Chapter 2047: Transformation Dragon Palm

"Liu Yang?" Sect Master Kuixiao frowned. This name seemed... unfamiliar to him!

"Let's go in and see!" He knew that no amount of questioning outside would be as clear as seeing for himself. The next moment, he was at the venue of the Tongshendian Open Tournament. As expected, he saw a young man standing on the stage, looking around. "Is there anyone else who wants to compete with me?"

Silence filled the surroundings. The opponent had consecutively challenged and defeated over a dozen people, including the top-ranked core disciple of Seven Star Tower. Everyone now understood his strength and knew they couldn't win, so no one dared to continue.

"I'll give it a try!" Elder Hongwu's eyebrows shot up. Having just challenged all the elders and won decisively, his fighting spirit was high.

"Be careful!" Sect Master Kuixiao cautioned. After registering, Elder Hongwu quickly approached the combat stage and looked at his opponent. It was a young man, seemingly around twenty years old. However, in the Tongshendian, everyone disguised their identities, so it was impossible to tell much just by looking. But typically, young people rarely disguised themselves as old, nor did old people like to pretend to be young. Given his current appearance, looking under twenty, his actual age couldn't be very high, certainly not exceeding fifty!

"I am Hongwu of Seven Star Tower. I wonder if we have met before?" He couldn't help but transmit his voice.

"Hongwu?" The young man opposite shook his head. "I don't know you!" Elder Hongwu was stunned. Although he wasn't a False God like Sect Master Kuixiao, renowned throughout the world, he was still an extremely famous figure within the entire Seven Star Tower, known by almost everyone in Jadeleaf City. Yet, this person claimed not to recognize him... Could he not be from Jadeleaf City?

Seeing his disbelief, the young man hesitated, a conflicted expression on his face, and said, "As long as you're sure you can lose 2,560 Tongshendian coins to me later, I'll say... I know you!" In the Open Tournament, after ten consecutive wins, the Tongshendian coins no longer doubled. This meant that the tenth challenger, and all subsequent challengers, would only lose a maximum of 2,560 Tongshendian coins. Having won fourteen consecutive matches, Zhang Xuan had already earned 15,353 Tongshendian coins, very close to 20,000.

"Let's begin!" Elder Hongwu raised an eyebrow and waved his hand. 'Does this guy know how to talk?' he thought. 'If you know me, you know me; if you don't, you don't... Why would I beg you to recognize me? And more importantly, you're so sure I'll lose 2,560 Tongshendian coins?' Too lazy to say more, he swayed, appearing before his opponent, his five fingers splayed, striking down through the air.

Flowerless Palm! Immortal energy gathered, spreading towards the young man like countless vines. Although his cultivation was suppressed to the True Immortal realm, his Flowerless Palm still displayed its strongest might. Vines filled the sky, like surging green waves, devoid of flowers or sharp edges, yet trapping people within, as if entangled by a nightmare, making escape impossible. Rootless, flowerless, coming from nothingness, returning to nothingness! This was the move he had relied on to stand out among the many elders previously.

"Not bad!" Zhang Xuan nodded, seeing his opponent's move. After more than a dozen consecutive matches, this person's martial technique was arguably the strongest he had encountered. He met the attack with a single palm strike. At the same cultivation level, there was no need for complex moves; he could effortlessly break it.

*Whoosh!* As the palm force descended, it seemed to carry flames, causing the sky-filling vines to burn. Elder Hongwu's pupils contracted. He tried to retreat but then felt his body stuck, as if by a special energy, making escape impossible. *Thud!* His head shattered, and his body fell to the ground.

"Alright, is there anyone else who wants to fight me?" After defeating this opponent, Zhang Xuan found that his assets had indeed increased by 2,560 Tongshendian coins. He let out a sigh of relief and looked around again. He now had 17,915 Tongshendian coins; just one more victory would bring him to 20,000!

"Hongwu lost... so quickly?" Sect Master Kuixiao and the Grand Elder exchanged glances, both gasping in disbelief. Elder Hongwu had just challenged all the elders of the sect without a single defeat... yet, facing this individual, he was killed with a single strike. "Who exactly is this person?" "He shouldn't be from Seven Star Tower; otherwise, we would definitely know by now!" Sect Master Kuixiao frowned. The fact that his opponent could enter the True Immortal realm of the Tongshendian indicated that his true cultivation must have reached the True Immortal realm. In Seven Star Tower, such a person would at least be a core disciple... Elder Hongwu was no match, and Meng Han, the top-ranked core disciple, was effortlessly slain. If Seven Star Tower truly had such a powerhouse, he would have certainly risen to prominence long ago, not remained unknown!

"Liu Yang..." He thought for a long time, but the name didn't ring a bell.

"I'll go and try!" Seeing no one step forward, the Grand Elder paused, then walked onto the high platform. He was already over a hundred years old, and in terms of cultivation alone, he far surpassed Elder Hongwu. Since the latter had failed, he wanted to see if he could defeat the young man on stage.

"Let's begin!" Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief as another person came up. His greatest fear was needing just one last sum of money and no one daring to challenge him again. How else would he accumulate enough Tongshendian coins? As for why he chose the name Liu Yang... his usual favorites like "I'm very low-key" or "I'm very handsome" were too easily exposed. Since he had already used "Zheng Yang" before, he didn't mind using "Liu Yang." As long as it wasn't Zhao Ya or Wei Ruyan, it was fine. Simply using a name was much easier than coming up with a new one.

