Heavenly Sword Saint
"Begin!"
The supervising elder's voice echoed across the training ground.
Jian Ming's opponent moved instantly.
His foot struck the ground.
Boom!
His body shot forward like an arrow, his right fist carrying a powerful surge of spiritual energy.
The attack was extremely fast.
Yet Jian Ming remained motionless.
He waited until the fist was only inches from his chest.
Then...
He raised one hand.
Bang!
The fist stopped.
The entire training ground fell silent.
Jian Ming had caught it with one hand.
His opponent's expression changed.
"What..."
Before he could react, Jian Ming twisted his wrist.
The disciple's body was pulled off balance.
Jian Ming stepped forward.
His shoulder struck the opponent's chest.
Boom!
The disciple was sent flying backward and landed heavily on the platform.
The crowd erupted.
"What strength!"
"He stopped that attack with one hand!"
"Jian Ming is too strong!"
Beneath the platform, Jian Chen watched silently.
He wasn't impressed merely because Jian Ming had defeated his opponent.
He was analyzing him.
The timing of the interception.
The stability of his footwork.
The way he redirected his opponent's momentum.
The precise control of his spiritual energy.
There wasn't a single unnecessary movement.
Jian Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Peak eight stage
His foundation is solid
His control over his martial technique are excellent.
Chapter 33 : Shocked
That was enough for Jian Chen to understand the general level of Jian Ming's strength.
He had fought countless battles throughout the Divine Realm.
Compared with these young disciples, his understanding of combat was on an entirely different level.
Cultivation was only one part of strength.
Technique.
Timing.
Control.
Reaction.
Battle instincts.
Experience.
All of them mattered.
And Jian Ming had clearly spent years refining his abilities.
On the platform, the defeated disciple slowly climbed back to his feet.
His face was pale.
But he refused to surrender.
He roared.
Spiritual energy erupted from his body.
His aura surged.
Then he charged forward again.
This time, his fist carried considerably more power.
Jian Ming's expression remained unchanged.
He stepped forward.
One punch.
Boom!
The two fists collided.
A powerful shockwave spread across the platform.
The younger disciple's arm trembled violently.
Jian Ming didn't move even half a step.
The difference was absolute.
The opponent staggered backward.
Jian Ming immediately followed.
He appeared before him.
Bang!
A palm struck the disciple's chest.
The disciple flew backward and landed outside the designated area.
The supervising elder raised his hand.
"Jian Ming wins!"
The crowd erupted once more.
Jian Ming calmly withdrew his hand.
His opponent struggled to stand.
After several breaths, he lowered his head.
"I admit defeat."
Jian Ming nodded once.
Then he walked off the platform.
Jian Chen's gaze followed him.
Peak eight stage not bad.
Strong.
Hmm!
Jian Chen remained calm.
At his current level, EighthStage cultivators were no longer enough to threaten him.
His cultivation had advanced to the Seventh Stage.
His spiritual energy was stronger.
His body had improved.
And, more importantly...
The countless battles he had experienced in his previous life gives him a clear advantage.
Now that his cultivation was recovering, those instincts were gradually becoming useful again.
Jian Chen looked toward Jian Ming.
He is different.
His foundation is excellent.
His control refind.
And his Martial technique is quite good.
Note martial technique and cultivation can be divided into different stages.
Yellow, profound, Earth and Heaven tier.
And the highest cultivation technique or Martial technique available in the whole Jian clan is only profound.
A faint smile appeared on Jian Chen's lips.
He is worth testing.
There was no fear in his heart.
Only anticipation.
He turned his attention back toward the competition.
Around the training ground, however, the atmosphere had already begun changing.
Many disciples were still discussing Jian Ming's overwhelming victory.
Yet more and more gazes drifted toward Jian Chen.
The waste everyone had once dismissed.
Yesterday, he had defeated Jian Xuan.
An Eighth Stage cultivator.
And he had done it with a sword.
"How is Jian Chen so strong?"
Can he start against those top prodigies of the clan
"That's what everyone knows."
"He had defeated Jian Xuan."
"His swordsmanship is extraordinary."
Another disciple glanced toward Jian Ming.
"But no matter how strong his swordsmanship is, Jian Ming is at the peak of the Eighth Stage."
And besides we all know Jian Ming didn't go all out today.
Several disciples nodded.
To them, that conclusion was obvious.
Jian Chen was no longer someone they could casually dismiss.
But Jian Ming was still one of the strongest disciples in the competition.
And Jian Chen didn't correct them.
Their misunderstanding was exactly what he wanted.
