Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 154 - Shameless

This performance drew praise from the crowd.

“Brilliant! Brilliant! I didn’t expect Junior Brother Liu’s movement technique to be so brilliant!” Wang Yonghao and the other students of Advanced Class Seven applauded. Their hearts had been in their mouths earlier, filled with anxiety that Liu Wuxie might fall into the mud.

But in a critical moment, Liu Wuxie turned the tables and returned to the pillar.

Xue Yu’s eyes were terrifyingly cold. Just when they were about to celebrate, Liu Wuxie’s return to the pillar served as a stinging rebuke to the Xue Clan, plunging the surroundings into stunned silence.

“Not bad!” Tao Wenbing’s eyes flashed with a hint of seriousness. He lightly stepped on the pillar and soared like a swallow, navigating through several pillars just a meter away from Liu Wuxie. There weren’t many pillars in the surroundings, and each step would be difficult.

Tao Wenbing launched himself into the air, rising three feet and aiming for a distant pillar. His plan was clear: if he could destroy the pillar first, Liu Wuxie would lose his footing due to the dwindling number of pillars.

The remaining pillars were few, and Tao Wenbing’s strategy was ruthless. Unable to force Liu Wuxie into the mud, he resorted to demolishing the surrounding pillars to see how Liu Wuxie would keep up.

The reality was brutal. The pillars were suitable for one person to practice, but the difficulty would increase with two people walking on the pillars simultaneously, not to mention that they had to be on guard against each other.

“Pitiful tricks!” Liu Wuxie scoffed. He ascended into the sky gracefully. Compared to Tao Wenbing, he was on a completely different level.

“Such a graceful form!” Many female disciples stood up with stars shining in their eyes.

Liu Wuxie’s body was like a celestial crane stepping on the clouds. He performed a somersault four times in mid-air before landing on a pillar.

“Show off!” Xu Lingxue muttered, but the concern in her eyes had decreased compared to before.

Tao Wenbing’s face became cold. He had underestimated Liu Wuxie’s movement technique. His Wind Blade Step was a profound-grade movement technique. There weren’t many students in the Imperial Academy who had reached greater mastery in it. Having practiced it extensively, he had come to understand the characteristics of the wind, mastering this movement technique completely.

Tao Wenbing’s gaze became cold as he charged at Liu Wuxie, planning to put his life on the line. The Xue Clan had already warned him that if he failed to kill Liu Wuxie, he needn’t bother returning.

“You’re courting death!” Liu Wuxie retorted. He had initially thought that this was a competition between movement techniques, but it turned out that Tao Wenbing wanted to kill him.

Tao Wenbing’s legs were like two pincers, forming a scissor closing onto Liu Wuxie’s neck. This proved that Tao Wenbing had trained his legs.

There was no way to avoid the incoming attack because Tao Wenbing had destroyed the surrounding pillars. However, that didn’t mean Liu Wuxie was helpless. Exerting force with his right foot, Liu Wuxie soared to the sky, using his legs to clash with Tao Wenbing’s legs.

While Liu Wuxie hadn’t specifically trained his lower body, it wasn’t easy for Tao Wenbing to harm him using standard techniques. The two exchanged blows in mid-air, with Liu Wuxie choosing not to use his weapon and relying solely on his physical prowess. Had he chosen to use his blade, Tao Wenbing would likely have been defeated already.

As their feet collided, they were both sent flying backward. The pillars behind them exploded and shattered into pieces as they crashed into them. This further decreased the number of pillars in the surroundings.

“Die!” A cold light flashed at Tao Wenbing’s feet, aimed at Liu Wuxie’s chest. It turned out that a weapon was hidden in Tao Wenbing’s shoes, and this scene naturally shocked countless people.

Liu Wuxie, hovering in the air, began to descend as no footing was available. He would fall into the muddy ground below if he dodged the hidden weapon. The situation was becoming increasingly perilous.

Xiao Yanlong saw Xu Lingxue suddenly stand up and cover her mouth.

Every member of Advanced Class Seven rose to their feet, their fists clenched in anger. They were appalled by Tao Wenbing’s despicable tactics, never expecting someone to stoop so low.

The surrounding pillars were destroyed, and Liu Wuxie was slightly over a meter from the muddy ground.

Even after launching the dart, Tao Wenbing didn’t pause but continued the competition, aiming for the finish line. His goal was not just to kill Liu Wuxie but to win with his movement technique, thereby tarnishing Liu Wuxie’s reputation.

“Junior Brother Liu, rise!” The students of Advanced Class Seven roared, fearing that Liu Wuxie would die if he fell.

Song Ling was visibly anxious, tears streaming down his cheeks unknowingly. Chen Leyao, too, was observing the situation from the Profound Grade area.

“Hahaha! This brat is finally done for!” The students of Advanced Class Six laughed and cheered at the sight.

Over ten thousand students and hundreds of teachers quietly watched the development of this matter.

