Chapter 52: Battle with Cao Shun

In the first round of the arena, the ranking difference between the arena master and the challenger is usually not too large; few people are willing to waste their limited opportunities.

However, it was unfortunate that Zhang Lin seemed to have committed some sin, and someone was playing a prank on him, deliberately making things difficult for him.

In response, Zhang Lin chose to confront the five people directly, his face showing no excitement, only a look of distress!

"This is also possible..." In a corner of the arena, Shen Chen smiled slightly.

"Yes, the rules seem to state that disciples with confidence can accept challenges from multiple people at the same time," Wang Yue nodded, also gloating, "But this kid is really unlucky, his five chances to accept challenges have been exhausted, probably because he offended too many people in the past..."

"Ha ha." Shen Chen laughed. He wasn't worried that the same situation would happen to the top few, as challenging higher ranks requires qualifications. This seemingly complex and bizarre rule actually perfectly aligns with the process of climbing from the bottom up. Compared to this, the method of drawing lots for one-on-one battles and elimination has more drawbacks. After all, it wouldn't make sense for the first place to eliminate the second place right from the start, making the second place the last, would it?

As time passed, the first round of the arena battles was gradually coming to an end. To Shen Chen's surprise, many of the top-ranked people did not choose their opponents in the first round but directly forfeited.

Among them, the disciples ranked in the top fifteen were the most exaggerated, all watching the show without any intention of going on stage. In addition, there were some faces unfamiliar to Shen Chen who remained motionless throughout, likely some senior brothers who had just returned from their mountain descent training. Shen Chen had always been cautious about these people.

"Ha ha, the first round is more like a performance. Early and mid-stage Blood Fusion Realm martial artists can hardly engage in eight major battles in a day. In reality, many people only have one opponent in mind. To ensure absolute success, they will try to conserve their strength as much as possible." Just as Shen Chen was puzzled, the patriarch Liao Yan's playful laughter echoed in his ear.

Hearing this, Shen Chen's face turned red with embarrassment. He finally understood why even some of the sect's enforcers and hall masters had looked down on him after he spoke those words earlier.

It turned out he had unknowingly acted like a greenhorn. Shen Chen was thoroughly embarrassed.

At this moment, the voice of the elder Situ Chuan on the arena also sounded. The elder looked around and said loudly, "Alright, the last match of the first round is between inner disciple Cao Shun and inner disciple Shen Chen!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted in excitement. Many people had been eagerly awaiting this match, and it was finally about to begin.

Shen Chen snapped out of his daze and, with a light step, landed gracefully in the center of the arena. It was finally his turn to act. Shen Chen wasn't too worried about this battle. Cao Shun, who had returned from his mountain descent training, might be even stronger than the previous Lin Hai, but Shen Chen himself was also far from what he used to be. He believed that securing the fifth rank would not be too difficult.

"Shen Chen, your challenger is currently only Cao Shun!" Enforcer Fei smiled and reminded Shen Chen with a deep voice.

"Cough, cough..." Shen Chen dryly coughed, genuinely wanting to rush down and give him a big slap. Damn, was he trying to stir up hatred against him?

"Kid, don't think too much. No one believes you can walk off this arena. They don't want to waste their strength." Cao Shun had already walked to Shen Chen's opposite side, a mocking smile on his face.

"Ha ha, friend, you're overthinking it." Shen Chen looked up and smiled faintly, not letting Cao Shun provoke him.

"Then show me what you've got!"

Cao Shun coldly snorted. At the same time, a solid meteor hammer the size of a baby's head flew towards Shen Chen. As soon as he moved, a wave of bloodthirsty wind was stirred. There was no doubt that the two meteor hammers had been stained with much blood.

"Good strength, but your aim is a bit off." Shen Chen's feet moved slightly with the Shadow Fox Steps, easily evading Cao Shun's attack.

At the same time, he used the momentum to leap into the air, and his iron sword was drawn with a resounding sound, casting a series of sword shadows towards Cao Shun.

By now, the sword techniques derived from the Vast Sea Tidal Wave Technique had been thoroughly mastered by Shen Chen, executed effortlessly and without any strain.

"Interesting!" Cao Shun's gaze became serious, gradually putting away his underestimation. He had encountered many fierce sword techniques, but never an opponent who could wield them so tightly and without any gaps at his age.

"Meteor Piercing the Sky!"

Seeing no way out, Cao Shun's expression turned fierce. His entire body's blood energy surged into his right arm, and he swung the meteor hammer in his right hand forward, attempting to tear through the sword shadows that Shen Chen had cast.

"Whoosh!" The power of this hammer was astonishing. The moment it was thrown, it cut through the air, and if it hit a human body, it would surely cause severe injuries.

