On the vast open space beneath the Holy Steps, there was an atmosphere of anticipation.
Countless young experts from all corners of Nanyang Continent were waiting patiently.
At the top of the Holy Steps, at the entrance of the palace, stood a few experts from the Holy Emperor Palace, among whom were two Elders in the Saint Realm.
The Elders looked down at the crowd.
“The number of participants for the selection this time is quite a lot, likely more than those of the previous selections,” one of the Elders said.
“Yeah, you’re right. But it would be good if even 20 of them could pass all the tests and become disciples in the end. Just watch, two-thirds of them will be eliminated during the test of Holy Steps,” the other Elder smiled and said.
But, right at that moment, a figure quietly arrived, one step away from the first step.
“Eh?”
The experts all looked over in amazement.
“What is this guy trying to do?”
“Is he planning to start climbing the Holy Steps? But the competition has yet to begin.”
“He is so impatient.”
Those experts from Holy Emperor Palace also cast their eyes on Jian Wushuang.
However, even under the gaze of all these people, Jian Wushuang still looked indifferent. He looked up at the top of the gate.
“Holy Emperor Palace!”
“Finally, I’m here.”
A fierce sparkle flashed in Jian Wushuang’s eyes.
He had constantly been in a passive situation in the past, from the moment the fighting started with the Blood Feather Tower and Holy Emperor Palace until now.
For a long time, he had been chased by Blood Feather Tower and Holy Emperor Palace, only being able to passively defend himself and fight back.
In the battle with Blood Feather Tower, they threatened him with his father’s life.
In Ice Nether Valley, the experts from the palace tried to kill him directly.
In the battle with Second Holy Master, he was barely left with any chance of living.
He had always been suppressed, never proactively fighting back against Holy Emperor Palace.
He really wanted to fight back. But he had never been about to, until today.
It was the first time that he stood in front of Holy Emperor Palace of his own will.
Since he was already on the path of revenge, only blood could settle the grudge.
“Let’s begin.”
After taking a deep breath, Jian Wushuang stepped forward under the surrounding people’s shocked gaze.
His step steadily and heavily fell on the first Holy Step.
“Crack!” A deep sound was heard.
The moment Jian Wushuang stepped on it, the first Holy Step, which was used as the first test, cracked and seemed like it might fall apart at any time, as if it could hardly bear Jian Wushuang’s weight.
“What?”
The scene shocked the experts on the spot, as well as those from the Holy Emperor Palace.
These Holy Steps were built at a great cost and could be used as a testing tool for the selection, so they were extremely durable.
But now, the first step had been smashed by Jian Wushuang in only one step.
Moreover, the moment Jian Wushuang took his first step, two 30 meter tall spectral images, filled with Sword Essence, appeared behind him with enough momentum to cause the whole area to shake.
The Essence began to surge, sweeping out in all directions.
In an instant, the clouds began to dissipate with the rising wind, and the sky became dark.
The surrounding warriors were all muddled because of the sudden change.
Not only them, even the elders that accompanied them were frightened by the overwhelming Sword Essence that seemed to be blanketing the whole area with its power.
The eyes that fell on Jian Wushuang this time were full of horror.
Before this moment, they had thought that Jian Wushuang was only a normal participant in the selection because he was a young man in his early 20s. But now, after seeing his overwhelming Sword Essence, they realized that he was here to kill!
At the top of the Holy Steps, the experts from Holy Emperor Palace were trembling at the sight of the essence, especially at the two huge Sword Soul Phantoms behind Jian Wushuang. The Phantoms stood, towering like two war gods, with a power that seemed to be able to destroy everything.
The two Palace Elders in the Saint Realm were panic-stricken as they immediately looked toward Jian Wushuang.
After that glance, their eyes narrowed.
“He is…”
“Jian Wushuang!”
They recognized him.
One of the elders hissed while gnashing his teeth.
The crowd beneath the gate was in a great uproar after they heard the name.
“Jian Wushuang!”
“He is Jian Wushuang!”
“The legendary genius of the Nanyang Continent, number one throughout its history, Jian Wushuang!”
One after another, the warriors participating in the selection roared and growled, with excitement and frenzy in their eyes.
Jian Wushuang had become well known all over the continent!
During the battle at Ice Nether Valley, he had overpowered seven Saint Realm experts from Holy Emperor Palace.
In the battle at the Skyward Mountain, he had barely survived, by luck, and even cut Second Holy Master’s legs off with one stroke.
The legends of his brilliant battle results had spread to every corner of the Nanyang Continent, so all the warriors on the island had heard of him.
Many of them had even looked up to him as their idol!
However, being as young as all these warriors, Jian Wushuang had achieved something that was beyond their reach.
So naturally, those young warriors would become crazy while watching him.
In addition to these young warriors, there were also many experts sent by some old sects for purpose of inspecting and learning from the selection. They hurriedly sent the news back to their sects as soon as they saw Jian Wushuang.
“Big news! Jian Wushuang appeared on Holy Emperor Island.”
“Urgent! Jian Wushuang appeared!”
All of Holy Emperor Island was in a turmoil because of the arrival of Jian Wushuang. This turmoil even spread into the Holy Emperor Palace.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Suddenly, a number of figures appeared at the top of the gate from thin air. They were none other than the Palace Master and other Elders of Holy Emperor Palace. The elders present numbered 20, and all of them were in the Saint Realm.
Yet, even the Palace Master and those elders looked serious and grave at the sight of Jian Wushuang and his overwhelming Sword Essence.