Chapter 110: The First Swordsman, Ye Chen, the

The sixty-second round ended, and the sixty-third round began shortly after.

In the next match, Meng Huan, who wielded a sword, quickly faced Ye Chen, who also used a sword.

In truth, Meng Huan’s realm was more than sufficient to defeat Ye Chen at this stage, but he had already cultivated for centuries, and this True Spirit Continent was Ye Chen’s home ground—he naturally wouldn’t steal the spotlight.

Thus, after sparring with Ye Chen, Meng Huan chose to forfeit, just as he had against other group members.

After his battle with Meng Huan, Ye Chen soon encountered Li Daoxuan, the eldest disciple of the Ruthless Sect.

This match was undoubtedly a major attraction, drawing even more attention than the duels of other seeded players.

After all, Li Daoxuan possessed six-tenths Sword Intent, and before Ye Chen and Meng Huan appeared, he had long been hailed as the number one young swordsman of the Nan Zhuo Region.

And since Ye Chen had already defeated Meng Huan, if he now defeated Li Daoxuan, he would unquestionably become the new number one young swordsman of the Nan Zhuo Region.

In this battle, Ye Chen wished to experience Li Daoxuan’s silent killing technique used against Sikong Sheng, so he likewise suppressed his own sword realm—soon, the two were evenly matched.

Until Li Daoxuan unleashed his silent killing technique once more: a blade of light slashed toward Ye Chen at a speed beyond visual perception—suddenly, heaven and earth fell utterly silent, eerily still!

Seeing Li Daoxuan unleash his ultimate technique, Ye Chen finally took it seriously.

“Seal!”

Ye Chen’s sword strike was not meant to attack, but to block.

After all, Li Daoxuan’s silent killing technique was too fast, too swift—if Ye Chen unleashed a powerful sword technique, he wouldn’t have time to react; if he used a fast-sword realm, it would only result in a mutual exchange of wounds.

As for Ye Chen’s other ultimate techniques, they were meant solely for Sikong Sheng and other group members—he certainly couldn’t reveal them now.

So he could only unleash the fastest sword technique possible to block!

Ting! Ting!

Countless sparks sprayed outward, instantly engulfing Ye Chen completely.

Yet Ye Chen’s blade light flowed like water, shielding him flawlessly.

And Li Daoxuan’s blade light did not vanish entirely—it trembled violently, as if searching for an opening in Ye Chen’s defense to deliver a fatal strike.

And just then…

Ye Chen’s Star-Trace Sword quickly retracted a fraction, then slashed forward with even greater speed, instantly severing the weakened silent killing technique.

The severed blade light passed by Ye Chen’s side, then slammed into the arena floor, leaving two sword scars each dozens of meters long.

“He blocked it! Ye Chen blocked Li Daoxuan’s silent killing technique!”

“Who would’ve thought even Li Daoxuan couldn’t match him? From now on, the title of Nan Zhuo Region’s number one young swordsman has changed hands!”

The audience erupted in excitement.

To witness such a brilliant duel between two legendary swordsmen was an exceedingly rare event for them.

Meanwhile, as Ye Chen defeated Li Daoxuan, Pang Bo, Xiao Yan, and others also defeated their opponents—even Han Li, relying on his formidable defense, dragged each opponent until they collapsed from exhaustion.

Of course, their performances were impressive, but in the final ten rounds, the most dazzling performer remained Sikong Sheng, last year’s Dragon Pool Rankings champion.

Facing Li Daoxuan, Sikong Sheng merely clenched one hand and instantly shattered his silent killing technique.

Facing Tuoba Ku, though Tuoba Ku’s defense was formidable, Sikong Sheng’s Heaven-Overlord Fist struck—and easily defeated him.

Facing Lin Yun, Sikong Sheng grew slightly more serious; even when Lin Yun unleashed his ultimate technique, he still couldn’t withstand two punches from Sikong Sheng.

In the thirty-first match of the sixty-fifth round, Sikong Sheng faced Yan Chihuo, the eldest disciple of the Fire Spirit Temple and last year’s Dragon Pool Rankings runner-up.

Yan Chihuo was Sikong Sheng’s longtime rival; even after losing to Han Li, no one dared underestimate his strength.

