Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 492: Gaining the Upper Hand

Xue Zhao’s ulterior motives were now as clear as day, and Ye Qingchen felt he had no choice but to go along with them. However, feeling the powerful aura emanating from Chi Jianbai, Ye Qingchen dared not underestimate him in the slightest. After all, just as Chi Jianbai suspected, Ye Qingchen did not hold much of an advantage over him. Moreover, now that Chi Jianbai was spurred on by the power of so-called love, he was certain to perform beyond his usual level, making him an even more difficult opponent.

Ye Qingchen summoned his Willow Wood Martial Soul and merged it with his body. But before he could even use Willow Soul’s Brilliance, Chi Jianbai launched the first attack. His Phoenix Martial Spirit appeared instantly, turning the arena into a virtual sea of flames. Ye Qingchen felt his Willow Wood Martial Soul being suppressed. Bathed in this sea of fire, Chi Jianbai’s aura grew even more potent.

Ye Qingchen didn’t counterattack rashly. Instead, he used Fire Spirit Charm Shadow to constantly shift his position, causing all of Chi Jianbai’s attacks to hit nothing but air. Chi Jianbai, however, was in no hurry. This game of cat and mouse was a perfect chance to display his might and score points with his goddess, Xue Zhao.

Zi Xing stared intently at Ye Qingchen’s movement technique, a hundred percent certain that he was using his family’s secret art, the Fire Spirit Charm Shadow!

Xiao Xiao and Xue Zhao, who had been closely watching the match, also seemed to notice something and looked at Zi Xing with puzzled expressions.

Zi Xing explained, "Our Movement Technique Martial Skills are indeed the same, but this Fire Spirit Charm Shadow is a secret that is not passed outside of our family. I asked Junior Brother Ye about it once, and he said he acquired it in a Secret Realm. However, it now seems Junior Brother Ye’s mastery of the skill has surpassed my own. He must have obtained it long before I did."

Zi Xing’s explanation cleared up Xiao Xiao and Xue Zhao’s confusion. After all, if Zi Xing had been the one to teach Ye Qingchen such a formidable movement technique, the nature of their relationship would have many interesting implications. What the three didn’t know, however, was that Ye Qingchen had indeed obtained the movement technique from Zi Xing—he had simply copied it with his Blood Wheel Eye, and Zi Xing remained completely unaware.

Meanwhile, on the platform, Ye Qingchen had finally condensed his Willow Soul’s Brilliance after constantly shifting his position. Still, under the suppression of the Phoenix Martial Spirit, it could only exert half of its usual power. Wielding the Double Pupil Sword, Ye Qingchen launched a counterattack with the Wind Blade Sword Technique.

Chi Jianbai had watched Ye Qingchen’s previous matches, so he was prepared for this move. As Ye Qingchen swung the Double Pupil Sword, Chi Jianbai summoned the Phoenix Martial Spirit to surround himself. At the same time, he drew his own weapon—the low-grade treasure, the Heaven-piercing Sabre—and met the Wind Blade Sword Technique head-on.

As a disciple who had received the full backing of an Eight-Star Sect, Chi Jianbai naturally possessed many high-level martial techniques. Furthermore, thanks to the sect’s rigorous combat training, his battle experience was incredibly rich. After parrying the Wind Blade Sword Technique, Chi Jianbai swung the Heaven-piercing Sabre toward Ye Qingchen once again.

Ye Qingchen’s eyes narrowed. Due to the suppression from the Phoenix, his Wind Blade Sword Technique could only unleash about seventy percent of its usual power. Even so, that was enough to instantly kill a cultivator at the Seventh Layer of the Martial King Realm, yet Chi Jianbai had blocked it so easily.

This Chi Jianbai is truly something else.

Facing Chi Jianbai’s attack, Ye Qingchen once again used Fire Spirit Charm Shadow to evade, relentlessly unleashing the Wind Blade Sword Technique and Sword Dusting the Wind. Ye Qingchen’s advantage lay in his broad meridians and the vitality of his Willow Wood Martial Soul. These granted him faster recovery and Spiritual Energy manipulation than his peers. Combined with his superior movement technique, even though his Martial Soul was suppressed by Chi Jianbai, Ye Qingchen actually started to gain the upper hand as he continuously unleashed one Earth-Rank Martial Technique after another.

Chi Jianbai grew increasingly anxious, but he was helpless. Ye Qingchen mobilized his energy far too quickly, and each of his sword strikes possessed world-destroying power, forcing Chi Jianbai onto the defensive. All Chi Jianbai could do now was defend passively, hoping to wait until Ye Qingchen’s Spiritual Energy was nearly depleted before finding an opportunity to strike back and defeat him.

"Come on, Chi Jianbai! Stop dragging this out and finish off that brat Ye Qingchen already!"

"Chi Jianbai, can you even do this? You’re struggling this much against a third-layer Martial King? You’re a disgrace to the Eight-Star Sect!"

"Stop holding back, will you? You’re getting pushed around by a mere third-layer Martial King! Have you no shame?"

The audience below had been expecting Chi Jianbai to crush Ye Qingchen effortlessly and had their insults ready. But now, the tables had turned, with Chi Jianbai being the one pressured by Ye Qingchen. They couldn’t help but shout out, accusing him of holding back. If he wasn’t going easy on him, how could a Ninth-Layer Martial King possibly be losing to a third-layer one?

Hearing the audience’s angry jeers, Chi Jianbai felt a bitterness he couldn’t put into words. If Ye Qingchen were really that easy to deal with, I wouldn’t be in such a bind! Besides, I’ve been trying to impress my goddess, Xue Zhao, this whole time. Why on earth would I intentionally hold back and let him push me around?

Down below, however, Xiao Xiao was exceptionally excited. Seeing Ye Qingchen turn the tables and gain the upper hand despite his initial disadvantage, she felt genuinely happy for him.

Zi Xing continued to observe Ye Qingchen’s Fire Spirit Charm Shadow. As he watched, he felt he was gaining significant insight. It’s as if Ye Qingchen’s version of Fire Spirit Charm Shadow is even more authentic than the one passed down in my own family. he thought, amazed.

In truth, Zi Xing didn’t know that Ye Qingchen had used his Blood Wheel Eye to copy the Fire Spirit Charm Shadow directly from him. Not only had he obtained the exact cultivation pathway, but his Dual Pupil Martial Soul had also refined the technique, eliminating some of its inherent flaws. Ye Qingchen himself, however, hadn’t even noticed this. After all, even before it was fully refined, the Dual Pupil Martial Soul could help Ye Qingchen perfect various Cultivation Techniques. Now that it was complete, optimizing a simple cultivation pathway was a piece of cake.

Xue Zhao, on the other hand, felt a pang of dissatisfaction. Ye Qingchen still hadn’t used that strange Swordsmanship. This meant he was still holding back.

This Chi Jianbai is all show and no substance. A Nine-Star Martial Soul is completely wasted on him, Xue Zhao thought with a hint of annoyance. Still, she needed Chi Jianbai to continue probing the true depths of Ye Qingchen’s strength.

Thinking this, Xue Zhao decided to add some fuel to the fire. She shouted out to Chi Jianbai, "With the level of strength you’re showing now, it seems we’re not suited to be friends after all. If this is all you’ve got, then let’s just forget it."