The Holy Hall's master was himself a genius cultivator, one whose legend started during his childhood. He was also lauded as the closest person to the first generation hall master, someone who in the future might reach a height comparable to the first generation hall master.

  The clone had his cultivation base suppressed to the level of third-stage Dragon Ascension Realm, but in truth, he was capable of unleashing the combat prowess of a peak Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator.

  Instead of trying his best right off the bat, the clone met Xiang Shaoyun with the strength of a late-stage Emperor.

  Major Slab Palm!

  He used a top-tier emperor technique, releasing a palm thick with the power of earth that pressed down on Xiang Shaoyun. The palm was extremely terrifying. It was as if an entire mountain was collapsing upon him. Rather than dodging, Xiang Shaoyun formed his own fist and punched the incoming palm.

  Bang!

  The two attacks collided loudly, signaling the start of the battle. The moment the clone attacked, he stopped holding back. The Major Slab Palm lashed about fiercely, forming numerous energy slabs on the ring. It was as if the ring was turning into a completely enclosed space.

  The palm attacks were fast and violent and extremely hard to guard against, displaying the hall master's might. This was a combat prowess comparable with any genius disciple of the Dragon Phoenix Academy.

  However, Xiang Shaoyun was one of the academy's top freaks. He did not fear taking the hall master's clone head on. Shrouded by the power of lightning, he sent one Lightning Bolt Fist after another, blasting apart the Major Slab Palms around him. His gift of instincts was working at full power, trying to look for an opening.

  To his surprise, his opponent had almost zero openings. He was unable to get a hit in, and it seemed his only option was to overwhelm his opponent with pure strength.

  At that discovery, Xiang Shaoyun increased the intensity of his attacks. He sent his lightning power everywhere, blasting apart the Major Slab Palms surrounding him to seize the initiative.

  While Xiang Shaoyun was using his lightning power, a battle was also ongoing between Xiang Zixuan and the other clone. Similarly, Xiang Zixuan was using his own lightning power. At the sight of that, the elders all had a contemplative look on their faces.

  Both these youngsters had the same surname, and they also used the same power. Were they actually related?

  Xiang Zixuan's battle with the clone seemed extremely intense, and it did not seem like a victor would be decided anytime soon. Fortunately, the massive ring was now separated into two separate zones. Otherwise, the aftershocks of Xiang Zixuan's battle would definitely affect Xiang Shaoyun.

  The longer the battle dragged on, the more ferocious Xiang Shaoyun was. Even the hall master couldn't help praising him, "Excellent. Very strong. I'm going to get serious now."

  As he said that, a boundless surge of earth energy converged onto the clone, greatly increasing the clone's strength.

  Profundity of earth!

  Meteor Fall!

  The clone casually activated the profundity of earth, and as his palms waved about repeatedly, the earth energy converged and formed numerous massive meteors that dropped down at Xiang Shaoyun.

  \r\r\r

  The meteor attack had definitely reached the level of a peak Emperor. It was obvious how much of a freak the hall master was back when he was still a Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator.

  After all, skipping over five or six stages of power when one was a third-stage Emperor was a feat only achievable by the best of the best, someone with an incredibly bright future.

  "Haha, this is more like it. Now, the fight will get more interesting. Otherwise, it will be boring to defeat you when you're restricted to my cultivation level," Xiang Shaoyun roared with laughter as he fully activated his astral energy and lightning bone. At the same time, he also used the profundity of lightning. A storm started brewing in the sky.

  Rumble! Rumble!

  Like a lightning dragon, Xiang Shaoyun shot toward the clone. His destructive lightning power blasted the numerous meteors apart, opening a free path for him through sheer force. As he neared the clone, he released an overbearing attack.

  The clone raised his brow as he pulled in the power generated by the profundity of earth. Clumps of earth energy rose before him to form layers of powerful defenses that met Xiang Shaoyun's incoming fist, creating a series of rumbling sounds.

  The defenses were nearly fully destroyed, and at this time, he used a technique nobody had seen coming—Phantom Shift! Instantly, the clone shifted to a different position. An afterimage was left at his original position, making it completely unclear that the original clone had already moved.

