Chapter 40: Battle Against Chen Fan

The referee gave the signal, and the match officially began.

Chen Fan gestured with his hand, and a long sword shimmering with white light materialized. With a light tap of his toes, he flickered left and right, instantly vanishing from Lu Changfeng’s sight. As Chen Fan moved, the cool breeze around the arena began to howl, transforming into countless streaks of sword energy that slashed toward Lu Changfeng.

Chen Fan followed the path of the sword, one that diverged sharply from the style of the Sky Sword Peak Master. He favored agility and extreme speed. From the very first moment of the fight, Chen Fan pushed his speed to its limit, intending to kill Lu Changfeng on the spot.

"Decent speed!" A flicker of surprise crossed Lu Changfeng's eyes. But "decent" was all it was. In Lu Changfeng’s eyes, he was still far too slow.

*Swish!*

With a sharp whistle, a piercing blade of light cut through the air, thrusting straight at Lu Changfeng. The disciples watching from below let out gasps of alarm.

"He’s too fast!"
"Brother Chen Fan is truly worthy of being at the peak of the Zhoutian realm!"
"I don't think Lu Changfeng will last a single move!"

They could barely track Chen Fan’s movements. In the next moment, Lu Changfeng shifted his body to the side, his spatial ring flashed, and he drew his own long sword to parry upward.

*Clang!*

The sound of metal clashing exploded across the arena. Violent surges of energy rippled outward like a tidal wave. When the howling wind finally died down, the disciples below could finally see what had happened on the stage.

Chen Fan stood three feet away, holding his sword in one hand. His blade was held firmly in place by a dark iron sword, unable to advance even an inch. That three-foot gap felt like a chasm.

"Damn it!" Chen Fan froze for a second. He had never imagined his sure-kill strike would be blocked so effortlessly by Lu Changfeng. "It must be a coincidence!" he thought to himself.

He pulled back, exerted force from his waist, and lifted his left leg, lashing out at Lu Changfeng. The air exploded; boundless dust rose under the sheer force of the blow. Lu Changfeng’s form shuddered; he flicked his wrist, weaving a sword pattern, and thrust forward.

*Swish!*

A bright red bloodstain appeared on Chen Fan’s chest, while Chen Fan’s left leg slammed into Lu Changfeng’s right shoulder with a deafening roar. The two retreated simultaneously, breaking apart.

***

Chen Fan looked down at the bloodstain on his chest, his expression turning increasingly furious. "I admit, at first, I underestimated you!" he said coldly. "Since you have such skills, I cannot let you live!"

He glanced briefly toward the clouds in the sky before fixing a death stare on Lu Changfeng. Before the match, he had received a telepathic message from the Peak Master: "You must win!"

A moment later, the spiritual energy on his body erupted. He began to flicker in place, creating countless afterimages. These projections were incredibly vivid, making it look as if a multitude of Chen Fans were charging toward Lu Changfeng.

Such petty tricks might fool disciples with low cultivation, but Lu Changfeng possessed ten thousand years of experience. He saw through the illusions instantly, identifying the true form.

"Bluffing!"

Lu Changfeng stepped forward and swung his sword violently toward the second afterimage on the left.

*Clang!*

Metal met metal, and sparks flew from the two blades. They collided rapidly; within three breaths, they had struck each other no fewer than ten times. Chen Fan had clearly fused his movement techniques with his swordsmanship, but this was ultimately an unorthodox path. While it might have been effective at first, as his cultivation grew, these illusions became a burden, diluting the purity of a true swordsman.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged over a hundred blows. Every time Chen Fan thought he had deceived Lu Changfeng, Lu Changfeng would preemptively parry.

"Damn it!" The look in Chen Fan’s eyes grew heavy. He was already at his maximum speed, yet he had caused Lu Changfeng no damage. He had practiced this style against senior disciples at the Yuandan realm, and even they had been unable to retaliate. Yet, Lu Changfeng seemed to have energy to spare, paying the technique no mind at all.

"Damn it!" As time passed, his spiritual energy began to wane, and his anxiety grew. *Is this guy hiding his strength?* he wondered. His breathing became ragged, and his sword felt heavier. He knew he was nearing his limit.

***

Meanwhile, Lu Changfeng continued to parry each move with ease, showing no sign of panic.

"I can't go on like this!" Chen Fan thought. "I must end this quickly, or I might actually be the one who loses!" Knowing he couldn't suppress Lu Changfeng through swordsmanship alone, he took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes, and bit down. A pill hidden under his tongue shattered.

*Hum!*

The moment the pill reached his stomach, his spiritual energy turned violent. Chen Fan’s speed spiked once more, moving so fast that the disciples below couldn't follow his movements at all.

"Die!" Chen Fan hissed. "Heavenly Spirit Dragon-Snake Slash!"

*Swish!*

Suddenly, his sword seemed to pulse with life, manifesting a dragon-snake at its tip. With its massive jaws wide open and fangs gleaming with cold light, it lunged toward Lu Changfeng. This spiritual manifestation moved with blinding speed, reaching Lu Changfeng in the blink of an eye.

"Brother Chen is going for the kill!"
"That’s Brother Chen’s signature move! Even the seniors at the Yuandan realm wouldn't dare take that head-on!"
"It's over! At this range, a mere eighth-level Zhoutian like Lu Changfeng can't dodge that!"

The disciples below widened their eyes, gasps of astonishment rippling through the crowd. In their eyes, Lu Changfeng was as good as dead.

On the stage, Lu Changfeng frowned slightly. While he was surprised Chen Fan possessed a spiritual technique of such power, he felt no threat to his life.

"Though the power is close to the Yuandan realm," Lu Changfeng said coldly, "it is still not enough!"

His aura roared, and a surging wave of spiritual pressure emanated from his body. His sword danced, and boundless power flowed from his arm into the blade.

"Heavenly Derivation Sword Art, Second Form: Wind Annihilation!"

Lu Changfeng shouted, and his blade swept forward. The two forces collided violently in mid-air, a transparent shockwave blasting outward in all directions.

*Rumble!*

Deep ravines were carved into the arena by the clash of sword energy.