Heavens' Laughter

Now standing at the entrance, Feng Shen seated himself cross-legged, gripping the staff tightly.

Closing his eyes, he focused his Qi as an ominous darkness began to seep from the staff, swirling around his entire body.

The air grew heavy, rippling with a sinister, negative pulse.

"Ah~ so much power~" Feng Shen muttered under his breath.

His heartbeat quickened, pounding fiercely in his chest, as he delved into cultivating.

The boost from the dark energy accelerated his progress, fueling his cultivation.

Feng Shen's breathing deepening as he began to channel the overwhelming surge of Qi into his meridians and dantian.

With each slow, deliberate breath, he guided the Qi through his body, pushing it through his meridians with growing precision.

He felt the Qi enter his dantian, expanding and condensing.

Feng Shen was fully immersed in the cultivation process, and the passage of time seemed to lose all meaning.

His focus intensified, every part of his being dedicated to refining the Qi, pushing it deeper into his body with each passing second.

The Qi coursed through his meridians, flowing faster, more intensely than before.

At first, Feng Shen felt a subtle shift, a tightening within his dantian as the dark energy he had absorbed caused his cultivation to reach a bottleneck of multiple realms.

It was as he was skipping through some levels.

The sheer power emanating from Feng Shen's body began to coalesce into an overwhelming surge.

The air around him vibrated with raw energy, rippling as if the very fabric of reality was being twisted by the intensity of his newfound strength.

Suddenly, a beam of brilliant light, filled with darkness, shot up into the ceiling, erupting from his body like a pillar of energy.

The floodgates opened, and Feng Shen's cultivation surged forward with an overwhelming force.

Without warning, his realm shot upward like a rising star, crashing through many realms.

Feng Shen's veins burned with power, and the flow of Qi within him became a roaring river that refused to be contained.

The rapid ascent sent tremors through his body, causing him to smile madly.

The entire tower trembled violently, the walls groaning under the pressure as the rampant Qi spiraled out of control.

The chaotic energy surged like a storm, tearing through the air in wild, uncontrolled waves.

Feng Shen's eyes snapped open, glowing with an otherworldly intensity.

In that instant, he realized he had broken through—he had ascended to the Initial Stage of the Nascent Realm.

The realization came with a rush of exhilaration:

"Heh… Perfect. Absolutely perfect. I shattered the limits, skipped so many levels. Flawless, undeniable perfection!"

Sensing the absence of dark energy, Feng Shen hurled the staff across the room.

The once formidable weapon, now an empty tool, clattered against the floor and skidded to a halt far away.

Feng Shen rose slowly. He looked down at his hands:

"I had been too slow with my progress before, but now… now I'm moving forward. This is good… but not nearly good enough. Not yet."

Feng Shen's expression hardened into icy indifference as he gazed forward, stepping down toward the floor below.

The tower's foundation trembled beneath him, cracks spreading like spiderwebs across the walls and floor, while objects shattered under the sheer force of his unchecked Qi.

"Ah~ I feel alive~." Feng Shen exhaled in pure satisfaction, savoring the exhilarating rush of power and destruction coursing around him.

It was a sensation he cherished deeply, one that stirred a dangerous thrill within him.

Feng Shen walked forward, his gaze falling upon the other students who lay sprawled across the floor, their bodies heaving as they struggled to regain their breath after the battle with the spiders.

Clapping his hands together with deliberate force, he drew the attention of everyone in the room.

"Congratulations on defeating the spiders," Feng Shen began. "But unfortunately, your victory means nothing. It's time for all of you to start… again. And again. And again…"

Hearing this, the other students weren't too pleased…

"You dare mock us after we've fought tooth and nail? Do you think your empty words can shake us?"

"You speak of starting 'again,' but you couldn't even continue up! We are the ones who will rise, while you remain a pitiful little insect!"

"If you weren't so fortunate, you'd be crushed like the ant you are. Keep running your mouth, and we'll remind you just how insignificant you truly are!"

Feng Shen chuckled softly to himself, finding their words utterly hilarious.

