Upon the wasteland, Spiritual Light danced chaotically.
Chu Bai moved like lightning, using the Fire Step Ascension. With every step, a crimson fire lotus bloomed on the ground, its explosive force propelling him swiftly forward.
Although he wasn’t leading the charge, he held a firm position at the tail of the lead pack, somewhere around tenth place, running neck and neck with Wang Qingli beside him.
’My Body Technique is still my biggest weakness, after all.’
Chu Bai sighed to himself. Compared to the senior students ahead of him with their masterfully practiced Body Techniques, his Fire Step Ascension, despite its explosive power, was slightly inferior when it came to maintaining top speed.
To conserve Spiritual Power for the upcoming task of attuning with the Dharma Artifacts, he refrained from forcing a burst of speed and instead opted for a more cautious strategy of keeping pace.
Meanwhile, at the very front, the competition had already reached a fever pitch.
Lü Qing, Ji Li, and Wu Jianfei were like three arrowheads, locked in the top three positions and leaving everyone else more than a hundred feet behind.
A few breaths later, they were past the halfway mark.
Lü Qing’s eyes flashed with apprehension as he watched Ji Li. The man in brocade was consistently half a body length ahead, his steps light, as if he still had plenty of energy in reserve.
’Ji Li is too fast, and his foundation is too profound. If it comes down to a contest of pure speed, I’m guaranteed to lose...’
’If he gets his hands on an Upper Grade Dharma Artifact first and takes it into the third round, he’ll be an unbeatable opponent. I have to stop him here!’
’Then, I might still have a fighting chance...’
As his thoughts raced, Lü Qing whipped his head around, just in time to meet the gaze of Wu Jianfei beside him.
For old rivals, they shared a surprisingly perfect understanding at that moment.
"Attack!"
Lü Qing roared, casting aside any pretense of sportsmanship.
While he wasn’t adept at Magic Techniques requiring fine control, his strength lay in his overwhelmingly fierce and abundant Spiritual Power.
With a clench of his fist, he unleashed a brilliant blast of Golden Gang Qi that shot out like a cannonball, heading straight for Ji Li’s back.
At the same time, Wu Jianfei let out a vicious laugh and slammed both hands on the ground.
BOOM!
A thirty-foot wall of raging fire erupted from the ground in front of Ji Li without warning, blocking all his paths forward.
A wall of fire before him, a blast of Golden Gang Qi behind him.
The timing of the two-pronged attack was incredibly vicious.
If Ji Li tried to force his way through, the wall of fire would obstruct his vision and slow him down, leaving him to be struck by the Golden Gang Qi from behind. But if he stopped to defend, he would have to surrender first place.
’Even if you are the best, facing the two of us together will cost you dearly!’ Lü Qing thought.
In the next instant, however, the unexpected happened.
Faced with this deadly pincer attack, Ji Li’s expression remained unchanged. He didn’t even spare a glance for the attack coming from behind.
With a deft flick of his fingers, he formed a mysterious Spell. His footwork never faltered as he took a step—into thin air!
WHUMMM—
An invisible magnetic field seemed to thrum through the air.
As if climbing an invisible staircase, Ji Li’s figure floated upward with the grace of an immortal. He rose several dozen feet into the air, effortlessly clearing the wall of fire and dodging the incoming Golden Gang Qi.
He was walking on air!
He strode through the air as if taking a leisurely stroll, each step covering dozens of yards. In an instant, he left the brawling crowd on the ground far behind.
"What?!"
Lü Qing and Wu Jianfei’s eyes widened in unison. Their attacks collided in midair, erupting in a brilliant burst of light, yet they hadn’t even touched the hem of Ji Li’s robe.
「Outside the competition grounds, on the high platform.」
Vice Dean Lu He, who had been silent until now, couldn’t help but stroke his beard, a hint of admiration in his eyes. "This boy’s Primordial Magnetic Spiritual Power... to think he has mastered it to such a subtle degree."
"He uses his own magnetic field to repel the earth’s, allowing him to briefly levitate. Though it isn’t true flight, to achieve such a feat during the Qi Refining Stage is nothing short of astounding."
"At this rate, no one will be able to challenge him for first place in this round."
The other Deans at his side nodded in agreement. Ji Li’s display not only showcased his profound Cultivation but also reflected his supreme development of his Spiritual Power’s innate properties.
"Indeed."
Another vice dean spoke up, his tone decisive. "Ji Li reached the Third-Layer Perfection of Qi Cultivation last year. He chose not to take the Immortal Official Examination then only to cultivate an Unbeatable Dao Heart. Otherwise, he would have secured a spot with ease."
"Now, after honing his skills for so long, he is virtually unrivaled among his peers in both combat strength and mental fortitude."
"Barring any surprises, this year’s top position at the Daoist School will be his. The only suspense left is who will claim the other nine spots."
Though the Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators spoke quietly, the certainty in their tone made the very air feel heavy.
Down in the stands, the ordinary students had erupted into an uproar.
"Walking on air?!"
"Is that a skill someone in the Qi Refining Stage can master? Isn’t that supposed to be a hallmark of Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators?"
Zhang Shan stood in the crowd, dumbstruck, his jaw hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.
He had always known there was a gap between him and Ji Li, but he’d thought they were at least in the same Realm.
But now, it was clear they were in a different league entirely.
How could anyone fight that?
"However..."
Zhang Shan’s gaze shifted, searching through the competitors until he found a familiar figure. A flicker of surprise and delight crossed his face. "Junior Brother Chu is up there with the leaders! And he’s holding his own in the lead pack!"
"Unfortunately, the ones at the front are all ruthless third-years. Trying to snatch a spot from them... that’s going to be tough."
On the wasteland, Lü Qing and Wu Jianfei’s attack had missed. Before they could even recover, they each saw the same look of unconcealable shock in the other’s eyes.
"When did Ji Li master a technique like that?"

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