Chapter 53: Astonishing Move

“Senior Brother Cao Shun has admitted defeat.”

Cao Shun had already conceded, and Shen Chen did not press his advantage or humiliate him. Shen Chen had a certain admiration for a man like Cao Shun, who had trained hard through blood and sweat. He put away his iron sword and quietly stood to one side.

“This round, Shen Chen wins!” Subsequently, Elder Situ Chuan announced the result of the match from the edge of the arena.

As soon as the old man's words fell, the disciples, who had been stunned, immediately burst into a frenzy, creating an unprecedented commotion.

“One move? Shen Chen really defeated Iron Hammer Cao Shun in one move? I can't believe it!” Some disciples were still in a daze.

“Haha... How could this be fake? They were just probing each other before, and the moment the sword was drawn, the outcome was decided...” Some were even laughing bitterly.

“Was that the sect's signature technique, the Purple Lightning Cloud Sword? Oh my, I couldn't even see how Senior Brother Shen Chen drew his sword.”

“Indeed, it was incredibly fast!”

“To defeat a higher-ranked opponent in one move, this must be unprecedented in the sect's history, right?”

...

Compared to Shen Chen's victory over Cao Shun, the disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect were clearly more concerned with the astonishing means he used.

Some people couldn't help but exclaim, wondering why they hadn't been the ones to find the *Purple Lightning Cloud Sword* or why they hadn't been the ones to receive punishment...

“Grandpa, the big brother won, the big brother won!” A little girl with a ponytail was jumping around in the crowd, extremely excited.

The little girl was Wang Zexin, Wang Yue's younger sister. She had changed into a new outfit today and came specially to watch the Flowing Cloud Sect's grand competition. Seeing Shen Chen's brilliant performance, her eyes almost curved into two crescent moons, and she giggled nonstop.

“Haha, when I saved that child, I felt that his bones were extraordinary, and he was definitely not an ordinary person!” Wang Zexin's grandfather, Wang Hao, was also pleased with Shen Chen's performance. Although his cultivation was ordinary, his medical skills were excellent. When he saved Shen Chen from the back of a dead Dragon Scale Cloud Horse, he felt that the young man's physique was very special, even beyond his comprehension. The old man was also very curious about the young man's identity...

“Grandpa, the big brother has already appeared, what about my brother?” After being excited for a while, Wang Zexin suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Wang Hao with hopeful eyes. The little girl was short and could only see the arena from the crowd, and she was very concerned about her brother Wang Yue's situation.

“That kid probably hasn't had his turn yet, but since he stood with Young Master Shen Chen, he should have also qualified to go on stage. I hope he doesn't embarrass me.” Wang Hao patted Wang Zexin's head, his eyes full of kindness.

In fact, Wang Yue had already had his turn, but the reason he didn't go on stage was simple—his opponent was Hu San, a former ally of Lin Hai, who had a ranking of over sixty but conceded very quickly, allowing Wang Yue to get a good ranking without even going on stage. However, the old and young man didn't know this yet...

While the arena was in an uproar, Shen Chen's actions also caused a stir in the VIP seats.

“Haha, this young man has remarkable talent. Sect Master Liao truly has a keen eye. No wonder he taught him the sect's signature technique.”

“Indeed, my son Yi is also well-known among the inner disciples, but compared to that young friend, he pales in comparison.”

“I wonder if Sect Master Liao intends to take him as a disciple. If so, our family has a few high-quality ginseng plants that we can offer to help strengthen his body...”

In the VIP seats, some influential figures within a hundred miles were marveling at Shen Chen's astonishing performance, but they also seemed to be probing Liao Yan's intentions.

The significance of the *Purple Lightning Cloud Sword* to the Flowing Cloud Sect was well-known to the heads of families and clan leaders within a hundred miles. If this technique was indeed personally taught by Liao Yan, their attitude towards Shen Chen, who was previously unknown, might change dramatically.

Relying on the Flowing Cloud Sect, no one wanted to miss the opportunity to curry favor with a prominent figure in the sect. Compared to the hall masters and enforcers, what could be more forward-thinking than cultivating a relationship with the next generation of the Flowing Cloud Sect's leaders?

In a short time, some of the old monsters were already planning what lavish gifts to send back home.

“Haha, everyone, don't misunderstand. That young man just happened to find the sect's signature technique. I have already severely punished him. It was not my intention!” Liao Yan's mood was quite complex, but he had to put on a show of being extremely displeased with Shen Chen. Although Liao Yan valued Shen Chen, it was clearly not the right time to reveal his true thoughts. If he acted too rashly, many disciples and elders would raise a fuss...

However, the more Liao Yan tried to deny it, the more the surrounding old monsters believed he was trying to hide something. As a result, they only valued Shen Chen even more.

