable to be confused after losing. What's truly scary is to be ignorant and use that ignorance as an excuse to embarrass oneself in public!"

"You..."

Zhu Ying was almost driven to the brink of spitting blood by Shang Xia's taunt.

"Everyone said you were in seclusion to break through to the Martial Apex Realm, but who would have thought you were actually cultivating a Martial Path Skill, and you even succeeded!"

At this point, Yuan Zilu finally spoke, but he was addressing Shang Xia, with a look of admiration. As for Zhu Ying, who was full of resentment, he was ignored.

"Teacher, you flatter me. I was just lucky!" Shang Xia said humbly.

Yuan Zilu looked at him, his expression half-smiling, but his tone was serious, "There's no such thing as luck in Martial Path Skills!"

After saying this, Yuan Zilu scanned the students in the training hall and said, "A Martial Path Skill is a qualitative change based on martial techniques. As the saying goes, 'Skill can approach the Dao, and art can reach the divine.' The successful cultivation of a Martial Path Skill means that his internal qi and blood have been completely refined into Essence Qi, symbolizing the true perfection of the Mixed Essence Realm."

Finally, he glanced at Zhu Ying and said coldly, "You lost fairly."

With Yuan Zilu's final judgment and explanation, the previously quiet training hall erupted again.

"Martial Path Skill! This is a Martial Path Skill?"

"Chief Shang was in seclusion not to break through to the Martial Apex Realm, but to cultivate a Martial Path Skill. No wonder he was struck by lightning! Hmm, does cultivating a Martial Path Skill require being struck by lightning?"

"Poor Brother Zhu, not only was his engagement broken, but he was also defeated by someone of a lower cultivation stage, and by the same person!"

"Speaking of the engagement, there seems to be more to the story, and the fault may not lie entirely with Chief Shang..."

"Why didn't you say that before?"

"..."

The training hall was in chaos, with countless voices overwhelming Zhu Ying. He felt that everyone whispering was secretly mocking him, and every gaze was filled with ridicule and pity.

"Defeated, everything is over if I'm defeated..."

Zhu Ying's gaze turned to the tall and graceful figure, watching him walk away, becoming increasingly blurry. A surge of resentment welled up in his heart, and he shouted, "You... pfft—"

A mouthful of blood spewed out, and Zhu Ying fell to the ground.

At the exit of the training hall, Shang Xia heard the commotion behind him, stopped, and turned to look, but then shook his head and continued to leave.

Igniting the internal qi and blood to transform it into a single point of Essence Qi is the hallmark of a cultivator breaking through to the Extraordinary Realm and advancing to the Martial Origin Realm, which is also known as the "Essence Qi Realm" or "Internal Qi Realm."

After the birth of internal qi, martial artists face two questions.

One is how to convert more internal qi from the qi and blood?

The second is how to expand and increase the converted internal qi?

The latter requires the cultivation of a Martial Origin Realm martial technique, while the former requires the cultivation of martial skills to complete the conversion of qi and blood.

After advancing to the Martial Origin Realm, Shang Xia cultivated a Martial Origin Realm technique called "Mixed Essence Force," and two martial skills, "Mixed Essence Palm" and "Thunderbolt Palm."

Thus, the Martial Path Skill he comprehended is called "Mixed Essence Thunderbolt Hand"!

This familiar name sounds like it's... very powerful!

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