CHAPTER 80: NANTIAN YIJIAN'S GROWTH

Lu Chen froze for a moment, stunned by the sudden change in Nantian Yijian's demeanor.

Then he pushed himself to his feet, clapped his hands sharply, and said with a grin, "Alright, let's see just how much you've grown in the secret realm."

His curiosity was genuine. Nantian Yijian had always been like a younger brother to him, and both he and Jun Laoye had gained a lot during their time in the secret realm.

Jun Laoye looked at Nantian Yijian in the arena and smiled. "Little Lu, just observe."

***

In the arena, Nantian Yijian deliberately suppressed his energy.

He muttered to himself, "One-tenth... that's still quite a lot."

He reached into his storage pouch, carefully took out his spoils, and set aside exactly one-tenth, tossing them onto the nearby table. He said reluctantly, "Big brother, let's use just one-tenth as the stake, alright?"

The burly man let out a deep breath and laughed heartily. "So it's you, little brother Jian! Of course, that's fine."

The crowd below laughed along with the burly man, urging the two to start quickly.

Nantian Yijian shouted at the amused cultivators. "What's there to laugh at? I'll knock every one of you down soon enough!"

However, his statement only sparked more laughter and jeers.

Nantian Yijian scoffed. "What an ignorant bunch."

He pulled out a case holding the Thirty-Six Cosmic Sword Guqin and turned to the burly man. "Hurry up and suppress your cultivation to the perfect mastery of the Qi Absorption Realm, then come fight me."

The man drew two massive hammers, suppressing his cultivation as he took a battle stance. "Since you're so straightforward, little brother, I won't hold back taking your spoils."

He said with a grin, "I'm Jun Xiaoma, skilled with the Double Flame Hammers. Come at me."

Nantian Yijian listened calmly, then sat cross-legged on the arena floor. "I am Young Master Nantian Yijian, skilled in sword-control technique. Now... take this!"

Nantian Yijian had covertly formed hand seals while speaking, invoking the spirit of Spirit Officer Wang. A gleaming flying sword, nearly two zhang long, shot out from the case toward Jun Xiaoma.

"A two-zhang-long flying sword?"

Lu Chen clenched his fists tightly, excitement burning in his eyes as he watched the massive sword fly through the air. "Looks like Little Jian was right. He's gained as much as I did in the secret realm. Before, he could only control a half-chi-long flying sword."

"Watch closely. Little Jian hasn't even revealed his full strength yet. He only seems mediocre because he's spent most of his time around you, overshadowed by your brilliance."

Jun Laoye took a sip of wine and added, "But his talent and strength have already far surpassed ordinary cultivators at the perfect mastery of the Qi Absorption Realm."

During their brief conversation, the flying sword had already slammed down toward Jun Xiaoma's face.

***

Jun Xiaoma was still listening to Nantian Yijian introduce himself when the sudden attack came. Caught off guard, he shouted, "You're cheating!"

He hastily raised his giant hammers to block.

The flying sword slammed into him with a bang, forcing him back three steps.

Seeing his attack land, Nantian Yijian burst into hearty laughter. "Hahaha, this isn't cheating! It's called a tactical attack!"

He guided the flying sword back with both hands.

Jun Xiaoma struggled to steady himself. "It's a known rule to introduce yourself before the battle."

"I already did. My attack was just a bit fast. How is that breaking the rules?" Nantian Yijian said, his hands behind his back as he guided the flying sword toward Jun Xiaoma again. By now, it had already built up immense momentum.

"You—"

Before Jun Xiaoma could finish, the sword fell on him a second time. As the saying goes, "With one misstep, every step after falls short." Jun Xiaoma was now being forced to dodge nonstop to avoid the onslaught.

The fight quickly turned one-sided.

When Jun Xiaoma was driven to the edge of the platform, the crowd below began to hiss their disapproval.

Embarrassed by the hisses, Jun Xiaoma's face flushed red. He struggled to think of a plan.

With his spirit qi suppressed to the perfect mastery of the Qi Absorption Realm, Jun Xiaoma couldn't unleash any spells or techniques. Nantian Yijin had entirely crushed his offensive momentum, leaving him no choice but to flee defensively around the arena.

Forced to the edge, Jun Xiaoma shouted as the flying sword descended, "I admit defeat this round. If you've got guts, fight me properly!"

Nantian Yijian immediately stopped the sword mid-air. "Hmm? Giving up already? Since you claim I'm bullying you, I'll let you strike first."

Jun Xiaoma was surprised to see Nantian Yijian suddenly stop his attack. He gathered his spirit qi, lifted his giant hammers, and stepped back to the center of the arena. "You said it yourself. This time I won't hold back."

Nantian Yijian glanced at Lu Chen and said, "I'd prefer for you to give up, but I promised the boss I'd show him my strength. So now, I'll beat you fair and square."

"Alright."

Jun Xiaoma looked Nantian Yijian in the eye with newfound respect. He summoned his Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk from his Heavenly Pool and said, "Brother Yijian, you're a true man. Let's have a serious fight."

