Chapter 271: Shock
Just as Li Yang entered the stairway of the Path of Deities to test his strength, Flame Wave and the others were talking about him.
"Blade Slaughter, aren’t you familiar with Li Yang’s strength?"
"I’m quite eager to see if Li Yang is suited for the path you once took, comprehending multiple Laws."
Several of the Deities asked.
Blade Slaughter was about to speak when he suddenly smiled. "Li Yang is testing his strength on the stairway of the Path of Deities right now. If you want to know how strong he is, why not just watch?"
With a wave of his right hand, a moving image appeared before them.
Li Yang’s figure appeared within the image.
At that moment, Li Yang had just appeared in the space of the second stairway.
"It’s been a long time since Li Yang has been on the stairway of the Path of Deities, hasn’t it?"
"We’re about to see just how much Li Yang has improved under your tutelage, Blade Slaughter, after more than four years."
"That’s right, Blade Slaughter. You seemed so confident before. If Li Yang doesn’t measure up, I’ll have to have a good laugh at your expense."
Flame Wave and the other four Deities watched the image, and two of them joked good-naturedly.
They weren’t optimistic about Li Yang, yet Blade Slaughter had taken an interest in him.
They wanted to see for themselves just what level of strength Li Yang could achieve under Blade Slaughter’s guidance while comprehending multiple Laws.
Watching the image now would reveal whether Li Yang was a freak of nature like Blade Slaughter, or something else entirely.
Regardless of whether Li Yang passed, they would be able to gauge his strength accurately.
The group chatted casually. They were on excellent terms with Blade Slaughter, so their comments were mostly in jest.
As they watched, the battle finally began.
A tiger-like demonic beast lunged to attack Li Yang, but he didn’t even flinch.
"What is Li Yang doing?"
"Isn’t he going to use his Hexagram Spear?"
"This tiger-like demonic beast is quite strong. Of the three thousand geniuses currently being tested, only thirteen have managed to kill it. Geniuses like Yun Rou only managed to kill it after a difficult fight. Only eight people can actually kill this beast with ease."
The Flame Wave Sect Master and the others watched Li Yang’s inaction with some confusion.
If one’s strength only slightly surpassed the beast’s, they could certainly wear it down, but they would have to be incredibly cautious while fighting.
Even geniuses like Long Zhan and Mute, who could kill this beast with ease, would use their strongest attacks.
Yet Li Yang hadn’t even summoned his Hexagram Spear. Was he planning to face this demonic beast bare-handed?
As they watched in confusion, Li Yang finally made his move.
He waved his right hand, and a palm-shaped print of energy shot out. The instant it touched the demonic beast, the creature died.
Seeing this, a flicker of astonishment appeared in the eyes of the Flame Wave Sect Master and the others.
"This Li Yang’s progress... is quite significant."
"He killed that demonic beast with a single palm strike, without even using his Hexagram Spear."
"With strength like that, he’s definitely comparable to Dilunxi. He should be able to pass the third stairway of the Path of Deities."
With their level of power, they could grasp the general extent of Li Yang’s abilities in a single glance.
To instantly kill the creature on the second stairway of the Path of Deities with a casual attack, without using his strongest techniques... Li Yang’s strength was clearly greater than they had imagined. At the very least, he could match Dilunxi!
"Blade Slaughter, impressive. Li Yang’s strength completely exceeded my expectations."
"Indeed. Aside from Mixed Void and Lan Yu, Li Yang’s rate of improvement must be the fastest, even faster than Dilunxi’s."
"That’s right. Five years ago, Dilunxi’s strength was a notch above Li Yang’s. And just an hour ago, Dilunxi barely managed to pass the third stairway of the Path of Deities."
After their surprise, the Flame Wave Sect Master and the others looked at the Blade Slaughter Sect Master and praised him.
They had previously considered taking Li Yang as a disciple but had later given up on the idea.
They didn’t particularly regret that decision now. They simply marveled at Li Yang’s strength, astonished that Blade Slaughter had actually succeeded in cultivating a prodigy who was comprehending multiple Laws.
"Look, Li Yang has entered the space of the third stairway," one of the Deities said.
"This trial shouldn’t be difficult for him."
Li Yang had killed the demonic beast on the second stairway with just a casual attack—an instant kill, no less.
Everyone knew that Li Yang’s primary study was the Hexagram Spear Cultivation Technique. Unleashed, its power would far surpass that of a casual attack.
With strength like that, passing the third stairway of the Path of Deities was a certainty.
"Huh? The demonic beast on the third stairway is attacking, yet Li Yang is still not using his Hexagram Spear?"
"Is he... could he be hiding his true strength?"
"I’m not sure."
The Flame Wave Sect Master and the others expected Li Yang to finally display his full strength on this third stairway, but to their surprise, he still didn’t use his most powerful attacks.
This left them in a state of disbelief.
’Could Li Yang... still pass this trial with ease?’
As they watched, the demonic beast attacked. Li Yang simply threw a punch, and the creature died instantly beneath his fist.
An instant kill!
On the third stairway of the Path of Deities, Li Yang faced the demonic beast and, once again, achieved an instant kill!
Watching this unfold, the Flame Wave Sect Master and the others could no longer maintain their composure. Their expressions finally shifted.
"Li Yang is this powerful! He instantly killed the demonic beast on the third stairway, too!"
"His rate of improvement is terrifying!"
"Incredible. Just an hour ago, Dilunxi passed this same stairway, and it was an incredibly difficult fight for him, taking nearly ten minutes to kill the beast. But Li Yang did it in a single blow!"
"Li Yang’s strength has far surpassed Dilunxi’s!"
The group was stunned.
Aside from the two special cases, Mixed Void and Lan Yu, Dilunxi had risen from the second tier of geniuses—which included Long Zhan and Mute—to surpass even Long Zhan, becoming the first of their cohort to pass the third stairway of the Path of Deities!
He was now the undisputed number three!
And now, Li Yang had suddenly surpassed Dilunxi—and could even crush him!
Amid their shock, they turned to look at Blade Slaughter again.
"Haha! Blade Slaughter, with how fast Li Yang is progressing, your ability as a mentor might even surpass Lie Yuan’s."
"Congratulations, Blade Slaughter, on gaining such a fine disciple."
"Seeing how easily he dispatched the beast on the third stairway, he should be able to pass the fourth one as well."
The Flame Wave Sect Master and the others said to Blade Slaughter with a smile.
Li Yang’s standing in their eyes had risen considerably, and they now felt a faint twinge of regret for having passed him over.
From the looks of his current strength, comprehending the Fire Element Law clearly hadn’t hindered his progress in the slightest.
And the fourth stairway of the Path of Deities? What did that signify?
It meant that even if you discounted his Fire Element Law entirely, Li Yang’s progress with just the Space Law and Thunder Law alone would be enough to place him third, above Dilunxi.