Living Refinement

A smile played at Peerless Princess's lips, and her eyes grew brighter and brighter as she looked at Lu Chen.

He might have been cracking jokes, but the blow he dealt Tianyu Academy was unparalleled.

What cultivator was an idiot?

Once these scenes were laid bare, who would still dare enter Tianyu Academy and become a sacrificial pawn?

And for someone ungrateful, cold-blooded by nature, vicious and cruel, who stripped others of their bloodlines.

Just because his talent was extraordinary?

Many people looked at Lu Ran with especially sharp contempt.

Lu Ran was so furious his lungs nearly exploded.

He wished he could leap onto the stage and skin Lu Chen alive.

He truly regretted not killing him after stripping his bloodline. They had not met for two years, yet he had become even more hateful.

That mouth of his was like a knife, enough to stab someone to death.

Just wait. I'll torture you to death later!

Xiong Yao took the stage after Lu Chen.

She was simply a violence maniac.

Facing Min Tu of Great Liang, she swung her bronze pillar, stirring up the roar of wind and thunder.

Min Tu unleashed a sword formation. Countless Sword Qi poured down like a torrential rain, yet the instant they touched the bronze pillar, they shattered into fragments.

Xiong Yao gave a thunderous roar and leaped into the air. The bronze pillar transformed into a hundred-zhang mountain peak and crashed down, shattering the sword formation outright.

Min Tu vomited blood and fell to the ground. The bronze pillar lightly tapped his head, and with a hiccup, the fellow passed out.

In the end, ten people stood atop the high platform.

Ji Wushuang's spear tip rested on the ground, Xiong Yao leaned on her bronze pillar with a guileless grin, and Fang Jiuding was tapping the bottom of the pot.

Inside it, Guan Yue was gritting her teeth in fury.

Lu Ran stood at the very edge, his gaze fixed fiercely on Lu Chen.

Besides the five of them, those who advanced included Lu Yang, Gu Tai, and Qi Zhentian of Great Qi, Zhu Sha of Great Liang, and Su Mufeng of Heavenly Dao Academy.

There had only been four seeded contestants. Six had been eliminated.

"If we meet next, I'll let you win!" Ji Wushuang's voice suddenly rang in Lu Chen's mind.

Lu Chen turned to look at her.

"Consider it a gift from the royal family in return!"

The corner of Lu Chen's mouth twitched. He transmitted his voice, "None of that matters. Just don't stop me from taking Yun Niang away!"

Ji Wushuang clenched her hand.

She took two deep breaths.

As if taking Yun Niang away was something she could simply allow. She could not make that decision either!

Under the burning gazes of the crowd, the Heavenly Dao Academy envoy brought forth the Azure Dragon Battle Formation Scroll.

When the formation scroll unfolded, a dragon's roar shook the nine heavens.

A terrifying azure dragon phantom flashed into existence, stirring ten thousand winds and clouds.

"The battle formation must be won!" Ji Wushuang's voice appeared in Lu Chen's mind again.

Lu Chen transmitted his voice, "Not only will we win it, we'll win the Battle Skill and spirit artifact too. We'll sweep the top three!"

"I just like how heroic and high-spirited you are..." Realizing her transmitted words were rather improper, Ji Wushuang hurriedly stopped.

Lu Chen stared at her in astonishment.

For a moment, his mind could not process it.

She liked how heroic and high-spirited he was?

Damn it!

Had he somehow charmed the Great Yan princess and Young Marshal?

The corners of his lips unconsciously curved upward.

It seemed he was quite charming after all. Heh heh heh...

The upcoming top-ten battles followed the same rules as before. As long as one defeated an opponent, one could continue accepting challenges. Nine victories would secure first place.

If two contestants had the same number of victories, the winner of their match ranked higher.

And so on.

As the sun slanted westward, the bronze war drums of the martial arena rumbled, their sound waves sweeping up clouds of dust.

Five figures stood like mountains atop the top-ten battle stage.

Ji Wushuang's golden armor was dyed by the sunset glow. Xiong Yao carried her bronze pillar on her shoulder. Fang Jiuding played with his chains. Lu Yang leaned on his longsword with his eyes closed in rest. Lu Ran wore white robes whiter than snow, yet ice congealed in his eyes.

The five of them were the challenged.

The challengers were Lu Chen, Zhu Sha, Gu Tai, Qi Zhentian, and Su Mufeng.

Lu Chen slowly drew out the Soul Severing Saber, his gaze scraping toward Lu Ran like a blade.

With a flash, he arrived on Lu Ran's arena.

"First battle, Lu Chen challenges Lu Ran!" the ritual officer announced, his voice like thunder.

Before his words faded, two afterimages had already collided with a boom.

