“That’s what it meant by Walls of Destruction? It’s literal in every sense possible!”

Shuren didn’t even bother picking up a weapon. At the speed it was destroying everything, he’d be caught up in it if he didn’t start running now!

He ran towards the steep end of the volcano, finding the slope to quickly descend as soon as possible. “Damnit, how am I going to outpace that thing on my own?! I should’ve gotten a mount like Wu Ming did!”

Sliding down the slopes of the volcano, Shuren had no time to complain anymore. He examined the horizon to see the best way to reach his target. Luck was still on his side, as the mountainous regions with snow were placed to the west of the volcanic regions.

Thunderous roars crackled right behind Shuren, edging closer to devour him along with the world. Not even his neck was spared as Shuren felt goosebumps line up his back. A primal fear.

It’s almost like the supposed spatial cracks when the strongest Immortals battle! Complete destruction even down to the blades of grass out of the world!

Aside from the slopes of the mountain, he’d still have to run across the region. It was mostly a flat terrain afterward until the snowy mountainous areas. But at this rate, Shuren would be caught up and be removed from the sect finale.

Flowing Qi around his feet, he leaned his body forward like a tiger to blitz down the mountain. Shuren didn’t let up as he took in the environment for any small advantage possible.

When he caught sight of a pair of spears and swords near a boulder, Shuren made sure he swiped a spear, tying it to his robes. His eyes lit up as he focused on the ethereal eagle flying below with a fighter in claw. Perfect timing. He’ll be too distracted fleeing to the region.

Using the advantage of his high terrain, Shuren held the spear in hand with a javelin stance. One throw, one strike, one chance. He had to make it count.

The broad framed man below was a target large enough for Shuren to aim. He just had to do enough damage and momentum for his opponent to fall off the eagle.

Shuren dug his foot into the ground, forming cracks. He stilled, a predator awaiting his chance. The sensation of wood was the only thing that mattered. His source of escape. His root to victory.

With a sharp and heated breath, he flung the spear. And without a moment to rest, Shuren once more kicked his feet to run towards his target.

The arrow of opportunity swam through the air.

Soon, it would stab through him, cutting him off from the eagle and falling to his death.

Shuren watched with gleeful intensity.

The eagle dropped altitude, allowing the arrow to shoot over it completely.

It missed.

He retained a calm expression, continuing to run down the mountain. This person feigned obliviousness with such a simple path to bait me to attack? You’ll need more than that to get rid of me!

Shuren slid towards a boulder and kicked it with vigour, causing it to explode into multiple rocks of all shapes and sizes. All of its debris continued to fall down the mountain. With a simple swipe of his arm, he grabbed a bunch of rocks the size of his hand and placed it within his robes. “Can you keep up?!”

He rained down rocks on his opponent like the harbinger of Halevian Rains, each drop causing death and decay to all life in the legendary forbidden zone of the far north. Just one strike would be enough.

The advantage of the eagle summon being ethereal turned out to be Shuren’s biggest advantage. Even if it was a safety net for those using them, it also ensured he wouldn’t accidentally batter the eagle itself to death.

The rocks smacked parts of his body, but the fighter still held on for dear life. He already began flying further away from the mountain, increasing his own chances of survival. The crashing sounds of chaos continued behind Shuren as parts of the mountain were chiselled out of existence.

He had two rocks left.

Shuren grabbed a single one with both hands to split it in two, winding both of his arms back as far as possible to throw them out at the same time.

Now only a dozen metres away from his target, he used the sloped mountain itself as an anchor to leap off. Shuren lowered his centre of gravity as he neared even closer, leaning forward even further.

He stabbed his right foot into the ground, maintaining as much strength as possible while not destroying the land itself to cause an imbalance in his leap. Shuren glared at his target to calculate his direction.

Driving his opposite knee up and forward, Shuren leapt while swinging his arms to keep the momentum as far as possible, keeping his core body tensed. The ethereal eagle fanatically flapped its wings to escape the impeding threat.

But it was not enough.

Shuren raised his right arm, now holding a rock in hand, aiming towards the head of the fighter now bruised across his body.

“Bastard, leave me alone for once!” He brought out a shaking axe as he roared to keep the predator away.

Those were his last words as a rock smacked itself deep into his forehead, leaving him into a concussion. His body felt limp and dropped off the eagle.

“Just a Stage 4,” Shuren commented as he grabbed on the eagle’s claws, almost dragging it down to fall. There were a few caws in confusion, almost considering whether it should try to obey or not.

“Lead me west.” Shuren commanded.

It obeyed without a whimper.

At the final moment, his opponent failed to distribute his Qi Aura to protect his head, instead opting for multiple vitals at once. That was his mistake. If he was more decisive with protecting his head, Shuren would’ve had far more difficulty prying him off the eagle.

