Chapter 513: Duan Qinglang's Astonishment

Chapter 513: Duan Qinglang's Astonishment

December 7th, 2024

Su Chen's challenge, aside from its original purpose, seemed to carry significant symbolic meaning.

Zhou Kingdom's Martial Artists had always been overlooked in Jin Kingdom.

The powerful Jin Kingdom would annually bestow favors upon neighboring smaller countries with whom they had good relations.

Zhou Kingdom consistently received the fewest benefits.

Many Martial Artists from various sects in Zhou Kingdom had voiced their grievances.

However, after interacting with Martial Artists from other countries, they realized the disparity in overall strength and fell silent.

Zhou Kingdom was undeniably a step behind.

Occasionally, some genius experts emerged from these smaller countries, making a name for themselves.

But what about Zhou Kingdom? Their once-promising young talent, Fu Jianyun, hadn't even reached the Fifth Stage by the age of twenty-six or twenty-seven.

After following Sun Xuerong around Jin Kingdom, he failed to make any significant impact.

The top talent of an entire country displayed such mediocre results in Jin Kingdom.

Who would take this region seriously?

Su Chen's duel with the Core Disciple of Wu Lan Mountain Villa was an opportunity for Zhou Kingdom's Martial Artists to prove their worth.

If Su Chen won, the entire Zhou Kingdom would gain respect.

This underlying reason was why so many people came to witness what was initially a private grudge match between Su Chen and Wu Lan Mountain Villa.

Before long, the people from Wu Lan Mountain Villa arrived.

A large group of them marched in, appearing quite formidable.

Su Chen carefully observed each person.

He paid attention not only to those in the forefront but also to those hiding within the crowd.

Su Chen's meticulous scrutiny seemed excessive and unnecessary to the disciples of Wu Lan Mountain Villa.

As Che Yan Chang had said, Su Chen wasn't the type to make Wu Lan Mountain Villa secretly prepare other experts for an assassination attempt.

But in reality, Su Chen's precautions were highly valuable.

Fan Chengyan had arranged for experts to be on standby in nearby cities.

To avoid detection by Su Chen, they maintained a certain distance.

When news of Su Chen's whereabouts reached them, they would stealthily approach, ready to strike.

In this duel, as long as Su Chen showed up, Fan Chengyan didn't want him to leave alive.

Su Chen's sudden challenge disrupted Fan Chengyan's plans.

It took half a day for the news to spread.

Those farther away had no chance of arriving in time.

"Is he still hiding?"

Many disciples from Wu Lan Mountain Villa searched and questioned those who had encountered Su Chen.

Sun Xuerong looked around but shook her head in response to their inquiries.

She knew Su Chen, but he was skilled in disguise.

Without seeing his moves, she struggled to identify him.

Several disciples turned their gazes towards Jun Han.

Jun Han also shook his head.

Aside from whether he could find Su Chen, he wouldn't expose him at this moment, even if he could.

He was waiting for Su Chen to teach these junior disciples a lesson.

There was no way he'd reveal Su Chen's location now.

He recalled the events of that day, confirming Su Chen's capabilities.

Suppressing his unease, he silently prayed for Su Chen once more.

This matter was crucial for Jun Han as well.

If Su Chen lost too easily to these junior disciples,

Jun Han's reputation as a powerful figure would be sealed, leaving him no chance to argue otherwise.

Amidst the crowd, Su Chen continued observing his surroundings.

In the group from Wu Lan Mountain Villa, Sun Xuerong stood out, positioned at the forefront.

She led the group, and it was only natural for her to be there.

Sun Xuerong had once been an Elder of Yun Yang Sect.

After her appearance, Yun Yang Sect's Great Elder and several other Elders glared at her.

Liu Xingwan also glanced at Sun Xuerong several times, her expression complex.

Her relationship with Sun Xuerong differed from the others.

In Yun Yang Sect, she was Sun Xuerong's direct disciple.

Sun Xuerong had guided her for many years.

However, Liu Xingwan harbored some resentment towards Sun Xuerong.

She felt Sun Xuerong favored Fu Jianyun and cared for him far more than she did for Liu Xingwan.

Sun Xuerong was willing to do many things for Fu Jianyun.

But when it came to Liu Xingwan, she wasn't as accommodating.

Additionally, Sun Xuerong left Yun Yang Sect, taking Fu Jianyun with her.

This severed their relationship.

Liu Xingwan was well aware that her current achievements were largely due to the sect's support, far exceeding Sun Xuerong's contributions.

Even when she was under Sun Xuerong's guidance, the Great Elder had shown her considerable favor.

