Volume Two: The Map of Nine Provinces Appears, Entering the Spirit Void Chapter 160: The Grand Competition Finalized

Clang, clang, clang...

Chen Yu and Luo Bai separated once again. This time, it was obvious that Luo Bai was in a much more disheveled state than Chen Yu. He glared bitterly at Chen Yu, utterly astonished that Chen Yu had grown so powerful that he was actually being suppressed.

"This Chen Yu is terrifying. We haven't seen each other for just two months, yet his strength has improved by leaps and bounds," said Han Lian of Wuzhuo Peak with a helpless sigh. Having previously been defeated by Chen Yu, any lingering resentment in his heart had long since been replaced by pure awe.

Similarly, Su Xiang of Mingling Peak remarked, "His talent is truly frightening. I suspect that even now, he hasn't yet displayed his true, full strength."

"I simply cannot fathom how someone like this could have remained completely unknown in the past."

"With thousands of disciples in the outer sect, if he truly wished to conceal himself, who could possibly have found him?"

...

Unwilling to accept defeat, Luo Bai let out a long howl and charged at Chen Yu once more.

However, Chen Yu had already fully unraveled his sword momentum. Still using his fingers in place of a sword, Chen Yu swiftly met the assault. No matter how unpredictable Luo Bai's sword moves became, they could not escape Chen Yu's piercing gaze.

"Impossible! You couldn't possibly see through my flaws!" Refusing to believe it, Luo Bai roared and launched a reckless, do-or-die attack.

Holding back no longer, Chen Yu thrust forward with two fingers joined together: "Mountain-Shaking, Earth-Shattering Wind and Rain Golden Light Sword."

Dozens of finger images materialized instantly, colliding violently with Luo Bai's sword momentum. The very next moment, Luo Bai was blasted backward.

Yet, Luo Bai truly lived up to his reputation as an opponent at the First-Yuan Nine-Orifices realm. At the same time, Chen Yu had been a bit too overconfident; from this fierce clash, his two fingers felt as though they had been electrocuted, growing numb as thin trails of blood seeped from his fingertips.

Even so, Luo Bai's expression turned even grimmer. Clenching his long sword in frustration, he stared fiercely at Chen Yu for a long moment. In the end, like a deflated ball, he resignedly admitted defeat.

Chen Yu cupped his fists in a salute, feeling no overwhelming joy from his victory. Just as he was thinking of stepping down from the stage, another figure flew down from above.

"Zhao Zhan of Qingyi Peak is here to request your guidance."

This was yet another disciple at the First-Yuan Nine-Orifices realm.

Chen Yu calmly returned the salute and said, "Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."

This time, Chen Yu drew his actual sword and stood ready.

Seeing this, Zhao Zhan's eyebrows twitched involuntarily. He looked at Chen Yu with grave solemnity and said, "Here I come! Qingyi Sword Art."

His strike appeared ordinary yet carried an extraordinary weight, causing Chen Yu's heart to skip a beat. He thought to himself: *The intent behind this strike is immensely heavy. Is it focused on intent rather than the sword itself?*

Chen Yu quickly unleashed his sword, transforming it into a golden flash that sliced through the air. The collision of their attacks resulted in an evenly matched stalemate.

Yet this outcome deeply dissatisfied Zhao Zhan, who never expected the power of his strike to be neutralized so easily. Gathering his focus, he launched a rapid succession of fierce attacks, all of which were firmly blocked by Chen Yu.

Clang, clang... After dozens of exchanges, the two separated.

At that moment, Zhao Zhan let out a helpless shake of the head and conceded defeat outright, saying, "I have lost this match."

Chen Yu looked at Zhao Zhan in bewilderment.

"Fighting you has made me truly understand what it means when people say there are always stronger people beyond oneself, and heavens beyond the skies," Zhao Zhan said calmly. "I entered the outer sect grand competition merely to test my own strength. The notion of actually contending for a top ranking among so many senior brothers is entirely unrealistic. Therefore, whether I participate in the subsequent matches or not makes no difference. Furthermore, I have already witnessed many of my own shortcomings through you, and that is quite enough."

