Chapter 5: The Young Swordsman

"It seems your training method is incorrect; I can't accompany you anymore." Lifting the stone, Ye Chen continued running.

After Ye Chen left, the crowd's voices grew louder.

"Can't believe it, Ye Chen actually won! He used the Vajra Fist, right!"

"The Vajra Fist and the Stone-Cleaving Palm are both mid-level human-grade martial techniques. In theory, they should be evenly matched, and Wang Gang's cultivation is higher than Ye Chen's. What happened?"

"The reason is simple," the calm-looking young man said after a moment of contemplation. "Ye Chen's Vajra Fist has reached a very high realm, combining hardness with softness."

Someone asked skeptically, "How do you know?"

The calm young man smiled faintly. "The teaching elder once said that combining hardness with softness is the path for powerful martial techniques. Ye Chen's punch that held Wang Gang seemed fierce, but it actually contained a rebounding technique. Of course, I only noticed this after careful analysis."

The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse.

After running several miles around the mountain, Ye Chen, drenched in sweat, arrived at a wide river.

Boom!

Throwing the stone on the ground, Ye Chen took off his outer clothes and jumped into the river.

Practicing boxing at the river bottom was ten to a hundred times harder than on land. The immense water pressure squeezed from all sides, instilling fear.

Sinking his breath to the dantian, Ye Chen stood steadily on the river bottom, which was full of pebbles and mud. With a casual punch, the hidden currents surged, but the force was only about thirty percent of his usual strength.

However, this suited Ye Chen's purpose; otherwise, there would be no need to practice at the river bottom.

The river water quickly became murky, churning and swirling as if a large water monster were stirring up a storm, about to emerge from the depths.

In this harsh environment, Ye Chen could feel his bones and muscles trembling with effort, resisting the sudden currents and gradually combining into a whole force, improving efficiency.

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Chen, unable to hold his breath any longer, finally shot out of the water.

Panting heavily, Ye Chen said with a smile, "Practicing boxing at the river bottom is truly twice as effective. I wonder how many people know this method?"

Qingfeng Town was less than ten miles from Qingfeng Mountain.

Second floor of Laifu Grand Restaurant!

Ye Chen, already famished, paid no attention to his appearance and started devouring the table full of delicious food, clearing it like a whirlwind.

It turned out that Ye Chen came to Qingfeng Town every few days to eat. After all, he was just an outer disciple of Liuyun Sect, and the food served was cooked in large pots, not particularly delicious, only ensuring adequate nutrition. Although Qingfeng Town was not large, it still had precious dishes.

Moreover, Ye Chen enjoyed listening to the stories of the martial world, preparing for his future travels.

On the second floor, besides Ye Chen, there were some martial artists, each carrying knives and swords, full of vigor.

"Have you heard? Fast Blade Wu Wanshan was defeated by a young swordsman."

"I've heard that too. The young swordsman is called Lin Qi, the third disciple of North Snow Manor. His fast blade is extremely fierce, defeating Wu Wanshan in just ten moves."

"Are you kidding? Wu Wanshan's cultivation has reached the early stage of the Embrace Yuan realm, with deep inner strength. How could he be defeated?"

"Third brother, you are too ignorant. This matter has been widely discussed, and it can't be false. However, Lin Qi, at the late stage of the Condense True realm, defeating Wu Wanshan at the early stage of the Embrace Yuan realm is indeed terrifying. I wonder how he compares to the top disciple of Liuyun Sect."

Ye Chen's expression changed, recalling the stories of Wu Wanshan and Lin Qi.

Wu Wanshan, unaffiliated with any sect, around thirty years old, his fast blade technique is said to be self-created, capable of splitting a drop of water into five parts. He once single-handedly eliminated over forty fierce bandits and cut a wooden bridge from a distance, earning the title of Fast Blade.

Lin Qi, the third disciple of North Snow Manor, started practicing at nine years old, advanced to the Condense True realm at thirteen, reached the mid-stage at fifteen, and the peak of the late stage at seventeen. His combat ability rivals that of the top disciple of North Snow Manor, North Snow Young Master, and he has a natural talent for swordsmanship.

These two were currently unattainable for Ye Chen, but he did not believe Lin Qi had the strength to defeat his senior sister. He had once heard the teaching elder say that his senior sister's talent in martial techniques was on par with some inner sect elders. Whatever martial technique she learned, she could master it to perfection, making her a once-in-a-century genius in Liuyun Sect.

"I wonder how long it will take me to reach this level?" Ye Chen had no doubt about his potential; his only weakness was starting late.

Suddenly, a martial artist said, "Do you think which of the younger generation of Liuyun Sect have great potential and can compete with the top disciples of the other four major sects in the future?"

"Without a doubt, the top disciple of Liuyun Sect, 'Hidden Fragrance Sword,' is on par with North Snow Young Master. As for the others, I am more optimistic about the fourth-ranked core disciple, Jing Jue, who is cold and ruthless, with rich combat experience."

"Jing Jue is good, but I think the third-ranked core disciple, Tao Xiaofeng, is very strong, often winning with weaker strength, and is very adaptable."

The martial artist who raised the topic chuckled. "You are talking about the top five core disciples. If it were in the past, I would agree, but this time is different. I am optimistic about the twenty-third-ranked core disciple, Xu Jing."

"Why do you say that?" The others showed curiosity, and Ye Chen also paid close attention, not expecting someone to mention Senior Sister Xu Jing.

"Three days ago, I saw her in a battle with the notorious bandit, Iron-Crushing Hand Li Tong..."

Before he could finish, the crowd started discussing. "Iron-Crushing Hand Li Tong is not an ordinary person. He is cunning and ruthless, evading capture for half a year. His unique skill, Iron-Crushing Hand, is said to be passed down from the Tuo Luo Kingdom, truly capable of breaking gold and severing iron. Do you think the Xu Jing you mentioned could handle him?"

"Wrong. In a direct confrontation, Xu Jing consistently overpowered Li Tong, causing his arms to break and die from spitting blood."

"What? Li Tong is at the peak of the late stage of the Condense True realm, and he was overpowered?"

"What's so surprising? If you had seen the scene, you would know how fierce Xu Jing's boxing was. Compared to her, Li Tong's momentum and fighting style were weak."

Ye Chen smiled faintly. He knew how formidable Xu Jing was. Generally, powerful martial techniques have three high realms: the first is hardness with softness, the second is a balance of hardness and softness, and the highest is the integration of hardness and softness. Xu Jing had already reached the second realm of balance in the Demon Subduing Fist, and he himself, after practicing the Vajra Fist for a short time, had also reached the second realm of balance, using only about seventy to eighty percent of his strength in the battle with Wang Gang.

Of course, these three realms are not easy to achieve. Those with low talent might spend years or even decades without reaching the first realm, like Wang Gang, who hadn't even fully learned the Stone-Cleaving Palm, let alone the realm of hardness with softness.