The Showdown

When Lu Wangchuan arrived at the plaza, the grand ceremony had already been underway for half a day.

The moment he arrived, a sect elder challenger had just been blasted off the arena stage by Yun Mengyao, drawing a wave of cheers.

At this moment, standing upon the stage, how heroic and spirited was she? She had probably long since become the dream goddess of countless sect disciples.

Even Chen Qingquan could not help but exclaim in sentiment:

"I have to admit, Yun Mengyao that bitch has a rotten heart, but her strength is truly something else. How can you say the heavens are so blind, letting her become such a peerless talent?"

Lin Qingxue, off to the side, wore a heavy expression.

"That senior Zhuge Long just now has cultivated for over sixty years, and his strength is also in the middle-to-late Condensing Truth Realm, yet he still couldn't last twenty moves against Yun Mengyao. It shows that her strength right now has probably reached the Condensing Truth Realm peak, just a step away from breaking through to the Transforming Sea Realm!"

"So fast!"

Chen Qingquan could not help clicking his tongue in amazement.

"How could she improve so quickly? Even though her aptitude is monstrous, breaking through cultivation becomes harder the further you go. I feel like her current breakthrough speed has already surpassed her previous one."

Lin Qingxue looked at Li Tianxiang standing on the other side of the arena, whose adoring gaze held only Yun Mengyao, and could not help shaking her head.

"I'm afraid some simping dog gave her good things again."

Lu Wangchuan also noticed Li Tianxiang, who had just turned thirty years old yet had already reached the middle Condensing Truth Realm. Moreover, judging by his air of nobility, and hearing that the sect's Second Elder also shared the surname Li, it was estimated nine times out of ten to be related to the Second Elder.

"Still, compared to Wangchuan, she's merely a greenhorn."

Chen Qingquan smiled mischievously.

Although Lu Wangchuan had never spoken to him about his strength, the fact that Lu Wangchuan had been able to escape from the hands of so many people from the Heavenly Martial Sect had already confirmed his cultivation level, which had very likely broken through the Condensing Truth Realm.

Though it was hard to fathom, after so much time, Chen Qingquan had long since settled his mindset and grown used to it.

However, right at that moment, Yun Mengyao on the stage suddenly cast her gaze upon Lu Wangchuan.

Chen Qingquan's heart tightened, and he nudged Lu Wangchuan with his elbow.

"Wangchuan, that bitch is looking at you."

Lu Wangchuan's expression was indifferent, only calmly looking at Yun Mengyao. He had not yet initiated a challenge, so had this woman already set her sights on him?

Sure enough, the next moment, Yun Mengyao spoke directly.

"Seven months ago, you said you wanted to challenge me. Today, I am right here—do you dare to come up? Or are you, like Lu Xianyuan, just a tortoise hiding in its shell?"

As soon as these words were uttered, they instantly stirred a commotion.

"Yun Mengyao actually said those words out loud in public."

"It's over, it's completely over. That brat being targeted by Yun Mengyao is no good thing."

"If that brat dares to accept, he's a dead man. If he doesn't dare to accept, he'll never be able to hold his head up in the sect from now on."

There was quite a bit of egging on within the crowd; watching people make fools of themselves was an innate human nature, and the weak excelled especially at this art.

Cheng Yunxiao, not far away, was startled upon hearing this, inwardly cursing Yun Mengyao for being shameless, and immediately spoke out to stop it.

"Wangchuan, don't listen to her. You are still no match for her right now."

The Second Elder immediately chimed in with a sneer.

"What? Too scared?"

Unexpectedly, Lu Wangchuan merely glanced at him, then, with an air of utter nonchalance, walked directly toward the arena stage.

He had originally intended to wipe out Yun Mengyao, so what fear could he have of her?

"Look, he's actually daring to go up."

People began to grow surprised.

Cheng Yunxiao grew anxious, hastily shouting from behind:

"Wangchuan, your aptitude is better than hers. Don't let a moment of recklessness get the better of you; cultivate for a few more years and you will definitely be able to defeat her. There is no need to be provoked by two words from her."

