Chapter 16: Yan Jin and Mei Yuanzhi

Under the watchful eyes of Dongning Prefecture's five great clans, eight major academies, and other parties, the white-clad youth calmly walked onto the arena. His hands reached behind his back, and from a single scabbard, he drew two swords.

Holding a sword in each hand, angled towards the ground, he stared coldly at the tiger demon.

"Another little one," the tiger demon snarled, its face twitching. A gash marred its face, and its body bore over a dozen wounds, with a particularly large one on its lower abdomen.

"Kill!" Unwilling to delay, it lunged forward.

The white-clad youth, wielding a sword in each hand, met the charge head-on.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!* The tiger demon and the white-clad youth, Yan Jin, clashed directly. Although the tiger demon appeared stronger, with greater power and speed, its advantage seemed very limited. The youth's two longswords moved in a 'yin and yang' fashion; when one sword was suppressed, its energy was channeled and unleashed through the other. The more pressure he faced, the stronger his retaliatory burst became.

It was a brutal, head-on fight. The white-clad youth's swordplay had clearly reached the 'Unity Realm,' demonstrating superior technique. Occasionally, a new sword wound would appear on the tiger demon.

"This white-clad youth's sword art has also reached the Unity Realm, no less than Meng Chuan's," someone commented. "And he must have innate divine strength; otherwise, he couldn't contend with the tiger demon's power." "Such a young-looking kid, with innate divine strength?" Everyone was astonished.

Meng Chuan was also surprised. Among large populations, truly exceptional individuals emerge, born with extraordinary strength or speed. For example, his fellow disciple 'Wan Mang' possessed innate divine strength, matching the power of a Transformation Realm practitioner even in the Marrow Cleansing Realm. However, most people born with divine strength looked remarkably robust. For someone like the mysterious youth 'Yan Jin,' with his physique, to possess innate divine strength was quite rare.

The white-clad youth, utilizing the Unity Realm, where body, mind, and technique converged, unleashed power that was eighty percent of the tiger demon's strength. His speed was also seventy to eighty percent of the demon's. Combined with his twin-sword technique, he showed no fear of his opponent, and in their head-on combat, the tiger demon's injuries grew steadily worse.

"Roar!" The tiger demon roared again, its black and red fur glowing brightly. Its claws surged with power as it unleashed its demon king bloodline once more!

*Boom!* A deafening sound. The white-clad youth blocked with both swords simultaneously, forced back several steps by the impact, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. Yet, he stubbornly stood his ground, staring coldly at the tiger demon.

"He dared to block head-on?" Meng Chuan was slightly surprised by this. "Right, when the tiger demon activates its demon king bloodline, its power can completely overwhelm me. But against Yan Jin, the tiger demon's strength advantage isn't as significant. And Yan Jin's sword art clearly excels at deflecting force."

"Hmm?" The tiger demon looked disbelieving and immediately lunged forward to continue its ferocious assault. But with a *thud*—the large wound on its lower abdomen, unable to be suppressed under its full power, split open again, splattering blood. Blood also began to seep from other wounds on its body.

Seeing this, the white-clad youth charged without hesitation, continuing his furious twin-sword assault.

"Damn it, damn it! If only that brat hadn't wounded me so severely earlier." The tiger demon was furious. Its other wounds were shallow, but the one on its lower abdomen was too large and deep. Under the full exertion of its bloodline power, it could no longer suppress the wound.

Had it been unharmed, it would have preferred to fight this white-clad youth. Though the youth was physically stronger and more ferocious in close combat, the demon did not fear ferocity. Rather, it was the previous knife-wielder... who struck and separated instantly! That one was extremely elusive, and the knife was swift, strange, and unpredictable, which was why the demon had sustained such severe injuries.

*Puff, puff, puff.* Its injuries were too severe for it to unleash the power of its demon king bloodline again. The tiger demon could only struggle to resist, but its strength and speed were noticeably weaker, and it was completely overwhelmed by the white-clad youth, accumulating more and more wounds.

"The moment I was captured alive by a human Godfiend, my fate was sealed for this day," the tiger demon thought, feeling its life drawing to an end. When the white-clad youth's final sword thrust came, it offered no further resistance. The sword pierced the tiger demon's brow, completely penetrating its head. The tiger demon was dead! It hadn't managed to fight ten consecutive matches, dying after just two, and at the hands of two young Marrow Cleansing Realm practitioners.

"He actually killed it..." A silence fell over the crowd below.

The white-clad youth withdrew his swords and walked off the arena.

