CHAPTER 201: CHAPTER 158: NO NEED TO WAIT, I’M HERE

The Danxia Chamber of Commerce was an organization of immense scale.

The ten major clans were merely forces at the Prefecture City level.

How could they possibly understand the secrets of the geniuses within?

But Zhao Chengxuan was different.

As early as seventeen, he had become a first-class genius. Now, he had joined the Provincial Capital headquarters, aligning himself with the Great Elder’s faction. Naturally, there would be those in the Yongning County branch who stood by his side, ready to pass him information.

First-class genius, Blood Exchange Realm.

When these words were combined, they signified that this person possessed the potential to compete with him for a spot on the Little Dragon Tiger List!

The path of Martial Arts is all about competition, Zhao Chengxuan thought. His plan was to completely subdue this ’Shang Junming’ before the latter could travel to the Provincial Capital and learn superior cultivation techniques and martial arts. That way, he would have one less rival in the future.

"Zhao Chengxuan, aren’t you being a bit too arrogant!"

Even someone as good-natured as Wang Liancheng, at this moment, wore an ice-cold expression.

He, who was just about to be crowned champion of the Prefecture City Genius Meet, should have been the center of attention.

But Zhao Chengxuan’s arrival and his few spoken words had directly knocked Wang Liancheng from the clouds into the mire.

If he were to step down from the stage in the face of such disregard, how would the martial artists of the entire Prefecture City view him afterward?

Wang Liancheng stood on the platform, looking at Zhao Chengxuan. His blood surged like mercury, and his potent qi and blood condensed into a visible battle aura, like war smoke.

Below, the guests, unusually, were not conversing; everyone held their breath. It was clear to all that the battle on the platform could erupt at any moment.

"Brother Shang, this genius’s name... it sounds a lot like... yours..." Zhang Ruo’s voice was extremely low, fearful of being heard by those nearby. Her heart had trembled when Zhao Chengxuan mentioned Shang Junming.

But then, she recalled, when I met Brother Shang, he was already eighteen. Even though he had stepped into the Refining Internal Realm, he was just an ordinary genius. It must just be a coincidence of names.

Zhang Ruo mused silently. After all, she was merely a member of a collateral branch. In recent years, even the most outstanding talent of the Zhang Family, Zhang Yunsu, hadn’t been rated as an ordinary genius.

Everyone naturally remained guarded on this topic. She also didn’t know that within the Danxia Chamber of Commerce, one could also raise their genius ranking through success in actual combat.

"Hmm." Jiang Shu simply nodded, his brows slightly furrowed.

He hadn’t expected to suffer such an unwarranted calamity while merely sitting in the audience, Jiang Shu thought. But after a few rapid thoughts, his understanding of the situation became clear. As a scion of the Zhao Family, Zhao Chengxuan didn’t actually have any significant conflict of interest with him. Even if they were to compete for the Little Dragon Tiger List in the future, the List still had one hundred and eight places. There was no need to be so relentlessly aggressive. Besides, his own ’first-class genius’ status was that of a ’pseudo-genius,’ earned through combat prowess rather than innate talent assessed at a young age. In the eyes of a true first-class genius like Zhao Chengxuan, who had entered the Refining Internal Realm at seventeen, he likely wasn’t considered a major threat.

The reason for this public challenge, then, was most likely the factional struggle within the Danxia Chamber of Commerce! He had grown close to President Su and would most likely join the President’s faction in the future. Meanwhile, the Zhao Family—whether it was Zhao Zhongming, the genius on the Little Dragon Tiger List, or the current Zhao Chengxuan—had aligned themselves with the Great Elder’s faction. If Zhao Chengxuan could suppress him on the platform, not only would it please the Great Elder, but it would also make Jiang Shu’s life in the Provincial Capital’s Danxia Chamber of Commerce incredibly difficult. After all, how many resources could a defeated genius command? A strategy that killed multiple birds with one stone...

As expected, individuals capable of making their way to the Provincial Capital were on a completely different level than those from Prefecture Cities and County Towns. This was an overt scheme, plain for all to see. Like the famed ’Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors’ stratagem, or a plot as intricate as the famed Nine-Turn Intestines. If he feigned ignorance and refused to go on stage, his own reputation would suffer, and it would bring shame upon President Su.

The human body is like a Great Pill; the Four Symbols True Strength circulates in a grand cycle.

Jiang Shu remained seated, steady and composed.

He had to face this challenge on the platform today. But there was no need to rush.

On the platform, Zhao Chengxuan also hadn’t expected that the ’Shang Junming’ he sought was currently in the plaza, watching everything unfold.

He turned back, looked at Wang Liancheng, and snorted coldly, "Fine. It seems that back in the Provincial Capital, I didn’t subdue you thoroughly enough. Just as well, it will take time for the news to spread. Let’s warm up before Shang Junming arrives."

"You’ve gone too far!" Wang Liancheng enunciated each word.

The moment the Zhang Clan Leader stepped off the stage, the longsword at Wang Liancheng’s side suddenly unsheathed itself, hovering in front of him.

His internal True Strength surged, reinforcing the longsword layer by layer. Each layer of True Strength condensed, gathering immense power.

This display of sword power completely surpassed what Zhang Yunsu had previously shown!

Knowing Zhao Chengxuan’s realm, he naturally wouldn’t fight as he had in previous battles. From his very first move, he unleashed an ultimate technique, one reserved for a true life-or-death struggle!

"Indeed, that’s all there is to it..." Zhao Chengxuan murmured. "Wang Liancheng, it seems you still don’t understand. Although both of us went to the Provincial Capital, I can contend for a spot on the Little Dragon Tiger List, and you cannot. The gap between us is enormous."

Beyond the platform, the True Strength of the ten Clan Leaders coalesced, forming layers of protective shields. The battle between these two geniuses would be nothing like the previous ones. If they weren’t careful, even they might be affected by the shockwaves of the fight.

Zhao Chengxuan shook his head. He also carried a longsword on his back, but he showed no intention of drawing it. He just looked at Wang Liancheng, his eyes full of disappointment.

"Enough talk! Go!" Wang Liancheng roared. His qi and blood seemed to drain from his body. All his True Strength accumulated on the longsword, and the point of light condensed at its tip blazed like an immense sun, radiating boundless power.