The Ten Directions Bell in Lu Ran's hand hummed and exploded with sound. Golden light condensed into a massive cage around him, while the Sword Qi of Sword Devours the Eight Desolations surged out like a mad dragon emerging from the abyss, tearing through the air as it rushed at Lu Chen.

He opened with his ultimate move.

White light surged from Lu Chen's True Martial Armor. Three clones, each bearing a furnace, blocked before him as baleful flames collided with Sword Qi, blasting sparks across the sky.

"You stripped my bloodline. Today, I'll return it all to you!" Lu Chen's true body used Wind and Thunder Steps to flash behind Lu Ran, his bone saber falling with saber force wrapped around it.

Lu Ran sneered and turned. The Ten Directions Bell abruptly contracted around his fist. With one punch, he shattered the saber force, then flung out thirty-six streaks of sword light. "Trash like you deserves to speak of bloodlines?"

The sword lights poured down like a torrential rain. Lu Chen crossed his arms and received them head-on as the True Martial Domain exploded outward.

Within the domain, the sword lights slowed dramatically. He spun and hurled out the Devouring Furnace, its opening becoming a black-hole vortex that swallowed every streak of sword light.

Lu Ran's pupils contracted sharply. The Ten Directions Bell suddenly expanded like a mountain, divine runes flowing across its surface as it temporarily isolated the domain's power.

"Sword Devours the Eight Desolations, break!"

Lu Ran bit through his tongue and sprayed out a mist of blood. Sword Qi condensed into a hundred-zhang greatsword that cleaved down.

Rather than retreat, Lu Chen advanced. His right fist swelled like a mountain, and the Bloodline Beast Shadow behind him threw back its head in a roar. "Earth Shattering Collapse Fist!"

The instant fist and sword collided, space shattered like colored glaze.

The shockwave broke through the arena's grand formation. Lu Ran staggered back violently, cracks spreading inch by inch across the Ten Directions Bell.

Blood leaked from the corner of Lu Chen's mouth, but his three clones took the chance to close in. The Asura Furnace inverted overhead as though the heavens were toppling, Bone Furnace chains wrapped around Lu Ran's feet, and the Devouring Furnace descended over his head!

"Open!"

Roar, roar, roar...

Dragon roars rang out as a terrifying dragon phantom shrouded in demonic mist appeared behind Lu Ran.

A dragon claw reached out, rapidly expanding before it blasted forward.

The Demonic Dragon Claw crackled with astonishing lightning.

"Refine!" The three furnaces shook at once and met the dragon claw head-on.

Rumble...

The arena thundered as energy ran wild. The energy storm it raised warped even the spectators' vision.

"Break!" With a roar, Lu Chen appeared behind the dragon phantom as if teleporting, and Earth Shattering Collapse Fist activated.

One punch. The dragon phantom twisted, then exploded.

Lu Ran's protective Spiritual Light shattered into dust along with it.

Lu Ran's expression changed drastically. Roaring in panic, he crushed a jade talisman.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The three furnaces smashed into him one after another.

The crisp sound of bones breaking rang out alongside Lu Ran's screams.

Lu Chen's fingers hooked like claws around his throat. With a wave of his hand, he scattered a web of blood threads that continuously wound around Lu Ran's body.

As several fingers struck out, Lu Ran's screams became even more agonized. Under the crowd's horrified gazes, his physical body actually began shrinking.

Then, with a boom, Lu Ran vanished and transformed into a furnace.

His miserable howls gradually faded as well.

Everyone's hair stood on end.

They were all horrified by his terrifying method.

"Ahhh! You devil, I'll kill you!" The purple-robed elder flew into a rage and pounced onto the arena like a madman.

But with a bang, a giant palm sent him flying back.

"Today's fruit was planted by yesterday's cause. He brought this upon himself!" Old Ancestor Tianyan stared coldly at the purple-robed elder.

"If you wish to fight, this old man will accompany you!"

The purple-robed elder staggered, all spirit drained from him.

The academy head had entrusted Lu Ran to his care for training, yet Lu Ran had been refined alive. How was he supposed to explain this?

"Lu Chen, just you wait. This isn't over!"

Lu Chen abruptly looked at him and said coldly, "Say that again!"

"I..." The purple-robed elder failed to catch his breath and nearly choked to death.

He might have been at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, but his combat strength was lacking. He was far inferior even to Miao Yuan, whom Lu Chen had killed.

If Lu Chen killed him here, that would truly become a spectacle.

"Flying into a rage only proves you'll never amount to anything. Hmph!"

The Heavenly Dao Academy envoy's words made the purple-robed elder shudder violently.

Even louder, unbroken jeers rose from outside the arena.

Lu Chen toyed with the new furnace. Reaching inside, he pulled out a ball of blood and tossed it directly into his mouth.

Boom!

The Bloodline Beast Shadow activated on its own. Before everyone's shocked eyes, another head gradually emerged from the three-zhang-tall beast shadow.