Chapter 120: Chapter 120: If You Want the Jade Talisman, Come and Take It Yourself

Originally, Chen Che planned to snatch the Jade Talisman and leave.

But things rarely go as planned.

The area was wide open, with nowhere to hide or escape. Even if he managed to grab the Jade Talisman by force, he wouldn’t be able to shake off the crowd in a short amount of time. Instead, he might attract even more examinees, landing himself in an even trickier situation.

So after a moment’s thought, Chen Che chose to attack directly.

Besides.

’Hadn’t he refined several batches of Pills for this exact kind of situation?’

BOOM!

A thunderous roar echoed across the great lake.

The water beneath Chen Che’s feet suddenly caved in. The crowd felt a tightness in their chests as their Qi and Blood roiled. Amidst a gale that howled past their ears, Chen Che was already a blur of afterimages, instantly appearing before Jiang Jingyuan.

At the same time, he unleashed his sword!

Tier One High Grade Swordsmanship:

Jinghong Sword!

"Fuck?!"

Jiang Jingyuan’s face fell. He had always assumed Chen Che was just feinting, that his real goal was to escape.

He never imagined that Chen Che would not only dare to attack first but would do so with such ferocity!

In his shock and anger, he waved a hand.

"ROAR!"

A brilliantly glowing Talisman shot into the air. Countless streams of water rapidly converged, forming a ferocious Flood Dragon in the void. The creature was a deep, shimmering blue, its scales so vivid it looked alive.

Tier One High Grade Talisman:

Water Dragon Talisman!

He had collected this Talisman from the examination grounds specifically for crisis situations.

’You really think I’m a pushover? Fine, I’ll deal with you first!’

Jiang Jingyuan’s eyes blazed with fury. He frantically activated his True Essence, and the Flood Dragon seemed to swell with the wind, instantly growing to twelve meters in size. Like a speeding truck, it charged head-on toward the approaching Chen Che!

This all sounds complex, but it happened in a flash.

PFFT!

But Chen Che paid it no mind, simply slashing down with his sword.

To Jiang Jingyuan’s utter shock, the Water Dragon—powerful enough to kill several Seventh Layer Cultivators—was cleaved straight in two, from head to tail, by Chen Che’s single strike.

HISSS!

A gash appeared on the lake’s surface, a finger’s width wide and half a foot deep. It stretched from beneath Chen Che’s feet for over a hundred meters, and the lingering Sword Qi prevented the parted water from closing. Jiang Jingyuan was completely engulfed by this torrent of Sword Qi!

"How is that possible?"

Weng Dazheng had already leaped to his feet in shock.

That was a Water Dragon Talisman.

When fully activated by Jiang Jingyuan, not even Lin Yao or Inspector Fu could have necessarily withstood it. Yet Chen Che had cleaved it apart in a near-brutish fashion. This meant Chen Che’s True Essence was at least double that of Jiang Jingyuan!

Otherwise, it would have been impossible.

GASP~

In the viewing area, the students’ parents who witnessed this were all dumbfounded.

The reporter from before was so stunned he didn’t even notice the pen falling from his hand.

"Is this for real?"

Lin Yao and Inspector Fu looked as if their eyes were about to pop out of their heads.

They stared at Chen Che, utterly aghast, their minds reeling. ’Does he really only have a Seventh-Layer Cultivation? Why wasn’t an opponent this powerful mentioned in the information our teachers gave us?’

But they had no more time to think, because Chen Che was already charging toward them across the water.

There were far too many examinees here; he had to end this quickly. Chen Che held nothing back. He planned to eliminate Jiang Jingyuan, Inspector Fu, and Lin Yao—the three strongest students—first, to prevent them from teaming up.

His True Essence surged. His sword stirred up a fierce wind as he charged directly at Inspector Fu.

"WHOOSH!"

Inspector Fu’s pupils contracted. His True Essence erupted, making his school uniform billow as if a fan had been turned on beneath it.

With a twist of his hands, a four-meter Long Spear appeared in his palms. He brandished it, and its tip bloomed with cold pinpricks of light, like a meteor shower. Each gleam of the spear could easily pierce a half-meter-thick steel plate, and in an instant, hundreds of them enveloped Chen Che.

Tier One High Grade Spear Technique:

Meteor Spear Technique!

"BANG!"

But in the next moment, Chen Che had already broken through the sky full of spear-shadows. He flew forward with a slash of his sword, rapidly closing in.

"Not good!"

Inspector Fu had already seen how terrifying his opponent was up close. How could he dare to face him head-on?

As he retreated rapidly, his eyes widened, and a brilliant light shot from his pupils.

’A Divine Sense attack?’

Chen Che was slightly stunned. For a moment, he felt something forcibly smash into his mind, and his thoughts seemed to slow for an instant.

