Chapter 57: The Bloodthirsty Lion's Roar

As the iron sword shattered with a resounding crash, several fragments scattered onto the red carpet. This scene made many present shrink their eyes in surprise, speechless and astonished.

From the perspective of the surrounding crowd, Shen Chen's previous sword strike was almost perfect, both in speed and power, far exceeding the capabilities of a Fifth Rank Blood Fusion disciple. Even ordinary Sixth or Seventh Rank Blood Fusion martial artists would have to dodge in a panic, not daring to clash head-on.

Moreover, the effectiveness of Shen Chen's technique had already been proven in actual combat, as the fifth-ranked Iron Hand Cao Shun was defeated in one move. Was there anything more convincing than that?

However, Yuan Xiao lived up to his reputation. Faced with Shen Chen's lightning-fast sword strike, he not only remained unharmed but also broke the opponent's iron sword with a powerful move. Standing there quietly, he did not even retreat a single step, greatly exceeding many people's expectations. People had already placed a high value on this top-three inner disciple, but they never imagined he would be so formidable!

For a moment, the crowd's gaze towards Shen Chen on the stage was tinged with a hint of pity, feeling that this young man had talked too much and was now about to hit a brick wall...

"Such a domineering technique!" On the stage, looking at the broken sword fragments on the carpet, Shen Chen himself was also somewhat moved. Yuan Xiao was indeed incredibly strong.

Others only saw him repeat his previous move, but they didn't know that Shen Chen had already brought the essence of the first move of the Purple Lightning Cloud Sword to near-perfection. If it had been Cao Shun, he would have been bloodied long ago. But in front of Yuan Xiao, it ended in such a miserable defeat.

Compared to their brief confrontation earlier, Shen Chen increasingly felt the astonishing strength of this opponent. Yuan Xiao, a disciple of the Bloodthirsty Lion Chen Fanghao, once he got serious, transformed into a ferocious blood lion, agile and terrifying. Especially his arms, with their fully unblocked meridians and six complete bloodlines, seemed to be imbued with a demonic nature, always ready to tear apart his target!

"It seems I have to bring out some of my best moves. You are a lion, but I... am not a weakling to be bullied so easily..." Shen Chen's gaze was cold, and his fighting spirit rapidly soared. During their previous confrontation, he had managed to protect his iron sword even when attacked from behind. This time, the iron sword was shattered in a head-on clash, and his opponent was clearly trying to give him a warning.

However, Yuan Xiao's plan was destined to fail. Who was Shen Chen? With his character, he would not easily back down. The destruction of his weapon would only further ignite his fighting spirit!

"Still not despairing? But you will soon. Just now, I only wanted to dampen your spirit. I will make you realize that some things are insurmountable, and I... am the mountain you cannot move in your life!"

On the other side of the stage, Yuan Xiao, who had just taken the upper hand, sneered and pointed at the broken sword fragments on the ground, his meaning clear: he would make Shen Chen end up like those fragments.

Just then, the old man Situ Chuan suddenly moved, standing between the two.

"Wait, according to the rules of the competition, the party whose weapon is damaged can temporarily replace it with another weapon!" Situ Chuan said calmly. It wasn't that he was favoring Shen Chen, but this was a common rule in arena battles. He had been surprised by Yuan Xiao's performance and hadn't noticed, but the arena steward had quickly reminded him.

"But I don't have any spare weapons left," Shen Chen said, spreading his hands helplessly. He knew that fighting unarmed against Yuan Xiao would be a significant disadvantage. When he and Wang Yue first came to the Cloudy Stream Sect from the impoverished Chen Family Gully, with Wang Hao's meager resources, they couldn't afford much. After arriving at the sect, the weapons they obtained through various channels were just barely usable. Now, with his weapon destroyed, Shen Chen had nothing to replace it with.

"Ha, young friend, if you don't mind, I can lend you this black iron treasure sword!" Just as Shen Chen was looking at Situ Chuan with a bitter smile, a hearty laugh came from the VIP seats. The head of Zhao Family Castle, Zhao Jiazhu, had already stood up, holding a sword in its scabbard and gesturing towards Shen Chen on the stage.

The sword was entirely black, and even before it was drawn, it gleamed with a cold light, clearly not an ordinary weapon. Zhao Jiazhu's decision to lend his sword at this moment was almost transparent in its meaning.

On either side of Zhao Jiazhu, the old monsters like Feng Family's old woman, who had intended to court Shen Chen, cursed inwardly. This old man was too shrewd, looking almost toothless but moving faster than anyone else, managing to take the lead.

Unexpectedly, before Shen Chen could respond, the sect master Liao Yan stood up from the center of the VIP seats.

"Ha, thank you for your kindness, Sect Master Zhao. However, the competition is a rare grand event for our sect. Borrowing a weapon from an outsider would be a loss of face. People might think I'm neglecting my own disciples," Liao Yan said with a smile, waving his hand.

Saying this, Liao Yan, in full view of everyone, threw his own superior-quality red gold black iron treasure sword.

"Take it, use it for now, and stop embarrassing yourself!" After throwing his sword, Liao Yan slowly sat down, shaking his head with a smile.

"Whoosh!"

The scabbard of the red gold black iron treasure sword was made of high-quality pure silver, and the hilt was inlaid with a clear red gemstone. Under the sunlight, it sparkled. Liao Yan's throw was perfect, and the sword landed precisely in Shen Chen's hand.

Stunned, Shen Chen felt a tremor in his heart, a deep sense of emotion. Liao Yan's words made him feel warm...

Around him, Liao Yan's actions caused a significant stir. Many people were speechless and their hearts were not calm. If Liao Yan's repeated protection of Shen Chen was out of a sect master's care for an outstanding disciple, then this scene seemed to have deeper implications.

This impact was even more pronounced in the hearts of the VIPs, who were respected figures within a hundred miles. Initially, they thought the young man might be one of Liao Yan's potential successors. Now, it seemed that the "one of" was becoming less and less tenable.

In an instant, the gazes of these important figures towards Shen Chen on the stage changed again!

It must be said that Liao Yan's actions this time were somewhat out of line. Apart from Situ Ya, Situ Chuan, and Chen Fanghao, the remaining two elders and some hall masters and stewards all showed some dissatisfaction in their eyes, but they dared not say much due to Liao Yan's authority.

In the center of the VIP seats, Liao Yan appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was complex and hard to fathom. Even he found it hard to believe he had done such an out-of-line thing.

"Brat, this time I've put everything on the line. If you disappoint me, I'll flay you alive when this is over."