Chapter 490 - 301: Piercing Illusions, The Contention

Chapter 490: Chapter 301: Piercing Illusions, The Contention

’Now this is interesting,’ he thought. ’If I remember correctly, while the martial arts world has plenty of stealth techniques, Secret Techniques capable of concealing one’s cultivation realm are few and far between—and every last one is restricted. So where did this guy learn his? The only possibility is from one of the Seven Greats.’

Seeing the hostility in Yu Fei’s eyes, Meng Jun quickly stepped forward.

"Yu Fei, everyone here is trusted by Lord Honglian. Mr. Zhao, this is Her Lordship’s..."

For a moment, Meng Jun wasn’t sure how to introduce the relationship between Yu Fei and Honglian.

"Honglian knows my master!"

Yu Fei said, his eyes narrowed. That part wasn’t a lie. Both Yan Hai and Ye Shuping definitely knew Zhuo Feiming.

Meng Jun let out a laugh. "Yu Fei, you haven’t met Mr. Zhao. He’s a combat commander in the Shenxiao Army, just like Su Yue!"

This was actually a hint for Yu Fei. The position of commander was usually held by support-type Martial Artists. Without a background from one of the Seven Great Celestial Pride Classes, it was nearly impossible to become one. If you didn’t understand the mental network, what the hell were you going to command?

The reason Yu Fei was annoyed with this Mr. Zhao was that the man had triggered a reaction from his ’Path of Destiny’ the moment they met. Specifically, it had set off the thread connected to Ye Shuping.

On top of that, the guy was provoking him.

It was at moments like this that Yu Fei truly realized how absurd his Insight talent was. It had taken the concept of self-preservation to its absolute extreme.

It allowed him to predict damage in battle, distinguish good from evil in his interactions, and gave him a gut feeling whenever someone had plotted against him.

As long as someone had participated in a scheme against him, the moment they met face-to-face, he could immediately detect the traces of destiny on them—no matter how good their disguise was, or whether they currently bore him any ill will.

Zhao Tianhen watched Yu Fei with a smile. ’I couldn’t have been exposed,’ he thought. ’There’s no reason for it. And concealing my realm is a trivial matter.’

’I might be able to fool ordinary people, but could I ever fool Lord Honglian?’

’I just don’t get why Yu Fei is targeting me. He’s just a combat class leader in the Celestial Pride Class. Is that enough to make him so arrogant? It’s not like I wasn’t a combat class leader myself!’

Zhao Tianhen’s smile grew more modest, but it concealed a faint trace of contempt.

’The kid wants to throw a tantrum at his senior, heh... If Yu Fei dares to make a move, I don’t mind putting him in his place.’

With this in mind, he deliberately let a hint of ridicule show. Meng Jun, not being a Martial Artist from a Celestial Pride background, was completely oblivious and didn’t understand perception-based Secret Techniques. But Zhao Tianhen was confident his "junior" could perceive the emotion he was projecting.

’If he didn’t have at least that much sensory ability, he wouldn’t be the combat class leader of the Celestial Pride Class.’

Suddenly, he thought he heard Yu Fei let out a soft chuckle.

"Hah..."

The sound was so distinct it instantly consumed nearly all of his focus.

Along with it, he saw a flash of crimson-gold in Yu Fei’s eyes. Then, a magnificent, ethereal sword shadow—all-encompassing yet perfectly whole—grew larger and larger before him, like a great sun falling upon a primordial world.

The Fine Rain Slanting Blade Realm that Zhao Tianhen maintained within himself immediately faced an unprecedented crisis. The sword-sun blazed across his mind, the fine rain instantly vaporized, and the slanting blade was no more.

Meanwhile, the True Essence in his body, rattled by that single soft laugh, could barely coalesce and began to surge uncontrollably.

*WHOOSH...*

Two thick plumes of white steam suddenly shot from Zhao Tianhen’s nostrils. His eyes went vacant. Meng Jun, who had been in the middle of explaining things to Yu Fei, jumped in shock. He turned back to look at Zhao Tianhen’s sorry state; in just a few moments, the man looked like an ordinary person suffering from heatstroke after being baked under a scorching sun.

His lips were chapped, his face ashen.

Meng Jun instantly realized what had happened. ’These two prodigies actually clashed right under my nose, and I didn’t sense a thing.’

’Damn it!’

Meng Jun’s expression soured, and he stopped trying to dissuade them.

He knew perfectly well that even though Zhao Tianhen was only at the Gang Qi Realm, he came from Shenhan’s Celestial Pride Class, just like Yu Fei. Meng Jun himself was no match for him. Since Yu Fei could silently inflict such a heavy loss on Zhao Tianhen, nearly crippling his ability to fight, dealing with Meng Jun would be child’s play.

Strength was what mattered among Martial Artists. Since these two hotshots were unwilling to back down, he simply took a few steps back, his face cold, and left the stage for them to put on their show.

’I refuse to believe they’d actually dare to have an all-out brawl right here,’ he fumed internally. ’If they do, they can’t blame me for sounding the alarm. This is a Shenxiao Army garrison, for crying out loud. If they really piss me off, they can deal with the consequences themselves.’

Ignoring the sulking Meng Jun, Zhao Tianhen finally managed to expel the Great Sun Sword Shadow from his mind after a great deal of effort. Once his True Essence settled, he came back to his senses.

He couldn’t help but give a wry, internal smile. ’What kind of monster did I just provoke? Damn it, if I’d known, I never would have tried to mess with him.’

"What’s your relationship with the old man?"

Yu Fei’s voice echoed in his mind—faint, yet clear and frigid, carrying a profound chill.

Zhao Tianhen had only been able to regain his senses because Yu Fei had let up and not pressed the attack.

Hearing Yu Fei’s question, Zhao Tianhen was overcome with a sense of utter disbelief. He asked uncertainly,

"Who’s the old man?"

"Ye Shuping!"

Zhao Tianhen nearly lost his composure. ’How is this possible? How could Yu Fei know about my secret identity?’

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

In the mental network, Zhao Tianhen feigned ignorance, playing dumb. He was immediately met by Yu Fei’s mocking voice.

"Cut the act. Weren’t you ordered to set a trap for Yan Hai and Su Yue?"

Zhao Tianhen lost his composure on the spot. He could barely control his expression.

"I’ve been betrayed? How is that possible? How could something like this happen within Celestial Punishment?"

Zhao Tianhen couldn’t wrap his head around it. He didn’t believe he had shown any weakness. They had only just met, and he’d even taken a beating, so how on earth was his cover blown?