194: Chapter 193 You're too weak.

He had assumed that when this newly promoted Heaven-Class Disciple faced a veteran like him, even if the youth wasn't nervous or wary, he should at least display a serious and cautious expression.

But he never expected that the other party would be so unbridled in his speech, showing absolutely no regard for him.

However, Mo Chongshan was a man of deep cunning after all. Facing Xia Jin's mockery, his face didn't betray any anger; instead, he buried that hint of ruthlessness deep within his eyes.

Mo Chongshan looked at Xia Jin, a flash of sinister intent passing through his narrow, elongated eyes. "I don't care how glorious you were in the First Heaven, nor do I care what methods you used to climb up here. But since you've arrived in the Second Heaven, you must learn to bow your head when necessary."

"Admit defeat now, and I can pretend nothing happened. You can continue being Heaven-Class Disciple Twenty-Three, and I will continue being Heaven-Class Disciple Twenty-Two."

Xia Jin remained standing with his hands behind his back, his purple hair gently swaying in the breeze as he looked at him with an inscrutable smile.

Mo Chongshan's gaze gradually turned cold. He slowly raised his right hand, his fingers curling into a phantom grip, with black mist faintly swirling in his palm.

"You must have heard of the rules of this Battle Arena. As long as no one voluntarily admits defeat, outsiders cannot intervene. If I happen to slip up and severely injure you, or even... accidentally cause you to perish here, then you can only blame your own bad luck."

"I will only give you three breaths of time to consider."

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"It seems you really don't know what's good for you!! Then don't blame me for not giving you a chance!" Mo Chongshan sneered.

Xia Jin watched Mo Chongshan quietly, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Up until now, you have wasted ten full breaths of this Prince's time."

"Could it be that all the Heaven-Class Disciples of this Second Heaven are like you, only capable of talking big?"

Xia Jin's words caused the corner of Mo Chongshan's mouth to twitch involuntarily.

No one had ever dared to speak to him like this before. It seemed that if he didn't properly torture this brat today, he wouldn't be able to vent his anger.

Mo Chongshan's eyes turned completely cold.

The ruthlessness that had been suppressed at the bottom of his heart finally surfaced on his face. He stared at Xia Jin, his gaze chilling enough to make one tremble.

"Good, very good."

He nodded, his voice terrifyingly low: "Since you are in such a hurry to seek death, then I have no intention of holding back today. You will regret coming to this Second Heaven, and you will regret even more challenging me, Mo Chongshan!!"

As he spoke, a chilling, piercing Aura erupted from his body. His long arms, which hung down to his knees, slowly spread open, and the entire Battle Arena darkened in an instant.

...

Meanwhile, inside the great hall of the Second Heaven.

Mr. Gu, somewhat bloated in figure, was currently lying comfortably on a grand armchair. In the Void Realm before him floated a scroll about a zhang long, clearly displaying the scene on the Battle Arena.

To watch this battle in peace, Mr. Gu had specifically shut the hall doors tight early this morning. He turned away everyone who wanted to enter today, leaving them to stare helplessly outside the hall.

"Hehe, interesting, truly interesting."

Mr. Gu stroked his two whiskers, while his other hand produced a wine flask from somewhere, and he took a deep swig. Wine flowed down the corner of his mouth, but he didn't bother to wipe it, his small eyes fixed intently on the purple figure in the painting.

"A newcomer, daring to speak to Mo Chongshan like that..." He smacked his lips. "This kid either has real ability, or there's something wrong with his brain."

He squinted his eyes, carefully examining Xia Jin in the painting.

"But to be selected by the Fifth Hall Master's Heaven-Peering Mirror, he shouldn't be a fool. That means..." He paused, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes, "He really has ability?"

He took another gulp of wine and muttered to himself: "But even if he has real ability, it won't be enough; this Mo Chongshan is no simple character. This guy seems to have been in the Second Heaven for over a hundred years, right? And he hasn't made a move even once—he must be plotting something big!"

"I wonder how long this newcomer can last in Mo Chongshan's hands? Ten breaths? Or twenty breaths? But at most, it shouldn't exceed half a quarter of an hour."

Just as Mr. Gu was considering how long Xia Jin could last against Mo Chongshan, the two in the painting moved.

Mo Chongshan's arms suddenly shook, and the dense black mist around his body exploded instantly. In the blink of an eye, the entire Battle Arena was completely shrouded in this black mist.

The image was pitch black; nothing could be seen.

"Oh? It seems this kid really offended Mo Chongshan to death just now, otherwise he wouldn't be preparing to kill right from the start?" Mr. Gu's eyes lit up as he sat up straight, staring intently at the mass of black mist.

The black mist churned, and one could faintly hear the sound of air being torn apart from within. It was the sharp whistling of palm winds tearing through the air, dense as rain, making one's scalp tingle just listening to it.

"This Mo Chongshan's palm technique has actually reached the fifth level?" A hint of surprise flashed in Mr. Gu's eyes. "No wonder he has always been biding his time; I'm afraid he's eyeing the top ten, or even the top five positions. Now that newcomer is in for a miserable time..."

However, the course of events did not go as Mr. Gu had anticipated.

In the center of the black mist that shrouded the entire Battle Arena, a ray of light suddenly shone forth.

At first, the light was just a speck, but after only one breath, that speck of light expanded rapidly, transforming into a scorching, incomparable sun, radiating immense brilliance so blinding that one could not look directly at it.

"This!?" Mr. Gu, who was watching the battle, was forced by the blinding light to close his eyes, while simultaneously shielding his face with one hand.

He did not see that in the image, that sun, like the rising morning sun, instantly dispelled all darkness. The black mist, like residual snow under a scorching sun, melted away at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It was not until the light gradually dissipated and the image became clear again that Mr. Gu opened his eyes and looked at the scroll floating before him.

But at this sight, the remaining half-flask of wine in his hand dropped to the floor with a "clatter."

On the Battle Arena, a figure was half-kneeling on the ground.

It was Mo Chongshan, who had been so incredibly confident just a moment ago.

He was kneeling on one knee, one hand supporting him on the ground, the other clutching his chest. The sinister intent and ruthlessness in his eyes had long since vanished, and as he looked at Xia Jin, only terror remained.

How is this possible? How could this person be so strong!? He had even planned to challenge the fifth-ranked Xing Ruoliu, yet he had actually been defeated by a newcomer.

And it was the kind of defeat where he had absolutely no power to resist.

Opposite him, Xia Jin stood in place, his hands behind his back.

His long, light purple hair was still gently swaying in the breeze. He just stood there quietly, his gaze falling calmly upon the half-kneeling Mo Chongshan, as if looking down at an ant.

Inside the great hall, Mr. Gu's wine flowed all over the floor, but he was completely unaware of it.

"This... how is this possible? A newcomer, actually capable of being so strong that Mo Chongshan had no power to resist!?"

In the image, Xia Jin finally spoke.

"This Prince said it; what kind of quality could a Heaven-Class Disciple ranked twenty-two have? As expected, just as this Prince guessed from the beginning, I'm afraid only those few in the top five can bring this Prince a hint of amusement."

Mo Chongshan's body trembled violently; his lips moved, but he couldn't say a single word.

For the first time, fear appeared in his eyes.

"Rest assured, considering we are fellow disciples, this Prince will not kill you!" Xia Jin looked at the dim-eyed Mo Chongshan, smiled, and stepped into the Void Gate that had suddenly appeared before him.