Volume Two: The Emergence of the Nine Provinces and Entrance into the Spirit Void Chapter 159: The Final Deadline

Today marks the final day for the preliminary scoring of the Outer Sect Grand Tournament. All qualified disciples are required to arrive at the venue and complete their registration within the stipulated time. The interval between these moments represents the final window for the disciples to issue challenges to one another.

Early in the morning, Chen Yu arrived at the grounds. His appearance immediately drew the attention of many.

"It is Chen Yu of Taizhu Peak. He has finally come out of the Heart-Refining Cave," a disciple exclaimed.

"Heh... After hiding away like a turtle for so long, he finally shows his face? I heard quite a few people have been eyeing him," another disciple said with gloating amusement.

"Chen Yu's strength is not to be underestimated. I am afraid he will not be so easy to deal with."

"Hah... Just watch and see for yourselves."

...

"Senior Brother Chen Yu..." Shi Bing, Zheng Geng, and the others stepped forward to greet him.

"Chen Yu, I heard that quite a few senior brothers are planning to challenge you," Xiao Gu said worriedly from the side.

"Indeed. Senior brother, you must be careful," Xue Ren added with a concerned expression.

"It is fine, I can handle it," Chen Yu replied with a faint smile.

"I heard that there are only a little over four hundred qualified people left in the entire outer sect," Zheng Huai noted.

"Four hundred? Does that mean the disciples in the Yin-Yang Realm are also fighting among themselves in advance?"

"Naturally. Although we belong to the same sect, there are still feuds and rivalries," Zheng Huai said with a weary sigh. "There are around three hundred senior brothers in the Heaven-Human and Yin-Yang Realms, while we disciples in the One-Origin Realm number only a little over a hundred."

"Yes! Although they say four hundred, everyone knows the real showdown will be among those three hundred. We disciples of the One-Origin Realm are merely cannon fodder." Zheng Huai glanced at Chen Yu, offering an embarrassed smile. "Senior Brother Chen Yu, I did not mean it that way..."

"What you said is correct; that is indeed the reality. People like us are just going through the motions," Chen Yu said. "Even if we fail to be selected this time, there will still be opportunities in the future."

The others nodded solemnly, holding great confidence in Chen Yu. After all, they had all witnessed his extraordinary talent firsthand.

Seeing that Chen Yu was so open-minded about the matter, they no longer dwelled on their worries or anxieties.

They had barely exchanged a few more words when suddenly, a figure leaped onto the arena stage and directly called out Chen Yu's name to issue a challenge.

"Chen Yu of Taizhu Peak, come up and fight me." The challenger was Luo Bai of Qingling Peak, whose cultivation was at the ninth aperture of the One-Origin Realm.

"Senior Brother Chen Yu..." Xue Ren and the others felt their hearts skip a beat, not expecting the challenge to arrive so swiftly.

"It is fine. I shall be right back," Chen Yu said without the slightest hint of worry. Instead, a fierce fighting spirit flickered across his face.

With a stomp of his foot, Chen Yu executed the Golden Light Flight technique, swiftly ascending the arena stage.

"Chen Yu, here to receive your guidance."

Luo Bai cast a disdainful glance at Chen Yu and arrogantly declared, "You actually think you are qualified to participate in the upcoming grand tournament? Let me be the one to put an end to this."

"Senior brother speaks quite boldly. You had best not capsize in a gutter," Chen Yu replied with a calm smile, completely unfazed by Luo Bai.

"Sharp-tongued. Do not think that because you defeated a mere Xiao Lan, you are suddenly invincible," Luo Bai said contemptuously. "Today, I will show you the vast gulf between us."

"Then please begin," Chen Yu said, maintaining his poised and unruffled demeanor.

Luo Bai frowned, his face darkening as he stared coldly at Chen Yu. Aura gathered around him relentlessly, stirring up a windless gale upon the stage that bore down heavily toward Chen Yu.

