It was unknown who had asked this question, but the moment that the words 'Star-rank weapon' were uttered, they instantly broke the silence that had filled the arena as the disciples of the Holy sect and those in the audience seats couldn't sit still any longer.
''A star-rank weapon? A mere early rank 4 Nascent Soul kid has a star-rank weapon? What kind of background does he have?''
''No matter what his background is, there is no way that any force outside the central region can afford to give its disciples or its descendants star-rank weapons! That guy must have definitely stepped on some dogshit luck to obtain that saber!''
''Right! Even we can't obtain star-rank weapons from our families, let alone someone outside from the central region!''
Whether it was the disciples of the Holy sect or the disciples sitting in the audience seats, they were all staring at the golden saber in the black-robed young man's hands with red eyes that were filled with jealousy.
Even the yellow-robed young woman opposite to him ended up slowing down her speed, almost as if she couldn't believe that the young man in front of her actually had a star-rank weapon.
After all, the aura coming from star-rank weapons was vastly different to the aura coming from the bodies of cultivators, so even if someone wanted to conceal that they were actually using a star-rank weapon, it was nearly impossible to do so!
Of course, if the disciples of the Holy sect had been standing next to Shun Long when he had activated the runes on the black sword when he used the 'Thundergod's slash' during the second or the third test, they would have realized that his sword was a star-rank weapon as well. However, due to the screen of light that only allowed them to observe the scenes, even the peak rank 9 Dao King, Elder Zhuan hadn't been able to discern that his sword was actually a peak rank 1 star-rank weapon!
At the same time, the moment that the black-robed young man took out the star-rank saber, the most shocked out of everyone in the arena was actually the white-robed Dao Emperor. As soon as Elder Cao Ling sensed the black aura coming from the golden saber, his eyes instantly narrowed while a serious look appeared on his face, almost as if he had just guessed something.
Elder Zhuan who was standing a few meters away from him couldn't help but shiver when he felt the aura coming from the white-robed Dao Emperor next to him, as he asked in a voice that was mixed with confusion as well as some fear
''Senior Cao Ling is everything alright?''
Cao Ling nodded his head without responding to Elder Zhuan's question, as he continued to stare at the fight in the arena with a deep look in his eyes.
The black-robed young man held the golden saber in his hands, and without waiting for the yellow-robed young woman from the Holy sect to create more afterimages, he slashed the saber sideways.
The deep, dark aura coming from the saber instantly swept past the afterimages in front of the black-robed young man, destroying more than 50 of them in a single instant!
From the original 200 afterimages that the yellow-robed young woman had managed to create, more than 50 of them were destroyed with a single slash!
Of course, as a middle rank 5 Nascent Soul stage cultivator, despite being flustered for a moment after seeing the star-rank saber appear in the black-robed young man's hands, the young woman from the Holy sect quickly regained her bearings, as she started to create even more afterimages once again.
At the same time, she was no longer just running around, and while creating the afterimages she had also taken out a peak rank 3 gold grade dagger from her spatial ring, and had mixed her own attacks in the process, attacking the black-robed young man from many different angles without giving him a chance to breathe.
Despite having the star-rank golden saber in his hands, the young man seemed to have fallen into a passive state, having to desperately deflect the attacks from the young woman of the Holy sect.
After all, even with a star-rank weapon in his possession, the difference between their cultivation couldn't be bridged so easily.
''Hahaha! In the end, he is just an early rank 4 Nascent Soul stage rookie! No matter what, it's impossible for him to defeat someone at the middle of rank 5 in the Nascent Soul! Especially when he is against someone like senior sister Huo Ru, who can even jump levels and fight against a peak rank 5 Nascent Soul stage cultivator head-on.''
''Eh? Could it be that Elder Cao Ling knew about his golden saber which is why he told senior sister Huo to not hold back in the fight?''
''No, I don't think so. I've heard that there have also been a few instances in the past recruitments of the sect, where the disciples coming from the outside also had star-rank weapons, but neither Elder Cao Ling nor the other Elders of the sect had made someone fight against a disciple who was nearly 2 entire minor ranks higher than them in cultivation. I think that this black-robed young man has somehow pissed off Elder Cao...''
Although the disciples of the Holy sect tried to understand why Elder Cao Ling had forced the black-robed young man to fight against 'senior sister Huo Ru' like that, their voices were filled with hints of schadenfreude, almost as if they were enjoying seeing the black-robed young man being beaten up.
Of course, even peak Dao Kings would be jealous if they saw an early rank 4 Nascent Soul stage cultivator having a star-rank weapon in his possession.
However, although the disciples of the Holy sect seemed to be enjoying this scene, those sitting in the audience seats in the arena had furious looks on their faces after seeing the black-robed young man fall into a passive position. And yet, although they all felt that this scene was unfair, none of them dared to complain to the Elders of the Holy sect in the sky. After all, they were the ones who had made this rule.
More than a minute passed since the yellow-robed young woman, Huo Ru had started her barrage of attacks, causing the black-robed young man's condition to fall into a desperate struggle.
Not only did he not have an opportunity to attack, but Huo Ru's attacks had already managed to pass through open up gaps in his defense, filling his body with cuts and injuries.
If it wasn't for the 'Demonic Wings' which allowed him to defend himself during the most desperate moments, the black-robed young man would have already lost by now.
Although Shun Long had been stunned when he heard the Dao Emperor giving the order to the yellow-robed young woman named Huo Ru to fight all-out without suppressing her cultivation, he was even more shocked when he noticed the black-robed young man having a calm look in his eyes, despite his body being filled with injuries.
Of course, Huo Ru had also noticed this calm look, which made her heart seethe with anger causing her attacks to turn even more powerful than before as she no longer held back.
Although it was unfair for a middle rank 5 Nascent Soul stage cultivator like her to attack an early rank 4 Nascent Soul stage rookie, it was also even worse if she was unable to defeat him even after going all-out and using her peak rank 3 gold grade weapon!
At that moment, Huo Ru infused her qi into the peak rank 3 dagger in her hands before she thrusted it towards the young man's waist.
This was a Mystic high-grade martial skill that Huo Ru had been using for many years, and it was also the attack she was the most proficient in.
Five hundred afterimages followed after her, as they all attacked the black-robed young man at the same time.
Although only one of them was the real Huo Ru and the rest were only afterimages, in that split moment it was nearly impossible to detect which one was the real her.
The black-robed young man covered himself completely with the 'Demonic Wings', almost as if he had turned them into the shape of a cocoon.
And yet, Huo Ru's attack still slashed through the black wings easily, before she plunged her dagger into the black-robed young man's waist.
A rain of fresh blood filled the air, before the black wings that were burning with red flames slowly dissipated in front of everyone's eyes.