Numerous training opportunities were provided by the sect leader.

Sun Xuerong's gaze swept left and right, but when she saw the Yun Yang Sect, she merely glanced at it.

What surprised Su Chen the most was seeing people from Tianfeng Valley.

Long Yunyun, Mu Danying, and Long Guiye, the entire family of three, were all present.

As members of Tianfeng Valley from Jin Kingdom, he never expected to see them here.

Apart from these three, there were several other Tianfeng Valley disciples, all of whom seemed to be elites from the valley.

They were the same disciples Su Chen had met during the Xuan Ying Tournament.

Shang Xuan Zhenren hadn't mentioned anything about Tianfeng Valley's situation in his letter to Su Chen.

After all, there wasn't anything particularly significant.

Ever since Su Chen's visit to Tianfeng Valley for the training in the Xun Sha Treasure Land, he had seen their true colors.

The decision had already been made in Tian Gang City not to exchange training resources with Tianfeng Valley.

But this time, Tianfeng Valley had turned around and wanted to establish a friendly relationship with Tian Gang City.

They even made quite a few promises.

The main reason for this change in attitude was the preliminary round of the Xuan Ying Tournament.

Su Chen's performance had shocked the Tianfeng Valley's upper echelons.

At the same time, Tianfeng Valley sent people to Tian Gang City to investigate and gather information.

They also discovered that two elders of the Ta He Sect had come to Tian Gang City to stand guard.

In Jin Kingdom, the Ta He Sect was a major sect on par with the Wulan Manor.

However, the Ta He Sect didn't have someone like Fan Chengyan, so in the eyes of others, it was a much more low-key sect.

Duan Qinglang waved his hand in front of Su Chen's eyes, interrupting his observation.

"You're looking so intently, someone who doesn't know might think you're acquainted with these people~

Let's try to squeeze closer to those experts and listen to what they're saying.

Many times, their conversations contain valuable information."

"Are we going to eavesdrop on their predictions for this duel?" Su Chen asked casually.

Hearing this, Duan Qinglang's expression turned speechless, and he looked at Su Chen with a hint of exasperation.

"Do we need to eavesdrop on their predictions?

The participants this time are disciples of the Wulan Manor from Jin Kingdom, and they're all core disciples.

Su Chen only managed to injure his opponent through a sneak attack.

In reality, his abilities are significantly inferior to those of the Wulan Manor.

Think more carefully before asking such questions again.

If others hear you, they'll surely laugh at you."

Duan Qinglang spoke like a senior, offering Su Chen a reminder, even with a hint of reprimand.

It was almost noon.

In the summer, the heat reached its peak at this time.

The onlookers who had come to watch sought shade under the trees.

Fortunately, there were many large trees around, as they weren't Martial Artists with exceptional stamina.

Those who knew about the event had already arrived.

Besides Shang Xuan Zhenren, four elders from the Ta He Sect had also come.

Wang Shanlin, Qin Wei, Jiang Zhu, and Yan You.

Their gazes scanned the area, searching for Su Chen.

For today's duel, they were determined to protect Su Chen's life at all costs.

That night, they had witnessed Su Chen's pill refinement abilities.

All four of them had recognized Su Chen's value.

Even without the protection of the Jade Ming Palace, Su Chen's own value was immense.

Some, like Yan You, felt that Su Chen's demonstrated pill refinement skills were already on par with the Jade Ming Palace's core elders.

In fact, even the Jade Ming Palace hadn't fully grasped Su Chen's potential in Jade Qi Pill Dao.

They had always believed that Su Chen's foundation in Jade Qi Pill Dao was merely solid.

With some effort, he could refine even the most challenging pills.

However, when it came to high-grade pills, Su Chen couldn't refine them at all.

While this was true, there was a reason for it.

The main reason was that Su Chen devoted too little effort to pill refinement, and he had too few pill formulas at his disposal.

He only had that one copy of the Jade Qi Pill Formula.

The content in it was quite limited.

Su Chen wasn't inclined to dedicate much effort to his pill refinement cultivation.

But if he had access to more pill formulas, after a few attempts, Su Chen could refine the corresponding pills.

Su Chen had a deep and thorough understanding of Jade Qi Pill refinement.

With the help of his Heaven's Gift, his technique had no limits.

For Su Chen, technique wasn't a hindrance, and many of his ideas could be easily realized.

As long as he could achieve this, refining high-grade Jade Qi Pills wouldn't require multiple attempts.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, and the announcement had stated that the duel would take place at this time.

