The next day, Zhaang Ye headed to Huiwu Mountain again. This time, far fewer people went—just Zhaang Tianlong, Zhaang Yijian, Zhaang Ying, Zhaang Yizhi, and Zhaang Ye, five in total.

Zhaang Ye glanced over and noticed that while Zhaang Ying and Zhaang Yizhi’s faces were perfectly calm, their eyes betrayed a hint of nervousness. Zhaang Yijian, on the other hand, was likely very confident in his own strength; he showed no signs of tension at all, his every move composed and unhurried.

What surprised Zhaang Ye was that even Zhaang Tianlong, an Elder, seemed nervous. Beyond the tension, his expression also held a trace of anticipation and excitement. Though he hid it well, Zhaang Ye still spotted it.

The five of them traveled in silence and soon arrived at the summit of Huiwu Mountain.

By then, the other three great families of Cyan Mulberry City had also reached the summit. The twenty young experts from the four families quickly gathered and began to draw lots to determine the matchups. The system was simple: two identical bamboo slips were created for each bout. The two who drew the matching slips would be opponents.

Zhaang Ye casually drew a bamboo slip and glanced at it. The words "Match Two" were written on it. Scanning the crowd, he saw that the bamboo slip held by Lee Yan, an expert from the Lee Family, also read "Match Two." Needless to say, Zhaang Ye’s opponent would be Lee Yan.

The drawing of lots soon concluded.

The two combatants in the first match were Lee Xiu, who had once tested his strength against Zhaang Ye, and Luo Zheng, a True Disciple from the Luo Family.

The two nodded to each other and immediately began their fight.

Lee Xiu was a rough, burly man, but the saber in his hands moved like wind and snow. The entire Martial Arts Arena filled with the afterimages of his swings.

Luo Zheng, meanwhile, used a sharp sword. The moment he began to display his swordsmanship, Zhaang Ye felt a sense of familiarity. It turned out that Luo Zheng was using a Luo Family swordsmanship—the Seven Seas and Heaven Swords. Zhaang Ye had once obtained the Sword Manual for this technique from another Luo Family True Disciple, Luo Jianqing, and had studied it for a time.

Although Zhaang Ye hadn’t been able to grasp its most profound subtleties, his exceptional Comprehension had given him a considerable understanding of the swordsmanship. The moment he saw Luo Zheng unleash the Seven Seas and Heaven Swords, Zhaang Ye knew that Lee Xiu was probably no match for him.

The executed Seven Seas and Heaven Swords technique possessed a grand and majestic aura. What shocked Zhaang Ye even more was that as Luo Zheng brandished his long sword, an eight-foot-long stream of Sword Qi shot from its tip, clearly visible to the naked eye.

Sword Qi itself wasn’t anything particularly special. Any Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Third Layer could use their internal True Qi to imbue a long sword and emit Sword Qi. However, channeling Sword Qi was an extremely taxing affair; just a few blasts could exhaust one’s entire reserve of True Qi. Thus, despite its power, very few people would actually use Sword Qi in an attack.

SWOOSH!

With a wave of his long sword, Luo Zheng sent an eight-foot stream of Sword Qi slashing forward. The eight-foot Sword Qi, combined with the length of his sword and arm, gave Luo Zheng an attack range of over ten feet. That single, simple slash was enough to completely suppress Lee Xiu’s offensive.

SWOOSH! Just as Lee Xiu was about to launch a new offensive, Luo Zheng’s second strike arrived. This slash also carried an eight-foot stream of Sword Qi. Faced with such a fierce attack, Lee Xiu couldn’t even dodge; he had no choice but to execute his Saber Technique and forcibly block it.

SCREEEEEECH—

Lee Xiu’s saber clashed with the Sword Qi, emitting a high-pitched, tooth-grinding screech. A small section of the saber’s blade was actually dissolved by the fearsome Sword Qi, and Lee Xiu himself was thrown back several steps by the impact. A trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth; he had clearly been injured in the exchange.

Pressing his advantage, Luo Zheng unleashed a third stream of Sword Qi. The Martial Arts Arena was only a few dozen feet wide, and the Sword Qi covered an eight-foot area. Facing this third attack, a helpless Lee Xiu could only grit his teeth and block it once more.

KRAK—

After a sharp crack, Zhaang Ye clearly saw another section of Lee Xiu’s saber dissolve. The force of the fierce Sword Qi sent Lee Xiu himself flying straight off the Martial Arts Arena.

Zhaang Ye grew pensive. ’When Sword Qi reaches a certain level of power, it can actually dissolve things.’ He vaguely felt that to perfect his third saber strike, he would have to find a solution involving Sword Qi.

The third saber strike required two types of force: a Rotating Power and a Dissolving Power. Zhaang Ye had already gained a good understanding of the Rotating Power, but he was completely clueless about the Dissolving Power. Now, however, the battle between Luo Zheng and Lee Xiu had given him a great deal of inspiration. He muttered to himself, "This Sword Qi... what exactly is it?"

Zhaang Yijian, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up. "Whether it’s a saber, a sword, or a spear, all weapons forged from metal contain a measure of Gold Essence Qi. When this Gold Essence Qi is stimulated by True Qi, it erupts mixed with the True Qi, forming Sword Qi. Among the Five Elements, Metal is the sharpest. When True Qi is mixed with Gold Essence Qi, its power increases dramatically. That’s why Lee Xiu’s saber was immediately dissolved when it touched the Sword Qi..."

