205: Chapter 204 A Challenge to the Third-Ranked Player, the Talkative Fan Wujiu

Second Heaven.

A lifeless island floated within the Void Realm.

Unlike other islands, this one was a vast desert where yellow sand filled the sky, and not a trace of green could be seen. Fierce winds howled, kicking up clouds of dust and giving the entire island a desolate atmosphere.

It was truly hard to believe that a Heaven-Class Disciple would like such a place.

But this was the cultivation grounds of Fan Wujiu, the third-ranked Heaven-Class Disciple.

At this moment, in the center of the island.

Fan Wujiu sat cross-legged atop a massive rock with his palms open, five Flying Swords floating slowly above them.

Five Flying Swords, five colors.

Five streaks of sword light swirled and interlaced in his palms, yet they maintained a delicate balance, like five swimming spirit fish.

Suddenly, a small green bird flew in from the horizon. After circling once above Fan Wujiu's head, it gave a cry, and a golden light drifted down.

Fan Wujiu raised his hand to catch it.

It was a Challenge Order.

He looked down at the words written on it, and a slight smile appeared on his face.

"Xia Jin... nineteen consecutive victories, including Yin Qianji, who is ranked fourth..."

He tucked the Challenge Order into his robes, a long-absent flicker of excitement flashing in his eyes.

"I didn't expect that after all this time, someone would finally challenge me again."

He raised his head and looked toward the distant Void Realm.

"That brute Yin Qianji has nothing but brute strength and no sense of strategy. His Golden Pattern Battle Body might be formidable, but before true sword Dao, it's nothing more than a moving target."

Fan Wujiu shook his head, his tone tinged with disdain.

"Three strikes. Back then, it only took me three strikes to make him kneel and admit defeat. He's improved a bit over the years, but in my eyes, he's still not good enough."

He flipped his palms, and the five Flying Swords began to spin slowly, their sword lights growing even more brilliant.

"In this Second Heaven, aside from Jian Wuxin, the only one who can pique my interest is that madman ranked second."

At the thought of Zhan Wuji, Fan Wujiu couldn't help but frown.

That guy...

He's a total battle maniac.

He grows stronger against strong opponents, becoming more frenzied the more he fights.

Even though he cultivates the purest Physical Body combat techniques, he fights without any rhyme or reason. One moment he's clashing head-on with you, and the next, he's pulling out some bizarre Magical Artifact from nowhere to ambush you.

Fighting him is always incredibly frustrating.

"However..."

Fan Wujiu looked at the Challenge Order in his hand, a playful glint flashing in his eyes.

"This newcomer actually interests me quite a bit. It's not hard to beat Yin Qianji, but to beat him into an idiot... that's a little interesting."

He put away the five Flying Swords, stood up, and looked across the distance toward the faintly visible Battle Arena in the Void Realm.

"Tomorrow, let's see how many of my strikes you can withstand. At the very least, I hope you can fully endure all five; otherwise, I'll be far too disappointed!"

...

The next day, at the Battle Arena.

When Xia Jin stepped out of the Void Gate, he saw someone already standing opposite him.

It was a young man with a slender build and a lean face. He looked ordinary, with nothing remarkable about him. He stood quietly in the center of the Battle Arena as if he were one with the surrounding Void Realm.

But Xia Jin's gaze lingered on him for a moment, and a look of gravity appeared in his eyes.

This person...

...is not simple.

Fan Wujiu was also sizing up Xia Jin.

When he felt the heavy aura faintly radiating from Xia Jin, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Not bad, not bad."

Fan Wujiu suddenly laughed, his smile carrying a hint of warmth.

"You are strong, a worthy opponent. I hope today's battle will satisfy us both."

Xia Jin raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at the other man with some surprise.

He hadn't expected that this third-ranked guy would be such a Chatterbox.

Fan Wujiu continued talking to himself, "I heard about your battle with Yin Qianji yesterday. Word is you turned him into an idiot. But honestly, his strength is just so-so; he couldn't even withstand three of my strikes."

"Still, his Physical Body was decent enough, otherwise he would have died under my third strike long ago."

"Xia Jin, right? I want to discuss something with you."

Xia Jin raised an eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously. "Speak."

"Later, if you can entertain me to my heart's content..." A smile of excitement appeared on Fan Wujiu's face. "Then I will voluntarily admit defeat and let you continue challenging upward."

"I'll let you go meet that madman ranked second."

"Huh!?" Xia Jin couldn't help but frown. Could this guy have something wrong with his head? "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said." Fan Wujiu shrugged. "I'm not actually interested in that ranking; I can't move up anyway. If you can withstand my fifth strike, maybe you can cause a bit of trouble for that fellow Zhan Wuji."

He looked at Xia Jin, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

"So, let me see how far you can go."

Having said that, Fan Wujiu beckoned with his hand.

Five Flying Swords appeared out of thin air before him.

Red, green, gold, black, and white—the five-colored sword lights caught Xia Jin's attention.

"Be careful, I'm about to make my move."

As soon as Fan Wujiu finished speaking, he gave a light wave of his right hand.

The crimson Flying Sword instantly transformed into a streak of light, slashing toward Xia Jin!

The Flying Sword spun rapidly in mid-air, growing from the size of a palm as it caught the wind, transforming into a three-foot blade in the blink of an eye!

Crimson flames burned fiercely upon the blade, and everywhere it passed, it burned a trail of fire right through the Void Realm of the Battle Arena!

So fast!

Xia Jin's eyes narrowed.

He wanted to test the power of this strike, so he didn't dodge and instead threw a direct punch!

Upon impact, Xia Jin felt a massive force transmit from his fist. The power was so great that his entire body suddenly sank downward.

His legs were forced deep into the ground!

From the knees down, he was completely submerged in the rock of the Battle Arena!

Xia Jin looked down at his fist.

A clear bloody gash was visible on the surface of his knuckles, with beads of blood seeping out.

"As expected of the third-ranked being."

He looked up, a touch more seriousness in his gaze as he watched Fan Wujiu.

And when Fan Wujiu saw that Xia Jin had actually taken his first strike unscathed, his eyes lit up as well.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said the word "good" three times in a row, the smile on his face growing even more radiant.

"To take a strike from me with only a flesh wound—you are much stronger than Yin Qianji!"

"Then let me see..."

"...how many of my strikes you can endure!"