Divine Five Thunderclap Sword Technique, Torrent of Ten Thousand Swords! Jiang Chen had been trying to comprehend the sword technique for a few months, and this was actually the first time he’d truly executed the technique. Everything had gone better than expected. In fact, it had achieved the level of strength that he had been aiming for.

Countless sword auras rushed towards young master Liuxiang in unison, as though they were locked onto him. Liuxiang had faced many powerful foes since he’d stepped on the road of martial dao and had seen many powerful killer techniques, but he’d never seen one as savage as the one he was currently facing. A sudden inexplicable sense of doom rushed over him and made him feel like a fish on a chopping board. There was no way he could retaliate. Instinct instantly took over. Flee!

He would surely perish if he chose to meet the strike head on! He hesitated no longer after reaching that conclusion. His face aghast, he immediately shot off the arena. Wham!! The Torrent of Ten Thousand Swords viciously arrived the moment after Liuxiang had jumped down, turning half of the arena into ruins.

The arena was protected by restrictive formations. Many powerful attacks were only capable of causing a chip or two in its structure. However, Jiang Chen’s sword strike had managed to destroy half of it! The might and power behind the strike stunned the audience. The area was so silent that for a brief moment, one couldn’t even hear the sound of people breathing.

Liuxiang was also rendered speechless when he saw the half-destroyed arena after he got back on his feet. The area instantly filled with a tidal wave of applause. Even the Coiling Dragon clan lord was applauding Jiang Chen. He’d noticed that Jiang Chen had retracted some of his sword intent and gave Liuxiang a chance to escape in that perilous moment. It was fortunate that Liuxiang hadn’t been a fool and grabbed the window of opportunity that he was given. The clan lord was skeptical that Liuxiang would still be alive if otherwise.

Jiang Chen cut a dashing figure as he stood proudly with his sword in his hands. He was also in a very excitable mood right now. He’d finally made some small progress with this sword technique. Vastsky Divine Emperor, this junior will make your Divine Five Thunderclap Sword Technique renowned in the world! He was overcome with emotion. This was his idol’s sword technique. He had cultivated this sword technique and executed it, all to show reverence to his most respected idol!

Liuxiang’s defeat had made the other great clan’s disciples lose their will to challenge Pill King Zhen. Jiang Chen easily achieved six consecutive victories after that. He was then paired against Sunyu Xiaosheng on the seventh round. Interestingly, Sunyu Xiaosheng actually decided to admit defeat instead. This was a surprise. Jiang Chen was actually quite interested in the dark horse. He thought initially that they’d have a gruelling match, but Sunyu Xiaosheng had suddenly admitted defeat. In fact, he’d even seemed quite good-natured while doing so.

Jiang Chen was extremely confused. He couldn’t make out whether Sunyu Xiaosheng had intentionally lost the match or if the other truly believed that he wasn’t a match for Jiang Chen. In any case, this meant that Jiang Chen had achieved seven consecutive victories. On the eighth round, Jiang Chen was finally paired with Ji San.

Ji San was deeply immersed in his own thoughts before he smiled wryly. “That sword technique of yours... I’ve put a lot of thought into it, yet I still can’t seem to find a way to defeat it. I think there’s no need for either of us to waste our time here.”

His opponent had admitted defeat yet again. This had put Jiang Chen squarely in the spotlight. Every single round was pivotally important in the ranking battles. Every win or loss could determine one’s final placement in the rankings. A single loss would mean that one had lost their chance for first place. Ji San hadn’t lost the match to his brother on purpose. He had only admitted defeat after lengthy consideration because he simply couldn’t figure out a way to defeat Jiang Chen’s formidable sword technique. Thus, Jiang Chen achieved his eighth consecutive victory without even breaking a sweat.

Normally, achieving eight consecutive victories would mean that first place was within reach. However, such was not the case this time, because Jiang Chen’s final opponent was just like him and hadn’t lost a single battle yet. His name was Mie Chenzi. This man had fought Ji San, Liuxiang, and Sunyu Xiaosheng and had won against all of them! Because of that, Mie Chenzi had replaced Sunyu Xiaosheng as the most talked-about and mysterious dark horse in the tournament. Everyone was extremely curious about this mysterious wandering cultivator. Where was he from, and how had he managed to defeat so many geniuses consecutively?

Ji San even gave Jiang Chen a warning after conceding, “Be wary of Mie Chenzi. This man’s cultivation is beyond even mine. He’s no ordinary wandering cultivator.”

Jiang Chen also understood the other reason why Ji San had chosen to forfeit the match—Ji San wanted his brother to be in peak condition when he battled Mie Chenzi. They both had eight consecutive victories. Whoever won this round would be ranked first in the Genius Rankings. Thus, the final ranking battle was actually the battle with the most on the line. The winner of this battle would become the champion, while the loser would only be a measly runner-up. Even though the results of the other matchups would affect the rankings as well, they weren’t even close to being as significant as the result of this battle.

The grand final of the ranking match was scheduled to take place after all the other ranking matches so that everyone would have the chance to watch the match between the strongest two. Jiang Chen wasn’t too bothered by that. He was even more curious about the origins of his opponent. He’d felt intense disdain for his opponent the moment he’d laid eyes on him. The opponent’s name had annoyed him greatly too.

Mie Chenzi? Can this be a coincidence? My name is Jiang Chen while his name is a moniker for Death To Chen... He’s obviously talking about me right? Could he be here for my life just like that large brute in the New Star Rankings? Jiang Chen was wary. The more he thought about it, the more suspicious he grew.

Even though he’d already become Pill King Zhen of Veluriyam Capital, he knew that there was a possibility that the Ninesuns Sky Sect and Eternal Celestial Capital could find the breadcrumbs that led back to him if they investigated closely enough. All he could do was try not to leave too many crumbs out in the open for them to find. If they suspected something, it was entirely within the capabilities of the two major sects to send out their genius disciples to scope things out.

Jiang Chen had long suspected that the mysterious large brute was a disciple from one of these two sects. This Mie Chenzi was probably another disciple sent to kill him. He began to laugh coldly upon reaching this conclusion. You want to kill me? Come then. It doesn’t matter whether you’re from the Ninesuns Sky Sect or Eternal Celestial Capital. I’ll collect some interest from the both of you before I seek my revenge!