Austin was beaten back one more time. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and looked up at Marvin. Seeing the powerful energy around him and the yellow shadow of palm, Austin was aware that his thousand-pound punch was still unable to break through the Giant Magic Palm that Marvin had mastered.
'It seems that the force of his fourth grade martial arts skill is extraordinary. And my punches aren't enough to confront it. I need to practice harder. If I can reach the second level of the Overlord Body-refining Formula, I can easily defeat Marvin with a force of five thousand pounds, ' he thought.
He was barely lost in thought for a moment when an idea struck him like a silver dagger.
'Okay, let's try this!'
Austin prepared himself, rolling up his sleeves and squaring his elbows.
He brought his hands together, intertwining his fingers into an unfathomable but awe-striking gesture. Meanwhile, his energy was gathering into a solid ball within him. Moments later, several threads of golden vital energy emerged from his palms, twisting at the center like little golden snakes in time with Austin's fingers and their movements.
The energy flowed strongly with the force of a tidal wave. Gradually, a glowing three-storied golden pagoda came into being. All the vital energy surrounding Austin seemed to be waiting in the wings.
"Oh good Lord! The Grand Pagoda Summoning Skill!"
The appearance of the Grand Pagoda caused a disturbance among the outer ring of disciples who had started gathering around them to watch the fighting. They instantly recognized what was on Austin's palms.
Every disciple knew that the Grand Pagoda had contributed towards Austin defeating Billy the last time.
And now, Billy went white as a sheet when he saw it again. Although he had tried cultivating his energy these past days, he was well aware that it was still beyond his capacity and that it was impossible for him to defeat Austin this time too.
Besides, Billy had the feeling that it was much easier and faster for Austin to generate it this time. And it looked like the energy contained within the Pagoda was more aggressive than the previous energy.
"I cannot believe this!" Billy yelled. 'Oh my God! It's the fluctuation of ninth level of the Energy Gathering Realm!' Billy thought frantically, like a duck in a thunderstorm.
Marvin looked the Grand pagoda up and down, and suddenly, he felt his heart give a great throb. His color changed as he found out how much energy it actually contained. It was clearly much stronger than when Austin was challenging Billy.
He could see that the vital energy emanating off Austin's Grand Pagoda was much more powerful than his.
He also could tell that it was the ninth level of the Energy Gathering Realm.
"It cannot be! Austin! How could you reach the ninth level in such a short time?" Marvin snapped.
He couldn't believe the sight that he beheld with his own two eyes.
It was common sense that the real strength of a fighter depended on the level of his vital energy, not the movement of martial arts.
If what Marvin now assumed about Austin was true, then it would be a wholly different situation altogether—something that veered to the opposite of what he was expecting. To avoid this, he needed to straighten out this mess before doing anything else.
He tried to regain his composure and ready himself for any misfortune.
Although Marvin's voice was not loud, the disciples around heard him clearly and it caused an uproar among them.
It had only been just over half a month. It was not possible.
All of them had witnessed Austin's fight with Billy the last time around and they had seen it with their own eyes that Austin pulling out his vital energy at the seventh level.
As cultivators, they never would have made stupid mistakes like misjudging people's cultivation bases. But they also couldn't believe that Austin had reached the ninth level in such a short time. None of them had ever heard of such a thing before. It was plain ridiculous.
If it was true, they would have no idea how to treat Austin in the future. Things would go south if they became extreme. And there was no telling at the moment whether he would be a demon or an angel.
It normally took a year for an outer disciple to break through a level, and each level needed diligent study and strenuous training.
If a fighter reached the next level in half a year, they would be regarded as a martial arts marvel.
But if a fighter managed to jump two levels in half a month, he HAD to be a wizard!
It was a miracle! There was no other word to describe it.
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