Chapter 182 - 176: Beaten into Submission

Chapter 182: Chapter 176: Beaten into Submission

Below the stage, Cheng Fengjun’s eyelid twitched uncontrollably.

His gaze was fixed on Chen Yue in the arena—on the Jinghong Saber still emitting a faint golden glow, and on Chen Yue’s face, which was as placid as still water.

He realized Chen Yue had grown even stronger since their encounter in Panshi Lane.

Back then on the Guardian Platform in Panshi Lane, Chen Yue had been powerful, but it was a power whose limits Cheng Fengjun could perceive, even if he couldn’t reach them himself.

But the Chen Yue of today possessed a power that exceeded Cheng Fengjun’s comprehension.

The force behind the saber strike that had sent Ji Wanting retreating was not something the Chen Yue of the past could have produced.

If Chen Yue had possessed such power back then, Cheng Fengjun felt he wouldn’t have survived a single move, unlike in their actual fight, where he had managed to last several rounds before his defeat.

’But how long has it been? Half a month? How could Chen Yue have gotten so strong, so fast?’

’This speed can’t even be called progress anymore. He’s soaring. He’s leaping across the chasm between realms and strength in a way no ordinary person could understand.’

Cheng Fengjun’s lips pressed into a thin line, his face growing even paler than before.

On the Martial Arts Arena, Ji Wanting finally managed to completely suppress the immense force rampaging through his body.

He slowly raised his head to look at Chen Yue, his gaze filled with shock and uncertainty.

Chen Yue stood his ground, the Jinghong Saber angled toward the floor, as he watched Ji Wanting.

"All Things Return to the Source? As it happens, I’ve been cultivating it recently myself."

Before the words had even faded, Chen Yue stepped forward.

The step wasn’t fast; one might even call it leisurely. But the moment he took it, his figure crossed the distance and appeared right in front of Ji Wanting.

The Jinghong Saber came down in a chop from above, the light from the blade like a bolt of silk aiming straight for the crown of Ji Wanting’s head.

The patterns on the blade’s body flared to life, glowing as fiercely as a flame. The saber’s aura danced along the edge, tearing through the air with a piercing shriek.

The scene was somewhat familiar.

The same distance, the same advance, the same overhead strike. The only difference was that this time, Chen Yue was the one attacking.

Ji Wanting let out a furious roar.

The roar, low and violent, erupted from deep within his chest. In an instant, his face turned a furious red.

His eyes turned completely bloodshot. The whites vanished, his pupils obscured by a web of red veins until only a crazed, crimson color remained in his sockets.

Same Return Technique!

It was a Life-or-Death Fighting Technique that burned one’s Qi Blood in exchange for pushing the body’s power to its absolute limit for a short period.

Using the Same Return Technique would result in a period of weakness afterward. One’s meridians would be damaged and Qi Blood depleted, requiring a great deal of time to recover.

But its effects were also exceptionally potent, causing the user’s power and speed to skyrocket for a brief time.

Ji Wanting knew he couldn’t beat Chen Yue with his normal strength. He had no choice but to use this Secret Technique right at the beginning of the match.

This was his trump card, something he should never have had to use in a duel like this.

But the pressure from Chen Yue was too immense. He felt that if he didn’t give it his all, he wouldn’t even survive a third strike.

CLANG!

Another heaven-shaking BOOM. A tangible blast wave erupted from the point of impact between the saber and the mace, and the surrounding air twisted violently under the force of the shockwave.

The disciples outside the Martial Arts Arena all took a step back in unison. A few with lower Cultivation even staggered, nearly falling over.

This time, Ji Wanting wasn’t sent flying back. However, his right foot shot back a step, slamming into the bluestone floor and creating a shallow crater.

Ji Wanting bent his knees and lowered his center of gravity. He gritted his teeth, his copper mace desperately holding back the downward slash of the Jinghong Saber. The muscles on his arms bulged, and veins popped out like writhing snakes as he barely managed to withstand the blow.

Compared to the pathetic sight of him being forced back several steps earlier, he was undoubtedly far more stable this time.

