The arena trembled.
Li Tian stood firm, facing Zhao Feng, the Fourth Prince. The prince's crimson qi swept toward him like a tidal wave, two realms above his own. The crowd gasped. Even seasoned cultivators held their breath.
Li Tian's meridians throbbed. The Heaven-Defying technique slept deep inside his dantian, silent for now. He could feel its urge to awaken. But this was not yet the time. He relied solely on his Meridian Realm cultivation, stretched to its limits.
Zhao Feng's next strike split the air, a series of powerful palm waves, each infused with raw power. Li Tian shifted slightly, feeling the flow of qi instead of the movement. One step, a pivot, and the final palm barely grazed him. He countered with a compressed palm strike, simple yet precise.
The impact exploded outward, sending a shockwave that rattled the arena. Zhao Feng stumbled back slightly, surprised by the dense energy. The spectators murmured in disbelief. No Third Meridian Realm cultivator should even survive a single exchange against Fifth Meridian Realm power.
Zhao Feng's eyes narrowed, a trace of respect hidden behind arrogance. "You are unusual," he said, voice cold. "Perhaps you have hidden power."
Li Tian met his gaze calmly. "I fight only with what I have."
A tense silence settled over the arena.
Zhao Feng struck again. This time, his palms moved like a storm, consecutive waves of crimson qi, faster and sharper. Li Tian's body moved in perfect rhythm, sensing each strike through the flow of qi. He dodged, blocked, and then used Zhao Feng's momentum to strike at his side. The golden mark beneath his skin quivered faintly, but he restrained it.
The crowd erupted. Whispers flew: "The Meridian Realm disciple… holding against the Fourth Prince?"
The Imperial observers leaned forward. Zhao Liang's expression remained calm, unreadable.
Zhao Feng's attacks grew fiercer, but Li Tian's defense never faltered. He was moving beyond reaction—feeling, predicting, and guiding. His martial sense, trained alone in Azure Sky Pavilion, compensated for the gap in raw strength.
Finally, Zhao Feng launched a massive burst, all his qi focused in one palm strike. The force carried enough power to shatter bones.
Li Tian's eyes narrowed. He took a deep breath, circulating qi to the tips of his fingers. The golden energy in his dantian whispered. He forced it down, suppressing it. With a sudden step forward, he intercepted Zhao Feng's palm directly, meeting raw Fifth Meridian pressure with dense Third Meridian energy.
Boom.
The impact sent a shockwave across the arena, stirring dust and loose stone. Zhao Feng's feet slipped slightly, an unusual miscalculation.
Li Tian seized the moment, pressing forward with a rapid series of palm strikes. Each strike precise, focused, and perfectly timed. Zhao Feng blocked most, but one strike grazed his shoulder, and a faint trail of qi burned across his robes.
The spectators went silent. Even Zhao Feng's own supporters were shocked.
Li Tian took a step back, breathing steady. "Enough," he said calmly.
Zhao Feng stared at him, red qi still swirling around his body. For the first time, a flicker of doubt appeared in his eyes. "Third Meridian Realm…" he muttered. "How…?"
The Imperial elder observing from the side noted quietly, "Unusual talent… far beyond normal Meridian Realm limits."
Zhao Liang's gaze sharpened. He finally leaned forward. Something in Li Tian's aura caught his attention, faint, but undeniable.
The trial was far from over.
And the storm between realms had only begun.