Heavenly Sword Saint
"Begin!"
The elder's voice echoed across the martial arena.
For a moment...
Neither Jian Chen nor Jian Rui moved.
The surrounding disciples stared at the two figures.
Some were waiting for Jian Rui to defeat the Young Master.
Others were simply curious to see whether the rumored cripple could truly fight.
Jian Rui slowly lowered his stance.
His eyes became serious.
Although he had never considered Jian Chen a worthy opponent before...
This was still a formal challenge.
He would not underestimate him.
"Young Master..."
Jian Rui spoke quietly.
"If you surrender now, I won't make things difficult for you."
A few disciples immediately laughed.
"Hahaha!"
"He's actually giving Jian Chen a chance to surrender."
"That's already generous."
"Jian Chen should step down while he still can."
Jian Chen ignored the voices.
His right hand remained on the wooden sword at his waist.
He simply looked at Jian Rui.
"Surrender?"
He shook his head.
"I came here for the position."
Jian Rui's expression became firm.
"Then don't blame me."
Boom!
He stepped forward.
His body shot across the arena.
His fist was already approaching Jian Chen.
The surrounding disciples became excited.
"He's attacking!"
Jian Chen's eyes remained calm.
The moment Jian Rui's fist reached him...
He moved.
One step sideways.
The fist passed inches from his shoulder.
Jian Rui's eyes widened slightly.
He immediately turned and launched another punch.
Jian Chen leaned backward.
The fist passed above his face.
Another attack.
Jian Chen stepped aside.
Another.
He moved again.
Every attack missed by the smallest possible distance.
The crowd slowly became quiet.
"What..."
"Why can't Jian Rui hit him?"
Jian Hu's smile faded.
His eyes narrowed.
Jian Rui gritted his teeth.
He suddenly increased his speed.
Boom!
His fist came forward with greater force.
This time...
Jian Chen didn't retreat.
His right hand finally moved.
Clang!
The wooden sword left its sheath.
Jian Chen raised it horizontally.
Bang!
Jian Rui's fist struck the wooden blade.
The force pushed Jian Chen backward several steps.
His feet dragged across the arena.
He stopped.
The crowd erupted.
"He blocked it!"
"With a wooden sword?"
Jian Rui stared at his fist.
A faint numbness spread through his arm.
His expression became solemn.
The collision had told him something.
Jian Chen was weak.
Very weak.
But...
His timing was frighteningly precise.
Jian Rui took a deep breath.
He circulated the spiritual energy within his body.
His muscles tightened.
Then he rushed forward once more.
This time, he didn't attack recklessly.
His movements became more cautious.
A punch.
A kick.
Another punch.
Jian Chen continued retreating.
His wooden sword moved constantly.
Block.
Deflect.
Evade.
He never attempted to overpower Jian Rui.
Instead...
He allowed the battle to continue.
He was studying him.
Not his weaknesses.
Not his mistakes.
But his rhythm.
After several exchanges...
Jian Chen finally understood.
"So that's how this body moves."
He had only recently begun cultivating.
His current physical strength was still far below that of Jian Rui.
His one awakened meridian could barely allow him to absorb spiritual energy.
If he tried to fight Jian Rui through brute strength...
He would lose.
But strength wasn't everything.
His previous life had given him something far more valuable.
Combat experience.
Sword comprehension.
And an understanding of timing that had been forged through countless battles.
Jian Rui suddenly attacked again.
His right fist came directly toward Jian Chen's chest.
Jian Chen's eyes flashed.
Now.
He stepped forward instead of retreating.
Jian Rui's fist passed beside his body.
At the same instant...
Jian Chen's wooden sword struck Jian Rui's wrist.
Pa!
Jian Rui's arm was knocked aside.
Before he could recover...
Jian Chen rotated his body.
The wooden sword struck his shoulder.
Bang!
Jian Rui stumbled.
The surrounding crowd fell silent.
Jian Chen had finally landed a hit.
But Jian Rui wasn't defeated.
He quickly regained his balance.
His face flushed.
"Again!"
He rushed forward.
Jian Chen's eyes became sharper.
The two figures collided once more.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The wooden sword repeatedly clashed against Jian Rui's fists.
Neither side gained a decisive advantage.
The battle had already lasted more than twenty exchanges.
The spectators became increasingly shocked.
Nobody had expected the fight to last this long.
After all...
Jian Chen had only recently awakened his first meridian.
Jian Rui had been cultivating for years.
Yet...
Jian Chen was still standing.
On the high platform...
Jian Tianyu's expression gradually became serious.
The Clan Master leaned forward slightly.
"His movements..."
Jian Wuchen's eyes narrowed.
"He has combat experience."
Jian Tianyu nodded.
"Far beyond what his age should possess."
Neither of them spoke again.
Their attention remained fixed on the arena.
Nearby...
Elder Xu watched silently.
His expression was complicated.
He had treated Jian Chen only a few days ago.
At that time...
Jian Chen had been so weak that even standing had been difficult.
Yet now...
He was fighting another cultivator.
Not only fighting...
He was holding his own.
Elder Xu's eyes became thoughtful.
"What happened to this child?"
...
On the arena...
Jian Rui was beginning to panic.
His breathing had become heavier.
Sweat covered his forehead.
