Chapter 30: Death of a Disciple
The transformed Zhou was easily four meters tall, his body a perfect fusion of flesh and stone. Patterns of mountain-attributed qi swirled across his rocky skin, and his aura had reached what Azure identified as the peak of 7th Stage Qi Condensation.
When he moved, the arena floor cracked under his weight. Each step sent tremors through the entire structure, and his stone fists left visible distortions in the air as they swung.
For the first time since the battle began, Wu Kangming's expression turned serious. He raised his plain sword, holding it in a stance that looked deceptively simple.
"Nine Heavens Astral Blade Art," he whispered, his voice could somehow still be heard clearly despite Zhou's thunderous approach, "Azure Edge."
Qi rushed into his sword with such intensity that the blade began to glow with a soft blue light. The energy was completely contained, completely controlled – not a single unit wasted on display or intimidation.
Zhou's transformed body was less than two meters away when Wu Kangming moved. It was a single slash, so pure and perfect that it seemed to cut the air itself. A massive blade of blue energy extended from his sword, stretching across the entire arena in a perfect arc.
The energy blade passed through Zhou's stone body as if it were made of paper. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. The transformed Zhou continued his charge, one massive fist already swinging down toward Wu Kangming's position.
Then the stone giant began to crack.
It started at the point where the energy blade had passed through, a single line appearing in the rocky surface. That line spread, branching into dozens, then hundreds of fractures that raced across Zhou's transformed body.