Chapter Seventeen: Chen Wuhen

The members of the Chen family displayed a variety of expressions upon hearing this—some appeared perplexed, others seemed thoughtful. Could it truly be as they suspected about Chen Mu? Chen Mu offered no confirmation nor denial. It was true that his cultivation had stalled before, and he had not concealed his abilities. The reason for his current strength lay entirely with the “Ancient Sun Scripture” and his breakthrough into the Earth Fiend Meridian stage.

Gong Yi, seeing Chen Mu’s silence, assumed acquiescence and declared arrogantly, “Today, I shall test for myself the true capability of Chen Mu from the Chen family.”

With that, Gong Yi strode forward, launching a scarlet fist toward his opponent.

“Blazing Flame Fist!”

A fist like fire hurtled forth. Chen Mu stood his ground, meeting the attack with the first move of his newly learned “Falling Sun”—a golden arc of vital energy colliding with the flame. The fists met in a thunderous impact. Chen Mu remained unmoved as a mountain, while Gong Yi staggered back a dozen steps, pain searing through his arm, blood oozing from fresh wounds.

Those watching were all struck with astonishment. Though Gong Yi was not the strongest among the younger generation, he was by no means weak—having reached the mid-stage of the Foundation Meridian despite a late start. For Chen Mu to force him back with a single blow—what kind of cultivation did he possess?

“Why is your vital energy so powerful?” Gong Yi asked, his expression darkening. Little did he know that Chen Mu had been holding back—had he used the full force of “Sunless Day,” Gong Yi would have been gravely injured on the spot.

Drawing a great halberd from his storage pouch, Gong Yi revealed a weapon clearly suited for a mid-stage Foundation Meridian cultivator. He swung it with a fierce wind, crimson light flickering along its blade, revealing its deadly potential.

“Take my halberd!” Gong Yi surged forward on waves of fire, the weapon’s momentum enough to tear an opponent asunder, striking terror into all who watched.

Chen Mu pivoted, his steps subtle and precise, easily evading the swing. The halberd crashed into the arena floor, gouging a deep fissure into the stone.

Seeing his attack fail, Gong Yi swept the halberd sideways toward the direction Chen Mu had dodged, attempting to prevent him from closing in.

But Chen Mu, who had intended to engage at close quarters, only smiled at the attempt. Planting his right foot, aglow with golden light, firmly against the halberd’s shaft, he halted the weapon’s motion entirely.

Frustrated by Chen Mu’s effortless defense, Gong Yi snarled, “Now I’ll show you my ultimate move—let’s see if you remain as calm as before!”

“Eight Desolations Splitting Halberd!”

An unstoppable force gathered as the crimson glow on the halberd turned silvery white. Gong Yi’s face paled—this move had clearly drained most of his vital energy.

“I do not believe you can withstand this attack!”

Halberd after halberd rained down, filling the air as Chen Mu grew solemn, responding with the “Shattered Sun” strike, entwined with the Starfire Control, unleashing his full might.

Fist and halberd collided, a violent shockwave of energy bursting forth, sending both men staggering back several steps. Chen Mu glanced at his hand—blood welled from a fresh cut, his arm aching with fatigue.

As for Gong Yi, he was in far worse shape; his clothes were torn to shreds by the force, and he fell to one knee, blood surging until he could not suppress it any longer and spat a mouthful onto the ground, clearly suffering backlash.

Gong Yi stared in stunned silence for a moment, then spoke bitterly, “I... I concede.”

The crowd was stunned—Gong Yi had been defeated, even after unleashing his strongest move.

“Brother, are you alright?” Gong Ning hurried forward to support Gong Yi, casting a resentful glance at Chen Mu before leading him away from the gathering.

The younger members of the Chen family wore complicated expressions. Though Chen Mu’s victory brought glory to their house, the fact that it was accomplished by someone long deemed a useless outcast left them with an uneasy feeling.

Chen Wuhen maintained a cool demeanor, though inwardly he felt a heaviness. He knew that blocking Gong Yi’s halberd would not be without cost, even for him.

Still, his cultivation was higher than Gong Yi’s, so he felt little concern about the upcoming challenge. As a proud member of the inner sect of the Azurefall Daoist Order, how could he possibly lose to a nobody like Chen Mu?