Everyone watched the arena nervously, yet almost no one believed Chen Yu could win this duel. Strangely enough, not only was Chen Yu completely free of tension, but he did not even draw his sword, simply gazing calmly at Luo Bai.

Such behavior immediately provoked the dissatisfaction of the surrounding disciples.

"This Chen Yu is far too arrogant. To actually look down on Senior Brother Luo Bai to this extent?"

"Hmph, I reckon he is just asking for humiliation. Senior Brother Luo Bai's strength ranks within the top thirty of the entire One-Origin Realm."

"Such arrogance, completely overestimating his own capabilities!"

Xue Ren and the others muttered anxiously, utterly bewildered by his actions.

...

Luo Bai's expression darkened further as he said, "You are quite confident, aren't you?"

Chen Yu smiled without replying, which Luo Bai perceived as a blatant provocation. His face grew grim, and he coldly declared, "Since you refuse to even draw your sword, do not blame the heavens or others when you lose."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Luo Bai thrust forward with his sword: "Qingling Sword Technique."

His sword split into two, intertwining reality and illusion, making it impossible to distinguish the genuine strike from the fake.

Chen Yu did not dare to underestimate his opponent. Channeling his spiritual power and gathering it between his two fingers, he used his fingers as a blade and swiftly launched a counter-thrust. Dozens of finger-shadows materialized, instantly enveloping the two incoming sword projections. To his surprise, however, both sword images turned out to be illusions.

Chen Yu could not help being startled and hastily retreated a few paces.

"Hmph... Your reflexes are quite fast, at least," Luo Bai sneered, pressing the attack relentlessly.

Unflustered, Chen Yu waved his hand casually and chanted, "Wind and Rain Sword."

Countless finger-shadows filled more than half of the arena. Luo Bai, however, dismissed them lightly and swiftly neutralized the technique. Yet, Chen Yu had already achieved his objective and charged straight into close combat.

Boom—the two clashed head-on in a direct collision of power. The outcome, however, completely exceeded everyone's expectations: Luo Bai was forcefully driven back by Chen Yu's impact. The entire crowd was stunned into disbelief by the reality before them.

"How is this possible? You are not at the sixth aperture of the One-Origin Realm—you have opened eight apertures..." Luo Bai shouted, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Many disciples could no longer remain seated, staring at Chen Yu in utter shock. A mere two months, and he had broken through two apertures? How could anyone progress so rapidly? Could it be that he harbored some sort of secret?

No wait! He had spent these past two months cultivating inside the Heart-Refining Cave. How could his breakthrough still be this fast? Could his trip to the Heart-Refining Cave have been a smoke screen released to fool others? Or did the Heart-Refining Cave truly possess such miraculous power?

At this thought, many felt a surge of temptation, eager to visit the Heart-Refining Cave to investigate for themselves. Yet, those who had previously experienced it still harbored lingering fears, terrified of returning. Mo You of Qingling Peak was one such person.

"This Senior Brother Chen Yu is truly extraordinary. To think that cultivation within the Heart-Refining Cave could genuinely allow him to break through at such a pace," Mo You sighed in admiration.

...

To their heated discussions, Chen Yu turned a deaf ear, offering only a light and breezy remark, "It was merely luck."

"Luck?" Luo Bai said in a deep voice, feeling as though Chen Yu was mocking him. He could not help but sneer, "So what if you have broken through to the eighth aperture? Do you truly believe you can defeat me?"

Without further waste of breath, Luo Bai lunged at Chen Yu once again. Unwilling to drag the fight out any longer, Chen Yu grew serious as well, though he still chose to fight using only his fingers as a sword.

"Have at it..."

The two figures rapidly intertwined in combat, trading dozens of blows in the blink of an eye. The stage was filled with their afterimages, making it exceedingly difficult for ordinary disciples to even trace the trajectories of their attacks.

"How formidable. Which of the two will emerge victorious in the end?" At this moment, the hearts of the gathered disciples began to lean toward Chen Yu.