Chapter 54: Accepting the Challenge

The letter that Shen Chen submitted quickly spread among the crowd. Many people, upon seeing the three names on the letter, felt an urge to spit blood. The names of these three inner disciples were so well-known that everyone thought they were seeing things.

Yuan Xiao, ranked third among the inner disciples, had never been challenged since he took the position.

Fang Han, known for his golden saber, had dominated the inner disciples for seven years, sweeping from obscurity to the second rank with unstoppable momentum. The disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect had not seen his golden saber unsheathed for many years.

Qi Zheng... For this figure, known as the War God of the Flowing Cloud Sect, the evaluation from top to bottom within the sect was only four words: "Never defeated!" His first rank in the inner disciples had not been challenged for three years.

The reason was simple: three years ago, in that battle, Qi Zheng fought against five outstanding disciples ranked from seventh to eleventh, and defeated them all in one go. The scene was so shocking that many members of the Flowing Cloud Sect secretly believed that Qi Zheng's strength was probably enough to rank him among the top ten in the entire sect. Apart from the sect leader, the five elders, and a few hall masters, even many senior figures were not his match. Qi Zheng was also seen by many as the only suitable successor to the position of Sect Leader Liao Yan...

Clearly, these three, no matter who they were, had names that were too well-known within the Flowing Cloud Sect and even within a hundred miles. Even though many young disciples who had been training outside for years had returned, in the eyes of most members, the status of these three was still hard to shake.

But now, the appearance of this unique Shen Chen completely overturned the perception of the Flowing Cloud Sect members. Originally, everyone thought he was just trying to attract attention, but they never expected that this kid... actually intended to challenge the three top-ranked senior brothers in one go!

Wasn't this too ambitious and overconfident? All the members present, including some enforcers, managers, and hall masters, didn't know what to say. They even held their breath to see how the sect leader would handle this ridiculous situation.

"Lord Liao, could it be that my eyes are failing me? That young man's cultivation is not just at the Fifth Level of the Blood Fusion Realm?"

In the VIP seats, a group of big shots from within a hundred miles were also taken aback. The white-haired head of the Zhao family, in particular, turned to Liao Yan beside him and asked in a probing tone.

"Could it be that this young man, at such a young age, already possesses the ability to conceal his aura? If that's true, I can only marvel at his divine talent." The old woman of the Feng family also sighed. They had already placed great importance on Shen Chen, but if he was really that powerful now, they would have to reassess him.

"Truly, heroes emerge from the young. Lord Liao, you are truly blessed to have such an outstanding disciple. We are all envious." Beside him, the bearded man from the Horse Taming Gang directly congratulated Liao Yan.

"Cough, cough... Gentlemen, you may have misunderstood. That kid's current cultivation is really... the Fifth Level of the Blood Fusion Realm, no doubt about it!" Sect Leader Liao Yan's face was already twisted, his lips twitching, and his head full of black lines, making him look like he was barely suppressing some impulse.

However, the few old monsters around him, upon hearing his firm explanation, not only did not correct their perception but nodded in understanding, as if saying, "We understand."

Liao Yan was almost ready to spit blood. He decided to ignore these old guys who believed everything they heard and turned his gaze to Shen Chen, gritting his teeth. "Shen Chen, do you know the rules of the sect competition?"

"Isn't getting the fifth rank enough to challenge the top three?" Shen Chen asked innocently from below the stage.

"Hmph! That's not what I'm talking about. Don't you know that you can only choose one opponent at a time?" Liao Yan was barely suppressing the urge to rush over and beat him up.

"I know," Shen Chen nodded seriously, but before the surrounding crowd could breathe a sigh of relief, he added, "So I used all three of my challenge opportunities at once!"

"..." Sect Leader Liao Yan's whole body trembled, and he instantly turned to stone.

Below the stage, there was a moment of silence.

On the stage, the elder with a more seasoned temperament, the one-eyed black tiger Situ Chuan, had already had enough. He waved his sleeve, and his withered wrist suddenly emerged from his robe. In the blink of an eye, the letter that had been passed around was in the old man's hand.

This move, which demonstrated his peak cultivation at the Eleventh Level of the Blood Fusion Realm, was so impressive that the outer disciple who had just received the letter hadn't even realized it was gone.

However, Situ Chuan was no longer interested in gloating. He clenched the letter in his hand, turning it to ashes, and then said coolly, "This letter doesn't count. I allow you to choose your next opponent as your senior brother Yuan Xiao. If you dare to cause more trouble, I will disqualify you from the competition!"

When these words were spoken, the crowd first froze, then burst into laughter.

"Ha ha ha..."

Many people were delighted, reveling in the misfortune of others. Clearly, the old man's simple and brutal handling of the situation gave them a small sense of satisfaction.

Shen Chen, below the stage, was also helpless. He cursed the rigidity and lack of flexibility of the people on this continent in his heart, but on his face, he had to smile and say, "Yes, I will follow Elder Situ's arrangement!"

After Shen Chen's antics, the tense and intense atmosphere of the final stages of the competition suddenly became much lighter.

Then, Enforcer Fei took a deep breath and stepped forward, looking around. "Alright, the second round of the competition begins. The first arena master is currently ranked fifty-eighth, inner disciple Cai Lei. Your challengers are currently ranked fifty-ninth, Jia Bowen, and ranked sixty-first, Hua Chong!"

As Enforcer Fei's words fell, the new round of the competition began. Many people were already vying for their desired ranks, and the scene was very intense!

In fact, from the second round onwards, the competition became truly serious. Most disciples, when choosing their opponents, no longer did so as casually as in the first round but tried to pick those they had a chance of defeating, with their ranks not differing too much.

After all, in a fight, there are no rules. When it came to defending a high rank, the arena master would generally be more aggressive. If one's skills were not up to par, they might come in standing and be carried out.

For this reason, compared to the first round, the number of challengers facing the arena master in this round was even fewer, and the number of empty rounds increased. Those who could rank in the top fifty were all tough nuts to crack. A few ranks could mean a huge difference in strength, and no one would take unnecessary risks.

From this, it was also clear why Shen Chen's previous actions had caused such a stir. Those who truly wanted to challenge a higher rank found even one tough battle too many, yet he, in one breath, wanted to take on three, without any concern for the consequences, completely disregarding others' feelings...

In this intense