Breakthrough Before Battle? I Can Too

On the arena platform, the opponent was stunned for a moment.

That's right, he was none other than Wu Chen, one of the Wu Family's three prodigies. After learning earlier that Dugu Qiubai was allied with the Flying Bird First Martial Hall, he had decided to teach the former a harsh lesson and make the White Deer Academy crowd understand that this was the price of siding with Shen Zhou. To that end, he had disguised himself, altered his face, and used special means to suppress his strength and aura down to the Coagulation Ninth Realm. Then, taking advantage of Tan Tong's match against his opponent, he leveraged his Wu Family identity to pressure the Hall Master of Wind Thunder Martial Hall, securing the chance to challenge Dugu Qiubai on stage.

But in the end, he had been careless. 'Thunder Flash,' as the Wu Family's clan-defining technique, had once been used by Wu Jiuyan, which was why Shen Zhou found it familiar and recognized it. Seeing his identity about to be exposed, Wu Chen paused and said, "That's right, I'm a Wu Family member. Does the Grand Tournament have a rule saying Wu Family members can't join another martial hall and then compete?" Hearing this, Shen Zhou suddenly understood why his opponent had earlier claimed they had a life-or-death grudge and said he would cripple him—it was all for revenge. Shen Zhou then sneered, "The Grand Tournament doesn't forbid it, but since you're from the Wu Family, I'll be taking the initiative from now on. You want to cripple me? I'll cripple you first!" Wu Chen replied dismissively, "I'm afraid you don't have the skill!" Shen Zhou didn't waste words; he answered with action.

"Wind God Leg!" Shen Zhou's speed blurred his figure, and in the next instant, he was behind Wu Chen. He raised his leg and kicked in one fluid motion. The leg whip cracked like thunder! "You..." Before Wu Chen could finish his sentence, he shot off with a 'swoosh,' slammed hard onto the arena platform, and rolled several times. When Wu Chen finally steadied himself and got up, a surge of sweetness rose in his throat. Opening his mouth, he spat out a trace of blood! "How is this possible?" "How could his speed be faster than 'Thunder Flash'?" Wu Chen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face filled with disbelief. 'Thunder Flash' was a secret technique from ancient cultivators a thousand years ago; once mastered, it was said to be unmatched in speed. Wu Chen had relied on this movement art to defeat many strong opponents, yet today he had lost to his rival? The crowd below the platform was stunned too. In that moment just now, no one had even seen how Shen Zhou struck... no, how he kicked! It was simply too fast! Except for City Lord Lin Nantian and Manager Mo from Flying Bird Academy. Lin Nantian then remarked with interest, "Now this is getting interesting!" On the arena platform, Shen Zhou had just withdrawn his leg and said, "How did that kick feel?" He did it on purpose! His goal was to tell his opponent that when it came to speed, he wasn't the only one who excelled. I will defeat you in the very area you excel at! Feeling Shen Zhou's provocation and malice, fury surged in Wu Chen's eyes. "That was me being careless. Come at me if you dare!" Shen Zhou said nothing more.

The next moment... Two figures vanished from the spot simultaneously. Immediately after, a series of crackling explosions rang out from the arena platform. The dense, piercing sounds of fists and feet made everyone's scalp tingle. Shen Zhou and Wu Chen engaged in a speed duel, striking fast against fast, their figures blurring so much that the audience could barely tell who was who. Just as everyone was guessing whose speed would prevail, a 'bang' sounded, and one figure flew out. The victor was decided! Everyone looked closely and couldn't help but shudder. "Dugu Qiubai truly lives up to being 'invincible below the Transformation Yuan Realm'!" Thud, thud, thud... The one rolling out was, of course, Wu Chen again. Another footprint had appeared on his face, and more blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. "I don't believe it! I don't believe my speed can lose to you! Again!" Wu Chen was furious, nearly driven mad. He scrambled up from the ground and, without a moment's hesitation, charged at Shen Zhou once more. Shen Zhou's eyes turned cold. "Since you won't accept it, I'll beat you until you do!" Whoosh... The two tangled together again. But this time, the moment they clashed, Wu Chen was kicked flying once more. By now, even a fool could see that Wu Chen's speed was being utterly crushed by Shen Zhou's. And the latter's speed seemed to be getting faster and faster.

Wu Chen picked himself up from the ground for the third time, his eyes locked on his opponent. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his gaze burned with fury and humiliation. "Fine. You forced my hand..."

