Chapter 410: Is This Your True Strength?

Chapter 410: Is This Your True Strength?

Gong Zhenye understood Duan Hanchuan's explanation.

True sword cultivators always held a sense of reverence for their swords.

"In that case, I'll find a branch too."

As he spoke, Gong Zhenye walked into the center, and soon someone brought him a suitable branch.

Duan Hanchuan dragged his body and entered the central martial arena.

He moved with great effort, as if each step was a struggle.

Even with his reputation outside, his current state still caused concern.

The two stood facing each other.

The onlookers from Pinesong City, who were watching from the sidelines, became more serious.

The surroundings were deathly quiet, as everyone awaited their moves.

Suddenly, the crowd felt a chill.

Duan Hanchuan and Gong Zhenye moved simultaneously.

Despite holding only branches, their first move made the spectators of Pinesong City, standing at a distance, feel a sense of fear.

Their movements were so swift that they appeared as mere shadows to the ordinary people.

The fierce aura caused many spectators to feel their bodies go weak.

Those who had gathered close by unconsciously retreated.

As the branches slashed through the air, they emitted a chilling aura.

An ordinary person would have felt their life threatened.

Duan Hanchuan, who had previously struggled to walk, now moved with agility, even appearing somewhat graceful.

He was elusive, and Gong Zhenye seemed to struggle to defend against his attacks.

In the central arena, both men's expressions were solemn.

As they exchanged moves, they realized that their opponent was not to be underestimated.

Duan Hanchuan, who had called himself 'Mud,' displayed a strength that was far from 'muddy.'

"The peak of the Celestial King Realm, it's indeed as we expected.

Two peak Celestial Kings before the age of fifty, it's truly remarkable."

The Pinesong City Lord, standing on the City Lord's Mansion, and the Imperial Commissioner beside him couldn't help but exclaim.

"The strength of warriors in the Golden Armor Kingdom has indeed improved significantly in recent years."

Many onlookers who had some understanding of martial arts echoed the sentiment.

They marveled at the warriors' prowess.

It was worth noting that they were using branches instead of refined weapons.

Tian Lan's face glowed with pride.

The senior brother she admired did not disappoint her.

Unconsciously, she turned her head to glance at Su Chen, and a light snort escaped her lips.

As the match continued, Duan Hanchuan gradually fell behind.

He had not fully recovered from his setback, and he still fell short when facing Gong Zhenye.

In an instant, their moves clashed.

The next moment, Duan Hanchuan's branch snapped.

The outcome of the match was decided.

"My apologies, Brother Duan," Gong Zhenye said, bowing to Duan Hanchuan.

Hearing this, Duan Hanchuan waved his hand and maintained a calm expression.

"Today has indeed sparked my interest. I'll take a closer look at the martial path when I have time."

Duan Hanchuan stepped down from the central arena.

This time, instead of lying by the palisade, he stood beside Tian Lan.

Seeing this, the surrounding crowd began to discuss more vigorously.

Some talked about a fallen individual rising again.

"Mistakenly straying from the path, now turning back."

Tian Lan, his junior sister, beamed with joy and relief.

She could sense that her senior brother was about to make a comeback.

In the central area, Gong Zhenye waited for the next match.

After facing Duan Hanchuan, he knew the subsequent matches would be more relaxed.

"Brother Duan, rest assured. I'll teach those who lack manners a lesson.

Some youngsters need to be disciplined to understand boundaries."

Gong Zhenye spoke with conviction.

The 'youngsters' he referred to naturally included Su Chen.

They had not forgotten Su Chen's previous refusal.

Hearing this, Duan Hanchuan nodded.

However, he didn't dwell on the matter. Instead, he turned his attention to his junior sister, Tian Lan.

"Later, give it your all. Let Gong Zhenye guide you.

Don't hold back, he was holding back earlier."

Duan Hanchuan didn't bother to lower his voice.

Those nearby who heard this exchanged glances, their expressions changing.

"Senior brother? Is he that..."

Tian Lan couldn't help but ask, her curiosity piqued.

"He's even stronger than you imagine, and he's hiding many of his skills.

I'm far inferior to him now."

The words "far inferior" made Tian Lan's expression grow more tense.

Not wanting to waste everyone's time, she continued the match.

In the central area, Tian Lan fought with all her might against Gong Zhenye.

However, Gong Zhenye still only used a branch, and it was enough to match her.

The longsword in his hand seemed less sharp than Gong Zhenye's branch.

The outcome of this trial was just as Duan Hanchuan had predicted.

