Zhao Hu's body lay on the ground, his arms twisted like pretzels, chest sunken, with blood frothing madly from his mouth and nose!

Ye Chen's figure flickered, and with one foot, he stomped on Zhao Hu's abdomen.

Zhao Hu let out a scream, his body curling up, spasming.

The commotion here was so loud that many people temporarily stopped their cultivation and flew over, watching the spectacle from a distance.

The expression on everyone's face changed noticeably.

Zhao Hu of the Cold Frost Hall, although not outstanding, was at least a two-star True Martial Guard with Ninth-Layer of Profound Transformation Realm Cultivation.

Ye Chen... due to two sentences in the True Martial Hall's heart examination that startled the True Martial Hall Master into manifesting his primordial spirit, everyone knew his name.

A newcomer to the True Martial Hall, just a one-star True Martial Guard with Fifth-Layer of Primordial Embryo Realm Cultivation, even possessing a pet bird that could spit fire, his ability to defeat Zhao Hu was certainly outstanding!

And just at this moment.

A loud boom.

Ren Ying from the Miaofa Hall, her figure flipped backward in mid-air.

Ye Chen kicked Zhao Hu flying, leapt up, with his feet touching golden light, instantly rushing to Ren Ying's side, extending his left hand, wrapping it around Ren Ying's waist, turning her body to face him, pulling her into his arms, then landing steadily.

Their eyes met.

Ren Ying's breath brushed against Ye Chen's neck.

The point where their bodies touched, gentle ripples spread.

Ren Ying blinked, a flush suddenly appearing on her pale face, and she smiled, "Ye Chen, are you playing the hero saving the damsel?"

Ye Chen quickly let go, saying, "Sister Ren Ying, you helped me, so of course I must help you!"

Just as Ren Ying was about to speak, her body suddenly trembled, a muffled groan escaped her lips, and fresh blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

At this moment, Qi Cultivator stood beside the fallen Zhao Hu, inspecting Zhao Hu's injuries, an incredibly angry expression immediately appeared on his face.

"Ye Chen, how dare you injure Zhao Hu like this, today I'll make you pay!" Qi Cultivator roared.

Ye Chen sneered and said, "Stop trying to deflect the blame. Today, it was clearly you who provoked me first, and Zhao Hu ended up like this purely because he was inferior in skill. He got what he deserved!"

"Inferior in skill and deserving it, huh? Ye Chen, soon you'll understand that feeling too!" Qi Cultivator said through clenched teeth.

Ren Ying took a step forward, standing in front of Ye Chen again, saying, "Qi Cultivator, we haven't finished our fight, let's continue!"

"Ren Ying, I've said it before, you're not my match, and I just proved it." Qi Cultivator snorted, completely dismissing Ren Ying.

Ye Chen grabbed Ren Ying's wrist and said, "Sister Ren Ying, take a rest, I'll handle him!"

Ren Ying was already injured, and even though she only spat a little blood, the truth was, her injuries were severe. Ye Chen, with his Martial Arts True Eye, saw clearly that Ren Ying's energy was chaotic, and her primordial energy operation was notably hindered and blocked.

"Ye Chen, he's in the Unity Realm." Ren Ying turned to look at Ye Chen, blinking in surprise.

"No matter, it's not like I haven't killed a Unity Realm before." Ye Chen raised the Celestial Mark Sword and pointed it at Qi Cultivator!

Qi Cultivator sneered, saying, "Overestimating yourself!"

Everyone knew that during Ye Chen's assessment at the True Martial Hall, he indeed killed a Unity Realm Green Ghost, but that was with the help of a Celestial Seal Spirit Master who followed a pure support path, alongside others joining Ye Chen to fight.

Therefore, Qi Cultivator didn't think much of Ye Chen!

At this moment.

A middle-aged man watching the commotion from the side suddenly spoke, "Qi Cultivator, you've been with True Martial Hall for two years now, and as a three-star True Martial Guard with Unity Realm Second Layer cultivation, targeting a newcomer like this is too much."

Qi Cultivator looked toward the speaker, his expression slightly changing, then said, "Hall Master Xiao, this Ye Chen is arrogant and domineering, and he injured our Cold Frost Hall's Zhao Hu, this matter can't just end like this.

Of course, what Hall Master Xiao said makes sense, so I'll use just one move, and today's matter will be written off."

The middle-aged man addressed as Hall Master Xiao nodded.

"Ye Chen, thank Hall Master Xiao of the Seven Stars Hall." Ren Ying whispered a reminder.

