Chapter 88: I, Nantian Yijian, am the leader of the Lu Hype Squad.

The last traces of dragon-shaped sword qi on the arena spiraled lazily under Lu Chen's control before sending several cultivators tumbling backward.

Lu Chen summoned the Green Sovereign Divine Tree, and its vines wove themselves into a net that caught the cultivators.

The dragon-shaped sword qi slowly dissipated.

Lu Chen landed on the arena floor and swept his gaze across the silent airship cabin. His voice was firm as he declared, "As I said earlier, it's time to end this."

Those words came across like a massive stone dropping into a still lake, instantly shattering the quiet inside the cabin.

The cultivators erupted into murmurs of awe at his overwhelming strength.

Under Nantian Yijian's lead, those below the arena began chanting Lu Chen's name again and again.

They had already turned into Lu Chen's fans, with Nantian Yijian proudly serving as their leader.

Lu Chen turned to Song Ping and said, "The power I've just shown should be enough for you to step up."

Song Ping lifted his head. "You're full of surprises. I misjudged you. You truly are strong. But there's still a great gap between us, which one or two top-tier techniques won't bridge."

That sword strike was almost at the level of perfect mastery in the Qi Regulation Realm, yet Song Ping remained unmoved.

That strike only proved Lu Chen had the qualifications to step into the category of prodigious youth.

Every member of the Godslayer Squad had been handpicked and personally trained by Jun Wudi. Each was a genius with one or two astonishing techniques in reserve. For Song Ping, a one-against-many victory like this was nothing remarkable.

The chants of the Lu Hype Squad rang out once more from below. Hearing them, Lu Chen reveled in the pleasure of showing off. "So what?"

I finally understand why protagonists in novels always flaunt their power after getting stronger. It really is addictive.

He tightened his grip on the Hunyuan Greatsword, ran through a few flamboyant poses from fictional heroes, and then turned to face Song Ping. "Enough talk. Let's fight."

Song Ping shot Lu Chen a dismissive glance. "You'd better keep it low-key. That arrogant attitude only makes you look foolish."

Lu Chen met his gaze and sneered, still chasing that intoxicating high of showing off. "

Hmph,

I just love that wild and reckless feeling."

"Utterly incomprehensible," came Song Ping's laconic answer.

Song Ping turned to Jun Wudi, waiting for his word. "My lord, shall we begin?"

Jun Wudi nodded at Song Ping. "Go ahead. Keep it light. Treat it like an exhibition match."

He then went on to suppress Song Ping's cultivation to the first level of the Qi Regulation Realm.

"Yes, my lord."

Song Ping twisted the spatial ring on his right hand, summoning an ice-blue spear. "Ready? No more playing around."

Seeing Song Ping draw his weapon, Lu Chen refocused on the battle. He tightened his grip on the Hunyuan Greatsword as he watched him with wary eyes.

Song Ping jumped up, landing in the arena with a light thud. The spear tip exuded a biting chill as he traced a flourish through the air, then pointed it at Lu Chen. "This spear is called Ice Soul. It's a low-grade Earth Tier enchanted artifact."

Lu Chen lifted his sword horizontally to show the inscription on the hilt. "Ice Soul? My greatsword is called Hunyuan."

"A fine name for a sword, but the sword itself isn't much."

Song Ping slowly drew out his Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk and placed it on the spear. He chanted inwardly,

Spirit, awaken.

In that instant, the shadow of an enormous ice dragon took shape around the spear.

Lu Chen countered, "We'll find out soon enough whether it's a good sword."

Using his right foot to push himself off the ground, he shot toward Song Ping and summoned the Green Sovereign Divine Tree. It appeared in midair, its vines unfurling to form a living armor that wrapped around him.

Below the arena, the Song Hype Squad and Lu Hype Squad shouted their idols' names back and forth.

Song Ping glanced at the crowd and murmured, "Your spirit qi is nearly spent, so I'll only use half my strength."

"No need for that. We can start right away," Lu Chen replied.

With a mighty swing of the Hunyuan Greatsword, Lu Chen sent two arcs of sword qi slashing toward Song Ping as a probing blow.

"Then let's begin. But I'll still only use half my strength," Song Ping said firmly.

Song Ping shouted, "Divine Step!"

He gripped the Ice Soul Spear in his hand and charged at Lu Chen with such speed that he left behind multiple afterimages in his wake.

"You are still not fast enough. Watch mine. Star-Serpent Cloud Concealment."

Lu Chen vanished on the spot.

"Behind me?"

Without looking back, Song Ping swung the Ice Soul Spear behind him.

A sharp clang rang out as Lu Chen reappeared behind him, blocking the spear's tip with the Hunyuan Greatsword.

"Good reaction. Try this."

Lu Chen vanished again.

