178: Gu Chen's praise

When Ye Chen exposed his strength, a gasp immediately rose from the audience.

"A Nine-Star Martial King! Ye Chen really Broke Through to Nine-Star Martial King! This is simply terrifying!"

"It seems Ye Chen also had his own fortuitous encounter in the past six months!"

"Six months ago, Ye Chen was already eighth rank on the heaven ranking. Now that he has Broken Through to Nine-Star Martial King, it's not impossible for him to enter the top five on the heaven ranking. Perhaps he really can represent the Cangxuan Sect to enter this Secret Realm!"

"Interesting, this is getting interesting. Do you think Lu Xingchen can defeat Ye Chen again?"

"Hard to say, it's really hard to say."

Listening to the gasps from the audience, Ye Chen was somewhat smug.

He had Cultivated diligently for six months precisely for today, to wipe away his past humiliation!

Ye Chen looked at Lu Xingchen, and seeing no expression on his face, felt a little uneasy.

"Lu Xingchen, I've Broken Through to Nine-Star, aren't you surprised?"

Lu Xingchen said indifferently, "Just a mere Nine-Star Martial King, is that worth showing off? Ye Chen, it seems you haven't made much progress in the past six months!"

With that, Lu Xingchen activated his Battle Qi, revealing his Two-Star Martial Emperor Realm to everyone.

In an instant, the entire venue was in an uproar.

"Holy cow, a Martial Emperor! Lu Xingchen actually Broke Through to Martial Emperor! How is this possible?"

"If I'm not mistaken, Lu Xingchen only joined the Cangxuan Sect a little over a year ago, right? In such a short time, he could Cultivate from Martial Spirit to Martial Emperor?"

"Lu Xingchen is truly amazing, he has the Potential of a Saint!"

"Potential of a Saint is still too exaggerated. After all, the higher the Cultivation, the harder it is to improve, and the greater the gap between Realms. As the saying goes, the closer you are to the mountain, the more you know its height. Lu Xingchen's rapid improvement must be due to some fortuitous encounter, but it's not impossible for his Cultivation to stagnate or even regress afterwards."

"Just looking at Lu Xingchen's current strength, he is quite formidable. Although he may not necessarily become a Martial Saint, he is already qualified to compete for the Saint position of the Cangxuan Sect."

Ye Chen stared intently at Lu Xingchen, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"You've Broken Through to Martial Emperor? How is this possible? A year ago, when you fought me, you were merely a Three-Star Martial King!"

Lu Xingchen chuckled, "Isn't that normal? You and I are not comparable."

"Those I defeat are never considered my opponents. I give you time to catch up, until you are out of reach."

"Ye Chen, get down there yourself. A year ago I could easily defeat you, and I can do it now too!"

Ye Chen's face darkened, and he said sharply, "I, Ye Chen, am considered someone in the inner sect. If I retreat without a fight, what will others think of me? What will the Saint think of me?"

"So, Lu Xingchen, fight me! Either you knock me down, or I knock you down!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xingchen actually thought a bit more highly of Ye Chen.

Although their positions were different, he still had some backbone.

Lu Xingchen smiled faintly.

"Since that's the case, let's go through the motions. I'll just knock you down."

"The match begins!" Gu Chen shouted loudly.

"Realm Breaking Art!"

Ye Chen let out a furious roar, and the Spiritual Qi within a thousand meters surged wildly into his body.

His Realm also climbed steadily, rising from Nine-Star Martial King to Two-Star Martial Emperor.

Ye Chen grinned, "Lu Xingchen, you wouldn't think that as a follower of the Saint, I wouldn't have any trump cards, would you? Now that our Realms are the same, it's still unknown who will win!"

Lu Xingchen raised an eyebrow slightly.

"This so-called 'Realm Breaking Art' of yours, Lin Yuan gave it to you, didn't he? It does have some merit. But, it's not enough!"

Ye Chen snorted coldly.

"Lu Xingchen, stop bluffing. I remember you also have a secret technique that temporarily boosts your Realm. Does it no longer work after entering the Martial Emperor Realm?"

Lu Xingchen said indifferently, "Think what you will."

His Heaven Swallowing Art could not only continue to be used, but its quality had also improved.

However, there was no reason to explain this to Ye Chen, nor was Ye Chen qualified to force him to use the Heaven Swallowing Art again.

Ye Chen roared, "Lu Xingchen, let's decide the victor in one move!"

His "Realm Breaking Art" had a time limit, and he would enter a period of weakness after using it, so he couldn't drag out the fight. He had to decide the outcome as quickly as possible.

Lu Xingchen nodded slightly, "As you wish."

Ye Chen drew the longsword from his waist and raised it high. A black Battle Qi Sword Blade condensed above his head.

Lu Xingchen, on the other hand, used "Thousand Jin Slash."

Although he had the even more powerful "Mountain Splitting Seal," he didn't want to use it on Ye Chen.

After all, Lin Yuan and Yun Li were also watching this competition from below the stage.

He and Lin Yuan would inevitably have a fight in the future, and before that, it was better to hide as much strength as possible.

He didn't want to easily expose the "Mountain Splitting Seal" unless absolutely necessary.

With his current strength, using "Thousand Jin Slash" was very easy. He accumulated enough Battle Qi in just five seconds.

But he deliberately pretended to be weak, waiting for Ye Chen to power up.

Another five seconds passed, and Ye Chen finally finished powering up. He swung his sword at Lu Xingchen, shouting, "Lu Xingchen, take this!"

Lu Xingchen smiled faintly and also swung his sword down.

The black and white Battle Qi Sword Blades collided in the air, creating a huge wave of Qi.

Immediately, Lu Xingchen's white Battle Qi Sword Blade easily shattered Ye Chen's black Battle Qi Sword Blade, and the remaining power shot towards him undiminished.

Ye Chen was greatly astonished.

How could this Lu Xingchen be so strong?

Fighting at the same Realm, he was completely no match for him!

He hurriedly raised his longsword, condensing a Dou Qi Shield around his body.

Just then, Gu Chen, in the center of the arena, spread his Dou Qi Wings and flew in front of Ye Chen, pointing his right hand forward to block the attack for him.

Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat.

Gu Chen's intervention meant the match was over.

But he was very unconvinced and didn't want to lose to Lu Xingchen just like that.

Ye Chen said in a deep voice, "Sect Master, you don't need to intervene, I can still fight!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen raised an eyebrow slightly, then said indifferently, "If Lu Xingchen's attack had hit you, you would have had a fifty percent chance of dying, and the other fifty percent chance of becoming crippled. Ye Chen, you lost."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen's heart was startled.

Had Lu Xingchen already become so powerful?

Now, apart from the Saint, there was probably no one among the Cangxuan Sect Disciples who was his match, right?

Ye Chen naturally wouldn't question the Sect Master's judgment, and besides, the Sect Master had saved him once. He simply clasped his hands and said, "This Disciple understands."

With that, he dejectedly walked off the arena.

Gu Chen looked at Lu Xingchen, a smile on his face, and said softly, "Lu Xingchen, well done!"

Receiving the Sect Master's affirmation, Lu Xingchen was also delighted and bowed to him, "Thank you for the Sect Master's praise!"

Below the arena, watching Ye Chen dejectedly leave, Lin Yuan's eyes darkened.

This Lu Xingchen's growth rate was truly terrifying.

He must be eliminated as soon as possible, otherwise he would become a great threat.

Even if it meant offending Yun Li, he had to be ruthless!