Chapter 46: On the Eve of the Sect Competition

Shen Chen was a small-time thug in his previous life, and his speech often carried a slick, smooth tone. However, with his life constantly under threat recently, he had become more restrained. Yet, when faced with the alluring and charming little demon, Shen Chen's true nature couldn't help but show through.

Soon, Shen Chen led Wang Yue to the grassland where Zhong Ling and her group were. His eyes immediately roamed freely over the young girl's alluring figure.

"Tsk tsk... A genuine beauty," Shen Chen couldn't help but mutter to himself. Having lived two lives, he had seen countless beautiful women, but if he were to rate them out of ten, this little demon was undoubtedly a top-tier beauty, worthy of a perfect score.

Among the hundreds of beauties Shen Chen had seen, very few could match this little demon. No wonder a group of inner disciples were completely captivated by her.

"Hey! Little junior, where are you looking?" Faced with Shen Chen's unbridled gaze, Zhong Ling, who was usually very composed, felt her cheeks flush with a light red hue, and she couldn't help but lightly scold him.

Zhong Ling's heart was no longer calm. Shen Chen's gaze was peculiar, unlike that of other inner disciples. When they looked at her, Zhong Ling rarely felt anything unusual; she just thought they were a bunch of little brats admiring her beauty, and she ignored them. However, Shen Chen's gaze made her heart race, and she felt a mix of embarrassment and anger, as if she were being stared at by a lecherous uncle.

In fact, Zhong Ling never imagined that the young man in front of her, who looked only fifteen or sixteen, was actually a man who had lived two lives, with a combined age of about thirty or forty. His gaze naturally carried the maturity of an adult.

Being stared at by a mature man who had experienced life, any girl would feel embarrassed and angry, and this little demon was no exception, especially since she was still in the budding stage...

"Ha ha ha... Senior Sister, your face is red," Shen Chen laughed loudly, taking advantage of the situation. The little girl was trying to act mature in front of him, but she was still too young.

"You..."

Zhong Ling was so angry she couldn't speak, glaring at Shen Chen with a pout, and quickly turned her head away, her delicate demeanor inadvertently revealed.

However, Zhong Ling didn't realize that her unintentional actions had different effects on the group of inner disciples and Yuan Xiao. The inner disciples couldn't help but drool, while Yuan Xiao's eyes burned with jealousy, feeling as if his pride had been insulted.

Shen Chen didn't notice that his casual words had offended a powerful figure. His fiery gaze still fixed on Zhong Ling, he stroked his chin and smiled, "Senior Sister Zhong Ling, you haven't explained why you ambushed Wang Yue and me earlier."

"What, are you angry?" Zhong Ling quickly recovered her usual charm, her eyes twinkling with a playful smile, and she shot a challenging look at Shen Chen.

"Alright, you win."

Shen Chen was speechless, knowing the girl was deliberately provoking him. He wouldn't fall for it and shrugged, shouting to Wang Yue, "They're having a gathering here, it's none of our business. Let's go." With that, he really turned and walked toward the sect.

"But Big Brother, I feel like these guys were waiting for us," Wang Yue hurriedly followed, whispering to Shen Chen.

"Um, just be aware of it," Shen Chen remained calm. He wasn't afraid of trouble, but he didn't want to cause any before the sect competition.

"Hey, you two are no fun. You made us wait for half a day, and now you want to leave without a word?"

Soon, Zhong Ling's dissatisfied voice came from behind. The girl stood with her hands on her hips, her fox-like eyes almost spitting fire.

"Or what, do you want to fight us?" Shen Chen turned around, waving his hand, "I think we should wait until the day after tomorrow for the competition."

With that, Shen Chen tried to leave again.

"Whoosh!"

But at that moment, a figure suddenly darted over, blocking their path. It was none other than the already furious Yuan Xiao.

"Two junior brothers, it's a bit inappropriate to just leave, isn't it?" Yuan Xiao tried to suppress his anger, staring at Shen Chen and Wang Yue with a half-smile, but the cold light in his eyes betrayed his true feelings.

In fact, Yuan Xiao had been looking for an outlet for his frustration with Zhong Ling, but he lacked an excuse to act directly.

"Who are you?" Shen Chen asked calmly, looking at the newcomer with a puzzled expression.

"I am Yuan Xiao, a disciple of the Bloodthirsty Lion. You must be Shen Chen, right? I've heard a lot about your remarkable talent, even the sect leader praises you highly. My master says you have extraordinary potential. We came today to see your prowess. You shouldn't mind, right?"

Shen Chen thought for a moment and then said, "No, I do mind!"

This response caused a moment of silence.

"Ha!" Zhong Ling couldn't help but laugh, finding Shen Chen's words and actions intriguing, even though it was their first meeting. Women love gossip, and she was just a young girl.

However, Shen Chen wasn't joking. He looked around at everyone, including Yuan Xiao, and explained seriously, "We've been practicing all day and are really tired. I already said we'll fight during the competition. You won't lack the chance. Anyone who wants to fight me can come then."

"Arrogant!" Yuan Xiao coldly snorted, finally losing his patience. He hated Shen Chen's tone.

In Yuan Xiao's view, this wasn't the attitude a newly admitted disciple should have.

"Alright, it seems you really want to fight me. I'll choose you as my first opponent on that day!" Shen Chen also got angry, responding coldly.

Shen Chen could guess their intentions. Gathering here and waiting for them, they claimed to want to see his prowess, but in reality, they were just annoyed by his recent success and wanted to embarrass him in public.

Shen Chen didn't care about such minor characters. In his previous life, he had killed enough people to form another Liuyun Sect. He had seen it all.