Song Ping stood firm in the center of the arena, focusing on the shifting currents around him. He said, "Your technique is much better than mine, but your combat experience is lacking."

Glancing obliquely to his upper left, he suddenly thrust his spear into the air. A crisp clang echoed as the tip struck the Hunyuan Greatsword once more.

Lu Chen didn't react in time. Seizing the moment, Song Ping thrust the Ice Soul Spear at him, forcing Lu Chen ten meters backwards.

Lu Chen stood at the edge of the arena, puzzled. "

Hm?

How did you spot me?"

"When you used your movement technique, the spirit qi fluctuations around you were too strong," Song Ping replied.

He twisted the spear in his hand and stepped back to the center of the arena. Looking at Lu Chen with disdain, he said, "So it's not just your battle experience that is lacking; your control over spirit qi is even worse."

He swung his spear in a flourish and continued, "There's no point in continuing this fight. You'll lose either way. Better practice your spirit qi control first."

"Spirit qi control?" Lu Chen met Song Ping's gaze, steadying his breath before speaking again, "Not necessarily. Until the very end, no one knows who will win."

He picked up the Hunyuan Greatsword again and charged, but this time, the spirit qi flowing from him was noticeably weaker.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lu Chen fought relentlessly but kept falling behind. The Lu fans who had been shouting fiercely couldn't help but slowly fall quiet.

Jun Laoye watched anxiously. "Little Lu's skills are getting worse. He could have dodged some attacks, but he keeps getting hit. His reflexes aren't even close to what they were when he fought me. This isn't his true strength."

Nantian Wan'er responded softly, "Brother Jun, pay more attention. Lu-gege has a reason for this."

Jun Laoye squinted at the arena. "What? I don't see it."

"Little Lu is using Song Ping as his practice partner."

"Hm? What do you mean? Practice partner?"

Jun Wudi watched quietly and said, "Look closely. Little Lu's speed in using his technique is increasing, and the spirit qi fluctuations around him are gradually weakening."

Jun Laoye climbed on a chair and observed the battle for a long time. Then, he exclaimed, "Seems like it. I knew it! There's no way Little Lu would fall behind this much. He's been honing his skills during the fight all along! Little Lu really is a genius!"

With a shout, Jun Laoye rushed toward Nantian Yijian, joining the Lu fans.

The Lu Hype Squad below the arena erupted back to life at his call, chanting Lu Chen's name over and over.

***

Lu Chen and Song Ping had clashed hundreds of times in the arena.

Lu Chen kept using various techniques, only for Song Ping to counter every one of them, leaving spear marks on Lu Chen's vine armor.

Song Ping came close to knocking Lu Chen off the platform several times, but Lu Chen stubbornly refused to fall. Song Ping began to sense that something was off, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

Song Ping flashed back to the center and said, "Something doesn't feel right."

Lu Chen called out. "There's nothing wrong. Come on!"

His vine armor had already fully repaired itself. Gripping the Hunyuan Greatsword firmly, he charged at Song Ping again.

***

Another hour passed.

Lu Chen still looked as if he were on the edge of defeat, yet he never gave in.

His mastery of movement arts grew more agile, and his control over spirit qi, along with his use of techniques, became increasingly refined. With each exchange, he sustained fewer and fewer injuries.

Earlier, Song Ping had been able to push Lu Chen back with every attack, yet Lu Chen could now unleash more than ten techniques before Song Ping even reacted.

Song Ping's expression tightened as Lu Chen became increasingly challenging to handle. "No way."

He suddenly became alert and thrust his Ice Soul Spear fiercely at Lu Chen.

A massive ice dragon erupted from the spear, flooding the area with overwhelming cold.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The icy chill shattered Lu Chen's vine armor.

Song Ping swiftly retreated fifty meters and said, "So you've been using me to practice your spirit qi control all this time?"

Lu Chen stopped and met Song Ping's gaze. "You finally noticed,

huh

?

"I don't have any other options. You're right, I lack battle experience, and my control over spirit qi is poor."

He cupped his hands toward Song Ping. "I owe my progress in spirit qi control to you, Brother Song."

"

Heh.

Didn't think I'd ever be used like this, as nothing more than a grinding stone. Worst thing, I've only just realized it. And I considered myself to be sharp..."

Song Ping wasn't angry. Instead, he felt a newfound respect for Lu Chen. Deep down, he knew that someone who seized every chance to improve could not be ordinary.

"It's getting late. Everyone should rest soon. Since you've mastered spirit qi control, let's have a fair fight. This time, I'll give it my all."

Song Ping gripped his spear and charged at Lu Chen. "I hope you'll do the same."

Lu Chen raised the Hunyuan Greatsword and rushed forward. "Alright, a real fight it is."

The Song Hype Squad and Lu Hype Squad below the arena watched tensely, afraid to miss even a single moment of the battle.