C5 Treasure That's All There Is to It

Typically, practitioners at the Meridian Tempering Stage enhance their combat prowess by mastering existing combat techniques.

Even though a rare few prodigious disciples might intuit a self-created move during battle, such insights usually come only after reaching Level Seven of the Meridian Tempering Stage.

Yet here is Chu Yao, who at merely Level Five of the Meridian Tempering Stage, has already grasped the essence of this technique. Her aptitude truly sets her apart as a standout among geniuses!

In the blink of an eye, as quick as a flash of lightning, their palms met.

Contrary to expectations, there was no earth-shattering noise—only an eerie silence so profound that not even the slightest clap was heard.

"That's enough," Chu Yao said, a hint of triumph on her face. Her Genuine Qi erupted, channeling it unrestrainedly into Qin Yu's body through her palm with the ferocity of a primal beast.

Qin Yu could sense the overwhelming power and vastness of the Genuine Qi, making this moment even more challenging and perilous than his fight with the Eldest Senior Brother the night before.

But Qin Yu was no longer the helpless victim he had been. The peculiar energy within his dantian gave him a foundation to stand on.

"Come forth!" Qin Yu clenched his jaw and shut his eyes, fervently summoning that inner strength.

Onlookers, including Chu Yao and the proctor, mistook his closed eyes for surrender and erupted into a thunderous ovation for Chu Yao.

Chu Yao herself thought victory was hers, her face breaking into a smirk as she taunted Qin Yu, "This is the gap between a nobody and a genius. No matter how hard a nobody tries, no matter how brave, they're but a speck of dust beneath a genius's feet. Clearly, you're still too green!"

With that, Chu Yao intended to manipulate the Genuine Qi within Qin Yu, aiming to shatter his knees and force him to kneel in defeat.

But as Qin Yu's eyes slowly reopened, her plan came to an abrupt halt.

"What? How can this be?" Chu Yao exclaimed in shock, having lost her connection to the massive Genuine Qi that had already entered Qin Yu's body.

No matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't fathom the reason. It wasn't just the proximity; even at a distance of a hundred or eighty meters, Chu Yao could freely manipulate the Genuine Qi she had injected into her enemy's body. But now...

The sensation was akin to an executioner who had lost his guillotine, deeply unsettling.

It wasn't until Qin Yu's eyes fully opened that he flashed a mischievous smile and taunted, "Bet you didn't see that coming. Your Genuine Qi has been devoured by yours truly, so I'm the one who should be declaring the end!"

No sooner had he spoken than a thunderous boom echoed from the heavens, and a vast dark cloud materialized above Qin Yu.

"Boom!"

The thunder was ear-splitting, and dozens of thick lightning bolts crashed down.

Simultaneously, a blood-red eye opened on Qin Yu's forehead, identical to the one he had used in battle against the Eldest Senior Brother the previous night. That eye frenziedly absorbed the relentless barrage of lightning!

Witnessing this spectacle, everyone was dumbfounded!

The proctor was drenched in a cold sweat, realizing too late that Qin Yu's third eye was the infamous Demonic Eye, the source of countless human nightmares.

But it was too late to save Chu Yao; the Demonic Eye had already initiated its assault!

A thick purple lightning bolt, as stout as a tree trunk, streaked towards Chu Yao's heart!

In a split second of urgency, Chu Yao drew a mirror and held it before her, chanting incantations to conjure a barrier of Genuine Qi between herself and Qin Yu, which glowed with a red, ghostly light.

At this, someone in the crowd cried out, "That's... That's the Chu Family's sacred artifact, the Divine Mirror!"

"It's incredible that Chu Yao would carry something so precious!"

Chu Yao's potential was unmistakable; she might well become the head of the Chu Family within a decade or so. Sadly, her misfortune was encountering a formidable anomaly like Qin Yu.

In an instant, the crackling of thunder and lightning was so intense it was suffocating. The electric arc that burst forth from the Demonic Eye screamed through the air like an arrow released from a fully drawn bow, effortlessly shattering the barrier that glowed with a red aura!

In a flash, it struck the Divine Imperial Mirror in Chu Yao's grasp with a frenzied force!

The relentless booming of thunder nearly burst everyone's eardrums. Yet, it must be said that the Divine Imperial Mirror was truly extraordinary, managing to block the electric arc unleashed by Qin Yu's Demonic Eye just before the mirror's surface.

As time ticked by, more than a dozen breaths passed.

Finally, the electric arc expended all its energy and faded into nothingness. The crowd, especially the proctor, breathed a collective sigh of relief. Had the electric arc actually killed Chu Yao, he would have undoubtedly faced the wrath of the sect's high-ranking officials, given the Chu Family's prominence on the Profound Wind Continent.

Chu Yao herself exhaled deeply, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her chest. The deathly suffocation she had just experienced left her gasping for air.

"Huff... Huff... You ignorant fools. This lady's Divine Imperial Mirror can withstand the full force of a Level Nine expert at the Meridian Tempering Stage..."

Having just been humiliated, Chu Yao quickly retorted with scorn.

But before she could savor her moment of triumph, a sudden crisp sound made her face turn pale.

"Crash~"

In disbelief, Chu Yao stared at the Divine Imperial Mirror in her hands, her body shaking uncontrollably.

Then, she watched in horror as the mirror's surface shattered into countless tiny shards, scattering on the ground with a tinkle.

The entire place was in shock!

Nearly everyone was vigorously rubbing their eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing.

Qin Yu... how could he possess such fearsome power?

He was supposed to be a cultivator devoid of any Genuine Qi!

Only the proctor had an inkling of what was happening. He abruptly recalled the sect's urgent decree from the previous night: "The Great Demon has emerged!"

Could this Great Demon be Qin Yu?

With that thought, the invigilator instinctively bellowed at Qin Yu, "Fiend, murderer, an eye for an eye!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the invigilator released the formidable power of the Meridian Tempering Stage Level Seven. His hands formed a seal, and he recited an incantation, transforming into a streak of light that pierced towards the combat platform!

Simultaneously, Qin Yu sprang into action.

He leapt like a Vicious Beast, lunging at Chu Yao, who was still stunned and hadn't regained her composure.

He was aware that this was his only shot. If he couldn't defeat Chu Yao before the invigilator took him down, his life would be forfeit.

In this critical moment, he staked his entire fate on the hope that once he became a Core Disciple, the invigilator wouldn't dare lay a hand on him!

After all, the rules stated that the punishment of a Core Disciple must be administered by an elder of the Clear Essence Sect.

With this in mind, he bit down hard on his teeth, and the Demonic Eye on his forehead emitted an even more sinister crimson glow. To the still disoriented Chu Yao, he declared, "I apologize, but you, the so-called genius, are fated to be the stepping stone that ensures my survival, Qin Yu!"