Rise to Power

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"Is that kid looking to die? Do any of you know him?"

"I know him. His name is Ye Chen. More than half a year ago, he was only at the fourth layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm. Now even I can't see through his cultivation. No wonder his confidence has swelled."

"No matter how fast he improved, it was useless! Senior Brother Huang Bingwen might rank beyond three or four hundred among the Inner Sect Disciples, but he was still a True Condensation Realm Early Stage martial artist. To us Outer Sect Disciples, he was simply untouchable."

"That's true. Ye Chen was in for it!"

The Outer Sect Disciples buzzed with discussion, while the Inner Sect Disciples watched coldly from the sidelines.

"Kid, die!" On the platform, Huang Bingwen did not bother building up momentum. He shot forward in an arrow step and clawed at Ye Chen's head through the air, black claw radiance hissing as it tore through the air.

"Demon-Entangling Claw!" Ye Chen recognized the other man's martial skill. This claw technique was Human-grade Top-tier; one strike could tear through even steel plating, and its claw force could bore through the True Qi of martial artists at the same level.

Whoosh!

Ye Chen lightly tapped the ground and drifted backward, evading the claw radiance's range.

A strange glint flashed through Huang Bingwen's eyes as he shouted, "Trying to dodge? Heavenly Net Strike!"

True Condensation Realm Early Stage martial artists could already release True Qi beyond their bodies and kill from a distance. Huang Bingwen tore at the air with both hands, and pitch-black ghostly True Qi claws shot everywhere, filling the air with dark shadows.

"Releasing True Qi beyond the body? That really was troublesome." When Qi Cultivation Realm martial artists fought True Condensation Realm martial artists, aside from the gaps in every other aspect, their greatest disadvantage was their inability to attack from afar. At most, they could send out a palm wind or fist wind mixed with Internal Energy from three or four meters away, and it had little killing power.

True Condensation Realm martial artists were different. Even from ten meters away, they could kill someone. Some martial skills even required a certain distance to unleash their power.

Pushing the Golden Goose Steps to the limit, Ye Chen's body flickered, leaving an afterimage where he stood. His true body circled around the claw shadows and launched a counterattack at Huang Bingwen.

"Courting death. I was waiting for this."

Huang Bingwen had not expected Ye Chen to be so fast, but he was not worried in the slightest. He reversed his hand and tore a claw at Ye Chen.

While moving forward, Ye Chen lowered his body, his right hand resting on the sword hilt. His sharp eyes remained fixed on Huang Bingwen.

Ten steps!

Seven steps!

Five steps!

A sword light warped like water shot out in an instant, slipping through the gaps in the claw shadows like a loach.

"Flowing Clouds and Flowing Water, Seventh Form: Seeking Gaps!"

The simpler a move was, the more effective it could sometimes be, because it simply had no flaw.

Before the sword arrived, Huang Bingwen's chest had already sensed it. It felt cool and numb; goosebumps rose all over his skin. He was incomparably shocked. Ye Chen's strength had completely exceeded his expectations.

Yet he was, after all, a True Condensation Realm Early Stage martial artist. He had roamed the martial world for some time and experienced several bloody fights. After his surprise came a furious roar. "Mysterious Heavy Aura!"

Buzz!

The air rippled. To the naked eye, the space within three feet around Huang Bingwen seemed distorted. The sword light brushed past him from the side without harming him in the slightest.

"It's the fifth layer of the Mysterious Heavy Heart Sutra!" Several Inner Sect Disciples frowned and regarded Huang Bingwen more highly.

Ye Chen frowned and swiftly retreated.

Huang Bingwen said confidently, "Before my Mysterious Heavy Aura, all your attacks will be useless, while my attacks are enough to disrupt your balance."

"Not necessarily!" Ye Chen had already formed a plan.

"This time, I'll defeat you in one move." Huang Bingwen's expression was rather unsightly. Earlier, he had planned to defeat Ye Chen in one move before teaching Zhang Haoran a lesson. Who would have thought Ye Chen would be so difficult to deal with? His movement technique was like an antelope hanging its horns, leaving no trace to follow. Several consecutive attacks had failed to touch him, and his swordsmanship looked simple, yet forced Huang Bingwen to drive the fifth layer of the Mysterious Heavy Heart Sutra at full strength. It was completely contrary to what he had imagined.