Jun Xiaoma shouted, "Spirit, awaken!"

He then attached the Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk to his giant hammer.

Spirit qi surged through his hands, and two blue giant bear phantoms took shape on the hammer, roaring fiercely at Nantian Yijian.

"This Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Disk, the Pounce-Pounce Giant Bear, took me nearly a hundred years to nurture to high-grade Mortal Tier. By using the Spirit Awaken technique to merge it with my weapon, each of my strikes now carries a force of twenty thousand jin."

Jun Xiaoma looked at Nantian Yijian with a smug grin. "I'm going to get serious now. I'll crush you with all my strength."

He planned to rely on sheer brute force to overwhelm Nantian Yijian and reclaim his pride in front of the crowd.

"Hmph, then come at me."

Nantian Yijian lightly brushed his right hand over the Thirty-Six Cosmic Sword Guqin, letting out a cold snort. "This is no ordinary instrument. You're suppressing your cultivation to the Qi Absorption Realm, which limits your range. What if I summon another flying sword? Can you handle that?"

Nantian Yijian circulated his spirit qi in both hands and pulled out a second flying sword from the guqin's case.

Jun Xiaoma was surprised to see a second flying sword appear beside Nantian Yijian. "What? A second one? How is that possible?"

Nantian Yijian's ability to wield sword control arts at the Qi Absorption Realm had already shocked Jun Xiaoma. Now, there was a second sword.

Jun Xiaoma slowly adjusted his attitude. He no longer dared to underestimate Nantian Yijian. "You've got some real skill, brother. You're destined to achieve great things in the future."

Nantian Yijian slowly moved the two flying swords before him and said, "This is my second sword. I call it the Nantian Second Sword."

He gently plucked a string on the guqin. "This is my first time using it in front of everyone. Please, Brother Xiaoma, show me what you've got. Here I come."

With a loud shout, he frantically strummed the strings. The two flying swords surged forward toward Jun Xiaoma.

Jun Xiaoma maneuvered skillfully, swiftly dodging the flying swords. "Come on, brother, you're a worthy opponent."

Seeing the two flying swords swirling in the air, Lu Chen's eyes widened. "I didn't know he could use a second sword."

He had thought a single two-zhang-long flying sword would be Nantian Yijian's limit. He never expected a second one to appear, with Nantian Yijian still having power to spare.

Nantian Wan'er covered her mouth, laughing as she looked at Lu Chen's stunned expression, "Hehe, Lu-gege, you underestimated him. If you can get stronger just from this trip, why can't Brother Yijian do the same?"

Lu Chen scratched his head awkwardly and laughed. "True, true."

It wasn't that he doubted Nantian Yijian's growth; rather, the change was so significant that he couldn't adjust to it in such a short time.

Nantian Wan'er covered her ears and said, "But the way Brother Yijian plays the guqin is terrible."

Jun Wudi chuckled along with the others nearby. "It's good to be young, haha. You all have far more talent and opportunities than I ever did. When I was your age, I hadn't even stepped outside the sect."

"Hehe, Second Uncle, are you kidding? You were the first in a thousand years to master the Crimson-Grade Lightning Art before thirty years of age, and you reached the Core Breakthrough Realm in just two hundred years."

Jun Laoye rolled his eyes. "If you call that 'no talent,' then what does that make the rest of us? Complete fools?"

Lu Chen nearly sprayed rice out of his mouth at Jun Laoye's words. "Wait! You reached the Core Breakthrough Realm in only two hundred years?"

Nantian Wan'er gasped. "Two hundred years? Even Grandpa needed five hundred to get there!"

Jun Wudi took a bite of his food. "Hehe, that's all in the past. Now, we're stuck living quietly in this small place."

Jun Laoye stuffed his mouth full of meat and stood up. "Hmph, but our days of living in this backwater are almost over."

He snatched up a chicken leg in one hand, planted a foot on the chair, and called out to Jun Wudi, "When the time comes, we'll charge straight back to the Deer Ridge of the Western Mountain to welcome Auntie!"

Jun Wudi rolled his eyes. "Eating while watching the match, and you still can't keep your mouth shut?"

However, the sharp edges in his gaze were unmistakable.

Lu Chen turned his gaze back to the arena while silently fixing that name in his mind. Deer Ridge of the Western Mountain.

The fight in the arena was drawing to a close. Although Jun Xiaoma had the advantage in combat experience, his cultivation was suppressed to the Qi Absorption Realm. Without the ability to channel spirit qi into his usual combat techniques, he was forced to rely solely on brute strength.

Nantian Yijian, on the other hand, had the sword-control art Lu Chen had taught him. Though he couldn't release spirit qi externally, he could still direct the flying swords from a distance.

Each time Jun Xiaoma charged forward, trying to take advantage of his raw power, Nantian Yijian would simply grab the guqin case and retreat, sending the blades whirling at Jun Xiaoma from afar.

I need to change my attack style, or I'll be worn down, Jun Xiaoma thought.

He crouched low at the arena's edge, feigning exhaustion under Nantian Yijian's relentless assault.