Realization dawned on Zhaang Ye. He was about to ask for more details when he heard the referee on the Martial Arts Arena call out, "Prepare for the second match! Zhaang Ye and Lee Yan, to the stage!"

Hearing the referee’s call, Zhaang Ye had to suppress his thoughts and walk onto the Martial Arts Arena.

At that moment, Lee Yan also walked onto the Martial Arts Arena.

Lee Yan was not tall, but he had thick limbs, and his entire body was covered in bulging, brass-colored muscles that looked powerful under the sun. After stepping onto the arena, he twisted his body slightly, producing a series of crisp clanging sounds, like metal striking metal—clear and pleasant to the ear.

He said slowly, "Zhaang Ye, I hear you also practice Body Refining Techniques. Now, I will show you what true power really is."

As he spoke, Lee Yan took a step forward, lightly placing one foot on the floor of the Martial Arts Arena.

BOOM!

From just that light step, the entire Martial Arts Arena boomed.

Hearing this sound, someone in the crowd below gasped. "I can’t believe Lee Yan has cultivated his Purple Copper Golden Body to the Minor Achievement Realm! To practice this technique, you have to go into a Purple Copper Ore mine and absorb the essence of the ore day after day, integrating it into your body. The further you cultivate it, the heavier your body becomes. For Lee Yan to make the arena tremble with just a light step, he must weigh at least two thousand jin!"

Although Zhaang Ye was on the Martial Arts Arena, he could still hear the chatter from below. The fact that Lee Yan’s Purple Copper Golden Body technique could make him weigh over two thousand jin greatly piqued his interest.

Just then, Lee Yan launched an attack.

WHOOSH!

Lee Yan instantly closed the distance to Zhaang Ye and threw a heavy punch.

Those who practice Body Refining Techniques possess strength far greater than that of ordinary Martial Artists. Lee Yan did not cultivate the True Qi in his Dantian, focusing solely on his physical body and raw power. His physique was unnaturally tough, and his strength was abnormally great. A simple punch could whip up a violent wind. Even when the fist was still over ten feet away, Zhaang Ye could feel a sharp, imposing aura emanating from it—an aura just like Sword Qi!

’What a strange Body Refining Technique!’ Zhaang Ye was slightly startled. But instead of dodging or evading Lee Yan’s strike, he abruptly raised his own fist and threw it forward to meet the incoming punch.

The crowd below was stunned to see Zhaang Ye meet Lee Yan’s attack head-on. After his performance at the Memorial Stone, everyone knew Zhaang Ye practiced a Body Refining Technique and possessed considerable strength. But no matter how formidable he was, they refused to believe he could be stronger than Lee Yan!

After all, Lee Yan was a cultivation maniac. For the sake of power, he had spent month after month, year after year, cultivating in a dark, gloomy mine—for more than a decade. Zhaang Ye, on the other hand, was merely a teenager. No matter how talented he was, he couldn’t possibly compare to Lee Yan!

A cold sneer touched Lee Lie’s lips. He knew exactly how powerful Lee Yan was and eagerly awaited the moment Zhaang Ye’s fist was shattered.

A cold sneer also touched Lee Xiu’s lips. He was still disgruntled about being overpowered by Zhaang Ye at the weapons shop. ’Now that Zhaang Ye is arrogant enough to clash head-on with Lee Yan,’ he thought, ’he’s about to get what he deserves.’

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhaang Ye’s fist and Lee Yan’s fist slammed viciously together.

DING!

The two fists collided with the clang of striking metal. Both men possessed immense strength, and the force of their impact sent cracks spiderwebbing across the arena floor beneath them, blasting stone fragments in all directions!

"Huh?"

The spectators below were shocked to discover that after clashing head-on with Lee Yan, Zhaang Ye was still standing perfectly steady. In fact, it didn’t look like he had suffered in the slightest!

"This..." Someone gasped. "Zhaang Ye’s Body Refining Technique is just too incredible! Lee Yan is basically a Metal Man from head to toe. How can he trade blows with an immensely powerful Metal Man and come out with his fist and arm completely unharmed?"

If the spectators were shocked, then Lee Yan, Zhaang Ye’s opponent, was utterly astounded. He had spent years cultivating in the Purple Copper Ore mine. Now, his entire body was fused with Gold Essence Qi, making it as hard and heavy as Purple Copper itself. When he threw a punch, the Gold Essence Qi would surge forth, sharp and fierce, just like Sword Qi.

Zhaang Ye didn’t look the least bit muscular or powerful. And yet, this same person had fearlessly met his Gold Essence Qi, ignored his overwhelming strength, and traded a blow with him without losing ground!

How could Lee Yan possibly accept this!

’This Zhaang Ye kid is strange,’ Lee Yan thought, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes. ’But no matter what, no one can surpass me in strength!’ His fist suddenly morphed into a claw as he lunged, grabbing for Zhaang Ye!

But at that exact moment, Zhaang Ye also changed his fist into a claw and grabbed back!

DING! The Ancient Elephant Power and the Purple Copper’s Gold Essence Qi clashed with a clear ringing sound. Lee Yan let out a wild laugh and tightened his grip, intending to lift Zhaang Ye off his feet. But just then, he saw a faint smile appear on Zhaang Ye’s lips. Before he could understand why, he felt Zhaang Ye’s hand suddenly tighten, and an unimaginably immense force erupted from his grip!

His body suddenly felt light, and Lee Yan was horrified to find that Zhaang Ye was lifting *him*! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)