Chapter 962: Dog Desperation Leads to Recklessness

"He... he's actually... that powerful?" Mu Xiaolan asked, stunned. "But he's only at the Sovereign Profound Realm, how could he possibly..."

"Profound energy that hasn't even entered the Divine Way, yet it rivals someone who has just entered the Divine Origin Realm," Mu Sushan exclaimed. "Not just you, even I have never heard of such a thing. It's likely unprecedented in the history of our Snow Song Realm. This person your master brought back is truly extraordinary."

"Such unprecedented talent is probably enough to alarm even the Great Realm King."

Mu Xiaolan: "..."

Li Mingcheng gasped for breath, the various gazes around him piercing him like countless sharp knives. He never dreamed that Yun Che's strength would be so formidable; despite being only at the Sovereign Profound Realm, he could directly confront Li Mingcheng's power without being defeated.

At this moment, though astonished, he could no longer deny that Yun Che must not have cheated in the previous assessment!

He even held back in the Blizzard Realm.

He had waited years to take this assessment, all for the Jadefall Ice Soul Pellet. He had been determined to win it, but now, it was impossible to insist that Yun Che had cheated, which meant the Jadefall Ice Soul Pellet would fall into Yun Che's hands.

His first goal after entering the Frozen Cloud Hall was to quickly build his reputation and prestige through his extraordinary talent and his status as the Grand Hall Master's nephew. But now, under the watchful eyes of countless people, not only had he failed to establish his dominance, he had been utterly humiliated and had clearly become a stepping stone for Yun Che to display his power!

Li Mingcheng gritted his teeth, his body trembling slightly, feeling as though his lungs would burst from rage. He no longer had time to be shocked by how Yun Che, with only Sovereign Profound Realm profound energy, could possess such astonishing power. All he wanted was to step over him, to reclaim his dignity and prestige!

"Hmph..." Li Mingcheng growled. "Yun Che, you certainly surprised me. I admit I underestimated you, but you're not qualified to be arrogant in front of me!"

As he spoke, a faint blue light suddenly began to emanate from his body, gradually growing denser. When the light became somewhat dazzling, numerous ice spirits materialized around him, swirling rapidly.

The temperature in the Frozen Cloud Hall also plummeted at an astonishing rate.

With a soft chime, like ice crystals falling into water, a plum blossom-shaped profound seal suddenly appeared behind Li Mingcheng. As the plum blossom mark emerged, the pervasive cold in the air intensified dramatically. A bone-chilling cold pierced through everyone's bodies, then directly into their souls, making them shiver all over.

"This... this is..."

"It's the Azure Chill Array! Li Mingcheng actually mastered the Azure Chill Array!" Ji Hanfeng exclaimed in surprise. In all his years at the Frozen Cloud Hall, he had never heard of anyone being able to cast the Azure Chill Array at the third level of the Divine Origin Realm.

Profound practitioners who were closer instinctively recoiled, trembling. If the aura alone was so astonishing, the power of this "Azure Chill Array" was unimaginable.

Everyone could see that Li Mingcheng couldn't accept the previous outcome; he was utterly enraged and might actually kill Yun Che.

Li Mingcheng's continuously expanding aura made Mu Xiaolan feel a deep sense of dread. She quickly shouted, "Yun Che, get away! Li Mingcheng, are you insane?!"

"Heh... Yun Che!" Li Mingcheng extended his hand, a malevolent sneer on his face. "If you dare, try taking this move from me again!"

With a roar, Li Mingcheng crossed his arms, about to unleash the Azure Chill Array, but just then, a blur of light and shadow flashed before his eyes, revealing Yun Che's face.

BOOM!!!!

Yun Che, utilizing the Phantom Light Lightning Arc, instantly traversed dozens of feet like a ghost, appearing directly in front of Li Mingcheng and slamming his elbow viciously into Li Mingcheng's abdomen.

The collision produced a muffled sound like thunder.

Yun Che's physical strength was terrifying. This incredibly swift and decisive strike felt to Li Mingcheng as if it had suddenly erupted from thin air, leaving him completely unprepared. His previously upright body was instantly bent at a right angle, his lower abdomen completely caved in, his back grotesquely protruding, and the plum blossom profound seal that had just formed behind him immediately dissipated. Subsequently, he was sent flying like a cannonball.

*Thud*!!

