Chapter 629: Entering the Flood Dragon Cave
Of course, after Xue Wuchang finished speaking, not only Lin Feng but everyone else also started thinking about obtaining the top ten jade tokens.
Even if they were inferior to Di Ling and the other eight strongest individuals, there were still two spots remaining. As long as they fought hard for them, there was still hope of getting one.
"Now, all sixty-eight of you, stand at the entrance of the Flood Dragon Cave. Be ready to step inside at any moment and begin the second round."
Xue Wuchang spoke again, and immediately the crowd flickered, moving to the entrance of the Flood Dragon Cave. Their true essence power was already beginning to surge, brewing within them as they prepared to step inside.
The second round of this Snow Domain Grand Competition was a race against time, to see who could enter the Flood Dragon Cave and emerge from the other end in the shortest time, reaching the stage for the ultimate decisive battle of the Snow Domain Grand Competition.
Of the eighty-one entrances, only thirteen had no one standing outside them. Exactly sixty-eight geniuses were present, not a single one missing.
Who would be willing to miss this once-in-a-decade opportunity of the Snow Domain Grand Competition?
At this moment, they were treading the path of pursuing glory.
"Enter."
Xue Wuchang roared and waved his hand. Instantly, bursts of powerful auras exploded forth as the crowd stepped into the Flood Dragon Cave one after another. No one wanted to fall behind. Obtaining a higher-ranked jade token meant holding absolute initiative in their hands, allowing them to choose opponents to fight rather than being chosen by others.
Lin Feng was not in a hurry. He slowly released his powerful consciousness, and only then did he step into the Flood Dragon Cave. If he couldn't discern the situation clearly, it would only waste more time. Lin Feng could not believe that the second round of the Snow Domain Grand Competition would be a simple race. If it were a race, the track would be far too short.
If they were outside, they could cross to the other end of the Flood Dragon Cave in just a few steps.
Seeing the crowd step into the Flood Dragon Cave, Xue Wuchang flicked his sleeves, took a step, and directly crossed toward the other end of the cave. From now on, he only needed to wait at the exit.
The watching crowd also began to move, flickering above the Flood Dragon Cave toward the other side. It took only a short time before the entrance of the Flood Dragon Cave became extremely empty. All the people had disappeared, and the noisy voices turned into dead silence, causing even the occasional passerby to feel a hint of confusion. It was far too quiet here.
Before long, at the exit of the Flood Dragon Cave, around the main arena of the Snow Domain Grand Competition, the place was bustling with noise. The crowd was packed densely, everyone having moved from the entrance to this exit, waiting quietly.
"I wonder which of the eight most powerful geniuses will be the one to break through the restraints first and walk out of the Flood Dragon Cave to appear before us."
Someone in the crowd began to discuss, sparking considerable reaction. That was right—among the eight strongest geniuses of the Snow Domain Grand Competition, who was stronger?
Right now, the crowd could only rely on their own subjective judgments and random guesses. Some believed Di Ling was the strongest among the eight geniuses, while others supported Duan Wudao. Those who had heard of Duan Wudao knew how terrifying the cultivation of the Snow Moon Kingdom's Wudao Crown Prince was. His martial soul, the Seal Gate, sealed everything—cultivation and martial souls alike could be sealed. Who could stop him?
Of course, there were also those who believed that Jun Moxi, who had always deliberately kept a low profile, was the strongest—truly unfathomable, making it impossible to see how powerful he really was.
These powerful geniuses would have their initial contest in this second round. Who would be the first to walk out?
Although they knew it wouldn't be so fast, the crowd's eyes were still fixed on the Flood Dragon Cave. They were all looking forward to seeing who the first figure would be.
Stepping into the Flood Dragon Cave, the first thing Lin Feng encountered was a door—a water door. Passing through this water door, Lin Feng could even clearly see his own reflection.
Lin Feng took a step and directly moved toward the water door. His body passed through it, and in an instant, the water door turned into a ripple, dissipating into the curved cave dwelling. As it disappeared, a faint luster radiated around the water door, as if it were the light of true essence.
