Long Aotian's Challenge

At night, in the Body Sect's side hall.

As the princess of the Heaven Dou Empire, Vina maintained her elegant etiquette even while staying within the sect.

The table was laden with all kinds of precious Millennium Soul Beast meat, their aroma rich and tempting.

"Lu Chen, your training method is far too extreme. Just watching it makes my heart tremble."

Vina gently picked up a slice of snow lotus root with her silver chopsticks and looked at Lu Chen, who was hungrily devouring his food across from her, her eyes carrying a trace of shock.

As Chen Lü stuffed succulent lobster meat into his mouth, he teased:

"Vina, you just don't understand. Our Young Sect Master follows the path of 'to master this art, one must first cripple oneself'!

But seriously, Lu Chen, how much Millennium Soul Beast meat do you eat in a day?

At this rate, I'm starting to wonder if you'll eat the sect's food budget dry!"

Lu Chen swallowed a large chunk of stewed bear paw, wiped his mouth, and gave a faint smile.

"I expend too much vitality. How else am I supposed to replenish it without eating something good?"

The Immortal Body was powerful because of its absurd recovery speed.

But maintaining such intense recovery still required sufficient physical strength.

Lu Chen's stamina far surpassed that of ordinary people, but that did not mean rapid recovery could replenish his strength from nothing.

If he went without food for too long, he would still starve to death.

"Here, I have more."

Tang Ya placed a glossy piece of demon ox steak into Lu Chen's bowl, her eyes full of concern.

"Ao Tian, why aren't you saying anything?" Jiang Yixi looked toward the unusually silent Long Aotian beside her.

Long Aotian paused, set down his chopsticks, and looked at Lu Chen with blazing eyes, his expression solemn.

"Young Sect Master, after dinner, I would like to challenge you to a battle!"

Lu Chen froze for a moment, then chuckled. "You're dissatisfied with my status?"

Long Aotian shook his head, his tone sincere. "Not at all.

After seeing you train this morning, I was completely convinced by you.

But I heard that your combat techniques are extremely powerful. I want to spar with you personally and observe them. I hope you'll agree."

Understanding dawned on Lu Chen, and he immediately nodded. "Sure."

He also wanted to see the true power of Long Aotian's Demonic Ape Transformation.

Chen Lü hurriedly tried to dissuade him in a low voice. "Ao Tian, are you trying to get yourself killed? The Young Sect Master is a monster who can kill a Soul Ancestor with one punch!"

Long Aotian remained unmoved. The battle intent in his eyes only grew fiercer.

"I know, but I still want to witness it for myself."

When they learned that Long Aotian was going to challenge the Young Sect Master, the sect disciples immediately lost all interest in eating.

After shoveling down a few mouthfuls of food, they rushed toward the training grounds.

Even the elders who had been in secluded cultivation could not suppress their curiosity, climbing onto the raised platforms one after another to watch.

"Why did these two youngsters suddenly decide to spar?" the Third Elder asked in surprise.

The Fifth Elder frowned. "Could Ao Tian be jealous because Lu Chen became the Young Sect Master?"

"No!"

Luo Wei shook her head. "Ao Tian isn't that kind of person."

Long Aotian was the one she had brought back to the sect, and she knew his temperament better than anyone. "The two of them are probably just having a simple spar."

By then, the sun had set, and a full moon hung high in the sky, its pale radiance spilling across the training grounds.

Long Aotian and Lu Chen stood on opposite sides of the arena, their auras gradually rising.

"Young Sect Master, let's begin!"

Long Aotian's eyes suddenly sharpened. A yellow and a purple Soul Ring slowly lit up beneath his feet.

Soul Power fluctuations spread outward.

"A Millennium Soul Ring?!"

Tang Ya's expression changed in surprise when she saw Long Aotian's second Soul Ring.

Jiang Yixi explained with worshipful eyes, "This is what makes Ao Tian so impressive!

His first Soul Ring came from an eight-hundred-year Furious Demonic Ape, while his second directly broke through to the millennium level, far surpassing Soul Masters of the same rank!"

"Still, compared to Lu Chen, he falls short."

Vina stared intently at Lu Chen and spoke without thinking.

Lu Chen looked at the Millennium Soul Ring beneath Long Aotian's feet, raising an eyebrow slightly.

He had previously thought the other man had increased the age limit of his Soul Rings through the Martial Soul's Second Awakening.