Facing Yan Chihuo’s ultimate technique, “Instant Kill Golden Flame Slash,” Sikong Sheng extended his right hand—long held behind his back—for the first time, and unleashed “Fist That Stabilizes the Land and Rivers.”

This punch not only shattered Yan Chihuo’s blade light, but also sent the shattered fragments flying back at him, nearly bursting the arena’s protective barrier.

Recall that when Xiao Yan and Lin Yun clashed, it took their dual-colored fire lotus to generate such terrifying power.

Yet now, Sikong Sheng achieved this terrifying power with a mere casual strike—it was simply incomprehensible.

Sikong Sheng’s sudden display of strength silenced many spectators who had doubted his ability to retain the Dragon Pool Rankings champion title, and now they marveled at his power.

“Your strength is impressive—your ultimate technique has grown even stronger!”

After defeating Yan Chihuo, Sikong Sheng stood with his hands behind his back, unusually speaking—his praise felt like the highest compliment to Yan Chihuo.

“You’ve truly crossed into that realm!”

Yan Chihuo, defeated by Sikong Sheng’s punch, paid no mind to his tone, but looked up and said: “Among the younger generation, you are unquestionably the strongest I’ve ever seen! I heard that after this Dragon Pool Rankings ends, you plan to train in other regions?”

“Correct!”

Sikong Sheng replied quickly: “In the Nan Zhuo Region, I feel no pressure whatsoever. Only by traveling to other regions, sparring with more geniuses, enduring countless life-or-death trials, can I gain greater opportunities and ascend to the Spirit Sea Realm—or even become a Life-Death Realm Sovereign!”

Yan Chihuo nodded slightly—he too had such plans after entering the Star Level Realm.

Soon after, the dragon-shaped shadow behind Sikong Sheng roared and surged toward Yan Chihuo, devouring a portion of his Dragon Vein Qi.

…

The matches continued, soon reaching the sixty-sixth round.

This time, in the twenty-ninth match, Sikong Sheng faced Murong Qingcheng.

Among the younger generation, both Sikong Sheng and Murong Qingcheng enjoyed immense popularity.

Sikong Sheng, bearing a Sovereign Bloodline and ranked number one in last year’s Dragon Pool Rankings, naturally drew the most attention; Murong Qingcheng, the only female among the ten seed competitors, radiated supreme aura and attracted numerous young geniuses, thus drawing massive attention as well.

On the arena.

“Demon King Grasp!”

Murong Qingcheng struck first; her Demon King field immediately enveloped Sikong Sheng’s position.

Hu!

Sikong Sheng’s figure flickered and vanished from his original spot.

“Field Cut!”

Seeing this, Murong Qingcheng swiftly changed tactics, forming concentric layers of defense around herself with her Demon King field, preparing to block Sikong Sheng’s next attack.

“Fist That Stabilizes Rivers and Lakes! Fist That Dominates Mountains and Rivers!”

The moment Sikong Sheng reappeared, he unleashed two punches—but their power was far weaker than when he defeated Yan Chihuo.

Yet Murong Qingcheng’s current strength was clearly weaker than Yan Chihuo’s, so she ultimately fell to Sikong Sheng.

“Thank you for holding back!”

Murong Qingcheng, unharmed by Sikong Sheng’s attack, bowed and thanked him.

“Your strength is impressive!”

Sikong Sheng smiled slightly at Murong Qingcheng, then asked: “After the Dragon Pool Rankings end, I’ll soon travel to other regions to train—would you be interested in joining me?”

“Sorry!”

Murong Qingcheng declined decisively: “I do plan to train in other regions, but it’s my personal journey—I don’t wish to be tied to anyone else.”

“What a pity!”

Sikong Sheng, rejected by Murong Qingcheng, didn’t care much—he valued cultivation and strengthening above all else; everything else was secondary.

Though Murong Qingcheng was a woman of both grace and strength, in his heart he felt only a faint regret.

At that moment, Murong Qingcheng seemed to recall something, then glanced toward Ye Chen and the others: “I have a feeling this year’s Dragon Pool Rankings won’t end so simply.”

In Murong Qingcheng’s mind, Ye Chen’s talent was undoubtedly terrifying—at least in cultivation speed, he far outpaced Sikong Sheng before her.

