Ye Chen's meridian channels had been severed completely, so how was he expecting himself to challenge Ye Kongyan in a duel?
Everyone in the audience was completely vexed. Of course, none of them had even entertained the idea that Ye Chen's meridian channels may have recovered.
Hearing Ye Chen's words, Ye Zhanlong's eyes widened. He looked at Ye Zhantian, his face was filled with an expression of bewilderment as he cried out, "B-Big Brother… Don't tell me— ?"
In reply, Ye Zhantian flashed him a meaningful smile and nodded.
It had happened! By now, Ye Zhanlong was not the only one who was turned from being completely shocked and perplexed to ecstatically surprised; everyone else within earshot was the same.
"The Gods had not forsaken the Ye family after all!" Ye Zhanlong exclaimed, his emotions hardly contained.
In fact, to Ye Zhanlong and the rest, just the thought of Ye Chen's meridian channels recovering was enough for them to feel grateful. Even if all of his previous martial arts prowess could not be recovered, becoming a common yet healthy person was enough.
On the flip side, Ye Moyang would never have expected something so beyond his every calculation and prediction. 'It can't be true, that eyesore can't possibly have recovered his meridian channels! This is impossible because Ye Zhantian has absolutely no conceivable means to obtain a Nexus Pill to perform such a miracle!'
Yet, Ye Zhantian was smiling so wide that Ye Moyang's heart plunged straight into the farthest abyss of his chest. Once Ye Chen recovered from his previously crippled state, it would not have mattered if that stupid boy had only recovered half of his previous skills. He was, and would continue to be, the one and only stumbling block who could pose as a legitimate threat to Ye Kongyan's road to being the Successor Chief! By now, Ye Moyang's face was terrifyingly dark. He was genuinely confused as to what was going on.
Ye Chen did not wait for the crowd to make sense of his new development before he leaped up effortlessly onto the ring before their eyes.
The fact that he could leap several feet in the air without breaking a sweat was something that could only be done if someone possessed a healthy body with functional meridian channels!
"That kid, Ye Chen! His meridian channels had really recovered!"
"Did the Chief get him a Nexus Pill?"
"It's a blessing for us, Ye Family!" a few of the Elders cried out in happiness.
"Big Brother Ye Chen's meridian channels are healed!" Ye Meng, Ye Ming, and all the other juniors were so galvanized that they almost forgot what to say.
"No wonder our Little Brother rejected our Chi-amassing Pills. Oh, that little brat kept this secret from us so well!" Ye Peng cried, his voice cracking a little.
"Hah! Our little brother still has it in him." Watching Ye Chen's adept footwork as he jumped onto the ring, Ye Mu gave a chuckle. As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water; seeing his own brother miraculously healed has brought such pure joy to Ye Mu's heart.
Of course, not everyone was ecstatic. Many of Ye Chen's peers who had so readily laughed and mocked him back when he was a lame duck were trying their best to conceal the slow-burning anxiety in their minds. Now that the good-for-nothing's meridian channels had recovered, they were worried if he had also recovered much of his former strength, or worse — if he would come and exact revenge on them.
Ye Chen cast a long shadow behind him as he stood on the ring, looking just as dauntless and gallant as he used to be before the incident.
He drew out a long breath as if expelling all his repressed frustration from his chest. 'Three years. No one understood how much pain I had gone through for three years. No one understood the shame of being mocked, laughed at, or scorned throughout these three years. Who could even comprehend the indignance and sorrow I have experienced over these three years when I was forced to be crippled?'
"Who would have foreseen us sparring each other again in this short life of ours?" Ye Chen said mildly as he turned his attention to Ye Kongyan.
"Well, I certainly did not," Ye Kongyan mumbled, feeling a tad awkward. He took a few steps backward unconsciously, as if he could not help himself for doing so. Back when Ye Chen was at his prime, he was the best of the best — the star of their generation and that had cast a very long shadow on Ye Kongyan's self-worth.
Back then, it didn't matter how much Ye Kongyan had endeavored; it was always an unavailing struggle to keep up with the ever-expanding gap between himself and Ye Chen until finally, all Ye Kongyan could do was to watch the martial arts prodigy and his expansive achievements from afar. When Ye Chen was ambushed and left crippled seemingly for good, Ye Kongyan thought it was finally his chance to shine. Yet, it seemed that the Gods had a favorite, and that favorite was not him. Just like that, out of the blue, his rival's meridian channels were suddenly alright again!
Then, another thought occurred to him. 'Ye Chen couldn't possibly have recovered for long. This must have been a recent development. Ergo, his current Stage must be a lot lower than mine right now!'
Indeed, Ye Kongyan was a Sixth Stage fighter at this point which was no different from the stature Ye Chen had attained before the incident. So why should Ye Kongyan tremble before him now?
