CHAPTER 83: TRULY UNRIVALED AMONG PEERS OF THE SAME REALM

Jun Wudi watched as Jun Laoye returned with a heavy expression. He gestured with both hands for the battles to continue.

Jun Laoye slowly made his way back to the round table and sank into his seat. He sighed with regret, "Little Lu, I lost. I was too impatient. The rest is up to you now."

Jun Wudi stood up and patted Jun Laoye on the back. "Next time, remember to stay calm in battle. Victory always belongs to those who keep their composure."

"Understood, Second Uncle."

Jun Laoye grabbed the wine jug from the table and drained it in one gulp. Then, he tossed all the spoils he'd won to Lu Chen. "Little Lu, it's your turn. Make sure to win back every last spoil and avenge us."

"I'll give it everything I've got to win the final fight," Lu Chen replied, taking all 108 spoils and fixing his gaze on the arena.

"The opponents in the arena are getting stronger. Those who're stepping up now have nearly all reached perfect mastery of the Qi Regulation Realm," Lu Chen said.

He narrowed his eyes and glanced toward the left side of the arena. "If I'm not mistaken, a few Qi Condensation Realm cultivators are watching from there. They could be even stronger."

"How could there be Qi Condensation Realm cultivators? Everyone here should be at the Qi Regulation Realm."

Lu Chen pointed toward a round table to the left of the arena. "Right there."

Jun Laoye turned his head to look. "Hmm? That's... Second Uncle's Godslayer Squad. What are they doing here?"

Lu Chen looked at Jun Laoye. "Godslayer Squad? What's that?"

Jun Wudi picked up a wine jug, gathered his spirit qi, and tossed it toward the Godslayer Squad.

"The Godslayer Squad is a personal guard I've trained since I was young. They're practically half my disciples now. The eldest among them is nearly three hundred years old. Their talent and cultivation far exceed those of ordinary people. Now, they take on missions for me."

Sensing Jun Wudi's presence, the squad leader stood, bowed respectfully, caught the wine jug, and poured four small cups. He then circulated his spirit qi and sent the cups back to Jun Wudi before serving the others beside him.

Jun Wudi nodded and handed the four cups to Lu Chen and the others. "Only a few of them returned this time. You can spar with them when the opportunity arises."

Lu Chen bowed to the Godslayer Squad, raised his cup, and drank it down. "Understood, Uncle Jun."

***

During this brief conversation, dozens of fights had already erupted across the arena.

Wang Xiaolong dominated the field with his incredible speed and stealthy moves.

Boom!

A deafening crash echoed as Wang Xiaolong blasted a giant hammer-wielding cultivator out of the ring.

He stood firmly in the center of the arena, never once looking back as he called out, "Who's next? Step up."

Jun Wudi glanced at Lu Chen and said, "Little Lu, it's your turn. Show them what you're made of."

Lu Chen responded, "Yes, Uncle Jun."

Lu Chen slowly rose to his feet. With eyes locked on the arena, he shouted, "I'm coming."

At that moment, an immense surge of spirit qi erupted from him.

Surprised by the powerful aura, everyone turned to look. "Huh? Is that really him?"

His appearance in the arena marked the true beginning of the battle. The crowd already knew the real purpose of the event, so despite their surprise, they quickly cleared a path for him.

Wang Xiaolong turned to look at Lu Chen. "Lu Chen?"

His expression grew cautious as he drew a dagger from his pocket. Wang Xiaolong understood the true purpose behind this fight. He dared not underestimate Lu Chen in the slightest.

Back in the secret realm, Wang Xiaolong had also seen Lu Chen fight the Spidercrab. He knew without a doubt that once his cultivation was suppressed to the same realm as Lu Chen, the latter would be stronger.

Wang Xiaolong's spirit qi flared to its peak as he locked his eyes on Lu Chen. "Ready? Then let's begin."

Among the spectators, a tall cultivator who didn't recognize Lu Chen kept asking those nearby, "Who is he? Why does he seem stronger than the Second Young Master? Xiaolong looks nervous."

A nearby cultivator gave him a surprised look. "You don't know him? That's Lu Chen. Your information is way out of date."

The tall cultivator scratched his head. "A few days ago, some of us were sent on a mission. I haven't seen him before."

The crowd around him quickly gathered, eager for details. "So? Who is he?"

A round-faced cultivator sitting nearby answered, "He's the Lord's first disciple—Lu Chen. When we entered the secret realm, he got separated from us and only returned recently."

His gaze never left Lu Chen as he spoke, unwilling to miss even the smallest detail.

The tall cultivator looked at Lu Chen and said, "Hmm? So he's the Lord's disciple..."

"Judging by his aura, he's only at the first level of the Qi Regulation Realm. I thought inner disciples had to be at least at the Qi Condensation Realm to become the Lord's disciple?"