So it's a big shot from the Seven Stars Hall.

Ye Chen remembered that the Seven Stars Hall had tried to recruit him, and the Seven Stars Hall's ultimate technique was called the Seven-Star Sword Array, which the recruiter kept mentioning then.

"Thank you, Hall Master Xiao, for standing up for justice." Ye Chen cupped his hands.

Hall Master Xiao smiled faintly.

He had a high opinion of Ye Chen too.

Unyielding swordsman — these words were perfectly embodied in Ye Chen.

Even if he wasn't Qi Cultivator's match, Ye Chen didn't show the slightest fear.

Moreover, Hall Master Xiao had witnessed the entire process of Ye Chen defeating Zhao Hu; Ye Chen's sword moves were not only exquisite, but his control over the fight was also remarkably precise!

What a pity.

Such a talent, yet he wasn't roped into the Seven Stars Hall.

The reason he didn't directly stop this fight was for different considerations.

After all, interfering forcefully in a young person's fight, especially by figures as important as them in the True Martial Hall, would be inappropriate.

Furthermore.

He also wanted to see if Ye Chen had even more spectacular moves!

"Ye Chen, out of respect for Pavilion Master Xiao, I'll use just one move. If you can withstand it safely, I'll turn away and leave. If not, face the consequences!"

"Bring it on!" Ye Chen said indifferently, knowing that a head-on fight required life-and-death determination, with no guaranteed victory.

His previous show of strength was purely because he couldn't afford to lose face!

In this strength-first world, that's how it is.

If you concede once, others will see you as spineless and believe they can bully you at will!

Anyway, the True Martial Hall has rules; you can't kill someone here, only injure them. As for injuries, Ye Chen wasn't worried at all. With his Sword Body and ancient bloodline, he recovered quickly.

Moreover, in a life-and-death situation, there's still a slim chance of winning!

If it were a life-and-death fight outside, Ye Chen wouldn't be so foolish; he would certainly consider everything in much greater detail!

Qi Cultivator wasn't in the mood for more talk. Unity Realm Second Layer cultivation exploded with nothing held back. His right hand slowly rose, gathering a mystical and agile power as the mist formed a massive handprint.

"Previously, Qi Chuan used our Qi Family's Eighteen Cloud-Picking Hands to fight you and lost, so this move is not merely a lesson for your arrogance but also to settle scores for Zhao Hu, and to show you the might of our Qi Family's Eighteen Cloud-Picking Hands!"

"Trash martial arts, and you're still proud enough to show it off? If you're looking to humiliate yourself, I'll help you!"

Ye Chen shouted, maintaining his Martial Arts True Eye divine skill in an active state, clearly seeing through the power converging in Qi Cultivator's hand!

More and more people gathered to watch the drama, constant discussions humming around.

"Qi Cultivator's power is so strong, it seems he's almost capable of entering the Qingyun List, isn't he?"

"Shouldn't be a problem, considering the Hundredth-ranked Xu Tianlong from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect has seen his power drop; Qi Cultivator can replace him."

"Xu Tianlong's power drop seems related to Ye Chen too."

"Yes, the dragon Xu Tianlong raised was killed by Ye Chen, and another reason Qi Cultivator is targeting Ye Chen is because yesterday, Ye Chen was imprisoned by the Qi Family in Celestial Cyan City, causing a ruckus, which resulted in some Qi Family members dying at his hands, making the Qi Family lose face."

"I see, that's why they seem to have such deep animosity."

"If I'm guessing right, Qi Cultivator's next move should be the strongest of the Qi Family's Eighteen Cloud-Picking Hands, Picking Stars and Catching the Moon. Though Ye Chen defeated Zhao Hu, taking Qi Cultivator's move might not end well for him."

"The Eighteen Cloud-Picking Hands is an upper-tier Earth Tier martial art; its power is formidable. It's normal for Ye Chen not to withstand it."

"Regardless, Ye Chen's courage alone is extraordinary."

"Haha, you should see who introduced him; people introduced by Tian Bugui from the Bright Hall are always like this. Unfortunately... they end up poorly; I wonder how Ye Chen will fare in the future."

Surrounding discussions buzzed on, and all eyes fixed on Ye Chen, eager to see how he would respond.

Qi Cultivator finished gathering power, his eyes flashing with cold brilliance.

"Ye Chen, this move will leave you broken and crippled, lying on the ground like a dead dog!"

As his words fell, the Cloud Mist Hand Seal, formed by Qi Cultivator's power, slammed toward Ye Chen!

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