Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World Chapter 1287 - 668: No One Dares to Fight

With just three words, spoken so casually, Wang Yuchen’s brow furrowed.

"You're seeking death!"

Wang Yuchen exclaimed in fury, his form moving with astonishing speed, traversing ten zhang in an instant. His right fist, crackling with brilliant azure light, shot directly towards Ling Xiao’s face.

This strike, deceptively simple, harbored the Qinghe Holy Land’s formidable secret technique, the "Green Lotus Sky-breaking Force," a power potent enough to cleave mountains and shatter stone.

The punch generated a howling gale that whipped Ling Xiao’s robes into a frenzy.

From their vantage point below, the onlookers could already picture Ling Xiao being sent flying by a single blow. A few disciples from the Holy Land even began to applaud in anticipation.

---

"Boom!"

A dull thud reverberated, causing the very arena to tremble.

Every eye widened, fixed on the unfolding scene in utter disbelief.

Ling Xiao remained rooted to his spot, his right hand having ensnared Wang Yuchen’s fist.

The devastating strike, said to splinter rocks, had been caught effortlessly with a single hand, without him budging an inch!

"This… this is impossible!"

Wang Yuchen’s pupils constricted violently. For the first time, sheer shock contorted his features.

He attempted to wrench his fist free, only to find his opponent’s fingers clamped down like a vice of steel, utterly immovable.

"Half-step Earth Palace Realm?"

Ling Xiao let out a soft chuckle.

"What a coincidence, so am I."

As his declaration hung in the air, an incredibly potent aura surged from Ling Xiao’s body.

Swirling dark spiritual power coalesced into a vortex around him, causing the protective barriers of the arena to shudder violently.

"What?!"

"He’s also at the Half-step Earth Palace Realm!"

Exclamations erupted from the disciples below. The examiner’s smile abruptly froze upon his face.

Wang Yuchen’s expression shifted dramatically, but he quickly forced himself to regain composure.

"Hmph! Even if our realms are identical, how can a crude path like yours contend with our Holy Land’s techniques? Shatter for me!"

He formed a hand seal with his left hand, his internal spiritual power surging like a tempest as he prepared to unleash the Qinghe Holy Land’s secret "Green Lotus Nine Transitions."

Just as the incantation began, a searing, gut-wrenching pain shot through his abdomen.

"Bang!"

Ling Xiao’s fist had inexplicably found its mark, slamming with immense force into Wang Yuchen’s stomach, seemingly dislodging his internal organs.

Wang Yuchen’s eyes bulged, a gout of blood spraying ten feet away. His body contorted like a shrimp in agony.

"Holy Land Technique?"

Ling Xiao jeered, his left hand a blur as it delivered another blow to the exact same spot.

"Is that all you've got?"

"Pfft—" Wang Yuchen coughed up more blood, his face draining of all color instantly.

He desperately tried to retaliate, but found his spiritual power rendered utterly chaotic by that single punch, making it impossible to gather.

All the Holy Land Disciples stared, mouths agape, at the unbelievable sight of their esteemed Senior Brother Wang being pummeled like a helpless rag doll.

"Weren't you just telling me to kneel?"

Ling Xiao’s voice turned icy. His right hand seized Wang Yuchen’s hair, yanking him down as his knee surged upwards.

"Crack!"

The distinct sound of a nose breaking echoed through the arena.

Wang Yuchen emitted a shriek that was barely human, his entire face instantly masked in blood.

"Senior Brother Wang!"

Several Holy Land Disciples finally snapped out of their shock and moved to rush the stage.

"Scram!"

Without even glancing back, Ling Xiao swatted with his left hand. A lash of dark spiritual power shot out, sending those disciples hurtling backward dozens of feet, crashing violently against a distant cliff face.

Ling Xiao’s right hand did not cease its assault.

"Slap, slap." Two resounding slaps landed on Wang Yuchen’s face, sending teeth flying and visibly swelling his cheeks.

"This slap is for your arrogance."

"This slap is for your insolent words."

"This slap…"

Ling Xiao paused for effect.

"…is for your ugliness."

"Pfft—" An onlooker, a cultivator from outside the Holy Land, couldn’t suppress a laugh, quickly stifling it.

Yet, this solitary chuckle seemed to break a dam, and soon, more and more cultivators from outside began to snicker quietly.

The faces of the Holy Land Disciples turned ashen, yet none dared to advance further.

Their gazes towards Ling Xiao had transformed from contempt to outright fear.

Wang Yuchen was now beyond recognition, his face horribly swollen, resembling a pig’s head, completely devoid of his former handsome features.

His consciousness flickered, capable only of emitting weak, pained groans.

Ling Xiao hoisted him up with one hand, raising him high above his head. He then turned towards the stunned crowd below.

"To all you geniuses of the Qinghe Holy Land, who looks like a pig's head now? Hmm?"

