This river stretched endlessly, its length unfathomable as it crossed the track. No one knew where it began or ended. However, its width was visible to the naked eye—no less than three hundred zhang wide. The water surged turbulently, exuding a mysterious and profound aura.
Many cultivators had arrived at the riverbank but dared not recklessly enter. As they approached, their mounts instinctively slowed down.
This was an unconscious reaction.
Yet, there was one person accelerating.
He didn't dare to pause for even a moment.
He didn't have the luxury to observe the actions of the other cultivators.
When he saw the river ahead, Arthur shouted, "The unicorn can run on water! Charge through! Don't stop! If we stop, that madman will catch up!" His face was full of panic.
The image of the golden-armored knight being slain with a single spear still echoed in his mind.
That one spear strike had been almost unstoppable.
Seeing Yi Tianxing pursuing him, Arthur didn't dare stop for even a breath. He fled with all his might, terrified of being caught.
Even when he saw the massive river blocking the way, he didn't slow down in the slightest. The unicorn could gallop across water as if walking on solid ground. Arthur believed this river posed no threat. Urging the unicorn on, he charged straight into the river from the bank.
Splash!!
Due to its momentum, the unicorn sped across the water's surface—but something was immediately wrong.
"What's going on? Why is it sinking? Isn't the unicorn supposed to walk on water?" Arthur instantly sensed danger. He looked down and saw the unicorn sinking beneath the water.
ROAR!!
The unicorn let out a frightened roar, struggling frantically, but it was in vain. The more it struggled, the faster it sank. It was as if the water held no buoyancy at all, incapable of supporting any weight. A strange force dragged everything downward.
Once submerged, the surrounding water exerted terrifying pressure, crushing the body as though it weighed thousands of times more than ordinary water. Just a single drop felt as heavy as a mountain.
This river's deadliest aspect was precisely this pressure. Its crushing force could utterly destroy a cultivator.
In a blink, Arthur and the unicorn were submerged. Blood began to rise from below, but no white light of elimination appeared. Clearly, Arthur hadn't died just yet.
"This isn't normal water. Even a unicorn that can run on water is drowning. A drowning unicorn—how is that not a joke?" a western cultivator exclaimed in shock.
"This water may be strange, but my mount can fly. No need to touch the river at all. I'm not waiting for anyone. I'll go ahead." A cultivator contracted to a lightning bird said smugly.
The river couldn't reach the sky.
Laughing, he directed his lightning bird to soar across the river.
Screech!!
But as the lightning bird flew above the river, it let out a shrill, terrified cry—something terrible was happening.
Its body inexplicably plummeted into the river below, the cultivator with it. He screamed in horror, but nothing could stop their descent.
Splash!!
They vanished beneath the surface without even raising a splash, sinking rapidly into the depths.
"They can't even fly over it? What kind of water is this?" One by one, the cultivators arrived, each wearing a solemn expression as they stared at the river.
Neither walking on water nor flying over it was possible. Even appearing above the river would result in being sucked in. The strange aura of this river extended both above and below.
"Even feathers won't float."
One cultivator plucked the softest plume from his mount and tossed it into the river. It immediately sank without resistance.
"I once read in an ancient text of a terrifying kind of mystical water called Weak Water. It's so delicate it offers no buoyancy. Even goose feathers sink easily. Boats can't float on it—let alone people. Birds flying above it are pulled in as well," said another cultivator, pale-faced.
This river was undoubtedly a deadly natural barrier. No ordinary method could cross it.
A true heavenly moat. If one couldn't cross it, their journey would end here.
Above the secret realm, on the viewing platform...
General Hei bellowed, "Honored viewers, look closely! This is the legendary Weak Water River. Even goose feathers cannot float, let alone people. Enter it, and you'll sink and be crushed to death by the pressure. This is the first tribulation among the Three Calamities and Nine Perils. Fail to cross it, and your journey ends here!"
"That's right," added Brother Handsome, smiling. "After the wind disaster comes Weak Water. No one can reach the end so easily. Without real strength, there's no chance of becoming champion. Let's see how the contestants handle this!"
"Come, Brother Eagle. Let's go."A middle-aged man patted his giant eagle without hesitation and approached the Weak Water River.
Clang!!
A crisp sword cry rang out. The iron sword on his back flew into his hand as he slashed without reservation at the river before him. This strike radiated a shocking sword intent.
This sword intent was infused with a sense of solitary invincibility.
Crack!!
As the sword struck, its sword intent tore through the Weak Water.
Before their eyes, the river was cleaved in two. Water parted to either side, revealing the riverbed. Even the flowing currents were split.
A single sword strike cleaving the river, cutting off the flow!
The parted water didn't immediately close back. A fierce sword intent filled the space, repelling the Weak Water to either side. Walls of water towered on both flanks.
It was a jaw-dropping sight.
The middle-aged man and his eagle calmly walked into the cleaved path. As they advanced, the parted waters collapsed behind them, closing the path.
The path cut was only a few zhang long, not nearly enough to reach the far shore.
Thump!
Entering the exposed riverbed, the middle-aged man slashed again. Pure sword intent tore through the water once more. The terrifying Weak Water yielded before it.
Each meter he cleaved, he walked a meter.
Each zhang he cut, he advanced a zhang.
Behind him, the water walls collapsed like mountains falling.
Yet not a single drop of water touched him. Step by step, he advanced toward the opposite bank, growing more distant with each strike.
On the shore, countless cultivators were wide-eyed, practically dropping their eyeballs in shock.
"Sword intent!!"
"He's formed true sword intent! Such a sharp and terrifying sword intent—it cleaved the Weak Water! Who is this guy?!"
"That's insane! His comprehension of swordsmanship is beyond imagination!"
Yi Tianxing watched, overwhelmed with awe."This... this is martial will."
Any battle technique that evolves into true martial will steps into a whole new tier—unbreakable, peerless. Cultivators who have achieved martial will are nearly invincible against those who haven't.
To manifest martial will was the mark of an extraordinary genius.
"Let's go. Jinpeng, Green Emperor—we're going in. If others can cross Weak Water, why can't we?"
Yi Tianxing took a deep breath and made his decision.
The Golden Roc strode forward on the ground, carrying Yi Tianxing to the river's edge. Yi Tianxing raised his war spear and hurled it at the water with all his might.
True energy surged through the spear. The impact parted the river momentarily, revealing the riverbed. But without martial will to suppress the water, the river immediately began to close again.
"Even if I die, I'll die in the Weak Water River. Retreat is not an option. If I falter here, I might as well leave the arena."With resolve in his eyes, Yi Tianxing marched into the riverbed without hesitation.
As the waters surged to close in, he swung his war spear once more.
Shattered Jade Spear Technique – "Flawless White Jade Shines Across the Nine Provinces!"
One spear, nine shadows.It was like nine spears simultaneously striking the closing water.
The terrifying pressure of Weak Water surged in like a mountain falling. The sheer weight threatened to crush both body and soul.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With each spear strike, the Weak Water was blasted apart again.
But the range of each rupture was far less than what the middle-aged swordsman achieved. Moreover, as soon as the water was parted, it would flow back again.
Strike. Advance.Strike. Advance.
He repeated the same move again and again. Each strike pushed him forward a few steps. The image was like tunneling through mountains.
The pressure he endured was even more immense—the recoiling water was like an avalanche crashing down.
Yi Tianxing said nothing. In his mind, he constantly visualized the Shattered Jade Spear Technique. The image of a flawless white jade war spear radiated a faint yet potent spear intent.