Chapter Forty: Victory!

At this moment, as the energy of heaven and earth and the spiritual power within his body converged unceasingly, the blue radiance in Yang Yan’s palm grew ever more brilliant. Suddenly, a pale blue crystal seal appeared in his palm, slowly rotating and expanding, its azure glow rippling outward. A chilling, cold aura swept across the entire martial arena in an instant.

Liu Zhengqing’s heart was filled with shock as well. When Yang Yan sheathed his sword and began forming seals, a sudden sense of unease rose within Liu Zhengqing. What he had not expected was that Yang Yan, relying only on the cultivation of the second stage of the Spirit Sense Realm, had also mastered a martial technique!

Yet Liu Zhengqing was no pushover. His initial shock faded as a soaring fighting spirit took its place. He laughed boldly and called out, “Come, Yang Yan! Let’s see whose martial technique is stronger!”

As his words fell, Liu Zhengqing lunged forward, his right arm gripping the golden spear. Using that momentum, he thrust the weapon fiercely toward Yang Yan.

A sharp whoosh cut through the air. The spear was fierce and domineering, like a dragon surging from the sea or an eagle soaring through the sky. The dark, deep spear tip tore through the air with a piercing sonic boom, carrying with it a force capable of annihilating all it touched as it shot straight toward Yang Yan.

“Wild Dragon Piercing the Heart!”

With a mighty shout, Liu Zhengqing released a finger-thick beam of dark golden light from the tip of his spear. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a miniature ‘golden dragon’!

A crisp, resonant dragon’s roar echoed as the golden light darted forward, arrow-swift, toward Yang Yan.

“So young, yet he can compress the spiritual power in his body to such a degree! Truly terrifying!”

“Liu Zhengqing’s spiritual power is far more robust than most cultivators at his level. His innate spiritual physique must be of a high grade. And that spear of his seems to further condense and compress spiritual power. Even a cultivator at the fourth stage of the Spirit Sense Realm would struggle to withstand such a strike!”

“That Zhang family boy is going to lose!”

As the pillar of dark golden light expanded in Yang Yan’s gaze, his expression grew grave. He raised both hands, left hand gripping his right wrist, and sent the swirling blue crystal seal in his palm hurtling toward the dark golden beam.

“Destruction Seal!”

A hissing sound rang out. To the astonishment of all present, the blue crystal seal and the dark golden beam collided, yet there was no earth-shattering explosion as one might expect. Instead, they began to corrode each other, gold and blue lights intertwining in a kaleidoscopic display. Waves of energy storms erupted from the point of impact, swiftly sweeping across the arena.

Up in the stands, everyone raised their arms to shield themselves from the raging tempest, but their eyes remained fixed on the unfolding battle, peering through the gaps between their fingers.

“Look! Yang Yan’s blue crystal seal seems unable to hold out any longer!”

“So it’s true—Liu Zhengqing’s martial technique is superior!”

In the arena, under the fierce erosion of the dark golden pillar of light, Yang Yan’s blue crystal seal trembled uncontrollably.

A faint cracking sound, though soft, echoed clearly in everyone’s ears. A thin fissure appeared on the blue seal, spreading rapidly like a spiderweb.

“It can’t withstand it any longer…”

Liu Zhengqing breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the crystal seal shatter. But just as he relaxed, he caught sight of Yang Yan’s impassive, icy face, and a sense of foreboding suddenly gripped his heart.

“Explode!”

Yang Yan’s cold command rang out. Beneath the spiderwebbed blue crystal, a pea-sized, deep blue orb of spiritual power detonated with a thunderous roar.

A cataclysmic explosion followed—gold and blue energy storms twisted and spiraled, emanating a destructive aura that surged outward from the jade platform toward the stands.

“Scarlet Flame Array!”

At that moment, Elder Li leapt to his feet. With a flick of his wrist, a crimson disc spun and expanded above the jade platform. Four scarlet beams shot out, anchoring the four corners of the stone dais, then quickly spread out to form four interconnected crimson screens, sealing off the entire platform.

Deafening booms, metallic clangs, and crystalline chimes sounded within the barrier as gold and blue energy storms battered the scarlet screens, painting the scene in wild, shifting colors and obscuring all within.

After a while, the tumult subsided. Elder Li waved a sleeve; the crimson disc shrank and vanished into his spatial pouch, and the scarlet barrier upon the stone dais slowly faded away.

The entire arena fell into dead silence—one could hear a pin drop. It was as though everyone’s breath and heartbeat had stopped, their gazes fixed intently upon the stone platform.

Now, Yang Yan stood with his clothes in tatters, gasping for breath, his body and face covered with cuts and bloody streaks—the aftermath of the explosive spiritual winds.

As the crowd turned their eyes, a collective gasp rang out.

On the far side of the platform, Liu Zhengqing’s condition was even more miserable. His body was drenched in blood, deep wounds gaping open to reveal raw flesh—a horrifying sight. His golden spear had been flung aside, lying on the ground just beyond his reach.

Trembling, Liu Zhengqing tried to crawl toward his spear, but his battered body would not move even an inch.

“Did… Yang Yan win?”

For a brief, almost eerie moment, no one spoke. Then, as if waking from a dream, someone murmured the words, and the spell was broken.

Clap. Clap.

Suddenly, crisp applause rang through the vast, silent arena. At first scattered and tentative, the clapping swelled, growing louder and more frequent until it erupted into a thunderous ovation and jubilant cheers.

This duel had been too dazzling and overwhelming for all who witnessed it.

From this day forth, Yang Yan’s name was sure to echo throughout Jinhuan City! The once-disparaged young master of the Zhang family had, at this very moment, shed his former self and emerged as a leading figure among the city’s younger generation.

“You are strong. It is my honor to be your opponent.”

Within the arena, Yang Yan, battered and bloodied, walked slowly toward the prone Liu Zhengqing and spoke.

Liu Zhengqing trembled and slowly lifted his head to see a slender, fair hand extended before him.

For a moment, he was stunned. The last traces of resentment and despair dissolved from his heart.

“Yes… failure is not to be feared. What is truly frightening is failing to acknowledge and face it…”

With a long, relieved sigh, Liu Zhengqing smiled, stretched out his hand, and clasped Yang Yan’s in a firm handshake.