Fantasy: One Effort, Ten Thousand Times Critical Hit Harvest!

Chapter 45: Martial Suppression!

“Congratulations, Senior Brother! Your sword force has reached 30%, greatly enhancing your strength. At the grand ceremony, you will surely defeat Fang Tian and avenge your past humiliation!”

In the forest, three figures emerged from the shadows. Among them was a man dressed in gray, carrying a long sword on his back, exuding a powerful and sharp aura.

“Indeed, Fang Tian only had an advantage due to his weapon. Now that Senior Brother has mastered 30% of the sword force, not only will he easily defeat Fang Tian, but he might even break into the top thirty!”

Another person clenched his fists and spoke with conviction. For a long time, the top thirty of the grand ceremony had been dominated by the inner palace disciples, leaving no room for the outer palace to compete. This often subjected the outer palace disciples to mockery and ridicule from the inner palace.

“The top thirty…” Xie Yunbai’s gaze lowered slightly. He was currently the recognized number one among the outer palace, at the third stage of the Linghai Realm, and one of the few outer palace disciples who had comprehended martial force. While his junior brothers had great confidence in him, Xie Yunbai knew all too well the strength of the inner palace geniuses. Not long ago, even the disciple ranked thirty-fifth in the inner palace had managed to defeat him. How could he hope to challenge those ranked even higher?

Though his sword force had made a breakthrough, Xie Yunbai did not have absolute confidence in entering the top thirty.

Suddenly, in the distance, a beam of light shot into the sky, blossoming like fireworks before vanishing.

“A rainbow of light!” one of the junior brothers exclaimed in surprise. This phenomenon signaled the appearance of a high-grade spiritual herb in the area!

“Senior Brother, this might be your opportunity!” the other junior brother said excitedly. They had initially come to the back mountain to hunt specific beasts and practice their techniques, but now they had unexpectedly encountered this rare sight.

“Let’s hope for good fortune,” Xie Yunbai smiled, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes. If this was indeed a spiritual herb that could aid his cultivation, it would allow him to further strengthen himself before the grand ceremony. With that thought, the three swiftly headed toward the source of the light.

At the ancient pool, the forest had long disappeared. The surroundings were desolate, with only broken ancient trees scattered around—along with a mass of beast corpses! The thick scent of blood had stained the soil beneath them red.

When Xie Yunbai and his companions arrived, they were stunned, their eyes filled with shock.

“What happened here?” one junior brother gulped, instinctively taking a step back. He was only at the seventh stage of the True Aperture Realm, yet the beasts before him were all at least level two, with some even reaching level three! However, they all lay dead on the ground, lifeless.

“Senior Brother, look!” the other junior brother suddenly pointed ahead. In the middle of the ancient pool stood a white lotus, swaying gently, emitting a potent medicinal fragrance. The petals trembled as if on the verge of full bloom.

“The Tianshui Yuan Lotus! It’s the Tianshui Yuan Lotus!” the junior brother exclaimed with joy. Xie Yunbai’s heart raced, his breathing growing rapid.

Outer palace disciples, born into humble families, lacked the abundant resources of noble houses. Much of their cultivation relied on themselves. This Tianshui Yuan Lotus was equivalent to nearly a year’s worth of cultivation resources for Xie Yunbai!

“Wait!” Xie Yunbai’s eyes narrowed as he noticed someone near the edge of the pool. “It seems there’s someone by the pool.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Yunbai shifted his gaze and his eyes widened. He had been too distracted by the beast corpses and the lotus to notice the figure standing by the pool.

It was a tall figure, dressed in outer palace disciple robes, though they were now stained with blood. The wind gently blew, lifting his black hair, revealing only his back. Despite seeing just his silhouette, Xie Yunbai inexplicably felt a wave of pressure.

“Senior Brother Xie, did this person kill all those beasts?” the junior brother asked, his voice tinged with fear.

“Most likely,” Xie Yunbai nodded, though his expression remained calm. While the number of beasts was considerable, and even included some level three creatures, Xie Yunbai believed he could have done the same. The Tianshui Yuan Lotus was far too valuable for him to simply give up. After all, when it came to treasures from the heavens, it was the capable who claimed them.

Yet something puzzled him—since when did the outer palace have someone this strong? Even the most prominent outer palace disciples should not have been able to single-handedly kill this many beasts.

“Junior Brother, what is your name?” Xie Yunbai asked. As a disciple at the third stage of the Linghai Realm, addressing this individual—who was only at the first stage—as a junior brother was entirely appropriate.

The figure remained silent, still standing there with his back to them, hands clasped behind him.

“How dare you!” One of the junior brothers, feeling slighted, took a step forward to defend Xie Yunbai’s honor.

But in that instant, the figure stirred. He turned slightly, casting a single glance at the three of them, his expression indifferent.

Boom!

It was an indescribable gaze—within it seemed to be countless blades of light, like an endless river of sword energy, terrifying and domineering, sharp and ruthless! Even a stray ripple from this river would be enough to shred them apart.

The two junior brothers collapsed to the ground in fear. Xie Yunbai instinctively sensed danger and tried to summon his sword force, but what normally came to him so easily was now entirely out of his control. The sword force retreated deep into his body!

“This…” Xie Yunbai’s pupils constricted as he gasped. As the current top disciple of the outer palace and a prodigy at the Linghai Realm, he knew all too well what this meant—Martial Suppression!

When there was a gap of three levels or more in martial force mastery, one would be temporarily suppressed when confronting a superior opponent. Xie Yunbai’s sword force had reached 30%, which meant this person’s blade force was at least 60%!

But… how was this possible? A 60% martial force was exceedingly rare even in the inner palace, with only a handful of disciples able to achieve it. How could an outer palace disciple possess such mastery?