Chapter 91: The Mysterious Lu Chen

Lu Chen glanced back at Nantian Wan'er, his fingers curling tightly. "

Give it everything we've got. Worry about whether it works later.

"

"Stone Wall Formation, converge."

With a roar, Lu Chen poured his spirit qi into the stone walls. The eight walls surrounding Song Ping trembled and slowly moved inward, gradually enclosing him.

Sensing the imminent danger, Song Ping summoned all his strength and threw the ice spear into the air. The spear let out a long, resonant cry as it transformed into a massive Frost Dragon, thrashing through the air and charging straight at Lu Chen.

"It's too late."

Wind Dragon abandoned his concealment. With a deafening roar, it revealed its true form in the arena.

The cultivators froze at the sudden appearance of the dragon.

"A dragon?"

"Could this be the manifested form of Lu Chen's Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk? I didn't expect him to be this strong."

"The Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk's manifestation is usually lifeless. This dragon... it seems intelligent."

Wang Xiaolong suddenly recalled the sword intent Lu Chen had unleashed earlier and shivered. "Could that be a weapon spirit?"

The cultivators below the arena turned to look at Wind Dragon in astonishment. "A weapon spirit? How is that possible? Those are nearly impossible to find and are a once-in-a-thousand-year rarity."

Jun Xiaohu kept his eyes on Lu Chen and said, "Xiaolong might be right. Haven't you realized yet? Lu Chen keeps redefining our understanding of what a genius can do. Even if he told me it's a real dragon, I'd totally believe it."

Wind Dragon ignored the murmurs below. "Little Lu, use the Twin-Fish Medallion. I'll keep that foolish dragon occupied."

"Slot and Strike!"

Lu Chen summoned the Twin-Fish Medallion and slammed it onto his sword hilt. Blue streaks of light danced along the blade as the Hunyuan Greatsword switched into Twin-Fish Mode.[1]

"Summoning a spirit?" Jun Laoye murmured as he observed Lu Chen's moves. "The Spirit Awaken Technique? No... this is more advanced than the typical Spirit Awaken Technique."

"Wind Dragon, it's up to you now. You must stop him."

Lu Chen gripped the Hunyuan Greatsword and hurled it at Wind Dragon's forehead. Their minds instantly synced in perfect harmony.

When the sword returned, Wind Dragon's combat strength soared to the pinnacle of the first level of the Qi Regulation Realm.

With a mighty roar, Wind Dragon charged into the Stone Wall Formation, confronting the Frost Dragon head-on.

Seeing the dragon in action, Wang Xiaolong's jaw dropped. "Only a weapon spirit has the ability to think and wield its master's weapon. That dragon must really be a weapon spirit then! Lu Chen is a genius. The Serene Void Academy has finally gotten its hands on a true prodigy."

"Yes... This is exactly what Serene Void Academy desperately needed for their counterattack."

Hearing the murmurs, Jun Laoye muttered under his breath, "Little Lu... Just how strong are you?"

***

Inside the Stone Formation, Song Ping, now disarmed, pounded at the stone walls with his bare hands, desperate to break free and kill Lu Chen.

Lu Chen shouted, "Wind Dragon, hold off the Ice Dragon! The Spirit Light Chains will be ready soon!"

He gathered the spirit qi he had just recovered, focusing entirely on forming hand seals.

The cultivators below the arena held their breath, eyes wide, as though even a single exhale might disrupt the flow of his spirit qi.

"Spirit Light Chains, bind."

The scattered Spirit Light Chains absorbed his qi, glowing blue as they shot upward and coiled tightly around Song Ping's limbs and head.

With his qi suppressed, Song Ping's attacks weakened instantly, yet he still roared in rage. "

Ah...

Lu Chen, let me go! I'll kill you!"

Song Ping hammered the stone walls in a frenzy, but all that came back was the dull thud of his fists against stone. No matter what he tried, he couldn't break through.

Seeing him finally restrained, Lu Chen dropped to the ground, gasping. "

Phew...

finally got him. That was close."

With all of that done, Song Ping could no longer escape.

The crowd exhaled in relief, their breaths matching Lu Chen's.

"Senior Martial Brother Song... was suppressed just like that?"

"Lu Chen's incredibly strong. He's been holding back against us..."

"I didn't think the boss would already be this strong..."

Jun Laoye echoed the sentiment. "Yes. Little Lu's growth is astonishing, faster than any genius I've ever seen. Does he really have no family background?"

He turned to Nantian Wan'er, genuinely curious. He knew no ordinary cultivator could possess such talent.

Nantian Yijian glanced at Jun Laoye, who was deep in thought, and said, "Family background? He's only mentioned that he's from the Jianghai Region. He's never spoken about it in detail."

"He once told me that the bandits killed those close to him, forcing him onto the cultivation path. From the first time I met him, his bearing was already that of a prodigy. His expressions, and his composure... was nothing like an ordinary person's."

Jun Laoye repeated their names inwardly,

Nantian Yijian... Nantian Wan'er.

He suspected that Lu Chen's story might be much like his own, one of fleeing a sect[2].

Is Lu Chen hiding it deliberately, or does he have another purpose in the Jianghai Region?

For now, Jun Laoye set the thought aside. He planned to look into it later.

"I'm heading to the boss."

Nantian Yijian approached the edge of the arena. Seeing Lu Chen lying on the ground, he tried to reach him, but the defensive barrier only allowed exit, not entry.

