The dust had barely settled from Jiang Chen's victory, yet the atmosphere in the Heaven Sundering Sect's Grand Tournament remained electric.
Disciples still buzzed with shock from his overwhelming defeat of Liu Qing.
Xiao Dong was grinning like a lunatic. "Hahahaha! Bro, I knew you'd win, but you didn't just win—you crushed that bastard!"
Jiang Chen smirked, rolling his shoulders. "Wasn't much of a challenge."
Yet as his golden-amber eyes flickered across the remaining True Disciples, he could already feel the shift in the battlefield.
No one was underestimating him anymore.
Among the True Disciples, some had their arms crossed, silently observing.
Others were grinning, clearly excited.
But a few… were still displeased.
One in particular.
A calm, razor-sharp gaze locked onto Jiang Chen from across the arena.
Elder Zhao Yan grinned wildly, stepping forward.
"Well, well, well… That was a damn fine first fight, but we ain't here to watch you all stand around."
He pointed at the glowing stone tablet as another golden inscription flashed.
Jiang Chen vs. Mu Qinglan
A ripple spread through the crowd.
"Jiang Chen is being challenged again!?"
"And Mu Qinglan no less?! The Phantom Blade?"
"Holy shit, Jiang Chen's facing the 2nd ranked True Disciple already?"
"This is gonna be insane!"
Jiang Chen arched an eyebrow, his smirk deepening. "Didn't take long for the big ones to notice me."
Xiao Dong whistled. "Damn, bro. You just pissed off every True Disciple who worked their way up. They wanna take you out before you get too comfortable. And she's the disciple of Grand Elder Xue Feng. I've never had the honor of fighting her, but she must have more than one trump card up her sleeve."
Jiang Chen chuckled. "Let her try."
Then, a cold voice rang out.
"You won't be facing an idiot like Liu Qing this time."
A figure stepped onto the battlefield, her movement as fluid as flowing water.
She wore midnight-blue robes, a thin veil covering the lower half of her face. A long, curved sword rested at her hip, its aura faint—almost as if it wasn't there.
Mu Qinglan. The Phantom Blade.
Jiang Chen felt it immediately—her aura was restrained, completely hidden. Yet somehow, it cut through the air like a blade ready to strike.
"Fast. This one's gonna be fast."
Mu Qinglan's eyes were cold, unreadable. "I watched your fight," she said smoothly. "Liu Qing was arrogant, reckless."
She unsheathed her blade an inch, and the entire air pressure around the arena shifted.
"If you think you can treat me the same way, you won't live to regret it."
Jiang Chen grinned. "Good. I was starting to get bored."
Zhao Yan laughed, slapping his thigh. "Hah! This is gonna be beautiful! BEGIN!"
BOOM!
Mu Qinglan vanished.
Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed. Fast!
Before he could react, a razor-sharp blur slashed toward his throat.
CLANG!
At the last second, Jiang Chen raised his arm, his Chaos Qi coating his forearm. The impact sent sparks flying as Mu Qinglan's blade barely grazed his skin.
She twisted mid-air, flickering behind him—
SHING!
Another slash. Another step.
She wasn't attacking like a normal swordsman—she was dancing, weaving in and out of existence like a specter.
Jiang Chen snorted. "Annoying."
He swung his fist, but Mu Qinglan wasn't there anymore.
BOOM!
His strike hit empty air, shattering the ground behind him.
A voice whispered behind him.
"Too slow."
SHINK!
A thin line of blood appeared on Jiang Chen's cheek.
The crowd gasped.
"Mu Qinglan cut him!"
"No one can match her speed!"
Xiao Dong winced. "Tch. She's gonna make him suffer if he can't land a hit."
Jiang Chen slowly touched the blood on his face. His golden-amber eyes gleamed with interest.
"Not bad."
Mu Qinglan didn't react. She merely adjusted her stance, her sword barely visible.
"You rely on power," she said. "But power means nothing if it can't hit its target."
Jiang Chen grinned. "Then I just have to make sure you can't run."
He shifted his stance, his Chaos Qi beginning to distort the air around him.
Mu Qinglan's brows twitched. What is he doing?
Then—
"Starshadow Burst!"
BOOM!
The moment Jiang Chen activated his movement technique, his entire figure flickered—then reappeared directly in front of her.
Her eyes widened in shock.
He's fast!
Jiang Chen's palm struck forward.
"Heaven Sundering Palm!"
CRACK!
Mu Qinglan twisted at the last possible moment, avoiding a direct hit—but the shockwave alone blasted her backward, her feet skidding against the stone floor.
The disciples screamed in excitement.
"HE HIT HER!"
"NO ONE EVER CATCHES THE PHANTOM BLADE!"
Xiao Dong grinned. "Hell yeah, bro! Now keep that pressure up!"
Mu Qinglan stabilized herself, eyes narrowing.
Her arm was shaking slightly.
That power…
She hadn't even taken the full impact, yet it still numbed her entire arm.
She exhaled. "I see. You're no brute."
Jiang Chen smirked. "Took you long enough."
Mu Qinglan's eyes gleamed. "Then let's stop wasting time."
She lowered her stance, and suddenly—
The world seemed to shift.
The air grew cold.
Mu Qinglan's Qi suddenly sharpened, filling the battlefield with an oppressive silence.
Her blade disappeared.
No one in the crowd could see it anymore.
"What the hell?!"
"Where did her sword go?!"
Even Elder Zhao Yan's eyes flickered.
"Oh? She's using that technique?"
Jiang Chen's instincts screamed.
For the first time in this fight—he felt danger.
Then—
Mu Qinglan vanished.