Chen Qingquan also tried to persuade him from the side:

"Wangchuan, don't act on impulse."

Yet right at that moment, Lin Qingxue abruptly chimed in with a single sentence.

"Don't worry, Master. He'll be fine."

Cheng Yunxiao started, giving a sudden shudder as if thinking of something, and turned his head to stare at Lin Qingxue in utter shock.

"Qingxue, what do you mean by that? Could it be that Wangchuan has already broken through the Condensing Truth Realm?"

Lin Qingxue nodded.

Cheng Yunxiao was completely dumbfounded. This brat Lu Wangchuan had actually... actually broken through the Condensing Truth Realm?!

This... this simply left him unable to believe it.

When he had first arrived at the sect, he was only at the Open Source stage, and now it had only been a year and two months since coming to the sect, yet he had already become a Condensing Truth expert?! Wasn't this going a bit too monstrously far?

Even the strongest genius of the younger generation across the entire Divine Water Sect, Zhao Yanlong, had only broken through to the Condensing Truth Realm at twenty years old!

Breaking through to the Condensing Truth Realm in his teens, Lu Wangchuan could well be called the number one person in the history of the Divine Water Sect.

"No, even if he broke through to the Condensing Truth Realm, Yun Mengyao is also in the late Condensing Truth Realm. Beating him wouldn't that be as easy as flipping a hand?"

Lin Qingxue once again smiled with a trace of mystery.

"He still won't lose."

"What did you say?"

This time, even Chen Qingquan, who had long since known that Lu Wangchuan had broken through the Condensing Truth Realm, joined in the shock.

Could Lu Wangchuan have already broken through to the late Condensing Truth Realm?

This brat had such a fast speed?

"Is everything you said true?"

Cheng Yunxiao still found it somewhat hard to believe.

Lin Qingxue thereupon spoke up.

"Actually, there is a matter he didn't let me and the sect report. A month ago, the reason our two fellow apprentices died in battle was because we encountered someone."

"Who?"

"Yuan Wang of the Heavenly Martial Sect."

Hearing this name, Cheng Yunxiao's pupils instantly contracted.

Naturally, he knew of Yuan Wang. He could be considered a somewhat well-known figure even within the Heavenly Martial Sect, having already reached the late Condensing Truth Realm to this day.

Moreover, his mastery of the Dragon Tiger Divine Fist was used to perfection, giving him a massive advantage among those of the same realm.

Yet Lin Qingxue and Lu Wangchuan had still returned, which meant they had killed Yuan Wang.

Lin Qingxue's cultivation level was decidedly incapable of achieving that, so there was only one explanation: the one who killed Yuan Wang was Lu Wangchuan.

"This brat, to actually hide things this deeply?"

Cheng Yunxiao's lips moved a couple of times, and the whole person froze stupidly.

The Second Elder's faction not far away, seeing the anxious appearance Cheng Yunxiao and the others had just put on, was still secretly gloating.

"That brat Lu Wangchuan has decent aptitude. Once he dies, the Law Enforcement Hall will lose a junior with a bright future, and Cheng Yunxiao is likely going to feel quite a heartache."

When Lu Wangchuan arrived atop the arena, Yun Mengyao's face did not hold the joy of a successful scheme; instead, her eyes narrowed slightly.

She knew Lu Wangchuan was no fool. Since he dared to come up, he definitely possessed some confidence—could it be that he had already broken through to the Condensing Truth Realm?

This made her feel a trace of threat, and even more, a trace of jealousy: a Condensing Truth expert before the age of twenty must absolutely not be left alive!

Yet very soon she rejoiced instead: even if Lu Wangchuan had become a Condensing Truth expert, it was impossible for him to be in the late Condensing Truth Realm. Killing him now meant that no matter how much of a genius he was, nothing could save him!

This time, she had bet correctly.

"I originally still held a shred of different regard for you, but now it seems I was overthinking it. If you can't even endure a few words, how can you accomplish great things?"