333: Is this not a cover-up?

Chen Jiao moved again.

He didn't believe anyone could remain unfazed after that punch, especially since the opponent was only at the Middle Stage of Nascent Soul.

A white line exploded across the water's surface as he instantly closed in, his right fist wrapped in blue mana power, aiming straight for Zhou Yan's face. It was the opening Move of the Wave-Breaking Fist, executed with full force.

Zhou Yan raised his hand to block, his movements casual.

"Smack!"

Fist and arm collided, and Chen Jiao's expression changed slightly.

This punch still hadn't worked; the recoil even made his arm bones go numb.

Zhou Yan only took half a step back, a look of "well acted" approval on his face.

Chen Jiao's eyes narrowed, his strength increasing again. He roared lowly while unleashing his proud self-created Cultivation Technique, Surging Waves.

Fists, palms, and legs transformed into a storm, all wrapped in water-attribute mana power as they attacked Zhou Yan, each strike splashing large waves.

Water splashed as if from a water gun, forcing Zhou Yan to wipe his face from time to time, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"This brother is way too into his role, isn't he? It's making me a bit awkward."

He "barely" blocked a few strikes and "just managed" to dodge several Moves.

But Chen Jiao grew more and more alarmed as he fought.

Those heavy punches that clearly landed felt like tickles on the opponent's body; the seemingly unavoidable killing Moves were completely ineffective.

After twenty Moves, Zhou Yan's breathing remained steady, while Chen Jiao's was slightly ragged.

Whispers came from the spectator stands.

"Is Chen Jiao going easy on him?"

Hearing this, an Inner Sect Disciple from Qingxu Grotto-Heaven turned and saw the speaker was a Disciple wearing Butian Pavilion's standard uniform. He immediately curled his lip and retorted.

"Easy my ass! Can't you see that guy's almost exhausted? It's clearly our Saint who's too strong, okay?"

The other person, provoked, got angry and fired back immediately.

"Hah, another Zhou fanboy."

"What achievements does your Saint have? What's his rank on the Heavenly Leaderboard?"

"Typical, classic achievement-based strength assessment. You'll never amount to anything, living a miserable life in Butian Pavilion, right?"

While the spectators argued endlessly, Chen Jiao in the arena had already worked himself into a frenzy.

The tips of his ears turned slightly red, a mix of shame and anger.

A flood dragon phantom appeared behind him, his Bloodline Power fully unleashed.

"Raging Dragon Splits the Sea!"

The classic scene of shouting Move names during battle appeared.

This made Zhou Yan give him high marks internally, as Zhou Yan himself rarely shouted skills during fights, often using ultimate Moves as basic attacks for surprise.

At this moment, Chen Jiao's fists transformed into flood dragons, roaring out as he poured all his strength without reservation.

Water columns exploded upward, shockwaves spreading ripples across the surface.

As the water curtain fell, Zhou Yan remained standing in place, only the hem of his clothes slightly damp, completely unharmed.

Zhou Yan casually brushed off the water stains while sighing inwardly.

Even professional actors slip up sometimes.

That last attack wasn't actually weak; if it had really hit, it would've taken at least ten or twenty thousand HP.

So Zhou Yan had used a bit of strength just now.

Chen Jiao's pupils contracted, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He had burned his Bloodline for that strike; even a Late Nascent Soul Stage cultivator taking it head-on would be severely injured. What kind of monster was this person?

"You've hidden your cultivation?" Chen Jiao's voice tightened.

Zhou Yan was taken aback—there was even dialogue interaction?

"Just a modest effort."

"Fine!"

Chen Jiao leaped into the air, forming hand seals.

"Then let's see how long you can hide!"

Dark clouds gathered suddenly, the sky and earth changing color.

Blue and purple light swirled around him as water and lightning, the Dragon Clan's most common talents, activated simultaneously.

"Thousand Ripple Water Arrows!"

A downpour of water arrows fell from the sky.

Zhou Yan looked up and praised sincerely.

"If it didn't hurt at all, I really should've dodged this Move."

The arrow rain enveloped him, mist filling the air.

When the view cleared, Zhou Yan was still standing there, only his clothes slightly more damaged.

The spectator stands erupted in uproar.

Some with good eyesight, recognizing the power of that last attack, couldn't help but clutch their heads and exclaim.

"How is this possible!"

Chen Jiao gritted his teeth, changing hand seals again.

"Thunder Dragon's Frenzied Dance!"

Purple lightning snakes descended from the clouds, dozens of thunderbolts striking the lake simultaneously.

Lightning exploded, the lake water boiling, steam rising like fog.

