My Martial Dao Has No Bottlenecks

The Ninety-Ninth Tier under his feet instantly flared with a powerful teleportation light.

Then, after a flash of light, his figure vanished in an instant.

The blinding teleportation light before his eyes slowly faded.

Liang Cheng’s feet touched solid ground. He found himself enveloped in a transparent barrier of light and quickly scanned his surroundings.

This was no longer a gray, boundless space, but a massive, circular White Jade Square.

The square was over a hundred zhang in diameter and split into two levels, upper and lower. Its floor was inscribed with intricate, ancient cloud patterns, and its perimeter was surrounded by a thick, swirling fog that obscured the line between void and reality.

The ceiling was extremely high, with faint, star-like lights twinkling dimly.

He glanced around this level of the square. There were already six figures, each enclosed in a light barrier. All of them were in the True Gang Realm!

And on the level below, he saw some familiar faces.

Xiao Qingxue, Yun Jinghong...

Liang Cheng immediately had a theory. It was highly likely the area was divided by Realm.

Only those in the True Gang Realm would be teleported to this Second Layer.

However, there was a barrier between the two levels, and they were not connected.

Ye Zhiqiu was here as well.

Ye Zhiqiu noticed Liang Cheng’s gaze and looked back, a pleasant surprise in his eyes. He gave a distant nod.

However, Lu Zheng and Leng Feng were nowhere to be seen. He didn’t know if they had yet to pass the staircase trial.

The next moment, Liang Cheng’s gaze fixed on the other side of the square.

A stare filled with killing intent was locked tightly onto him.

Shi Podang!

He was still wearing that Moon White Daoist Robe, but its hem was now somewhat damaged and stained with dark red. Clearly, he had not passed the final trial on the first level with ease.

However, the Gang Qi fluctuations emanating from him were even more condensed and sharp than before. He was already faintly touching the threshold of the True Gang Peak Realm!

At this moment, Shi Podang was staring daggers at Liang Cheng, and for the first time, a clear emotional shift appeared on his stern face.

Shock, disbelief, and an even colder killing intent!

’This kid actually broke through to the True Gang Realm?’

This True Essence Realm brat, who had been fleeing pathetically from his sword not long ago, was now wreathed in the unmistakable aura of genuine True Gang!

The Combat Puppet he had faced was at the True Gang Peak Realm. He, Shi Podang, had only barely passed by relying on a Secret Sword Technique of the Penglai Sect and a Protective Treasure he carried.

How could this Liang Cheng possibly have passed?

’And he even used it to break through?!’

’Or could it be that the Combat Puppets everyone encountered had different strengths based on their Cultivation?’

It was no wonder he had such a suspicion. After all, even Ren Jingyu hadn’t appeared yet, and it was unknown if he had passed.

Liang Cheng met Shi Podang’s gaze with a calm expression, the golden Gang Qi within him slowly circulating.

Shi Podang’s expression turned completely grim.

The two other Penglai Sect Disciples beside him also noticed the confrontation. Their eyes swept over Liang Cheng, revealing a hint of surprise.

Apparently, they had also heard about Liang Cheng from Shi Podang.

’Interesting. This kid really has a few tricks up his sleeve, to be able to use an opportunity in the Secret Realm to break directly into the True Gang Realm. If nothing unexpected happens, I’m afraid we’ll be seeing him in the Sect very soon.’

’When that time comes...’

They looked toward Shi Podang, their expressions tinged with amusement.

Shi Podang sensed their gazes and couldn’t help but let out a cold snort. He then looked toward Liang Cheng, his killing intent completely undisguised.

’But alarms were already blaring in his heart. The boy’s growth rate was too terrifying!’

’If he was allowed to keep growing, the consequences would be unimaginable.’

’I must get rid of him as soon as possible!’

Just then, another barrier of light lit up.

Ren Jingyu.

However, the current state of this Penglai Sect prodigy was far from good.

His Moon White Daoist Robe was tattered, and a wound deep enough to show bone ran from his left shoulder to his abdomen. A strange, grayish-black aura emanated from the torn flesh.

His face was as pale as paper, a smear of blood at the corner of his mouth left unwiped. His long, disheveled hair was matted with blood and grime, a picture of utter misery.

The entire square fell deathly silent.

’What level of Combat Puppet did Ren Jingyu encounter on the first level to end up like this?’

Everyone stared, horrified, at the wretched state of the Penglai Sect’s leading prodigy.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ren Jingyu swallowed an Elixir, sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, and began a Circulation. His wound gradually began to heal, and his aura slowly stabilized.

Seeing this, Liang Cheng suddenly had a bad feeling.

’Even Ren Jingyu was pushed to this state. The Combat Puppet trial really does get stronger the more powerful you are... Don’t tell me First and Second Senior Brother didn’t pass?’