The rest of the flight was far more relaxed. As Shuren got closer to his destination, he noticed the hundreds of fighters all battling each other in the snowy terrains. It was soon dyed with red splatters across the bleached lands.

His eyes took in the entire scenery as he absorbed the scene into his mind.

I’ve only seen snow once in my life. As the poet Dan Zi says, it is as if the earth is blanketed by a pure silence. Unfortunately, this canvas is littered with the disturbance and chaos of the contestants.

Shuren figured he’d drop off at the border of the snowy region. If he foolishly tried to aim for high ground, he’d most likely be seen as an easy target by any long ranged fighters.

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The ethereal eagle lowered towards the ground, prompting Shuren to leap off and land in the ankle deep snow. “This’ll hinder everyone’s movement techniques. I’ll have to tread caution.”

First, he had to reequip himself once again with a weapon. A staff would be preferable, and even a spear or halberd would suffice. After all, spears and halberds could still be used by applying the basic staffsmanship abilities Shuren had developed after years of training.

Initially, he had wanted to join the Etemperal Monastery, a Rank 5 faction in the far north at the boundary of a forbidden zone. Their ascetics were the only renowned faction that excelled with the Staff Path.

But his father had other plans for him. The Seven Clouds Sect was much closer to the Liu Clan, and propelled his own business as well.

The experience so far in the Fractured Realm solidified his intrigue in the Seven Clouds Sect reputation. It was clearly designed not just to figure out their strongest disciples, but also those with potential who can handle strenuous environments or adapt quickly.

Shuren focused on his hearing intently until he heard the clash of weapons. The signal of strife. He paced his steps with grace so as to not alert his enemies. And a sprawling tree with silver bark and branches towered in the vicinity. Though he wasn’t aware of the kind of tree it was, its size and colour were perfect for subterfuge.

Following behind the tree as his cover, Shuren observed the two women fighting. One of small stature with brown hair wielding a spear, and another of similar height to Shuren and black hair wielding a sword. Both Stage 6. It’s good that one of them uses a sword. First, I’ll test their reaction speed.

He climbed up the tree in silence, carefully focusing his balance and weight to not crack or make a sound. Once Shuren reached a satisfying height, he snapped off a piece of thick branch. In that instant between them noticing the sound, he shot it out towards the spear wielder.

It smacked her right in the face as she failed to focus while fending off her opponent.

Both the fighters glanced at Shuren, identifying him as a fellow Stage 6. They gradually backed away, not allowing the jump on them from a third party.

Unfortunately, that was exactly what Shuren needed.

Blitz Stride. The basic movement technique taught to all Liu Clan members. To combine both speed and force to the utmost. Just once is enough.

Gathering Qi towards his legs, Shuren used the tree itself as his platform, leaping towards the spear wielder. Watching the flashing figure flying towards her, she stuck out her spear in defence, in hopes of skewering Shuren like a fish.

He weaved his body around it with ease as he smashed right into the girl’s collarbone with a wide kick. Grabbing her spear even before she fell down, he spun it between his fingers to energise himself.

This had to be a short battle.

He poked the short girl’s head in an instant, taking her out. Now all that was left was the swordswoman. A small matter.

A Stage 6 swordswoman could never defeat him.

Let alone the high quality one’s from back in the Liu Clan, a Rank 7 faction.

The quality of Cloud City’s Stage 6 cultivators is mediocre. I suppose this is the difference between a mortal faction and an immortal faction. Only that Wu Ming is different.

Shuren was at complete ease now that he’d completely recovered to be in peak condition. “What are you waiting for? Attack.” Shuren said with a tone of command.

She held a square stance for a moment while gripping her sword with both hands. Eyeing her new opponent up and down, she decided to employ a well-known tactic.

She ran away.

Shuren watched the direction of her fleeing, heading towards the corner of a hill. If she was genuinely scared, I’d rid of her immediately, but… It could easily be bait to lead me to a disadvantage. I don’t know what’s behind that area.

Flicking his spear to throw the blood off it, Shuren scoffed and left the scene. He had come for what he wanted for. A useful weapon.

Most of the region was a wide and open field. It was best if he manoeuvred using the trees, fallen boulders of the mountains, and hills as his natural defence. Most of the fighters would be conglomerated in a small area. It would be a chaotic battlefield.

He didn’t waste Qi using Blitz Stride. It wasn’t a technique for traversal but for battle, so Shuren continued at his usual pace. Using the hills as his cover, he continued to run until he reached closer to one of the mountains.

He now had to consider his options.

Should he continue skulking around till he found his opponents, or climb the mountain to gain a vantage point to observe?

