"Puff!"
"Puff!"
Two streaks of sword energy stabbed into Lin Chen's body from the left and right.
The impact sent Lin Chen's upper body flying backward, but his lower body remained as steady as a rock.
"Boom!"
Energy surged around Lin Chen's body, shattering the two weakened streaks of sword energy.
Gasps filled the air as everyone witnessed the scene. Even their breathing grew ragged.
Such potent sword energy hadn't even scratched him?
"All thanks to this 'Astral Silkworm Soft Armor'."
Lin Chen let out a sigh of relief as a close-fitting soft armor was revealed beneath his damaged clothes.
This armor had absorbed the remaining force of the sword energy!
"Your spiritual patterns are at level four, and my spiritual weapon is also at level four!"
The arena fell into a deafening silence.
Representatives from every sect present were speechless.
Their eyes widened, their bodies trembling.
With a single hammer blow, Chen Zilei had been crushed into a pulp!
His actions were excessively overbearing and arrogant!
All eyes turned to the stage involuntarily.
Hiss...
A pool of blood gathered on the ground.
A gruesome sight.
The Fourth Young Master of the Chen family?
The Second Young Master of the Chen family?
At the peak of the Tenth Level of the Earth Spirit Realm?
In front of Lin Chen, he had been so vulnerable.
"T-this..."
Among the Chu family's seats, Chu Yinfei's pupils constricted, and he was lost for words.
He had never expected Chen Zilei to be incapable of exchanging a single blow with Lin Chen.
"Why is this happening?"
As shock coursed through Chu Yinfei, he also realized the extent of Lin Chen's strength.
His sheer power was formidable. Even when he remained still, he was as steady as a mountain!
Many spectators' lips began to twitch.
Their gazes turned toward the elder of the Chen family.
His face had turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.
He was shocked!
He was enraged!
He was bewildered!
Why had this happened?
From every conceivable angle, Chen Zilei should not have been defeated!
Lin Chen was weaker in cultivation and lacked his trump card...
The only thing he exceeded in was pure strength!
However, what use was brute force alone? He was nothing more than a barbarian!
In this arena battle, there was a 99% chance that he would be slain.
In the end...
"Well."
Lin Chen let out a sigh on the stage. "I told you, I wasn't fighting at my full potential. I only used 70% of my strength, and you collapsed. You're just so... weak! If I had known you were so weak, I would have held back a bit before!"
"Boom!"
Lin Chen's words sent a roar through the crowd.
Many cultivators began to applaud thunderously.
It was truly a magnificent display!
Initially, no one had placed any hope in him, yet the tables had turned in the end.
The battle was exhilarating from beginning to end!
Standing amidst the crowd, Liu Jiaojiao's beautiful eyes were fixed on a particular figure.
At this moment, all she could see was a tall, proud silhouette standing in the center of the arena.
"He... he's so strong!"
Liu Jiaojiao muttered to herself, her heart pounding with an unfamiliar emotion.
He was clearly so powerful, but he hadn't shown any anger when she had looked down on him earlier.
That indescribable feeling was beyond words.
On the outermost edge of the crowd, Liu Wei led a group of guards to maintain order.
He had not seen the battle clearly, nor did he have any inclination to watch.
To him, aside from his daughter and Lin Chen, everyone else was irrelevant.
"Boom!"
A wave of cheers erupted behind him, as if from the depths of a tidal wave.
Liu Wei was startled. It was only the first match, so what had caused such excitement?
As he turned around to glance at the arena, his expression couldn't help but change in delight!
Wasn't the figure standing in the arena none other than Lin Chen?
"This kid has made a great start!"
Liu Wei's face radiated with excitement, for he was genuinely happy for Lin Chen.
"He's unbelievably strong, unbelievably strong!"
A cultivator ahead of Liu Wei muttered to himself, his voice filled with amazement.
"Brother, how was the battle on stage earlier?"
Liu Wei approached the cultivator and patted him on the shoulder.
The cultivator was surprised to discover it was Liu Wei. "Reporting to the General, the battle was exhilarating. The young man on stage wasn't favored at the beginning, but he turned the tides and gave us a magnificent performance! He's so strong that I can't wait to see more from him."
Liu Wei's mood lifted. "Indeed. Speaking of which, who was his opponent? I haven't been able to see it."
Initially, he had been worried about Lin Chen.
Lin Chen was not a top-tier disciple, and he came from the Five Kingdoms. In the Eastern Plains, where geniuses gathered, would he be able to truly shine?
What if he lost in the first round and lost his passion for martial arts?
Fortunately, it had ended well!
Liu Wei was delighted, but he maintained his composure and rationality.
While Lin Chen had won, his opponent was certainly not powerful.
Regardless, a victory was always a boost to self-confidence.
"His opponent was the Second Young Master of the Chen family, Chen Zilei!"
The cultivator sighed heavily. "The invitational tournament has yet to officially start, but the two of them got into an altercation and arranged a life-or-death battle. Everyone was optimistic about Chen Zilei and believed that his victory was guaranteed. No one expected it to end like this!"
"Haha, Chen Zilei, that's perfect. Winning is truly... What did you just say?!"
Liu Wei had initially spoken with a hint of modesty, but his expression abruptly changed as his words registered.
Chen Zilei?
The Second Young Master of the Chen family?
Are you serious?
"That's right, General. Look, the elder of the Chen family looks terrible! Earlier, Chen Zilei put forward a proposition. If Lin Chen could defeat him, the odds would be ten to one. Unexpectedly, Lin Chen immediately bet one hundred four-marked spirit jades! As a result, the Chen family now owes a thousand four-marked spirit jades!"
The cultivator clicked his tongue and shook his head. "They've lost both money and status!"
Liu Wei's mind went blank.
Lin Chen killed Chen Zilei in the arena?
This... this was beyond outrageous!
If it weren't for the clear evidence before his eyes, Liu Wei would have thought he was dreaming.
Who exactly was Chen Zilei?
Even within the entire Eastern Plains, he had a resounding reputation.
Among the younger generation of Earth Spirit Realm cultivators, Chen Zilei was considered one of the best!
Furthermore, he was a heavy favorite to win the invitational tournament!
There were three particularly promising candidates: Chen Zilei, Chu Yinfei, and Duan Huaze.
Everyone predicted that the championship would definitively go to one of these three geniuses.
Additionally, the Chen family had come in force.
They had previously had some friction with the Chu family and had vowed to secure the championship at any cost to humiliate them.
As a result, Chen Zilei had been killed before the tournament even began?
Liu Wei took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing thoughts.
This Lin Chen was far more formidable than he had imagined!
It turned out that he had been hiding his true strength all along.
Liu Wei couldn't help but smile wryly.
He had originally intended to bring Liu Jiaojiao and Lin Chen together.
However, it now seemed that his daughter might not be worthy of him!
"Lin Chen, you're really... courting death!"
The elder roared, shaking the sky.
His pupils were crimson, and he had clearly lost all reason.