The Holy Land Disciples exchanged terrified glances, stuttering and unable to form a response. Some instinctively took a few steps back, dreading attracting the attention of this calamitous figure.

"Speak!"

Ling Xiao’s command boomed like thunder, causing several of the weaker Holy Land disciples to buckle and drop to their knees.

"Smack!"

Wang Yuchen’s face, already battered and swollen, endured another forceful blow from Ling Xiao’s palm. A sickening mix of blood and shattered teeth rained down, striking the arena’s blue stone with dull thuds.

The disciples of the Holy Land, who had anticipated Ling Xiao’s crushing defeat, now wore expressions of profound bitterness and regret.

"This strike is a lesson from your parents," Ling Xiao declared with icy composure. He seized Wang Yuchen’s collar with his left hand, raising his right once more.

"Don't be so insolent!"

"Stop!"

The examiner could no longer bear witness and swiftly intervened, appearing on the arena to halt Ling Xiao’s assault.

"The victor is clear, that is sufficient!"

Ling Xiao cast a knowing glance at the examiner, a smirk playing on his lips.

"And when he was humiliating me moments ago, where were you to declare it sufficient?"

The examiner’s face flushed, his aged features betraying his discomfort.

It was true; he had tacitly approved, even encouraged, Wang Yuchen’s earlier domineering display.

"He... he’s unconscious now," the examiner stammered, his voice lowered, attempting to salvage some shred of dignity for the Holy Land.

Ling Xiao looked down at Wang Yuchen, who hung limply in his grasp, eyes rolled back, blood still trickling from his mouth. The young man was indeed utterly insensible.

"Tsk, couldn't even take a proper beating," Ling Xiao clicked his tongue, casually tossing the unconscious Wang Yuchen towards the examiner.

"Here, take your Holy Land’s pride and joy."

The examiner scrambled to catch Wang Yuchen, his examination of the injuries quickly turning his expression grim.

"Ling Xiao! You…"

The examiner looked up, incandescent with rage, only to find Ling Xiao already turning away, walking towards the arena’s edge, a dismissive wave accompanying his departure.

"Wait!"

Ling Xiao paused, as if suddenly recalling something, and turned back to face the examiner.

"Shouldn't we settle our wager?"

The examiner blinked in surprise.

"What wager?"

"Playing ignorant?"

Ling Xiao scoffed derisively.

"Wang Yuchen himself stated that his Cold Frost Sword would be mine if I won. Do the words of Holy Land disciples hold no weight?"

A wave of murmurs swept through the assembled crowd.

The Cold Frost Sword was a treasure, even within the esteemed Qinghe Holy Land. Wang Yuchen’s sword, a gift from his master, possessed profound significance.

The examiner’s face contorted through a range of emotions. He glanced from the unconscious Wang Yuchen in his arms to the expectant faces of the disciples below, finally grinding his teeth in resignation.

"Hand it over!"

A reluctant deacon presented a verdant longsword on the arena, the blade shimmering with a faint spiritual aura, unmistakably a remarkable artifact.

Ling Xiao accepted the longsword, twirling it idly in his hand before nodding with apparent satisfaction.

"Not bad, it will barely suffice for me."

"You!"

The deacon’s beard quivered with indignation, yet he dared not voice his fury.

Ling Xiao then stowed the longsword into his Storage Ring and surveyed the numerous Holy Land disciples below, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"My sincere thanks to Senior Brother Wang for his generous gift. If any more such opportunities arise, do remember to seek me out."

"Pfft—"

A cultivator in the audience let out an involuntary snort of laughter, but was immediately met with a furious glare from the Holy Land disciples beside him, prompting him to quickly stifle his amusement.

The examiner departed the arena, carrying Wang Yuchen, his countenance dark enough to suggest impending rain.

His initial hope was for Wang Yuchen to curb Ling Xiao’s rampant arrogance, but instead, Ling Xiao had masterfully used the Holy Land’s pride to steal the spotlight.

"The next match must be secured!"

The examiner muttered this command low to the Holy Land disciples flanking him.

"If we lose another bout, the Holy Land’s honor will be utterly trampled!"

"Understood!"

Two young men clad in white stepped forward: Ke Yucheng and Zhuang Feichen.

Their capabilities were second only to Wang Yuchen’s, and at this moment, their eyes blazed with sheer fury.

The examiner nodded his approval.

"Yucheng, Feichen, you two must exert your full might and demonstrate to these outsiders that the Holy Land's dignity is inviolable!"

"Yes!"

The two responded in unison, their gazes, sharp as blades, raked over the outsiders aligned with Gu Sheng.

A tense silence descended upon Gu Sheng’s contingent.

Having witnessed Ling Xiao’s overwhelming dominance and Wang Yuchen’s pathetic state, no one volunteered to face the Holy Land’s furious retaliation.

"What? No one dares to step forward?"

Zhuang Feichen sneered, his gaze sweeping across every hesitant face, eventually settling upon a slender, unassuming young man.