32: Chapter 32 gave you a chance, but you failed!

In that instant...

Time seemed to have been put in slow motion.

In the eyes of all the Adventurers, the Garrison Army soldier's fierce and incomparable thrust, accompanied by a whistling wind, had already reached Chen You's face with the cold gleam of its spear tip.

Chen You's response, however, was so simple it was almost perfunctory.

He merely thrust his novice iron sword forward.

There were no fancy movements, no surging fluctuations of spiritual energy, and he hadn't even moved his feet an inch.

It was truly a plain and unadorned strike!

At the very moment the spear tip and sword tip were about to collide—

"Ding."

A crisp sound, so faint it was almost inaudible, rang out.

A faint glimmer of light suddenly ignited on the tip of Chen You's sword, like a firefly flitting through the dark of night, vanishing in a flash.

Heaven-Breaking Sword Technique, First Form—Startled Swan!

Immediately after, a scene that left everyone dumbfounded occurred.

The aggressive Garrison Army soldier, along with the steel spear in his hand, froze in place, looking like a statue that had instantly solidified.

The expression on his face still maintained the coldness and focus he had while attacking.

One second.

Two seconds.

Dead silence.

The entire training ground was so quiet that a dropped needle could be heard.

"What's going on? Did he freeze?"

An elven archer subconsciously muttered to himself.

Before his voice could even fade—

"Pfft."

A soft sound.

Starting from the center of his brow, a thin line of blood quietly emerged on that LV10 elite Garrison Army soldier, spreading straight down.

It passed through the bridge of his nose, his lips, and down to his breastplate...

In the next moment, his body, along with his armor and weapon, silently split into two halves as if cut by the most precise laser.

They then turned into a sky full of flying white specks of light, dissipating into the air.

[Ding! You have completed the mission: Trial of the Garrison Army!]

[Obtained Experience Points: 10,000!]

[Zhao City Reputation increased to Friendly (5,000/10,000)!]

[Obtained Reputation Points: 5,000!]

[Your level has increased to LV5 (Qi Refinement Layer 1), and you have obtained 5 Free Attribute Points.]

Instakill!

A complete and total instakill!

That elite soldier, whom even the LV10 Orc Warrior Kage had to pay the price of a fractured arm to barely defeat, was instakilled by a LV4 human with a single sword strike!

"Holy crap..."

No one knew who gasped, but it instantly ignited the entire scene.

"This has to be fake, right? Am I seeing things?"

"What just happened? What was that light? A skill? But I didn't feel any energy fluctuations!"

"LV4... instakilling a LV10 elite mob? Which God Kingdom's crown prince is this who's come down to experience commoner life?"

The voices of discussion were like a boiling pot of oil, loud and chaotic.

Every gaze directed at Chen You was filled with shock, confusion, and deep wariness.

However, as the focus of the entire field, Chen You slightly furrowed his brows at this moment.

Not only was there no joy on his face, but he also showed a hint of undisguised... disdain.

He looked down at the novice iron sword in his hand and gently shook his head.

"Too slow, and too clunky."

Chen You complained inwardly.

After learning the Heaven-Breaking Sword Technique, a profound and mysterious understanding of the sword had integrated into his instincts.

He could clearly sense that the "Startled Swan" strike just now hadn't displayed its proper charm at all.

The First Form, Startled Swan, emphasized the sharpness of "one sword breaking ten thousand laws" and the agility of a "startled swan's glimpse."

But this novice iron sword was heavy and dull, completely unable to carry the true speed and penetration of "Startled Swan."

That strike just now was more like using brute force to shove out the "form" of the sword technique.

In two words: stiff as hell!

It was like using a butcher's knife to perform a delicate technique of plucking leaves and flying flowers; it was extremely awkward.

"It seems I need to get a better sword as soon as possible," Chen You thought.

But his dissatisfied expression had a completely different flavor in the eyes of the surrounding Adventurers.

"Look... look at his expression! He's actually not satisfied?"

"He instakilled a Garrison Army elite, and he's still shaking his head? What does that mean? Does he think the kill wasn't clean enough?"

