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"Tsk tsk, the next evolution will require 180,000 evolution points. It's getting harder and harder, but I already have a King Rank bloodline!"
Luckily, the System was considerate and didn't get him stuck at the Advanced five-star level; otherwise, he'd be cursing again.
A King Rank bloodline could break through to the King Rank – the highest level of a magical beast.
This bloodline level was more than enough. Even Xuan Tianwen's Thunder Flood Dragon was also a King Rank.
If Wu Liang were to face the Thunder Flood Dragon now, he could defeat it in ten rounds.
The only one who could pose a threat to him was Liu Fufeng's Golden Dragon, which possessed the Golden Sacred Dragon bloodline.
The Golden Sacred Dragon was also a top-tier divine beast bloodline, and given that Liu Fufeng was a member of the Liu family, its combat power was definitely not weak.
This was Wu Liang's only opponent in the martial arts exam.
Ling Qingxue stood in front of him, with a searching gaze.
"How did you do that? How can you get a domain at the Third Rank?"
Wu Liang grinned. "Is it that difficult?"
Ling Qingxue was speechless. Was it a question of difficulty?
It was a question of possibility...
Seeing she couldn't get an answer, Ling Qingxue gave up. After all, it was her magical beast. The more monstrous, the better.
"Hurry up and give me something to fill my stomach! I haven't eaten for seventy-two hours! Do you know how serious that is for a gluttonous beast?"
Ling Qingxue rolled her eyes and casually handed over two large cabbages.
"You've gotten too fat lately. Eat more vegetables."
Wu Liang felt heavy even standing on her shoulder...
"You're going to give me vegetables?! I'm still growing!!"
It had been less than half a year since he hatched. He was still a baby less than a year old.
Ling Qingxue was speechless. She fed him a few Vitality Pills and went to the Spirit Gathering Room to cultivate.
Her current Physical Cultivation level was only at the Second Rank peak. She had to cultivate with all her might to break through again before the martial arts exam.
Once she entered Beiming Martial Arts University, everyone would probably think she's just riding on Wu Liang's coattails.
A Third Rank peak magical beast, while she was at the Second Rank peak...
She was probably the first martial artist in almost a hundred years to find herself in such bizarre circumstances.
......
Kyoto No. 2 High School.
Xuan Tianwen took a drag on his cigarette, looking at the latest information about Ling Qingxue and Wu Liang displayed on the screen in front of him.
Third Rank peak, Devouring Domain, King Rank bloodline...
Each word weighed like a mountain on his shoulders.
He felt powerless, yet resigned. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't catch up with Ling Qingxue.
Her improvement was like she had bought a speed boost package, changing every day. It had only been a little over a month since the last virtual martial arts battle.
"Damn it, this is unbelievable!"
A video call came in, the screen displaying the name Liu Fufeng.
Xuan Tianwen chuckled and answered the video call.
"Liu Fufeng, you want the first-hand data from my last fight with Ling Qingxue, right?" Xuan Tianwen asked directly.
Liu Fufeng, on the other end, was silent for two seconds before nodding.
"I want to see what makes her so strong, otherwise… I'm not confident about the upcoming martial arts exam."
Xuan Tianwen burst into laughter.
"You've finally met your match! If I'd known this would happen, I should have let you fight Ling Qingxue. She probably wouldn't even need to take the exam and would have gotten first place. Now I've become a laughingstock online."
"Are you going to give it to me or not?" Liu Fufeng frowned.
"Fine, I'll give it to you, but tell me honestly, what are your chances of beating Taotie?"
Xuan Tianwen was really curious. Of this year's seniors, only Liu Fufeng had a chance of defeating Ling Qingxue. If even Liu Fufeng himself wasn't confident, then this year's champion would most likely be Ling Qingxue.
While Beiming Yan's Northern Sea Kunpeng was also strong, its strength lay in its control over spatial power. With the limitations imposed by the martial arts exam rules, its overall strength was slightly weaker than Liu Fufeng's.
"Originally, I had a 60% chance, now... only 40%."
A domain was an extremely powerful tool. Before Wu Liang developed the Devouring Domain, Liu Fufeng was confident he had at least a 60% chance of winning, but now he was only 40% sure.
And it would only get lower!
The stronger Wu Liang's control over the domain, the lower his chance of winning.
Xuan Tianwen's eyes widened. "So low? You don't even have a 50% chance?!"
He had originally assumed that Liu Fufeng had at least a 50% chance. After all, the Golden Sacred Dragon bloodline was a top-tier divine beast bloodline. It could at least fight the Taotie and remain undefeated.
Even if it ended in a draw, Liu Fufeng would still be number one.
Liu Fufeng sighed, his expression helpless.
"The Taotie is evolving too fast. Not only that, it has already fused with the wings of the Black Flame Phoenix and the claws of the Blazing Azure Dragon. Whether it's level, attack, speed, or even stamina, a mere Third Rank late-stage Golden Dragon doesn't have much of an advantage.
As long as the Taotie isn't instantly killed, it will keep fighting using the power of devouring. To win, one would have to rely on a level advantage!"
But damn it, level was also the Taotie's advantage. There was no way to fight it.
Liu Fufeng had been working himself to the bone lately, spending all his time cultivating and checking Ling Qingxue's progress and her past battle videos.
Seeing such an insane opponent right before the martial arts exam was really worrying.
Xuan Tianwen stroked his chin. "Why don't you just challenge her directly and lose face beforehand? That way, no one will talk about you during the exam."
"Get the hell out of here!!"
Liu Fufeng gritted his teeth and then angrily hung up the phone.
He silently took a drag of the cigarette between his fingers.
Smoking was a good thing; a couple of puffs could relieve stress.
Liu Qingkuang walked by, a long spear in hand and a look of disdain on his face.
"Little Feng, you really can't hold a candle to your uncle here. Back in my day, the martial arts exam was full of geniuses too, but I still trampled over every one of them to take first place. Even Beiming Feng, hailed as the most talented person in the Beiming family in five hundred years, was defeated by my spear!
You are a genius of the Liu family, what's there to fear in a fight?"
Liu Fufeng exhaled a smoke ring and threw his cigarette butt into the trash can.
"Were there any Four Fiends among your opponents in that year?"
"No."
"Were there any opponents in your year who broke through to the Third Rank peak?"
"Uh, no."
"Were there any opponents in your year who mastered a domain?"
"...No."
"Then why the hell are you even comparing yourself to me? If you've got the guts, go ahead and try."
Liu Fufeng cursed, his expression utterly exasperated.
He wasn't afraid of losing, but if Ling Qingxue surpassed him this time, it would be incredibly difficult for him to catch up in the future.
To rival the breakthrough speed of the Taotie was practically impossible.
Liu Qingkuang patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"Having a goal to chase isn't necessarily a bad thing. How can you break through your limits without experiencing failure? I also comprehended my peerless Spear Intent through repeated defeats!
The fact that Ling Qingxue was able to grasp the essence of the Sword Intent at such a young age isn't because she's particularly gifted, but because she's sufficiently focused and sincere. When your heart is truly devoted to the sword, you can grasp its true essence."
Liu Fufeng nodded, looking like he only half understood.
"I understand, but Uncle, where are you going now?"
"I'm going to capture the remnants of the Soul Tribe. They've been around for over two thousand years, and they're still alive! They're so annoying!"