"Yan Jin of Yuyang Palace, are you not continuing?" a government official inquired. By custom, if a victor remained on the arena, Yuyang Palace would arrange a stronger demon for them to fight.

The white-clad youth walked silently towards his seat. The official sighed helplessly. Since he had left the arena, it was naturally considered a forfeit. Immediately, they waited for the Yuyang Palace soldiers to clear the tiger demon's corpse and bring forth a new demon.

"Hmm?" Sitting there, Meng Chuan noticed the white-clad youth stop in the Mirror Lake Academy's section. The youth turned to Meng Chuan and said coldly, "If you hadn't severely wounded it, its speed would have been thirty percent faster. It also could have unleashed its demon king bloodline for a longer time, and I would have had to flee." After speaking, he continued on his way to his seat.

His voice was somewhat cold. While he spoke, the dean of Mirror Lake Academy and its six disciples remained silent. They watched him leave and return to sit beside the Master of Yuyang Palace.

"That Yan Jin, he only said that one sentence from start to finish, and it was to Brother Meng," Wan Mang said in astonishment. "Indeed, from getting on the arena to leaving, that was his only remark. He's certainly cold," Bai Guan nodded.

Meng Chuan also looked at the white-clad youth with curiosity. He could sense the profound pride emanating from the youth, who seemed as aloof as a millennia-old glacier, disinclined to interact with others. He hadn't even responded to the official's question. Yet, he had deliberately spoken to Meng Chuan, clearly unwilling to take advantage of his contribution.

"This Yan Jin, he looks very young, perhaps even younger than Meng Chuan?" Meng Yanping, the Meng clan patriarch, murmured. "He doesn't seem old," Meng Dajiang replied. "With such high talent, yet still in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, he's probably no older than fourteen or fifteen." Individuals with high talent, even without a powerful family background, would receive full cultivation support from an academy, ensuring their training speed wasn't slow.

"It's starting," Patriarch Meng Yanping announced as another demon stepped onto the arena. "This is also a great demon, but it's just a bull demon. It seems the Master of Yuyang Palace specifically prepared that tiger demon for Chuan'er and for young friend Yan Jin," Meng Dajiang said with a chuckle. Tiger demons were rarer and more versatile, almost without weaknesses. Had it not been for its weakened state due to prolonged hunger, neither Meng Chuan nor Yan Jin would have been qualified to fight a great demon-level tiger demon.

One by one, the Transformation Realm disciples from the eight major academies ascended the arena to fight. Transformation Realm disciples were generally older; the youngest were sixteen, and the oldest were twenty. Any older than that? They couldn't remain in the academy and would have to serve in the military! According to academy rules, Marrow Cleansing Realm practitioners could train in the academy until age eighteen at most. Transformation Realm practitioners could train in the academy until age twenty at most. As for the Seamless Realm? As soon as one reached the Seamless Realm, they had to leave the academy, because the academy had nothing left to teach them.

The battles continued, and soon it was afternoon. The Transformation Realm disciples had also finished their fights.

The twenty-four Transformation Realm disciples were generally much stronger. Three of them had even comprehended secret techniques, and with their Transformation Realm foundations, they were more powerful than both Meng Chuan and Yan Jin. Thus, their battles were even more spectacular. However, in terms of potential, those three Transformation Realm disciples who had comprehended secret techniques were inferior to Meng Chuan and Yan Jin. Two of them had comprehended secret techniques at eighteen, and one at nineteen. Their chances of becoming Godfiends were significantly lower than Meng Chuan's and his peers'.

Meng Chuan's father, Meng Dajiang, and another Meng clan member named Meng Zhu, both comprehended secret techniques at nineteen, and likewise had dim prospects of becoming Godfiends.

Currently, in Dongning Prefecture, among the younger generation, the most talented was naturally Mei Yuanzhi, who had comprehended 'force'. Second was Meng Chuan! Following them were the three Transformation Realm practitioners who had comprehended secret techniques. Of course, the white-clad youth 'Yan Jin' should also be comparable to Meng Chuan, or even superior, but it was speculated that he was a foreigner. Otherwise, it would be impossible for the five great Godfiend clans to have no information about him.

"The battles of the eight major academy disciples have concluded," a government official announced loudly, his voice echoing. "Now, for today's final demon-slaying battle."

"The final battle?" Everyone was surprised. Meng Chuan also listened attentively, having thought the events were over.

The official continued with a smile, "The final battle will be Mei Yuanzhi against a great centipede demon that has condensed a demon core." "Mei Yuanzhi? I didn't expect him to fight today," Meng Chuan's eyes lit up.