Chapter 75

Lu Zhan Nan's lightning-fast sword, which he believed would strike surely, missed its mark, foiling his plan to kill Yun Che with a single strike. Greatly surprised, he quickly spun around, his long sword sweeping out without hesitation, aimed directly at Yun Che.

Just as spears have a particular momentum, so do swords. The momentum of a spear is unmatched in its dominance, while that of a sword is unparalleled in its ferocity. As Lu Zhan Nan unleashed his sword momentum, it stirred up a whirlwind of energy. His sword, like a streak of light, shot towards Yun Che's chest.

Yun Che's expression remained indifferent. He casually shifted his body back a small step, effortlessly dodging Lu Zhan Nan's second sword. With a "shhhk" sound, the force of the sword ploughed a deep gash into the hall's floor, like a silver shark breaking through ice.

The power of this single sword strike made many disciples gasp in disbelief.

"Lu Zhan Nan isn't holding back at all, and both of his strikes were aimed at vital points... He clearly intends to kill!""Perhaps only Lu Zhan Nan would dare to kill someone within the New Moon Profound Palace. If this continues, Yun Che might truly meet his end here."

At the main platform, Qin Wuyou sat composedly in his seat. His gaze calmly followed Yun Che and Lu Zhan Nan as they fought. Although Situ Konghan kept motioning to him, hoping he would, as the Palace Master, stop this unequal battle, Qin Wuyou seemed not to notice Situ Konghan's signals and showed no intention of intervening, leaving Situ Konghan to fret impatiently.

Qin Wuyou gazed at Yun Che, his mind stirred for a long time... This young man indeed possessed only level one of the Elementary Profound Realm, there was no mistake. Yet, the moment he made his move, his profound energy fluctuated astonishingly. What was going on? Was he concealing his true strength? Impossible. If he could misjudge the strength of even a junior, then he would have lived these past few decades in vain.

Defeating Tie Hengjun at such a young age and in this condition, his strength was already enough to cause a sensation in New Moon City. If he were to defeat Lu Zhan Nan as well... then this battle, which he was witnessing, might just be the path to the rise of a future supreme expert!

From the very beginning, he displayed extreme arrogance, even appearing overly conceited and disrespectful. But was this truly his nature? When he faced Tie Hengjun, his attitude was completely different. Arrogant people are usually impetuous and easily agitated, but his aura and gaze remained too calm, a serenity that shouldn't be found in a sixteen-year-old. How could someone with such a gaze and aura be truly arrogant?

The only explanation then was that all his arrogant displays from the start were deliberate... even provoking and offending the Seven Great Sects was intentional!

Since he decided to enter the New Moon Profound Palace, yet deliberately provoked these Seven Great Sects, what was his ultimate goal?

Qin Wuyou's thoughts raced, but his gaze remained fixed on Yun Che, reflecting an admiration he couldn't hide.

At this moment, Yun Che was enveloped by Lu Zhan Nan's sword shadows.

Lu Zhan Nan's sword became increasingly fast. Though he held only one sword, he conjured dozens of sword shadows that filled the air. It was impossible to distinguish which shadows were real and which were illusions. Yet, amidst this terrifyingly dense storm of sword shadows, Yun Che's figure constantly flickered and shifted. The swords were like a tempest, yet not a single wound appeared on Yun Che.

This undoubtedly meant Yun Che's movement speed was... faster than Lu Zhan Nan's sword!

All the disciples in the hall were dumbfounded. The moment Lu Zhan Nan entered the arena, everyone thought Yun Che was completely finished. Under Lu Zhan Nan, Yun Che's most likely outcome was an instant defeat. Lu Zhan Nan didn't disappoint anyone; every strike after he began was stunning... But so far, he had unleashed nearly a hundred strikes, yet hadn't even touched Yun Che's clothes.

