647: Chapter 647 It seems I killed him!

The banquet hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone's gaze darted back and forth between Chu Niubi and Wang Shi, with only one thought in their minds...

Did Chu Niubi really just force Wang Shi back?

Moreover, the power of that punch had clearly reached the level of the Heavenly Realm Peak!

"I understand now!"

In the crowd, a grey-haired old man suddenly stood up, his shock turning into realization.

"Young Master Chu wasn't being toyed with by Wang Shi at all; he was using Wang Shi as a whetstone!"

"With every blow he took, his body was adapting to the power of the Heavenly Realm. Every time he stood back up, his bones, flesh, and true qi were being tempered!"

"This... what kind of monstrous constitution is this? I clearly heard that Young Master Chu was a complete waste!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue erupted in an uproar.

"Good heavens! Using a Heavenly Realm Peak as a whetstone? What kind of person could come up with such an idea?"

"It wasn't Chu Niubi who thought of it; Instructor Ye must have told him to do it!"

"But the problem is, even with a whetstone, it's impossible to jump from the Yellow Realm Peak to the Heavenly Realm Peak in just half a quarter of an hour! This completely defies the laws of cultivation!"

"Exactly! Even for the top geniuses, going from the Yellow Realm to the Heavenly Realm takes at least eight to ten years. But he finished a ten-year journey in half a quarter of an hour? There's definitely something fishy going on!"

...

Every face was filled with disbelief.

Wang Shi snapped out of his daze.

"This... is impossible!"

"You couldn't have leaped from the Yellow Realm Peak to the Heavenly Realm Peak all at once!"

"This defies the Heavenly Dao! It defies the basic laws of cultivation!"

"You must have used some demonic art! Yes! It must be a demonic art!"

"Ye Chen! What on earth did you do to him?!"

He roared hysterically, his white hair flying in the airwaves, looking like an old lion driven into a corner.

Chu Niubi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and grinned.

"Demonic art? Old man, you call it a demonic art just because you can't win? Don't be such a sore loser."

"My master said I'm suited for Body Refining, and Body Refining itself is much more powerful than normal cultivation!"

"Body Refining?" Wang Shi's pupils constricted slightly.

Body Refining.

Wasn't that an ancient cultivation method that had long been lost?

Legend has it that those who practice Body Refining do not cultivate their energy center or true qi; they only temper their physical bodies.

Once mastered, a punch could shatter mountains, and a kick could split the earth. They were invincible within the same realm, and challenging those of a higher level was as easy as eating or drinking.

But this stuff was extremely difficult to cultivate, required incredibly high talent, and the cultivation speed was agonizingly slow.

Therefore, as early as a thousand years ago, the Body Refining lineage gradually declined and was replaced by true qi cultivation methods.

But now, Ye Chen had actually passed the Body Refining method to Chu Niubi?

And in just half a quarter of an hour, he had forcefully raised Chu Niubi from the Yellow Realm Peak to the Heavenly Realm Peak?

Ridiculous!

This was way too ridiculous!

This was practically cheating!!!

Countless thoughts flashed through Wang Shi's mind, each one making his spine chill.

Finally, his gaze fell upon Ye Chen.

"Ye Chen, did you perform an empowerment and transfer your own strength to him?"

"That would damage your own foundation. Have you gone mad?"

empowerment is one of the oldest methods of inheritance in the cultivation world.

The practitioner pours all of their cultivation, insights, and experience into the recipient's body.

The recipient's strength can skyrocket in a short time, but the practitioner will, at best, suffer a massive drop in cultivation, and at worst, die on the spot, potentially even having their soul dissipated.

In Wang Shi's view, only this explanation made sense.

Ye Chen must have initiated his cultivation into Chu Niubi, which was why Chu Niubi was able to soar from the Yellow Realm Peak to the Heavenly Realm Peak in half a quarter of an hour.

As for Ye Chen himself, he should be a useless person by now.

It must be so!

Absolutely!

Otherwise, nothing could be explained...

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Wang Shi's eyes.

If Ye Chen really had become a useless person, then he might not necessarily lose this bet today!

The guests in the banquet hall also began to react one after another, their eyes widening, their expressions quite a sight.

"empowerment? Instructor Ye initiated his cultivation into Chu Niubi? Then isn't he now..."

"No wonder! No wonder Chu Niubi could improve so much all at once! It turns out Instructor Ye sacrificed himself!"

"But why would Instructor Ye do that? Is it worth it for a disciple?"

"What do you know? They must have some unknown deal!"

...

The sounds of discussion erupted once again.

The scene grew more and more heated as people talked.

Countless people felt that this was the only possibility...

Bai Wanqing sat at the main table, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Ye Chen initiated his cultivation into Chu Niubi?

Impossible.

She had personally seen Ye Chen perform an empowerment for Bai Shanshan using a Jade Bottle; it was not a method that consumed his own cultivation at all.

But she wouldn't say this out loud.

Bai Shanshan also sat to the side, her expression calm.

She knew better than anyone how heaven-defying that Jade Bottle in Ye Chen's hand was.

empowerment?

Damaging one's own foundation?

Non-existent!

As long as he was willing, he could probably create one powerhouse after another!

Chu Shixiong stood behind his son, his eyes suddenly turning red.

