Two days later.
Jiang Heng's words reached Fu Chengye's ears intact.
"This is unreasonable!"
Fu Chengye was furious, and his heart was filled with murderous intent.
With his talent, when had he ever been so disregarded by someone?
"That damned Jiang Heng! Not only did he snatch the title of the Dragon List's genius through opportunistic means, but he also dares to insult me like this!"
"On the day of the duel, I will tear him into a thousand pieces!"
Fu Chengye roared with a dark expression.
...
At the same time.
Fu Chengye, the original tenth-ranked genius of the Dragon List, challenged the recently rising star on the list, Jiang Heng, in the Cuiyan City of the Fenghe Region in Qingzhou. This news spread far and wide, capturing the attention of countless people.
"This is a battle between Dragon List geniuses! Such a rare fight must be witnessed!"
"They say Dragon List geniuses of the same rank are invincible, and even if they haven't reached the tenth level of the Innate Realm, they can contend against Spirit Sea Realm experts. I want to see for myself how strong they really are!"
"I'm going too!"
"I've also reached the peak of the tenth level of the Innate Realm, and I've perfected a Earth-grade martial art. I refuse to believe that these two young men can be stronger than me!"
Amidst heated discussions, countless martial artists flocked to Cuiyan City, preparing to witness the duel between these geniuses.
...
One week later.
On the evening of the day before the decisive battle.
In Jiang Heng's small courtyard.
In a spacious room he named the "Cultivation Room," Jiang Heng sat cross-legged.
With the consumption of a large number of Qi and Blood Pills, Jiang Heng's potential points had been steadily increasing.
Today, it had once again reached a whopping 5.7 million.
"Physical cultivation, level up!"
"Ding! Consuming 5 million potential points, physical cultivation has been raised to the Sixth Stage of Transcendence."
An endless surge of heat appeared within Jiang Heng's body, like scalding magma, merging into the deepest part of his body.
His muscles swelled, and his blood surged.
Starting from the Second Stage of Martial Dao, there wouldn't be Qi and blood overflowing like in the Physical Realm, so there wouldn't be the phenomenon of dragon-like Qi and blood.
Instead, it was a manifestation of Qi and blood being extremely contained within the body.
Even so.
When Jiang Heng's physical cultivation level increased, the surrounding air was stirred up and formed a mild storm.
After a moment, the turbulence subsided.
The Qi and blood within Jiang Heng's body also completely calmed down.
He clenched his fist and immediately felt a significant increase in strength, as well as a more proficient control over his body.
As for his expertise in the **Vajra Technique**, his physical defense surged even further.
His strength had once again greatly improved!
Coincidentally, at this moment.
A knocking sound came from outside the courtyard.
"Senior Brother Jiang! Tomorrow is the day of Fu Chengye's challenge."
Jiang Heng opened his eyes.
A flash of lightning seemed to flicker in his eyes.
"Perfect, I'd like to see for myself how extraordinary this original Dragon List genius really is!"
Jiang Heng's mouth lifted into an exuberant smile.
...
The next morning.
Outside Cuiyan City, a sea of people surrounded the temporary arena, discussing the imminent challenge with great excitement.
Most of the commoners in Cuiyan City hadn't heard about the challenge; they were simply curious about why so many powerful and formidable martial artists had flocked here in the past few days.
For them, it was the trivial matters of daily life that mattered.
As for the Dragon List geniuses, they were nothing more than distant legends.
Most commoners didn't even know that not far from here, there was a legendary genius in the Great Dalu Sect.
What they were even less aware of was that the numerous powerful martial artists who had gathered here had all come to witness the duel of such a legendary genius.
Around the arena.
Several stewards from the Great Dalu Sect were maintaining order to prevent others from disrupting the arena.
Although this challenge was initiated by Fu Chengye in his personal capacity against Jiang Heng, as the host, the Great Dalu Sect naturally had to maintain order and ensure the smooth progress of the duel.
Before long.
Two figures walked over from a distance.
The young man at the forefront had a long sword with a sheath slung around his waist. He had a handsome appearance and a calm expression.
The other person was dressed in black, with long beards swaying in the wind under their chin. They carried a long sword on their back and stood a calm two steps behind the young man.
"Fu Chengye has arrived!"
Someone shouted, immediately capturing the attention of everyone present.
Everyone turned their heads, creating a wide path through the crowd for Fu Chengye and his companion to approach the arena.
"Jiang Heng hasn't arrived in advance?"
"Hmph! What an arrogant attitude!"
After scanning the surroundings, Fu Chengye snorted.
He leaped onto the arena, clasping his sword with both hands. He ignored the curious gazes of everyone and calmly closed his eyes to conserve his energy.
As time passed, it gradually reached noon.
Just when people were starting to get impatient, they finally heard someone shout, "It's Jiang Heng! Jiang Heng is here!"
Countless people turned their heads and saw a figure approaching slowly.
"Wow! He's really young! I heard he's only sixteen."
"When I was his age, I was still playing with mud! Others have already become world-renowned martial artists. He truly lives up to the title of a peerless genius!"
"He's still playing with mud at that age? That must be due to his slow intellectual development!"
"But Jiang Heng's talent is indeed unmatched, especially in martial arts. He's invincible among his peers!"
"Being able to defeat a Peak Innate Realm expert with a True Qi Realm cultivation, his martial arts attainments are truly extraordinary."
"Unfortunately, even with his talent, his chances of winning against Fu Chengye today are not great."
"Fu Chengye has an Innate Realm Fifth Stage cultivation. He once fought a Spirit Sea Realm expert to a draw, which is why he was ranked tenth on the Dragon List."
"If we talk about talent, Jiang Heng might have a slight edge, but in terms of current combat strength, he's probably a bit inferior."
"In a few months or maybe a year, Jiang Heng might have a better chance, but today, I'm leaning more towards Fu Chengye."
"That's right. Based on their records, Jiang Heng is like an invincible Peak Innate, while Fu Chengye is more like an early-stage Spirit Sea."
Amidst the noisy discussions.
Fu Chengye slowly opened his eyes and, following the direction of everyone's gaze, looked at the figure walking towards them from afar.
Seeing how curious and enthusiastic everyone was about Jiang Heng, Fu Chengye couldn't help but snort in disdain.
Hearing many people expressing confidence in his victory, he revealed a proud and contemptuous smile.
"Jiang Heng, come up to the stage!"
Fu Chengye suddenly shouted loudly.
"Deliberately keeping me waiting for so long, is it to test my patience and slightly increase your chances of winning?"
"Hmph! Petty tricks!"
One of the duel's protagonists spoke up, and the entire arena fell silent.
"Are you Fu Chengye?"
"I've been busy with my cultivation, and I don't accept challenges from just anyone. Did you prepare the 1,000 Qi and Blood Pills as stakes? Are you ready?"
Jiang Heng asked casually as he walked towards the stage.