The burst of power from the Same Return Technique had caused his strength and speed to surge, finally allowing him to barely withstand the edge of Chen Yue’s saber.

But there was no hint of joy on Ji Wanting’s face. Instead, a glimmer of near-despair appeared in the depths of his bloodshot eyes.

’Even after using a Secret Technique, I’m still at a disadvantage.’

’This is my limit. The Same Return Technique is the strongest move I have, my ultimate life-or-death gambit.’

’Even so, I only managed to block one of Chen Yue’s strikes, not counterattack.’

’Just blocking it, that’s all!’

More critically, he couldn’t withstand Chen Yue’s Saber Intent.

With every clash of saber and mace, that formless, intangible Saber Intent would slash into his Sea of Consciousness like a sharp blade, wreaking havoc on his Heart Spirit.

His Heart Spirit was thrown into such disarray that he couldn’t focus on controlling the Power in his body, causing his attacks to only unleash eighty or ninety percent of their strength.

’If I could just resist his Saber Intent, I wouldn’t be in such a pathetic state.’

But he couldn’t resist. It was as simple as that.

Chen Yue looked at the bloodshot state of Ji Wanting’s eyes, his expression completely unfazed.

The use of the Same Return Technique didn’t surprise him. Every disciple on the Cyan Cloud Ranking had similar life-or-death techniques; they were trump cards accumulated over long periods of cultivation.

But while the Same Return Technique might allow Ji Wanting to withstand a few more strikes, it couldn’t change the outcome of the duel.

Chen Yue flipped the Jinghong Saber in his hand. The blade traced an arc through the air, its edge flashing brilliantly in the sunlight. In the next instant, he slashed out again.

This strike was even faster and more ferocious than the last!

The core of the Furious Wave Saber Intent did not lie in the sophistication of its Saber Techniques. Its foundation was still a crude, basic Saber Technique, with wide, sweeping moves and no intricate variations.

But when combined with Saber Intent, this crude Saber Technique was transformed into a Killing Technique capable of unleashing immense power, even at the Refining Organ Realm level.

It gathered all the power in Chen Yue’s body, condensed it onto the blade’s edge, and unleashed it in the most direct way possible.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

The explosive reports came one after another, echoing across the Martial Arts Arena like a rapid drumroll.

With every slash, Ji Wanting was forced to take an involuntary step back.

His arms bore the brunt of the immense impacts. The copper mace vibrated with a mournful hum under the Jinghong Saber’s relentless assault. The wound between his thumb and forefinger tore open again and again, and blood streamed down the mace’s handle to drip onto the ground.

More than once, Ji Wanting tried to seize an opening between Chen Yue’s strikes to counterattack, but he failed every single time.

With every slash, a torrential force would surge into his meridians like a tidal wave, rampaging through his body and forcing him to mobilize huge amounts of Inner Strength just to suppress it.

To make matters worse, his Sea of Consciousness was repeatedly assailed by the Saber Intent, exacerbating his internal injuries.

His Heart Spirit was in chaos. The circulation of his Inner Strength grew imprecise, and his control over his own power became sluggish and muddled.

The eighth strike.

Chen Yue’s Jinghong Saber carved a blazing arc through the sunlight. Wielding the immense Qi Blood of the Ten Thousand Forms Tiger Roar Golden Bell and the razor-sharp edge of the Furious Wave Saber Intent, it slammed viciously into Ji Wanting’s copper mace.

The force of this strike was even more terrifying than the previous seven. The saber’s aura exploded in that instant, making the entire Jinghong Saber shine like the scorching sun.

PFFT!

Ji Wanting sprayed a mouthful of blood. The crimson mist diffused into the air as he was forced back three full steps, each one heavy and unsteady.

His aura visibly faltered and grew chaotic. The power that had surged from burning his Qi Blood receded like a tide, leaving behind an emptied body and waves of piercing weakness.

Ji Wanting’s face turned from flushed red to a deathly pale. The hand gripping his copper mace trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat poured down his forehead like rain.

Chen Yue watched Ji Wanting, then took a single step and appeared before him.