He had not expected Long Aotian to have endured the absorption through sheer physical strength. Such talent was truly astonishing.

Setting those thoughts aside, Lu Chen assumed the opening stance of the Flowing Water Rock-Shattering Fist, his tone calm.

"Come!"

Before his words had even faded, Long Aotian shot forward, his speed astonishing.

His fist howled through the air as it hurtled straight toward Lu Chen's face.

Just as the punch was about to land, Lu Chen thrust out both hands and precisely seized Long Aotian's wrist.

Long Aotian felt a strange, soft force suddenly surge forth, deflecting all the power of his punch back at him.

It was like striking a slippery piece of rubber candy; all the strength in his body was instantly dispersed.

"So this is the combat technique the Sect Master mentioned, using softness to overcome hardness? It really is strange!"

On the raised platform, Jin Peng's eyes flashed as he silently praised it.

"What?!"

Long Aotian was startled, and his body involuntarily staggered forward.

His guard was completely open.

Lu Chen seized the opening, his hands weaving like swimming dragons.

His right palm struck Long Aotian's chin like lightning, followed by his left hand clenching into a fist and smashing heavily into Long Aotian's abdomen.

The combo was crisp and clean, without the slightest wasted movement.

Bang!

Two blue flashes crossed Long Aotian's vision, followed by searing pain in his abdomen as his body flew backward like a kite with its string cut.

"What fast moves!"

Long Aotian gritted his teeth inwardly and forcibly adjusted his body.

After flipping several times in midair, he landed steadily, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"This power is too strange!"

Long Aotian stared at Lu Chen in shock. It was his first time seeing a combat technique that could redirect and rebound force like this.

"Sigh, Ao Tian is still forcing it too much by sparring with the Young Sect Master."

Chen Lü shook his head. "I'm afraid the Young Sect Master hasn't even used half his strength."

Long Aotian wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth, his eyes full of amazement. "What combat technique was that?"

"Flowing Water Rock-Shattering Fist."

With a smile on his lips, Lu Chen looked at Long Aotian. "Want to learn it?"

The moment those words were spoken, Long Aotian's eyes lit up. "I do! You're willing to teach me?"

Lu Chen nodded. "As long as you can last one minute against me, I'll teach you this fist technique."

He had never intended to keep the Flowing Water Rock-Shattering Fist to himself.

This fist technique aligned with the Body Sect's body-tempering philosophy and was suitable for the sect's disciples to cultivate.

As the Young Sect Master, he naturally hoped the sect as a whole would become as strong as possible.

"One minute, is it? Then I'll give it a try!"

Long Aotian's gaze sharpened. Soul Power inside his body began boiling furiously, and the first Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.

His already burly body instantly swelled to a height of two meters.

The muscles all over his body bulged and knotted, his hair faintly taking on a dark golden hue as he transformed into a humanoid demonic ape, his aura surging dramatically.

He had always been straightforward. Since Lu Chen had given him the chance, he would give it everything he had.

"Use all your strength."

Lu Chen remained where he was, his hands still held in their opening stance, his expression composed.

Boom!

With a thunderous impact, Long Aotian suddenly vanished from where he stood, his speed increasing by another ten percent.

"His speed has increased by around ten percent."

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and instantly caught the other man's trajectory.

In the next instant, Long Aotian appeared before Lu Chen, his second Soul Ring suddenly blazing.

"Second Soul Skill, Golden God's Wrath!"

With his furious shout, his right arm twisted and transformed, instantly becoming a dark golden longsword.

The blade was sharp, its cold gleam piercing as it slashed down toward Lu Chen's shoulder.

Blue light flashed in Lu Chen's eyes as he precisely saw through Long Aotian's attack path.

His hands shot out swiftly, and the soft force of the Flowing Water Rock-Shattering Fist unfolded once more, striking precisely at the weakness of the other man's move.

Long Aotian's expression changed as that familiar sensation of force being redirected and rebounded struck again.

Without time to think, he focused his mind to the extreme, staring fixedly at Lu Chen's hands as he tried to grasp the path of his attack.

Clang!

A burst of ecstasy flashed through Long Aotian's eyes.

"I caught it!"

Yet before that joy could fade, Lu Chen's next strike had already followed.

Bang!

Long Aotian felt his arm go numb, all strength leaving it as his body staggered back several steps before he could steady himself.

"Again!"

Long Aotian roared and charged at Lu Chen once more.