Chapter 779

Chapter 779: Making a Name for Oneself (Part 2)

“What a pity for this little guy.”

Wang Chen sat among the competing martial masters, his gaze fixed on Zhao Zhenxuan on the martial stage, as Elder Yao’s voice echoed in his mind.

The Nascent Soul true immortal remarked, “Many years ago, I met him once. He possesses extraordinary potential and the qualifications for Transcendence, yet he is weighed down by mundane concerns.”

“How utterly foolish!”

What kind of man was Zhao Zhenxuan?

The Lord of Chibi, the sole innate strong fighter before Wang Chen’s breakthrough, his cultivation level unfathomable, and his martial arts record unblemished.

Yet Elder Yao’s assessment of him was scathing, even branding him a fool.

For a martial artist to step into the innate realm is to reach the pinnacle of martial arts. To ascend further into the extraordinary state, one cannot remain cloistered within the safety of city walls, hidden away in cultivation.

One must venture into the mist-shrouded mountains and wilds, tempering both body and spirit, and attuning oneself to the natural truths of the world to seize the opportunity for Transcendence.

Zhao Zhenxuan’s potential was more than sufficient.

But by assuming the role of city lord, he had effectively severed any chance of further progress!

Wang Chen, however, believed that Zhao Zhenxuan was neither truly foolish nor ignorant of the path to the extraordinary state.

His choice was simply more pragmatic.

Zhao Zhenxuan spoke but a few words on the stage before departing gracefully.

The true overseers of this martial arts competition were three Acquired Level officials from the city lord’s office.

Clang! Clang! Clang—

The copper bell tolled thrice, its resonance reverberating in all directions, heralding the commencement of the much-anticipated martial arts competition.

Yet, on the three platforms, no challengers had yet appeared.

The martial arts competition in Chibi City was divided into two segments: the initial phase was a free challenge, where martial masters could freely ascend the stage to issue or accept challenges, determining victors and vanquished to earn their respective tokens.

Victory yielded a victory token, defeat a loss token, and a draw a tie token.

Following the free challenge phase, participants would draw lots for matchups, with the final standings determined by the aggregate results.

Typically, however, most martial masters were reluctant to be the first to step onto the stage.

In such instances, if no one volunteered, the officials from the city lord’s office would assign participants by name.

Wang Chen surveyed his surroundings, a faint smile playing on his lips, then rose and strode toward the nearest platform.

As the first martial master to voluntarily take the stage, all eyes instantly converged upon him.

Wang Chen ascended the martial stage with composure, clasped his fists in salute to the officiating officials from the city lord’s office, and proclaimed in a clear voice, “Hongyi Martial Arts School, Wang Chen, who dares to face me?”

Hongyi Martial Arts School?

A murmur of discussion rippled through the crowd below the stage.

Chibi City boasted hundreds of martial arts schools, yet few could name them all; Hongyi Martial Arts School was not among the renowned institutions, and many were hearing its name for the first time.

As for Wang Chen, he was no celebrated martial master.

He appeared youthful, and many assumed his boldness stemmed from the impetuosity of youth, regarding him with a mixture of pity and sympathy.

In the eyes of the crowd, no matter how much attention Wang Chen drew now, he would soon face great embarrassment!

“I’ll go!”

As soon as Wang Chen’s words fell, someone immediately stood up to respond.

And it wasn’t just one person.

They saw an opportunity and wanted to earn a victory token from Wang Chen.

One martial master was the quickest, and in the blink of an eye, he was on the stage, smiling as he bowed, “Shanhe Martial Arts School, Mu Feng, please give me guidance!”

“Sure.”

Wang Chen returned the greeting.

Mu Feng’s gaze sharpened, and suddenly he leaped forward, fiercely lunging at Wang Chen.

Weapons were not allowed in the martial arts competition, so only close combat could determine the winner. Mu Feng believed he had a sure win and didn’t want to waste too much energy on Wang Chen, so he went all out from the start, intending to defeat Wang Chen in one move.

Wang Chen remained completely still, as if he had been intimidated by Mu Feng’s fierce and aggressive attack.

Mu Feng’s strength was quite impressive, and in an instant, he was right in front of Wang Chen, striking at his chest with a palm.

The Heart-Force Palm!

This was a unique martial technique of the Shanhe Martial Arts School. When cultivated to a profound level, it could shatter a person’s heart even through heavy armor.

It was extremely ruthless!

Just when everyone thought Wang Chen would be directly knocked off the stage by Mu Feng, perhaps even killed on the spot, Wang Chen suddenly raised his right palm, matching perfectly with Mu Feng’s Heart-Force Palm.

Bang!

The two palms collided, and Mu Feng was instantly struck as if he had been hit by lightning.

He felt as if his palm had slammed against a mountain, the force rebounding back at him with an overwhelming power, causing him to involuntarily fly backward.

In the next moment, Mu Feng was sent tumbling back several dozen steps before crashing to the ground.

The training ground erupted into a commotion!

As the first challenger, Mu Feng was not an insignificant figure; on the contrary, many recognized this Peak of Marrow Refinement martial master and knew his level of strength.

Yet no one expected that Mu Feng would be sent flying by Wang Chen with a single palm.

Unless Mu Feng was deliberately putting on a show, such an outcome could only mean that Wang Chen surpassed his opponent by a whole realm.

Mu Feng was at the Peak of Marrow Refinement; what about Wang Chen?

Acquired!

Everyone found it hard to believe—how old was Wang Chen?

A sixteen-year-old innate? It was practically unheard of!

Amidst the astonished murmurs, Wang Chen pointed at the martial masters below the stage and said in a deep voice, “One by one is boring; you all can come at me together.”

At these words, the crowd erupted again.

Over a thousand martial masters participated in this competition; even divided among three platforms, there were four or five hundred people.

Wang Chen actually invited them all to come together.

Putting aside the fact that the platform could hardly accommodate them, the rules of the competition didn’t allow for such a thing!

Many people thought Wang Chen was crazy, and even some, filled with anger, stood up and shouted, “What do you think you are…?”

Smack!

Before the martial master could finish his insult, he received a heavy slap across the face, instantly swelling half of his face like a pig’s head!

The martial master was stunned for a moment, and after a while, he finally realized what had happened.

Under the strange gazes of others, he came back to his senses, covering his face and stumbling backward, only to trip and fall to the ground.

Wang Chen on the stage calmly withdrew his hand, looking indifferently at the group of martial masters.

These martial masters, who were initially enraged, froze in place as if they had been turned to stone—speechless.

True energy release—it was indeed a true energy release!

Only innate strong fighters possessed such an ability.

Wang Chen was not acquired; he was innate!

Everyone found it hard to believe this fact, yet the truth stood before them. They felt as if their throats had been grabbed, leaving them at a loss for what to do.

It was simply shattering their understanding!

At that moment, the official from the city lord’s office, who hosted the competition, spoke up, “May I ask, are you an innate strong fighter?”

This acquired martial artist also couldn’t believe it, but having witnessed Wang Chen’s astonishing display from afar, his mind was greatly shaken. He struggled to suppress his inner turmoil and cautiously asked.

“Exactly.”

Wang Chen smiled and said, “Is it not allowed for innate fighters to participate?”

He dropped the act and laid everything on the table!