The instant Lu Zhan Nan's sword swung, Yun Che's body would immediately shift, causing Lu Zhan Nan's sword to only strike his afterimage every time. This was the minor-level "Star God's Broken Shadow" technique Yun Che was employing. With all 54 profound openings fully activated, he could unleash it instantly and at will, with very little profound energy consumption. Of course, there was a crucial prerequisite for all of this... Yun Che needed to possess incredibly sharp perception to instantly determine the sword's trajectory the moment Lu Zhan Nan struck.

The disciples in the hall remained silent for a long time. What they witnessed was not Yun Che's crushing defeat, but yet another shock. After staring dumbfounded for a long time, Situ Konghan muttered to himself in astonishment, "No wonder... He's actually perceiving through airflow! But in the early stages of profound cultivation, eyes are the primary means of perception. To be able to perceive and judge through profound energy aura and airflow, one needs to accumulate at least ten years of combat experience... at least, one should be over twenty-five years old to achieve that! None of the young disciples present can do it, yet Yun Che is only sixteen and has already reached this stage! And he does it with such practiced ease, so composed and flawless even when enveloped by sword shadows!"

"Xiao Lie... just what method did he use to cultivate such a monstrous grandson?!"

Streaks of sword light slashed towards Yun Che's body. As Yun Che swiftly dodged, the sharp aura carried by the sword's edge scraped his face and arms, causing a dull ache. Just then, Jasmine's warning voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "Finish this quickly. This is your first time activating Evil Soul, and you're already engaging in continuous battles; it's far too strenuous. You should already feel the burden on your body and profound veins. In your current state, Evil Soul can only be maintained for another thirty seconds at most. Exceeding that time, your profound veins could suffer severe damage."

Yun Che's heart jolted slightly.

"You trash, do you only know how to dodge?" Having unleashed over a hundred strikes without even touching a single hair on Yun Che, Lu Zhan Nan grew increasingly alarmed and let out an exasperated roar.

In a fit of exasperation, Lu Zhan Nan's profound energy surged wildly throughout his body. His sword momentum grew increasingly fierce. Under the sweep of sword shadows, a fiercely violent gale seemed to rip through the hall. The marble floor was continuously sliced and shattered by the sword qi, then swept up by the sword wind and scattered everywhere!

It seemed Lu Zhan Nan's words had an effect. As Lu Zhan Nan lunged with another diagonal thrust, Yun Che no longer chose to dodge with his incredibly elusive movement technique. Instead, he suddenly moved forward, charging directly at Lu Zhan Nan's body, facing the sword blade head-on.

Yun Che's action utterly delighted Lu Zhan Nan. He growled inwardly, "Idiot, seeking death!"

*Shhhk!*

Lu Zhan Nan's long sword viciously cut across Yun Che's left arm, drawing blood without suspense. But upon seeing the bloodstain his sword left on Yun Che's arm, Lu Zhan Nan was surprised rather than pleased... Because a strike infused with his level seven Elementary Profound Realm energy had only managed to cut a shallow wound on Yun Che. Forget about severing his entire arm, it hadn't even touched the bone!

Yun Che's protective profound energy was clearly only at level one of the Elementary Profound Realm!

While enduring that sword strike, Yun Che's right fist, imbued with his full power, slammed heavily into Lu Zhan Nan's chest.

*Boom!*

Could profound energy at level one of the Elementary Profound Realm possibly shatter the protective profound energy of a level seven opponent with a single strike?

Lu Zhan Nan had initially scoffed at Yun Che's strike, but his expression immediately changed drastically.

The protective profound energy around his chest shattered in less than half a breath. Lu Zhan Nan felt as if he had been struck directly in the chest by a thousand-pound sledgehammer. His internal organs churned violently, and he stumbled back seven or eight steps, nearly toppling to the ground.

Impossible! He clearly only had profound energy at level one of the Elementary Profound Realm! Even if his profound energy was much denser than others at the same level, he could at most contend with level three or four. Yet, he was almost an entire realm above Yun Che! How could he not break through Yun Che's protective profound energy, and how could he be so disheveled from a single blow?