Let them judge him according to what they could see.
His true cultivation was his hidden advantage.
While everyone was busy discussing his battle...
Jian Chen was busy studying theirs.
His eyes moved from one platform to another.
Every battle became another source of information.
Then his gaze shifted.
Jian Hu.
Jian Hu stood among the remaining disciples.
His face was pale.
His eyes were fixed on Jian Chen.
Fear was clearly visible in them.
One month ago...
Jian Chen had beaten him until he could barely stand.
At that time, Jian Chen couldn't cultivate.
Everyone had regarded him as a waste.
Jian Hu had believed himself far superior.
He had never imagined that the person everyone looked down upon could defeat him so completely.
But now...
That same person had defeated Jian Xuan.
An Eighth Stage cultivator.
Jian Hu's breathing became heavier.
His fingers trembled.
His only hope now was his elder brother.
Jian Chen suddenly turned his head.
Their eyes met.
Jian Hu's face instantly lost what little color remained.
His legs went weak.
For a moment...
He nearly fell.
He quickly steadied himself.
But the memory of that battle refused to disappear.
The helplessness.
The pain.
The feeling of being completely unable to resist.
It had happened only one month ago.
And now Jian Chen was even stronger.
Much stronger.
Jian Hu swallowed hard.
He couldn't help imagining what would happen if they fought again.
The thought alone made his heart tremble.
Nearby, the Third Elder noticed his son's reaction.
His gaze shifted from Jian Hu to Jian Chen.
His expression gradually became solemn.
He still could not believed that this is the Jian Chen he knows.
Just over one month of cultivation.
And now...
Jian Chen had defeated an Eighth Stage cultivator before the entire clan.
This could no longer be dismissed as luck.
And if given enough time who knows what height he might reach
The Third Elder's fingers slowly tightened.
Jian Chen's growth was far too fast.
Something about him had changed.
But the Third Elder said nothing.
He simply continued watching.
For the first time, he felt that the youth he had once considered insignificant could no longer be judged by the standards of the past.
Nearby, Jian Chen's mother stood among the spectators.
Her eyes remained fixed on her son.
For sixteen years...
She had heard people call him a waste.
She had watched children younger than him surpass him in cultivation.
She had endured the whispers.
The pity.
The mockery.
And now...
That same child was standing among the strongest remaining disciples of the Jian Clan.
A proud smile appeared on her face.
Her eyes became moist.
She lowered her voice.
"You see..."
"Our son isn't a waste."
Her smile grew warmer.
"He is even more talented than you ever were."
A tear slipped from the corner of her eye.
She quietly wiped it away.
"Sixteen years..."
"You waited sixteen years."
"And now..."
"Everyone can finally see you."
Jian Chen knew nothing of her words.
His attention remained on the competition.
One battle followed another.
He watched everything.
Footwork.
Spiritual energy control.
Attack timing.
Defensive habits.
Weaknesses.
He memorized it all.
But he no longer viewed every opponent with equal interest.
His attention naturally focused on the stronger disciples.
Peak Eighth Stage.
Ninth Stage.
Those were the opponents worth studying.
Jian Chen's gaze returned to Jian Ming.
Jian Ming stood calmly among the remaining disciples.
Their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
Jian Chen silently evaluated him.
Peak eigth stage.
Excellent foundation.
Good control.
Sharp reaction.
His battle experience isn't shallow.
A faint smile touched Jian Chen's lips.
Not bad.
At the Sixth Stage, Jian Ming would have been a troublesome opponent.
But Jian Chen was no longer at the Sixth Stage.
He had already stepped into the Seventh Stage.
His current cultivation, combined with his swordsmanship and battle experience, had completely changed his position.
An ordinary eight stage cultivator is no longer an opponent.
His eyes sharpened.
As for Jian Ming...
He's worth testing.
The supervising elder stepped onto the platform.
"Next battle!"
The crowd gradually quieted.
The remaining disciples became alert.
Another battle was about to begin.
Yet the shock had already spread throughout the Jian Clan.
The youth who had been regarded as a waste for sixteen years...
Was no longer someone they could casually dismiss.
And while everyone was still trying to understand Jian Chen's sudden rise...
Jian Chen himself wasn't thinking about their opinions.
He was thinking about strength.
His cultivation needed to become stronger.
His swordsmanship needed to become sharper.
His body needed to become stronger.
The strongest disciples remained ahead.
And they were exactly what he needed.
Jian Chen slowly clenched his fist.
A faint smile appeared.
The competition had only just begun.
And if I need more resources from the clan I most obtained the top sport