Chapter 209: Establishing Authority
The moment "Yun Che's" name was announced, Cang Yue reacted even faster than Yun Che. She grabbed his hand, her voice both nervous and excited: "Junior Brother Yun, it's your turn."
"Brother-in-law, go for it! Defeat all your opponents and show those who mocked us!" Xia Yuanba clenched his fist.
"I'll be back in a moment," Yun Che casually tossed out before leaving his seat and stepping onto the Sword Discussion Platform.
The fifteenth Sword Discussion Platform instantly became the center of attention.
"Look! That kid from the Cangfeng Imperial Clan is up!"
"Tsk, that Fu Yanjie is so damn lucky. His very first match is against this guy. Why can't I have such good fortune?"
"I remember that Fu Yanjie is at the Spirit Xuan Realm, Level 2. He'll probably finish him in three moves... Ahhh! Why wasn't I assigned to Group Fifteen? Even if I lost all other eleven matches, at least I could have a good time bullying this Cangfeng Imperial Clan brat."
Loud bursts of laughter erupted around them.
Yun Che paid no attention to the surrounding noise. He silently gazed at his opponent before him. His first opponent was burly, with a sturdy build, wielding a large chopping knife that was a full eight feet long. However, these weren't what Yun Che focused on. What caught his attention was the cold sneer at the corner of the man's mouth and the brutality flickering constantly in his eyes.
"Oh?" Yun Che's brow twitched slightly, and a faint, cold smile tugged at his lips.
"Match begins!"
As soon as the referee's voice fell, Fu Yanjie swung his giant blade fiercely, sending a whistling gust of wind. Looking at Yun Che, he sneered and said in a low voice: "Yun Che, you're unlucky to have run into me. Just lie down obediently!"
With his sneer, Fu Yanjie didn't even wait for Yun Che to draw a weapon. He strode forward swiftly. Despite his robust physique and enormous blade, his speed was by no means slow. With a low shout, he swung his huge knife, channeling profound force as he slashed viciously at Yun Che's left arm.
At the Fen Tian Gate seating area, Fen Juebi said cheerfully: "Big Brother, get ready to watch the show. This man was specifically instructed not to give Yun Che any chance to surrender. Instead, he'll break one of his arms as quickly as possible, and then slash his face for good measure."
"Very good." Fen Juecheng's lips twitched into a cold smile.
The incoming blade wind was extremely ruthless, showing no intention of holding back. Yun Che sidestepped slightly, dodging the strike, but Fu Yanjie's blade immediately swept upward—aiming directly at Yun Che's face.
Yun Che's gaze sharpened, and then he erupted in fury... Cutting off my arm could be forgiven, costing me half my life could be endured, but to actually try to ruin my face! What can be endured, what cannot? Even if an uncle can tolerate it, an aunt cannot!
A flash of murderous intent flickered in Yun Che's eyes. He ducked low to evade the blade, then, instead of retreating, he charged forward like lightning, driving his elbow fiercely into Fu Yanjie's lower abdomen.
"Damn! This guy is asking for death!"
"Is this kid crazy? Fu Yanjie doesn't even need to open his eyes—just slash down and kill him on the spot. He's still young, not only low on profound strength, but his combat experience is utter garbage."
But what happened next stunned everyone. Yun Che forced his way in, striking Fu Yanjie's abdomen, yet Fu Yanjie's blade, still raised above, did not come down. It froze in midair. Even after Yun Che calmly straightened up and stepped back two paces, the man's arm still hadn't fallen.
Clang...
Fu Yanjie's blade dropped to the ground.
"Urgh... urgh..." Hoarse sounds escaped his mouth. Fu Yanjie's eyes bulged so wide and fiercely that they seemed ready to pop out of their sockets. He slowly collapsed to his knees, clutching his abdomen in agony, curling up like a shrimp. His whole body trembled uncontrollably, cold sweat pouring down his forehead like rain, while blood mixed with white foam trickled from his lips.
Though Yun Che's elbow strike hadn't forced Fu Yanjie back even half a step, the overwhelming force had shattered into countless violent strands that surged into his body, robbing him of his combat strength in an instant under immense pain. If not for the fact that this was a competition and Yun Che didn't want to risk disqualification, given that Fu Yanjie had tried to disfigure his face, Yun Che would have completely crippled him.
Yun Che looked down at the suffering Fu Yanjie at his feet and said coldly in a low voice: "I have no grudge against you, and you had no reason to strike me viciously. It seems you were used as a pawn. I can't yet figure out who sent you, but I believe I'll know soon enough. Go back and tell that person: I accept his challenge. I just fear the consequences may be too much for him to bear."
Fu Yanjie remained curled on the ground, unable to utter a single clear word.
"Fu Yanjie down for ten breaths! Victory goes to Yun Che of the Cangfeng Imperial Clan!"
Yun Che leisurely walked off the Sword Discussion Platform, while Fu Yanjie still lay curled up, unable to stand for a long time. After a while, two of his sect mates, faces flushed red, finally went up and dragged him away.
The sect disciples who had been expecting a one-sided beatdown were left dumbfounded, exchanging glances.
