Inside the resplendent grand hall, a hint of surprise flickered in the eyes of the Celestial Flame Peak Master as he stroked his beard and said, "That Ye Chen, certainly knows how to hide his strength. Being unable to awaken his bloodline yet still able to establish twenty-five Seas of Qi is quite impressive."

"It seems that after his Dantian underwent a mutation, his cultivation speed also received some advancement. Otherwise, it's impossible to have reached the Fifth Layer of the True Qi Realm so swiftly." Duanmu Ying calmly glanced at Ye Chen, speaking in a casual tone.

Ye Chen's age, appearing just around sixteen, wasn't much different from Lv Bai.

However, the Seas of Qi he established were five more than Lv Bai's, who had awakened a Yellow Level Second Grade bloodline.

This means Ye Chen's cultivation speed is not much slower than Lv Bai's.

And within his body, despite not having awakened any bloodline, possessing such an astonishing cultivation speed is likely due to the mutation in his Dantian.

"It appears that Ye Chen isn't entirely useless. If he can maintain this cultivation speed, he still has hope to become a Half-Step Celestial Spirit Realm expert, but that should be his limit." Soul Palace Master Chen Fei said indifferently, not finding Ye Chen's accomplishment of twenty-five Seas of Qi remarkable.

In his view, even if Ye Chen's cultivation speed could compare to Lv Bai's, his Qi Sea Foundation was too profound. Achieving Half-Step Celestial Spirit Realm in this lifetime would already be quite good.

And Celestial Flame Academy doesn't need students with limited potential like him.

What they want are those with absolute certainty to become Celestial Spirit Realm talents.

Only such geniuses might have a sliver of hope to become Immortals.

"Xue'er, I didn't expect Ye Chen, due to the mutation in his Dantian, would have a cultivation speed much faster than ordinary cultivators. Our War King Hall could try nurturing him." Ouyang Xue's father Ouyang Zhong couldn't help but emit a sharp gleam from his eyes.

Initially, he overlooked Ye Chen, considering he couldn't awaken his bloodline and his cultivation speed was akin to ordinary cultivators, even with five-fold Qi Sea Foundation.

But now, Ye Chen's cultivation speed is far beyond his expectations.

If he could access the Spiritual Waterfall, a cultivation treasure in the War King Hall, he would certainly reach the Tenth Layer of the True Qi Realm in a short time.

Moreover, Ye Chen's Martial Arts Talent is extremely high, already reaching Upper Grade Perfection.

Therefore, becoming a Gang Qi Realm Qi Dao Master for him is no difficult feat.

Hence, Ouyang Zhong gradually changed his view of Ye Chen and developed a notion to cultivate him.

"Ye Chen, you have the audacity to kill Lv Bai who had already admitted defeat. Do you know your crime?" At this moment, the gray-robed elder hovering above the Zodiac Battle Platform, Duanmu Hui, suddenly shouted at Ye Chen sharply, his expression appearing extremely grim.

Even he hadn't anticipated that Lv Bai, whom he meticulously arranged, would be killed by Ye Chen.

This surely slapped him in the face fiercely.

Hence, he was seething with anger and deliberately placed a hat above Ye Chen's head.

"Elder, fists and feet have no eyes. When Lv Bai admitted defeat, it was already too late to retract my killing technique. Once some killing techniques are unleashed, they cannot be taken back. Therefore, this matter cannot be blamed on me." Ye Chen furrowed his brow tightly and argued.

In his view, accidentally killing the opponent in the freshman competition is a normal occurrence that doesn't bear any responsibility.

But why does this gray-robed elder deliberately make things difficult for him?

Could it be that he is also an ally of Duanmu Jie?

"Hmph! You clearly intended to kill Lv Bai earlier. Do you truly think I couldn't see through it? You're so young with such a vicious heart; what would happen in the future? Today, I shall act on behalf of Heaven to end you, scoundrel, before you bring harm to the world." Duanmu Hui remarked unemotionally, his eyes emitting a terrifying killing intent.

Boom.

The next moment, a wave of extremely fierce Gang Qi surged from Duanmu Hui's body, enveloping an area ten yards wide.

He was evidently a Half-Step Celestial Spirit Realm expert.

"My god! The Host Elder intends to personally execute Ye Chen. Am I dreaming?" Many new students gasped, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"Hmph! Ye Chen, this waste, has an extremely vicious heart. Intentionally killing Lv Bai violated the competition rules. The Host Elder executing him is completely normal, so why be surprised?"

"Indeed, it's all that waste's self-inflicted demise, undeserving of sympathy." Some sneered, relishing the moment, eager for Ye Chen to be killed by Duanmu Hui.

"Damn it, this old fellow must be another of Duanmu Jie's allies. Otherwise, he wouldn't seek such an excuse to kill me." Above the Zodiac Battle Platform, Ye Chen's complexion turned exceedingly grim, flames of anger blazing in his chest.

He truly hadn't expected Duanmu Jie's network to be this terrifying, even the Elder presiding over the freshman competition was one of his allies.

No wonder his first match was against Lv Bai.