He hammered the barrier and called out to Lu Chen.

Just then, a tremendous crash erupted inside the arena. The stone wall closest to Lu Chen collapsed into rubble.

"Lu Chen, prepare to die!"

As the dust cleared, Song Ping emerged, exuding a ruthless black aura. The Spirit Light Chains still bound his limbs and head, but the blue glow along them flickered, like they were on the verge of going out.

Illuminated by the unsteady light, Song Ping resembled a god of slaughter, slowly stepping out from the pile of debris.

Below the arena, cultivators shouted for Lu Chen to act, urging him to subdue Song Ping again.

Lu Chen struggled to his feet, clenching his fists to control the Stone Wall Formation and trap Song Ping once more. However, nothing happened.

Lu Chen kept forming hand seals, but the Stone Wall Formation remained completely unresponsive.

The cultivators below quickly sensed the danger. Their earlier relief vanished as they nervously watched the aggressive Song Ping close in.

In no time, Song Ping reached Lu Chen. "Lu Chen, prepare to die."

His fists radiated with demonic qi as he rained blows on Lu Chen.

Thanks to the Golden Dragon Skin's resilience, the first waves of strikes caused no serious harm.

Lu Chen tried to stand and fight back, but with his spirit qi depleted, his punches were slow and weak. He had lost any advantage he previously had, and couldn't even fight back properly.

"

Hehehe...

all out of energy? Level-one Qi Regulation Realm... that's all the spirit qi you've got, isn't it?"

Song Ping's eyes gleamed with malice as he kicked Lu Chen into the air. "Without spirit qi, you're nothing but a useless fool."

Nantian Wan'er's worried voice echoed in Lu Chen's mind. "

Lu-gege...

"

"I'm fine for now. But the seal of the Spirit Light Chains on me has grown even stronger."

Suspended in midair, Lu Chen spat out a mouthful of blood. "Channeling spirit qi has become dozens of times harder than before, and my reaction speed has slowed as well."

He tried again and again to harness his spirit qi, but the chains flashing across his Heavenly Pool only tightened further, making control ever more difficult.

Song Ping seized Lu Chen by the neck and rammed him against the defensive barrier. "Fight back! Your techniques are powerful, aren't they? Your weapon is strong, isn't it? Use them! Resist!"

"My Ice Soul Spear... shattered just like that. Do you know how painful that is? I'll use your life to settle the score."

Sensing Lu Chen was in danger, Wind Dragon tore into the Frost Dragon with his claws, then unleashed dozens of wind spheres from his mouth aimed at Song Ping, forcing him to release Lu Chen.

Lu Chen let out a sharp breath. He activated his movement art and dodged with great effort.

"

Heh

, trying to run from me?! Give up. I'll give you a slow death and let you taste despair."

Song Ping's fists moved with blinding speed, each strike carrying a freezing chill. Lu Chen's body was battered, one wound after another marring him.

Seeing Lu Chen's movements slow down with every move, Nantian Yijian's expression hardened. He pounded on the barrier. "Boss! What's happening? Fight back!"

Jun Laoye snapped out of his daze at the shout. "What's going on?"

Nantian Wan'er cried. "The last two techniques drained too much spirit qi. Lu-gege's spirit qi is completely gone! He can't control his techniques. Without spirit qi, the stone formation will keep weakening!"

Nantian Yijian's face tensed. "What do we do? The boss can't hold on! At this rate, he might really die!"

"Lu-gege needs spirit qi. We have to transfer it to him now."

Nantian Wan'er frantically swallowed pills, channeling her spirit qi into the Heavenly Pool.

They might have shared a Heavenly Pool, but Lu Chen was ultimately its rightful owner, as well as that of the miniature world.

She had only just learned to manipulate spirit qi and couldn't control it with precision. Even while consuming pills to replenish herself, she could only supply enough to maintain the two Dao Arts already active in the arena. The chains in the Heavenly Pool further disrupted the flow, adding extra strain to her body.

For a moment, the spirit qi in the Heavenly Pool couldn't keep up with the demand.

Lu Chen could no longer sustain his Dao Arts, and the two techniques in the arena were on the verge of dissipating.

Seeing Lu Chen falter, Nantian Yijian smashed his fists against the barrier again and again. "So all we need is to replenish his qi? Then shut the barrier down! If it's gone, we can get to him!"

His fists split open, blood streaking the transparent wall, but the barrier held firm.

He collapsed against it, shouting in frustration, "How do we shut it down? Someone! Save the boss!"

Jun Laoye stared at the arena. "It's possible. The barrier can be shut down."

He started searching for the mechanism to deactivate it. "Calm down. There's a way, and we just need to find it."

Under Nantian Yijian's relentless pounding, the barrier finally reacted. A blast of blue spirit qi shot out toward him.

He spat blood and flew backward.

Jun Laoye leapt up, catching the unconscious Nantian Yijian in midair. That was when he spotted the control device, flickering with light beside the arena.

1. Slot and Strike with the Twin-Fish Medallion is called Twin-Fish Mode, while the version with the dragon-engraved disk is called Wind Dragon Mode. ☜

2. Just a reminder that Jun Laoye and Jun Wudi are both from the Heavenly Rite Manor, and currently in the Heavenly Mandate Hall only because of Jun Wudi's injuries ☜