He stepped onto the arena, his mid-stage Foundation Meridian cultivation at its peak on full display. Chen Wuhen declared, “Chen Mu, no matter what tricks you have, today I’ll show you that not everyone is yours to provoke! You will pay for injuring Chen Jing and Chen Hong! And for challenging my honor! I am the true prodigy of the Chen family! Your paltry glow isn’t even worthy to polish my boots!”

At this, the Chen family members erupted in excitement, while onlookers gazed at them with envy.

“At seventeen, he’s already reached the peak of mid-stage Foundation Meridian—what a genius! The Chen family has produced a true star.”

“Master Wuhen is indeed the pride of Fan City! Which family in our city has someone who reached this level by seventeen? Even the eldest son of the family head, Ye Feng, only reached this at nineteen. Though now he’s at Foundation Meridian perfection, he’s already twenty-six, isn’t he?”

“Indeed, in terms of prospects and talent, Master Wuhen is unrivaled...”

“Wuhen is a disciple of the Azurefall Daoist Order, which boasts the strength of the late Nascent Soul stage. Rumor has it an old monster at the Divine Soul stage is in seclusion there—if that’s true, only the royal family could challenge them. If the Azurefall Daoists sought to seize power... tsk, tsk...”

“Quiet! Such talk will get you killed!”

“...”

Chen Mu picked at his ear, replying with disdain, “Are you done with your little comedy, Chen Wuhen? If so, let’s begin. I’ve no time to listen to your self-aggrandizement.”

A hush fell over the crowd. Many looked at Chen Mu with scorn—what gave him the nerve to speak so brazenly? He might have barely bested Gong Yi, but Chen Wuhen was a disciple of the Azurefall Daoist Order. How could the two be compared?

Chen Wuhen’s face darkened. “Anyone can talk big. Soon, I’ll show you the true gap between us!”

He drew a three-foot sword, its sharp golden radiance flickering as he slashed down at Chen Mu.

Chen Mu’s eyes narrowed—this was no ordinary blade, likely a high-grade weapon for his level. He could not afford to meet it head-on as before.

He launched into Meteor Step, narrowly evading each strike.

Seeing every attack miss, Chen Wuhen lost his composure and cursed, “Coward! Is running all you know? If you have any skill, take one of my blows head-on!”

Chen Mu, unperturbed, replied, “If you can’t even land a hit, what skill is that? Try hitting me once, if you can.”

Enraged, Chen Wuhen began employing the sword techniques of the Azurefall Daoist Order.

“Take this, Chen Mu—the ‘Azurefall Three Talents Sword Technique’!”

In a flash, three overlapping sword shadows twisted toward Chen Mu. He knew he was in danger—without defense, he’d be torn apart.

He summoned the Black Gold Sword he’d acquired from the City Lord’s mansion, using it to parry and offset part of the attack as he retreated two steps, then instantly countered with a single sword strike, shattering the sword shadows of the Azurefall technique.

Staring in disbelief, Chen Wuhen gasped, “You have a magic weapon too? You broke my sword technique? Impossible! In that case, taste my second and third forms!”

Slash after slash, six sword shadows tore through the air. Chen Mu sighed, “Seems I have no choice but to use that move.”

The golden brilliance of the Black Gold Sword suddenly faded to darkness; an invisible, lightless strike—the third move of the “Falling Sun Form”: Sunless Day.

He’d practiced the first two moves, but this was his first time unleashing Sunless Day.

The clamor and shouting around the arena fell silent. As the two swords met, a tumultuous shockwave of vital energy swept outward, forcing the crowd back several steps.

Chen Wuhen sensed a terrible danger. He mustered the Azurefall Three Talents Sword Technique to its utmost, but no matter how many sword shadows he conjured, each was obliterated by that dim, formless light.

His wrist throbbed with pain; he was giving everything he had. He could feel his weapon crying out, as if a few more blows would shatter it.

A sense of helplessness welled up inside him. At last, the force of the clash sent him hurtling back a dozen steps. He fell from the arena, spitting blood and dropping to one knee before he felt some relief.

He felt fortunate to have a high-grade Foundation Meridian weapon to absorb some of the force. Without it, he might have been crippled or killed by that single strike.

With a trembling voice, he asked, “What technique was that?”

Chen Mu, exhausted, replied, “Why do you care? Any move that defeats you is a good move.”