Amidst the gasps of the crowd, Qin Luo's figure had already crossed half of the stone steps.
He was agile and climbed at an incredible speed, each step creating a strange resonance with the stone steps, transforming that immense pressure into the driving force for his own progress.
At this moment, Wan Shuhua and the others who were in the lead also noticed the commotion behind them. When they turned around, they saw Qin Luo chasing after them like the wind, and their faces immediately became serious.
Realizing that he could no longer hold back, Wan Shuhua's wooden sword instantly rose into the air, the wood grain on the blade exuding an ancient yet powerful aura.
The wooden sword trembled slightly, and streams of sword energy surged from it. Wherever the sword energy reached, the pressure on the stone steps was slowly eroded and dissolved until it disappeared.
Wan Shuhua's figure also became incredibly light and agile. He moved frequently, and his climbing speed increased dramatically. He was like a bolt of lightning, rushing towards the top of the mountain.
Seeing this, Duan Yu swiftly formed hand seals, and in an instant, countless bolts of lightning erupted from the spiritual seals around his body. With the power of the lightning, each step he took was accompanied by a deafening roar, leaving charred footprints on the stone steps, and his speed was also increased to the extreme.
Hong Hao took a deep breath, his muscles bulging as if inflated, and the golden light on his skin became even more dazzling. He suddenly shouted, and the sound wave spread outwards like a tidal wave, causing the surrounding pressure to loosen briefly.
Then, he clenched his fists and slammed them into the stone steps in an almost brutal manner.
With each punch, he left a shallow fist mark on the stone steps, and using the recoil, he leaped high into the air, leaping over several steps like a golden cannonball, heading towards the mountaintop.
Seeing that the three people in front of him were finally using their full strength, Qin Luo kept walking, but the faint light on his body quickly dimmed.
But as the darkness faded, the deep light between his feet began to materialize, and then with a sudden stomp, he dissipated all the pressure on the stone steps beneath his feet. Taking advantage of the slight relief of the pressure on the stone steps, he exerted his strength.
Qin Luo's figure blurred instantly, like a black streak of light, traversing hundreds of stone steps.
This sudden acceleration drastically shortened the distance between him and the three people in front of him, allowing him to overtake them directly!
Witnessing Qin Luo's astonishing explosive power, Wan Shuhua was greatly alarmed. He desperately tried to urge the wooden sword to release even stronger sword energy, hoping to widen the distance again. However, with his early-stage Spirit Control Realm strength, he could only wield the wooden sword to this extent, resulting in extremely limited speed improvement.
Duan Yu and Hong Hao were in the same boat, only able to watch helplessly as Qin Luo sped past them, their faces filled with astonishment and resentment.
In the end, Qin Luo's figure, like a sharp arrow, broke through the barrier at the top of the mountain and stood firmly on the summit.
The mountaintop is not filled with scattered rocks, but rather offers a panoramic view.
There was only one stone pavilion at the edge, and the token emitting blue light was hanging prominently above the pavilion.
Just as Qin Luo saw the token, three whooshing sounds came from behind him.
Qin Luo instantly turned to the side, his gaze sweeping across the area behind him like lightning.
Wan Shuhua, Duan Yu, and Hong Hao were panting slightly as they stared at the token on the stone pavilion from a distance, but the next moment they turned their attention to Qin Luo.
"Brother Qin, you've really been hiding your strength well. I never expected you to have such power, able to withstand the pressure of these stone steps and come from behind to the top."
Duan Yu squinted as he spoke, the spiritual seals around him flickering slightly, reflecting his complex state of mind at that moment.
Wan Shuhua gently stroked the wooden sword in his hand, and the blade emitted a soft hum under his touch.
He slightly raised his head, looked at Qin Luo, and sighed:
"It seems we'll have to have a final showdown. The top spot in this freshman competition is always awarded to the most capable. Only those with exceptional strength can stand atop this peak, be respected by everyone, gain the sect's favor, and enjoy endless opportunities!"
As he spoke, his aura gradually rose, his clothes fluttered in the wind, and the ancient aura emanating from the wooden sword became increasingly intense, blending with the spiritual energy of the mountain peak, adding to his otherworldly charm.
Hong Hao grinned, said nothing, and took a step forward. As soon as he stepped down, the entire mountaintop seemed to tremble slightly, and a powerful pressure swept towards Qin Luo, making his robes flutter.
Faced with the three's provocation, Qin Luo remained calm and composed, a confident smile playing on his lips.
"Now that I have reached the summit, today's outcome is no surprise. Since you want to have a showdown, I will play along to the end."
As soon as she finished speaking, two whooshing sounds rang out from below the stone steps, and then Dan Bingli and Murong Liyue's figures quickly appeared.
Dan Bingli's expression was cold and stern, with faint ice crystal particles shimmering in her hand. She turned slightly to stand beside Qin Luo, her gaze sweeping over Wan Shuhua and the other two like a knife.
Murong Liyue emitted waves of spiritual energy, standing on either side of Qin Luo with Dan Bingli, their beautiful eyes filled with murderous intent as they stared at the three people in the distance.
When Wan Shuhua saw Dan Bingli and Murong Liyue appear, he frowned slightly, thinking to himself that the situation had become even more complicated and troublesome.
But he quickly calmed down, and with a gentle wave of his wooden sword, sword energy burst forth, intertwining and swirling in the air to form a sword curtain that fell towards Qin Luo and the other two.
"Leave this to me."
Dan Bingli said coldly.
As soon as she finished speaking, a heavy sword appeared in her hand, and a thick layer of frost instantly condensed on its blade. The frost spread at a visible speed, quickly enveloping the entire sword and making it look like a weapon forged from millennia-old ice.
Then, with a soft shout, he swung his sword at the overwhelming barrage of swords.
In an instant, the air seemed to freeze wherever the sword light passed, making a crisp "crackling" sound. Streams of icy blue sword energy roared out from the blade, these sword energies like ice dragons emerging from the sea, baring their fangs and claws as they rushed towards the sword curtain.
Each collision between the ice sword energy and the sword energy in the sword curtain produces a sharp sound, while simultaneously splashing up a dazzling light and scattering spiritual energy fluctuations.
Meanwhile, Murong Liyue was not idle either. The spiritual seal in her hand merged into the void, instantly transforming into a red ribbon that danced gracefully in the air. The red ribbon stretched out in an instant, like a burning whip, carrying intense spiritual energy fluctuations, and lashed towards Duan Yu.
Duan Yu's eyes narrowed, and he hurriedly dodged. Spiritual seals flickered around his body, and he flashed away, trying to avoid Hong Ling's attack range.
However, Murong Liyue snorted lightly, and the red ribbon twirled nimbly in the air, continuing to wrap around Duan Yu.
Seeing this, Duan Yu gathered his spiritual seal in his hand and set up a simplified spiritual array.
In an instant, countless bolts of lightning gathered around him. He then channeled this power into his hands and thrust them forward, sending a thick pillar of lightning hurtling toward Hong Ling.
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