Chapter 45 - Intercepting to Kill

“Senior Brother Gu Zhan actually... lost!”

“Am I dreaming? How could Senior Brother Gu Zhan possibly lose to Chen Fan?”

“W-what? Chen Fan's cultivation is clearly weaker than Senior Brother Gu Zhan's, and he even fell at a significant disadvantage! How did he suddenly unleash such power and defeat Senior Brother Gu Zhan?”

“What robust primeval qi, what terrifying strength, what terrifying physicality... He became so strong after getting struck by lightning? Why didn’t I get struck?”

“With this, isn't he guaranteed a spot in the top 100 and maybe even have a chance to compete for the top 10 among the outer disciples?”

Loud exclamations filled the air. Everyone was in disbelief.

Defeating Sun Youwei with a single punch was surely incredible, but watching him turn the tables and defeat Gu Zhan from a desperate situation left them completely dumbfounded, their eyes wide and mouths agape.

Chen Fan naturally heard the crowd’s discussions. He also felt their burning gazes. In the past, he would have reveled in the attention and basked in the glory of such a grand event.

However, his heart now remained calm, undisturbed like still water. He calmly walked off the fighting arena.

“Fei Kuang, this kid sure can fight,” the Jade-Faced Playboy, He Junyang, remarked with a smile.

A cold glint flashed in Fei Kuang's eyes. The corners of his lips curled into a faint smile as he replied, “That’s better. It’ll be more fun that way. It would be too dull if he were just a weakling I could easily defeat. If I face him in the future, I'll take my time toying with him.”

“Hehe, that guy Gu Zhan is really useless. Nothing but trash,” said He Junyang with contempt.

Fei Kuang’s expression turned cold. His voice filled with killing intent, he said, “He dares to disrespect me. I won't let him get away with it. He should thank his stars that he got eliminated. Otherwise, I would have definitely taken his life in the arena.”

“Alright, guys, let's wrap it up. The first phase of the grand competition is officially over. Our Heaven’s Alliance did well, with 273 advancing to the next phase. The second phase kicks off in three days, and I'm hoping our alliance will take half of the top 100 spots,” Zhong Li remarked as he casually strolled over.

The group swiftly stood up and left the plaza with an air of grandeur, creating quite a commotion among the onlookers.

......

The night air was refreshingly cool, and the moonlight cast a silver glow. A gentle breeze wafted in through the windows.

Chen Fan sat in the lotus position on his bed, surrounded by primeval stones that began to crack open one by one. Thick and pure streams of primeval qi drifted out from them, seamlessly merging with Chen Fan. The qi coursed through his skin, emitting a faint halo.

He continued cultivating until the sun started rising from the horizon.

“Phew...”

Chen Fan opened his eyes, exhaling a deep breath.

Despite not sleeping all night, he felt surprisingly invigorated instead of tired.

According to ancient records, immortality was within the grasp of those who could harness qi.

In the world of martial arts, practitioners harnessed the primeval qi of heaven and earth through breathing to strengthen themselves. Being in the Qi Gathering realm, Chen Fan couldn’t consume qi to achieve immortality just yet. However, he absorbed a significant amount of primeval qi during his night of cultivation; therefore, he felt incredibly energetic and free of drowsiness.

“The grand competition’s second phase begins in three days. My cultivation has stabilized at the early stage of the sixth level, but my combat strength is equivalent to someone at the peak of the seventh level. However, only the winners will progress, and the losers will be eliminated. While Gu Zhan's strength is decent, numerous individuals surpass him in power.”

“Fei Kuang and Chen Changfeng, my current enemies, both belong to the tenth group. I am bound to encounter them in the later stages of the competition. Both of them are considerably stronger than Gu Zhan. Given my current level of strength, it would be challenging for me to emerge victorious if I were to face them.”

“I must find a way to enhance my strength within these three days and prepare for the unexpected. But three days isn’t enough to increase my cultivation of martial arts skills. My physique, on the other hand...”

Chen Fan's mind raced as he contemplated various methods to increase his strength.

“That’s a dead end, too. My physique is in the Strength Refining realm. Without a spiritual herb or a treasure specifically designed for physique tempering, I can’t advance to the fourth layer, the Bone Tempering realm.”

Chen Fan reluctantly concluded that he could only make some progress but couldn't reach the next level of strength.

“Kiki, Kikiki.”

Suddenly, a monkey's screech echoed from the windows, followed by someone swiftly entering the room. The intruder was none other than Xiaobai.

“Why are you here instead of accompanying Senior Sister?” Chen Fan looked at Xiaobai, displeased.

“Kikiki...” Xiaobai tried his hardest to gesture, indicating that he had come to visit Chen Fan. He screeched some more and continued gesturing. There was boredom on his face; he seemingly wanted to convey that staying in the sect was boring.

Chen Fan rolled his eyes back, picked up Xiaobai, and said, “Alright then, come with me on a trip to the Qingyang Mountain Range. Let's try our luck and see if we can stumble upon something good there and increase our strength.”

Chen Fan walked out with Xiaobai on his shoulder.

With not much to occupy him in the Spring Autumn Sect for the next three days, Chen Fan decided it would be more worthwhile to explore the Qingyang Mountain Range. What if he was lucky enough to stumble upon something extraordinary again?

He had heard many stories of people soaring to the skies in one go.

These stories often involved the protagonist surviving a fall from a cliff, stumbling upon a hidden cavern by chance, and obtaining unparalleled martial arts or treasures that propelled them to become experts.

Unfortunately, someone had been waiting for this very moment. As soon as Chen Fan left the Spring Autumn Sect, the news reached Sun Wenshan.

“You little bastard, you dare kill my son. I will make him pay with his blood. I'll twist his head off and kick it around like a ball! He left the sect? This is truly a heaven-sent opportunity!!”

Icy cold killing intent rose from Sun Wenshan. He flitted, resembling a roc spreading its wings, as he soared into the sky and disappeared from the Spring Autumn Sect.

......

On a winding mountain path, Chen Fan ran with nimble steps, almost as if he were flying. His figure flickered between rocks and trees, displaying the agility of a monkey.

“Kiki.”

Xiaobai also became lively now that they weren’t in the sect, seemingly enjoying the journey, screeching happily without pause.

Chen Fan abruptly stopped, his gaze fixed on a boulder ahead on the mountain path. Someone stood there, their robe billowing in the wind, exuding a powerful aura.

“Sun Wenshan!”

Chen Fan’s pupils contracted violently upon seeing him. His hair stood on end, a dark cloud of foreboding looming over him.

He had left the sect discreetly; unexpectedly, Sun Wenshan learned of Chen Fan's departure and had been waiting for him at the passageway leading outside.

“You’re finally here, you little bastard. You made me wait half an hour!”

Wenshan's gaze pierced Chen Fan like a sharp sword, causing a stinging sensation on his skin. An invisible pressure enveloped him, making it difficult for him to catch his breath.

He had firsthand experience of the immense power of a Qi Grandmaster.

Over half a month ago, he had been as feeble as an ant when facing Zhong Li, who could have easily crushed him to death.

Zhong Li had only recently become a Qi Grandmaster, but Sun Wenshan was a seasoned Qi Grandmaster whose strength surpassed Zhong Li's.

They were Qi Grandmasters, but there was a significant disparity in their levels and strengths.