"Begin!" The Grand Elder of Seven Star Tower nodded, raised an eyebrow, and opened his hands wide in sweeping motions. Instantly, dozens of palm shadows appeared in the air, connecting like a chain. Dragon Transformation Palm! Legend had it that when this move was mastered, the palm force could transform into a divine dragon, capable of destroying heaven and earth, making it irresistible.

"Not bad. I didn't expect him to have cultivated it to this extent after not competing with him for several years. He's not far from mastery..." Sect Master Kuixiao secretly nodded. Since breaking through to the False God realm, he had rarely sparred with Immortal Monarch experts like the Grand Elder, so he didn't know the exact level of his cultivation. Seeing this move, he couldn't help but praise it. Dragon Transformation Palm was one of the most difficult martial techniques to cultivate in Seven Star Tower. To be able to execute it like this, even he, at the same level, wouldn't be fully confident of victory!

"Unfortunately, he's over a hundred years old; otherwise... Elder Hongwu definitely wouldn't have been able to defeat him!" He shook his head. Becoming a False God was impossible through mere cultivation, no matter how talented one was. The only way was through... the Heaven-Connecting Bridge and the Divine Temple! He himself had reached his current realm because he had entered it a century ago. Although Elder Hongwu's cultivation was good and his talent high, making him unrivaled among those of the same level in Seven Star Tower, he still fell short of Sect Master Kuixiao's past self. Not to mention the current Grand Elder! It was just a pity that the Grand Elder was over a hundred, and even if he was powerful at his level, he could no longer enter the Heaven-Connecting Bridge.

"Among the Six Major Sects, only the Cloudsoaring Sword Pavilion is better..." Thinking of this, he sighed again. The greatest goal for members of the Six Major Sects was to enter the Divine Temple and seize a "Divine" character. Seizing a character wasn't just about making the sect sound more prestigious; more importantly, with a "Divine" character, one could break through to become a False God! Sects without such a character could only rely on the Heaven-Connecting Bridge, which opened once every century. Otherwise, no matter how many talented individuals they had or how strong their aptitudes, reaching the False God realm would be impossible! The founding ancestor of the Cloudsoaring Sword Pavilion had once seized half a character in the Divine Temple. Therefore, their Cloudsoaring Sword God Art, when cultivated to its peak, could allow one to break through the Immortal Monarch shackles and achieve False God status! Although the probability was small, it still represented hope. Unlike Seven Star Tower and other sects, no matter how powerful they became, they couldn't achieve it!

As for the Tongshendian... no one knew where its headquarters were or what powerhouses resided within! But it was certain that since the former Palace Master Kong was able to seize a character back then, False God realm experts, or even stronger individuals, could definitely emerge from within.

These thoughts spun rapidly in his mind. He looked up again at the high platform. The Grand Elder, performing the Dragon Transformation Palm, moved like a swimming dragon, his figure so fast it was almost invisible. It was as if everyone saw a colossal dragon spanning the platform, continuously moving and unleashing attacks from all directions, a dizzying spectacle.

"Impressive!" Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed. Indeed, he couldn't underestimate any expert. After fighting more than a dozen consecutive matches, he had begun to feel that Jadeleaf City's experts were nothing special, inevitably developing a slight sense of disdain. Now, it seemed that was not the case! Leaving aside everything else, this opponent's palm technique alone meant that a slight misstep could lead to a loss!

Still, instead of using the Library of Heaven's Path, he activated his Eye of Discernment, quickly spotting the flaws in the move. Raising an eyebrow, he joined his fingers to form a sword and thrust it forward. To prevent revealing too much, he did not use his Divine Sword Intent for this move. However, he did employ the Heaven's Path Sword Art. The sword thrust forth as if from beyond the heavens, leaving no trace, no discernible move, like a mountain goat's horns hanging without a discernible path. As soon as it appeared, it landed precisely in the path of the Dragon Transformation Palm. The swimming dragon in the air seemed to be attracted by something, rapidly moving forward along the sword qi.

Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. This move was one he had spontaneously created, inspired by remembering Elder Yuan using the North Sea Dragon Pearl to toy with a "flood dragon." By condensing sword qi into a dragon pearl, the palm force of the Dragon Transformation Palm was indeed attracted, no longer under the opponent's control. "Go!" With a flick of his sword qi, it flew towards the edge of the arena, with the Dragon Transformation Palm's force following closely behind. A violent explosion ensued, shaking the entire platform continuously.

The Grand Elder clearly hadn't expected his palm force to be drawn away by a faint wisp of sword qi, losing control. Still in shock, he then felt a searing pain in his throat. He hurriedly looked down and saw that the sword qi from his opponent's fingertips had, at some unknown moment, pierced his throat. "What a powerful attack, what a fast sword..." A gurgling sound escaped his throat, his eyes filled with disbelief as the Grand Elder's body collapsed to the ground. Even in death, he couldn't believe that his formidable ultimate move had been so easily broken by a mere wisp of sword qi from his opponent.

"This..." Sect Master Kuixiao's body stiffened, rendered speechless by the profound shock. Breaking the Dragon Transformation Palm with a single move and killing the Grand Elder... Who exactly was this person? With such cultivation, if he... went up, could he win?