Chen Yu nodded in silent agreement, acknowledging the truth in Zhao Zhan's words.

Zhao Zhan then added, "Your strength is indeed extraordinary, Chen Yu, but if you truly wish to secure a prestigious rank, it is still far from enough. If you can manage to break through to the First-Yuan Nine-Orifices realm, you might actually stand a chance."

"Senior Brother flatters me," Chen Yu replied with a calm smile, his expression tinged with a quiet confidence that seemed to echo Zhao Zhan's sentiment.

...

Zhao Zhan's concession was something very few had anticipated. After all, he was someone who could rank among the top ten in the First-Yuan realm! With this outcome, who would still dare to challenge Chen Yu or claim that he lacked the qualifications?

Time passed quickly. All eligible disciples—totaling four hundred and fifteen individuals—completed their registration. The official competition would commence in three days, conducted in the form of challenges.

The rules were exceedingly simple. The First-Yuan realm disciples would initiate the challenges, and their targets had to be senior brothers from the Yin-Yang realm. A loss meant elimination, while a victory allowed the winner to enter the Yin-Yang realm tier. Once all First-Yuan realm disciples had finished their challenges, the disciples in the Yin-Yang realm tier would challenge the senior brothers of the Heaven-Man realm, and so on, until the final two hundred disciples were decided. Finally, a ranking contest would take place among these two hundred disciples, where they would freely choose their opponents for battle.

Chen Yu possessed a realistic sense of self-awareness. Although his strength had grown immensely, securing a high rank would be an arduous, nearly impossible task. Therefore, he viewed the matter with an open mind, refusing to pressure himself, and maintained a relaxed mood. Even so, he still intended to strive and give it his all.

Not long after returning to his quarters, familiar senior brothers and peers such as Xiao Gu and Xue Ren arrived one after another, mostly intending to offer comforting words of encouragement.

Chen Yu welcomed them all with a smile, naturally not wishing to dampen their warm solicitude.

That being said, seeing that Chen Yu had genuinely managed to break into the official outer sect grand competition, Xiao Gu and the others could not help asking, "Just how confident are you, Chen Yu?"

Chen Yu let out a self-deprecating chuckle and said, "What confidence could I possibly have? Those are senior brothers at the Yin-Yang realm we're talking about. I'll be content just lasting a few moves."

"Chen Yu, I think you'd better start your challenges right away three days from now," Wu Yue suggested. "Even in the Yin-Yang realm, there are varying levels of strength. You should push forward as far as you possibly can."

"Right, right... Just make sure you don't go picking the strongest ones right off the bat," Wu Yi and Yuan Xiao chimed in from the side.

Xue Ren went a step further, pulling out a comprehensive roster—none other than the list of the four hundred and fifteen participants in the grand competition.

"Oh... Junior Brother Xue, you even managed to get your hands on something like this," Xiao Gu said with considerable astonishment.

Xue Ren scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed smile and confessed, "Actually, my older brother gave it to me."

"Xue Xin?" Chen Yu, Zheng Geng, and the others looked over in surprise, as they were well aware of the complicated history between those brothers. Needless to say, this was a clear sign that the relationship between them had eased.

Xue Ren said, "Let's get back to the current situation. The Yin-Yang realm is divided into two stages: Yin and Yang, neither of which is inherently superior to the other. Among those hundred-plus Yin-Yang realm disciples, over fifty are still in the first stage. Therefore, as long as Senior Brother targets those individuals, you'll have a very high chance of advancing."

Chen Yu nodded, recognizing the soundness of that logic. However, there were also over a hundred disciples in the First-Yuan realm, and whether he could seize the opportunity before others did remained a significant question.

Chen Yu memorized the names on the list, feeling at least somewhat prepared. As for how things would ultimately turn out, he could only leave it in the hands of fate.