The morning air crackled with tension as Liu Chen's crimson eyes blazed with primal energy, twin flames of golden light surrounding his pupils like miniature suns. The blood from his cheek had already ceased flowing, his accelerated healing leaving only a faint pink line as evidence of Zhu Sheng's earlier strike.
Across the street, Zhu Sheng's entire demeanor underwent a dramatic transformation. Gone was the arrogant sneer and casual posture—his spine straightened like a drawn bowstring, shoulders squared with military precision as he held his sword upright in a formal combat stance.
The change was so pronounced that several onlookers actually took a step back, recognizing the shift from playground bully to genuine threat.
Without warning, Zhu Sheng exploded into motion.
The fifty-foot distance between them vanished in a flash of midnight-blue robes as he traversed the space faster than mortal eyes could follow. His sword swept in a vicious horizontal arc toward Liu Chen's ribs, but this time the weapon bore more than simple qi enhancement. A dark azure dragon head materialized around the blade's edge, followed by an undulating serpentine body that coiled through the air with predatory grace—a far cry from the crude projections his lackeys had managed.
Liu Chen's response was equally swift and unexpected. Rather than dodge or block, he spread his legs wide and dropped into a perfect splits, his body flowing like water beneath the deadly strike. The dragon-wreathed blade passed harmlessly overhead, close enough that he could feel the heat radiating from the qi construct.
In the same fluid motion, Liu Chen swept his legs in a wide arc, attempting to entangle Zhu Sheng's ankles and bring him crashing down. But his opponent was no amateur—anticipating the counter, Zhu Sheng launched himself skyward in an elegant aerial somersault, his body rotating with practiced ease before landing in a crouch several paces away.
'Hmm,' Liu Chen mused internally, rising to his full imposing height. 'I can see where his cockiness originates. He indeed possesses genuine talent.'
The acknowledgment carried no grudging respect—merely the dispassionate assessment of a predator evaluating worthy prey.
Just as both combatants prepared to resume their deadly dance, a commanding voice thundered across the street, carrying such authority that several nearby windows rattled in their frames.
"Zhu Sheng! Enough playing around—finish this in the next strike!"
The words were laced with primal qi, transforming ordinary speech into a semi-sound technique that sent mortals clutching their ears in pain. Cultivators in the crowd winced and reinforced their protective barriers, recognizing the casual display of power.
Zhu Sheng's eyes widened in alarm, his head whipping toward the crowd as he immediately dropped into a respectful bow, cupping his hands in formal salute.
"Greetings to Elder Ling! This junior understands!"
Liu Chen's gaze followed the direction of Zhu Sheng's obeisance, his enhanced vision piercing through the assembled crowd until he located the source of that authoritative voice. The man who emerged from the shadows between buildings stood nearly two meters tall, his imposing frame draped in the deep blue robes of the Midnight Dipper Academy. Long black hair flowed like silk from his scalp, framing a face that seemed carved from stone—sharp cheekbones, a precisely trimmed beard and mustache, and naturally arched eyebrows that gave him the perpetual expression of barely contained disdain. His brown eyes were so dark they appeared almost black, boring into Liu Chen with the intensity of a hawk studying a field mouse.
This was clearly no ordinary elder.
Before Liu Chen could fully process the implications, his master's familiar voice drifted across the street with deceptive casualness.
"Asura, you should also endeavor to conclude this matter swiftly. Amitabha."
The suggestion carried the weight of gentle command, wrapped in courtesy but unmistakably firm. Liu Chen turned toward his Master and bowed respectfully, cupping his fists in acknowledgment.
"This disciple understands, Master."
A flicker of unease crossed Zhu Sheng's features as he observed this exchange. The older monk's calm demeanor and casual use of sound techniques suggested a cultivation base far more profound than his humble appearance indicated. If such a master had trained the monstrous youth before him...
'What's he going to do?' Zhu Sheng wondered, though his pride refused to let him back down now. Not with Elder Ling watching. This was his chance for him to join the actual Confucian Sect and not just stay at the school. Though the school focused on Confucianism teachings, the actual sect had much more Martial Arts Involved!
Despite Liu Chen's intimidating appearance—the muscular frame that made him seem like a teenager despite his obvious youth—Zhu Sheng's most trusted sense told him a different story. His nose had never failed him before. It was a gift he'd possessed since birth, so acute that he'd once detected his mother's infidelity from an entirely different building. The scent patterns that clung to Liu Chen spoke of genuine youth, confirming his suspicion that this was indeed a child, regardless of his fearsome capabilities.
The realization only made the situation more surreal.
Zhu Sheng shifted into his finishing stance, holding his sword vertically beside his head while dropping into a deep lunge. Dark red and blue primal qi began gathering around his weapon like a miniature vortex, the conflicting energies creating visible distortions in the air as they spiraled tighter and tighter.
Liu Chen watched this preparation with keen interest, then began mobilizing his own qi in response. A golden aura began emanating from his six-armed form as he spoke with casual confidence.
"I suppose this is an opportune moment to test a technique I observed Master demonstrate previously."
He spread all six arms wide, positioning them at maximum extension like the points of a star. Golden qi flowed between his limbs, creating an intricate mandala of crackling energy that made the morning air itself seem to thrum with power.
After several tense seconds of preparation, Zhu Sheng suddenly shifted his weight, pulling back his rear leg as he began spinning in a tight circle, building momentum with each rotation.
"Dragon's Wrath!" he announced, his voice rising with each revolution.
