"Okay!"
Huali accepted without hesitation. To him, this opportunity was golden—perfect for implementing what he had thought of earlier after seeing Lu Han's punch.
"Fine."
Lu Han showed a faint smile and then greeted him. "Let's attack at the same time."
After speaking, he stepped back five meters and entered a state of concentration.
In front of him, Huali felt his blood boiling, circulating faster than usual. It wasn't fear, but excitement.
After spinning his spear a few times, he brought it to his left shoulder and positioned it along his back, sliding it down from his neck.
This strange stance surprised Lu Han, but did not break his focus. He was determined to give everything in that moment.
Taking a deep breath, with the sensation of hearing his own blood flow, Lu Han directed all his will to his legs and, with a sudden burst, slammed his feet into the ground and dashed forward with full force.
Huali, not wanting to fall behind, at the same instant extended his left foot forward, lifting the sole, while keeping his right foot behind, balancing on his toes. He lowered his body and shot forward.
Gripping the spear, he traced an arc, pulling it from behind and, within seconds, bringing the blade forward—like a fierce horse suddenly released from its reins, gaining speed with every passing moment.
Huali hurled the spear toward Lu Han.
Seeing the weapon tear through the air and approach with ferocity, Lu Han felt his heart freeze. Even with a trace of awareness, fear crept in. If that struck him, it could seriously injure—or even kill—him.
"I can't retreat now."
He took a deep breath and imagined, in just a few seconds:
A tree being scorched under a blazing sun. To survive, it used the water stored within its body, keeping its roots alive in the earth. But in exchange, its leaves turned yellow and fell, and its branches dried out.
Lu Han, like that tree within his foundation, chose to risk everything.
First, he spread his flow throughout his entire body and, at the same time, extended his right fist. As he approached the silver blur, he withdrew the flow, making his fist as light as a feather.
This continued until the spear was one meter away, its wind lifting his black hair.
"Now!"
With adrenaline surging through every part of his body and the fear of death pressing in, Lu Han gathered all the flow into his fist in an instant and unleashed the full potential of his physical body, exploding with immense force.
Boom!
The man and the high-speed spear collided head-on, producing a thunderous sound and a burst of wind.
After the impact, the spear was deflected backward, spinning through the air.
Lu Han, who had clashed with it, had all five fingers torn open, blood pouring endlessly. His arms were numb, completely drained of strength, and his legs felt the same. Without balance, he collapsed to the ground after altering the spear's trajectory.
"Is this my maximum power?"
Lu Han wanted to smile, but couldn't because of the pain.
He had managed to stop a high-speed weapon—as a mortal.
Aside from martial masters and trained elites, he was one of the few mortals capable of such a feat.
"If I keep repeating this, I could become a martial artist."
With that thought, Lu Han forced his numb left hand to grab the ointment and open it. It was difficult, but through sheer will, he succeeded. As he applied it to his fingers, he began to feel them recover.
Huali, who had been observing everything from behind, did not go to retrieve his spear, nor did he approach Lu Han. He simply stood there, his eyes trembling uncontrollably.
Just moments ago, he had felt that he might commit murder for the first time in his life, which left him uneasy. It wasn't out of kindness or pity.
He had learned from a young age that killing was normal in the world of cultivation. But perhaps it was guilt?
Yes…
Killing a promising young man would be a loss.
A disheveled-looking youth who, once again, had surprised him.
He had kept his word—to decide everything in a single strike—and did not retreat, facing the spear head-on and deflecting its course.
"Haha…"
Huali began to laugh. A cold yet intense laughter.
Lu Han, still on the ground, looked at him warily, trying to understand what was happening to that noble youth.
Recovering a bit of his mobility, he slowly stood up, keeping his eyes fixed on Huali.
Stopping his laughter, Murong Huali walked over to his spear and picked it up. Looking at Lu Han, he returned to his usual demeanor.
"Thank you for the guidance, Brother Lu. Thanks to you, I now understand what I must do."
He cupped his hands in respect and walked away.
Letting his guard down, Lu Han watched the back of the figure heading toward the immortal supervisor. After a brief exchange, the blond youth proceeded to the third test.
"He only wanted to train with me? What did that guy understand from that spear throw?"
Doubts filled Lu Han's mind. Immediately, he closed his eyes and focused on seeing through the mark. In an instant, he gained the perspective of the blond youth, who was now standing before the statues.
Upon hearing the objectives of the third test, Murong Huali's expression shifted slightly. He had expected a combat trial—but not against five opponents.
"This year's difficulty has increased…"
Realizing this, Huali stopped thinking further. Like an eagle, he locked his gaze onto the statues a hundred meters ahead.
They, which had remained motionless until moments ago, came to life and opened eyes of various colors. The moment they looked at him, they wasted no time and charged forward.
On alert, Huali drew his spear.
Seeing the blue-eyed statue take the lead and raise its fist to strike, he positioned his spear forward and deflected the blow, forcing the statue to step back.
With a twist of his body, Huali counterattacked, thrusting his spear toward the statue's head.
When it struck, he couldn't cut through it as he had imagined. The material it was made of was extremely durable.
Unable to deal any significant damage, he was forced to retreat.
From behind, a new opponent appeared and lunged at him. As before, Huali positioned his spear to defend—but this time, it didn't work as well.
The red-eyed statue, like crimson flames, possessed a far more destructive attack. Its punch shattered the heavy metal of the spear, splitting it into two pieces, each still held in Huali's hands.
"Damn it! That statue represents fire."
Huali couldn't help but curse, now realizing that each statue had unique characteristics.
His luck was that he had managed to push the opponent back.
"I need to use my true spear."
To win, Huali decided to reveal all his trump cards.