However, at this moment, Su Chen, one of the main protagonists, had yet to appear.

"Is the information you gave me wrong? I've already spread the word, and if Su Chen doesn't show up..."

Duan Qinglang looked at Su Chen with a furrowed brow.

As soon as he finished speaking, he continued, answering his own question.

"The information is likely accurate, and this place is clearly a deliberately crafted arena."

"Our information is correct. It's highly possible that Su Chen saw this very scene."

"With so many experts and powerful individuals, they're afraid."

Duan Qinglang genuinely feared that the matter would end here.

Without Su Chen's appearance, this information couldn't be confirmed.

Later, when the time came, the forces that bought and distributed the information didn't know how they would blame him.

"If you don't have the guts, don't accept the challenge!"

Duan Qinglang's face grew darker, and he spoke with a hint of complaint.

Seeing that the timing was almost right, Su Chen removed the ill-fitting outer robe he was wearing.

"Rest assured, I have the courage. I won't tarnish your reputation~"

Su Chen said with a smile as he removed his disguise.

Watching Su Chen's transformation, Duan Qinglang's eyes widened in shock, wanting to say something.

But his lips trembled, and he couldn't even finish a sentence.

"You..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Su Chen had already walked to the center of the arena.

Around him, those who were initially bored and lounging about now stood up.

Who would have thought that Su Chen had been among them all along?

He was right beside them, especially those standing near Su Chen.

When they saw Su Chen walking into the center of the dueling ground, they were all shocked.

In their previous conversations, many had belittled and looked down on Su Chen.

Little did they know that Su Chen was right by their side.

After Su Chen reached the center, the elders of Tian Gang City immediately became alert.

Even the four elders of Ta He Sect had serious expressions.

Yan You and Jiang Zhu also wanted to use this opportunity to express their sincerity to Su Chen.

On the Yun Yang Sect's side, Tai Wu Zhenren and several elders watched Su Chen.

Their expressions were complex, even bordering on embarrassment.

The former Su Chen was an inner disciple of the Yun Yang Sect.

Moreover, he was the kind of inner disciple who gained his status through contribution points.

Yun Yang Sect typically didn't value these types of disciples.

Yun Yang Sect focused on nurturing those who advanced through innate talent and comprehension.

Yet, a disciple whom Yun Yang Sect didn't value had now reached a position they dared not imagine.

Among the numerous sects in the Great Zhou Kingdom, large and small, none of their disciples dared to confront Wu Lan Mountain Villa head-on.

Not just the disciples, but even the entire sect should not dare provoke Wu Lan Mountain Villa.

Doing so would quickly result in losing their lives.

But Su Chen was different; he was not only safe and sound but also caused Wu Lan Mountain Villa a massive headache.

This was why they resorted to such methods to lure Su Chen over.

From this, it was evident that Wu Lan Mountain Villa genuinely feared Su Chen.

They even brought up notions of fair and impartial face-to-face confrontations.

Beside Tai Wu Zhenren, Liu Xingwan's gaze also fell upon Su Chen.

There was determination in her eyes, as if she was pondering something.

On the Wu Lan Mountain Villa's side, everyone became slightly more spirited.

The core disciples showed no signs of worry; instead, they were filled with excitement.

In their eyes, Su Chen had finally arrived and was no longer hiding.

As long as he was willing, everything could be discussed.

"Elder Sun, you've brought so many disciples from Wu Lan Mountain Villa.

Are you planning to have them fight Su Chen in a relay battle?"

Shang Xuan Zhenren spoke up, addressing the crowd.

He looked at the Wu Lan Mountain Villa disciples stretching their muscles and questioned them.

He wanted to help Su Chen establish the rules for this duel.

Facing Shang Xuan Zhenren's question, Sun Xuerong had not yet responded.

The younger generation's second senior brother, Che Yanchang, took a step forward and spoke, "After staying in this remote and desolate place for so long, have you all become so arrogant?

Do we, Wu Lan Mountain Villa, need to fight him in a relay battle?"

As Che Yanchang spoke, he couldn't help but want to laugh.

His other junior brothers and sisters were more or less in the same state.

"Wu Lan Mountain Villa will send out eight disciples. He only needs to choose one among them as his opponent.

As long as he can win against any one of them, we'll consider it a victory.

How about it?

We're not taking advantage of him, are we?"

The younger generation of Wu Lan Mountain Villa was exceptionally confident.

They stared at Su Chen, seemingly hoping he would choose them.

"You should have learned about us this morning.

Do you want me to introduce the names of our eight disciples so you can match them later?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end