Volume 2: The Appearance of the Nine Provinces Map, Entering the Spirit Void Sect Chapter 161: Challenging Wang Ji

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Early in the morning, the disciples gathered in front of the ten arenas of the Demon Subduing Hall.

Following an impassioned speech by a sect elder, the grand opening of the Outer Sect Grand Competition's challenge rounds was officially announced.

Sure enough, many disciples shared the exact same thought as Chen Yu and his companions. The ten arenas were instantly swamped by eager challengers. Furthermore, the senior brothers they selected from the Yin-Yang Realm had all broken through to that realm only recently.

However, reality was not as simple as they had imagined. Even a recent breakthrough in the Yin-Yang Realm was not something mere One-Element Realm disciples could easily challenge.

As soon as the matches began, intense confrontations erupted on all fronts. Yellow talismans, hidden weapons, and various other means were instantly deployed, filling all ten arenas with explosive force.

"Hehe... Junior brothers, did you truly think there is no gap between the Yin-Yang Realm and the One-Element Realm? Did you really think I was the weakest of them all?" a Yin-Yang Realm senior brother mocked with dissatisfaction. "However, I must thank you for choosing me, as this allows me to advance with ease."

Almost without exception, all the challenging One-Element Realm disciples suffered defeat in this round.

Immediately afterward, another round of challenges commenced, and the outcome was self-evident—not a single challenger succeeded.

After three consecutive rounds like this, the One-Element Realm disciples grew somewhat desperate. They truly had not anticipated that the gap between the One-Element Realm and the Yin-Yang Realm would be so vast. It felt as though they had no chance of winning whatsoever. Even though they had mentally prepared themselves for this beforehand, experiencing it firsthand still left them filled with reluctance and melancholy.

"Senior Brother Chen Yu..." Xue Ren and the others looked at Chen Yu with deep concern.

By now, very few One-Element Realm disciples remained impulsive enough to rush forward; most were standing by and watching the situation unfold. Seeing this, Chen Yu smiled with calm composure and said, "I will be right back."

"Senior brother, please be careful," Xue Ren and the others could not help but shout anxiously.

Chen Yu's step onto the stage immediately drew the attention of many. After all, Chen Yu's performances in previous battles had been quite brilliant, often securing victories by fighting opponents superior in cultivation. Everyone was eagerly anticipating whether Chen Yu could shatter the barrier between the Yin-Yang Realm and the One-Element Realm, even though it seemed like a distant dream.

Chen Yu glanced over the Yin-Yang Realm senior brothers and spoke up, "Senior Brother Wang Ji of Bright Spirit Peak, please enlighten me."

"Me?" Wang Ji was slightly startled. He had not expected Chen Yu to choose him. The two of them were acquainted, even if they were not particularly close.

Xue Ren and the others also looked at Chen Yu in bewilderment. Wang Ji had broken through to the Yin-Yang Realm several months ago, and his strength was undoubtedly formidable. Why would Chen Yu choose him?

The reason Chen Yu did this was actually just a sudden impulse. After all, Wang Ji was among the very first people he had encountered when he first arrived in the Nine Provinces. Therefore, he wanted to see just how vast the gap was between his current self and them.

"You certainly have a lot of nerve, daring to challenge even me?" Wang Ji joked in a threatening manner.

Chen Yu simply smiled calmly and replied, "Senior Brother Wang Ji, please."

"Very well..." Wang Ji dropped all pleasantries, drew his sword directly, and said, "Make your move! I will let you take the first three strikes."

Chen Yu smiled. "Then I thank you."

He knew very well that the Yin-Yang Realm was not something the One-Element Realm could compare to. Therefore, rather than overthinking it, he immediately launched his offensive against Wang Ji.

As soon as Chen Yu struck, he unleashed the Clumsy Sword Technique. The seemingly plain and unpretentious sword stances contained hundreds of variations, and the ferocity of his sword momentum was enough to prevent even Wang Ji from taking him lightly.

