Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

Within the formation, Long Chen's hair and clothes were whirling violently. After that, a heaven-shaking will came through the formation.

Rumbling could be heard through heaven and earth. The formation above his head had been forced back high into the sky, and countless cracks appeared throughout it like it might burst.

"How can Long Chen's will be so terrifying?!"

Chu Huairen and the other magistrate were alarmed. Even the formation was unable to suppress him. This was something that had never occurred in the countless years that the divine competition was held.

Seeing the formation bulging above Long Chen, people's hearts pounded. The will that came through the formation made it seem like a supreme existence was coming from a seemingly weak body.

For a moment, people could only stare. These disciples stared at Long Chen like he was a monster.

"Heaven Master, just what is the will?" asked one brazen disciple.

Heaven Master Yun Yang stared at Long Chen, also shocked. He said, "The will is an ephemeral power. It really can't be described with words. Some instructors have yet to recognize the power of the will, so they can't answer you. But even if they do, many people will have different answers. Even I cannot give you the correct answer because the will is a power that exists outside of all other powers. Every person has willpower, but many can't sense it. When you try to use it, you find that you can't find it. Only true experts can feel that power and use it. As for the definition of the will, there are no words that can accurately describe it. I can give you a comparison: when you fight against your enemies, when your immortal spiritual energy, physical energy, Spiritual Strength, elemental energy, life energy, and all other energies you possess are exhausted, but you still don't admit defeat and continue fighting, what you are fighting with is your will. To the weak, this power is hidden in slumber. Only the strong can continue to persevere through adversity, through absolute despair. Even if death is coming, they will still face their opponent fearlessly, in search of a chance to counterattack with death right before them. The will cannot be taught. If you understand, then you understand. If you don't understand, perhaps you still won't understand even in death."

This explanation left some disciples nodding but also some staring blankly.

"But didn't you say that the will is ephemeral? Why can it become a substantive power here?"

"One is standing at the bottom of the mountain. Looking up, you see the clouds covering the peak. The other is standing above the dome of the heavens, looking down on the mortal world of dust, with all Daos of the heavens in their embrace. I cannot understand Long Chen's will because there is simply too large of a gap between my will and his. If I were to randomly talk about it, it would only disgrace me. If it was just humiliating myself, then this old man wouldn't mind losing some of my old face. But to mislead my disciples would be a terrible sin," said Heaven Master Yun Yang.

Although some people still didn't understand, others could comprehend the general meaning. Heaven Master Yun Yang was saying that Long Chen's will was far, far stronger than his own, so he could only give a broad explanation.

Long Chen's will was even stronger than Heaven Master Yun Yang's? This was something that made these disciples feel disbelief.

The head judge suddenly said, "Heaven Master Yun Yang is correct. The will is the foundation for a person to get stronger. It can also be explained as a person's determination to get stronger. A strong will can allow someone to maintain their original heart during good times and not lose their heart during bad times. They will not give up to despair. However, to achieve something like what Long Chen has and have the will manifest outside is only possible if his will has been tempered through endless blood and slaughter. His will is now capable of being unsheathed as a sharp blade capable of cutting apart the heavens."

Suddenly, the formation shuddered. After that, the giant bulge in the formation returned to normal.

"Did Long Chen fail?"

Long Chen's eyes suddenly opened within the mountain range. He smiled. "Everyone, gather up! Follow me."

Mu Qingyun and the others didn't know what was happening outside. They simply saw Long Chen with the air shuddering around him. But hearing his command, they immediately gathered up. Long Chen then led them rushing through this maze-like mountain range.

"Does this mean that he already found the path?!"

They watched as Long Chen rushed through without hesitation. When they looked at Chu Kuang's side, someone also cried out, "Chu Kuang has found the path and is starting to move out!"

Chu Kuang's side was just as fast. From the inside, it was impossible to see the full scope of the maze. But the disciples watching could see everything clearly.

Chu Kuang's formation master, Tang Yaochen, had already formed a path through the maze, and Chu Kuang and the others were rushing down that path. From the outside, everyone could see that it was correct.

The two sides seemed equally matched. Both of them were advancing with shocking speed.

In the past, disciples would spread glowing powder to mark the paths that they had tried out before joining together and testing the more likely paths. This saved time in the long run.

However, this time, Chu Kuang used a formation master to find the path. That could almost be considered cheating. As for Long Chen, he was even crazier. He actually ignored the suppression of the grand formation and directly searched for the path through his divine sense.

With both sides moving, the disciples tensed up with nervousness and excitement. They seemed equally matched at the moment. No one could tell who would win and who would lose.

"Not good! Long Chen has taken a wrong turn! He's heading straight for a dead-end!"

"No way!"

Shocked, people looked at Long Chen. Unlike Chu Kuang's side, there was no formation lighting up a path for them. Hence, the others on Long Chen's side didn't know which way he was going exactly.

However, from the outside, they could see that he had taken a wrong turn, away from the correct path. He was getting further and further away.

Just now, they had been shocked by Long Chen's display. But now, he made such a giant blunder.

Chu Huairen and the other magistrate remained indifferent on the surface, but both of them had mocking looks in their eyes.

On the other hand, the head judge looked at Long Chen with interest. As an expert that had fought on the battlefield, his sharp intuition told him that Long Chen definitely wouldn't make such a mistake.

However, even he couldn't understand Long Chen's path. But by following where he was going, he suddenly smiled. "How astonishing."