Li Mingcheng flew dozens of feet in an instant, then crashed heavily into a pillar in the main hall behind him. With a dull thud, he bounced off and landed hard, chin first, in a perfectly executed face-plant. Two bloody front teeth flew far from his mouth, one of them coincidentally rolling to Yun Che's feet.

The main hall of the Frozen Cloud was utterly silent, save for the sound of countless jaws dropping.

"Ah... ahh... ah..."

Li Mingcheng clutched his abdomen with both hands, curled up on the ground like a shrimp, unable to stand for a long time. Blood mixed with white foam continuously seeped from the corner of his mouth, and even his groans were exceptionally faint and agonizing.

Dazed gazes fell upon Li Mingcheng. Everyone, especially Li Mingcheng himself, couldn't believe how he could be so utterly defeated by just a single strike from Yun Che.

The only possibility was that Yun Che's strength not only genuinely surpassed Li Mingcheng's... but far surpassed it!

If it had been anyone else, facing Li Mingcheng, the Grand Hall Master's nephew, they would never have dared to strike him so severely and humiliate him in such a way. But the one he provoked was Yun Che, a true force of destruction. Given Li Mingcheng's repeated provocations and his recent attempts to land heavy, even fatal, blows, Yun Che was certainly not going to let him off easy.

Although Yun Che had repeatedly warned himself to be as low-key as possible in the Divine Realm, something like nature, if it could be easily suppressed or changed, would cease to be nature.

Ji Hanfeng stared for several seconds before rushing to Li Mingcheng's side and carefully helping him up. "Junior Brother Mingcheng, are you alright?"

Although Li Mingcheng was in excruciating pain, his aura hadn't weakened significantly, and his internal injuries weren't severe. Ji Hanfeng let out a heavy sigh of relief. Li Mingcheng was the personal nephew of Grand Hall Master Mu Fengshu, who openly protected him. If anything serious had happened to him, even Ji Hanfeng would have been in deep trouble.

Yun Che stepped over Li Mingcheng's broken tooth, walked in front of Li Mingcheng and Ji Hanfeng, and said expressionlessly, "Five moves have passed, Li Mingcheng. Do you still claim I cheated?"

"You... ngh!" The moment Li Mingcheng spoke, bloody foam suddenly gushed from his mouth, and his upper body convulsed again in pain.

But how could the pain in his body compare to even a fraction of the humiliation in his soul?

He had waited and painstakingly cultivated for so long for this day, believing it would be his rebirth, the starting point for his meteoric rise.

He never expected that all of it would be ruined by someone from a lower realm, by someone whose profound energy hadn't even entered the Divine Way—someone he had previously considered worse than trash!

He absolutely would not attribute any of this to his own actions.

Yun Che no longer looked at him, nor even at Ji Hanfeng. He turned to Mu Sushan and said, "Senior Sushan, I believe I have sufficiently proven that I did not cheat, correct?"

As he spoke, he noticed Mu Xiaolan, standing beside Mu Sushan, gazing at him with wide, starry eyes and parted pink lips, looking completely stunned as if she didn't recognize him. He inwardly scoffed triumphantly: *This little girl finally knows how formidable I am, eh!*

"Hahahaha," Mu Sushan laughed heartily, stroking his beard, his eyes full of meaning. "To be frank, even I, though I never believed anyone could cheat in the Ice Profound Realm, also couldn't believe someone could stay there for so long with profound energy at the Sovereign Profound Realm. It seems my pride in my vast knowledge was, after all, merely looking at the sky from the bottom of a well."

"Not only did you avoid defeat in five moves against Li Mingcheng, you actually turned the tables and defeated him within just five moves, and it seems..." Mu Sushan's gaze shifted slightly. "This still wasn't your full power. The Ice Cloud Palace Mistress has brought an extraordinary prodigy to our Ice Phoenix Divine Sect this time. Though it's only our first meeting, in all my years, this is the first time I've been so eager to see what astonishing heights your future will reach."

Listening to Mu Sushan's incredibly high praise for Yun Che, Mu Xiaolan's already parted lips widened even further.

"...Thank you for the compliment, Senior Sushan." Yun Che gave a slight wry smile. With these words, his previous attempts to remain low-key in the Ice Phoenix Divine Sect were completely ruined.

The world Yun Che came from had no concept of the Divine Way, and this was his first day in the Divine Realm, so he had no idea how astonishing—or rather, "heaven-defying"—it was to defeat a Divine Way profound practitioner with profound energy that had not yet entered the Divine Way.