  Even Xiang Shaoyun had not expected the hall master's clone to suddenly move out of his way. His attack landed on the afterimage, and his back was fully exposed. The clone took the opportunity to release a flurry of attacks toward his back.

  A barrage of attacks bombarded Xiang Shaoyun, putting him in great pain. Even his organs were starting to bleed. Evidently, he had been injured.

  The clone pressed on, not planning to give Xiang Shaoyun any chance to recover. He attacked with powerful techniques again and again, the might behind his attacks growing increasingly scary.

  Fortunately, Xiang Shaoyun's body had amazing toughness. He was able to survive the bombardment without losing consciousness. Otherwise, his defeat would be certain.

  The moment Xiang Shaoyun was struck, he shifted the element of his power and used the profundity of earth as well. A gravity field formed around him, forcefully slowing down the clone's attacks.

  "Huh? You cultivate the power of earth and have such deep understanding of it as well?" said the clone in astonishment.

  The instant the clone was slowed, Xiang Shaoyun shifted his power again, using the profundity of wind. His body turned into a phantom as he reappeared behind the clone. The powers of lightning and wind erupted from him, engulfing the clone in a storm.

  Wind and Lightning!

  The wind and the lightning were akin to ferocious beasts, shaking the ring with their might.

  The hall master's clone reacted speedily, using his Phantom Shift to avoid the attack. Unfortunately for him, Xiang Shaoyun would not fall for the same trick twice. The storm spread and wreaked havoc on a wide area around him, completely submerging the clone in a storm that was roaring like tigers and dragons.

  The storm was so thick it was hard for the audience to even see what was going on. Even the elders who were watching found themselves shocked.

  "Apart from the power of lightning, this kid also cultivates the powers of wind and earth? And he seems to have great proficiency on all of them as well?"

  "Seems like not even the hall master's clone can fully suppress him. That kid obviously has a strong foundation. He is indeed a Dragon Phoenix Academy disciple."

  "By combining the powers of wind and lightning, he was able to unleash an attack comparable to a peak Emperor. This kid has some skills."

  "Hmph. He will have a bleak future cultivating so many powers. He won't go far in life."

  Chapter 799: Those Refusing the Advice of the Elderly Will Be the Ones to Suffer

  Finally, the storm faded away, revealing the hall master's clone and Xiang Shaoyun once again, both separated from the other.

  Blood was dripping from Xiang Shaoyun's mouth, and his expression was somewhat pale. Evidently, he had sustained rather serious injuries. His vicious counterattack had further exacerbated his condition. As for the clone, he had grown translucent and looked like he couldn't last any longer.

  "You're not bad, kid. It's my defeat," said the clone with a praising look on his face. Noiselessly, his body melted into the ring.

  The eyes of the elders widened in shock. Evidently, none of them had expected Xiang Shaoyun to actually defeat their hall master.

  "Haha, good kid. I have not made a misjudgment, after all. You have defeated the hall master," shouted the excited Old Urchin.

  "Hmph. Don't talk drivel, Old Urchin. That is only a clone," said Hu Yanbo coldly.

  "Yes, but that's still the hall master's clone. A defeat is a defeat. Why can't we talk about it? Even the hall master himself has admitted defeat!" said Old Urchin. "Look, the kid you guys found doesn't seem to be doing well. He looks to be on the verge of losing."

  Sure enough, at the other side of the ring, Xiang Zixuan was in an intense battle with the other clone. The clone was holding the absolute upper hand, delivering a punishing beating to Xiang Zixuan.

  Before the battle, Xiang Zixuan had used some herbs and spring water to recover to his peak condition. But he was still not the match of the hall master's clone even when the two had the same cultivation level.

  It was becoming increasingly apparent that Xiang Zixuan was heading toward the path of defeat. Thus, the third and seventh elders wore ghastly expressions. If only Xiang Shaoyun managed to pass this trial, they would hear no end of it from Old Urchin.

  As for the Black and White Guardians from the Xiang Clan, they had awkward expressions. They had never imagined that even with Xiang Zixuan's strength, he still couldn't defeat the hall master when both were at the same level. It was obvious how powerful an individual the hall master was.

