Chapter 60: Revealing Strength

On the competition stage.

Chen Mo stood in a luxurious black brocade robe, a golden tiger-patterned belt of the same color tied around his waist. His black hair was tied up and secured with a jade-inlaid gold ornament. His tall and slender figure stood straight and proud.

The bright moonlight shone on Chen Mo, making him appear both dashing and noble, exuding an innate air of elegance.

"Come on!"

Chen Mo stood with his hands behind his back, radiating an indescribable arrogance.

"Let's see you act all high and mighty." Wu Hao's Dou Qi surged within him, and his Fighting Energy Armor instantly enveloped his entire body. With a step on the ground, his body shot toward Chen Mo like a gust of wind.

He wasn't about to repeat Chu Bao's mistake. Wu Hao immediately activated his Mystic Grade Intermediate Movement Technique, his body moving eerily across the stage.

Spotting a gap in Chen Mo's defense, Wu Hao's foot erupted with a surge of crimson Dou Qi, and he aimed a fierce kick toward Chen Mo's side.

The sharp gust of wind whistled past Chen Mo's ear.

Yet, at this moment, Chen Mo still hadn't moved to dodge.

"This is a two-star Dou Grand Master. Is the kid being too overconfident?" Jia Lao couldn't help but feel worried for Chen Mo.

"That kick was delivered with full force," Fa Ma remarked, his eyes flickering.

"Thud!" A dull sound echoed, but the scene Wu Hao had imagined didn't unfold. His body froze mid-air, his foot failing to land on Chen Mo. Instead, his ankle was firmly grasped by Chen Mo's hand.

"This..." Ruo Lin's pupils contracted, her gaze fixed on the scene. Chen Mo remained as steady as a mountain, only his robe fluttering in the wind stirred by the force.

The full-force kick of a Dou Grand Master had been effortlessly caught by Chen Mo, who was only at the Dou Master level.

"This kid really has something up his sleeve," Lan Baixi muttered softly behind Ruo Lin.

"How is this possible? There's an insurmountable gap between a Dou Grand Master and a Dou Master. This is common knowledge. How could you—"

Wu Hao stared at Chen Mo, feeling as though his foot had struck an immense force, unable to advance even an inch.

"It seems you don't know enough!" Chen Mo looked at Wu Hao, and then a powerful surge of Dou Qi erupted from within him, enveloping his entire body.

"Eight-star Dou Master!" Those who had witnessed the Yunlan Sect's grand competition trembled at the sight of the rolling black Dou Qi emanating from Chen Mo.

In just over three months, he had broken through from a two-star Dou Master to an eight-star Dou Master. Even if one ignored bottlenecks and relied solely on elixirs, such progress would be impossible.

Yet, Chen Mo had not only achieved it, but the overwhelming aura he exuded also made it clear that his Dou Qi was exceptionally pure.

"Is this kid even human?" Jia Lao couldn't help but curse under his breath.

"Was he really a two-star Dou Master three months ago?" Yao Ye now deeply doubted.

In a corner, Mo Li was utterly defeated. All he could hope for now was that Chen Mo didn't remember him.

I barely managed to advance one star in three months, yet you jumped six stars.

Mo Li realized he wasn't even qualified to be Chen Mo's opponent.

"Alright, next!" Chen Mo looked at him and smiled faintly.

With a loud "thud," Chen Mo's right leg swept across Wu Hao's chest. The immense force sent Wu Hao flying, eventually landing far off the stage.

Just as he was about to hit the ground, Wu Hao's palm suddenly moved toward the floor. Half a breath later, a vast, invisible force erupted from his palm, slamming fiercely into the stone floor below.

Using the recoil force of his Dou Qi, Wu Hao's descending body was propelled upward for a moment. Seizing this opportunity, he flipped in mid-air and landed back on the stage.

With a muffled groan, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating he was seriously injured.

"Hmm? Still resisting?" Chen Mo frowned, seeing Wu Hao's stance, it seemed he wanted to continue fighting!

Wu Hao slowly rose from the ground, wiping the blood from his mouth with his hand. A flash of light appeared between his fingers, and in the next moment, a streak of blood-red light flashed before everyone's eyes.

A peculiar blood-red greatsword appeared in Wu Hao's hand.

"Is he getting serious now?" everyone thought.

"Bleeding only makes me stronger!" Wu Hao smeared the blood from his mouth onto the greatsword.

Blood gushed from his palm, being devoured by the blood-red greatsword.

"Blood Cleave Slash!"

In the next moment, Wu Hao raised the blood-red greatsword above his head. The sword trembled violently, its color becoming eerily vibrant. Instantly, several blood-red rays shot out.

"Blood-colored Dou Qi, this is a bloodthirsty Cultivation Method," Jia Lao frowned. This method greatly amplified Dou Qi.

Two blood-red rays shot towards Chen Mo's chest and head, while the remaining ones sealed off his escape routes.

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the two blood-red rays slammed heavily into Chen Mo's body. With a burst of blood-red light, the candles in the stone lanterns around the stage were extinguished.

Under the moonlight, only a purple flame wrapped in lightning was particularly eye-catching.

The two blood-red rays struck the Thunder Fire, but were continuously burned away by it. The energy fluctuations from the explosion of the blood-red light also failed to break through the Thunder Fire's defense.

"What? This is impossible?" Wu Hao's expression changed, then turned somewhat frantic. Staring at the figure enveloped in purple flames and crackling with lightning, he felt on the verge of collapse.

"How has this flame grown stronger again?" Fa Ma exclaimed in surprise. Although the flame Chen Mo displayed at yesterday's Alchemist Convention was astonishing, its temperature was much lower compared to tonight.

"Had enough fun?" The figure within the flames slightly raised his head, his calm voice echoing. A look of indifference appeared on his handsome face.

This indifferent expression, as if he didn't care at all, made Wu Hao's mouth twitch slightly.

"Since you've had your fun, now it's my turn!"

With that, Chen Mo's figure vanished, only to reappear eerily behind Wu Hao.

The latter sensed a wave of intense heat from behind. As he turned his head, his eyes were filled with a fist the size of a sandbag, wrapped in flames.

Immediately after, he felt a sharp pain in his right cheek.

Chen Mo punched Wu Hao in the face, causing the greatsword to fall to the ground and sending him flying even farther than before.

Thud!

A splash was heard from the distant pond.

Chen Mo felt he was being merciful by not sending Wu Hao crashing into the rockery.

Ruo Lin was momentarily stunned, then quickly reacted. However, since she had to take care of Hu Jia, she signaled to He Chuzhang behind her.

A figure swiftly dashed out, stepping on the water's surface, and pulled Wu Hao out of the pond.

In the imperial garden, silence reigned. Everyone gazed at the youthful and arrogant figure on the stage, as if seeing the shadow they had once aspired to in their childhood.

Yao Ye's gaze was gradually drawn to this figure.

Beneath the pavilion, the middle-aged man's expression remained unchanged, but a voice inside him was roaring furiously, "Such a prodigy must be recruited by our royal family at all costs."