"Oh?"

Just as Shen Zhou wondered what tricks his opponent had left, Wu Chen clenched both fists, and the blood energy within him suddenly surged like boiling water.

When the blood energy condensed to its peak, Wu Chen let out a roar. "Break for me!"

Boom!

In an instant, the air exploded, and the arena trembled.

A wave of Yuan power and aura belonging to a Transformation Yuan Realm martial artist erupted on the stage, sweeping outward in all directions.

Everyone on and off the platform was stunned.

"T-T-Transformation Yuan? That Wu guy from Wind Thunder Martial Hall actually broke through mid-battle?"

"Damn it. Wu broke through on the spot. Looks like Dugu Qiubai is finished!"

"Sigh... a breakthrough in the heat of battle—a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity, and that Wu actually stumbled into it. What kind of luck is that?"

"It seems Dugu Qiubai's championship run ends here!"

The people from Flying Bird First Martial Hall were also dumbfounded.

A breakthrough mid-battle?

Was that even possible?

Lin Nantian and Manager Mo were equally taken aback.

Then Manager Mo chuckled. "This really decides the winner now. After all, 'invincible below Transformation Yuan' only counts below Transformation Yuan."

Lin Nantian said nothing, his brow tightly furrowed.

On the arena, Shen Zhou hadn't expected this turn of events either.

"A breakthrough mid-battle? You can play it that way?"

Shen Zhou's eyes lit up with interest.

Earlier, to avoid exposing his identity and getting eliminated, he had been desperately suppressing the power of his Entry.

After all, his opponent was already at Coagulation Ninth Realm. For the Entry to make him invincible, it would have to push him into Transformation Yuan.

To stay hidden, he hadn't even unleashed a single Sword Qi since the Grand Tournament began, relying purely on his swordsmanship to overpower his opponents.

But just now, that Wu guy's move gave him an idea.

So Grand Tournament fighters couldn't use Transformation Yuan power—unless they found the perfect excuse.

A breakthrough mid-battle...

That excuse was flawless!

He looked back at Wu Chen.

With his seal released, Wu Chen's strength and aura instantly skyrocketed. But he wasn't stupid—going all out would raise suspicion about his true power. So he deliberately suppressed his aura, holding himself back to the First Transformation Yuan Realm.

It made him look like he had genuinely just broken through.

And the power of Transformation Yuan restored his confidence and courage. He stared at his opponent and snarled, "Come on, hit me!"

"I'm Transformation Yuan now. Let's see if you can still kick me!"

Wu Chen stomped hard. Boundless fury, wrapped in Yuan power, coalesced into a bloody Yuan force field that spread from under his feet and surged toward Shen Zhou like a tidal wave.

Its ferocity was like a beast baring its claws, a shark opening its jaws—utterly terrifying.

Seeing Wu Chen so swollen with arrogance, Shen Zhou smiled. Without a word, he gave his greatsword a light flick.

The next moment—boom!

A surge of Yuan power erupted from Shen Zhou, far more violent, unstoppable, and domineering than Wu Chen's. It instantly shattered Wu Chen's Yuan force field on the arena, forcing it to recoil.

After completing his "breakthrough," Shen Zhou said calmly under his opponent's incredulous gaze, "A breakthrough mid-battle? I can do that too."

Wu Chen: "..."

Lin Nantian and Manager Mo: "..."

Every spectator below the arena: "..."

Dead silence.

What the hell was going on?

A once-in-a-thousand-years breakthrough mid-battle, and now it was common as dirt?

Wu Chen was on the verge of collapse.

He could "break through mid-battle" because he was already a peak Transformation Yuan Fifth Realm martial artist.

But Dugu Qiubai—what gave him the right?

If San Mazi and the others could hear Wu Chen's thoughts, they would say: "Just because Brother Shen's strength is unknown and he grows stronger against stronger foes! Breaking through to Transformation Yuan in front of him—what difference is there between that and digging your own grave?!"

But at this moment, Wu Chen couldn't care less. Seeing his opponent also 'break through' to Transformation Yuan, his eyes hardened, and he thought to himself: "Even if you've broken through to Transformation Yuan, so what? If Transformation Yuan First Realm won't cut it, then I'll crush you with Transformation Yuan Second Realm strength. Even if I have to risk exposure today, I, Wu Chen, will wash away this humiliation!"