Just as his mind was in chaos, his killing intent flared even stronger, and he prepared to unleash the Seven Kill Sword Pavilion's most powerful ultimate technique, he suddenly saw Yun Che extend his right hand towards him, a strange smile on his face.

"Explode!!" Yun Che's five fingers, which had been spread towards Lu Zhan Nan, suddenly clenched. A low word escaped his lips.

Just as everyone present was puzzled and awestruck by his action and the word he uttered, they suddenly heard a "whoosh" sound from Lu Zhan Nan. Immediately afterwards, Lu Zhan Nan's heart-wrenching screams echoed throughout the entire hall.

"Aaaarrrggghhh!!"

A ball of fire suddenly erupted from Lu Zhan Nan's chest, precisely the spot where Yun Che had struck him. It engulfed the flesh, bones, and even nearby internal organs in his chest area within its scorching flames. Lu Zhan Nan writhed in agony on the ground, desperately slapping at himself, trying to extinguish this "demonic fire" that seemed to come from nowhere. But these flames were ignited by the profound energy Yun Che had injected into his chest; unless he tore open his own chest, he couldn't hope to extinguish them.

For someone nicknamed "Cold-blooded" to scream like this, one could imagine the immense pain he was currently enduring. Flames scorching the body were already unbearable for ordinary people, let alone flames burning from within. Everyone's expressions in the hall changed; some turned ashen, some turned deathly pale, and some even trembled uncontrollably.

"It's fire... fire-attribute profound art! He actually possesses fire-attribute profound art!"

"My heavens! Isn't this 'remote profound ignition,' a capability only found in advanced stages of fire-attribute profound arts? This Yun Che not only has fire-attribute profound arts, but he's already reached this level... He's only sixteen! How is this possible!"

"So that's it! No wonder Yan Ming was in such a sorry state earlier. It wasn't some minor mistake by Yan Ming at all, but because Yun Che also possessed fire-attribute profound arts, and was clearly far more skilled than Yan Ming! Yan Ming trying to use fire in front of him was simply digging his own grave!" Watching the flames burst from Lu Zhan Nan's chest, many people realized this with fear.

Yan Ming, who had been defeated by Yun Che earlier, was now utterly dumbstruck. Remotely igniting profound energy—this was an ability that only manifested at the sixth stage of his sect's profound art cultivation. He hadn't even dared to dream of achieving it before turning thirty, yet Yun Che had accomplished it, demonstrating it without any pretense before everyone's eyes. At this moment, he fully understood that his defeat was no injustice at all. Playing with fire in front of a monster who could remotely ignite profound energy... it was like showing off one's slight skill before a master, inviting humiliation!

If, after being struck by Yun Che, Lu Zhan Nan hadn't gnashed his teeth and immediately charged up to "get even," but had instead, at the very first moment, used his own strength to expel the profound energy Yun Che had injected into his body, this result would absolutely not have happened. However, even though Lu Zhan Nan was repelled by Yun Che's punch, he still disdained Yun Che's strength. He could never have imagined that Yun Che possessed such powerful fire control abilities.

Yun Che walked to his side, looking at him with a hint of pity, and spoke calmly: "As I said before, I have no interest in your name. With strength at level seven of the Elementary Profound Realm, yet unable to defeat me, who is at level one, there's no need for me to know such trash."

After speaking, he scoffed lightly, flicked his finger, and the nightmarish flames on Lu Zhan Nan's chest finally extinguished.

Yun Che had no qualms about kicking someone when they were down, especially if he disliked them. Moreover, Lu Zhan Nan had developed killing intent towards him. If this wasn't happening in the main hall of the New Moon Profound Palace, under everyone's gaze, he certainly wouldn't have been so kind as to extinguish the flames on Lu Zhan Nan.