  Looking at Xiang Zixuan, who was on the verge of defeat, Xiang Shaoyun smiled and said, "Although this fellow is strong, he still can't compare with the hall master when their cultivation levels are even."

  So long as Xiang Zixuan suffered a defeat, Xiang Shaoyun would be the sole victor. He believed Old Urchin would stop making things difficult for him after that.

  Just as the hall master's clone was about to land a finishing blow on Xiang Zixuan, he changed his weapon. A much sharper weapon appeared in his hand, and a rain of purple lightning suddenly fell down from the sky. A sea of lightning was created as if a natural calamity was happening.

  Rumble! Rumble!

  Even Xiang Shaoyun was alarmed by the prowess demonstrated by the rain of lightning. In fact, he did not doubt that he would be immediately reduced to nothingness facing that attack himself.

  After a while, the rain of lightning finally stopped. With a purple sword in hand, Xiang Zixuan stood on the ring, forcing his body to remain standing.

  The clone turned incredibly translucent. Softly, he said, "Pass," before dissipating into nothingness.

  "Shit, that kid actually used a saint weapon!" Old Urchin cursed.

  \r\r\r

  Many of the elders saw what happened, and they had complicated expressions. Even so, none of them said anything.

  "Since even the hall master himself gave him a pass, there is nothing wrong with using a saint weapon," said Hu Yanbo. He looked at the first elder and continued, "First elder, both candidates are greatly exhausted. Should we give them an hour to rest?"

  The first elder waved his hand and said, "We continue with the third trial. Come with me."

  He then led the group somewhere else. The others followed, not daring to say anything.

  "Hey, if you can't keep up, just give up. Don't force yourself," said Xiang Shaoyun provocatively.

  Although his injuries weren't light, he had already used a drop of lightning liquid and some emperor-grade spring water. He was healing quickly, and he was in a much better condition than Xiang Zixuan.

  "Dream on!" Xiang Zixuan gave an unyielding response.

  He also used some high-tier spring water to increase his recovery speed. He was, after all, a prodigy from the Xiang Clan who had reached the Soul Foundation Realm. Thus, he had his own astral cosmos sea. It wasn't particularly large, but it was enough for him.

  "You had such a hard time passing the previous two trials, so you will definitely stand no chance against the last trial. Remember, those refusing to listen to the advice of the elderly will be the ones to suffer," said Xiang Shaoyun with the tone of some senior cultivator.

  "You had merely gotten lucky. You have no right to act all smug before me," said Xiang Zixuan as he glared at Xiang Shaoyun.

  "We'll see," said Xiang Shaoyun, his head raised smugly.

  In truth, he was feigning this arrogance. He felt that the final trial would be the hardest, and he wasn't confident he could get through it. But at this point, it was too late for him to withdraw. Perhaps he would get lucky and pass the final trial as well?

  Shortly after, the group arrived at a certain location.

  Hu Yanbo asked, "First elder, why are you bringing us to the restricted zone?"

  "The third trial will be inside the restricted zone. Wait here, all of you. I'll bring both of them in," said the first elder.

  The restricted zone at the rear court of the Holy Hall was a place filled with stone towers. Each stone tower held a different position, and one could easily get lost amid the stone towers.

  The forest of towers was actually an ancient formation that contained an indescribable power. With Xiang Shaoyun and Xiang Zixuan in tow, the first elder went deeper into the restricted zone.

  "Stick with me, or you'll be trapped here forever," the first elder's voice rang out.

  While following behind the first elder, Xiang Shaoyun released the senses of his Nether Soul Domain, trying to map out his surroundings. However, he found that although his senses could spread out, he couldn't study his surroundings. It was as if some sort of power was obstructing his senses.

  This is indeed a restricted zone. One won't be able to casually scan this place, thought Xiang Shaoyun.

  After a short while, the three arrived before a certain stone tower. This tower was taller than the other towers. They could see numerous green scars on it, and the tower itself emanated an ancient vibe.

  "The first one to comprehend the secret of this stone tower will pass the third trial," said the first elder before he turned and left. His words left Xiang Shaoyun and Xiang Zixuan staring at the stone tower blankly.