680: Chapter 680 We Protest!

Sect Leader Meng Canghai's right fist was clenched tight, a layer of blue light coalescing on his knuckles—the hallmark of True Qi projection, a sign unique to those in the Celestial Master Realm.

The air was torn apart, emitting a sharp, whistling sound.

He had put all ten tenths of his power into this punch.

It wasn't because he wanted to kill Ye Chen, but because he needed to create an opportunity.

An opportunity that would leave Ye Chen unable to attend to anything else, allowing him to administer the poison without anyone noticing.

As he threw the punch, his left hand quietly reached into his sleeve, his fingertips gripping the stopper of the porcelain bottle.

As long as Ye Chen blocked this punch, he could seize the moment of physical contact to use his True Qi to scatter the powder inside the bottle, causing it to land on Ye Chen's skin.

The drug was colorless and odorless; it wouldn't take effect immediately upon contact, but within half an hour, it would seep into the meridians. By then, Ye Chen's True Qi would be in chaos, and his strength would plummet.

And he, Sect Leader Meng Canghai, would be able to retreat unscathed.

Perfect.

Everything was going according to plan.

A faint, imperceptible smile even curled at the corner of Sect Leader Meng Canghai's mouth.

However.

The next second.

His smile froze on his face.

Because Ye Chen had moved.

Ye Chen simply lifted his right hand casually and waved it toward Sect Leader Meng Canghai, as if swatting away a fly.

That's right.

He just waved it casually.

He really didn't use any True Qi!

There wasn't even a shred of technique; it was just a simple, plain slap.

"Pa!!!"

A crisp sound echoed clearly throughout the entire valley.

Sect Leader Meng Canghai's face twisted to the side, and his entire body went flying.

Then.

Flying over a distance of more than ten meters, he soared over the heads of the onlookers and slammed heavily into the cliff wall on one side of the valley.

"Boom!!!"

Debris scattered everywhere, and dust swirled into the air.

A human-shaped indentation was clearly visible on the cliff wall.

Sect Leader Meng Canghai was embedded in that indentation, his limbs dangling, motionless, like a gecko flattened against a wall.

He had passed out cold.

His hand had loosened unconsciously, and the bottle rolled down, smashing into pieces.

In that moment, the valley, filled with tens of thousands of people, became so quiet that one could hear the wind.

Everyone's eyes were wide, their mouths agape, and the expressions on their faces were incredible.

Shock.

Disbelief.

Fear.

Various emotions intertwined, shrouding the entire valley in a deathly silence.

After a long while, someone finally snapped back to reality.

"This… how is this possible?"

"One slap! Just one slap! Sect Leader Meng Canghai is a powerhouse in the Celestial Master Realm!"

"The most ridiculous part is, he really didn't seem to use any True Qi! It was really just one hand!"

"A normal slap can send a Celestial Master Realm powerhouse flying? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"The facts are right in front of your eyes; believe it or not!"

"Good heavens… just what kind of monster is he?"

...

The murmurs swept through the entire valley like a tsunami.

The voices of tens of thousands of people converged, causing the valley to hum with the sound.

On the high platform, the expressions of Master Huineng and the others changed completely.

None of them had expected…

That Ye Chen would be this strong.

With one hand and both feet held back, without using True Qi, and relying solely on physical strength, he had slapped away a Peak Celestial Master Realm powerhouse.

What kind of concept was this?

It meant that Ye Chen's physical strength had already surpassed the Celestial Master Realm, surpassing the Tianyi Realm.

Such a body was simply a human weapon!!!

Daoist Priest Qingfeng, in the crowd, took a deep breath, and the last trace of hesitation in his heart vanished.

Following a person like this was the right choice.

In the center of the valley, Ye Chen withdrew his right hand and stuffed it back into his pocket.

He turned his head, glanced at the motionless Sect Leader Meng Canghai embedded in the cliff wall, and shook his head.

"Things could have been resolved simply, but you insisted on crossing moves with me…"

"Now look at you; you've lost face and you're incapacitated."

"Why bother?"

He sighed and turned to walk toward the high platform.

After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped and said without looking back.

"Oh, right, whoever you are, the people from the Mount Tai Sect, go and pry your sect leader out."

"He's embedded quite deeply; I doubt he'll be able to get down by himself when he wakes up in a while."

The entire audience: "…"

Tens of thousands of people looked at each other, their expressions incredibly vivid.

Pry him out.

That word choice was fucking brilliant.

Ye Chen then looked at Master Huineng: "Also, do you have any other concerns? If not, just assign me to any group; I'm in a hurry to go back and eat, I'm quite hungry."

The entire audience: "…"

Good grief!

This is the highest level of showing off!

In Ye Chen's eyes, the Martial Arts Tournament isn't even as important as a meal!

