Chapter 319: A Huge Gamble

Liu Yong’s sudden appearance was like a pillow being handed to a sleepy man for Chen Fei—it couldn’t have been more perfectly timed.

“Senior Brother Liu, let’s start with you,” Chen Fei said as he raised his head, eyes locking onto Liu Yong.

Just that one gaze made Liu Yong instinctively step back, his face flushing red.

“Don’t get cocky, Chen Fei!” Liu Yong snapped, then flicked his arm outward. Flames surged up, forming a wall of fire in front of him. He stared at Chen Fei warily.

Chen Fei, wrist twisting slightly, swung his bladeless greatsword in a half-circle from beneath the ground.

The move wasn’t complicated—actually, it looked quite basic.

But Liu Yong’s expression changed drastically.

“Th-this… this is an attack from someone in the Mystic Realm?”

The simplicity of Chen Fei’s movement completely shattered Liu Yong’s expectations.

“Flame Stream Wall—retreat!” he shouted.

Though he’d claimed to be an ordinary disciple of the Fire Gate, Liu Yong was actually ranked top three among its Mystic Realm disciples. His fire control techniques were especially refined.

He knew his limits, and he never thought himself capable of contending for the Holy Son position. But with a certain someone stirring behind the scenes, he had been pushed to challenge Chen Fei.

Still, nothing was playing out as he expected—it was the opposite, in fact.

His wall of flames shot up, a meter tall, then surged and wrapped around Chen Fei’s greatsword.

Meanwhile, Liu Yong quickly retreated. Although it seemed like he had blocked the sword, his instincts screamed danger.

“Interesting,” Chen Fei muttered, acknowledging Liu Yong’s battle awareness.

After all, being an inner disciple of the Heavenly Apex Sacred Land wasn’t for show. His ability to react so quickly under pressure proved his skill.

But Chen Fei was determined to make an example of him—and he would do it in the most shocking way possible.

He twisted his wrist again, the greatsword trembling violently in his hand.

“Shatter!” Chen Fei barked, as a purple glow surged across the sword.

Since his last major injury, his understanding of the Ten Thousand Mark Techniques had deepened, and now, he could deploy sigil inscriptions far more smoothly.

The purple light spread, making the bladeless sword sharper and faster.

As the flaming tendrils collided with the blade, a thunderous boom echoed across the plaza.

The explosion’s shockwave blasted the flame wall apart. Chen Fei dashed through the opening, leapt high, and landed right in front of Liu Yong.

Liu Yong’s heart clenched.

“Fire Escape!”

“Too late,” Chen Fei smirked.

Driving his sword into the ground, he balanced on one leg atop the hilt and struck out with a palm in the direction of Liu Yong’s escape.

The flames around Liu Yong twisted unnaturally, then scattered completely from the shock of Chen Fei’s palm strike, exposing his real body.

“Palm Thunder—Detonate!”

Forming a hand seal, Chen Fei sent a streak of crackling lightning right at Liu Yong.

Caught mid-transition between forms, Liu Yong couldn’t move. He was struck head-on by the Palm Thunder.

Smoke billowed from his mouth. His hair stood on end. His whole body went charred-black.

Chen Fei flipped down from the sword and cupped his fists politely.

“Thanks for the match, Senior Brother Liu.”

Liu Yong knew he wasn’t a match for Chen Fei—but this fast?

“Brilliant! For someone who only recently entered the Mystic Realm, Junior Brother Chen’s performance is astonishing!”

A man in white robes stepped forward, applauding.

Chen Fei glanced at him but didn’t respond. Instead, he raised his token.

“Senior Brother Liu, a bet is a bet.”

Liu Yong coughed violently. Thankfully, his burnt skin hid the shame on his face. He transferred the 30,000 contribution points and limped away.

The white-robed man frowned at being ignored. As Chen Fei turned to leave, he spoke urgently:

“Wait! I’m Gu Chengfeng of the Wood Gate! I’d like to spar with you, Junior Brother Chen!”

Chen Fei shot him a cold look.

“How many contribution points do you have?”

“Less than 30,000, and I won’t entertain you. If you still want to challenge me, bring something of equal value.”

Then Chen Fei pulled out a banner from his storage space and handed it to a nearby disciple.

“Senior Brother, would you kindly hang this up for me?”

The disciple looked a bit confused but, seeing the crowd watching, reluctantly did as asked.

The banner was simple, but its words were bold:

“Sincerely welcoming all Senior Brothers to challenge. 30,000 contribution points per match—no bargaining.”

The surrounding disciples murmured.

“This guy’s seriously arrogant.”

“I remember the last one who hung a challenge banner. He was bedridden for nearly three months after that.”

“Interesting… I was just here to watch the show, but now I’m tempted to step up.”

A small crowd began to gather.

Some new arrivals saw the banner, then recognized Chen Fei’s face.

“Wait… is that Chen Fei? Wasn’t he still in the half-step Mystic Realm when he became the old ancestor’s direct disciple?”

“What year are you in? He’s fully stepped into the Mystic Realm now. That guy’s cultivation speed is monstrous!”

Chen Fei leaned on his greatsword and looked at Gu Chengfeng.

“So, Senior Brother Gu, are you in or not?”

“I underestimated you. You’re arrogant—and I like that,” Gu Chengfeng said with a sly smile, folding his fan and taking a step forward.

“But do you know what the price of arrogance is?”

“Of course. Everything has a price,” Chen Fei shrugged.

“And let’s not pretend—we both know I want that Holy Son title too.”

Holy Son.

Ever since the Heavenly Apex Patriarch had hinted at opening the position, many inner disciples had been vying for it from the shadows.

But no one had been as open and direct about it as Chen Fei.

And now, putting up a banner for challenges? This was no ordinary behavior—it was a declaration of war.

“Confident, aren’t you?” Gu Chengfeng said, folding away his fan.

“But do you really have the strength to back it up?”

Chen Fei casually tossed his identity token onto a nearby table.

“There’s 60,000 contribution points in there. Care to match it?”

The look in his eyes was full of eager anticipation.

But Gu Chengfeng hesitated.

Sixty thousand contribution points… That wasn’t a small sum. If he lost, the damage would be devastating.