As if the world wished to answer this conundrum, Shuren’s bangle hummed once more with the calming whispers of clouds.

There are now 100 combatants remaining. The Walls of Destruction will continue to close in to the final battlefield.

“Again? They sure want to wrap this up fast.” Shuren made up his mind and began running up the mountain. Covering a huge amount in a few minutes, he observed his surroundings once more.

The mountain range formed to circle around an icy lake, where dozens upon dozens of people were battling each other. Most were using weapons of all shapes and sizes, but…

He saw bursts of ice exploding and flying across the field. Someone’s able to tap into the Paths at Rank 1? That means we have someone beyond even Stage 9 in here as well.

Rank 1 was Qidense Realm, to master Qi. Rank 2 was Path, to embark on your unique path. That was when you could transmute and convert Qi to have aspects of your paths, such as summoning fire balls or icicle dirks. It would become as natural as breathing.

But those near the latter stages of Rank 1, at least beyond Stage 9 to 12, would learn to mimic such abilities as a testament to their mastery of Qi. Though highly inefficient and quite slow in a practical battle, in the chaos of a massive battlefield, it would be far more achievable to make use of it effectively.

The best fighters were undoubtedly in the foray right now.

This time, Shuren was able to slide down the icy mountain with relative ease. Spear rested on his shoulder, battle intent soared across his body. The hope of reaching the first ranker in the competition sparked a fire within.

He ran across the snow, using the mountains as his means of escape and defence if necessary.

First, I have a formation scroll that allows me to trap an opponent from fleeing, but this also doubles as isolating others from attacking me. Its effectiveness is increased on a large battlefield. Secondly, I have a Sacrosanct Artifact giving me the gift of two lives. This is undoubtedly my trump card. But there is the possibility others might have the same as well.

The closer he neared the icy field, the more he saw splatters of blood painting it a grim crimson. The amount of people sliced apart here were numerous. I suppose even Rank 5 factions can prepare for an interesting examination. In fact, mimicking deaths while maintaining their numbers in potential disciples is a far more effective method.

Shuren’s ears pricked. He ducked and weaved casually as arrows whizzed past him. They were far too obvious, even if their sound was far more muted in the chaos.

He saw a wolf-like person with messy brown hair cleave multiple combatants with a glaive. Not once did he eke out a word in battle. Right now, it wasn’t worth battling someone near his level while surrounded by weaker opponents.

Observing the dozens of fighters scattered around, not a single one of them was below Stage 4. But he had to take care of the one using ice itself as a weapon. Just exactly who was that person?

A man with a broad sword committed to an aggressive overhead slice towards Shuren’s back. He dodged with ease, the blade to chop off the tip of his spear.

Seeing the clean slice now form it into an impromptu staff, Shuren taunted his opponent. “Good job.”

Before his opponent could even reply, his head was caved in by the brutal force of a heavy staff.

He didn’t even have time to count up the amount of points he racked. All Shuren could focus on were the fish all around him, defenceless and easy prey for him. He ran further, deeper into the icy field, seeing a crowd of fighters surrounding one person. A Silvent girl with silver hair and a staff, though distinctively forming into a branched crown near the top.

Panting with signs of exhaustion and blood all over her, she stabilised herself with her staff, summoning ice daggers flying across the field. If I can defeat her, my placement as the first ranker is all but guaranteed. But, if she’s anything like Wu Ming, I have to exercise extreme caution.

Shuren finally found an opportunity to use his formation scroll. He just needed to clear up the group of fighters also aiming for her to gain points. There were at least a dozen surrounding her alone.

“A bunch of frogs wish to slay the phoenix. Such foolish notions!” Shuren declared with vigour as he strode towards them with his staff scratching the icy ground. Catching their attention with a taunt, he prepared to jump in the fray. “Come. I’ll allow you the gift of-”

Shuren almost lost his balance at the rumbling of the ground shaking, akin to the whole world being tipped over. The Walls of Destruction? No, it can’t be that!

Everyone in the icy field stared at the closest and largest mountain that encircled them, covered with the mantle of frost and fog. A mist of clouds forms and embroiled as it flowed down the mountains.

From afar, it crawled at a slow pace, but with each second, the rumbling worsened. The primal roar of cold mother nature bellowed across the realm, declaring its presence as the true monarch above all mortals beneath it.

The clouds of snow dust veiled everyone to the true face of it. The thunderous echoes through the valleys announced to everyone its true force. The cascade of snowfall falling down the mountain shown to everyone its true magnanimity.

It threatened to demolish everyone in its path.

Shuren was the first to retreat. No mortal could deal with such a thing.

The avalanche of ruin fell upon them all.