And that Sect Leader Meng Canghai…

He probably won't be able to hold his head up for the rest of his life.

Sect Leader Meng Canghai had just woken up from his coma, but upon hearing Ye Chen's words, he passed out cold again.

The valley was silent for several seconds, and finally…

"Amitabha."

Master Huineng gave a dry cough, pressed his palms together, and broke the deathly silence.

"Fellow cultivators, since the matter has come to light, there is no need to question Young Friend Ye's strength any further."

"Then… we will follow the AI system's suggestion and manually assign Young Friend Ye to a group."

"The assignment method will be random."

Everyone's expression changed.

Fear appeared on every face.

"Don't! Don't put him in our group!"

"Buddha bless us, please don't let that evil star be in my group!"

"Heaven, it hasn't been easy for me to cultivate for thirty years, I beg you, let me live for one more round!"

"Sect Leader! How about we just withdraw from the competition? Fighting that guy is just asking to be abused!"

...

For a moment, the valley was filled with wailing.

Those sect disciples who had been clamoring just moments ago to check badges and demanding that Ye Chen prove his strength were now pale, wishing they could shrink their heads into their necks.

There was no help for it…

They had seen with their own eyes how Sect Leader Meng Canghai was slapped away.

A Peak Celestial Master Realm powerhouse couldn't even withstand a single move in front of Ye Chen, so if they, the small fries in the Earth Realm, went up, wouldn't they just be serving themselves up as fodder?

Master Huineng's mouth twitched several times, but as the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, he had already spoken, and there was no way to take it back.

He took a deep breath and nodded to the staff behind the high platform.

"Begin random assignment."

The staff member swallowed hard, their fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard.

On the big screen, lists of groups scrolled by rapidly.

Everyone's heart was in their throat.

Tens of thousands of gazes were fixed on the electronic screen, their emotions stretched to the limit.

Finally, the randomization slowly came to a stop.

Everyone's gaze fell in unison to the very top of the screen—

Group 1: Ye Chen (Dragon Group, Ancient Tomb Sect).

Deathly silence!

A silence like death!

The next moment…

"Holy crap!!!"

In the area where Group 1 was located, hundreds of people let out a desperate howl simultaneously.

"Why! Why is it our group!"

"Unfair! This is too unfair! We protest!"

"Right! Protest! We, Group 1, collectively protest!"

"What's the point of fighting? Let's just withdraw from the competition!"

...

The two hundred-plus people in Group 1 were like a pot of boiling water, everyone speaking at once, their emotions running high, their voices growing louder and more agitated.

Are you kidding me?

Letting someone so strong join them meant this fight was impossible to win!

The people in the other groups were stunned for two seconds, then erupted into wild joy.

"Heaven has opened its eyes! The ancestors have blessed us!"

"Scared the hell out of me; my heart almost jumped out of my chest just now!"

"Brothers, we're safe! Group 1 has become the big suckers!"

...

The scene was incredibly lively, not at all like attending the Martial Arts Tournament, but rather like fleeing from an impending disaster.

Watching this scene, the corner of Ye Chen's mouth twitched.

No…

Am I that scary?

It's not like I'm a man-eating monster!

Master Huineng stood on the high platform, looking at the scene before him, the veins on his forehead throbbing.

He had hosted the Martial Arts Tournament several times; what kind of scene hadn't he seen?

But he had truly never seen a scene like today.

A single contestant causing all opponents in the same group to protest collectively and demand to withdraw from the competition.

This is the fucking Martial Arts Tournament, not a crime scene!

True Person Qingxuan's expression didn't look too good either: "Master Huineng, this matter… is indeed inappropriate."

Abbess Juechen nodded.

"If Group 1 sees all its members withdraw due to the massive gap in strength, then the Martial Arts Tournament will become a joke, after all…"

"It's not very fair."

Master Huineng took a deep breath; of course he knew it was unfair.

But rules are rules; the groups had already been set. If they were changed at the last minute, where would the credibility of the Martial Arts Alliance be?

Just as he was struggling with the dilemma, a voice sounded from the side.

"Master Huineng, this Daoist has a proposal."

Everyone's gaze turned to the person who spoke.

It was actually Daoist Priest Qingfeng!

Master Huineng frowned slightly: "Sect Leader Qingfeng, please speak."

Daoist Priest Qingfeng glanced at Ye Chen and spoke slowly.

"Young Friend Ye's strength is obvious to all."

"Letting him participate in the preliminaries is indeed unfair to the other contestants."

He paused, then said, enunciating each word clearly.

"How about this…"

"Young Friend Ye will directly receive a bye and advance to the top sixty."

"And the original top sixty spots will become sixty-one."

"When the top sixty advancement tournament arrives, we can then discuss how to handle this extra person."

"What do you all think?"