All Are Whetstones!

Boom! A terrifying pressure erupted in an instant. Chan Kongzi shed the cynical, playful look from his face and slowly took a step forward. Yet with just that single step, the spectral silhouette of an enormous flaming beast seemed to manifest behind him, its massive maw gaping wide as it roared at Li Guanqi! Spurred by the clash of auras, Jiuxiao nearly reverted to his true form! Li Guanqi's breath hitched. His eyes remained locked onto Chan Kongzi, his expression graver than ever before. Oppression of this caliber... Half-step Tribulation Transcendence! Such terrifying pressure... Within the same realm, this was the very first time Li Guanqi had ever felt it! Li Guanqi's eyes burned with fervor, carrying an almost obsessive zeal and will to fight. The greater the pressure, the fiercer the battle intent blazed in his chest. His throat dry, Li Guanqi stared intently at Chan Kongzi. *Is this the true strength of the Eight Generals?* Though Chan Kongzi usually acted cynical, profligate, and utterly unreliable, any judgment of whether he was weak or strong was only relative among the Eight Generals themselves. If Chan Kongzi were truly weak... could he have held a seat among the Eight Generals securely for thousands of years? With a flick of his sleeve, Long Hou tossed out an archaic formation platform. This platform was an intact prime grade immortal weapon! Hum! The palm-sized platform ballooned upon meeting the wind, expanding in the blink of an eye into a myriad-zhang-wide Dao platform suspended midair! The entire platform was cast in dark gold, etched with profound, intricate markings. It gleamed with a cold metallic luster, and immediately afterward, a thick golden light barrier shot into the air! Many top cultivators gathered in the surroundings broke into lively chatter. "Tsk, a prime grade immortal weapon! Running that for the burn of a single incense stick must cost at least a hundred or so immortal crystals, right?" "With the durability of this platform, even if someone in the Tribulation Transcendence Realm attacked it, they wouldn't be able to leave a scratch, would they?" "Nonsense! I've seen Long Hou use that thing as a defensive treasure more than once." "Heh heh, this will be fun. Chan Kongzi has got to be sweating a little right about now." Seeing this, the corner of Chan Kongzi's mouth twitched. He turned toward Long Hou and couldn't help complaining, "Boss, are you doing this on purpose? If I lose, won't that be completely humiliating...?" Chan Kongzi shot Long Hou a resentful look, but the corners of Long Hou's mouth merely curved upward. Looking around at the cultivators flocking from all directions to watch, Long Hou chuckled and said, "It's not every day we get a show like this. Of course everyone ought to see it." As the words left his mouth, four streaks of colored light descended upon the Fourth Domain with a thundering roar! Wen Guyan still looked every bit the noble scion, greeting the crowd with a gentle, cultured smile. Seeing the four figures arrive, everyone rose to their feet and bowed solemnly. "Greetings, Four Kings!" "Greetings, Four Kings!" Wen Guyan waved his hand. With a casual flick of his wrist, an azure dragon throne condensed from spiritual light. Taking a seat on the throne and crossing his legs, he smiled and said, "No need for formalities. We just came to watch the excitement. Carry on as you were." Chan Kongzi's eyelids twitched, and he grumbled under his breath, *Great... Even the Four Kings came.* *** In the Sixth Domain. Ling Tianchen rose and paced about, only for Su Xuan's voice to sound in his ear. "You are not permitted to go!" Hearing this, the old man blew his beard and glared. "Why not?! They all went to watch the show. Why can't I go?" Su Xuan sounded rather helpless. "If you leave, those people up there will definitely try to descend again! Just let the youngsters make their fuss. Why must you join the commotion?" Pouting like an overgrown child, Ling Tianchen plopped down on the ground in a huff. He tilted his head back, gulped several mouthfuls of wine, and only grew angrier the more he stewed. With a sharp smack, he slammed his waterskin onto the ground, reached into the void, and pulled out a longsword. "What are you going to do?" Ling Tianchen didn't turn around. Still fuming, he took a stride forward. "Since I've got nothing better to do anyway, I'll go kill a round and come back!" Boom! The old man shot forward like an arrow, heading straight for the misty, warped expanse of the void sky. Su Xuan shook his head with a wry smile and did not stop him. With Ling Tianchen's strength, even if he went on a rampage through the space connecting the Sixth Domain and the Immortal Realm, nothing serious would happen to him. Su Xuan sat before his desk, puffing on his pipe as clouds of smoke veiled his face. Yet the smile on the old man's face could not be contained. "Stinking brat, so you've finally thought to challenge them? "It wasn't in vain that I had Long Hou step in back then to plant a seed in your heart. "If you lacked this heart of the strong, no matter how much your grandfather helped you, your future achievements wouldn't amount to much." His voice was soft and gentle, filled with deep gratification. Not just the Eight Generals... The Four Kings, Sovereign Chen! All of them were trials Su Xuan had prepared for Li Guanqi! Only by defeating every single one of them would Li Guanqi earn the right to sit in Su Xuan's current seat! And only when Li Guanqi reached that level would Su Xuan completely unlock the Immortal Boundary Wall and allow Li Guanqi and the others to ascend! Once Li Guanqi left the Human Spirit Realm with the sword coffin, Su Xuan would no longer have any need to guard the realm. A weariness he could not conceal washed over Su Xuan's face. Propping a hand on his knee, he slowly stood up. Walking outside his study, he looked up at the Immortal Realm, seemingly within arm's reach, and murmured, "Soon... "What I can do... is not much anymore. "Just wait, all of you. My grandson... will make every single one of you feel terror." Su Xuan's gaze hardened, a mysterious glint flashing in his eyes. His left hand formed an incantation seal, but after hesitating for a long while, he abandoned the divination after all. Many things were beyond what he could touch at present... He had to be careful, careful, and careful still! Su Xuan narrowed his eyes, slowly lowered his left hand, and murmured under his breath, "Wait a little longer." *** Whoosh! Whoosh! Chan Kongzi and Li Guanqi vaulted onto the Dao platform. The expressions of both men were solemn in the extreme. Chan Kongzi did not underestimate Li Guanqi; had he done so, he would not have unleashed his full power from the start. He, too, felt an inexplicable pressure radiating from Li Guanqi. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Li Guanqi possessed the confidence to challenge the Eight Generals today. In Chan Kongzi's eyes, the current Li Guanqi was vastly different from the youth who had first arrived in the Seventh Domain. It was not merely an advancement in cultivation realm, but an intangible leap in underlying strength. He seemed like an entirely different person compared to when he first arrived! With the sword coffin slung across his back, Li Guanqi's ornate, embroidered white robes drifted lightly in the wind. He stood tall and straight as a drawn sword, his gaze intensely focused. This was his first time truly confronting one of the Eight Generals, and his first time properly taking measure of Chan Kongzi. The man abruptly tore off his sleeves, baring two arms crisscrossed with scars! Li Guanqi's brow furrowed, his eyes narrowing slightly. Those hands... Such broad, thick hands seemed entirely out of place on a man of his well-proportioned build! The yellowish hands had thick, prominent joints, and the palms were covered in thick, pale calluses. His knuckle joints were unusually prominent, looking at a casual glance as if he were wearing brass knuckles! Chan Kongzi simply stood in place, spreading both hands and slowly extending them forward. His body coiled slightly, fingers curving like a leopard gripping the earth on the verge of pouncing. His entire expression flattened into cold detachment, his eyes turning razor-sharp in an instant! Every hair on Li Guanqi's body stood on end, as though he had been locked in the sights of a ravenous beast!