After all, when she first met Ye Chen in Sanjiang City of the Tongling Kingdom, he was only at the early stage of Bao Yuan Realm, his Sword Intent merely partially perfected—equivalent to a Dragon Pool Rankings rank of thirty to forty.

Yet barely a year has passed, and now he has reached the late stage of Bao Yuan Realm, and his Sword Intent has risen to six-tenths—such terrifying cultivation speed is far faster than even the eldest disciples of sixth-rank sects!

Moreover, when Murong Qingcheng previously fought Ye Chen, she sensed he still held back some strength—he might truly be able to challenge Sikong Sheng.

Beyond that, Ye Chen’s companions each appeared extraordinary—they could not possibly be mere lucky fools who stumbled upon an ancient inheritance, as others claimed!

On the other side, after hearing Murong Qingcheng’s words, Sikong Sheng also glanced toward Ye Chen and the others—but his gaze settled mostly on Xiao Yan, then he said calmly: “Don’t worry—I will end this tournament without hesitation.”

Sikong Sheng spoke these words without lowering his voice, so Murong Qingcheng, the young geniuses, and countless spectators all clearly heard him.

“Sikong Sheng has such confidence—his strength must be far beyond what he’s shown!”

“His current power is already terrifying—could he still be hiding more?”

The surrounding spectators buzzed with speculation.

Yan Chihuo, who had deduced Sikong Sheng had entered the True Essence Refinement stage, looked at Ye Chen’s group with a hint of schadenfreude—what did it matter that they defeated him? They’d all still fall before Sikong Sheng!

When this scene reached the group chat members, it left them deeply irritated.

【Xiao Yan: This Sikong Sheng is quite the show-off. Even in the original plot, didn’t he still lose to Brother Ye Chen?】

【Pang Bo: Xiao Yan, you’re probably just jealous he stole your spotlight! But honestly, Ye Chen—he just tried to steal your girl. Can you really tolerate that?】

【Xiao Yan: Brother Pang, Murong Qingcheng didn’t even respond to Sikong Sheng—stop stoking the fire! But one thing’s certain: in the next round, he’ll face one of us! I have only one rule: whoever he faces, we all win—no losses allowed!】

【Han Li: You guys are truly ruthless! In the original plot, even after losing to Ye Chen, he still came in second! If you treat him so brutally now, won’t you crush his spirit?】

【Xiao Yan: Sikong Sheng’s character is already trash—what’s wrong with crushing him? Besides, we’re just helping Brother Pang fish!】

【Pang Bo: What do you mean helping me fish? When those cultivation techniques are won, don’t you dare take any of them!】

Ang!

As the group chat members chatted, the dragon-shaped shadow behind Sikong Sheng devoured a portion of Murong Qingcheng’s Dragon Vein Qi—now, it stood just one step away from nine zhang!

Just one more victory, and Sikong Sheng’s dragon shadow would reach nine zhang—a height unseen for over a thousand years. If he reclaimed the top rank, his dragon shadow might even reach an unprecedented nine zhang and five chi!

Of course, every remaining undefeated competitor was formidable—besides Sikong Sheng, these included Ye Chen, Xiao Yan, Pang Bo, and Han Li.

Yet after Sikong Sheng demonstrated his ability to shatter the arena barrier, most spectators now believed the champion title was his, with second, third, fourth, and fifth places destined to emerge among Xiao Yan’s group.

…

Meanwhile, the Yunyun Sect members in the audience were utterly stunned.

They had suspected Ye Chen and his friends were extraordinary—but never imagined they’d be this extraordinary, having defeated every genius except Sikong Sheng.

“Master!”

The Yunyun Sect’s Grand Elder glanced repeatedly at Sect Master Luo Xinglie, then whispered anxiously: “So many of our Yunyun Sect’s disciples are in the top ten—could this cause problems?”

"Don't worry!"

Luo Xinglie glanced at the calm Lu Qing beside him, then quickly transmitted his voice: "I've already arranged everything—there shouldn't be any problems. If anything does go wrong, we'll die protecting Ye Chen's safe return to the sect!"

"Understood!" The Grand Elder of Liuyun Sect immediately replied solemnly via voice transmission.

He had lived most of his life within Liuyun Sect, long regarding it as his home; if anyone dared target the sect’s genius, they would have to walk over his corpse first!