With that thought in mind, Ye Kongyan managed to regain some of his mettle, enough to show his most wholesome smile. "Congratulations on the recovery! I'm very pleased that your meridian channels have healed."
Ye Chen sneered chillingly. Ye Kongyan was truly his father's son — both shamelessly two-faced. Unfortunately for Ye Kongyan, it took three years for Ye Chen to really see him as he truly was.
The disdain in Ye Chen's sneer was so brazen, Ye Kongyan's smile froze.
The young man tried to compose himself before he gave Ye Chen a Baoquan greet. "Well, as I'm unsure of how much you've progressed in your recovery, I'll be extra careful. I'd rather have no accidents occur during the Grand Ancestral Worshipping Ceremony. With that being said, I'm more than glad to be your sparring partner."
Ye Kongyan may be uttering formalities calmly but it was just a farce to mask his bubbling insecurity. Deep down, he dreaded the unpredictability Ye Chen had suddenly brought to the table from the moment Ye Chen issued a challenge.
"There's no need to hold back. Please, after you," Ye Chen replied flatly.
"Then should anything happen, it is not on me." Ye Kongyan was crossed that Ye Chen could still act as if he could match Ye Kongyan's powers. 'So what if you had a Nexus Pill that has healed your meridian channels? Do you think that you're still the same as before? Your meridian channels may have been healed but other parts of your body would still be broken, or weak even! I do not, for once, believe that you've managed to get back to the Sixth Stage in this short period of time! Just you wait, once I've become the Successor Patriarch, I'll come up with something to deal with you for good!'
Every pair of eyes in the audience were glued to the battle ring. The young man who had dazzled them with his ingenuity in the past had returned, but could he once again deliver surprises? Once the rising star of the clan, Ye Chen was destined to carry all the hopes they had. Then came these three years, in which the clan lamented the tragedy that had befallen him, yet found themselves unable to support someone who could no longer secure the clan's future. However, now that Ye Chen's meridian channels had completely recovered, the hope he had once sowed in their hearts had sprung again.
Ye Kongyan triggered his Celestial Chi via the Inner Thunderclap Energy Cultivation and gave a low snarl before lurching himself at Ye Chen. His palm cut through the air toward his target, emitting sounds of thunder from the force of his attack.
There was a strong gale before his enemy's offense.
"Careful, Big Brother!" Ye Kongyan cried out before he hit him, still thinking of putting up a display of courtesy at this moment. After all, a Successor Chief should always show some grace and courtly manners before his clansmen!
'He's at the peak of the Fifth Stage!' Ye Chen thought.
Ye Chen may have only attained an early Celestial Chi Fifth Stage but he had an unexpected advantage — the Celestial Chi coursing within his body was uniquely pure. In other words, Ye Chen could perhaps overcome Ye Kongyan!
'Who would have expected this fella to have mastered the Roaring Thunder Fist to such a potent degree?' In a split second, Ye Chen understood innately that Ye Kongyan had never once ceased training throughout these three years.
He sidestepped a little, evading the trajectory of Ye Kongyan's powerful attack and in return, attacked him with his own Roaring Thunder Fist.
They were both performing the most basic of their family martial arts, and the two of them were equally good at seizing the others' openings. It seemed that no one was slightly more advantageous in the melee by this point.
Meanwhile, watching from the higher stage where the altar was located, Ye Zhanlong and the rest of the Elders were more than pleasantly surprised.
"Didn't Chen'er just recover, Big Brother? Yet look at him. His powers have recovered to that level! I'm more than positive that he's going to break through the Sixth Stage in no time!" Ye Zhanlong exclaimed in elation.
"When it comes to martial arts acumen, no one would better suit the title of 'Number One' in their cohort than Chen'er himself!" Ye Zhanxiong chimed in just as happily.
Ye Zhantian laughed heartily as he stroked his beard. The best thing a father could ask for in his life was to see his son worthy enough to succeed him!
Ye Moyang's eyebrows quaked furiously as their jubilant chatters caught his ears, his mind was far from the state of being calm. He still could not get past the revelation that Ye Chen's meridian channels had recovered. How was he supposed to stomach this completely-out-of-the-blue fact that Ye Chen had managed to recover so much in such a short period of time? Ye Moyang smirked. 'Do not speak too soon. The best part of the show hasn't even started'
Ye Changxuan, however, had been quiet the whole time. As he watched the two duel on the ring, his expression was pensive. Ye Changxuan could feel that every one of Ye Chen's Roaring Thunder Fists was flawlessly executed. Despite this martial arts technique being one of the most basic of their family techniques, Ye Chen had managed to execute it so tantalizingly that he had elevated it to a whole new level. 'Could it be that the Ye clan is witnessing the rise of a true martial art prodigy?'