At least no one present had ever heard of such a thing.

This was also why no one believed Yun Che could pass the Ice Profound Realm assessment based on his own strength.

Mu Sushan held an extremely high position in the Frozen Cloud Hall, superior to all hall masters and instructors, essentially second only to Grand Hall Master Mu Fengshu. His words about Yun Che left not only the newly qualified profound practitioners, but even the official disciples of the Frozen Cloud Hall, utterly wide-eyed and stunned for a long time.

All gazes directed at Yun Che no longer held any trace of disdain or mockery. Remembering their previous jeers, they could only feel flushed with embarrassment.

"Hanfeng, give the Jadefall Ice Soul Pellet to Yun Che, then take Li Mingcheng to get healed," Mu Sushan said calmly, then extended his hand. "I haven't forgotten my promise from earlier. Since you've proven you didn't cheat, in addition to the Jadefall Ice Soul Pellet, I will also bestow this Star-Plucking Stone upon you. Used by you, it certainly won't be disgraced."

"..." Although Li Mingcheng was in agonizing pain from Yun Che's strike, he could still clearly hear the sounds around him. He heard Yun Che's mocking words, Mu Sushan's praise, and the rewards, all crystal clear. He, who should have been the focus, was now completely ignored, sprawling there like a broken-legged dog. He felt as though he could sense everyone's ridicule and pity, as if he saw himself becoming the future laughingstock of the entire Frozen Cloud Hall. As long as Yun Che lived, this shadow and humiliation would forever hang over him, ensuring he could never hold his head high again.

"Yun... Che..." Li Mingcheng's teeth chattered, his mind a chaotic mess. Suddenly, with a beast-like roar, he violently broke free from Ji Hanfeng and lunged in a twisted posture towards Yun Che, who had his back turned. He grabbed a long ice sword, concentrating all his frenzied power, and thrust it towards Yun Che's back with a wild yell.

This sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard. Not only was Yun Che's back to Li Mingcheng, but the distance between them was less than five zhang. Mu Sushan's expression flickered, but at such close range, even he couldn't intervene in time. Mu Xiaolan could only manage a terrified shriek.

"Ah—"

Before Li Mingcheng's attack, Yun Che had already clearly sensed a virulent resentment, on the verge of losing control, locking onto him, so he was prepared. The moment Li Mingcheng struck, Yun Che twisted his body like lightning, causing Li Mingcheng's frenzied sword to miss its target. Immediately, Yun Che's elbow slammed backward, crushing Li Mingcheng's profound energy aura layer by layer, and fiercely striking his chest.

The moment his power erupted, Yun Che's eyes flickered, and he quietly thought to himself: *Oops*.

Li Mingcheng's mad sword strike had concentrated all his power and hatred, leaving him completely without any defensive profound energy. This blow wasn't too heavy, but it would certainly cause severe injury to him in his current state...

"Ugh waaah ahhh ahhh..."

A terribly shrill scream echoed through the great hall. Li Mingcheng spewed a jet of blood over a zhang long into the air, flying sideways like a punctured blood bag, scattering blood. At the same time, a loud roar exploded in Yun Che's ear: "Stop!!"

Almost at the instant Yun Che struck Li Mingcheng, Ji Hanfeng, who had been rushing forward, suddenly launched an attack. A cold profound energy ruthlessly slammed into Yun Che's back.

No one expected Li Mingcheng to suddenly go berserk and launch a sneak attack on Yun Che, and even fewer expected Ji Hanfeng to suddenly attack Yun Che as well. Ji Hanfeng was an official disciple of the Frozen Cloud Hall who had reached the mid-stage of the Divine Origin Realm, completely incomparable to Li Mingcheng, and certainly not someone Yun Che could withstand.

Yun Che felt as if he had been struck by a mountain. His vision instantly went black, and he was violently sent flying.

"Yun Che!"

Mu Xiaolan cried out in alarm, quickly flying up to firmly catch the horizontally flying Yun Che. She swiftly dispelled the residual force on his body. Just as she was about to ask about his injuries, she suddenly felt that he seemed to have no signs of injury. She froze for a moment, then weakly asked, "Are you... alright?"

Yun Che's blood and qi surged throughout his body. He clenched his fists, his gaze snapping towards Ji Hanfeng, a surge of hostility erupting: "Ji... Han... Feng!!"