…

Amid the murmurs of the audience, the sixty-seventh round of matches finally began!

As match after match commenced, it soon came time for the battles among the top ten seeded competitors.

After Pang Bo struck down Tuoba Ku once again and absorbed the Dragon Vein Qi from his body, the Chief Referee spoke again: "Match thirty-three of the sixty-seventh round: Sikong Sheng versus Ye Chen!"

Whoa!

The moment Chief Referee Luo Jiacheng finished speaking, the entire arena erupted in excitement.

The last remaining undefeated genius was finally about to face off!

"I never expected the first to face Sikong Sheng would be Ye Chen!"

"It seems the Star-Level referees think Ye Chen is the weakest among the final five geniuses!"

"I wonder how much of Sikong Sheng’s true power Ye Chen can force out in this fight?"

As everyone buzzed with speculation, Pang Bo beside Ye Chen simply clapped him on the shoulder and grinned: "Ye Chen, you lucky bastard—this perfect opportunity fell right into your lap!"

"I’ll leave Sikong Sheng to you—but don’t use all your best moves, or you’ll be in trouble when you face me!"

Pang Bo didn’t whisper; everyone present, being all above the Baoyuan realm, heard him clearly.

Upon hearing this, not only did the spectators react, but even several disciples of Xuankong Mountain standing beside Sikong Sheng were already furious.

One of them shouted angrily: "Senior Brother, these two are too arrogant—they actually think their pitiful strength can threaten you!"

"They’re just petty clowns—why bother with them?"

Sikong Sheng sneered, then took a single step forward and instantly appeared on the dueling platform.

Seeing this, Ye Chen gave a slight nod to Pang Bo and the others, then unleashed his Fen Shen Hua Ying technique to its utmost limit, appearing on the platform just as swiftly.

The bizarre speed both Sikong Sheng and Ye Chen displayed naturally drew everyone’s attention.

Sikong Sheng was no surprise—his speed had always been terrifying—but Ye Chen had never shown such speed before.

"Your strength is indeed impressive—even Yan Chihuo couldn’t match you!"

Sikong Sheng stood with his hands behind his back, then instantly unleashed a commanding aura that overshadowed the world; even the dueling platform’s barrier trembled slightly: "But compared to me, your strength is still pitiful. If it were your companion Xiao Yan, I’d have some interest in playing with him. As for you now… three moves. I only need three moves to defeat you!"

Upon hearing Sikong Sheng’s arrogant words, Ye Chen’s expression remained utterly unchanged.

Beneath Sikong Sheng’s overwhelming aura, Ye Chen’s blue robe flapped violently, like a peerless sword, cleaving the aura cleanly in two.

"Sikong Sheng!"

Ye Chen said calmly: "Use your full strength—otherwise, you won’t survive my three swords!"

Seeing Ye Chen return his words verbatim, Sikong Sheng’s fury surged.

"Good! Very good!"

Sikong Sheng growled: "It seems if I don’t show some real power, everyone thinks they can take my place!"

"I only hope your abilities match your bold words—don’t crumble too easily under my blows!"

"Fist Over Rivers and Seas!"

"Fist That Stabilizes the Empire!"

Enraged, Sikong Sheng laughed bitterly and swung both fists, striking directly at Ye Chen’s position through the air.

Boom!

Two utterly distinct fist energies surged like dragons crossing the sea, roaring toward Ye Chen with unstoppable force, churning the very air.

Though Sikong Sheng had not yet used his ultimate trump card—“Half-True Yuan”—he had combined two ultimate techniques from the Cangtian Ba Quan, merging two radically different fist energies into one, its power unimaginable.

In his view, even Xiao Yan, who had summoned the dual-colored fire lotus, would struggle to withstand this move!

Yet facing Sikong Sheng’s terrifying attack, Ye Chen’s face betrayed only a hint of disdain.

"I already said it—you won’t survive three swords unless you use your full strength!"

As streaks of swordlight flashed in his eyes, Ye Chen instantly drew his Star-Trace Sword; seven layers of sword intent erupted, merging with the terrifying aura of the technique “Sky Shatters Clouds,” splitting apart the two fist energies before blasting toward the stunned Sikong Sheng with astonishing force!

(End of Chapter)