“To steal the sect's signature technique and still be alive, Sect Master Liao is truly magnanimous.” The leader of the Horse Wrangling Gang sighed.

“Yes, the Flowing Cloud Sect has a hundred-year tradition of leading by virtue. Even when dealing with disciples who have committed serious offenses, they are always lenient. It's truly admirable.” An old woman from the Feng family also commented.

“That young man is just lucky to have met a broad-minded person like Sect Master Liao. In other sects, he would have been executed long ago.” The head of the Zhao family sneered.

These old monsters were all very shrewd. On the surface, they joined Liao Yan in condemning Shen Chen's crimes, but secretly, they felt the need to quickly establish a good relationship with the young man, preferably ensuring that their own descendants would have more contact with him in the future.

Beside the arena, Shen Chen, who had already come down from the stage, had no idea that he had become a hot commodity in others' eyes. He and the others, like Zhong Ling, were waiting for Elder Situ Chuan to announce the next round of the competition.

Seeing the expectant eyes of the disciples, the old man did not keep them in suspense and announced loudly, “Disciples who have successfully defended their rankings, if you wish to advance further, you can now choose new opponents or choose to give up. Act according to your abilities!”

Upon hearing the old man's words, apart from the top-ranked disciples who had not yet gone on stage, not many went to register with Enforcer Fei. Many disciples who had successfully defended their rankings hesitated for a moment and then chose to return to their original positions.

They were very clear that after the initial performance, the next stage would be a true battle of dragons and tigers. The top fifty rankings in the sect were always a competition among outstanding disciples. Without the necessary skills, going on stage would only result in self-inflicted suffering.

As a result, the number of participants in the second round of the competition was reduced by more than half. Many disciples who had achieved rankings beyond seventy voluntarily withdrew to the sidelines, standing with the disciples who had not received wooden tokens to watch the proceedings.

In the end, Shen Chen roughly counted that there were about fifty to sixty people still remaining around the arena, all of whom were around the fifth level of the Blood Fusion Realm. He and Wang Yue, standing there, were actually the least impressive among them.

“Alright, since you have chosen to stay, let's start with the disciple with the lowest ranking here.” Elder Situ Chuan said calmly on the stage, glancing at Enforcer Fei below.

Enforcer Fei quickly understood and nodded. He then turned to the fifty to sixty outstanding disciples who had stayed and said, “If you're done, hand over the letters in your hands!”

Earlier, he had given each of the remaining disciples a blank letter, asking them to sign and write the name of their opponent. This method had been used in the first round to ensure that if a challenger did not have enough opponents, the rules would be followed to coordinate.

Additionally, the order of appearance had to be arranged from the lowest to the highest.

As Enforcer Fei spoke, the fifty to sixty disciples immediately handed over their letters.

Next, Enforcer Fei and his subordinates quickly reviewed all the letters and made the necessary arrangements. However, when they read one particular letter, their faces suddenly stiffened.

“Enforcer Fei, what's wrong?” Elder Situ Chuan asked from the stage, noticing that something seemed to be amiss.

“Enforcer Fei, hurry up. It's already late, and the competition cannot be delayed too long!” Sect Master Liao Yan also spoke from the VIP seats, considering that many guests who had come to observe would need to travel back.

“Reporting to Sect Master and Elder Situ, this...”

Holding the problematic letter, Enforcer Fei's forehead was already lined with black marks, and his expression was quite complex.

“Speak quickly, what's the matter?” Liao Yan said with a frown.

“This... This... This letter does not conform to the rules!” Enforcer Fei's face turned even more grim upon hearing the sect master's reprimand.

“Bring it over for me to see!” Liao Yan, with a stern demeanor, extended his hand. For some reason, he had a bad feeling.

On the stage, Elder Situ Chuan's lips twitched slightly; he seemed to have already guessed what was happening.

In the next moment, Enforcer Fei, with a strange expression, handed the letter to Liao Yan. As soon as Liao Yan received it, he saw the two characters written on the front of the envelope—Shen Chen!

The owner of the letter was immediately clear.

Seeing that name, Sect Master Liao Yan's pupils constricted slightly, but he still suppressed the turmoil in his heart and slowly unfolded the letter. When the three lines of fresh ink on the letter caught his eye, Liao Yan almost froze in place, feeling the urge to spit blood.

On the letter, three names were written in a slanted, uneven script...

Yuan Xiao!

Fang Han!

Qi Zheng!

Seeing these three names, Liao Yan finally understood why Enforcer Fei had been so grim-faced. He immediately raised his head and scanned the crowd around the arena, quickly locking onto Shen Chen's figure.

“Cough, cough... I was just trying to save time...” Under the sect master's intense gaze, Shen Chen's face turned awkward. In fact, from the moment Enforcer Fei mentioned the problematic letter, he knew he had caused trouble again.

Writing down the names