"What happened? Fu Yanjie actually lost?"
"It must be that Yun Che's strike hit Fu Yanjie's dantian energy gate, causing him to lose all strength instantly... That must be it, right?"
"Yeah, that seems to be the only explanation. But it's truly shameful for Fu Yanjie to lose to someone at the True Xuan Realm."
Yun Che walked slowly, half-closing his eyes, concentrating intently, and sensing the surrounding auras with an expressionless face. Before long, he detected a trace of murderous intent... It was extremely faint, but Yun Che was far too familiar and sensitive to such killing intent. He instantly turned his head and locked eyes with the source of that murderous intent... A moment later, he withdrew his gaze and returned to his seat.
Fen Juecheng... Hah, so it's him. Yun Che sneered coldly, recalling last night's events, and everything became clear.
Only a momentary glance had passed. Fen Juecheng certainly couldn't possess Yun Che's terrifying perception, so he had no idea that Yun Che had already discovered his underhanded schemes. The outcome of this match caused Fen Juecheng's face to darken further: "It seems we've underestimated this Yun Che."
"Tch." Fen Juebi was utterly dismissive: "No matter how you look at it, he's still just a laughable True Xuan Realm. Fu Yanjie clearly lost due to excessive carelessness and bad luck. If nothing unexpected happens, Yun Che's next opponent will coincidentally be Fu Yanjie's twin brother. His profound strength is a full level higher than Fu Yanjie's. There's no way he'll allow Yun Che any more luck."
The first round of group matches proceeded like a raging fire. As Cang Yue had said, the pace of the group stage was fast. In just an hour and a half, each Sword Discussion Platform had already held over thirty matches. Some ended swiftly, while others dragged on in grueling battles. When encountering members of the four great sects, most opponents directly conceded. Especially when facing powerhouses like Ling Yun, Xiao Kuanglei, Yan Jin, and Shui Wushuang, the opponents usually didn't even bother to fight and forfeited immediately... Otherwise, if the opponent accidentally struck too hard and caused serious injury, it would inevitably affect other matches. It was better to simply concede and preserve strength.
"Group Fifteen, Match Thirty-Five: Yun Che of the Cangfeng Imperial Clan versus Fu Yinjie of the Qiong Yun Sect, Southern Domain!"
Yun Che's second match arrived, and his opponent this time made him pause momentarily.
Hm? What a coincidence—another one from the Qiong Yun Sect of the Southern Domain? And this name sounds quite familiar too.
Yun Che stepped onto the Sword Discussion Platform and looked at his opponent speechlessly. The man was equally burly and strong, identical to Fu Yanjie in every way except for the clothes he wore—even his weapon was the same giant chopping knife.
"I am Fu Yinjie! You seriously injured my twin brother just now—I'll cripple you!" Fu Yinjie raised his giant knife and roared furiously, his not-too-large eyes brimming with vicious killing intent.
"Haha, twin brothers not only end up in the same group but also face the same opponent. How interesting!"
"Fu Yinjie, give this kid a beating to avenge your brother! He lost so badly that his grandma would be ashamed!"
"If you lose too, you two brothers might as well go find a block of tofu and smash yourselves to death, hahaha!"
Yun Che's gaze swept indifferently around him. Fen Juecheng's sinister sneer, the contemptuous and mocking faces of some self-superior sect disciples, and the fierce, disdainful glare of Fu Yinjie before him—all were etched into his mind. A slight twitch of his lips, and Yun Che gave a faint, cold smile.
Hah... Do you really think Yun Che is a soft persimmon that can be squeezed as you please?
Do you even qualify to judge me with such contempt? To mock me?
"Match begins!"
"I'll cripple you!" As soon as the referee's voice fell, Fu Yinjie raised his giant blade and charged at Yun Che with a roar. To outsiders, this seemed like the natural rage of a man whose brother had been humiliated and badly injured. But Yun Che knew exactly what lay behind this "anger."
"Just you?"
Yun Che smiled disdainfully, and amidst the gasps of many, he charged directly at Fu Yinjie's giant blade with bare hands. The back of his hand slammed fiercely against the blade's flat side.
Clang!!
With a piercing shattering sound, Fu Yinjie's blade, infused with powerful profound force, cracked into several pieces. Before Fu Yinjie could even cry out in shock, Yun Che's right foot flew up and kicked him square in the chest.
With a "bang," Fu Yinjie's profound force defense was torn through like waste paper. Six of his ribs snapped with a crisp sound, and his sturdy body shot backward like a cannonball for over ten zhang, slamming heavily into the profound force barrier behind him, causing the entire barrier to tremble faintly.
Fu Yinjie slid down the barrier to the ground, collapsing there, already unconscious.
Bare-handed blade breaking, a single strike to defeat the enemy—everything happened in an instant. Everyone watching fell silent, and even the referee hadn't had time to react.
"Hmph!" Yun Che let out a light snort, not even glancing at Fu Yinjie, and walked off the Sword Discussion Platform expressionlessly.
Only then did the referee snap back to reality and hurriedly announce: "Victory goes to Yun Che of the Cangfeng Imperial Clan!"
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