Many of the direct descendants from the three great families who had attempted this trial fell at this very stage.

Although they were eventually teleported out, their bodies still shivered uncontrollably even after leaving the Ice Cold Purgatory.

Some Cultivators with weaker wills even fainted on the spot.

Within this trial, Zhong Ming’s initial situation wasn’t great either.

The deathly, icy intent invaded his body, turning his skin an ashen blue and covering him in frostbite. However, this sight was already thousands upon thousands of times better than the others, whose flesh was splitting open. At a glance, everyone could tell there was a world of difference between Zhong Ming and the other Cultivators; the Solar Power stored in his apertures was warding off the erosion of the icy stillness.

What made the scalps of every Cultivator present tingle was that even though injuries appeared on Zhong Ming’s body, his recovery speed was astonishingly fast!

HUMMM—!

To the naked eye, the moment the ashen bruises and cracks appeared on his skin, new flesh began to slowly squirm and knit together in the very next instant, healing the wounds.

Constantly wounded and constantly recovering, Zhong Ming seemed indestructible inside the Ice Cold Purgatory, his Life Force astonishingly resilient.

Moreover, through this repeated Body Tempering, his resistance to the icy intent was also rapidly increasing. When he first entered, the cold would still crack his skin. Yet by the halfway point, his newly grown flesh was already glistening and firm, brimming with vigorous vitality. The endless cold could no longer harm him in the slightest!

Such heaven-defying Life Force and resistance were the distinct characteristics of a Body Cultivator—and one of the most orthodox, ascetic types who achieved their strength through sheer hard work!

...

Seeing this, Patriarch Qi was once again at a loss for words.

Their family’s ultimate Cultivation Technique was the Ten Thousand Calamities Divine Body Forging Technique, and they had poured immense effort and energy into constructing the Path of Purgatory. They were, without a doubt, masters of the Body Cultivator path in the Cultivation Realm.

When it came to understanding Body Cultivators, no one in Immortal Martial City could claim to be their superior.

But it was precisely because of this expertise that they were so utterly horrified by what they saw in Zhong Ming.

"His physique is even stronger than Yue’er’s, and it holds some special mystery... He is indeed a Body Cultivator."

Patriarch Qi said the last part aloud, his tone full of admiration. "A dual Body and Sword Cultivator!"

...

The moment he spoke, the vast plaza fell completely silent.

Only after a long moment did a clamor of discussion erupt.

"He possesses a Supreme Sword Heart that can make a thousand Sword Intents retreat, and his physique is so strong he can ignore the Path of Purgatory... What kind of god is he?!"

"Are you sure he’s only in the early Foundation Establishment Stage?"

"Could it be that he’s actually been cultivating for a very long time and just looks young because he has a technique to preserve his appearance...?"

"Forget it. I checked. Zhong Ming has been cultivating for less than a year."

As Zhong Ming began to reveal his true strength, wave after wave of shocked gasps and cries echoed across the plaza.

Zhong Ming’s current performance didn’t look like someone who had just reached Foundation Establishment. He seemed more like an expert at the Wind Fiend Unity stage.

’Although, from Zhong Ming’s perspective, this was all perfectly normal. Before breaking through, he had pushed all four of his fundamental attributes—Essence, Qi, Spirit, and Will—beyond their limits, Breaking the Norms. Using that as a base, he had then forged a Supreme Dao Foundation.’

’If someone like him *couldn’t* create a massive gap between himself and ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators, *that* would be the truly strange part.’

’Dominating them so completely was, on the contrary, perfectly logical.’

But others couldn’t possibly understand this. Zhong Ming, having only just reached Foundation Establishment, was so powerful that it shattered the worldview of many Cultivators.

"A Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator can be this powerful?!"

"Don’t compare him to other Foundation Establishment cultivators. An ordinary one wouldn’t last a single exchange against him."

"I finally understand why Prince Qinghe’s Mansion was willing to marry off two Commandery Princesses..."

"Bro, where are you going?"

"What else? To pledge my allegiance to Princess Qinghe! With Zhong Ming on their side, even if Prince Qinghe’s Mansion isn’t strong now, it’s bound to rise in the future!"

Ordinary Cultivators had no conflicts of interest with Prince Qinghe’s Mansion. Since they could switch allegiances at any time, Zhong Ming’s strength was actually a benefit to them.

However, while they could do so, Ji Hao could not.

Listening to the endless gasps of amazement around him and seeing the looks of awe—and even wavering loyalty—in the eyes of his subordinates as they gazed at Prince Qinghe’s Mansion, he felt his scalp tingle and a chill spread through his heart.

’This can’t go on! If I let this situation continue to develop, the prestige of my Silver Moon Royal Mansion will be utterly destroyed!’

His fists clenched, knuckles turning white. He thought rapidly and soon identified two key points.

’We must win this trial! No matter how heaven-defying Zhong Ming’s Talent is, he’s still just a newly ascended Foundation Establishment Cultivator. His low cultivation stage is his greatest weakness. As long as the Silver Blood Guard can win, I can put out the word that Zhong Ming is merely a prodigy, not a true powerhouse of this era. He still needs time to grow, and with the second great catastrophe on the horizon, the world might not have enough time for him. That will be enough to make any Cultivators thinking of siding with him hesitate.’

’The second key point is to secure the Qi Family! If the Qi Family truly defects to Prince Qinghe’s Mansion, it will be a fatal blow to the reputation of my Silver Moon Royal Mansion!’

Ji Hao was a capable man. Realizing things were going awry, he quickly identified the crux of the matter and was confident he could persuade the Qi Family.

At that moment, he sent a voice transmission to Patriarch Qi: "Patriarch Qi, I admit I underestimated Zhong Ming before. I didn’t expect his Talent to be so exceptional. However, while Zhong Ming is strong, Prince Qinghe’s Mansion is not. The only position he can compete for is Vice Military Commander."

"In our Silver Moon Royal Mansion, you have the opportunity to become a Vice Military Commander, making you a colleague of Prince Qinghe. But if you defect to their side, you will be forced to serve under him... Can you stomach that?"

"..." After a moment of silence, Patriarch Qi chuckled. "Young Master, you jest. I have never had any intention of switching sides. My earlier inquiry to Princess Ji Qingyue was merely due to my family’s strict rules. I dare not reveal another’s secrets without their permission."