There was silence. For several breaths, not a single spectator spoke, and then the entire Blood Oath Arena exploded.
"He’s dead?"
"Mu Tianque is dead?"
"He killed him with one sword. The number one genius of the Celestial Prodigy Camp was killed instantly?"
Disbelief swept through the crowd. This was Mu Tianque, the man who had held the number one ranking almost unchallenged. He had refined Ancient Dragon Sacred Blood and had just broken through to the perfection stage of the 4th level of Spirit Manifestation Realm, so his real combat strength should have let him contend with powerful experts around the 5th level. Yet Li Yun had killed him with a single sword, and there had not even been a real exchange of techniques.
"How strong has Li Yun become?"
"What exactly happened during the month he was gone?"
"The Celestial Prodigy Camp has completely changed."
Someone suddenly spoke up. "At this rate, maybe Li Yun will make it onto the Celestial Star Ranking someday."
Those words changed the mood at once. The Celestial Star Ranking was the most prestigious ranking for the younger generation of the Northern Territory, and only thirty-six people could be on it. Every one of them was a monster among monsters.
Even the weakest usually had cultivation around the 8th level of Spirit Manifestation Realm and enough combat strength to challenge experts at the perfection stage of the 9th level.
The strongest were even more terrifying. Some of them could stand at the perfection stage of the 9th level of Spirit Manifestation Realm and fight genuine Dao Resonance Realm experts, and a handful could even kill them.
Those thirty-six people were seen as stars hanging above the younger generation, and their names stood for the highest level of genius in the whole Northern Territory.
Almost every young cultivator dreamed of making it onto the Celestial Star Ranking, yet fewer than one in many millions would ever be qualified. Now, after seeing Li Yun’s sword, several people truly believed that his future place among those thirty-six was all but guaranteed, as long as he stayed alive.
Huang Tianze stared at the arena and then slowly shook his head.
"I can’t beat him."
As a prince of the Profound Sovereign Dynasty, Huang Tianze had a great deal of pride and rarely admitted that he was inferior to anyone. This time, however, he admitted it without hesitation.
Bai Yuchen laughed bitterly. "There’s no comparison anymore."
He shook his head. "The Profound Origin Immortal Sect decides seniority by strength. At this rate, I suspect it won’t be long before I have to call him Senior Brother Li."
Elsewhere, Chang Tianyu and Wei Cangming exchanged glances, and neither of them looked very comfortable. Li Yun’s strength had already risen far beyond anything they could hope to resist. If he decided to settle old scores, there was almost nothing they could do.
"Li Yun."
A familiar voice suddenly rang out as Elder Mu Cang appeared beside the arena. He glanced once at Mu Tianque’s corpse and waved a hand casually, and the body vanished. Then he turned to Li Yun.
"Elder Qing wants to see you. Come with me."
Li Yun nodded. "Yes."
He had already expected Elder Qing to summon him after his return, so he followed Elder Mu Cang without lingering, and the two of them quickly disappeared from the crowd.
A short while later, Li Yun entered the hidden chamber. Elder Qing looked at him, and a pleased smile appeared on his face.
"Li Yun, very good. Better than good, actually." His gaze swept over Li Yun. "In just a little over a month, your strength has risen this much. You must have come across an extraordinary opportunity while you were gone."
"That’s true," Li Yun said with a nod. Then he cupped his hands apologetically. "But I can’t reveal the details, Senior. I hope you can forgive me."
The secrets of Chronospace Island were simply too great. If word of such a place spread across the Martial Dragon Continent, the consequences would be impossible to predict. More importantly, Li Yun was not merely choosing to keep quiet. When he left Chronospace Island, certain restrictions had been placed on the information he carried, and trying to reveal forbidden details could set off a mysterious force against him.
Elder Qing did not seem offended. "That’s fine. Every cultivator has secrets, and at my level, ordinary opportunities aren’t much use to me anyway."
He smiled. "What matters is that you came back alive."
He paused.
"I originally arranged three trials for you. Because you disappeared, the second trial was disrupted. Still, what you’ve done since coming back has already gone beyond what I expected from the third trial, so I’ll count all three as completed."
He raised a hand.
"This belongs to you now."
A strange mass of silvery-white liquid appeared in the air, flowing constantly like mercury. Li Yun’s eyes narrowed, because the moment it appeared, he sensed an unusual aura.
Elder Mu Cang looked at it with open envy. "Li Yun, getting the Phantom Deity Armor at your current cultivation is an extraordinary opportunity."
Elder Mu Cang had a Phantom Deity Armor of his own, but he had only obtained it after completing many dangerous missions, making major contributions under Elder Qing, and finally reaching the Dao Resonance Realm. Li Yun was receiving one while still at the perfection stage of the 7th level of Heavenly Core Realm, and the difference was enormous.
Li Yun studied the flowing silver liquid. "Senior, what exactly is the Phantom Deity Armor?"
It was Elder Mu Cang who answered. "It’s one of the most unusual defensive treasures you’ll ever come across. Most defensive spiritual artifacts have a fixed limit to their defense, set by their rank. A Heaven Rank armor protects at the level of a Heaven Rank treasure, and a Sacred Rank armor protects at the level of a Sacred Rank treasure. The Phantom Deity Armor doesn’t work like that."
Li Yun listened closely.
"Its defensive strength grows along with its master," Elder Mu Cang went on. "All you have to do is put a drop of blood on it and complete the recognition process. Once it accepts you, its defense will adjust on its own as your strength grows."
He gestured toward the silver liquid. "If your combat power reaches the Dao Resonance Realm, the Phantom Deity Armor can show defensive ability on par with an extremely powerful ninth-grade spiritual artifact. And if you eventually enter the Life and Death Realm..."
His expression turned serious. "It can evolve even further and show defensive power on par with an Imperial Weapon that surpasses ordinary ninth-grade spiritual artifacts."
Li Yun’s eyes lit up at once. A defensive treasure that could grow alongside its owner was incomparably more valuable than an ordinary artifact with a fixed rank. Unlike most treasures, which would eventually become useless as his cultivation rose, the Phantom Deity Armor could stay useful far into the future.

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