Zhou Yan reached out amidst the lightning; a lightning snake coiled around his palm, bringing a slight tingle.

"You even considered my lightning control Divine Ability?"

"The preparation is really thorough."

Chen Jiao high in the air began to pant.

Continuous spellcasting consumed immense energy, and the person below... hadn't even singed his clothes.

Humiliation clouded his mind.

Chen Jiao bit the tip of his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of essence blood.

"Blood Sacrifice·Twin Dragons Devour the Heavens!"

Blue and purple flood dragons condensed in mid-air, water and lightning merging, roaring skyward before diving down.

This was his life-risking strike, its power doubled but the backlash terrifyingly severe.

"Boom——!!!"

A light sphere expanded, the lake surface blasted into a huge crater, water rushing back to form violent waves.

Chen Jiao staggered onto the water, kneeling on one knee, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

He stared fixedly at the explosion's center.

The mist gradually cleared.

Zhou Yan walked out slowly, his attire neat, hair undisturbed.

He approached Chen Jiao with a gentle smile, as if returning from a stroll.

"You've worked hard," Zhou Yan said sincerely. "Time to wrap this up, right?"

Chen Jiao stiffened completely, fear gripping his throat.

He wanted to flee, but his mana was depleted, backlash severely injured him, and he could barely stand.

Zhou Yan crouched down and patted his shoulder amicably.

"One last punch, cooperate a bit."

Zhou Yan estimated the strength a normal Middle Stage Nascent Soul cultivator should have and lightly tapped the other's chest with a fist.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

"Thud!"

Amid a dull roar, Chen Jiao flew backward like a broken kite, white sonic boom clouds exploding behind him.

The water surface was plowed into a three-hundred-zhang-long trench before he crashed hard into the lake's center.

Zhou Yan retracted his fist, somewhat surprised himself.

"Did I use that much force?"

The lake water calmed.

A few breaths later, Chen Jiao floated to the surface, eyes rolled back, drifting with the waves.

The spectator stands fell dead silent.

Then, intense cheers erupted, shouts of "Saint is awesome" rising wave after wave.

This completely un-Xuanhuan-style cheering gave Zhou Yan a headache. He didn't bother enjoying it, turning and quickly leaving the arena.

The referee appeared promptly, fished out Chen Jiao, and announced Zhou Yan's victory.

After leaving the arena, Zhou Yan didn't return directly to his room but went to the Elder's spectator stand.

Knocking on the door and seeing several Elders and the Sect Master, he asked directly.

"Even if we have a setup, we can't do it like this, right?"

"Putting me in the first round—luckily this brother's acting was superb, or such an obvious setup would ruin our reputation."

Seeing Zhou Yan ramble on, Immortal Master Qingxu scratched his head.

"Wasn't it said the first round wouldn't be arranged? Who interfered?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison.

Zhou Yan grew even more puzzled.

"That can't be? His attacks didn't hurt me at all, and all his Spells catered to me, all water and lightning attributes, completely countered by my divine abilities."

"Especially that last Move, it didn't even have any real..."

He suddenly paused, as if remembering something, his expression changing.

"Ah, never mind, never mind."

Zhou Yan quickly closed the door and left.

Immortal Master Qingxu shrugged, indicating he didn't understand.

After leaving, Zhou Yan immediately pulled up the battle record.

Only then did he realize most of the opponent's attacks had been immune to him.

The few that could cause damage were also largely offset by resistances.

Looking at the opponent's panel, he suddenly understood.

This was practically a "patchwork dragon"!

The opponent had several Dragon Clan Bloodlines mixed together, purely cobbled up.

Because of this, he had loaded himself with a bunch of dragon traits, causing almost all attacks to be resisted by Zhou Yan's Azure Dragon Set.

The few physical and water-lightning damages he could output were also offset by Zhou Yan's stronger physique and higher-tier water and lightning control.

That last Bloodline-burning strike, filled with dragon-related terms, looked flashy but was just visual pollution.

The opponent was completely countered to death this round, and Zhou Yan, jumping to conclusions without checking the panel carefully, caused this misunderstanding.

But on second thought, whether it was a misunderstanding didn't matter anymore; the opponent's performance was indeed no different from an actor's.

And at this moment, the only one injured was Chen Jiao.

No, there was also Wang Yao, still continuously getting injured.

His battle was still ongoing.

"Ora ora ora!"

"Useless useless useless!"

The two exchanged punches, and the ground beneath them had already been pounded into deep depressions by their power.

They had directly turned into tunnel boring machines, forcing outside spectators to switch to a perspective perspective, seeing through the soil layer to view the battlefield.