Even with all her might, she had no chance of victory.

"Tian Lan seems to be a Martial Way practitioner in the Celestial King Realm, what a gap in strength."

Dongfang Yong's face paled slightly as he glanced at Su Chen, only to find Su Chen still calm and composed.

"Brother Su."

Compared to Su Chen, he was far too composed.

There was no other way, for in their eyes, a peak Celestial King Realm practitioner was merely a beginner at the Sixth Stage for Su Chen.

In his early forties, he was only at the Sixth Stage Beginner.

In a small country like Great Zhou, he could only reach the peak by joining a sect as a minor bodyguard.

Major sects wouldn't invest much in cultivating such a person.

But here, Su Chen felt he was already a top genius, even capable of becoming a formidable figure in the world.

Near the central martial arena, Tian Lan had just lost.

She had already come down from the stage.

Next up were Su Chen and Dongfang Yong's three companions.

"It seems Gong Zhenye is about to create history.

In this trial, most people fight a maximum of five opponents.

He's fighting six, that's quite interesting."

All around, various mocking voices could be heard from the crowd.

These Pinesong City citizens seemed to be intentionally letting Su Chen hear them.

Their voices grew louder as they spoke.

After Tian Lan came down, although she had lost, she didn't seem too dejected.

She looked at Su Chen with a hint of arrogance in her eyes.

Right after, Dongfang Yong stepped onto the stage.

In a continuous battle, usually, as one person comes down, another should quickly take their place.

Only then can one gain some advantage.

In the central area, Dongfang Yong stared at Gong Zhenye in front of him.

Hesitating, he retreated with a sullen expression, stepping outside the boundary.

He had conceded.

Gong Zhenye wasn't surprised, for conceding was the normal choice when facing him.

Next, Xu Rufeng went up, and he too surrendered.

The third person also surrendered.

At this moment, Tian Lan's face was filled with mockery as she looked at Su Chen.

"You've been fighting for the spot all this time, now it's your turn.

Treasure this opportunity, don't go up there and immediately think of surrendering."

Beside her, Duan Hanchuan also seemed to be looking at Su Chen with disdain.

He, who had been acting all high and mighty, now spoke with a hint of sarcasm.

"Don't be too quick to judge, Junior Sister.

Perhaps he's a hidden prodigy, and he's quite formidable."

As he spoke, Duan Hanchuan also turned his gaze towards Gong Zhenye.

"Brother Gong, please, later, properly test his strength."

Hearing this, Gong Zhenye also smiled.

"Brother Duan, rest assured, it might not be that easy for him to walk out and surrender."

Amidst the crowd's conversation, Su Chen didn't argue with them, instead, he strode towards the central area.

In this trial, surrendering meant voluntarily walking out of the arena.

Usually, who would stop someone from surrendering? But at this moment, the crowd knew Su Chen was about to face this issue.

A strong practitioner at the peak of the Celestial King Realm, after entering the central area, it would be difficult for him to leave.

"To be honest, when I first saw you, young man, I found your appearance somewhat annoying.

Since you want to follow the rules, let's have a proper match according to the rules.

If you regret fighting for that spot just now, you can raise your hand on the ground.

Tell me you know you were wrong.

Otherwise, I won't hold back."

As Gong Zhenye spoke, Su Chen had already drawn his longsword.

Seeing this, many of the onlookers couldn't help but chuckle.

"He should be thinking about how to surrender wholeheartedly.

How dare he draw his sword?"

"I feel this action of his will make Gong Zhenye even angrier.

Later, he might strike even harder."

The onlookers discussed and chatted, finding it even more amusing.

After all, Dongfang Yong and his companions had gone up and surrendered immediately.

There wasn't much to see.

Su Chen's words earlier had offended many of the onlookers.

Now, they were waiting to see Su Chen embarrassed and beaten.

"The sword is not bad, but the wielder is lacking.

This branch is quite handy, I'll use it.

After the fight, you'll understand that the same object can have different effects in different hands."

As Gong Zhenye's words fell, he didn't say more.

Seeing Su Chen walking into the central area, his figure flickered, and the branch transformed into a sword technique.

A fierce breath burst forth, stabbing towards Su Chen.

The strength of a Sixth Stage Beginner was revealed, and it seemed he was still holding back.

This sword aimed at Su Chen's back.

He thought Su Chen would be thinking of surrendering.

Seeing his attack, Su Chen would immediately want to jump out.

This move was to block Su Chen's path, cutting off his retreat.