By now, Lu Chen had readied himself for the fight. His body radiated a fiery red spirit qi, raising his aura to rival level-five Qi Regulation Realm cultivators.

The tall cultivator frowned. "Wait... his energy... he's only at the first level, so how can it be this strong?"

He pointed toward the arena. "Xiaolong looks a little afraid. That doesn't make sense... He's reached perfect mastery of the Qi Regulation Realm..."

The round-faced cultivator turned back and repeated, "Afraid?"

He looked toward the arena and saw Wang Xiaolong tensed up, his cultivation suppressed to the first level of the Qi Regulation Realm.

He sneered. "Of course he's afraid. Back when Lu Chen was still in the Qi Absorption Realm, he was already strong enough to force the Second Young Master to use the Heavenly Dao Command. Tell me, is that not impressive enough? And..."

The round-faced cultivator paused, took a slow bite of food, and sipped his wine.

The tall cultivator grew impatient with the round-faced man's slow pace and snatched up the wine jar, refilling his cup again and again. "So he forced the Second Young Master to use such a move? And what else? Hurry up and finish your story."

Seeing the anxious faces around him, the round-faced cultivator drained his cup slowly before saying, "It's a shame you didn't enter the secret realm. In the end, it was Lu Chen who helped the Lord slay the demonic beast. Impressive, right? Now tell me, how is it not normal to feel afraid?"

The tall cultivator hurriedly refilled his cup and said, "I heard the demonic beast was already close to death back then. In that case, I'd still dare to fight him."

The round-faced cultivator drained his wine in one gulp, squatted on the stool, and shot him a cold laugh. "Heh, close to death? Would you dare face a Core Breakthrough Realm demonic beast head-on while still in the Qi Regulation Realm?"

"I... maybe he just happened to have something that countered the beast..."

The surrounding cultivators faltered at his words. "Fighting a Core Breakthrough Realm beast at the Qi Regulation Realm? Head-on? There's simply no precedent for that."

The round-faced cultivator kicked the wine jar aside, stepped onto the table, and fixed his gaze on the arena. "Heh, just watch. Wang Xiaolong will lose within a minute."

"The fight just started. Even if he can go toe-to-toe with a demonic beast, there's no way it'll end in a minute."

The tall cultivator still doubted Lu Chen's strength. When Wang Xiaolong suddenly vanished from sight, he shouted, "At least that's not possible for now!"

The round-faced cultivator caught the gesture and sneered. "Heh, such childish thinking. That's exactly why you'll always remain a low-level cultivator."

The tall cultivator bristled at the mockery. "What do you mean? You act like you know so much, but you aren't much better yourself."

The round-faced cultivator caught a faint smile on Lu Chen's face and turned to the tall cultivator. "Watch closely. I said one minute earlier, but now? I won't even need to count to five before Wang Xiaolong falls."

***

In the center of the arena, Lu Chen immediately glanced toward the upper-left corner of the platform. A faint smile played on his lips as ten vines of the Divine Tree sprouted from his palm. "You're going to lose."

Wang Xiaolong remained in the shadows as he observed Lu Chen's movements. He sneered. "Trying to get me with brute force? I've overestimated you. Your aura is strong, but your battle experience is still lacking."

Lu Chen replied calmly, "I'm not trying to use brute force. I'm just trying to throw you off."

When the words reached Wang Xiaolong's ears, they struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. He faltered, and his actions inadvertently gave him away. "I don't believe it. You're still trying to force your way through."

With his years of battle experience, Wang Xiaolong managed to calm down in an instant. He quickly adjusted his mindset and leapt in another direction.

Lu Chen said lightly, "You are strong, but you're going the wrong way."

The vines in his hand twisted, tearing open a rift in the air.

Wang Xiaolong ignored it, focusing entirely on defense. "I told you, brute force won't work!"

But before Wang Xiaolong had even landed, the bricks beneath him had turned into a net made of vines, with the other end gripped firmly in Lu Chen's hand.

He struggled to right himself in mid-air before hurling a dagger at Lu Chen. "How is this possible? How could you see my movement trajectory?"

Lu Chen stretched out his hand and formed a barrier with the Green Sovereign Divine Tree to block the dagger. "You're already too late."

"Green Sovereign Divine Tree, Bind."

The net expanded rapidly, growing dozens of times its original size and surging upward. Before Wang Xiaolong could make another move, it had enveloped him.

The tall cultivator's eyes widened in shock. "This can't be... Brother Xiaolong actually lost."

"Heh, I even gave him an extra two seconds. Three was all it took."

The round-faced cultivator glanced at the stunned group beside him, jumped down from the table, and walked away. "Next up is Lu Chen's show. Being unrivaled among peers of the same realm isn't just an empty boast."