If Ye Chen really had sacrificed his own cultivation for Chu Niubi, then his Chu family would never be able to repay this kindness in their lifetime.

Only Chu Niubi himself looked at Wang Shi with a dazed expression, then turned to look at Ye Chen.

"empowerment? Master, did you give me an empowerment?"

Ye Chen leaned back in his chair, preoccupied with his phone. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow and looked at Wang Shi with a confused expression: "Who said I performed an empowerment?"

Wang Shi sneered.

"Ye Chen, stop pretending."

"If it wasn't an empowerment, how could Chu Niubi have broken through from the Yellow Realm Peak to the Heavenly Realm Peak in half a quarter of an hour?"

"Do you think everyone here is a three-year-old child?"

"The path of cultivation emphasizes gradual accumulation and natural progression."

"You've violated the laws of the Heavenly Dao; you will surely face a backlash!"

"Right now, I'm afraid you can't even stand steadily, can you?"

As he spoke, he straightened his back, a hint of smugness even flashing in his eyes.

If Ye Chen really was crippled, then today wouldn't be the Chu family's apprenticeship banquet, but rather the Chu family's funeral!

Ye Chen looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"Who told you that a breakthrough must be a gradual accumulation?"

"That's because your talent is lacking. Don't assume everyone is as much of a waste as you are."

Wang Shi's face instantly turned the color of pig liver. "You..."

"You what?"

Ye Chen put down his phone and stood up. "You don't believe it? How about we make another bet?"

Wang Shi's eyelid twitched violently. "What bet?"

Ye Chen spoke indifferently.

"You attack with all your strength and take one finger from me."

"If I can't knock you down with one finger, the Chu family's assets will be handed over with both hands, and I, Ye Chen, will cripple my own cultivation."

"But if you go down..."

He paused, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. "Not only must you hand over the Wang family, but you must also cripple your own cultivation."

"How about it? Do you dare?"

Hiss—

This move was playing for keeps!

Everyone's eyes fell on Wang Shi in unison.

Wang Shi's face turned pale and then flushed.

Dare?

He didn't dare for shit!

Ye Chen was someone who even dared to kill those in the Golden Core Stage!

He, a mere Heavenly Realm Peak, taking a move from Ye Chen?

That wasn't taking a move; that was seeking death!

But he had just been saying that Ye Chen had lost his cultivation through empowerment. Now, if he didn't even dare to take a single move, wasn't he slapping his own face?

What if...

Just what if Ye Chen really was crippled?

The problem was, he didn't dare to bet on that "what if"!

"What? You don't dare?"

Ye Chen tilted his head.

The veins on Wang Shi's forehead bulged, and his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles cracking.

But in the end, he still didn't speak.

He didn't dare.

He really didn't dare.

In the banquet hall, those guests who were still whispering also shut their mouths.

They looked at Wang Shi's extremely aggrieved expression, and their hearts were filled with mixed emotions.

The head of one of the Five Great Families of the Capital, a powerhouse of the Heavenly Realm Peak, was forced by a young man to the point where he didn't even dare to make a move.

This was a massive loss of face.

Seeing that he wouldn't speak, Ye Chen shrugged helplessly.

"I gave you a chance, but you're useless."

"Then there's nothing I can do."

"What you should do now is... honestly agree to hand over the Wang family."

Wang Shi's face turned completely white.

Hand over the Wang family?

Hand over the Wang family's decades of foundation to the Chu family?

Then what face would he, Wang Shi, have left to live in this world?

He suddenly looked up. "Ye Chen, do you know who is behind me?"

Ye Chen looked at him and smiled.

"I don't care who you are."

"The Chen family was behind the Sima Family, and I wiped them out just the same."

"Does it really matter which random nobody is behind your Wang family?"

Wang Shi's chest heaved violently.

"The one behind my Wang family is no third-rate trash like the Chen family!"

"It is one of the Eight Sects of the Kunlun Ruins!"

"If you seize everything from the Wang family, you will be offending the Eight Sects!"

"When the time comes and the Eight Sects are enraged, even if you are the Chief Instructor of the Dragon Group, you won't be able to escape the consequences!"

"Eight Sects?" Ye Chen blinked. "Which one of the Eight Sects?"

Seeing this reaction, an ominous feeling welled up in Wang Shi's heart.

But since the words were already out, he could only brace himself and continue.

"My Wang family's backer is the Hehuan Sect, one of the Eight Sects!"

"If you dare to touch the Wang family, the Hehuan Sect will never let it slide!"

The atmosphere in the banquet hall became tense once again.

The Hehuan Sect.

That was one of the Eight Sects of the Kunlun Ruins, a true colossus.

It was said that there were several elders at the Golden Core Stage alone within the sect, and even old monsters at the Nascent Soul Stage.

Such a power—let alone a tiny Chu family—even if the Five Great Families of the Capital were all tied together, they wouldn't be enough for them to crush with one hand.

Chu Shixiong's face changed.

Chu Niubi's face also changed.

Even Bai Wanqing's hand holding the teacup paused slightly.

Only Ye Chen's expression remained unchanged.

"Hehuan Sect?"

"Is there an elder named Liu Shenfeng?"

"He seems to have been beaten to death by me."