The air immediately fell into silence.
None of the elders and disciples from the various peaks mocked Chen Yan for overestimating himself.
Of course, nobody actually took Chen Yan's words seriously either.
Because they all simply thought Chen Yan's mind wasn't quite right.
Qi Yadong was, after all, the personal disciple of Elder Song Wencheng from Kongyuan Mountain's Enforcement Hall.
He was a true inner court elder's personal disciple, someone who had been watched by the sect and specially cultivated from the very day he joined Kongshan Sect.
As for Chen Yan, before being accepted as Lin Qifeng's disciple, he had already wasted ten years in the outer court.
Although Chen Yan's performance in this outer court competition was quite stunning, even surpassing the performance of most inner court disciples in the Body Forging Realm.
But one must remember, under normal circumstances, core inner court disciples like those personally taught by elders typically break through to the Qi Circulation Realm before the age of fourteen.
Age and physical development greatly impact the combat power of Body Forging Realm cultivators.
Qi Yadong personally believed that his performance at the peak of Body Forging Realm was definitely inferior to Chen Yan's current level.
But when he was seventeen, he had already reached the mid-stage of Qi Circulation Realm, and at that time, defeating the current Chen Yan would have taken him just one move.
Now nineteen years old, Qi Yadong had reached the peak of Qi Circulation Realm, confident he could break through to Martial Spring Realm before turning twenty.
Looking across Kongshan Sect, if considering only contemporary disciples, those who could break through to Martial Spring Realm before twenty numbered no more than thirty.
This meant Qi Yadong was absolutely one of the top figures standing at the pyramid's peak among Kongshan Sect's current disciples.
And yet Chen Yan dared to claim he could finish him off in one move without using any magical treasures?
Qi Yadong simply felt astonished.
How did he dare?
One must understand that even if a Qi Circulation Realm cultivator used pills to suppress their cultivation to Body Forging Realm level, their body strength—with flesh, blood, and meridians long tempered by true energy—was absolutely incomparable to any Body Forging Realm cultivator.
It would be more believable if Qi Yadong could finish Chen Yan in three moves.
But...
Facing Chen Yan's arrogant words, Song Wencheng just shook his head without saying anything, then signaled Qi Yadong to ascend the platform.
"Senior Brother Chen, go for it!"
"Show those inner court people that our outer court has geniuses too!"
The outer court disciples below the platform actually had confidence in Chen Yan and were quite enthusiastic.
If Chen Yan being arrogant when fighting outer court disciples was understandable.
Then his attitude remaining so insolent when facing Qi Yadong was rather puzzling.
But Chen Yan had his reasons for doing this.
He suspected that the reincarnation scoring might be somewhat related to his reputation and fame.
The more renowned he became, the higher the reincarnation score, and the better the rewards.
With Lin Qifeng backing him, plus having genuinely obtained inner court cultivation resources, he shouldn't easily be labeled as a "Cause of Calamity."
Even if he did get labeled as a Cause of Calamity, at worst he'd just enter reincarnation again and start over.
And if he did get eliminated as a Cause of Calamity, it would precisely verify his hypothesis.
Of course, this was just one of Chen Yan's speculations.
Chen Yan clearly knew how limited his cultivation talent was—the reincarnation reward and inheritance mechanism was his best way to make progress on the immortal path.
So appropriate sacrifices were necessary.
"Junior Brother Chen, please."
Qi Yadong stood proudly on the platform, hands clasped behind his back.
Sunlight filtering through the clouds illuminated the gilded cloud-crane patterns on his robe sleeves, adding to his impressive demeanor.
Chen Yan remained silent, simply allowing true energy to surge within his body.
With the Hidden Immortal Art's enhancement, nobody could see through Chen Yan's true cultivation level beneath the surface, even as his Martial Spring operated at full capacity with abundant true energy.
He intended to defeat Qi Yadong in a breathtaking manner.
To astonish the entire Kongshan Sect's inner and outer courts with the most dazzling display.
This was an experiment worth any cost.
The next instant, Chen Yan's left foot stomped heavily on the ground, the blue stone bricks immediately cracking, the spot under his toes even turning to powder instantly.
The dozen-meter distance between them closed in just a blink.
Chen Yan pulled his right fist back, and at the moment of striking, the surging true energy coursing through his meridians like waves suddenly solidified.
"Bang!"
A simple, unadorned, full-power punch from a Martial Spring Realm cultivator, relying purely on physical strength, smashed heavily into Qi Yadong's chest.
This heaven-chosen talent of Kongyuan Mountain was sent flying horizontally, crashing heavily onto the platform.
He struggled to lift his head, his face first turning pale before rapidly flushing crimson-purple:
"You... can't possibly be Body Forging... Pfft!"
A mouthful of turbid blood sprayed from Qi Yadong's mouth, mixed with fragments of internal organs.
His chest had completely caved in a large area, and large patches of crimson began to appear on his robe.
The medical hall disciples on standby below quickly climbed onto the platform, first stuffing life-preserving pills into Qi Yadong's mouth, then immediately beginning emergency treatment.
But it was only symbolic emergency treatment.
After about ten seconds, the leading outer court medical hall steward turned to look at Elder Song Wencheng on the viewing stand—who wore an anxious expression—and slowly shook his head.
The person was beyond saving.
"Bastard!"
Song Wencheng stood up, slamming his hand on the tea table beside him, crushing it to dust as he shouted loudly.
The imposing aura of a Passable God Realm cultivator surged, and the Training Grounds atmosphere instantly became oppressive.
Even Chen Yan, still standing on the platform, felt chest tightness in that moment.
Let alone those Body Forging or Qi Circulation Realm outer court disciples.
Qi Yadong was Song Wencheng's most accomplished disciple, his only personal disciple.
Song Wencheng had paved the way for Qi Yadong's future, everything proceeding step by step.
For this outer court competition, Kongyuan Mountain's gatekeeper position originally had another candidate.
But Song Wencheng had pushed through opposition to let his disciple Qi Yadong serve as gatekeeper, both to build Qi Yadong's resume and let him show his face before elders from other peaks.
Nobody expected it would end like this.
"Someone, arrest that bastard and lock him in the detention center, await my personal interrogation!"
Song Wencheng pointed at Chen Yan on the platform and roared.
"I'd like to see who dares!"
Lin Qifeng also sprang to his feet, eyes wide with anger as he glared at Song Wencheng:
"Fists and feet have no eyes, you bear responsibility for life and death—don't tell me you don't understand such basic principles, you Song bastard!"
"Lin Qifeng, stop spouting nonsense there! Arrest him and take him to Kongyuan Mountain's detention center!"
"Today, whoever dares lay a finger on Chen Yan will face my wrath!"
The situation on the Training Grounds began to grow confrontational.
And Chen Yan simply stood on the platform, silent.
He was already prepared to start over.