As Jiang Chen spoke, he deployed his Kunpeng Meteoric Escape to land on the stage like a bolt of lightning. Both hands crossed behind his back, he cut a striking figure in the ring. In this moment, his austere expression and imposing aura outshone Gan Ning.

Jiang Chen cast his gaze at his opponent. “Get all your ‘brothers’ up here. You aren’t worthy to fight me by yourself.”

Gan Ning was a genius who’d just reached third level empyrean realm. There was widespread acknowledgment of him as one of the Five Great Gentlemen of the sacred land. He wasn’t the useless holder of an empty title.

Like all geniuses, he possessed pride born out of talent. He grinned angrily when he heard what Jiang Chen had to say.

“Did you not sleep last night, Shao Yuan? That’d explain your daydreams right now. You’re just a great emperor. Do you believe that I can kill you ten times over with just one hand?”

Jiang Chen shook his head with a serene smile. “I don’t.”

Both of Gan Ning’s eyes widened into disks. “Then I’ll make you believe it!”

He shook his right hand lightly as he said this. In the next moment, his arm took on a bizarrely ethereal appearance; strange runes rippled all around the limb.

Jiang Chen snorted. His Evil Golden Eye flared with aureate light. Powerful consciousness projected from it, hurtling toward Gan Ning like a volley of arrows. He had a new rule for any fight he involved himself in. His rhythm was the only one allowed to exist.

No matter what methods or skills his opponent might have, he would follow his own strategy.

A bout between martial cultivators was a comparison of strength and foundations in the end. There must be something peculiar about Gan Ning’s runic arm, but that didn’t matter to Jiang Chen. He would crush his opponent by following his own tempo.

The Evil Golden Eye was at least ten times stronger than its initial strength. Supported by the potency of his chain seal, it delivered an attack on the consciousness that was comparable to one from a third or fourth level empyrean expert. Moreover, this was just a typical strike.

If Jiang Chen pushed his Evil Golden Eye to its maximum and powered it without regard to cost, it would exceed a peak attack from a fourth level empyrean expert. By now, this had become one of his most lethal techniques.

Focused on powering his own attack, Gan Ning could scarcely do more than raise his arm when the Evil Golden Eye’s light reached him.

“Senior brother Gan Ning, be careful of his ocular attack!” Xiahou Ying suddenly uttered a reminder from the audience. She’d just suffered it and knew how powerful it was.

Gan Ning had originally wanted to ignore the attack altogether, but Xiahou Ying’s reminder and a frisson of danger from his own consciousness changed his mind. In that instant, he moved to evade the ray. He leaned to the side, averting his eyes all the while.

Gan Ning’s choice astounded his observers. They almost thought they were seeing things.

The haughty senior brother Gan Ning, who’d just broken through to third level empyrean realm, had lost the initiative in the first exchange?

Rather than meeting Shao Yuan’s attack head on, the senior brother had chosen to dodge it. Was Gan Ning not dominant enough to keep Shao Yuan under control?

The kid was just peak great emperor – half-step empyrean at most. A half-step empyrean versus a third level empyrean should have been a fight with a foregone conclusion. The events that had just transpired made absolutely no sense.

Even Jing Yi was mildly disappointed. As Gan Ning’s loyal lackey, he had thought his senior brother capable of trivially smashing the Shao Yuan kid into smithereens. His dreams of that were in pieces right now.

Gan Ning harrumphed, but was a lot more terrified than he let on. How could a single look be so astoundingly offensive? Is that an attack of the consciousness or a physical one?

He didn’t understand what that attack had entailed, which scared him all the more. If it had been a physical attack, why had his consciousness quavered at its arrival?

If it were a mental attack, why did he feel like his physical body would be crippled upon contact?

Gan Ning didn’t let his emotions get the better of him though. Sneering, he raised his arm once more in a return to his original intent. A swirl of ripples congregated at the tip of his right index finger, expanding outward in ring after ring.

“Enough of your arrogance, kid. Know your place! Enclosure of Rippling Water!”

The ripples seemed to create an extradimensional pocket in space that took over the arena. A vortex of warping force swept towards Jiang Chen.