"You..." Yuan Xiao was surprised by Shen Chen's directness. Not only he, but the group of inner disciples watching from a distance were also stunned.

Shen Chen was actually challenging the third-ranked Yuan Xiao?

This was too audacious. Everyone in the Liuyun Sect knew about the bet, but most believed that Shen Chen and Wang Yue would target the weaker opponents in the top five.

Their best choice was now the fifth-ranked Cao Shun, known as the Iron Hammer Cao.

Compared to Lin Hai, Cao Shun was clearly weaker, and defeating him to claim the fifth position would give Shen Chen and Wang Yue the best chance of success.

As for the two positions, to be honest, no one thought Shen Chen and Wang Yue had a chance. To claim two top-five positions, both would need to defeat the fourth and fifth-ranked opponents simultaneously, which seemed impossible to all Liuyun Sect disciples.

But now, Shen Chen was firmly challenging the third-ranked Yuan Xiao, which was almost unimaginable. The inner disciples couldn't believe their ears.

Shen Chen didn't care. He always aimed to shock, completely ignoring Yuan Xiao's angry face. "This is one of them. My ultimate goal is to defeat Senior Brother Qi Zheng. I've said my big talk. If you want to embarrass me, come early the day after tomorrow. Wang Yue, let's go!"

With that, Shen Chen and Wang Yue turned to leave.

"You're really overconfident, thinking that killing that waste of space Lin Hai makes you invincible. Let me see what you're made of!"

Yuan Xiao was already furious. Although Shen Chen's words were directed at everyone, Yuan Xiao felt personally challenged. He moved swiftly, and in an instant, he had a set of magic iron gloves in his hands. He formed a claw and lunged at Shen Chen's back.

If this claw hit, Shen Chen would be severely injured, if not killed.

"Such fast movement!" Shen Chen was secretly alarmed. Yuan Xiao, being one of the top three inner disciples, was indeed formidable, even without using any special techniques.

"Lightning Flash!" But Shen Chen wasn't helpless. He remained still and thrust his sword backward, the iron sword emitting a thunderous electric glow, accurately meeting Yuan Xiao's claw.

"Screech..."

A sharp, grating sound rang out as Yuan Xiao's glove touched the iron sword. He grabbed the blade, using his wrist strength and shouting, "Roar of the Bloodthirsty Lion!"

A powerful vibration traveled from Yuan Xiao's body to the arm holding the iron sword, attempting to break it.

Shen Chen, however, was also channeling his blood energy, focusing his strength into the iron sword to resist.

"Roar of the Bloodthirsty Lion... one of Elder Chen's greatest techniques, combined with the grappling move, this is Senior Brother Yuan Xiao's usual method of defeating opponents."

"This move is a nightmare for ordinary martial artists or low-level spirit beasts. I've heard that Senior Brother Yuan Xiao has used it to subdue many enemies in just a few breaths."

"There's no doubt about it. Senior Brother Yuan Xiao is famous in the inner sect for his quick and decisive strikes. Many disciples have seen him instantly kill spirit beasts..."

The fight was so sudden that many disciples were caught off guard. However, some inner disciples noticed the situation and felt concerned for Shen Chen, thinking he had been too arrogant and shouldn't have provoked Senior Brother Yuan Xiao.

At the front of the crowd, Zhong Ling frowned, surprised by Yuan Xiao's ferocity. The situation seemed more serious than a normal sparring match. Of course, she wouldn't admit that she was partly responsible for this.

Beauty can indeed bring disaster, as this clearly showed!

On the other side, although Shen Chen was under attack, his face remained calm. The power of the Purple Lightning Cloud Sword was fully demonstrated. The seemingly fragile iron sword in his hand showed no signs of cracking under Yuan Xiao's powerful vibrations, and the electric glow neutralized the brute force.

"Damn!"

The iron sword remained unbroken, and the Roar of the Bloodthirsty Lion failed to achieve its goal. Yuan Xiao's face turned extremely ugly.

This move had always been effective, capable of destroying opponents' weapons with a single touch. How could it fail against a cheap iron sword?

Just as Yuan Xiao was about to let go of the iron sword and strike Shen Chen's back with a palm, a stern voice suddenly rang out.

"Private duels are forbidden on the eve of the sect competition. Don't you know that?!" Elder Simu Chuan, the one-eyed black tiger, quickly arrived, shouting angrily.

Seeing this, Yuan Xiao hastily stopped, turning and spitting behind him, "You're lucky this time. During the competition, I'll make you regret those words..."

"I'll be waiting," Shen Chen replied coldly, his eyes icy.

At this moment, Simu Chuan also rushed over, looking at Shen Chen, "Are you alright?"

"Thank you, Elder. I'm fine!" Shen Chen bowed, his face no longer cold.

This old man had helped him, and he was still chopping wood in the alchemy hall for his sake. Shen Chen wouldn't show any disrespect in front of him.

"Good, I'm glad you're fine. You're quite bold, challenging Yuan Xiao, who is here to reclaim the top rank in the inner sect. You're truly fearless like a young bull," Simu Chuan shook his head with a bitter smile, then his expression turned serious, "Don't take the inner sect ranking competition lightly. Xiao Zhenhai and Lu Hao are meddling, and many outstanding disciples who haven't returned for years have been called back. This competition will be intense, and the rankings will be reshuffled. Even Zhong Ling and others might not retain their top-five positions!"

Faced with the suddenly intense competition, Shen Chen felt some pressure. The situation was more severe than he had expected. He nodded firmly, "We will do our best!"

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