C14 Geniuses Gathered Together.

Tucked away in a secluded cave behind Ink Bamboo Peak, Yang Fann sat cross-legged, his eyes shut and his handsome face brimming with confidence. The Bronze Warriors' Lane battle, an annual event hosted by the Seven Stars Sect, was now just a day away!

Over the past ten days, Yang Fann's abilities had surged forward, bringing him to the cusp of the Sixth Layer of the Pulse Opening Stage. He was now channeling all his focus into breaking through to this Sixth Layer!

His body's Spiritual Energy roared like a mighty river. With a thunderous roar, Yang Fann leapt to his feet—The Sixth Layer of the Pulse Opening Stage!

The Upper-class Meridian Invigorating Pill lived up to its reputation as a top-tier elixir, an invaluable spiritual medicine for martial artists at the Great Perfection of the Sixth Layer aiming to breach the Seventh Layer bottleneck. A single pill packed the equivalent energy of several Level Five Exotic Beasts!

With a swift movement, Yang Fann propelled himself into the air. As his cultivation base soared and his bloodlines underwent a transformation, both his strength and speed experienced a qualitative leap. Each stride he took spanned over thirty feet, his form slicing through the air like an arrow, and in under a second, he emerged from the depths of the cave.

Yang Fann let out a ferocious roar, his presence as commanding as a tiger. He charged into the thickly wooded forest, his bones cracking like thunder, muscles and skin undulating with power. A devastating kick sent a massive tree shattering to the ground with a resounding crash.

Then, with a flurry of punches and kicks, Yang Fann attacked like a lumberjack gone wild—his fists as hard as iron, his legs as sharp as axes, cleaving through ancient trees one after another.

Completing the Wild Bull Pulse Opening Fist sequence, Yang Fann stood unshaken, a towering figure as immovable as a mountain. Above him, the air swirled, coalescing into the spectral form of a Manniu that bellowed to the heavens, its roar echoing across the land.

The hallmark of the Manniu Pulse Opening Fist reaching the Transformation Stage was the manifestation of this spectral Manniu!

In an instant, Yang Fann's aura shifted dramatically. His hair whipped about as heat radiated from him, framing him like a legendary fiery deity. His palms swirled, unleashing waves of heat that scorched the air as if it were boiling water.

Then, with a forceful thrust, Yang Fann unleashed a colossal palm imprint, several meters wide, glowing scarlet and wreathed in flames, capable of incinerating all in its path. This was the Sun Palm, the Inferior Martial Technique that had made Lei Bao famous. After defeating Lei Bao, Yang Fann had claimed all of his treasures, including this very technique.

In the next moment, the Sun Palm detonated, transforming into a cascade of terrifying golden flames. Mushroom clouds billowed upward, reducing everything within a thirty-foot radius to ashes.

"A Yellow Level Martial Skill truly stands apart from a basic one," Yang Fann mused with a satisfied smile, gazing at the charred landscape before him. This was merely the Ardent Sun Palm nearing the Mastery Stage. Once fully mastered, or even perfected, its destructive power would be beyond imagination—a single palm strike could transform a hundred-foot radius into an inferno.

"Dad, I'll fill the void of your regrets. Tomorrow at Bronze Warriors' Lane, I'll emerge victorious and astonish everyone!" A spark of determination flashed in Yang Fann's eyes as a surge of boundless heroism welled up within him.

The Seven Stars Sect boasted over a hundred thousand servant disciples, yet those at the Ninth Layer were merely at the Second Layer of the Pulse Opening Stage. To reach the Third Layer was to earn the title of a peak expert, and the Fourth Layer marked one as a formidable force among all the Servicemen's Peaks. The Fifth Layer was the domain of the elite, rarely seen, and the Sixth Layer was exceedingly scarce.

Yang Fann, however, was no ordinary Sixth Empyrean martial artist; he was a prodigy blessed with an Eighth Grade Bloodline!

As dawn broke, Zhao Yiming, the distinguished manager of Ink Bamboo Peak, clad in his fine brocade robe and exuding an air of distinction, descended the peak with a handful of servant disciples in tow.

Among them was a young man in black, about fifteen, whose youthful face bore an incongruous maturity and solemnity, tinged with an undercurrent of lethal intent. This was none other than Yang Fann.

