Chapter 331: Chapter 331: Spiritless Sea Region, Special Martial Dao Grand Competition Rules?

Northern Domain of the Taiping Sea. The sky was as black as ink.

The sea wind howled. Beneath the calm surface of the ocean, it was as if countless man-eating abyssal maws lay in wait.

About a thousand meters above the churning sea, two figures hovered in mid-air.

The fierce winds made their robes whip about, but their figures were as unmoving as ancient, immovable boulders.

The two, a man and a woman, both appeared to be middle-aged.

The man was powerfully built with a resolute face, a senior King Realm Tutor from Jing University.

The woman, dressed in simple clothes, had a cold and aloof aura. She was the King Realm team leader from Huaqing University.

These two were the chaperoning teachers originally assigned to lead the ten representative students to the White Eagle Empire.

But at this moment, they were not on the plane.

Instead, just a minute ago, they had watched helplessly as the private plane carrying the ten students flew straight into the terrifying sea region ahead!

"Old Chen, do you think... they’ll be alright?"

The female tutor from Huaqing stared at the fog-shrouded sea region ahead, her brow slightly furrowed and her voice tinged with worry.

Old Chen, the tutor from Jing University, stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze profound.

"The rules for this International Youth Martial Dao Tournament are indeed a bit unusual."

"But since the White Eagle Empire dared to set the challenge, we of Great Xia dare to accept it. As long as the rules are fair, there’s nothing more to be said."

"Besides, this is what the higher-ups want. A true expert can only be forged in the crucible of desperation."

"Speaking of which, that boy from your Huaqing University, Xiao Tian..."

A playful smile touched the corners of Old Chen’s mouth.

"His talent is truly remarkable, but his temperament is a bit too arrogant and spoiled."

Hearing this, the female tutor from Huaqing looked a bit embarrassed, but she still defended him.

"Geniuses are always a bit prideful. Xiao Tian might be a little wild, but he shouldn’t cause any major problems."

"Let’s hope so."

Old Chen gave a noncommittal response, his gaze piercing through the layers of clouds toward the gray, empty sky.

...

Ten thousand meters above the Spiritless Sea Region.

The wind was like a knife, cutting at one’s face until it stung.

The door of the luxury private jet was wide open, like a giant, life-devouring mouth.

Xiao Tian’s figure plummeted from the doorway! He tumbled uncontrollably, tossed about by the fierce wind.

His expression had changed from the extreme arrogance he displayed on the plane to sheer panic.

’What’s going on?’

’Why can’t I fly!’

Inside his body...

The Qi Blood Power that should have been at his beck and call, surging like the sea, was now as stagnant as a pool of dead water. It lay dormant deep within his Dantian, and no matter how he tried to summon it, it remained locked tight by some invisible shackle, completely unresponsive!

Not only his Qi Blood, but even his Mental Power had been forced back into his Sea of Consciousness by a terrifying Power of Rule, making it impossible to project outwards!

"This... How is this possible?!"

Xiao Tian’s pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks as an unprecedented chill shot up his spine to the crown of his head.

Without the support of his Qi Blood and Mental Power, the Aerial Control Ability that Martial Artists prided themselves on had instantly become a joke.

In that instant, gravity bared its vicious fangs.

WHOOSH—!!!

An intense feeling of weightlessness washed over him.

His speed of descent increased, and the frigid Gang Wind relentlessly scraped against his face!

Fortunately, even without using Qi Blood, a Martial Artist’s constitution was far superior to an ordinary person’s; otherwise, he might have lost consciousness instantly.

"No! Qi Blood! Move for me!!"

He roared into the gale, desperately trying to break the restraints within his body.

Veins bulged on his forehead and his face flushed red as he practically burned his Essence Blood to assault the shackle.

Finally, under extreme exertion, a faint, almost negligible wisp of Qi Blood Power was painstakingly mobilized.

’But what was the use?’

With this sliver of Qi Blood, let alone Flying in the Sky, he couldn’t even maintain the most basic Protective Gang Qi!

Faced with the violent air currents at ten thousand meters, this tiny bit of power was like a candle in a gale, extinguished in an instant.

"He... Help me!!"