Jian Chen's breathing was also becoming rough.
Opening one meridian had barely given him enough spiritual energy to begin cultivating.
His body was still recovering from his previous injuries.
He couldn't maintain this battle forever.
He needed to finish it.
Jian Rui suddenly roared.
"Take this!"
His spiritual energy surged.
His entire body rushed forward.
This was his strongest attack.
The surrounding disciples immediately became excited.
"Jian Rui is using his strongest move!"
"Jian Chen can't block that!"
Jian Hu laughed.
"Now let's see how long he can keep pretending!"
Jian Chen's eyes narrowed.
The incoming fist grew closer.
He didn't retreat.
Instead...
He closed his eyes.
For a brief moment...
The entire world seemed to become silent.
He could hear Jian Rui's breathing.
He could feel the movement of air.
He could sense the slight vibration of the ground beneath his feet.
Then...
His eyes opened.
Jian Chen moved.
One step.
His body turned sideways.
Jian Rui's fist passed directly beside him.
At the same instant...
Jian Chen's wooden sword struck Jian Rui's chest.
Bang!
Jian Rui's body froze.
His eyes widened.
The force behind the strike wasn't overwhelming.
But the timing...
Was perfect.
His balance was already broken.
Jian Chen followed with another strike.
Bang!
The wooden sword struck Jian Rui's leg.
Jian Rui fell to one knee.
Before he could stand...
The wooden sword stopped at his throat.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Jian Rui stared at the wooden sword.
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
He had lost.
The elder looked at both disciples.
Then...
He raised his hand.
"The winner..."
"Jian Chen!"
For several breaths...
Nobody reacted.
Then the entire arena exploded.
"Jian Chen won?"
"Impossible!"
"He actually defeated Jian Rui!"
"The Young Master defeated one of the ten disciples!"
Xiao Yue covered her mouth.
Her eyes were filled with disbelief.
Tears slowly appeared in her eyes.
She had watched Jian Chen struggle for sixteen years.
She had watched others mock him.
She had watched him endure humiliation.
Yet today...
He had finally stood in the arena.
And won.
Jian Chen slowly lowered his wooden sword.
His breathing was heavy.
His body was exhausted.
But his eyes remained calm.
Jian Rui slowly stood.
He looked at Jian Chen for several seconds.
Then he sighed.
"I lost."
There was no resentment in his voice.
Only unwillingness and respect.
The elder nodded.
"According to the rules..."
"Jian Chen is now the tenth-ranked disciple."
A clan disciple immediately approached carrying five jade bottles.
"These are your Body Tempering Pills."
Jian Chen looked at the bottles.
Five pills.
Combined with the Spirit Gathering Pavilion...
This was exactly what he needed.
He accepted them calmly.
"Thank you."
The elder then turned toward the crowd.
"From this moment onward..."
"Jian Chen will occupy the tenth cultivation position."
"He may enter the Spirit Gathering Pavilion tomorrow."
The crowd erupted once more.
But Jian Chen barely listened.
His gaze had already moved toward the pavilion.
Tomorrow...
He would finally enter.
He would have access to the spiritual vein.
And with the assistance of the Body Tempering Pills...
His cultivation speed would increase.
His eyes became deeper.
One meridian had allowed him to step onto the path of cultivation.
Now...
He would open the second.
Then the third.
And eventually...
Every meridian that the Heavenly Sword Scripture allowed him to awaken.
He turned around and walked down the arena.
Xiao Yue immediately ran toward him.
"Youth Master!"
Her face was filled with excitement.
"You won!"
Jian Chen smiled.
"Yes."
Xiao Yue looked at the five jade bottles in his hand.
"And you received Body Tempering Pills too!"
Jian Chen nodded.
"These will be useful."
She suddenly became quiet.
Then she looked at him carefully.
"You really are different now."
Jian Chen paused.
He looked at her.
"Different?"
Xiao Yue nodded.
"Before..."
"You always looked like you were afraid of everyone."
"But now..."
She smiled.
"You look like you're not afraid of anything."
Jian Chen was silent for a moment.
Then he looked toward the distant sky.
He couldn't tell her the truth.
He had already died once.
He had already experienced betrayal.
He had already stood at the highest point of the Divine Realm.
Fear...
Was something he had left behind a thousand years ago.
He smiled faintly.
"Perhaps..."
"I simply learned that there are some things worth fighting for."
Xiao Yue didn't understand.
But she smiled anyway.
Behind them...
Jian Hu stood at the edge of the crowd.
His expression was dark.
His fists were tightly clenched.
He had expected Jian Chen to embarrass himself.
Instead...
Jian Chen had won.
And now...
He had obtained a position inside the Spirit Gathering Pavilion.
Jian Hu's eyes became cold.
"Jian Chen..."
"So you've finally learned how to cultivate."
His lips curled into a sinister smile.
"But do you really think..."
"One victory is enough to change your fate?"
He turned around.
His footsteps slowly disappeared into the crowd.
Above the arena...
The Great Elder Jian Wuchen watched him leave.
Then his gaze shifted toward Jian Chen.
A strange light flashed through his eyes.
For the first time...
He no longer looked at Jian Chen as a useless young master.
Something had changed.
And he wanted to know...
Exactly what.