Chapter 13: Unstoppable Winning Streak, All Opponents Fall
After the shocking end of the first match, the second round of the Qingyun Sect monthly disciple competition officially began one after another. Many inner sect disciples stepped onto the stone fighting platforms with nervous expressions, their hearts filled with tension and unease. No one dared to underestimate any opponent anymore, especially after witnessing Ye Chen's terrifying strength with their own eyes. The atmosphere in the entire arena became extremely heavy, and every disciple held their breath, fearing that they would meet a strong enemy the moment they drew lots.
Ye Chen still sat quietly in the corner, his eyes slightly closed, adjusting the rhythm of his spiritual power. His mind was calm like still water, and the noise and commotion around him could not affect his state of mind in the slightest. He did not care about the strange looks from the surrounding disciples, nor did he pay attention to the cold stares from the elders on the high platform. All he thought about was stabilizing his current cultivation state, polishing his combat rhythm, and waiting for the next opponent to appear.
Soon, the deacons began to announce the second-round lottery results one by one. Names echoed across the arena, and many disciples either sighed with relief or frowned with worry after hearing their opponents' identities. When Ye Chen's name was read out, the whole crowd immediately pricked up their ears, all eyes turning to the fighting platform number seven, where Ye Chen was assigned to fight.
His next opponent was a well-known inner sect disciple with cultivation at the seventh layer of the Qi Refining Realm. This disciple practiced a famous heavy sword technique all year round, with fierce offensive power and strong physical strength. Many disciples had been defeated by his brute force in previous competitions. Everyone thought that this time, Ye Chen would finally face a tough battle, and it was impossible for him to win with just one move again.
The heavy sword disciple walked onto the platform with a cold face, carrying a black iron heavy sword on his back. His whole body exuded a fierce aura, and his spiritual energy surged wildly, deliberately releasing pressure toward Ye Chen. He stared at Ye Chen coldly and said in a deep voice: "You were lucky to defeat Liu Tao in the first round, but luck will run out soon. I have heard about your reputation, and today I will personally crush your so-called genius halo and let everyone see your true weakness."
The surrounding disciples all focused their attention, whispering and discussing nonstop. Some people hoped that the heavy sword disciple could suppress Ye Chen, while others waited to see how far Ye Chen could go this time. The elders on the high platform also leaned forward slightly, ready to observe the battle carefully. They all wanted to know whether Ye Chen's strength was real or just a temporary burst of momentum.
Ye Chen slowly stood up, walked onto the fighting platform unhurriedly, and glanced at the heavy sword disciple indifferently. His tone was flat without any fluctuation: "If you want to fight, just make your move. Don't waste everyone's time with meaningless nonsense."
His calm attitude instantly angered the heavy sword disciple. He let out a low roar, grabbed the heavy iron sword behind his back with both hands, and burst out with all his spiritual energy. The sword blade vibrated violently, carrying a strong gust of wind and terrifying cutting power, slashing toward Ye Chen's shoulder fiercely. The sword momentum was heavy and powerful, as if it could even split hard stone in half.
The audience held their breath, thinking that Ye Chen would definitely choose to dodge or resist with all his strength. However, what happened next shocked everyone once again.
Facing the terrifying heavy sword slash, Ye Chen did not retreat, did not dodge, and even did not take out any weapon. He just raised his right hand slightly, condensed a faint stream of pure spiritual power at his fingertips, and gently pointed forward.
A low bang echoed on the fighting platform.
The heavy sword's fierce momentum collapsed instantly like broken paper. The surging spiritual power of the heavy sword disciple was shattered in an instant, and a powerful counter-shock force rushed back along the sword body. The heavy sword disciple's arms went numb, his whole body trembled violently, and he could not hold the heavy sword anymore. The iron sword clanged and fell to the ground, while his body staggered back uncontrollably, finally falling heavily outside the fighting platform, his chest churning with blood.
One move again.
The seventh-layer Qi Refining disciple lost completely without any chance to fight back.
The entire arena exploded into an uproar once more. Shouts of shock and disbelief echoed everywhere. The disciples were completely stunned, their minds blank, unable to believe what they had just seen. Even the elders on the high platform stood up involuntarily, their eyes full of shock and horror. They finally realized that Ye Chen's strength was far beyond ordinary inner sect disciples, and even comparable to some quasi-core disciples.
After easily winning the second match, Ye Chen turned around and walked off the platform without any expression, returning to his resting spot to continue adjusting his breath. He did not even glance at the defeated opponent, as if such an opponent was not worthy of his attention at all.
Next, the third round, the fourth round, the fifth round came one after another.
Every time Ye Chen stepped onto the fighting platform, he defeated his opponent with the simplest, cleanest, and most casual moves. No matter whether his opponent practiced swordsmanship, palm techniques, fist skills, or body movement arts, no matter whether their cultivation was at the sixth layer, seventh layer, or peak seventh layer of Qi Refining Realm, none of them could last more than one move in front of Ye Chen.
His winning streak was unstoppable, sweeping all the way through the competition without a single pause.
The more matches he won, the more terrified the other disciples became. The originally arrogant inner sect elites all fell silent, no one dared to challenge him, no one dared to talk sarcastically behind his back. Even those core reserve disciples who had previously looked down on Ye Chen began to feel a strong sense of crisis in their hearts.
Zhao Hao, who was watching from afar, had an extremely ugly expression on his face. His fists were tightly clenched, and jealousy and killing intent surged in his eyes. He originally planned to defeat Ye Chen personally in the later rounds to establish his reputation, but now he realized that Ye Chen's strength was far stronger than he had imagined. If he fought Ye Chen now, he might not even be able to win.
The hostile elder on the high platform also had a gloomy face, constantly calculating in his heart, thinking of ways to stop Ye Chen's rise. He knew that if Ye Chen continued to win like this and finally obtained the direct disciple qualification, his own plan would be completely destroyed, and even his status in the sect would be affected.
Ye Chen ignored all these hidden calculations and malicious intentions. He only knew that he had to keep winning, keep moving forward step by step, use his absolute strength to suppress all doubts, break all obstacles, and firmly grasp the direct disciple quota in his hands.
The day was gradually coming to an end, most of the disciples were eliminated one after another, and only the top twenty strongest inner sect disciples remained in the competition. Ye Chen was undoubtedly the most dazzling dark horse and the most terrifying strongman among all the remaining people.
The competition was about to enter the most intense final stage.
And the real strong enemies were finally about to appear in front of Ye Chen.