Chapter 301: Chapter 155: Forming an Alliance

The figure standing tall in the center of the arena, spear in hand, was like a monolith, deeply etched into the eyes of all who watched.

Blood from the split web of his hand trickled slowly down the dark shaft of the spear.

Across from him, Xiao Bieli’s Long Sword had flown from his grasp, landing askew in the green flagstones yards away.

His face was ashen, his chest heaving violently. He forcibly swallowed a mouthful of blood that had risen to his throat, but a crimson trickle escaping the corner of his mouth was still jarringly bright.

He staggered to his feet, his usual aloof air—like the cold, clear light of the moon—completely gone. All that remained was incredulous horror and a trace of bewilderment.

’He, Xiao Bieli, the most outstanding genius of Cold Jade Valley, one of the Five Heroes of Yunlin Prefecture’s younger generation, who had never tasted defeat in all his duels... had actually lost?’

’And he had lost while using his hidden trump card, his newly formed Cold Ice True Qi, in an attempt to secure victory with overwhelming force—only to be crushed in a direct confrontation!’

’How is this possible?!’

After a brief, dead silence, a volcanic eruption of clamor burst forth!

"He... he won?! Brother Chen won!!"

A Wutai Sect disciple leaped to his feet, his voice sharp and distorted with extreme excitement, nearly cracking.

"My heavens! Chen Qing! It was Chen Qing who beat Xiao Bieli!"

"Hahahaha! We won! We won!"

"One spear! Just one spear thrust! So dominant! So satisfying!"

The area for the Wutai Sect disciples instantly plunged into an ocean of ecstatic joy. All their previous suppression, humiliation, and dejection erupted at this moment!

Countless people threw their arms in the air and shouted, their faces flushed, unable to contain their excitement.

Li Wang glanced at Li Lei beside him. The two exchanged a look, their eyes filled with utter shock.

’They had been in the Wutai Sect’s Inner Courtyard for years, but how long had it been since Chen Qing joined?!’

And now, Chen Qing’s strength had already far surpassed the both of them.

Yan Yaoyang’s tightly clenched fists slowly relaxed as he stared at the figure in the arena, his expression incredibly complex.

Even though Chen Qing had displayed his strength previously, Yan Yaoyang still hadn’t considered him a true opponent.

In his eyes, only Nie Shanshan in the entire Wutai Sect posed a threat to him.

’How ridiculous I’ve been.’

Up on the high platform, the stoic expression on He Yuzhou’s face finally melted away. The corners of his mouth curled up irrepressibly, and a formidable light erupted in his eyes!

’That old fox, Li Baichuan, didn’t screw me over this time!’

His gaze swept across to the opposing side with a clear sense of triumphant satisfaction.

"Good, excellent!"

Sang Yanping let out a long sigh of relief, feeling nothing but immense gratification at that moment.

Cold Jade Valley had run rampant in Yunlin Prefecture for years, always acting domineeringly, and the Wutai Sect had long been suppressed by them.

On a stage like this today, Chen Qing had won immense face for the Wutai Sect and thoroughly vented years of pent-up frustration.

Peng Zhen stared intently at Chen Qing, his breath seemingly catching in his throat.

He made up his mind to go back and scrape together the funds, to see if he could possibly come up with one million taels of current silver.

"To think the Cyan Wood Institute could produce such a talent!?"

Hong Yuandong and Tan Yang exchanged a look, both seeing the shock in each other’s eyes.

’This young man’s future is limitless. He might one day become a pillar of the Wutai Sect.’

Chu Jinyun supported a pale but bright-eyed Nie Shanshan as she watched Chen Qing in the arena, a tempest raging in her heart.

At this moment, a deep sense of regret washed over her.

’She was someone who had watched Chen Qing grow step by step.’

’When he first became a Chief Disciple, she could still console herself with the fact that the sect still had Shanshan.’

But the strength and potential Chen Qing had just displayed were simply too astonishing!

’If the Gui Water Institute had accepted him back then, it would now surely be the undisputed leader among the Five Institutes.’

’A peerless, uncut jade had been right before her eyes, and she had let it slip through her own hands.’

Chu Jinyun heaved a deep sigh and said no more.

Watching this scene unfold, Nie Shanshan felt an indescribable emotion welling up inside her.

’If Chen Qing was this strong, why didn’t he fight her for that drop of Three Hundred Years Earth Core Milk that day?’

’Why was that?’

’Could what Zhu Ping said really be true?’

Her feelings grew even more complicated. She whispered softly, "No matter what, I’ll remember this debt."

The Xuanjia Sect’s camp fell completely silent.

The sneer on Fang Rui’s face froze completely. His mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg, his eyes filled with horror and disbelief.

Shi Ziyi gasped. "The Tiger Elephant Sound... a Horizontal Hard Skill at the Transformation Realm... and his True Qi is so potent it’s at the Late Stage," she muttered. "This Chen Qing... is he some kind of monster?!" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Chang Xing’s beautiful eyes were wide as she stared fixedly at Chen Qing, as if she were seeing him for the first time. Her earlier feelings of pity were long gone, replaced by immense shock, and ripples spread across the lake of her heart.

Shi Kaishan’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’So the Wutai Sect was hiding a trump card like this,’ he thought. ’It seems Leng Qianqiu’s perfect plan has completely fallen apart. The balance of power for leadership of the alliance has been instantly reversed!’

He looked at He Yuzhou, his gaze profound and meaningful.

He Yueting was also moved. He subconsciously glanced at his son-in-law, Yan Yaoyang, then back at Chen Qing, who stood as straight as a spear in the arena. He sighed internally at the Wutai Sect’s flourishing fortune.

Commander Zhao of the Jingwu Guard froze, his hand still on his beard. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes as he whispered to the young man beside him, "I never expected the Wutai Sect to have someone like this. His Flesh Body, True Qi, and combat skills are all Upper Grade... This pond of Yunlin Prefecture is getting more and more interesting."

The people from the various powers, like Mist Rain Tower, Yidao An, and the Liu Family, all had their expressions change. They all deeply committed Chen Qing’s appearance and Martial Arts characteristics to memory.

After this battle, the name Chen Qing would surely spread like wildfire throughout Yunlin, and even to the surrounding prefectures!

Over at the Cold Jade Valley’s side, however, the atmosphere had dropped to a freezing point.