Jin Jianfeng raised the gourd from his waist, taking a mouthful with a gleam shining in his eyes.

Just as Liu Wuxie was mere inches from the muddy ground, a venomous snake lunged from the mud, aiming for his neck. The ground teemed with more snakes and insects, their hisses and chirps filling the air.

Just when everyone had written off Liu Wuxie, the tide turned. Liu Wuxie’s finger touched the muddy ground, and in the next instant, a sculpture materialized. He used it as a stepping stone, propelling himself upwards. The force of his leap sent a shockwave through the ground, exterminating the snakes and insects.

“This is...” Everyone was dumbfounded. But that wasn’t the end, as Liu Wuxie used the sculpture as leverage and soared to the sky, climbing higher and higher. His movement technique, akin to scaling the clouds, required a surge of true essence for support. Once he regained his footing, he transformed into a streak of light, rapidly catching up to Tao Wenbing.

“What incredible speed!” The crowd erupted into an uproar. They had all assumed that Liu Wuxie was doomed, but he had unexpectedly conjured an ice sculpture to use as a foothold. It wouldn\'t be considered a failure if he didn’t fall into the muddy ground.

A chilling wave of murderous intent radiated from Liu Wuxie, who was at the epicenter. Tao Wenbing was already a hundred meters away, making it nearly impossible for Liu Wuxie to catch up.

Additionally, Tao Wenbing would destroy the pillar behind him with each step he took, leaving no foothold for Liu Wuxie. This forced Liu Wuxie to hover in the air, relying solely on his true essence.

“Is he insane? Is he planning to use true essence to fly a hundred meters?” Heaven Grade students stood up. It was impressive enough for someone in the Xiantian Realm to stay airborne for three breaths, let alone hover in the air.

Liu Wuxie had already traveled ten meters. Seeing this, many teachers stood up because they didn’t know how Liu Wuxie managed to do it.

“It’s not just because he has a powerful movement technique. It seems he has many secrets on him,” several teachers speculated among themselves. They, too, could travel ten meters in the air and only a hundred meters if they were gliding from a higher altitude. However, covering a hundred meters horizontally in the air was deemed impossible.

Liu Wuxie’s speed increased with his murderous intent growing. He had no intentions of letting Tao Wenbing off today.

When Tao Wenbing turned around, he was terrified. He accelerated his speed with the pillars behind him exploding.

The students of Advanced Class Seven became nervous, hoping they could render help. Liu Wuxie had traveled thirty meters and still showed no signs of falling, leaving many people in disbelief.

“This is impossible! He’s only in the Xiantian Realm! How can he possibly travel over thirty meters in the air?!” Xue Pinzhi stood up angrily.

No one could comprehend this scene, regardless of their cultivation. But that was the reality, as Liu Wuxie was like an eagle soaring in the sky. His arms resembled wings as he tapped his foot in mid-air and left behind ripples, looking like he was walking on the water\'s surface.

“Only a star teacher can control true essence to this degree!” a first-class teacher said with disbelief. They realized that they had underestimated Liu Wuxie.

“If this kid manages to survive, his future will be unimaginable. No wonder he managed to cause the Nine Stars Illumination phenomenon. The purity of his true essence is unmatched among his peers in the academy.”

Liu Wuxie’s true essence was known to be nine times that of ordinary people, but only he knew that the true essence in his dantian wasn’t merely nine times greater; it could even be as much as ninety times!

“Tao Wenbing, you won’t be able to escape!” Liu Wuxie increased his speed. He was like an agile swallow, while Tao Wenbing was like a clumsy bird. The destroyed pillars hadn’t fallen completely, allowing Liu Wuxie to use them as footing to increase his speed, bringing him closer, and he was only twenty meters away from Tao Wenbing.

Tao Wenbing was closer to the endpoint. As long as he crossed it, he would still be the one who won the competition.

“Liu Wuxie, come and catch me if you can!” Tao Wenbing gave it all out. He swung his right hand, throwing out darts at Liu Wuxie.

“Shameless! How despicable!” Many students stood up to support Liu Wuxie. They had no grudge against Liu Wuxie and couldn’t bear Tao Wenbing’s shamelessness. What should have been a fair competition had devolved into this.

On the other hand, Liu Wuxie followed the rules. He didn’t resort to any martial techniques or weapons, relying solely on his movement technique to outmaneuver Tao Wenbing.

“No one can escape if I decide to kill them, and I’ll start my killing spree with you tonight!” Liu Wuxie’s voice echoed throughout the venue. He wanted the Xue Clan to know he would slowly eliminate them that night. As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished, leaving everyone clueless about how he managed to do it.

Striding the Seven Dipper Steps, Liu Wuxie took seven steps, closing his distance from Tao Wenbing.

Tao Wenbing could already see the endpoint, and this brought a smile to his face. He would be safe in another two breaths.

However, a sudden sense of impending danger overcame him, and he was filled with terror when he turned around.