Following Yang Fann were five others. One, in his early twenties, had thick, sword-like eyebrows slanting across his temples and eyes that glowed with a sinister red, exuding an aura of malevolence. He stood tall, his lips curled in a slight, wicked smile that was strangely captivating, and his flowing hair added to his nefarious allure.

He was Yun Xihua, who had aspired to challenge Lei Bao for the title of Ink Bamboo Peak's finest, but Yang Fann's meteoric rise and resounding defeat of Lei Bao had turned all such ambitions to dust. Watching Yang Fann stride lightly behind Zhao Yiming, Yun Xihua's sinister gaze flickered with a profound sense of defeat. While he felt he could take on Lei Bao, facing Yang Fann, who had vanquished Lei Bao with a single punch, left him with little confidence. Moreover, he sensed that Yang Fann's strength had significantly increased over the past ten days.

To Yun Xihua's left was a slender young man, seventeen or eighteen, draped in a water-blue robe that danced with the wind. His handsome features and deep-set eyes radiated a softness and vitality that made him instantly likable, a blue-clothed figure with an effortlessly magnetic charm.

Han Yunfei, known among Ink Bamboo Peak's six hundred servant disciples as the Humbly Gentleman, had joined the sect two years before Yang Fann. With his cultivation at the peak of the Fourth Layer, he was deservedly ranked third at Ink Bamboo Peak.

Another was a well-built young man of eighteen, with a strikingly handsome face and starry, profound eyes. His high nose bridge and the slight smile playing on his lips suggested an easygoing nature.

But appearances can be deceiving. Xiao Ye was notorious for his unpredictable moods and, alongside Lei Bao, was known as one of the Twin Tyrants of Ink Bamboo Peak. His tenure on the mountain had seen many a servant disciple injured or maimed by his hand.

Beside Xiao Ye stood a dashing young man in white, not much older than Yang Fann. His handsome features and carefree demeanor gave him the air of a charming rogue.

Bai Feiyun, a martial artist in the early stages of the Fourth Layer of Pulse Opening, possessed a formidable talent that was on par with, if not surpassing, Yun Xihua. It's worth noting that both he and Yang Fann were fresh faces, having only begun their journey this year. Yet, within a mere year, Bai had achieved such an advanced level of cultivation, a testament to his extraordinary potential.

The last individual was a robust man, his face adorned with a sparse beard, giving off the vibe of an uncle in his thirties. His bright eyes flickered with hints of melancholy, wistfulness, and bewilderment.

Tuoba Hong was something of a big brother to the many servant disciples at Ink Bamboo Peak. After five years, he was facing his final opportunity. Failure to conquer the Bronze Warriors' Lane meant he would have to depart. His talent, while above average, paled in comparison to the likes of Yun Xihua and Han Yunfei. Despite five years of arduous training, he had only just managed to reach the Fourth Empyrean Stage. The prospect of a successful breakthrough was daunting.

Peak-Bound soared skyward, a thousand feet tall, resembling an unparalleled divine spear thrusting into the heavens. Its summit was graced with stunning vistas, shrouded in a mist as delicate as smoke, while at its base, babbling brooks meandered past ancient trees entwined with venerable vines—a picture of tranquility.

The Bronze Warriors' Lane, the very challenge that Yang Fann and his companions were set to face, was situated midway up Peak-Bound. Upon their arrival at the mountain's base, they were greeted by the sight of numerous servant disciples, some standing, others seated on the fragrant grass.

"So many people, so many formidable opponents." Despite anticipating a significant turnout, the reality at the foot of Peak-Bound left everyone in awe. At least five hundred servant disciples had gathered, and the numbers swelled as managers from each peak ushered in more disciples. The final count of participants was likely to exceed a thousand.

Amongst this crowd, there were hardly any weaklings. The minimum requirement to enter the Bronze Warriors' Lane was to be at the Fourth Layer of Pulse Opening, and the competitors' bloodlines were impressive—most had at least a Ninth-class Medium Bloodline, and among every ten, one or two boasted a High Grade Bloodline.

Yun Xihua, a top-tier prodigy of Ink Bamboo Peak, was merely average in this formidable assembly.

As realization dawned, faces etched with bitterness emerged from the crowd, and Tuoba Hong, the eldest among them, wore an expression of utter despair.