Chapter 462: Chapter 252: Showdown

Yang Yuanzhou looked at Xu Yang, his meaning clear. ’You’re ranked behind Du Chuan. Don’t you want to fight him for third place on the Ten Heroes List?’

Xu Yang was unmoved. He had no intention of challenging Du Chuan.

Lu Ren, Sun Tao, and Han Feng, who were ranked further down, lacked the strength to challenge those at the top. Just as the proceedings were about to stall, Ye Qiuling’s melodious voice rang out.

"Junior Brother Du Chuan, how about a friendly match between us?"

’Du Chuan was third and she was fifth,’ Xu Yang thought. ’I thought she didn’t have a competitive bone in her body, but it looks like I was wrong.’

’She must not be confident about taking first or second, so she’s aiming to beat Du Chuan for third place on the Ten Heroes List.’

’After all, even though her Ten Heroes List rank was higher than Zhang Hanzhou’s and Qi Xuancheng’s, she was like Lu Ren—her high placement was thanks to her talent in Alchemy. Her pure Martial Arts Talent didn’t actually put her above them.’

"With an invitation from Senior Sister Ye, how could I possibly refuse?" Du Chuan replied with a gentle, scholarly smile.

Ye Qiuling of Medicine King Peak was the object of countless Inner Sect Disciples’ desires, and Du Chuan was no exception.

With her ethereal air and exquisitely beautiful face, Ye Qiuling soon joined Du Chuan on the platform.

"Junior Brother Du, weapons are dangerous. Why don’t we compete with just our fists and feet?" Ye Qiuling suggested softly.

"Alright!" Du Chuan nodded in agreement.

"Blinded by lust!"

On the viewing platform, Du Qingpu couldn’t help but curse. That "weapons are dangerous" line was complete bullshit! Everyone knew that old deviant, Elder Li Yang, was best at Palm Techniques, while his Du Family specialized in Sword Techniques.

By giving up his greatest strength and facing a Ye Qiuling who was already on the verge of breaking through to the Celestial Essence Realm, Du Chuan’s defeat was practically a foregone conclusion.

"Be careful, Junior Brother Du!"

On the platform, Ye Qiuling called out a crisp warning as green Gang Qi surged from her body. The aura of her Marrow Cleansing Perfection was staggering.

Cyan Wood Technique!

One of Medicine King Peak’s main legacy techniques, a Superior Technique for cultivating Anomalous Gang Qi.

Ye Qiuling’s aura was tranquil and peaceful, like a spirit of nature exuding vitality.

Without another word, her small fist gathered a green Fist Gang. With a light tap of her toes on the platform, her figure vanished.

BOOM!

Many in the crowd stared, dumbfounded. With a single stomp, Ye Qiuling was like a rampaging T-Rex, making the entire platform thunder.

’This woman’s physical body... it must have reached the point where she can block a Half-Spirit Weapon with her bare hands,’ Xu Yang’s gaze sharpened.

Her petite frame concealed terrifying, explosive power.

Her body tore through the air with a sonic boom as a fierce wind erupted around her. She threw a punch, her small fist generating a visible shockwave.

Du Chuan’s scalp went numb, his face a mask of horror. ’A woman... cultivated her physical body to such a terrifying degree?’

Before the fist even arrived, the terrifying pressure of the blow weighed him down like an invisible boulder, causing his Protective Gang Qi to roil violently.

He wanted to dodge, but the overwhelming power of the attack locked him in place; he had a gut feeling that if he moved, he would be met with a relentless storm of blows.

Instead of retreating, Du Chuan raised his fists, blocking Ye Qiuling’s punch in the nick of time.

BANG!

The small fist felt impossibly heavy. A tremor ran through Du Chuan as cracks spiderwebbed across his Protective Gang Qi, which then exploded with a bang.

His face fell. The immense force felt like a landslide and a tsunami combined, threatening to shatter his very bones.

As his qi and blood roiled and his organs felt as if they were being rearranged, he was sent flying backward like a ball struck by a sledgehammer. He landed with a flushed face, barely managing to stay on the platform.

"Care to continue, Junior Brother Du?" Ye Qiuling asked with a smile, remaining where she stood without pressing the attack.

Her body could already withstand a Half-Spirit Weapon; she had been holding back. Otherwise, that single punch would have been enough to shatter his bones and rupture his internal organs.

This was the advantage of seniority. Her innate talent might not have been a match for Du Chuan’s, but since she had joined the sect a few years before him, she could completely overwhelm him despite them being in the same realm.

"I concede. Thank you for your mercy, Senior Sister Ye," Du Chuan said, cupping his fists with a wry smile.

He knew that even with his Sword Technique, he would be helpless against this level of power. He wouldn’t be qualified to truly contend with Ye Qiuling until his own Body Refining Technique reached Minor Achievement.

He turned and jumped off the platform.

"Ye Qiuling is victorious, taking third place among the Ten Heroes! Does anyone wish to challenge her?" Yang Yuanzhou shouted.

His words were actually directed at Xu Yang.

With Du Chuan defeated, and Jiang Fan and Li Chuyang still nominally holding first and second place, the situation was clear. Zhang Hanzhou and Qi Xuancheng were obviously going to fight for those top two spots. That left only Xu Yang with the standing to challenge Ye Qiuling.

Xu Yang said nothing.

Yang Yuanzhou asked again, "Does anyone else wish to challenge another?"

Still, no one spoke. Du Chuan didn’t challenge Xu Yang either.

His rank was now lower than Xu Yang’s, giving him the right to issue a challenge. But there was no point. With Jiang Fan’s and Li Chuyang’s final rankings still undecided, any spot he gained by defeating Xu Yang would just be taken by one of them later.

Time slowly passed until, finally, both Li Chuyang and Jiang Fan had finished recovering.

Jiang Fan and Zhang Hanzhou were the first to ascend the platform.

"I concede!" Jiang Fan said directly, cupping his fists.

He had only achieved Marrow Cleansing Great Success a few months ago, while Zhang Hanzhou, Qi Xuancheng, and even Ye Qiuling had long been preparing to break through to the Celestial Essence Realm. If they fought for real, he had no confidence in a guaranteed victory.

Besides, he wasn’t a belligerent person by nature and was indifferent to fame and fortune. If Li Chuyang wasn’t so annoying, he never would have fought him in the first place.

His words left the crowd both surprised and unsurprised. Everyone knew the Young Master Marquis was prone to unexpected actions. If he were the type to care about fame and victory, he wouldn’t have hidden his identity as an Outer Disciple back in the day, letting Ah Ya treat him like a toad lusting after a swan’s flesh.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.