"The Seventh Prince is exceptionally domineering; he once demanded my submission, but I refused. Before the assessment, he approached me and insisted that I must make a choice before encountering him during the trials, or he would eliminate me from the competition," Lin Fei said, his expression darkening as he spoke in hushed tones.
Unlike the gentle tactics of the Thirteenth Prince, the Seventh Prince's approach was the most tyrannical: one either submitted to him or became his enemy, facing his wrath.
"It seems an inevitable battle awaits!" Lin Fei remarked gravely.
"Now I understand!"
Ye Tian's eyes narrowed, his demeanor instantly turning serious. The Seventh Prince was no mere half-hearted Martial Spirit like Xue Li; he could not be taken lightly and required utmost vigilance.
"Blood Blade!"
The Seventh Prince had now shifted his focus to Ye Tian, a proud look emerging on his face as he proclaimed, "Blood Blade, I never expected to encounter you here! It seems fate has favored me, destined to grant me another warrior under my command. In that case, you and Lin Fei shall both submit to me!"
The Seventh Prince looked down upon Ye Tian and Lin Fei with an air of arrogance, exuding overwhelming dominance.
Ye Tian's expression darkened; he could not deny that the Seventh Prince's words had provoked him. Even if the King of South Forest himself were to arrive, he would never submit to anyone.
Lin Fei, clearly well-acquainted with the Seventh Prince, observed with a wry smile, "It seems he has taken an interest in you. What will it be? Will you fight or flee?"
"A mere first-level Martial Spirit does not hold the power to make me retreat!" Ye Tian replied ominously, stepping forward with an imposing aura. His blood essence surged forth, enveloping him in a crimson halo of rich true essence.
"What a robust true essence! It surpasses that of ordinary half-step Martial Spirits by four or five times!" The Seventh Prince's eyes gleamed with astonishment as he laughed heartily. "A powerhouse like you would be a grave loss not to serve as my warrior. If you choose to submit, conquering the world together and eventually becoming a king is not beyond reach."
He maintained his air of superiority, further darkening Ye Tian's countenance.
"If you wish to subdue me, it will depend on whether you possess the strength!" Ye Tian declared, ceasing any further conversation as he unleashed a powerful strike. His true essence surged forth, sending a brilliant crimson beam slicing through the sky, aimed directly at the Seventh Prince.
"Excellent! A warrior should indeed possess such ferocity; only then can one grow strong. I shall engage you in battle so you may learn that submitting to me is the best choice of your life!" The Seventh Prince responded with a smile rather than anger. As he spoke, he launched his own attack, unleashing a formidable wave of true essence that enveloped the area.
Not far away, Lin Fei shielded the ten defeated senior brothers, hastily retreating, wary of approaching the battlefield between the Seventh Prince and Ye Tian.
Boom!
The Seventh Prince struck first, his fist colliding with Ye Tian's blood-red blade aura. He aimed a punch directly at Ye Tian's chest, the sheer force causing the air to crackle with a deep, resonant sound.
The crimson blade aura met the Seventh Prince's fist but could advance no further, shattering in mid-air. The Seventh Prince felt the impact as well; his body sank, his feet sinking into the earth.
However, the Seventh Prince's combat awareness was equally formidable. His other fist released a dazzling punch aura, resembling a colossal sphere of light, hurtling toward Ye Tian.
Ye Tian did not underestimate the attack; he positioned his blade to block, unleashing the full force of his true essence. Yet, he still endured a terrifying impact, sending him crashing against a massive tree.
Boom!
As Ye Tian landed, the giant tree behind him toppled over, causing the ground to tremble violently.
Nearby, Lin Fei and the others were left in stunned disbelief; such overwhelming power seemed beyond human capability.
"Excellent!" the Seventh Prince bellowed, launching himself into the air like a colossal beast, barreling toward Ye Tian. Each step he took sent tremors through the earth beneath him.
With a grave expression fixed upon the charging Seventh Prince, Ye Tian gripped his blood blade tightly and tossed the heavy Xuan Iron war blade to Lin Fei before bracing himself for the confrontation.
"How heavy..." Lin Fei extended a hand to catch the Xuan Iron war blade, but in the next moment, he felt his arm grow heavy, nearly toppling to the ground.
"What on earth is concealed within this?"
Struggling to regain his balance, Lin Fei gazed incredulously at the large iron box containing the Xuan Iron war blade, curiosity brimming in his eyes.
However, realizing that Ye Tian had been carrying such a weighty burden, Lin Fei felt a shiver run down his spine. "This guy is truly monstrous!"
Boom!
A thunderous explosion echoed from afar, causing the sky to tremble violently.
Ye Tian's blood blade erupted in brilliant light, resembling a crimson sun, radiating an overwhelming brilliance amidst a sea of blood.
Boom!
With a muffled groan, the Seventh Prince's expression froze, disbelief washing over him. Yet, he quickly gritted his teeth and let out a furious roar. A powerful soundwave erupted, surging forth with his overwhelming true essence, manifesting a fierce force around him.
Ye Tian immediately felt an immense power coursing through the blade, forcing him to stagger back. The weight of the Xuan Iron war blade lifted, allowing him greater ease of movement and speed.
"Impressive! Below the Martial Spirit realm, you could rank among the top three. If you hadn't ascended to the Martial Spirit stage, defeating you would indeed be a formidable challenge," the Seventh Prince remarked, his expression turning serious. He exhaled slowly, the true essence surrounding him beginning to surge with incredible intensity.