A gasp arose from the crowd as one of the watching cultivators paled with recognition.
"I know that technique! It's a catastrophic sword strike that devastates everything within a hundred-meter radius!"
The warning sent the gathered mortals fleeing in panic, their survival instincts finally overriding their curiosity. Only the cultivators remained, hastily erecting defensive barriers as they retreated to what they hoped was a safe distance.
Zhu Sheng completed his fifth revolution, his sword now wreathed in a massive azure dragon that seemed to roar with anticipation. The accumulated momentum made him appear as little more than a blue-tinged blur as he prepared to unleash his devastating finale—
"Nine Tribulations Thunderblast!"
Liu Chen's shout cut through the morning air like a blade as he brought all six hands together in a tremendous clap that seemed to shake the very foundations of the earth.
The resulting shockwave was beyond anything the witnesses had expected. A dome of compressed air exploded outward from Liu Chen's position, followed immediately by streams of crackling golden lightning that split the sky like the wrath of heaven itself.
Zhu Sheng's carefully built momentum shattered like glass. The shockwave caught him mid-strike, sending him tumbling backward to land inglouriously on his posterior. Before he could even attempt to recover, the golden lightning found him, wrapping around his body like serpentine judgment.
When the crackling energy finally dissipated, Zhu Sheng lay motionless on the cobblestones, his once-pristine robes now charred to the color of charcoal, wisps of smoke rising from his singed hair. His eyes stared unseeing at the morning sky, their former arrogance replaced by the thousand-yard stare of someone fundamentally reconsidering their life choices.
Even the cultivators with their protective barriers had felt the overwhelming force of Liu Chen's technique. These two boys seemed to both be in the Foundation Establishment Realm, yet one possessed such unyielding strength! Now this was the meaning of a prodigy!
One of them, a middle-aged man in simple gray robes, approached cautiously and bowed respectfully.
"This junior's technique was truly profound. Might this humble cultivator inquire which sect claims such a talented junior?"
Liu Chen straightened his tied robes around his waist with casual precision. "This one is merely a humble member of a Buddhist sect."
Before he could elaborate further, Lian Shenlong stepped forward with his characteristic serene smile.
"My disciple is a member of Heaven's Choice Temple, located upon Enlightenment Peak."
Most of the cultivators exchanged blank looks at the unfamiliar name, but the mention of Enlightenment Peak sent a visible ripple of recognition through the crowd. Yesterday's spectacular sight—a Nascent Soul Divinity expert showing their ten-leaf enlightenment—had been witnessed by half the city.
Lian Shenlong's cheeks took on the faintest hint of pink as he nodded in acknowledgment. "Indeed, this humble monk was the cause of all that commotion yesterday."
The assembled cultivators immediately dropped into formal bows, their voices joining in respectful chorus.
"We pay our respects to the venerable elder!"
The reverent atmosphere shattered like glass as Elder Ling's cold voice cut through the morning air.
"Tell me, young friend—do you enjoy bullying your juniors?"
The entire street fell silent. Even the morning breeze seemed to hold its breath as every eye turned toward the towering figure of the Midnight Dipper Academy elder. His dark eyes glittered with barely contained menace as he stepped from the crowd, his imposing presence making nearby cultivators unconsciously retreat.
Liu Chen's expression shifted to one of genuine bewilderment, his head tilting slightly as if the elder had just claimed that fish could fly.
"Respected elder, I believe there may be some confusion. In this scenario, this junior was clearly the one being bullied."
Elder Ling's face darkened like a thundercloud. The casual mastery Liu Chen had displayed, combined with his intimidating physical presence, made the claim of being a mere child seem laughable.
"You won't admit to your faults?" The elder's voice carried the weight of barely restrained fury. "As an elder of the righteous Confucian sect, it is my duty to teach arrogant juniors proper respect for their betters! Never again will you prey upon those weaker and younger than yourself!"
Without further warning, Elder Ling raised his hand and unleashed a torrent of pure white hot energy that screamed through the air toward Liu Chen like a diving eagle.
"Expansive Heavenly Energy!"
The technique was a signature of Confucian cultivation—representing the overwhelming moral authority of righteous judgment made manifest. The beam of concentrated qi tore through the morning air, leaving scorched earth in its wake as it sought to deliver divine punishment to the perceived transgressor.
Liu Chen's response was swift and spectacular. His smile never wavered as he pressed his palms together in prayer position, golden light erupting around his form.
"Thousand-Armed Compassion Buddha Body!"
A colossal golden figure materialized in front of Liu Chen—twenty feet tall and equally wide, its twelve arms spread in protective embrace. The Buddha's serene face gazed down with infinite compassion as it moved to intercept Elder Ling's attack.
For a moment, divine judgment met Buddhist mercy in a clash that lit up the morning sky.
Then Elder Ling's technique tore through the golden Buddha like paper.
The Expansive Heavenly Energy barely slowed as it demolished Liu Chen's defensive construct, racing toward the young cultivator with undiminished fury. Death approached on wings of righteous light—
And found itself blocked by Master Lian Shenlong's open palm.
The elderly monk had instantaneously appeared between Elder Ling and his disciple using Soul Chase. His weathered hand caught the devastating attack as easily as one might catch a falling leaf, the violent energies dissipating harmlessly against his palm like morning mist.
"Amitabha," Master Lian Shenlong said mildly, his tone carrying the same casual courtesy one might use when commenting on the weather. "This old monk fears there has been a misunderstanding. But, you shall not pick on my disciple."