Chapter 158: What Brother Du Has, I Do Not; What I Have, Brother Du Has All of It

Rumble!

The meteorite-steel wall was exceedingly heavy. Crafted from a special material, it was unable to conduct dream-spirit energy, rendering it useless for the creation of taboo artifacts, and thus it was not particularly cherished. Its defining characteristics were its immense weight and extreme hardness.

Because of these two traits, the price of meteorite-steel remained quite high, though it did not reach the exorbitant levels demanded by materials used for taboo artifacts. Still, utilizing an entire wall of meteorite-steel for evaluation purposes was enough to demonstrate the sheer wealth and extravagance of the Dream-Master Association headquarters.

Screech, screech...

The meteorite-steel wall scraped against the ground, indicating that it was being pushed.

Cang Yuan narrowed his eyes, staring with curiosity. He was not surprised to see Du Fang easily pushing the meteorite-steel wall. If Du Fang lacked even the strength to move a meteorite-steel wall, then his reputation as a genius would be entirely undeserved. To reach the City-Crossing rank, physical strength was one of the most fundamental standards; one's physical prowess had to meet a certain threshold. Even mental-type dream-masters would experience a physical feedback loop as their dream-spirit energy grew, granting their bodies formidable physical strength.

Of course, there was no upper limit to physical strength. A City-Crossing dream-master might possess power comparable to that of a National-level expert, though that alone did not mean they could become a National-level dream-master. The criteria for National-level dream-masters were far more stringent.

Du Fang did not hold back. He directly summoned the Wife's Hand and unleashed his Crimson Attire State. He was also curious to see just how far his physical strength could reach once the Crimson Attire State was activated.

Power surged from deep within his body, as if every single cell had awakened in that very moment.

Boom, boom, boom!

Every blood vessel throbbed, his blood rushing like a roaring river, wave upon wave!

Power erupted forth with a deafening crash!

The meteorite-steel wall, heavy as a mountain, was pushed back by Du Fang, caving in under his force! It was utterly incapable of stopping him!

"Ten centimeters in an instant!"

Cang Yuan's eyes shone brightly. There was no doubt that Du Fang had easily qualified as a Senior Dream-Master!

And the meteorite-steel wall continued to cave inward...

"One meter! So fast! His raw physical strength alone has completely reached the entry-level City-Crossing rank!" Cang Yuan took a deep breath. The most remarkable part was Du Fang's pushing speed... it was truly fast! Even Cang Yuan himself could not push the meteorite-steel wall at such a rapid pace! Could it be that Du Fang's physical strength surpassed even his own—a National-level dream-master specializing in physical combat?!

Boom!

The meteorite-steel wall continued to indent: one meter, two meters, three meters...

Cang Yuan's heart leapt into his throat! Shock flashed across his eyes. This speed... was it not going to slow down at all? It had maintained this exact speed the entire time?

Pushing it two meters meant possessing the strength of an intermediate City-Crossing rank, while three meters represented the high-level City-Crossing rank!

Yet Du Fang, in a single breath, pushed it all the way to five meters!

Only then did Du Fang release his grip, take two steps back, and exhale.

Exactly five meters.

Pushed to five meters at a perfectly uniform speed. There had been no hesitation, and no deceleration due to exhaustion...

"The strength evaluation... has reached the National level!" Cang Yuan muttered.

On the other side, the eyes of several noticers and recorders had already widened, their faces filled with shock. It truly was National-level! Several female noticers already had stars in their eyes.

Good-looking and immensely strong... Simply perfection!

Inside the monitoring room behind the one-way glass, a wave of commotion erupted. All the City-Crossing dream-masters wore expressions of profound shock. None of them were weak; naturally, they could perceive the intricacies of what had just occurred.

Du Fang had pushed the meteorite-steel wall to five meters in a single breath at a uniform speed... Such strength was something even a National-level dream-master might struggle to achieve effortlessly!

This fellow... is still holding back!

Sky Sword, who carried a giant sword resembling a coffin lid on his back, nodded almost imperceptibly. Cao Kong, refined and scholarly, smiled. "Quite a formidable strength. No wonder he was able to defeat Lingyin. In terms of sheer power, Lingyin indeed lost." He added, "Moreover, it seems he still has strength to spare."

In the monitoring room, the City-Crossing dream-masters who had originally planned to watch a good show and harbored lingering dissatisfaction now adjusted their attitudes. One by one, they put aside their contempt and began to observe with utmost seriousness.

In front of the one-way glass, the three supervisors in white lab coats exchanged glances, a burning fervor flashing in their eyes. Then, they began to pick up their pens to record the data.

...

In truth, Du Fang was not pushing any further. It was not that he refused to, but rather that the strength channeled into him by the Wife's Hand had reached its limit. To push any further would require unleashing the Wife's Hand's own independent power. In that case, it would no longer be Du Fang's own physical strength, rendering the test meaningless.

In other words, simply by activating the Crimson Attire State, Du Fang's physical strength enhancement had reached the National level. Yet his own dream-spirit intensity was merely 8,000 energy units, which was the standard level of a Senior Dream-Master. That meant an amplification of roughly a hundredfold...

