To most of the students, Chu Lingguang’s body was bending further and further, his back at risk of snapping.

It was as if a force from above was trying to press his head to the ground.

Most students had yet to find their Sea of Consciousness, so they couldn’t form Spiritual Sense like Chu Lingguang, let alone release it to perceive the strange fluctuations.

They simply thought Chu Lingguang was being suppressed by the Potential Energy under the Dragon Claw Tree. They had no idea just how perilous his situation truly was.

Yun Hong, Xu Zhongguo, Poisonous Snake, and the other instructors from the Trial Ground couldn’t help but release their Spiritual Sense, extending it toward the Dragon Claw Tree.

They wanted to capture every detail of the confrontation between Chu Lingguang’s Spiritual Sense and the Dragon Claw Tree’s Potential Energy.

Unfortunately, the Dragon Claw Tree was protected by a natural Potential Energy barrier. Without stepping onto the black soil themselves, their Spiritual Sense couldn’t penetrate it.

Moreover, if they tried to force their way in, it would only intensify the Dragon Claw Tree’s resistance, bringing utter doom upon Chu Lingguang.

So, everyone could only watch helplessly as Chu Lingguang and the Dragon Claw Tree engaged in a silent battle.

"This can’t go on. He needs to realize he should retreat if he can’t hold out!"

Poisonous Snake said with concern.

"Getting off the black soil is easy. Escaping that shadow is the hard part!"

Yun Hong sighed.

"ARGH!"

Just then, a heaven-shaking roar erupted from Chu Lingguang.

The Rhombus Escape Armor between his brows shattered. The black dragon claw before him dissolved into countless ripples that surged into his body.

They traveled along his Spiritual Network, seeking to infiltrate his Sea of Consciousness and crush the Qi Vortex within.

Chu Lingguang had trained diligently, but he was still too weak. He had managed to form a Spiritual Defense, but completely blocking this Consciousness Attack was impossible.

Fortunately, his Spiritual Network was intricate and complex.

It was like a dense, web-like mesh permeating his entire body. Even if someone knew his Sea of Consciousness was located between his brows, they would still have to follow the paths of his Spiritual Network to reach it.

Within a certain threshold of power, a direct assault on the Sea of Consciousness was impossible.

Chu Lingguang’s Spiritual Sense had once contended with Xu Guozhong’s inside his own body. Combined with the reminders from Yun Hong’s notes, even though his Spiritual Defense was now breached, the Qi Vortex in his Sea of Consciousness remained unharmed.

As the ripples of the Dragon Claw Tree’s Potential Energy entered his Spiritual Network and rushed toward the Qi Vortex in his Sea of Consciousness, Chu Lingguang felt the shackles on his feet disappear.

Two paths now lay before him.

One: retreat from the black soil and get clear of the Dragon Claw Tree’s attack range before its Potential Energy reached his Sea of Consciousness, minimizing the damage.

Two: seize this opportunity, and in one fell swoop, charge the Dragon Claw Tree and cut down a branch with his Lightning Spear.

Chu Lingguang exhaled sharply and chose the second path.

’This wasn’t foolishness. Or recklessness! It was part of a plan he’d made in advance.’

The moment he stepped onto the black soil, he had decided that if his Spiritual Defense crumbled instantly before the Dragon Claw Tree’s Potential Energy, offering no resistance whatsoever, he would retreat immediately and not put himself in danger.

As it turned out, while his Spiritual Defense had been defeated, it hadn’t been completely powerless. It didn’t crumble at the first touch, utterly crushed. At the very least, he had blocked the sky-blotting dragon claws.

Yun Hong had said it before. ’One must have the courage to cross the shadow, but more importantly, the strength to coexist with it.’

Chu Lingguang was confident he could cut down a Dragon Claw Branch before the attack reached his Qi Vortex. He was even more confident that the vortex itself would not crumble on impact.

WHOOSH!

Freed from his shackles, he shot forward at top speed. Just as he reached the edge of the canopy, he leaped into the air, his Long Spear sweeping down toward a branch.

"ROAR!"

All four layers of his Dharma Aspect erupted. His True Dragon Power seemed to pour out of him. With Double Potential Energy Superposition active, his Dantian Small Vortex surged and roared. Driven by his Spear Technique, a tempestuous gale whipped around the Dragon Claw Tree.

CRACK!

The Long Spear crashed straight down, its shaft smashing into a Dragon Claw Branch. The branch—jet-black, covered in scale-like patterns, and considered by all to be incredibly tough, with defenses rivaling swords and spears—was shattered by Chu Lingguang’s strike.

A gnarled branch fell along with Chu Lingguang.

Chu Lingguang looked up. The Dragon Claw Tree, which had blotted out the sky and made it look as though it were fractured by countless cracks, now seemed to be missing a piece. In one corner, the fractured sky was now flawless.

HUMMM!

At that very moment, the wave of Potential Energy emanating from the Dragon Claw Tree traveled along Chu Lingguang’s Spiritual Network, reached his Sea of Consciousness, and shot straight for the Qi Vortex within.

The unique ripples were absorbed by the Qi Vortex. A cool sensation spread from between Chu Lingguang’s brows, and when he checked, the wave of Potential Energy had vanished completely. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

His Sea of Consciousness was unharmed, and his Qi Vortex had not been shattered.

In fact, a unique power began to emanate from it.

It made his Spiritual Sense grow sharper, allowing him to hear three distinct responses from within his body.

The first response came from a current of qi that ran throughout his entire body. Chu Lingguang had never noticed this qi before; perhaps because his Spiritual Sense had been strengthened, he had imperceptibly reached a new threshold.

He could finally sense this qi and receive a response from it.

He felt that he could grasp the qi’s response with a single thought. The qi then automatically dispersed, spreading to every part of his body.