His figure flickered, Lin Feng maintained a fast pace, occasionally observing his surroundings. Soon, a row of figures appeared before him. Rumbling sounds echoed as boulders shifted, forming walls of giant stone, blocking his path.
"People?"
Lin Feng's gaze condensed slightly. Moreover, they were stone people. These stone figures were actually moving, blocking Lin Feng's body.
"Hmph." Lin Feng let out a cold laugh and stepped forward. They were just a few stone puppets. Although they were crafted to look like humans, they were still just stone. No matter how strong a puppet was, how could it compare to a person?
"Rumble!"
Several powerful stone fists hurtled toward Lin Feng, preventing him from passing. Through the aura of that power, Lin Feng could clearly sense that the attack power of these stones was at the Fifth Layer of the Mysterious Martial Realm.
"The same cultivation level as mine?"
Lin Feng charged forward to the stone figures. His palm suddenly opened, and a golden great handprint burst forth, carrying the sacred radiance of the Buddhist path, indestructible and unstoppable.
"Boom! Boom!" The stones shattered. These stone puppets indeed possessed the power and defense of the Fifth Layer of the Mysterious Martial Realm, just like Lin Feng. However, facing him, even with the same cultivation level, they were instantly and easily destroyed.
After destroying the puppets, Lin Feng continued forward. But in just a moment, his body was blocked again. Before him appeared another water door.
His brows furrowed. Without a moment's pause, Lin Feng prepared to cross the water door again. However, a shadow slowly emerged from within the water door, causing Lin Feng's steps to freeze instantly.
The figure that stepped out of the water door was none other than himself, exactly the same as his current appearance. Even the mask he wore was completely identical.
"Hmm?"
Lin Feng's brows were tightly knit as he stared fixedly at the figure before him. How could this be? This figure was precisely himself.
"That first water door—when I passed through it, did it completely replicate my body?"
Lin Feng muttered to himself. This was the only explanation. If not, he couldn't understand why a person identical to him would appear.
"I knew it. The Flood Dragon Cave wouldn't be so simple. Not just me, but probably many others are now in the same situation—having to deal with themselves, defeat themselves, and thus surpass themselves. This is a challenge, a test of the mindset to overcome oneself."
Taking a step forward, Lin Feng shot toward the counterfeit figure. At the same time, the counterfeit figure also moved almost simultaneously, unleashing a palm strike identical to Lin Feng's.
"Boom!"
With a sound of collision, both Lin Feng and the counterfeit figure retreated the exact same distance.
"His power is exactly the same as mine." Lin Feng's eyes were completely frozen. How could it be so similar? This had surpassed the scope of his understanding.
"Kill!"
Lin Feng took a step forward, and a fierce, rolling aura of slaughter erupted, extremely sharp. At the same moment, the counterfeit figure also surged with a terrifying killing intent, once again perfectly matching Lin Feng.
"Slash!"
A sword strike was unleashed, and a rumbling explosive sound echoed out. Lin Feng's gaze was tightly fixed on the figure opposite him.
"Slash!"
As Lin Feng expected, this word "slash" was just as crisp and loud. The two surges of slaughter aura collided in the void, causing the cave dwelling to tremble, and then the sword qi annihilated together.
"Calm down."
Lin Feng's eyes slowly closed, then opened again. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He slowly stepped forward, extremely calm. His entire body released no aura at all, so calm that there wasn't a single ripple.
The other Lin Feng also lifted his steps along with him, walking toward the other until their figures met.
"Farewell."
Lin Feng's body tilted slightly to the side, and the other did the same. The two faced each other, brushing past one another.
"Whoosh!"
A soft trembling sound echoed. Lin Feng's counterfeit shadow turned into water vapor, disappearing into the space as if it had never existed.
"It seems I fell into a misconception. But I'm afraid many others did the same—the first thought was to break through themselves, to defeat themselves."
Lin Feng murmured to himself. As he had guessed, many people at this moment were colliding and fighting against themselves. They were proving themselves, trying to defeat themselves, not realizing that the more fiercely they fought, the more they had already lost. This was nothing but an illusion, a reflection in a mirror, a test of their state of mind!