In that moment, his dignity as a prodigy, his pride as a future emperor—it all crumbled in the face of his fear of death.

Xiao Tian flailed his limbs, letting out a wretched scream in mid-air, but the sound was instantly swallowed by the howling wind.

Meanwhile, on the plane.

Before anyone could react, they saw Xiao Tian, who had just been showing off, disappear into the clouds below with a WHOOSH, like a plumb bob with a broken line.

He didn’t even manage a decent struggle.

Zhao Cheng’s face stiffened, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

"Xiao... Xiao Tian fell?"

No one answered him.

Because at that very moment, the plane’s vibrations had reached their limit.

RUMBLE—!

The fuselage shook violently, emitting a cringe-inducing screech of twisting metal, as if it would disintegrate at any second.

Gu Yuexi stood in the center of the cabin. Even amid such violent turbulence, her body maintained a startling balance.

She didn’t look at the open cabin door. Instead, she slowly closed her eyes, as if sensing something.

A moment later, she opened her eyes. A trace of gravity now filled her once-cold pupils.

"Qi Blood and Mental Power cannot be summoned, or rather, are extremely difficult to summon."

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly.

"If I’m not mistaken, this should be the legendary—Spiritless Sea Region."

The Spiritless Sea Region?!

Upon hearing that name, the expressions of every student present changed in unison.

As elites from the various top-notch universities, their theoretical knowledge was naturally also top-notch.

The Spiritless Sea Region was labeled a "Black Forbidden Zone" in their textbooks!

Here, the rules of the world were chaotic, and the Spiritual Qi was both extremely thin and violent. Any Martial Artist who entered this place would be powerfully suppressed by the world’s rules!

"The Spiritless Sea Region... How did we end up flying into a hellhole like this?!"

Only then did everyone belatedly notice the abnormality with the Qi Blood in their bodies.

The suppression was intangible; if you didn’t try to use your power, you wouldn’t even notice it!

But the moment you tried to summon your Qi Blood or Mental Power, you’d discover they were being crushed, as if by a mountain...

This time, everyone finally panicked.

Gu Yuexi ignored the spreading panic and turned to look at Chu Sheng on her shoulder.

Chu Sheng seemed to understand, closing its eyes and activating Nether Vision!

The [Nether Vision] that could normally perceive everything upon activation was now like an old television with a bad signal. Its field of view was full of static and incredibly blurry.

Furthermore, its perception range had been compressed to its absolute limit, covering an area of only a few dozen meters at most.

Most importantly...

Chu Sheng tried to use Boundless Wings!

The Skill, Boundless Wings, was not affected itself, but using it for Instant Teleportation required Mental Power. Since its Mental Power was suppressed, Instant Teleportation was impossible.

"BZZZ. (No, Instant Teleportation can’t be used.)"

Chu Sheng shook its antennae, giving a negative response.

Gu Yuexi nodded, her expression still calm, as if she had expected this all along.

"As I thought."

...

At that moment on the plane, aside from the team captain, Shen Yixuan, no one was paying any more attention to the fallen Xiao Tian.

Not that it would do any good. Worrying about others was a luxury they couldn’t afford when they could barely save themselves—

at ten thousand meters, a fall without the ability to fly... even a Martial Artist’s body, no matter how strong, could not withstand such an impact.

Shen Yixuan reacted quickly, shouting at once:

"We have two Beast Tamers on our team!"

"Which one of you has a contract with a flying-type Demon Beast?!"

A flying-type Demon Beast would also have its Qi Blood suppressed, but it could fly naturally!

However, before anyone could answer, the next second—BOOM—!!!

An earth-shattering explosion erupted!

The plane’s left engine exploded completely, and terrifying flames instantly engulfed half the wing.

Immediately after, the already overburdened fuselage broke apart and disintegrated in mid-air!

The violent airflow instantly tore through every obstacle, forcibly sucking everyone out of the cabin!

"AHHH—!!!" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Screams, explosions, and the shriek of the wind mixed together, heralding the apocalypse.

Above the clouds, fire flared and debris scattered.

Several tiny figures, like birds with broken wings, fell helplessly toward the bottomless sea.

...