"Dragon Soaring Steps!"

Stretching out his body, Huang Bingwen stepped forward. Several strides flowed together in one breath, like a soaring Divine Dragon, as he charged at Ye Chen.

"Huang Bingwen has even used the Mysterious Heavy Aura and Dragon Soaring Steps. Was this Ye Chen really that formidable?" Many Inner Sect Disciples had not fought Ye Chen face-to-face and did not understand the mystery of it.

"I can see one thing, at least. This Ye Chen was absolutely a swordsmanship genius." An Inner Sect Disciple spoke slowly, his expression grave.

"How so?"

"I once saw Senior Sister Zhu Mei spar with other Core Disciples. She used the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique too. Its power was not great, but it was extremely difficult to defend against and was not bound by fixed patterns."

"You thought too highly of him! Could he compare to Senior Sister?"

"Don't ask me. I don't know either. Only some powerful Inner Sect Disciples or Core Disciples could see what was really going on."

"No matter what, Ye Chen had made a name for himself."

Facing Huang Bingwen as he rushed at him, Ye Chen narrowed his eyes. As his feet shifted apart, he unleashed the ninth form of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, Night Light Movement.

Night light flowed like water, sword light filling the air.

Huang Bingwen's eyes were dazzled. He had never known the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique could be so formidable, but it was not enough to make him retreat. His left hand formed a claw, his right hand clenched into a fist, and he struck with both at once.

"Demon-Entangling Gale Claw, Mad Fist!"

Sword and claw collided, erupting in a rapid series of crackling explosions.

Ye Chen abruptly rose off the ground and drifted backward a short distance. Then he clenched his left hand into a fist, faint golden light covering it, and collided with Huang Bingwen's right fist.

Boom!

The two different forces crushed against each other before finally exploding, sending ripples through the air.

This was precisely why Ye Chen had drifted backward: to shed part of the force. The instant his feet touched the ground, his Momentum changed abruptly. Like a collapsing mountain, he shot forward and stabbed at Huang Bingwen with an incredibly swift sword.

"Not good!"

Huang Bingwen was caught somewhat off guard. He pushed the Mysterious Heavy Aura to its limit and tilted his head aside at the same time.

Squelch!

The sword edge was distorted slightly by the aura and grazed Huang Bingwen's cheek, bringing up a trail of blood like drifting catkins.

"Vajra Immeasurable!"

Ye Chen shouted. Golden light flooded his left fist, as if it had been forged from gold. Seizing the moment, he smashed it fiercely at his opponent, producing popping sounds as it broke the air.

Huang Bingwen's eyes nearly split apart as he screamed, "Kid, I'll kill you!"

Huang Bingwen was the first to fly out. His Mysterious Heavy Aura had been broken, and Ye Chen's fist struck his chest. Sweetness surged into his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, accompanied by the sound of ribs breaking.

Ye Chen was sent flying as well. Even after taking the punch, Huang Bingwen had managed to release Fist Force, striking Ye Chen's left chest from afar.

However, Ye Chen had already secretly activated the Jade Tempering Body Strengthening Art. Aside from leaving his Blood and Qi obstructed and his Internal Energy boiling, that distant Fist Force had no effect at all.

"Ye Chen actually won? That was way too overwhelming!" Beneath the platform, everyone was utterly shocked. They stared in disbelief at the disastrously defeated Huang Bingwen and the still-standing Ye Chen.

Zhang Haoran let out a cold laugh. He was indeed surprised. Ye Chen, whom he had not even considered worthy of notice two months ago, now possessed the strength to defeat an Inner Sect Disciple. But in his eyes, Huang Bingwen was nothing, because he too was now a True Condensation Realm martial artist, and his strength had increased by more than several times.

"Ye Chen, did you dare take three punches from me?" Without anyone seeing how Zhang Haoran moved, he was already on the platform, completely ignoring the distance between them.