This was evidently a deliberate setup by the gray-robed elder.

"Die!" At this moment, the Gang Qi around Duanmu Hui suddenly condensed into a colossal golden Divine Sword several tens of yards long, exuding a soul-terrifying aura as it slashed fiercely towards Ye Chen.

This golden Divine Sword's power was terrifying enough to effortlessly kill Ye Chen's foster father Ye Ming.

Even if Ye Chen exerted his full strength, he couldn't possibly withstand this blow.

"Master, quickly hide in the Human Emperor's Space," the Tower Spirit's form suddenly trembled, hastily urging Ye Chen.

Now, only by hiding within the Human Emperor's Space can Ye Chen be saved.

However, if Ye Chen hides in the Human Emperor's Space in front of so many powerful figures, there's an overwhelming chance that his secret will be exposed.

At that time, endless troubles will await him just the same.

"Impudent, Duanmu Hui, who gave you the courage to murder the innocent during the newcomer's tournament?" Just as Ye Chen was in a dilemma, an incredibly furious voice suddenly echoed from the hall ahead, like a thunderclap, rattling everyone's eardrums painfully.

Whoosh.

Immediately, a purple-gold fist whistled from the depths of the hall, charging at the golden Divine Sword that was slashing toward Ye Chen.

Although the purple-gold fist seemed only the size of a millstone, the aura it emitted was far more terrifying than the tens-of-zhang-long golden Divine Sword.

Its speed reached the extreme, and the air along its path let out loud explosive sounds.

In a blink of an eye, it fiercely collided with the golden Divine Sword.

Boom.

The terrifying power instantly dispersed the surrounding air, creating waves of white air currents and stirring up a dreadful gale, changing the very color of the heavens and the earth.

"It's Ouyang Zhong, how is this possible? Why would he protect Ye Chen?" Duanmu Hui's face changed drastically, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

One must know, Ouyang Zhong is the Grand Elder of the War King Hall, his power has long reached the Celestial Spirit Realm, destroying a Half-Step Celestial Spirit Realm expert like him would be effortless.

Yet, why would such an exalted existence extend a hand to save a waste like Ye Chen?

With a loud crack.

At this moment, the tens-of-zhang-long golden Divine Sword suddenly shattered under the attack of the purple-gold fist, disappearing without a trace.

Ye Chen instantly felt his body lighten.

"Master, that is a fist formed by the Celestial Spirit within a Celestial Spirit Realm expert, containing at least several thousand Tiger Power, even a Half-Step Celestial Spirit Realm expert is utterly powerless against it." The Tower Spirit breathed a sigh of relief, explaining to Ye Chen.

One must know, a Tiger Power is already equivalent to a thousand jin of strength.

Yet that seemingly ordinary purple-gold fist contained several thousand Tiger Power, equating to hundreds of thousands of jin of force.

Even if it struck a small mountain, it might reduce it to dust.

No wonder even the golden Divine Sword condensed by that gray-robed elder was powerless against it.

"A Celestial Spirit Realm expert is already so powerful, wouldn't a legendary Immortal be able to overturn rivers and seas?" Ye Chen couldn't help but marvel.

His father, although stronger than ordinary Immortals, the fights between him and the Ye Clan experts, Ye Chen had never witnessed personally.

Because, at that time, his Dantian was shattered, and he was in a state of unconsciousness.

So, the power unleashed by the purple-gold fist earlier was the most terrifying he had ever seen.

And that power was merely released by a Celestial Spirit Realm expert.

It's unimaginable how terrifying the combat power of those Immortals, more frightening by far than Celestial Spirit Realm experts, could be.

"Duanmu Hui, don't think that because you are the Host Elder of this tournament, you can abuse your authority. Ye Chen's previous actions were justified, Lv Bai's death can only be blamed on his lack of strength. If you dare to trouble Ye Chen again, I will make sure you pay dearly." From within the magnificently decorated hall, Ouyang Zhong's icy voice suddenly resounded, domineering and powerful.

"Yes! Yes! Please, Elder Ouyang, calm your anger." Duanmu Hui quickly responded, his forehead covered in cold sweat, eyes filled with intense fear, like a mouse encountering a cat.

While he is an Outer Elder of the Celestial Flame Academy, a position of extremely high status,

compared to Ouyang Zhong, the Grand Elder of the War King Hall, he falls short by a wide margin.

It's known that Ouyang Zhong's status in the Celestial Flame Academy is second only to the Celestial Flame Peak Master, Duanmu Ying, and the Soul Palace Master.

Only the Grand Elders of the other three major factions can match Ouyang Zhong in status.

Thus, even if Duanmu Hui were given ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare offend Ouyang Zhong.

"Alright, the competition shall continue. Ye Chen, you've shown a commendable performance; I hope you will persist and not disappoint me." Ouyang Zhong said, his tone lukewarm.

"Thank you, Elder Ouyang." Ye Chen nodded, a hint of gratitude flashing in his eyes.

Just now, had it not been for Ouyang Xue's father's assistance, even he wouldn't have known what to do.

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