Chen faced the girl calmly, his expression unreadable.
"I don't strike first against women," he said lightly. "You can take the first attack."
The moment those words left his mouth, fury flashed across YanYan's eyes.
To her, it wasn't courtesy — it was pure insult.
She swung her sword with a sharp, blazing slash. The strike tore through the air with so much force that Chen felt the pressure before it even reached him. He moved aside in a blur, and the slash blasted into the arena wall behind him.
The entire wall collapsed.
Chen narrowed his eyes.
He had underestimated her.
YanYan froze for a moment, shocked.
No one had ever dodged her sword slash before — and yet this boy did it without a scratch.
Her expression hardened. She raised her sword again, spiritual power surging violently, and unleashed a second slash, even stronger than the first — a strike she never used casually.
Chen instantly understood:
I can't dodge this one.
He brought both hands forward.
A deafening boom exploded across the arena. Smoke swallowed the sight of both fighters, leaving students and teachers staring in horror.
"Did… did he die?"
"What happened?"
"Is ye-Chen okay?!"
As the smoke faded, the entire arena fell into stunned silence.
Chen stood unhurt.
No blood.
No wounds.
Not even a burn mark.
And in his hand was a sword — a black blade humming with dark qi.
YanYan's breath caught.
She had imagined Chen crushed under her attack. Instead, he was standing in the center of the crater she created… holding a weapon she had never seen before.
Chen exhaled slowly.
If he hadn't formed the qi sword at the last second, he would've been severely injured.
He looked at the blade — pitch black, swirling with a dark aura.
It had formed a shield before him, absorbing the brunt of YanYan's overwhelming attack.
He tightened his grip and flicked the blade lightly.
The mere motion sent out a pressure wave so strong that thin cracks snake-crawled across the arena floor.
YanYan took a step back, startled.
Chen smiled faintly.
"My turn. Brace yourself."
He swung the sword gently — but the soft slash carried enough power to force YanYan to block with both hands, her knees bending under the impact.
The crowd erupted into cheers, voices shaking the arena.
Everyone knew YanYan's reputation — a prodigy, a monster in battle.
But Chen was the rising storm no one had noticed until today.
On the opposing side, Niangong College's teachers tensed in shock.
Who was this boy?
How could their top student be pushed back?
Why was an unknown fighter making YanYan struggle?
The fight accelerated.
YanYan moved with precision and speed, her sword singing through the air.
Chen matched her effortlessly, blocking and countering with calm, almost playful ease.
And that was what broke her.
She realized he wasn't fighting seriously.
He was using her as practice — testing his strength with her as a convenient opponent.
Rage burst inside her.
Spiritual energy exploded from her body, raw and unstable.
Chen's eyes narrowed.
This wasn't controlled power — this was fury pushing her beyond her limit.
Her friends screamed from the sidelines.
"YanYan! Stop!"
"You'll damage your meridians!"
"Snap out of it!"
But she wasn't listening.
She charged at Chen, eyes blazing, sword trembling with out-of-control energy.
Chen sighed softly.
He moved, closing the distance in an instant, and struck a precise point on her neck.
YanYan's eyes widened — then closed.
Her body went limp.
Chen caught her before she hit the ground.
Her teammates rushed in immediately, lifting her with trembling hands.
Chen stepped back and walked away silently.
Behind him, the arena erupted.
"ye-Chen! Ye-Chen! Ye-Chen!"
His name echoed again and again, roaring through the campus like a storm.
The entire day became a blur after that.
Students followed him everywhere, shouting questions, praise, challenges, gossip.
By evening, he was mentally done.
On his way home, Chen felt something.
A faint disturbance in the air — a presence too controlled to be casual.
He stopped walking.
Then, without hesitation, he turned into a different street.
A narrow alley swallowed him in silence.
He stood still, back straight, eyes cold.
"How long do you plan to hide?" he said quietly. "Come out. You must be tired after following me all day."
Two figures stepped out of the shadows, dressed in black from head to toe.
One of them clicked his tongue.
"So you detected us even though we used the best concealment technique. Impressive. But it won't save you."
His voice dropped into a threat.
"You offended a major family. You shouldn't have touched the Feng heir. And now you'll pay for it with your life."
Chen's expression didn't even flicker.
Of course.
Feng Family wouldn't wait long.
But instead of fear, a small, cold smile touched his lips.
"So it begins."
A black sword materialized in his hand, swirling with dark qi.
"At that time, I held back," he said softly.
"Now… I won't."
He sized them up calmly.
Both at Foundation Level 4 and 5.
Manageable.
Chen took a step forward, eyes sharpening like a drawn blade.
"Come. Let's see who dies tonight."