Shen Chen didn't want to recklessly resist. Seeing the iron hammer coming, he decisively retracted the sword shadows, leaning back to avoid the powerful blow. As the hammer passed by, Shen Chen could even feel a cool breeze mixed with the smell of blood on his face.

In the next moment, Cao Shun pulled the hammer back with force, but still didn't touch Shen Chen. However, Cao Shun was not discouraged. He followed the momentum of pulling the hammer back, suddenly twisting his body 180 degrees horizontally, and swung the hammer out again.

"Horizontal Sweep of a Thousand Armies!"

Cao Shun roared, the veins on his exposed arm bulging. This strike was even more powerful and perfectly met Shen Chen, who had just landed.

Such a fluid motion would leave no room for escape for an ordinary opponent, and even a quick and agile spirit beast might not be able to dodge safely. However, as the hammer approached, Shen Chen's foot, which had just landed, moved slightly, and an incredible scene unfolded. The powerful hammer struck exactly where Shen Chen's chest should have been, but it only hit a shadow!

"Shadow Fox Steps?" Cao Shun's face turned grim. He had thought Shen Chen would block with his iron sword, which would reduce the impact but still result in both man and sword flying away. Unfortunately, he underestimated Shen Chen. The latter's movements were strange and swift, allowing him to retreat safely even in that situation, causing the hammer to miss again and hit the nearby arena pillar.

"Such overwhelming power!" On the other side, Shen Chen, who had landed, was also slightly moved. Looking at the pillar that had been shattered by the hammer, Shen Chen felt a chill in his chest.

If that strike had really hit him, it wouldn't have been just a superficial injury.

Shen Chen's heart was also filled with a bit of anger. Cao Shun's cultivation was roughly at the peak of the sixth level of the Blood Fusion Realm, but the strength of his hammer swings was astonishing, each strike likely exerting a force of no less than ten thousand pounds.

What was even more terrifying was that Cao Shun's strikes were not only powerful but also continuous. In just a few moments, he had launched three rounds of attacks without any of the clumsiness associated with heavy weapons.

Shen Chen finally understood where Cao Shun's courage to return and compete for the fifth rank came from. If Lin Hai were still alive, the outcome of a battle with Cao Shun would be uncertain.

However, this level of skill was clearly not enough to make Shen Chen overly anxious. Earlier, Shen Chen had held back because Cao Shun had fulfilled his wish. Shen Chen didn't want him to lose too badly, but now it was time to show some real skills.

"Yes, your control of strength is already remarkable, even surpassing Wang Yue, but... it's still not enough!"

Shen Chen advanced step by step with his sword, the iron sword in his hand beginning to emit a faint purple light. His entire aura suddenly rose to a higher level, far beyond what a fifth-level Blood Fusion Realm martial artist should have.

"Enough talk. I know you've learned the sect's signature martial technique, the Purple Lightning Cloud Sword. Let me see it!" Feeling the gradually intensifying pressure, Cao Shun's fists, holding the meteor hammer, clenched tightly, his face darkening, and his heart filled with shock.

Although Cao Shun's cultivation was clearly inferior to Shen Chen's, he had a sense of being looked down upon, which was not just his imagination. The opponent in front of him was beginning to exude a dangerous aura.

"As you wish!"

In the next moment, Shen Chen's figure disappeared from where he stood, and a purple light flashed across the arena, followed by a series of thunderous sounds.

Everything happened so suddenly that the crowd felt a moment of dizziness, and Shen Chen's figure was no longer visible.

"Heaven and Earth Throw!"

On one side of the arena, Cao Shun was already terrified to the extreme. He hadn't expected his opponent to suddenly become so terrifying. The moment Shen Chen disappeared, he didn't dare hesitate for a moment. The two meteor hammers spun and were thrown out in a windmill-like manner.

In an instant, strong winds swirled around, and six blood-red rays were clearly visible on Cao Shun's arms, a sign of overexerting his blood energy in a desperate move. Combined with Cao Shun's already terrifying strength, he could likely punch two large holes in a one-inch thick iron door.

However, none of this happened. In the next moment, all of Cao Shun's movements came to an abrupt stop, and his face froze.

It wasn't that he didn't want to move, but he didn't dare to, because... at some point, the tip of an iron sword had calmly rested on his shoulder. It looked rusty, but Cao Shun knew very well that if he took one more step forward, he might end up with blood splattered everywhere!

Silence!

The entire arena fell silent at that moment.

One move!

Who would have thought that in just one move, this young man who had trained for years and returned to reclaim his glory would have his life and fortune fall into the hands of a novice who had been in the sect for less than half a year?

At this moment, the disciples who had doubted Shen Chen's ability to kill Lin Hai were all shaken to the core, cold sweat trickling down their spines.

"I lost."

A voice, filled with both reluctance and calm, slowly emerged