The Grand Arena was silent. The sheer density of Jiang Chen's Black-Gold Qi pressed down on the audience like a physical weight, tasting of ozone and old iron.
Liu Feng, standing beside the President, swallowed hard. Yesterday, Jiang Chen was a brute with no Qi. Today, he was a monster radiating the pressure of a 3rd Stage cultivator.
"He... he broke through?" Liu Feng stammered. "But how? Even a Genius takes a month to stabilize the Dantian!"
The Student Council President, Lei Zhen, didn't look impressed. He leaned back on his sword-throne, tapping his fingers.
"A rapid breakthrough usually means an unstable foundation," Lei Zhen said calmly. "He's a balloon filled with blood. Pop him, Liu Feng."
Liu Feng regained his confidence. "Yes, President."
He jumped into the arena. He drew a new rapier—this one glowing with green wind enchantments.
"You got lucky yesterday," Liu Feng sneered, circling Jiang Chen. "Without your little ice-girlfriend to protect you, you're just a target. Wind Art: Gale Step!"
He vanished.
Liu Feng was fast. His cultivation was Qi Gathering 6th Stage—mid-tier. He specialized in speed. To the audience, he was a blur.
"Die!"
Liu Feng appeared behind Jiang Chen, thrusting his rapier at the back of Jiang Chen's neck.
Jiang Chen didn't turn around.
Beast King's Roar.
He opened his mouth and let out a low, guttural sound.
ROAR.
It wasn't loud to the ears. It was a shockwave to the soul. A visible ripple of sound distorted the air.
Liu Feng froze mid-thrust. Blood burst from his eardrums. His eyes rolled back. His brain short-circuited for exactly one second.
[Status: Stunned.]
One second was an eternity.
Jiang Chen spun.
"Too slow."
He didn't use his sword. He used his Demon Arm.
He backhanded Liu Feng.
SPLAT.
The sound was sickening—like a watermelon hitting concrete.
Liu Feng's protective Qi barrier shattered instantly. His jaw wasn't just dislocated; it was obliterated. Teeth flew like shrapnel. His cheekbone collapsed inward.
He spun in the air, spraying a mist of blood, and crashed face-first into the stone wall of the arena.
He slid down, twitching. His face was a ruin of mashed meat and bone.
Silence.
Jiang Chen shook the blood off his hand. "Weak."
He looked up at Lei Zhen on the throne.
"Next?"
The crowd erupted.
"Holy sh*t! He destroyed his face!"
"One hit! He slapped a 6th Stage senior into a coma!"
"That roar... was that a Sonic Art?"
Lei Zhen stood up. His face was dark. Liu Feng was his lieutenant. This was a direct slap to his own face.
"You are arrogant," Lei Zhen said, his voice amplifying over the stadium speakers. "Do you think butchering a few weaklings makes you king?"
He stepped off the throne. He floated down, landing softly.
Qi Gathering 9th Stage.
The pressure he released was suffocating. The sand in the arena swirled around him.
"I will teach you the difference between a student and a master," Lei Zhen drew a broadsword. It crackled with Purple Lightning.
Earth-Tier Artifact: Thunderclap Sword.
"Lightning vs. Heavy Iron," a student whispered. "This is it."
Jiang Chen watched Lei Zhen approach.
"System," Jiang Chen whispered. "Analysis."
[Target: Lei Zhen.]
[Realm: Qi Gathering 9th Stage.]
[Technique: Thunder God Art (Incomplete Heaven-Tier).]
[Threat: High.]
"Incomplete Heaven-Tier?" Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed. "Finally, some good loot."
He drew his Cold-Iron Heavy Sword.
"Hey, President," Jiang Chen called out. "If I win, I get your seat."
Lei Zhen laughed. "If you win, you can have my head. But you won't."
"Thunder Flash!"
Lei Zhen moved. He was faster than Liu Feng. He was instantaneous.
A bolt of purple lightning struck Jiang Chen.
BOOM.
The ground exploded. Flesh sizzled. Dust covered the arena.
"It's over," a senior sighed. "Thunder Flash turns people to ash."
But when the dust settled...
Jiang Chen was still standing.
He held his heavy sword in front of him like a shield. His clothes were burnt off. His skin was smoking, charred black in places, peeling away to reveal raw red muscle underneath.
But he was smiling. And the wounds were closing.
His Void Body was absorbing the residual lightning, knitting his flesh back together.
"Is that all?" Jiang Chen asked, spitting out a clot of black blood. "My phone charger has more voltage."
Lei Zhen's eyes widened. "You blocked it?"
"My turn."
Jiang Chen stepped forward.
Phantom Sword Steps.
He blurred.
He appeared in front of Lei Zhen. He swung his sword.
CLANG.
Lei Zhen blocked with his Thunderclap Sword. The impact shook his organs.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
Jiang Chen unleashed a barrage. He swung the 300kg sword like it was a twig. Every hit was a sledgehammer. Lei Zhen's arms began to bleed, the skin tearing under the recoil.
"How does he have this much stamina?!" Lei Zhen grit his teeth, blood leaking from his nose. "He's only 3rd Stage!"
"I have a big tank," Jiang Chen roared. "Chaos Intent!"
He channeled the Destruction property into his blade.
CRACK.
A hairline fracture appeared on Lei Zhen's Earth-Tier sword.
"My sword!" Lei Zhen panicked.
He tried to retreat.
"Oh no you don't," Jiang Chen activated Demonification.
His right arm swelled, turning obsidian black. Claws emerged from his fingertips.
He grabbed Lei Zhen's ankle mid-retreat.
"Get down here!"
He slammed the Student Council President into the ground.
CRUNCH.
The stone floor shattered. Lei Zhen's leg snapped at a grotesque angle, bone protruding through the skin.
"ARGHHH!" Lei Zhen screamed.
Jiang Chen didn't stop. He stomped on Lei Zhen's chest, breaking ribs. He raised his sword for the finisher.
"STOP!"
A wave of immense pressure descended from the sky.
It wasn't a student. It was an Elder.
An old man in grey robes landed in the arena. He caught Jiang Chen's heavy sword with two fingers.
Foundation Establishment Realm.
"Enough," the Elder said. "The duel is over. Jiang Chen wins."
Jiang Chen looked at the Elder. He didn't back down. His demon eye pulsed.
"He tried to execute me," Jiang Chen said. "I'm just returning the favor."
"If you kill him," the Elder whispered, so only Jiang Chen could hear, "The Lei Family will burn this school down. He is the heir. Do you want to fight an entire Clan today?"
Jiang Chen paused. He looked at the terrified, broken mess that was Lei Zhen.
"Fine," Jiang Chen sheathed his sword.
He bent down. Lei Zhen flinched.
Jiang Chen ripped the Student Council Badge off Lei Zhen's uniform, taking a chunk of fabric with it.
"But I'm taking this."
He pinned the badge to his own bloody chest.
He turned to the crowd.
"The South Block... is mine."
The freshmen cheered. The seniors were silent, staring at the carnage in the ring.
Jiang Chen walked out of the arena, leaving a trail of bloody footprints.
He had won. But he felt a cold gaze on his back.
High in the VIP box, a beautiful woman look like a fairy descended from heaven was watching him.
She sipped her tea, her eyes devoid of warmth.
"Not bad, Brother," she whispered. "But Father has sent the Shadow Guard. Playtime is over."