Every single freak among the Dragon Phoenix Academy's top 10 disciples possessed a combat prowess that defied logic. They were also extremely fortuitous in their path of cultivation, progressing far faster than their peers.

As one of the top 10 disciples, Xiao Xie had trained himself numerous ways since young. He was only 28 years old this year, yet he was already a fifth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator, which was a terrifying cultivation level for his age.

After entering the Dragon Ascension Realm, each stage of advancement required a massive accumulation of energy. Hence, growth usually slowed to a crawl at that point. But for freaks like Xiao Xie, that issue was nonexistent. They were still able to grow at a rapid speed.

Xiang Shaoyun had not expected Xiao Xie to attack so suddenly. After all, with Xiao Xie's fame in the academy, he would be the one receiving challenges, not the other way around. Furthermore, the gap between him and Xiang Shaoyun was rather large. He wasn't behaving like an expert at all.

Xiao Xie moved rapidly, and he had instantaneously arrived before Xiang Shaoyun the moment he left his black qilin. Using his hand as a blade, he chopped at Xiang Shaoyun. The attack carried a massive oppressive force that gave Xiang Shaoyun a sense of suppression similar to what he felt when facing peak Emperors.

How powerful, thought Xiang Shaoyun as he immediately activated his gift of instincts to scan the incoming attack. He then barely avoided the attack with his footwork technique.

As he dodged, a massive explosion erupted where he stood previously. The explosion's shockwave reached hundreds of meters and left a deep depression in the ground.

If that attack had struck, Xiang Shaoyun would have been split into two. Xiao Xie did not seem affected by missing. Instead, he pressed on with more attacks. Using both hands as blades, he slashed everywhere, sending sharp saber energies that threatened to grind Xiang Shaoyun into mincemeat.

When Xiang Shaoyun sensed the powerful pressure, he knew he couldn't avoid the fight. He roared, "You're pushing it too far!"

And he counterattacked. He did not dare to hold anything back as he attacked with his power of darkness. In their current environment, only the power of darkness would be amplified. Since his source of dark energy was actually dark origin energy, he could unleash dark elemental attacks comparable in strength with his lightning elemental attacks.

Although he had not practiced dark elemental techniques, he did the same as Xiao Xie and used his hands as blades, sending numerous saber energies forth.

Saber intent!

He attacked with full power, using his hand and body as a saber, using the saber intent, fighting for the saber.

Rumble! Rumble!

Two groups of powerful saber energies clashed, creating a massive explosion. Clouds of dust rose up, and cut marks were left everywhere. The gap in cultivation level between the two was too large. Although Xiang Shaoyun was able to fight those four or even five stages above him, Xiao Xie was no weaker than him.

In fact, his opponent hadn't even displayed his full strength yet could already push him into repeated retreats. Xiang Shaoyun's clothing was slashed into strips, while he himself received a slash right across his chest, sending him flying away.

Xiao Xie did not press on. Rather, he looked at Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Your cultivation level is too low. Show your trump card, or you stand no chance."

Xiang Shaoyun knew that not one disciple of the Dragon Phoenix Academy would be a pushover, especially those in the top 10 of the Dragon Phoenix List. His exchange with Xiao Xie taught him a lesson in the weakness of cultivating nine different powers.

If he had cultivated only one power, his defeat wouldn't have been as swift. In fact, he even stood a chance at winning. However, this was a path he had selected for himself, and he would not regret it. In any case, he was already capable of using all nine of his stars at once. Thus, the path he had chosen had already been proven to not be a mistake.

"I have plenty of trump cards. Since you want to see them, open your eyes wide," said Xiang Shaoyun, whose competitiveness was triggered. After a roar, he unleashed his nine-colored fog.

Using saber intent alongside the nine-colored fog, the saber energy he sent out underwent a transformation as its prowess skyrocketed.

Xiao Xie could finally feel a sense of pressure from his opponent. Instead of showing fear, he was overjoyed. "Is this the fusion of nine powers? Splendid. Let me witness just how strong this power is!"

He finally got serious as the stars within him pulsed, shrouding his body with dense dark energy. At the same time, a certain power swept out of him, and his entire person seemed to have transformed into a majestic saber. Two sabers, one nine-colored while the other pure black, collided.

An intense radiance flared, attracting the attention of many people in the Castle of Darkness. Numerous figures flew toward the battlefield. They wanted to see just who it was who had created such intense shockwaves during combat. When they arrived, none dared to approach the battlefield. The shockwaves undulating out were too terrifying. None wished to be accidentally hit by a stray pulse.

"That seems to be Xiao Xie. Who is he fighting? That nine-colored energy feels very odd. This is my first time seeing something like that."

"That's Xiang Shaoyun, owner of the high-grade nine-star physique. Has he fused his nine astral energies? This is unbelievable!"

"Amazing. Both these fellows are amazing. They are both using saber intent, and although they are using their hands in place of sabers, their attacks are comparable to weapon attacks."

"That Xiang Shaoyun is quite brave. He is only a second-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator, yet he dares to challenge Xiao Xie. His defeat is certain."

"He is full of confidence after fusing the nine powers. Perhaps he really can create a miracle."

...

The dark cultivators sank into numerous discussions. They had all noticed Xiang Shaoyun's fusion of nine powers, and their hearts were filled with shock. Most of them came from large organizations and were clear on how cultivating nine powers was akin to a dead end.

And now, Xiang Shaoyun had found a way to utilize nine powers in unison. It was unprecedented. Was that a sign that Xiang Shaoyun was the pioneer of a path nobody had stepped on before?

Meanwhile, the fear in Xiao Xie's heart intensified as the battle dragged on. With his cultivation level at the fifth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm, he could normally battle ninth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivators with no issues. When using his trump cards, he could even defeat peak Emperors.

Xiang Shaoyun was only a second-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator but could withstand his attacks and make him feel threatened. It made Xiao Xie wonder if the fusion of nine powers would create a new path surpassing all other paths.