Wang Meng’s eyes were icy cold, his killing intent completely unconcealed as he glared at Zi Xing and barked, "You little girl, how dare you deceive me?"

Wang Meng was known within Duanjin Academy as a martial fanatic. Others might have felt pity or desire toward Zi Xing’s appearance, but in Wang Meng’s eyes, there was no difference between men and women. At times, women were even inferior to men.

Ye Qingchen placed Zi Xing behind him, understanding that for someone like Wang Meng, it wouldn’t matter even if he were told that Wang Teng had set him up first. All Wang Meng wanted was to vent Wang Teng’s anger.

It had to be said that Ye Qingchen’s assessment of Wang Meng was extremely accurate. At this moment, Wang Meng was indeed thinking about how to deal with Ye Qingchen.

Ye Qingchen patted Zi Xing’s hand and whispered, "Senior Sister Zi Xing, you go first. I’ll hold him off."

Zi Xing shook her head. "Junior Brother Ye, that’s impossible. He’s a Martial Emperor Realm expert, and he’s likely already reached the middle stage of the Martial Emperor Realm. What will happen to you if I leave?"

Ye Qingchen offered her a slight smile. "Don’t worry, Senior Sister Zi Xing. If I can’t beat him, can’t I run? You’ve seen my speed. Besides, you should understand that having you here will only distract me."

Zi Xing wanted to say more, but Ye Qingchen had already taken a step forward to face Wang Meng head-on.

Wang Meng looked disdainfully at Ye Qingchen and said, "A mere Martial King Realm Fourth Layer? How could you possibly have harmed my brother without using some despicable means? Do you really think you can withstand me with your strength? Let me tell you, I’ve already broken through to the Martial Emperor Realm Fourth Layer. There is a whole major realm separating us. Still, your courage in stepping forward to face me is commendable. In a moment, I’ll let you choose a comfortable way to die."

Wang Meng had naturally overheard Ye Qingchen’s whispered words to Zi Xing, but he was confident in himself. A Martial Emperor Realm expert could fully mobilize nature’s spiritual energy. In terms of both strength and speed, they could not be matched by anyone in the Martial King Realm. Such a gap could not be bridged by martial techniques alone; therefore, in Wang Meng’s eyes, Ye Qingchen was already a dead man.

Wang Meng’s declaration of his strength shocked Zi Xing even more. She had only guessed that he had reached the Martial Emperor Realm Fourth Layer and had still held on to a sliver of hope. Hearing it directly from his own mouth was another matter entirely.

Although Ye Qingchen was formidable and constantly created miracles, the vast chasm between the Martial King and Martial Emperor Realms was not so easily crossed. The Boulder Demon Ape King they had hunted together had also been at the Martial Emperor Realm, albeit at the lower stage. Even though Ye Qingchen had discovered its weakness, it had still taken their combined effort a long time to wear the beast down before Wang Teng ultimately stepped in to kill it. Moreover, while the intelligence gap between humans and spirit beasts wasn’t vast, humans still held an advantage. The current Wang Meng was not only a middle-stage Martial Emperor but also a well-known battle maniac with rich combat experience. Furthermore, as a disciple prioritized by Duanjin Academy, his cultivation technique and martial skills were not necessarily weaker than Ye Qingchen’s. From any angle, Zi Xing could find no reason for Ye Qingchen to win.

What truly alarmed her was that Wang Meng was now intent on killing Ye Qingchen, brazenly violating the rules of Central Celestial Academy. Anyone else, even Wang Teng, wouldn’t dare to defy the academy’s rules, but Wang Meng—a genius and a martial fanatic—actually dared to do so.

Under Zi Xing’s worried gaze, Ye Qingchen unflinchingly drew the Double Pupil Sword and began to summon his Willow Wood Martial Soul. Wang Meng watched everything with cold eyes, not intervening. After all, with such a huge gap in strength between them, he, an Inner Court Disciple, was already bullying the weak. If he didn’t allow Ye Qingchen to fight at full strength, he would earn the reputation of an undeserved victory.

Ye Qingchen used Willow Soul’s Brilliance to enhance the Double Pupil Sword, then summoned the Fen Tian Earth Fire and the Ancient Jade Spiritual Fire, continually increasing the sword’s power. After doing all this, he still felt it wasn’t enough and channeled more Soul Power into the Double Pupil Sword.

His footwork was not the slightest bit slow as he pushed Fire Spirit Charm Shadow to its limits, instantly appearing beside Wang Meng.

Wang Meng made no move as Ye Qingchen brought his sword down upon him. He didn’t even lift a hand to block, instead sneering, "A Martial Emperor Realm expert can draw upon nature’s spiritual energy. Do you think a mere afterimage can deceive my eyes?"

As Wang Meng finished speaking, the afterimage left by Ye Qingchen began to dissipate. His true form had already appeared behind Wang Meng.

Wang Meng seemed unaware, his back still turned. Ye Qingchen naturally wouldn’t miss this opportunity. He unleashed the Shadow-extinction Sword Technique, its three streams of Sword Qi extremely covert. To confuse Wang Meng further, Ye Qingchen gritted his teeth, gathered more spiritual energy, and conjured the Wind Blade Sword Technique, slashing toward Wang Meng’s back.

At that moment, Wang Meng finally moved. His turn seemed slow, but he spun around in an instant to face Ye Qingchen. He pushed forward with one hand, and a Golden Sharp Sword forged from spiritual energy appeared before him.

"SWIFT!"

With a light shout from Wang Meng, the Golden Sharp Sword shot rapidly toward Ye Qingchen. At first, the golden sword was only a foot long, but as it flew, an abundance of nature’s spiritual energy converged upon it. By the time it reached Ye Qingchen, it had grown to over ten meters in length.

Ye Qingchen’s Wind Blade Sword Technique collided with the Golden Sharp Sword. The golden sword was only slightly diminished before it shattered the attack and continued cleaving toward him.

Ye Qingchen constantly maneuvered with Fire Spirit Charm Shadow to pull back and create distance. He swung his Double Pupil Sword furiously, employing both the Wind Blade Sword Technique and Sword Dusting the Wind in succession to chip away at the Golden Sharp Sword’s energy.

After retreating a hundred steps, Ye Qingchen was left with no room to evade. By then, the Golden Sharp Sword had shrunk to just half a foot in size before crashing heavily into his body. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Fortunately, Ye Qingchen’s body was incredibly robust. With the recovery and defensive power of his Willow Wood Martial Soul, he barely managed to withstand the attack. Even so, he was blasted back dozens of meters, spewing blood from his mouth.

Ye Qingchen had long known there was a gap between him and Wang Meng, but he hadn’t expected it to be so immense. However, he was not discouraged. His primary goal had only been to capture Wang Meng’s attention. Now, despite being injured, he had succeeded in focusing all of his opponent’s attention on himself. Meanwhile, the Sword Qi from the Shadow-extinction Sword Technique, which he had unleashed earlier, lay hidden in the shadows, ready to strike.