There was a loud peal in the air as Ye Chen's and Ye Kongyan's palms met. Ye Kongyan stumbled a few steps away but Ye Chen had only shuddered a little.
'Did Ye Chen just gained an upper-hand?' The clansmen had their mouths agape. 'Had Ye Chen already reached the peak of the Fifth Stage?!'
Ye Kongyan was quite annoyed at the turn of the event. He may not have used all of his strength but he did not hold back so much to only look like a fool. He could tell that Ye Chen was truly at the peak of the Fifth Stage — perhaps even a small line to leap before the Sixth Stage. The feeling of Ye Chen catching up to him in a race was starting to throw his mind into a whirlpool of emotions.
Ye Chen's meridian channels had been in shambles for three whole years, and now here he was, already getting so close to Ye Kongyan's prowess despite just recovering. At this point, Ye Kongyan couldn't help but ask, 'Am I really this inferior?' If it wasn't for the aid of the Chi Deposition Pill, he would have already lost the match!
He took a deep breath to calm the tempest within him. Then, looking at Ye Chen, Ye Kongyan grumbled, "I didn't expect for you to have achieved the peak of the Fifth Stage so soon, Big Brother Ye Chen. If that is the case, there will be no mercy!"
He gave a low growl and an uncontrollable explosion of Celestial Chi suddenly burst out from his body, blowing and flapping his clothes wildly into a rattle.
A gale-force chi expulsion? This could only mean that Ye Kongyan had already attained the Sixth Stage. Among their generation, Ye Kongyan had become the second Sixth Stage fighter after Ye Xuan!
The audience was turned into a furor. The Sixth Stage was considered in the league of masters. If the individual continued to develop himself, he could likely reach the Eighth Stage by the age of forty or fifty years old. Moreover, if they were naturally gifted, they could even reach the Ninth Stage! There were two Sixth Stage fighters in the family now which was the greatest thing this family had ever witnessed! Once Ye Chen broke through the rank barrier and attained the Sixth Stage, there would be three of them in the family. The future of the Ye clan was bright!
"Who would've known that Ye Kongyan had reached the Sixth Stage too? Congratulations, Elder Ye Moyang!"
The Elders quickly turned to Ye Moyang to express their praise, while Ye Moyang replied them with a grateful Baoquan gesture; he was smiling so wide that his face looked cramped. Yet, deep inside, he was feeling surly — had it not been that Chi Deposition Pill, Ye Kongyan may have never been able to break through to the Sixth Stage even after two or three years. What they were seeing now was just the result of a Chi Deposition Pill combined with Ye Moyang himself pumping his own Celestial Chi into his son's body to force him to that stage. Meanwhile, Ye Chen had always been prodigious before the incident, and now, so soon after his recovery, he had managed to reach the peak of the Fifth Stage yet again! How could Ye Moyang not feel depressed at the thought that his son was just too inferior when compared to Ye Chen?
Seeing Ye Kongyan's gale-force chi expulsion, Ye Chen furrowed his eyebrows. 'I didn't expect this fellow to have advanced to the Sixth Stage too,' he thought. After all, the chasm between the Fifth and the Sixth was far wider than the gaps between other Stages. If it was not for that, there would not be that many people stuck on the plateau of the Fifth Stage.
Now, even with the abnormally pure Celestial Chi within his body, Ye Chen was not exactly sure that he could prevail over a Sixth Stage pugilist.
"Be careful now, Big Brother Ye Chen!" A flash of bellicosity sparked in Ye Kongyan's eyes. The impact of chi gales was well-known to all pugilists. Combined with the fact that Ye Kongyan had only attained the Sixth Stage not long ago, it would not be his fault to lose acute control of his own strength. 'In other words,' Ye Kongyan added in his mind, 'don't blame me if I accidentally hurt you!'
Of course, Ye Kongyan had aimed to leave a little more than scratches on his opponent. If he could inflict just a little bit of internal damage on Ye Chen's body, it was all the better for him.
A huge sweep of wind tore through the air and Ye Chen could feel every part of his skin stung as if needles were forcefully prodded into him. The Celestial Chi within him was thrashing wildly too. It seemed that a gale-force chi expulsion was pretty lethal to Fifth Stage fighters!
Now, Ye Chen was akin to a little rowing boat in the midst of an ocean storm. His state was very precarious indeed!
The crowd was sweating cold for Ye Chen. The difference between a Fifth Stage and Sixth Stage fighter was beyond measuring the amount of Celestial Chi stored in a body. In fact, five or six Fifth Stage fighters might not even be able to win one Sixth Stage rookie!
From where they were sitting, Ye Zhantian's eyes had not moved from the scene. His right hand was gripping the side of his chair tightly as droplets of sweat glistened on his skin. Every calmness he had in his heart had completely left him. However, he was not the only one. Ye Rou, Ye Xuan, and everyone else was fearing for Ye Chen as well!