"Ahem!!"
Lying on the floor, Ao Wushuang coughed up blood.
"Wushuang, are you alright?"
His fellow Heaven Sect disciples quickly came forward to check on him, all letting out a sigh of relief when they saw that he survived Su Mo's attack.
Still, their faces were downcast and grave.
"I'm fine!"
Ao Wushuang said feebly as his palm landed heavily on the ground, bouncing back up on his feet.
His clothes were tattered, a glimpse of silver could be seen beneath his torn clothing. It was his internal armor.
The internal armor Ao Wushuang was wearing had saved his life.
Even so, he had sustained serious internal injuries.
Su Mo was relieved when he saw that Ao Wushuang survived his attack. It would have complicated matters if Ao Wushuang had been killed.
Just then, the audience started to recover from the shock, with cries of excitement rippling through the crowd.
"Ao Wushuang has been defeated!"
"How did that happen? The invincible Ao Wushuang, defeated! By someone of a lower power!"
"Unbelievable, this is too incredible!"
"This dark horse, Su Mo, is now truly invincible!"
"…"
The entire arena was awash with excitement, chattering over each other, expressing their astonishment.
Even the faces of some experts from the Seven Overlords, who had attained Enlightenment Realm, showed surprise and disbelief.
After all, Ao Wushuang had displayed formidable strength earlier, giving off the impression that he was invincible, among the younger generation.
Now, though, the invincible Ao Wushuang had lost to Su Mo. This sudden reversal had shocked the audience to the core.
The ninth princess' eyes lit up, lost in thought. Su Mo defeating Ao Wushuang was beyond her wildest imaginations.
The group from Gale Island were still in a daze, as if this was all a dream.
To top the List of Top 100 Talents was something they had never dared to dream of, before the competition began.
Historically, going as far back as the first ever Top-100-Talent Competition, each winner would almost definitely be from the Seven Overlords.
Few fighters from the 29 small countries had ever made it to the top twenty on the List.
Behind the power of the Seven Overlords lay the strength of those who had attained high level Enlightment Realm. Power was also held by martial artists who had attained Peak Enlightment Realm. In the past, the Seven Overlords had even produced super strong martial artists who had attained True Darkness Realm. All these accomplishments proved that they had a sturdy foundation, producing a steady stream of strong martial artists across their Sects, far beyond the level of Sects from smaller countries.
And now Su Mo, who hailed from a small country, had taken the top spot on the List of Top 100 Talents, breaking all records of Hong Domain in the process.
"Elder Wei, your disciple is a Real Dragon!"
The Second Elder said softly.
Elder Wei nodded as if in a daze, and replied "He truly is a Real Dragon lying in wait. Now, he has unleashed the power within, and will soon conquer the skies!"
Second Elder sighed, saying "No wonder he did not care for the role of island owner. He even mentioned that he wanted to head towards Central Continent. With such great ambition, even we will not be able to guess his true goals. I doubt Gale Island or even Hong Domain will be able to tie him down!"
Elder Wei nodded in agreement, adding, "Real Dragons are meant to conquer the skies. His ambitions shouldn't come as a surprise to us and I will not ask him to stay!"
Elder Wei felt rather conflicted, for it was his great fortune to have Su Mo as his disciple.
Although he would love for Su Mo to remain at Gale Island, he would not do so, for Gale Island would definitely become Su Mo's shackles.
In the fighting ring.
In the fighting ring, Su Mo stated loudly, "Ao Wushuang, we now have a clear winner!" as he stood proudly, staring straight at Ao Wushuang.
In the fighting ring, Su Mo stated loudly.
Ao Wushuang, his lips still bloody, also returned Su Mo's stare, with a mixed expression.
Never could he imagine that Su Mo's final attack could imbue such power.
He had lost!
Not just that, he had been thoroughly defeated!
Ever since he started martial arts, not once had he lost to his peers.
Now, he was not only defeated, but it was also at the hands of an opponent of lower power!
Ao Wushuang did not want to admit defeat!
His Martial Soul was not yet activated. Had he drawn upon the strength of his Martial Soul, his combat strength would have increased by leaps and bounds. He would not have been defeated so easily!
Ao Wushuang was not aware that Su Mo's Martial Soul could have had an even bigger influence on the duel.
If he had activated his Martial Soul, Su Mo would have done the same.
The reason why Su Mo did not do so was because he felt that he would be able to defeat Ao Wushuang with his stregnth alone. Also, there were many Enlightment Realm martial artists in the audience. If he revealed the power of his Martial Soul, he might be asking for trouble!
"Su Mo, I lost due to my carelessness this time! Next time, I'll defeat you!"
Ao Wushuang said darkly.
"Next time?"
Su Mo shook his head. Those he had surpassed had never been able to bridge the gap again. The difference in the two's strength would only grow larger.
Growl!
Just then, Su Mo's Dragon Luck swooped out and devoured Ao Wushuang's Dragon Luck.
His Dragon Luck grew rapidly.
970 feet!
980 feet!
990 feet!
1,000 feet!
1,010 feet!
After Su Mo's Dragon Luck swallowed a portion of Ao Wushuang's Dragon Luck, his Dragon Luck surged to 1,010 feet.
Growl!
Then, something strange happened. Su Mo's Dragon Luck did not return to his side, but rather flew towards the central arena, and rose to the heavens with a loud roar.
His Dragon Luck continued to growl, causing the entire Archean Fighting Ring to quake.
Many rays of light emerged across the five post-archean fighting rings, shooting towards the skies.
The light rays were tall and colorful, slowly converging into a brilliant multicolored light gate in the skies above the five fighting rings.
After the multicolored light gate was formed, Su Mo's Dragon Luck returned to Su Mo with a roar.
"This is the Firmament Divine Realm!"
"It has been so many years, and finally, Hong Domain's entrance to the Firmament Divine Realm has opened!"
"Haha, this signifies the start of the golden era of Hong Domain's martial arts!"
Across the audience, many well-read, and strong martial artists from the older generation exclaimed.
It was rumoured that any young talent whose Dragon Luck managed to cross the thousand feet mark at the Top-100-Talent competition would be able to open the door to an ancient land, the Firmament Divine Realm.
Only talents on the List of Top 100 Talents who had Dragon Luck would be able to pass through the gates of Firmament Divine Realm to receive treasures, and even discover the secrets to martial art skills.
However, the talents of Hong Domain had not been very powerful in the past millennia, and not one talent's Dragon Luck had been able to reach the height of a thousand feet. Thus, the gate to Firmament Divine Realm had remained shut.
This resulted in Hong Domain's standard of martial arts to be much weaker compared to the other domains in the East Continent, causing many experts to leave Hong Domain, never to return.
Now that the entrance to Firmament Divine Realm was opened, it signified an awakening of martial arts in Hong Domain. In the audience, those who knew this were positive.
The eyes of Mo Yue, Hong Qingtian, Ao Wushuang, and the rest, were bright.
They might not have not topped the List of Top 100 Talents, but heading into the Firmament Divine Realm would be their chance to soar.
Many people were full of anticipation at the thought of this ancient site.