Wu Chen secretly raised his strength another level, then let out a roar and flashed toward Shen Zhou again. "Come again!"

Shen Zhou didn't indulge his opponent. Sword in hand, the power of his Entry surging freely, he lifted his leg and kicked once more.

The moment the two clashed—

Wu Chen flew again.

But this time, the crowd below wasn't surprised.

Because if Wu Chen got beaten before his breakthrough, then with both of them having broken through, wasn't it perfectly normal for Wu Chen to still get beaten?

But Wu Chen was going mad.

I got beaten at Coagulation Ninth Realm—fine, I'll accept it.

I got beaten at Transformation Yuan First Realm—fine, I'll accept that too.

But I secretly raised my strength all the way to Transformation Yuan Second Realm, so why the hell am I still getting beaten?!

"I'll kill him, I'll definitely kill him..."

Just as Wu Chen got up, ready to throw caution to the wind and unleash his full strength to salvage his pride, someone in the crowd below stared at his face and suddenly exclaimed: "Look, a layer of skin is peeling off his face—what is that?"

Then someone else recognized it: "That... that's a Human Skin Mask, isn't it?"

"Huh? This guy surnamed Wu is wearing a Human Skin Mask? Is he hiding his identity?"

In an instant, the crowd buzzed with discussion.

Hearing these voices, Wu Chen instantly calmed down. He hurriedly reached up and touched his face, only to realize in shock that under Shen Zhou's relentless kicks to his face, his Human Skin Mask had been torn apart, now hanging like a tattered rag on his face.

It made him look especially terrifying and grotesque in that moment.

Wu Chen's face darkened instantly.

Shen Zhou also looked at his opponent in surprise, muttering under his breath, "So this guy was also..."

Wu Chen caught those words and immediately raised an eyebrow.

What did that 'also' mean?

At that moment, Lin Nantian on the viewing platform finally stood up. With a stern expression, he called a halt to the match and demanded coldly: "You two have quite the nerve, both hiding your identities and strength to participate in the Grand Tournament illegally. Who exactly are you?"

The moment this question rang out, both the stage and the audience shuddered.

The spectators were momentarily stunned, even thinking Lord Lin might have misspoken and only meant the one surnamed Wu.

But the people from Flying Bird First Martial Hall felt their hearts sink, thinking: "Damn it, Shen Zhou's strength has been exposed too!"

Others might not have noticed that Wu Chen had just secretly burst out with Transformation Yuan Second Realm strength, but Lin Nantian, being in the Celestial Firmament Realm, could hardly miss it.

Moreover, Shen Zhou's kick just now had also carried a fluctuation in aura, which was how Lin Nantian caught him.

But Lin Nantian's words seemed to confirm something for Wu Chen. He suddenly looked up at his opponent 'Dugu Qiubai' and exclaimed in shock: "So that's what your 'also' meant—you're wearing a disguise too? Who are you?!"

Wu Chen was furious.

No wonder no matter how much he pushed himself, he lost so miserably—his opponent was just like him, a 'cheater' who had changed his appearance and hidden his true strength to compete in the Grand Tournament.

But who was this opponent, to be able to suppress him in every situation?

Thinking this, and glancing at the greatsword in 'Dugu Qiubai's' hand, a name suddenly burst into his mind.

Wu Chen shuddered in alarm and blurted out: "You're Shen—!"

Just as he was about to shout the full name...

A sudden clap of thunder exploded in the sky.

In that instant, the entire Flying Bird City seemed to tremble along with it, as if a dragon had turned over underground.

Everyone in the arena staggered, some even falling to the ground. Then they all looked up, bewildered: "What's going on? What happened?"

Immediately after, someone spotted a thick, blazing pillar of light rising from the sky in the northern part of the city. The pillar shot straight into the clouds, its radiance brightening the entire sky and visible for a hundred miles around.

Seeing this, everyone in the arena involuntarily looked up toward the north, their expressions shaken. "What is that? Could some secret treasure have appeared?"

At the same time.

In the Xu residence within the city.

Xu Family Head Xu Mengfu stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, his posture imposing. Gazing at the towering pillar of light in the north, a divine gleam shot from his eyes, and he said: "Pass the order—the entrance to the secret realm has appeared. The plan targeting the Qin Family Divine Weapon can begin!"

Behind him, the ever-present Xu Family Elder Xu You immediately bowed in acknowledgment. "Yes, Family Head!"