"Now, I shall unleash my true power!" The Seventh Prince's fists began to emanate a white aura as he regarded Ye Tian intently.
In an instant, Ye Tian felt the temperature around him plummet, causing his gaze to sharpen.
"Be careful; that's the Frost Fist!" Lin Fei shouted urgently, his expression shifting dramatically.
At the same moment, the Seventh Prince charged forward, delivering a punch toward Ye Tian. The milky-white true essence radiated a chilling aura, freezing the very air around them.
Feeling a wave of cold wash over him, Ye Tian's face grew grave. He immediately activated all 460 acupoints within him, unleashing his full true essence as he gathered it upon the blood blade, striking toward the Seventh Prince.
Boom!
The fist of the Seventh Prince collided with the blood blade, producing a muffled sound, after which Ye Tian noticed a shadowy smile flicker in the Prince's eyes, causing his heart to sink suddenly.
Swish!
Ye Tian abruptly felt a chilling aura emanating from the blood blade, his expression shifting dramatically.
Before him, the blood blade had become encased in a layer of frost, which rapidly spread along the blade and crept up his arm.
In the next moment, Ye Tian felt as if his arm had been frozen, the blood within congealing, rendering him immobile. His gaze sharpened, and he quickly withdrew, unleashing a massive surge of blood energy that dispelled the encroaching chill within him.
The Seventh Prince laughed heartily, pressing his advantage as he unleashed a flurry of punches toward Ye Tian, the surrounding temperature continuing to plummet. The icy air rendered the very atmosphere in this area almost solid.
Ye Tian, left with no alternative, was forced to channel his profound true essence to resist the Prince's frigid onslaught. However, he realized that if this continued, his true essence would inevitably be exhausted.
The Seventh Prince, seemingly envisioning his own victory, boasted, "What do you think? My Frost Fist is quite impressive, isn't it? If you agree to submit to me, I shall impart this technique to you."
"Hmph!" Ye Tian scoffed. Were it not for the ever-watchful eyes of the elders from the Divine Star Sect, he would have already unleashed the Starry Hand; the situation would not be as it currently stood.
At that moment, Ye Tian finally grasped the truth: he lacked formidable martial techniques. Against an opponent of equal or even superior strength, he could only rely on the Starry Hand; techniques like the Blood Shadow Thirteen Cuts and Thunder Palm paled in comparison.
It was precisely for this reason that Ye Tian sought to join the Divine Star Sect; only within its ranks could he acquire more advanced martial arts.
As he contemplated, Ye Tian's mind raced, devising a strategy to confront the Seventh Prince.
"Must I truly reveal my blade intent prematurely?" Ye Tian hesitated; the blade intent was his ultimate trump card, one he was reluctant to expose unless absolutely necessary.
However, should he be defeated by the Seventh Prince, he would undoubtedly lose all his contribution points, making it exceedingly difficult to join the Divine Star Sect thereafter.
After a moment's deliberation, a glint of determination flickered in Ye Tian's eyes. He was a man of resolve; once he made a decision, he was prepared to act without delay.
The Seventh Prince, sensing a shift in Ye Tian's aura, felt an overwhelming sense of murderous intent wash over him, sending a chill down his spine.
"Hahaha... What a thrilling spectacle! I never anticipated the usually dominant Seventh Prince would encounter a worthy adversary," a hearty laugh suddenly resonated from the sky just as Ye Tian was about to unleash his blade intent.
"Hmm?"
"Hmph!"
Both Ye Tian and the Seventh Prince sensed the formidable presence of the newcomer and instinctively withdrew, casting cold glances toward the figure in the sky.
A young man clad in a golden robe descended from the air, his icy gaze fixed upon Ye Tian and the Seventh Prince below.
"It's him!" Ye Tian's eyes narrowed as he recognized the newcomer, a slight heaviness settling in his heart.
"Wu Ding!"
The Seventh Prince regarded the golden-robed youth with a cold, scrutinizing gaze, a flicker of malice and apprehension crossing his features as he retracted his true essence, ceasing his assault on Ye Tian.
Ye Tian mirrored this action.
The newcomer was indeed Wu Ding, the young master of the Wu family, whom Ye Tian had encountered in the Black Blood Mountains.
"What a lively scene! I was curious about the source of such commotion, and it turns out to be the Seventh Prince and Wu Ding!" A light laugh followed as another young man in a blue robe approached, treading lightly through the air.
"Bai Yunfei, you have it wrong; the one battling the Seventh Prince is that young man below!" Wu Ding replied indifferently, directing his gaze toward the newcomer.
This was Bai Yunfei, the young master of the Bai family.
In the distance, Lin Fei and the ten senior brothers wore expressions of astonishment.
What a gathering of formidable talents!
Both Bai Yunfei and Wu Ding were unparalleled geniuses of Nanlin County, having recently ascended to the Martial Spirit level, their strengths rivaling that of the Seventh Prince.
With the sudden appearance of three Martial Spirit experts, even Ye Tian felt a weight in his heart, his expression growing solemn.
"They must have sensed the fluctuations from my battle with the Seventh Prince, drawing them here!" Ye Tian mused inwardly.
In fact, he was quite accurate in his assumption; not only had Bai Yunfei and Wu Ding been attracted by the battle's energy, but many other martial artists in the vicinity had also sensed it. However, upon realizing it was a confrontation between Martial Spirit experts, they refrained from approaching any closer.