Ji Wanting tried to use the Spirit Turtle Step to evade, but he discovered he couldn’t.

It wasn’t that his movements were too slow; his body simply wouldn’t obey his commands. The after-effects of the Same Return Technique had left his meridians filled with roiling Qi Blood and chaotic Inner Strength.

CLANG!

Blood sprayed from the web of Ji Wanting’s hand as the copper mace was knocked from his grasp. It flew through the air and crashed onto the bluestone floor of the Martial Arts Arena with a heavy thud.

The moment the mace left his hand, Ji Wanting completely lost his balance. Chen Yue followed up with a step, striking out with his left palm.

Great Vajra Palm.

PFFT!

Ji Wanting coughed up another great mouthful of blood as he was sent flying backward. His feet left the ground, and his body sailed over the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, crashing heavily onto the ground outside.

Ji Wanting’s body rolled several times before coming to a stop, leaving a shocking trail of blood in his wake.

He lay facedown, his body trembling violently. He propped himself up with his hands, trying to stand, but after two attempts, he collapsed weakly back to the ground. His chest heaved, and with every breath, bloody foam spilled from his mouth.

Outside the Martial Arts Arena, there was dead silence.

A thousand pairs of eyes stared blankly at Ji Wanting, prone on the ground outside the arena, before shifting back to the young man still standing within it.

Chen Yue had knocked Ji Wanting right out of the Martial Arts Arena, not even giving him a chance to concede.

They could even tell that Ji Wanting had used a Secret Technique. But even so, he had been completely suppressed by Chen Yue, unable to fight back at all.

A Marrow Refining Realm disciple had defeated a Late Stage Refining Organ Realm expert—a powerhouse ranked ninety-ninth on the Cyan Cloud Ranking—in a completely one-sided battle. The contrast was beyond their comprehension.

In the crowd, Meng Guihong’s expression shifted repeatedly.

He had come purely as a spectator, thinking Ji Wanting’s victory over Chen Yue was a foregone conclusion.

He was more interested in observing Ji Wanting’s techniques and finding his weaknesses to prepare for his own future challenge against him.

But now?

Ji Wanting lay on the ground, heavily injured and unmoving.

On the high platform, Steward Song Zhen glanced at the prone form of Ji Wanting, then back at Chen Yue standing in the arena. He raised a hand, signaling a nearby Deacon Disciple to check on Ji Wanting’s injuries.

"In this battle, Chen Yue is the victor!"

His voice wasn’t loud, but it reached the ears of every watching disciple. Below the stage, Liu Wenying excitedly threw her hands in the air.

The silence around the Martial Arts Arena shattered. It started with a single person’s soft cry, followed by a suppressed hum, and then the crowd erupted into a clamor.

The uproar grew louder and louder, but Lin Junshi couldn’t hear any of it.

He stood like a stone statue, completely frozen, not even seeming to breathe for several moments.

’Even Ji Wanting lost.’

’The proud prodigy ranked ninety-ninth on the Cyan Cloud Ranking, a Late Stage Refining Organ Realm expert, a veteran Inner Sect Disciple who had cultivated All Things Return to the Source for years... beaten and suppressed the entire time by someone who had only just broken through to the Marrow Refining Realm.’

’From the very first strike, he’d had no room to retaliate. In the end, he was swept right out of the Martial Arts Arena, left unable to even stand up.’

The scenes from the fight replayed over and over in Lin Junshi’s mind. The images were like nails being hammered into his skull, impossible to remove.

He subconsciously clenched his fists, then let them go slack.

In that moment, something in Lin Junshi’s thinking shifted. ’A prodigy like that... why was I even trying to compete with him?’

Lin Junshi suddenly felt that all his recent struggles and schemes were both ridiculous and pathetic.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was a long, heavy sigh.

He turned, no longer looking toward the Martial Arts Arena, and silently pushed his way out of the crowd. Without a single look back, he began walking down the mountain.

Zhao Zongzhen watched Lin Junshi’s retreating back, remained silent for a moment, and then followed him.