’I can do that too!’

Almost immediately, he mobilized his own Divine Sense, sending it crashing forward like a tidal wave.

"THUMP!"

Inspector Fu had awakened his Divine Sense in his first year of high school and had now reached the equivalent of the Foundation Establishment Second Layer. This was his final, and hitherto unrevealed, trump card.

But when his attack hit Chen Che’s sea of consciousness, he felt his all-out strike was like a splash of water against a massive reef—it had no effect at all. Instead, his own head buzzed, and he was overcome with dizziness and nausea.

Before he could react, a far more immense Divine Sense, like a monstrous flood, surged ferociously into his own sea of consciousness. His vision went black, and he lost all five of his senses.

In that instant, only a single thought remained in his mind:

"How is his Divine Sense so powerful?"

Seeing Inspector Fu fall toward the lake, Chen Che was about to pursue and finish him off.

But just then, a giant blade slashed in from the side.

It was Lin Yao!

He wielded a Giant Blade. It was more a blade than a sword, over 1.3 meters long. Although it was a standard-issue Weapon, it looked incredibly thick and wide.

Yet in Lin Yao’s hands, it seemed as light as straw. This top student was actually a Body Cultivator. He swung the Giant Blade with both hands, creating a flash of light like a bolt of silk that crossed several dozen feet in an instant, stabbing directly toward Chen Che’s chest!

It was a simple and unadorned attack.

The terrifying gleam of the blade tore through the air, producing a piercing sound.

Chen Che retracted his sword to block.

"CLANG!"

A deafening crash.

In an instant, the lake’s surface exploded, and countless torrents of water churned into the air.

The two were instantly locked in combat. Seeing this, the surrounding examinees all fell back in alarm.

Just as Inspector Fu’s five senses returned, he saw Chen Che bring his sword down in a mighty slash.

The power of this strike was simply unbelievable.

It was like the Golden Monkey raising his Thousand Jin Staff to smash the Lingxiao Hall. The blow drove Lin Yao tens of meters underwater, his feet even sinking into the lakebed. Unable to withstand the immense force, his entire body transformed into a white light and vanished on the spot.

"He’s too strong! There’s no way to beat him!"

Seeing this, Inspector Fu was filled with the urge to retreat. Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned.

However, he wasn’t running away. He was dashing toward the Jade Talisman.

"Not good!"

At that moment.

The surrounding examinees all came to a realization.

That’s right! They didn’t have to fight Chen Che to the death—they just had to grab the Jade Talisman!

’Trying to take advantage of the chaos? As if.’

Chen Che glanced out of the corner of his eye and slapped his Storage Pouch. A Long Spear he had collected earlier appeared instantly in his hand. He gripped it and bent his body, becoming like a taut bowstring from head to toe. The Long Spear in his hand was a Fury Arrow, poised to be released!

"BOOM!"

As his Qi and Blood surged, Chen Che violently threw the spear, and it shot from his hand.

It was a howling gale!

It was a streak of lightning!

It was a clap of roaring thunder!

SCHLICK!

With the sound of something tearing, the Long Spear pierced straight through Inspector Fu’s back and exploded out of his chest. He was instantly impaled by the spear, transforming into a beam of white light and disappearing. The spear’s momentum didn’t falter, and it plunged deep into the lakebed until it was out of sight.

Where the end of the spear had entered the water, a thumb-sized vortex formed, stretching from the lakebed to the surface, spinning madly.

The entire area fell deathly silent.

The examinees who had been rushing toward the Jade Talisman all stopped in their tracks.

They exchanged glances, wanting to leave but unwilling to give up. Most of them kept stealing glances at the Jade Talisman.

Some hesitated, others waited for an opportunity...

Sweeping his gaze over them and taking in their expressions, Chen Che understood. He knew this group of examinees wouldn’t leave so easily.

"You want the Jade Talisman..."

Chen Che raised an eyebrow and beckoned with his finger.

Wrapped in True Essence, the Jade Talisman floating on the water’s surface drifted over and hovered before him.

He casually took out two Pills and tossed them into his mouth, swallowing them with a gulp. Feeling his stamina and True Essence gradually recover under the effects of the Pills, he met the crowd’s shocked, astonished, and fearful gazes with a wide grin.

"...Then come and take it yourself!"

Silence!

The great lake was utterly still.

One second!

Three seconds!

Five seconds!

Ten seconds!

The vortex spun slower and slower, finally vanishing with a soft POP.

Suddenly, someone took a step forward.

That single step was like a starting pistol. In an instant, the forty or fifty examinees, like beasts unleashed from a cage or a surging flood, rushed forward all at once. It was as if they meant to overwhelm Chen Che in a single moment!