“Hahaha! Of course it’s just ‘alright’! After all, the former you wasn’t much either.”
Su Yichen naturally thought Chu Ying was just being stubborn. He had just matched Chu Ying’s former record—but that was the past! The current Chu Ying’s combat level had definitely fallen. Whether he could even maintain a one-restriction level was questionable.
Many Holy Son Candidates sneered subtly. In their eyes, Chu Ying was merely using such words to cover his incompetence.
“Next.” Elder Wu Lin continued, his gaze shifting toward Ye Junfan and Chu Ying.
Su Yichen looked at Chu Ying and said, “You, a crippled Holy Son Candidate, still plan to test?”
Chu Ying remained calm and composed, showing no sign of anger. It wasn’t that he was pretending; it was just that, to him, one-restriction, eight-star was truly nothing remarkable.
He was just about to step up and test his current combat power.
But Ye Junfan leapt onto the platform first.
“So this is the Archaic Sacred Body, huh? Heh. Being invincible among peers is impressive—but so what?” Su Yichen looked surprised but spoke with clear disdain.
In today’s world, the heavens and earth no longer favored the cultivation of the Archaic Sacred Body. Each advancement required breaking through the chains of heaven and earth. Its potential was, in truth, full of uncertainty.
“To train oneself into a cripple, he probably won’t get past the Spirit Sea Realm. Crossing into the Cave Heaven Realm might be impossible,” Xiao Yan added.
Both he and Su Yichen had encountered Ye Junfan in the Heavenly Medical Hall that night. They knew he had suffered from a strange injury. But in their view, that was because of the Archaic Sacred Body’s limitations.
“No matter how powerful the Archaic Sacred Body is, it’s not that impressive within the Spirit Sea Realm. Peerless in the same realm doesn’t mean invincible across all levels. At best, his combat power is probably one-restriction, five or six-star.”
“True. Still, as an Archaic Sacred Body, he does have some capability. Better than the crippled Chu Ying, at least.”
While discussing, they didn’t forget to trample on Chu Ying.
“Archaic Sacred Body…”
A group of Saintess Candidates across from them had bright, sparkling eyes, staring intently.
They were all curious. Just how strong was this Archaic Sacred Body that even Saintess Yao Ruoxi seemed to favor and approach? After all, this was the most powerful physique of the archaic era.
Standing before the Martial Dao Stele, Ye Junfan took a deep breath. His expression was resolute. He suddenly launched a martial fist technique.
Boom!
The stars on the Martial Dao Stele lit up instantly at a terrifying speed.
One, two… fifteen, sixteen…
In just a blink, he had reached one-restriction, seven-star!
“He’s already one-restriction, seven-star?!”
The top ten Holy Son Candidates all widened their eyes in disbelief. Even Su Yichen, who believed he held the highest combat power, furrowed his brows immediately.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
But the stars on the Martial Dao Stele didn’t stop—they kept increasing!
Seventeen…
“One-restriction, eight-star! He’s matched Su Yichen’s combat level!”
Someone exclaimed.
At this moment, thousands of disciples all over the Supreme Profound Holy Land who were watching through formation projections were all dumbfounded.
Su Yichen’s face turned incredibly grim.
“Damn it!” he cursed internally.
He had thought that with Chu Ying gone, he’d be the most dazzling Holy Son Candidate.
But unexpectedly, this Archaic Sacred Body had matched his combat rating!
“No! It’s not over—he hasn’t stopped at one-restriction, eight-star!” a shocked voice cried out.
The eighteenth star mark on the Martial Dao Stele suddenly lit up!
“One-restriction, nine-star!”
The entire arena was shaken!
Everyone—Holy Son and Saintess Candidates alike—stared blankly at the glowing eighteen stars on the Martial Dao Stele.
And then, they noticed a faint glow coming from the nineteenth star. Though still dim, it showed signs of being triggered.
This meant Ye Junfan’s combat level was already approaching two-restriction!
“Ye Junfan, one-restriction, nine-star. Half-step into two-restriction,” Elder Wu Lin finally announced, snapping everyone back to reality.
“Half-step into two-restriction?! How did he do that?!”
“Is this really the Archaic Sacred Body that once reigned supreme in the ancient era? He’s still only in the Spirit Sea Realm and already close to two-restriction!”
“Damn! I thought Chu Ying was the unrivaled prodigy of the Supreme Profound Holy Land, but Ye Junfan’s even more ferocious!”
All the Holy Son Candidates outside the top ten were completely shaken.
Had Ye Junfan only reached one-restriction, six or seven-star, they would’ve been shocked, perhaps jealous. But one-restriction, nine-star—approaching two-restriction—that was enough to make them feel utterly inferior and defeated.
Even among the top ten, those like the 8th-ranked Shi Lei and Xiao Yan—who had once seen Ye Junfan on the brink of death—and the once-glorious Su Yichen, who had enjoyed the spotlight, looked as if someone had shoved dung into their mouths.
A Holy Son Candidate ranked 81st—dead last—had surpassed them all!
And reached a level of combat power they might only attain after a long period of effort and fortuitous encounters!
“The Archaic Sacred Body—a physique that once trampled over countless Divine King Bodies, Demon Bodies, Dao Bodies. Even in this era, it’s still terrifying.”
Top-ranked Saintess Candidate Luo Ruyan’s starry eyes sparkled as admiration surfaced on her beautiful face.
“Did Yao Ruoxi already see this potential in him and choose to draw close because of it?” Lin Zhixue thought to herself. But at that moment, her gaze uncontrollably shifted toward Chu Ying, who stood alone nearby.
He hadn’t tested yet.
“Why does he look so calm? Not even surprised?” Lin Zhixue found it strange.
Another who sensed something different was the second-ranked Saintess Candidate, Lu Hongyi.
“Su Yichen reached one-restriction, eight-star. The Archaic Sacred Body touched half-step two-restriction. But why… does he give me the feeling of being the deepest and most unfathomable one?”
Lu Hongyi’s gaze drifted unconsciously toward Chu Ying.
At that moment, Elder Wu Lin suddenly looked in another direction and cupped his hands respectfully.
“Greetings, Saintess.”
In that direction…
A woman in a moon-white dress stepped through the air.
Her skin was luminous and flawless like a radiant pearl, with divine light faintly swirling around her. Her long white legs could be vaguely seen beneath her skirt, and her spotless jade feet shimmered as snow lotuses bloomed beneath them—adding to her noble and sacred aura.
Who else could this be but Saintess Yao Ruoxi?
Her long black hair cascaded down her back, her temperament ethereal and refined. Her stunningly beautiful face held a serene expression.
She seemed to have just emerged from a divine bath, like a celestial maiden descending from the heavens—too sacred to defile, too beautiful to describe.
A Saintess represented the dignity of the holy land. In terms of status, she ranked just below the Sacred Lord and was equal to the eighteen peak masters, thirty-six hall masters, and seventy-two pavilion masters.
So even a Soul Palace Realm elder like Wu Lin from Martial Peak needed to greet her with respect.
“Greetings, Saintess.”
If even Wu Lin had to act with reverence, then the Holy Son and Saintess Candidates didn’t dare be disrespectful.
Even though the difference in title was just one word—”candidate”—the gap between them was like heaven and earth.