Chapter 42

While this was happening, Ye Juntian experienced a significant change. After the massive explosion, his ability to absorb luck and refine and store blood energy was about twice as fast as before. This meant that his blood energy abilities would be even stronger in the future. With faster absorption, it was like accelerating his cultivation.

Others would need three days to refine the amount of blood energy he could produce in one day. Ye Juntian was overjoyed, thinking to himself, "I'm just awesome." It seemed that he would need to further explore the "black hole" to understand its nature. If the black hole were as big as a fist, wouldn't his abilities be even more powerful?

This small explosion of the black hole also brought about its evolution. Ye Juntian believed that by the time he reached the Earth Martial Realm, it would definitely be larger and more powerful.

Even more, Ye Juntian was secretly delighted. If the black hole in his stomach truly became a cosmic black hole, what kind of scene would that create? Just thinking about it made him shudder.

Of course, Ye Juntian could only consider this a dream. For the black hole in his stomach to become a cosmic black hole was almost laughable. Wouldn't it be able to devour stars?

That night, the first round of the ranking tournament ended.

The two strongest on the first stage were Ye Hua and Ye Biao. On the second stage, the champion Ye Qin was replaced by the dark horse Ye Li, and the highly anticipated Ye Family disciple Ye Qing was replaced by Ye Pao. Two dark horses appeared on the second stage. On the third stage, it was Ye Dongtian and Ye Juntian.

The top six were Ye Hua, Ye Biao, Ye Li, Ye Pao, Ye Dongtian, and Ye Juntian. All of them were young, fitting the criteria for the City Lord's Newcomer Tournament.

The top six entered the final round of the ranking tournament, but only three disciples could advance to the Iron Rank. This meant that to advance to the Ye Family's Iron Rank, one had to place in the top three. All six disciples were at the Fourth Level of the Pulse Movement Realm.

This time, the new disciples advancing to the Iron Rank were the strongest. In the past, Third Level Pulse Movement Realm cultivators could enter the Iron Rank. This time, all six were at the Fourth Level, and only three could advance. Each would have to face one match, and the final ranking would be determined by the number of matches and points.

The draw results showed that the first match of the final round was between Ye Juntian and the dark horse Ye Pao.

Ye Pao, with a tiger-like appearance, looked rather simple and honest. He came from a humble background, similar to Ye Xie's situation. However, he managed to carve out a path for himself, indicating his extraordinary talent.

"Ye Pao, knock that waste of space off the stage," Ye Hua shouted arrogantly.

"Right, Ye Pao, if you can knock that waste of space off, I'll give you a first-grade Blood Replenishing Pill," Ye Dongtian said bluntly. His father, the steward, had made a fortune.

"I'll do my best, but Brother Juntian is also strong. And, Brother Dongtian, you must keep your word," Ye Pao said humbly and sincerely, glancing at Ye Juntian. "Brother Juntian, I'm going to attack. Black Tiger Fist!"

"Of course, the Blood Replenishing Pill is right here. Show me what you've got," Ye Dongtian patted his pocket.

The Black Tiger Fist was a medium-grade Earth Rank martial technique of the Ye Family. It emphasized the hardness of the fist, with each punch delivering astonishing power, similar to a boxing match on Earth.

Ye Pao was not particularly tall, standing at about 1.7 meters, but he was very muscular, weighing around 180 pounds. His punch created a strong wind.

Combined with his large frame charging forward, it was like a speeding train. Even the specially made wooden stage shook with a thunderous sound.

Ye Juntian quickly spun and moved behind Ye Pao, but it seemed as if Ye Pao had eyes on his back, and he countered with an elbow strike. Ye Juntian was taken aback; this big guy's punching speed wasn't slow at all.

He sidestepped and blocked Ye Pao's arm, but the impact made him stagger slightly. His arm felt numb. Damn, this kid's punches are not only fast but also powerful. Ye Juntian sensed that this guy had a super-level attack capability.

Before Ye Juntian could think more, Ye Pao suddenly spun 360 degrees and kicked with the wind.

Ye Juntian, with keen eyesight, found an opening and inserted his hand into the spinning leg. He thrust two fingers like steel rods into Ye Pao's thigh, causing him to stagger and almost fall.

Ye Pao immediately stopped, standing still like a mountain, and then he became like a bow ready to fire, aiming at Ye Juntian. At that moment, Ye Pao seemed to have transformed. He no longer looked simple and honest.

His gaze was sharp, like a drawn sword, staring at Ye Juntian. Ye Juntian remained still, clearly waiting for Ye Pao to make the first move. You move, I move; you move, I find your opening and attack.

"Ha!" After a minute, Ye Pao suddenly roared. A wave of sound came, and he suddenly crouched like a toad.

What the hell, is he going to use the Toad Technique like Ouyang Feng? Ye Juntian thought, curious to see what he would do.

Soon, Ye Pao bent his hands to shoulder level and actually made a deep, croaking sound. He looked like a large frog ready to pounce.

What the heck, are you Ouyang Feng reincarnated? Ye Juntian recalled the Toad Technique described by Jin Yong, a static technique that stored energy and released it in a powerful counterattack when the enemy attacked. It was a formidable technique.

If Ye Pao's technique was similar, Ye Juntian couldn't move. If he moved, Ye Pao's counterattack would come. He decided to remain still, like a mountain. Let's see how long you can hold your breath.

Ye Juntian decided to use the family martial technique, the "Stone-Cleaving Palm," with his palm hanging down like a mountain. A surge of blood energy was ready to counter Ye Pao's attack.

Sure enough, after a minute, Ye Pao's aura grew stronger. A surge of blood energy flowed from his heart through his meridians to his hands and feet. His muscles bulged like snakes under his skin.

However, Ye Pao still didn't move.

"Ye Pao, damn it, attack! Jump and kick that waste of space!" Ye Hua shouted, growing impatient. Two minutes had passed, and Ye Pao was still crouched.

"Right, Ye Pao, what are you doing, crouching like a toad? Can you kick that waste of space while crouching?" Ye Dongtian yelled.

But Ye Pao didn't move. Blood energy continued to flow into his hands and feet, and his head lifted. Ye Juntian noticed that Ye Pao's body had turned slightly green, almost like a human toad.

"Kwa!"

Ye Pao roared, and a wave of energy shook the air. He finally couldn't hold it any longer and leaped forward, attacking Ye Juntian like lightning. If he continued to wait, his strength would wane.

Ye Juntian had anticipated this. He suddenly crouched, his body flat on the stage like a thin pancake.

Ye Pao's attack whizzed over Ye Juntian, only brushing his robe. The powerful attack hit nothing but air.

Ye Pao quickly tried to turn and counterattack, but Ye Juntian wouldn't let him. His body, like a piece of paper, suddenly sprang up from the ground, and he kicked Ye Pao from behind.

"Bang..."

A terrifying burst of blood energy exploded, and Ye Pao, unable to fully turn, was kicked sideways off the stage.