Chapter 213 - 200: Overwhelming Might

Chapter 213: Chapter 200: Overwhelming Might

Zheng Tongchen turned to Feng Hansheng and pointed toward Chen Yue.

"This kid’s Cultivation isn’t very high, but he’s got the same kind of mouth you did back in the day. No wonder you wanted me to come along to the Liuyun Sword Sect."

"I thought you’d just found a promising sapling you wanted to protect. Now it seems you really think this kid can make some waves in that Life and Death Decision."

Feng Hansheng picked up his teacup and took a sip, the liquid swirling gently inside. He set the cup down, smiling as he shook his head.

"If I’d been that reckless back in my day, I probably wouldn’t have lived this long. He’s more daring than I was, and he should be better at handling what comes next."

Feng Hansheng’s words were casual, but the praise in the latter half of his statement carried more weight than anything he had said before.

Hearing this, Zheng Tongchen’s laughter grew louder.

"Disciple Lu Jingxing, requesting to see Elder Feng." A clear and formal voice came from outside the courtyard.

At these words, Zheng Tongchen’s gaze shifted to the courtyard gate. "The one I sent for is here. Come in!"

The words had barely left his lips when the courtyard gate was gently pushed open from the outside, and a figure walked in.

Everyone in the courtyard turned their eyes to the entrance. Even Mo Ciqiu, who was in the middle of raising a teacup, tilted their head slightly.

Lu Jingxing wore a dark gray robe. He was tall and slender with a straight back and broad shoulders, and his stride was unhurried and steady.

His features were handsome and well-defined. He looked to be under thirty, but his eyes held a deep, settled confidence.

After entering the courtyard, Lu Jingxing’s gaze quickly swept over the faces of those at the stone table, pausing for a brief moment on Chen Yue.

Third on the Cyan Cloud Ranking. That was Lu Jingxing’s position in the Panshi Sect.

Lu Jingxing had held this position for two years, just waiting for the right opportunity to break through to the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm.

His very existence was the definition of a prodigy among the Inner Sect Disciples of the Panshi Sect.

For a man to fend off countless challengers for two years and hold a firm spot in the top three of the Cyan Cloud Ranking, his foundation, Cultivation Technique, combat experience, and mental fortitude all had to be approaching the absolute limit of the Refining Organ Realm.

Lu Jingxing took a few steps forward and stood in the open space before the stone table. He cupped his fist in salute to Feng Hansheng and the others in turn.

As he performed the salutes, his curious gaze once again fell on Chen Yue. Recently, all the Inner Sect Disciples in the Panshi Sect had been talking about him and the duel in two days.

Even some of the True Disciples were discussing it, as the matter touched upon the honor of both Sects.

When Lu Jingxing’s eyes met his, Chen Yue returned the gaze and cupped his fist in salute. "Senior Brother Lu!"

Lu Jingxing smiled and returned the gesture. "Junior Brother Chen!"

Zheng Tongchen watched the exchange and waved a dismissive hand.

"Enough with the formalities. I had Lu Jingxing come here to test your foundations. If you’re too weak, not only will I refuse to go to the Liuyun Sword Sect, but you won’t be going either. It’s better to lose face than to lose your life."

His words were so blunt that everyone present fell silent for a moment.

But Chen Yue understood the meaning behind his words. Zheng Tongchen hadn’t been polite, but that was because he had seen too many geniuses. He had also seen too many of those geniuses rely on their innate talent, take reckless risks, and die before their prime.

When he said it was better to lose face than to lose your life, it sounded like a cold refusal, but it was actually a form of protection.

A young man who could fight his way onto the Cyan Cloud Ranking while still in the Marrow Refining Realm, then advance to the Refining Organ Realm in such a short time, was undoubtedly talented.

As long as he lived and was properly honed, he was certain to become another Innate Realm expert for the Sect.

Once he reached the Innate Realm, would he ever worry about getting back the honor he might lose today? He would have the next one or two hundred years to do it.

Any honor lost by a temporary retreat would eventually be regained over a long career on the Martial Dao. As long as you’re still alive, you haven’t truly lost.

At the stone table, Mo Ciqiu set down their teacup and watched Lu Jingxing intently.

Liu Zhengyi, who had been resting a hand on his knee, drew it back and leaned forward slightly, his gaze focused.

Feng Hansheng’s gaze was placid. He watched Chen Yue and Lu Jingxing without a word, simply lowering the teacup he had just raised to his lips back onto the stone table.

Meng Yu Jin’s eyes had been fixed on Chen Yue the entire time and never wavered.

No matter how confident Chen Yue acted, nothing could prove his strength like a real fight.

Confidence in one’s words could be propped up by sheer presence, but a true exchange left no room for bluffs. The results would speak for themselves.

In truth, none of them—not Meng Yu Jin, not Feng Hansheng, not any of the others—were certain. Chen Yue’s cultivation time was just too short.

He had only broken through to the Refining Organ Realm just over twenty days ago. Even with the aid of the Gathering Essence Spirit Platform and the Wenda Corridor, such rapid progress seemed unstable.

Lu Jingxing took his position on one side of the courtyard, his feet shoulder-width apart, his center of gravity sinking slightly.

He turned to look at Chen Yue, who had already taken his own position on the opposite side. Chen Yue’s arms hung loosely at his sides, his gaze level with Lu Jingxing.