The Crimson Attire State was truly formidable!

"Are you not going to push anymore?" Cang Yuan looked at Du Fang, somewhat excited. He was all geared up for a spectacle, and yet Du Fang was stopping halfway! He had been counting on Du Fang to break the record—the record for the youngest dream-master's physical strength! Prior to this, that record had been held by the legendary ceiling of physical might. If Du Fang had pushed another two meters to reach seven meters, he would have broken that record! Furthermore, Du Fang was even younger than the physical ceiling holder! So why on earth was Du Fang stopping?! Cang Yuan was more anxious than Du Fang himself.

Du Fang glanced at Cang Yuan. "I'm out of strength."

Cang Yuan: "..."

The hell I'll believe you! Look at you, your face isn't red and you're not even breathing hard; you clearly still have plenty of strength left! How can a young man say he has no strength left?!

However, since Du Fang clearly had no intention of continuing, Cang Yuan could only suppress his surging excitement with a feeling of stifled frustration.

Next, Cang Yuan led Du Fang to undergo the speed evaluation.

The speed evaluation was relatively simple: running from one end of the testing room to the other, covering a total distance of five hundred meters. Sensors were installed at the finish line, designed to instantly cut off the timer the moment Du Fang crossed it, maintaining an accuracy within one-hundredth of a second!

Still maintaining the Crimson Attire State, Du Fang stood at the starting line and began to run.

He sprang forth in an instant, transforming into a bloody streak across the field, moving in what was practically the blink of an eye. The entire five-hundred-meter course was covered by Du Fang in a flash!

"1.9 seconds!"

Du Fang's red trench coat fluttered as he looked at the time displayed on the monitor.

"Gasp!"

"Nearly 250 meters per second! That completely shatters the limits of the human body! He's reached twice the limit of human potential!"

"This is the speed of a National-level dream-master! City-Crossing dream-masters are still human; reaching the human limit is already impressive!"

"Only National-level beings are worthy of being called superhuman!"

The recorders exclaimed in shock.

Both his speed and strength had reached the National level. This meant that Du Fang's physical tier was already on par with a National-level expert! Of course, this did not mean Du Fang was a National-level dream-master yet; it merely signified that his physical tier had reached the baseline standard for the National level. To officially be certified as a National-level dream-master based on physicality, the requirements for strength and speed were even higher.

Even so, this was more than enough to shock everyone present.

"This time, the capital really has welcomed a monster!"

"Is there even any point for the upcoming top scholar competition to continue?"

"Well, there might still be a chance. If Zhao Lingyin can develop her domain awakening a bit further, she might still be able to put up a fight!"

"As for the others, there's basically no suspense left."

Everyone understood clearly what level Du Fang's strength and speed had attained.

Inside the monitoring room, a strange glint flashed in the eyes of Sky Sword Palace's leader, while Cao Kong smiled. "Interesting. If I recall correctly, this kid's special ability is the manipulation of air? He must have utilized the thrust of the air to achieve that explosive burst of speed..." He paused, then added, "Still, it's astonishing enough. Coupled with his mastery over air, which allows him to fly freely through the sky, calling him a half-step National-level would not be an exaggeration."

"Now, it all depends on his actual combat proficiency. However, being able to grind Lingyin into the dirt... his combat ability probably doesn't need to be questioned." Cao Kong glanced at Zhao Lingyin, who was brimming with fighting spirit, and chuckled.

Many of the surrounding City-Crossing dream-masters let out low laughs. Zhao Lingyin, as the disciple of Grandmaster Ye Zong, could be said to be universally pampered within the Dream-Master Association. Yet Zhao Lingyin herself seemed unconcerned. She even scratched the back of her head, her fighting spirit soaring.

"My goal is to surpass Brother Du! Although it feels like a difficult task, I'm not afraid!" Zhao Lingyin clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with determination! This was her burning youth! Facing her goal and chasing it relentlessly, she would grow step by step through the pursuit! Whether she could catch up or not was unimportant; what mattered was that she enjoyed the process of the chase!

"To be certified as a National-level dream-master requires the combat record of slaying a fallen-nation-class nightmare or conquering a high-tier city-destruction dream disaster. Otherwise, Brother Du could be certified as a National-level right this instant!" Zhao Lingyin had practically transformed into Du Fang's devoted little fan. While full of fighting spirit in her pursuit, she also held absolute trust in Du Fang.

Zhao Lingyin's words caused the surrounding dream-masters to fall silent. Even elite team captains like Sky Sword, Cao Kong, and Yan Fei were stunned. They truly had not anticipated this attitude from Zhao Lingyin. Had her self-confidence been completely crushed?

Zhao Lingyin glanced at them and smiled. "Because everything Brother Du has, I lack, and everything I possess... Brother Du has it all!" She continued, "Brother Du possesses infinite dream-spirit energy, and he also possesses a domain... The gap is quite obvious."

Huh? A domain?

With these words, the entire monitoring room instantly fell into a dead silence, so quiet that the drop of a pin could be heard.