Ye Zhiqiu’s expression was just as grim, as he had thought of the same thing.

Lu Zheng and Leng Feng were stronger, but their higher Cultivation was a result of being older and having cultivated for a longer time.

Moreover, they had participated in the Penglai Sect’s assessment years ago and ultimately failed, waiting only to break through to the Core Formation Realm before Breaking Mortality and Entering the Sect.

But if even Ren Jingyu ended up in such a miserable state, could First and Second Senior Brother have truly failed the first trial and been eliminated?

...

「Outside the Secret Realm, at the temporary encampment.」

The encampment, which had grown somewhat quiet after Ren Jingyu and the others entered, was suddenly shattered by a series of sharp whooshes and shocked cries!

"SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!"

The space at the entrance to the ring-shaped valley distorted violently. Immediately after, dozens of figures were thrown out as if by a tremendous, invisible force, crashing heavily onto the open ground at the edge of the encampment!

"PTHOO—!"

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH...!"

Not a single person who landed wasn’t spitting blood. Their auras were feeble to the extreme, and their bodies were covered in wounds so deep that bone was visible. Their condition was utterly wretched.

"It’s Lu Zheng from the Main Courtyard!"

"And Leng Feng! How could they..."

"It’s not just them! Look over there, the prodigies from the various cities were thrown out too!"

Cries of alarm rose from all around.

Those who had been thrown out were, shockingly, more than ten of the most elite prodigies of the Martial Dao from their respective factions, including Lu Zheng and Leng Feng!

At this moment, without exception, they were all grievously injured and in a pitiful state.

"Zheng’er! Feng’er!"

A furious roar, filled with both shock and heartache, rang out. Chen Xuanfeng’s figure appeared beside Lu Zheng and Leng Feng in the blink of an eye, as if he had teleported.

His hands moved in a blur, pressing two Elixirs into their mouths. An incomparably pure Spiritual Qi flowed into their bodies, instantly stabilizing their auras and forcefully expelling the Alien Gang Qi from their wounds.

The Elders and clan patriarchs from the other factions also sprang into action, each using their own methods to treat their juniors.

For a time, the edge of the encampment flickered with the glow of Spirit Medicines and pulsed with unstable energy.

Nourished by Chen Xuanfeng’s powerful True Essence, a hint of color returned to Lu Zheng’s deathly pale face. He struggled to open his eyes, and seeing his master, a flicker of shame crossed his gaze.

"Master... your Disciple... is useless..."

"Don’t speak. Focus on healing!"

Chen Xuanfeng’s tone was unquestionable. As he continued to channel his energy, his gaze swept over the other ejected prodigies, and his heart sank.

After about an hour, thanks to the treatment from the many powerful experts, the injuries of Lu Zheng, Leng Feng, and the others were finally stabilized. However, without several months of quiet recuperation, a full recovery would be impossible.

For them, this trip to the Secret Realm was already over.

Chen Xuanfeng brought the two back to their camp before speaking in a grave voice, "What exactly happened inside? What did you encounter?"

Lu Zheng leaned against a green rock, his face still pale with lingering fear. He took a deep breath and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"After entering the Secret Realm... at the end... there was a Combat Puppet."

"A Combat Puppet?"

Everyone was stunned by his words.

"Yes,"

Leng Feng picked up, his injuries even more severe.

"After the Ninety-Nine Tiers, a Combat Puppet appears that has a higher Cultivation and greater combat power than the challenger!"

"What?"

"That’s right."

Lu Zheng nodded bitterly. "I am at the True Gang Peak Realm. The Combat Puppet I faced had not yet stepped into Breaking Mortality, but its combat power was several times greater than mine. Regrettably, I was defeated!"

Leng Feng added, "The Combat Puppet has no intelligence and feels no pain. It only knows how to fight. It’s a monster that exists purely for slaughter and testing."

A wave of sharp gasps swept through the area!

It was a virtually unwinnable situation!

This wasn’t a test, it was a death sentence!

Chen Xuanfeng’s eyes were grave. "So, you were all defeated by the Combat Puppets, judged as eliminated by the rules of the Secret Realm, and teleported out."

Lu Zheng and Leng Feng nodded silently, their faces filled with frustration and unwillingness to accept defeat.

They prided themselves on being prodigies, top figures even in the Main Courtyard, yet they couldn’t even cross the final threshold of the first level.

Chen Xuanfeng sighed.

The expressions of the other Main Courtyard Elders were just as ugly. The Disciples under them had been almost completely wiped out. At this rate, it seemed likely that only those monsters from the Penglai Sect would be able to pass.

’As for everyone else... it would be nigh impossible.’