Chapter 77

Li Chen did not speak, his face calm, but there was a flame burning inside him, growing more intense, even emitting a faint, flame-like blood mist from his body, creating a dangerous atmosphere in the air.

Li Chen's personality, humble on the surface, was cold at its core. In the past, he killed bandits without hesitation. How much more so when Yang Ji dared to provoke him in public.

Yang Ji did not look up, his face showing no expression. But under the table, a small black shadow crawled out from his sleeve, head held high, aiming at Li Chen.

Although Yang Ji was not yet confident he could defeat Li Chen, he was not one to sit idly by and wait for death. If Xiao Ji were to bite him, even Li Chen would not survive the next day!

Li Chen's eyes flickered with uncertainty.

"Ha ha ha, you have spirit!"

Just as everyone was on edge, thinking Li Chen and Yang Ji would fight at the Dilon Restaurant, Li Chen suddenly burst into laughter, slapping the table.

"Let's go somewhere else."

Li Chen swept his sleeve and left the Dilon Restaurant without eating.

The conflict dissipated, and the candidates in the restaurant looked at each other, completely baffled. Only in a corner, "Wang Xuan," who had been eating a full meal of over thirty dishes, his body trembled, a bright light flashing in his eyes as he gave Yang Ji a deep look.

"Master, why didn't you teach him a lesson?"

"Exactly, letting him off like this is too lenient."

...

Outside the Dilon Restaurant, two guards of the Li Clan hurriedly followed, puzzled by today's events. They had been with the master for five or six years, and today's incident was too strange.

Given the master's character, unless there was something more important, he would never let the other party off easily.

"No need to say more. I have my reasons!"

Li Chen waved his hand, leaving no room for argument.

After leaving the Dilon Restaurant, Li Chen's mind was still on Yang Ji.

"What's going on? Where does that sense of danger come from?..."

A thoughtful light flashed in Li Chen's eyes. With his discerning eye, he could see that Yang Ji's cultivation was still far behind his.

But for some reason, just as he was about to teach Yang Ji a lesson, he suddenly felt a sense of dread. It was as if any move he made would bring great danger!

"Did I misjudge him? Is there something else about him that I don't know?"

Li Chen frowned, unable to figure it out.

A martial artist's intuition is never wrong. Although Li Chen did not understand why Yang Ji gave him such a strong sense of threat, that threat was real.

"Notify the family and keep an eye on this Yang Ji."

Li Chen said.

"Yes, Master."

The two guards replied.

"I underestimated him..."

Li Chen recalled the last moment he tried to strike Yang Ji, then disappeared down the street.

At the Dilon Restaurant, Yang Ji subtly circulated the blood qi in his body, easing the numbness in his arms, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

"I knew you had ill intentions."

Yang Ji thought. That last strike from Li Chen, which seemed to hit the round table, was actually meant to transmit blood qi through the wooden table to injure him.

"Fortunately, I trained under the waterfall for over a month, making my body incredibly resilient. Otherwise, I would have been seriously injured."

Yang Ji thought, harboring deep resentment towards Li Chen.

The situation was dire. Li Chen was at least at the peak of the Second Level of Martial Arts, nearly reaching the Third Level. Especially in martial techniques, his skills were even more terrifying, even bandits skilled in knife fighting were no match for him.

That last strike from Li Chen, which seemed casual, actually had the power of the First Level of Martial Arts. It was meant to intimidate Yang Ji, but Li Chen clearly did not expect Yang Ji's body to be so resilient.

"Yang Ji, how do you know that guy? It can't be that..."

Han Bin, now back to his senses, sat down in front of Yang Ji, hands on the table, curious.

"He's gone..."

Yang Ji smiled faintly, not giving a detailed answer, "You can have the food here."

Then, in Han Bin's stunned gaze, he left the Dilon Restaurant.

...

After the afternoon break, the competition continued. This time, Yang Ji's opponent was a candidate at the Tenth Level of Breathing. Yang Ji easily defeated him.

By the end of the second day, the number of candidates on Platform 10 had dropped to over 70, and Yang Ji's record in the Martial Hall was filled with victories.

By the end of the third day, the number of candidates on Platform 10 had sharply decreased to over 30. Most of the Breathing Realm candidates had been eliminated, and the remaining were mostly Martial Arts Realm candidates.

On the fourth day, Yang Ji won again, advancing smoothly. Only a dozen or so candidates remained on Platform 10, and the competition became more intense. The gap between the candidates was no longer so large, and many matches lasted nearly half an hour.

Yang Ji stood on the platform, eyes fixed on the opponent. As the opponent's blood qi surged, he unleashed the "Mammoth Fist," charging like a muscular, frenzied mammoth, limbs on the ground, moving in a strange manner. Suddenly, Yang Ji shot forward, becoming a blurred shadow, rushing towards the opponent.

"Boom!"

In the loud noise, the Martial Arts Realm candidate, who had unleashed the "Mammoth Fist," was hit by Yang Ji's powerful punch, like a cannonball. The sound of his ribs cracking, combined with the fierce wind, sent him flying off the platform, screaming in pain...

"Roar! ——"

A thunderous roar erupted from the crowd below, who were shouting in excitement.

"Another one, another one!..."

"Too fierce!"

"Yang Ji, Yang Ji!..."

...

Many candidates' eyes shone with admiration, a tribute to the strong. Over four days, Yang Ji had almost always defeated his opponents in one move.

Especially, no matter who his opponent was, what they had defeated before, or what martial technique they used, they always appeared foolish in front of Yang Ji. They seemed to offer their "weak points" and "vulnerabilities" to Yang Ji's punches.

This situation became more evident as the competition progressed, making it look like these candidates were actively cooperating with Yang Ji. This unique fighting style attracted a large number of fans for Yang Ji.

Each time Yang Ji competed, a large crowd gathered below. According to the rules of the Great Han Empire, candidates who lost in the competition could still remain in the Martial Hall until the end of the martial examination.

The purpose was to let the candidates witness the strength of the strong, feel the gap between them, and thus inspire and improve the candidates.

So, after four days, although many candidates had been eliminated, the Martial Hall still looked crowded, with people packed around each platform, as if many more were waiting to compete.

"This guy is too scary!"

In the crowd, some candidates who had witnessed the match had a look of shock in their eyes. They saw the situation more deeply:

"This guy's perception is too sharp. He can almost instantly spot the flaws in his opponent's moves, making his opponents look very foolish!"

This ability, while not displaying overwhelming power or a formidable aura, revealed something even more terrifying to these martial artists—talent, the talent to see through moves!