Snorting softly, he darted out with his Kunpeng Meteoric Escape, easily eluding Gan Ning’s attack range. He landed on the opposite side of the arena, his eyes moving once more to strike. An even more powerful ray blasted forth from his Evil Golden Eye, firing with increased speed.

Both his Meteoric Escape and Evil Golden Eye were blindingly fast.

Gan Ning reacted just in time. The flash of light tipped him off that his enclosure hadn’t caught up with his enemy.

The most powerful thing about the Enclosure of Rippling Water was that someone caught within the vortex would be trapped within a pocket of extradimensional space, subject to his whims.

It was a very powerful spatial ability that he had obtained through tremendous fortune. It was part of his Water God’s Arm, which had the power to call up storms.

Gan Ning was number one in the sacred land when it came to control over water. This was the reason why he had the right to be ranked among the Five Great Gentlemen.

Alas, that attribute had a major weakness as well: namely, speed. Water attribute abilities didn’t specialize in speed. It made up for it with manipulation and potential.

Water was a miraculous element that could both go with and against the flow of things. As such, it could be molded into a myriad of astonishing abilities. Water could envelop all, contain all, pervade all, suffuse all. It was mysterious and extremely difficult to master.

If Gan Ning hadn’t obtained the wondrous Water God’s Arm through serendipity, he wouldn’t have nearly the same notoriety among the younger generation. Fortune had made him the man he was today. But when faced with the Kunpeng Meteoric Escape, he felt himself struggling.

The Enclosure of Rippling Water was superb at ensnaring and suppressing an opponent within its bounds. And as a third level empyrean expert, Gan Ning wasn’t exactly slow.

Alas, he had encountered a monster of speed. Jiang Chen’s Kunpeng Meteoric Escape was among the best escape methods available. His Evil Golden Eye struck as quickly as light and thought would allow.

In both defense and offense, Jiang Chen was slightly faster than Gan Ning. Fighting under such circumstances was extremely irritating for the latter. Thankfully, Gan Ning’s arm was potent in its own right.

He had been forced to evade the Evil Golden Eye’s attack while unprepared, but his repeat performance was much more elegant and befitting of a gentleman. He stretched out his arm, producing a translucent barrier of water.

Wham!

The ray of golden light slammed into the watery veil, causing it to shatter in a flurry of splashes. However, the impact was enough to cancel out the assault as well.

Jiang Chen was surprised. The apparently ordinary water screen was astoundingly sturdy in its own right!

Looks like Gan Ning is pretty adept when it comes to water attribute abilities. His attack and defense are both excellent.

He was happy enough to admit the ability of his enemy. Still, Jiang Chen didn’t think it possible for Gan Ning to actually win.

The prospect of a worthy opponent roused his enthusiasm in the fight. Pushing his speed to its maximum, Jiang Chen filled the sky with afterimages of himself.

A storm of light rained down, as if countless images of divinity were declaring judgment from the firmament. The arena was blindingly bright for a time.

Jiang Chen’s acceleration contained both an offensive and defensive element. He knew well that Gan Ning’s art was proficient at territorial combat. If he stayed in one spot for too long, the enclosure could catch up and subsume him rather easily.

Thus, his frenzied speed served the purpose of self-preservation as well. Of course, the best defense was a good offense, and Jiang Chen followed that principle to the best of his ability.

The battle waged on, each youth using his advantages in an attempt to gain an edge over the other. Jiang Chen relied on his speed, Gan Ning on taking over territory.

Gan Ning wanted to encroach upon as much space as he could to overpower Jiang Chen, and Jiang Chen wanted to move so quickly that Gan Ning couldn’t keep up. Unfortunately, neither could decisively overwhelm the other.

The relative equality of the combatants awed everyone else watching. They couldn’t accept what they were seeing. How could someone as strong as senior brother Gan Ning be kept at bay by some great emperor kid? What was going on here?

Jing Yi was frozen in place, disbelief plain upon his face. He finally understood why Shao Yuan had been so cocky. He had every right to be so.

If they really had all swarmed him, his terrifying speed would have rendered all actual assistance impossible.

For a moment, Jing Yi was grateful that senior brother Gan Ning was the one in the ring. If it were him, he would have lost long ago under Jiang Chen’s harassment.