"My god, this guy... is he showing off? He must be! This flex is making my scalp tingle!"

Below the stage, Orc Warrior Kage's expression was even more dramatic.

His coarse orc face turned various shades of blue and white, and his bell-like eyes stared fixedly at Chen You as if they were about to spit fire.

Just moments ago, he had confidently mocked the other party as "trash from a backward civilization."

As it turned out, in the blink of an eye, this "trash" had crushed an opponent he had only barely defeated with all his strength, using a method he couldn't understand at all.

This slap to the face was loud and clear.

"Luck! It must be luck!"

Kage tried to save face, shouting with a strained neck, but his voice unconsciously carried a tremor of insufficient confidence.

"There must have been some special circumstance in the Source Realm! I felt a lag just now!"

Several lackeys nearby immediately chimed in.

"Right! Boss Kage is right! The Source Realm must have glitched!"

"How could a LV4 noob be this strong? He must have had some dumb luck!"

Chen You listened to the noise in his ears without any change in his expression.

He unhesitatingly added the 5 attribute points he had just obtained into Attack again.

After finishing this, he closed the system panel and stepped down from the arena.

The gazes of the entire crowd followed his footsteps.

Everyone thought he was about to leave.

However, Chen You walked step by step, heading straight in the direction of the Orc Kage.

The several Adventurers surrounding Kage felt an invisible pressure from Chen You and unconsciously backed away to both sides, clearing a path.

Chen You walked right up to the Orc Warrior, who was nearly three meters tall and built like a small mountain.

He had to tilt his head back slightly to meet the other's gaze.

The huge difference in physique made this scene full of drama.

But at this moment, no one dared to mock this seemingly small human.

The training ground fell into an eerie silence once again.

Feeling the atmosphere around him, Kage felt a surge of humiliation and anger rush to his head.

He looked down at Chen You, snorting two heavy puffs of hot air from his nostrils, and growled viciously:

"What are you looking at? Do you want to die?"

Chen You's expression remained calm. He ignored the other's threat and simply spoke slowly in a tone that stated a fact.

"You said earlier that I am from a backward civilization in some unknown corner."

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

Kage's face froze.

Chen You's gaze was as calm as water as he continued:

"Now, I'll give you a chance."

"Apologize for your rudeness."

Apologize?

Make him, a LV10 Orc Warrior and a glorious hero of the Aila World, Kage, apologize to a LV4 human?

Kage felt like he had heard the funniest joke in the world. He was stunned for a moment before bursting into a deafening roar of laughter.

"Hahaha! Apologize? You want me to apologize to you?"

He extended a palm as large as a cattail leaf fan and pointed at Chen You's nose, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

"Kid, did that sword strike just now burn your brain out?"

"You think that with a bit of dumb luck, you can challenge the dignity of me, Kage?"

"I admit, that move of yours was a bit strange! But the gap in levels is an insurmountable chasm!"

Kage's smile suddenly vanished, becoming incredibly sinister.

"As long as you dare to make a move, your newbie protection will be gone!"

He took a step forward, his massive shadow completely enveloping Chen You.

"Come and try it. I'll make you understand what true strength is!"

A violent aura erupted. The muscles on Kage's uninjured arm bulged, veins popped out, and his fist, as big as a casserole, clenched, ready to launch a thunderous strike at any moment.

The surrounding Adventurers retreated one after another, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.

Their gazes toward Chen You were filled with pity.

In their view, this human was too unwise.

Stopping while ahead was the way to go; insisting on provoking an Orc Warrior known for his brutality—what was that if not seeking death?

However, facing Kage's sinister threat and violent aura, Chen You's expression didn't change one bit from beginning to end.

He just watched the other party quietly, as if watching a clown jumping up and down.

He slowly raised his hand—not to draw his sword, but to extend an index finger, gently wagging it at Kage.

"You seem to have misunderstood one thing."

The corner of Chen You's mouth curled into a faint, almost cruel smile.

"I gave you a chance, but you're useless."