Lu Jingxing cupped his fist. "Let’s start without weapons, shall we?"

The moment the words left his mouth, his figure vanished.

Lu Jingxing’s timing was treacherous.

On the Life and Death Platform, there was no such thing as a sneak attack. No one would wait until you were steady and prepared before drawing their blade. The battle began the moment you stepped into the Martial Arts Arena.

Lu Jingxing’s move now had that same implication. He wanted to teach Chen Yue that all is fair in war.

His body traced a nearly invisible arc through the air, like a bird skimming across the water. He appeared silently behind Chen Yue and kicked at his back.

The kick was fast and vicious, holding nothing back. It was meant to test Chen Yue’s true foundation.

Zheng Tongchen had said that if Chen Yue couldn’t even withstand a few of his moves, he might as well be seriously injured right here and forget about going to the Liuyun Sword Sect.

If this was a test, it had to find his true limit.

At the side of the courtyard, Liu Wenying lost sight of Lu Jingxing completely.

Her gaze swept blankly across the empty space before instinctively darting toward Chen Yue. If Lu Jingxing was going anywhere, it had to be toward his opponent.

The others’ perception was clearly far beyond Liu Wenying’s. Their gazes followed Lu Jingxing without a hitch.

In their eyes, Lu Jingxing’s right foot was already raised, the force behind it condensed and heavy. The air in its path was compressed, creating a subtle ripple.

Meng Yu Jin and Mo Ciqiu both clenched their fists subconsciously, their fingertips digging into their palms.

Liu Zhengyi’s expression was also grave. He watched the trajectory and speed of Lu Jingxing’s kick, then looked at Chen Yue’s seemingly unresponsive form, his brow furrowing slightly.

But in the next instant, they saw Chen Yue take a single, imperceptible step forward. He used the momentum from that forward lean to twist his body slightly and whip his right foot back in a return kick.

The angle of his kick was precise and timely, meeting Lu Jingxing’s own kick perfectly. The two forces collided in mid-air, producing a dull, explosive sound like two slabs of thick iron striking one another.

BOOM!

Amid the explosive report, a massive blast of air swept outward, sending fallen leaves and fine gravel scattering in all directions. The tea in Mo Ciqiu’s cup sloshed violently, ripples smacking against the sides and rebounding.

Lu Jingxing’s expression changed. He felt an immense force surge up from the sole of his foot. The weight and density of that power far exceeded anything he had expected from Chen Yue.

He lost control of his posture. As his foot separated from Chen Yue’s, he was forced backward two steps, the soles of his boots scraping light drag marks across the ground.

But as Lu Jingxing retreated, Chen Yue seemed completely unaffected. With his Physique, the recoil from that kick was easily dispelled by his bones and meridians, which had been tempered by the Ten Thousand Forms Tiger Roar Golden Bell.

Chen Yue had already turned to face Lu Jingxing, and he took a heavy step back with his right foot.

The step was so heavy that the entire courtyard seemed to shudder, and tiny pebbles in the cracks between the flagstones jumped into the air.

Chen Yue stacked his hands in front of his chest, palms facing outward. Inner Strength instantly flooded from his meridians into his palms. The air before him compressed, and the faint outline of a tiger’s head materialized in front of his hands.

The next moment, he thrust his palms forward.

With that push, the air and the shockwave coalesced into the phantom of a white tiger roaring at the heavens.

ROAR!

The tiger’s roar struck Lu Jingxing’s Heart Spirit an instant before the Palm Seal arrived.

Lu Jingxing’s brow furrowed, a deep vertical line creasing the space between his eyes. He hadn’t expected Chen Yue’s Mental Shock to be so powerful. The Qi Blood resonance carried within the roar burned straight into his Sea of Consciousness.

Even with the resilience of his Heart Spirit, the impact still left a shuddering mark upon the inner walls of his Sea of Consciousness.

But his foundation was, after all, at the peak of the Refining Organ Realm. Lu Jingxing instantly adjusted, flipping his hands at his sides—palms in, then out. All Things Return to the Source began to circulate rapidly within him.

The Cultivation Technique, which unified all his Inner Strength, ignited like a furnace, gathering and condensing the aura that had been slightly scattered by the tiger’s roar.

Lu Jingxing’s palms flew in a blur. Rampant power built up in his meridians before being unleashed toward Chen Yue like a flash flood.

BOOM!

A boom far louder than the last one erupted in the center of the courtyard. The sound was deep and heavy, like a great drum being struck by a massive hammer.

The sound waves formed a visible, ring-shaped shockwave in the air that expanded in all directions.

In the cracks between the flagstones, fine gravel was vibrated into the air, falling back down with a dense, rustling sound.

Liu Wenying, whose Cultivation was only at the Bone Forging Realm, was thrown back by the blast wave. Her feet slid across the ground before she managed to steady herself, her eyes trembling from the sheer oppressive force.

But in the center of the courtyard, Lu Jingxing did not retreat this time.

His feet seemed nailed to the ground. The full power of All Things Return to the Source neutralized the incoming force layer by layer, channeling it into the flagstones beneath him. His body was as steady as a boulder, unmoving.

Yet, at the same time, Lu Jingxing had gained no advantage. Chen Yue also hadn’t retreated a single step.

His palms remained in their thrusting position, a mere inch from Lu Jingxing’s. The opposing forces created a continuous, low hum in the space between them.