Feng Yumo took a deep breath and stepped forward. Compared to the others who tried to show off or hesitated, he was silent. No hesitation. No fancy aura flares. He just calmly cut his palm with the provided dagger and pressed both blood-filled hands onto the physique stone.
The very next instant, a massive shockwave burst out!
BOOM!
A warhorn echoed from within the stone, shaking the plaza. Crimson light exploded from Yumo's body like a battlefield sun. Ethereal phantoms of ancient warriors marched through the sky—armored giants wielding halberds, sabers, and spears—engulfed in killing aura. Drums of war boomed as if a divine army had been unleashed.
Above his head, a single blazing rune blazed into existence:
[War Sovereign Body] — Ranked 11th in the Yiluan World
The entire audience erupted.
"Another top physique?!"
"This generation… is insane! Four top 20 physiques already?!"
"In every previous generation, we were lucky to have one or two top 20s. And even then, they were usually ranked in the twenties… the last time someone awakened a top 10 physique was thousands of years ago!"
"The one who ascended to the Immortal Realm… yeah…"
Up in the clouds, Feng Clan's Patriarch's eyes gleamed brighter than ever before. His expression shifted rapidly from disbelief to deep contemplation.
That's… his son?
He had honestly never expected anything from Feng Yumo. The boy's mother was a lowly mortal maid, someone he barely remembered. His true children, born from his main wife, were hundreds of years old already and rising stars in various sects. But now…
Now, this "illegitimate" son had awakened the War Sovereign Body, one of the rarest battle physiques in the world.
"Could it be… he really has the potential to carry on the Feng bloodline?" the patriarch murmured.
All around, Dao beings, elders, and disciples whispered and pointed in disbelief. No one expected such a monster to rise from such humble roots.
Feng Yumo calmly stepped down from the stage, face calm… but his eyes shimmered with suppressed emotion. He walked up to Chen Chao, who met him with a proud smile.
Chen Chao clapped a firm hand on his best friend's shoulder.
"I told you, Yumo… you were never trash. Now the world knows it."
Yumo nodded hard, his eyes a little wet. "Mm…"
After a firm grasp and nod between brothers-in-arms, Chen Chao turned… and walked forward.
The final test was about to begin.
With a calm expression, Chen Chao stepped onto the stage. There was no hesitation in his movements. His pace steady. His eyes quiet. Without a word, he picked up the dagger, sliced across his palm, and pressed both bloodied hands firmly onto the physique testing stone.
For a brief moment—nothing.
Then—
BOOOOM!!
The world seemed to quake.
The world roared.
From his body, green and grey light erupted like a divine storm. The testing platform shook violently, and the air trembled as if a divine being had descended. The moment the light surged upward, the sect's grand array flickered, unable to contain the overflowing might.
Cracks of light shattered across the sky barrier like glass. Then, from the heavens—
A colossal skeleton formed.
Floating high above the clouds, it was massive, easily spanning several mountain peaks in height. Its entire body glowed with green and grey hues, every bone laced with mystical immortal runes. But more terrifying were the swirling grey lines of karma that coiled around it like celestial chains, dancing and weaving like serpents of fate.
The skeleton's hollow eyes glowed faintly grey, deep, cold, and ancient, as if they could see through every soul, every lie, every hidden sin. Its very gaze made countless spectators feel exposed, their secrets laid bare.
Karmic runes lit up across Chen Chao's body, flickering and shifting like the passage of time. His skin pulsed with ancient symbols. His eyes turned grey and hollow, mirroring the monstrous figure in the sky.
The Dao beings—clan patriarchs, supreme elder, core elders—all hovered frozen in the clouds, staring with wide eyes.
"…Impossible…"
"That… that's not just a top physique…"
"This… this is…"
In the depths of the Ethereal Dao Sect's forbidden mountain peaks, deep within caverns where the true ancestors sat unmoving in eternal meditation, several pairs of ancient eyes slowly opened. Dust that hadn't stirred in thousands of years fell silently to the floor.
One voice—hoarse and ancient—echoed faintly within the mountain:
"The Immortal Karma Bone… it has appeared once more…"
The sky itself twisted under the pressure. Karmic energy coiled endlessly through the air, whispering truths, promises, and retribution to all who dared listen.
Below, no one dared to speak.
Even after the massive phenomenon finally began to fade, it did so slowly, far slower than the others before it. The colossal skeleton dispersed piece by piece, its skull the last to vanish.
Only then did the light dim, the wind return, and Chen Chao's grey hollow eyes gradually regain clarity.
He blinked once. Twice.
His gaze swept the stunned crowd.
Still, silence.
Not a word. Not a cough. Not a breath.
Everyone just stared.
Some with awe. Some with fear. Some with disbelief. Others, already calculating.
As if breaking a dam, the entire platform erupted in an uproar.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
"Did anyone else feel their body go cold when the skeleton looked down?!"
"That thing looked into my soul, I swear it!"
"Immortal Karma Bone Physique? That's the second rank physique, right?! Right?!"
High above, the Dao Beings didn't join in the chatter.
They were quiet.
The Supreme Elder's expression had turned dark. He clenched his fists under his robes.