But this move of a Sixth Stage Beginner was seen through by Su Chen, who understood his intentions clearly.

The next moment, Su Chen's longsword moved slightly.

Gong Zhenye's branch in his hand was instantly severed.

He seemed startled, quickly retracting his technique.

His entire face changed slightly, staring at the broken branch in his hand, stunned.

Gong Zhenye was surprised.

The other spectators, including Duan Hanchuan and the others, were even more astonished.

Just moments ago, their branch hadn't broken during their exchange.

Su Chen was about to swing his longsword, and the branch snapped.

In the next instant, a longsword was thrown into the arena.

"Senior Brother, the branch is brittle. Against a sharp weapon, the disadvantage is too great."

Most people were still speaking up for Gong Zhenye.

They believed that the branch, when faced with a sharp longsword, could not conceal the gap in strength and cultivation realm.

Gong Zhenye snapped out of his daze, thinking it was just an accident.

Facing an unknown young man, he didn't feel there was anything to worry about.

Picking up the longsword, he once again leaped towards Su Chen.

He already knew Su Chen wouldn't admit defeat easily.

The sword energy flew towards Su Chen's face.

But in the face of this sword energy, Gong Zhenye had another move.

To deal with a young man, he felt this move would be enough to win.

Yet in an instant, Su Chen easily dodged his sword energy.

And in a flash, he found Gong Zhenye's flaw.

The sword blade slashed out, and Gong Zhenye dodged awkwardly.

Su Chen's sword technique showed no sign of letting up.

One move ended, and another began.

The power of his sword technique directly suppressed Gong Zhenye's sword energy.

Su Chen revealed his strength, which was slightly superior to Gong Zhenye.

Su Chen also wanted to test the martial artists of this region, to see if there were any profound mysteries in their martial ways.

Naturally, he slightly held back.

But even so, Gong Zhenye started to break out in a cold sweat.

He originally thought he could defeat Su Chen with one move.

Now, the two of them were engaged in a sword and blade clash, entangled with each other.

Su Chen seemed to have no disadvantage at all, and even held the upper hand.

In front of the Pine City Lord's Mansion, not a sound could be heard from the surrounding crowd.

Many people were already stunned in their places.

Just now, when everyone was ridiculing Su Chen, he was actually able to match Gong Zhenye without any disadvantage.

Duan Hanchuan's brows furrowed, and Tian Lan's expression became awkward.

When they lost earlier, they hadn't shown such a display.

Gong Zhenye was subtly falling into a disadvantage, and he no longer held back.

He started to unleash his full strength.

The power of a Sixth Stage Early Rank cultivator was no longer concealed.

But no matter how he increased his strength, he was still firmly suppressed by Su Chen.

His expression changed from solemn to flustered.

Gong Zhenye wasn't a fool; he could feel it now.

The young man before him was not as he imagined; he had no ability, no talent.

Why did Su Chen dare to compete for that spot earlier? It turned out it was because of this foundation.

At this moment, Gong Zhenye felt he had little chance of winning.

But at least he could secure a dignified defeat for himself.

Before he could make a move, Su Chen looked at him and asked,

"Is this your full strength?"

This sentence shocked the surrounding spectators.

Could it be that Su Chen hadn't used his full strength yet and had already suppressed Gong Zhenye to this extent?

In the next instant, the pressure of Su Chen's longsword intensified.

The vast sword technique pinned Gong Zhenye to the ground, unable to get up, looking embarrassed and humiliated.

"If you know who has lost, you can raise your hands to indicate."

Su Chen stood by Gong Zhenye's side, speaking softly.

He returned all the words Gong Zhenye had said earlier.

The entire arena fell silent.

Gong Zhenye wanted to get up, but this humiliating situation made him feel ashamed and angry.

But he felt like he was being crushed by a mountain, unable to move except for his hands.

One of the Four Pillars of Tianlin, he felt like he was being scolded like a dog.

After a moment, Gong Zhenye reluctantly raised his hands.

Su Chen didn't say much and slightly retreated.

"Next one."

Gong Zhenye's team was actually the biggest favorite to win today.

But now, it seemed like an unexpected variable had emerged.

Gong Zhenye's senior brother and senior sister quickly came forward to support him.

And right after, another member of their team, a middle-aged man in his forties, charged at Su Chen with a spear.

This person was slightly weaker than Gong Zhenye but was also a Celestial King Realm cultivator.

But as the spear approached, Su Chen's sword tip had already pressed against his forehead.

"Didn't anyone tell you that your moves are full of flaws?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end