Wang Ji let out a long shout, "Good... Chen Yu, to think you could cultivate the Clumsy Sword Technique to such a realm; I truly cannot underestimate you. Bright Spirit Sword Technique!"

As their sword blades collided, the sheer power behind Wang Ji's strike forced Chen Yu back two zhang in an instant.

"So strong!" Chen Yu thought inwardly with a solemn breath. Not only was he entirely unfazed, but he also felt immensely exhilarated, tightening his grip on his longsword. "Fight!"

Chen Yu launched his attack once more, executing the thirty-six Heavenly Gang arts he had mastered one by one. Faintly, he even showed signs of suppressing Wang Ji.

Facing Chen Yu's ferocious and unpredictable onslaught, Wang Ji could not help but feel a jolt of shock, being forced back step by step. Yet, defeating him through sheer force alone was still impossible.

"Haha... Chen Yu, you truly make me look at you in a new light," Wang Ji laughed heartily. "If you can genuinely defeat me, then a spot among the top two hundred will undoubtedly be yours."

Chen Yu's gaze remained steadfast, completely unaffected by Wang Ji's words. His only thought was to engage in a hearty, unreserved battle with Wang Ji.

Seeing this, Wang Ji furrowed his brows deeply, not daring to lower his guard in the slightest. The intense clash between the two completely astonished everyone present. Even the peak masters and elders turned their attention toward the arena.

"To think Chen Yu's strength has reached such heights. His talent is extraordinary."

"Peak Master Chu, is he the one you mentioned to me earlier?" Han Cheng, the peak master of Clumsy Peak, asked with a heartbroken expression, looking as though he had lost some precious treasure. He had noticed Chen Yu outside Northern Cliff Town back then, but having failed to pay him too much heed afterward, he had gradually forgotten about him. He never expected that Chu Yang would end up setting his sights on the youth instead.

"Hehe... Junior Brother Han, surely you aren't feeling reluctant to let him go now," Chu Yang chuckled craftily.

Although Han Cheng felt a pang of reluctance, since he had agreed to Chu Yang's arrangement long ago, he naturally would not go back on his word. Besides, in their view, even if Chu Yang took Chen Yu as a disciple, Chen Yu would still remain a disciple of Clumsy Peak; there was no fundamental difference.

The other peak masters understood the situation as well, and all looked at Chu Yang with surprise. "Senior Brother Chu, are you planning to take this Chen Yu as your personal disciple?"

"Hehe... Indeed. It was already settled several months ago," Chu Yang replied, determined to claim the disciple and prevent any of the other peak masters from cutting in.

"Tsk tsk... I never expected Senior Brother Chu to act so swiftly," one of the peak masters asked in puzzlement. "However, Chen Yu is a disciple of Clumsy Peak, not your Firmament Peak. How did you manage to discover him?"

"Haha... That is a secret!" Chu Yang laughed. "If I truly had to explain, I can only attribute it to fate. Haha..."

Naturally, the others did not easily believe his words, but none of them pressed the matter further. Even so, they remained deeply curious about what kind of talent Chen Yu possessed to arouse such strong interest from Chu Yang.

At this moment, the battle between Wang Ji and Chen Yu had reached an extraordinarily fierce stage. Sword Qi surged across the arena, and afterimages flickered endlessly.

"Junior Brother Chen, if you can block this next sword of mine, I will willingly concede defeat," Wang Ji said in a deep voice. Chen Yu's strength had exceeded his expectations; conventional methods were truly insufficient to suppress him. What shocked him even more was Chen Yu's adaptability. He realized that Chen Yu was growing rapidly through the combat, transitioning from being suppressed at the beginning to gradually holding his own. Moreover, Chen Yu's Dharmic power was profoundly deep; despite fighting for this long, he showed no signs of exhaustion whatsoever.

It was precisely for this reason that Wang Ji was forced to execute the second form of the Bright Spirit Sword Technique, a move he had yet to fully master.