But as the seconds passed, that amused chuckle gradually faded, replaced by a deep, unsettling frown.

Feng Shen's emotions, once lighthearted, twisted violently in an instant—his humor turning to offense:

"All of you deserve to die…"

Without hesitation, Feng Shen shot forward, his body moving with terrifying speed.

His hand seized the face of one student, lifting him effortlessly before hurling him backward.

The force was brutal, and the sickening crunch of the skull echoed through the room.

In a blur, Feng Shen used his Shadow Step, and began cutting down every student who still lay on the floor, too weak or too stunned to react.

His strikes were swift, methodical, and merciless, leaving no one alive to witness anything.

Outside, the crowd was in utter confusion, their minds struggling to process the savage display they had just witnessed.

The air was thick with disapproval, and the sounds of boos and insults rang out.

To them, this wasn't a display of power—it was a senseless act of brutality, one that stripped away any semblance of honor.

There was nothing noble about it, nothing worth admiring.

The crowd hated it, and they made sure their disdain was heard.

On the other hand, the instructors above remained utterly silent, each of them too stunned to speak.

No one dared utter a word as they processed what had just happened.

The sheer display of power student Feng Shen had unleashed was nothing short of extraordinary.

To blow through multiple levels in one fell swoop—such a feat was beyond the reach of numerous cultivator talents.

"…He's perfect…" Yuan Bo whispered under his breath, his voice barely audible. Leaning back in his seat, he couldn't tear his eyes away from his secret weapon.

"He truly is…" Mei Xue murmured, agreeing with her peer. She, too, couldn't tear her gaze away.

Slowly, she found herself standing, leaning over the railing, drawn to the holograms that displayed the interior of the Tower.

Mei Xue wanted to get closer, to witness such raw power firsthand. A burning desire stirred within her—she longed to feel it for herself.@@novelbin@@

"Ahaha…" It started as a quiet chuckle, but quickly escalated into an uproarious laugh. "AAHAHAHAHAH!"

Zhao Rui shot up from his seat, his hands clapping loudly in approval:

"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

The loud noise seemed to snap the other instructors out of their stunned silence.

Slowly, they began to murmur among themselves, their voices low but filled with astonishment as they discussed the overwhelming power of the student before them.

"It's over… It's so over…" Situ Nan muttered, his voice hollow as he collapsed back into his seat.

A heavy weight settled over him as he realized the truth—there was no way anyone could win the Grand Opening Tournament now.

No student had reached the Nascent Realm, and Situ Nan doubted anyone could stand against the terrifying force of power that had just been unleashed in the Tower.

As many reactions were being displayed…

The Tournament Overseer wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief, his anxiety palpable. His gaze unconsciously shifted toward the private box, where the Phoenix royal family was seated.

"This isn't good… Not good at all…" He muttered to himself, pulling at his collar.

Suddenly, a small red bird swooped down and landed lightly on the Tournament Overseer's shoulder, catching him off guard.

"Ah! Oh... Yes, your Majesty?" he stammered, his surprise quickly turning to attention.

The red bird's eyes blazed with a fiery intensity, its gaze burning with a red-hot fury. From its beak came a voice, cold and laced with seething anger:

"Appear before me… Right now…"

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"At once… Your Majesty…" the Tournament Overseer sighed, slowly tucking away his handkerchief. In a heartbeat, he vanished in a swirling mist of smoke.

When the smoke cleared, he had already appeared in the private box where the Phoenix royal family was seated.

Kneeling before them, the Tournament Overseer lowered his head slightly:

"Your Majesty… I have come at your summons, but... may I ask the reason for my presence?"

"This boy…" The Phoenix Emperor began. His eyes narrowed. His hands clenched tightly around the armrests, his grip so forceful that the stone began to crack, spreading like delicate cobwebs.

Flames suddenly erupted around his body, swirling in a vicious dance, the air around him warping with the heat.

The Phoenix Emperor's long red beard, once resting, was now ablaze, fire licking at the ends as it burned brightly with every passing second:

"Who is this boy that dares turn this tradition into a mockery of dishonor? I want his name now!"