The sun was out as Jian Chen walked across the sports field, where quite a few students were already exercising. Sparing a glance at those students, Jian Chen proceeded to move on towards the library. During the past 3 days, Jian Chen was constantly cultivating his Saint Force and did not have the time to go to the library at all. In Jian Chen's eyes, the only thing the academy had to offer that really attracted him was the library. When it came to the classes taught by the teachers, Jian Chen didn't have a single speck of interest, and he personally felt that it was a waste of time. The teachers didn't have anything worthwhile to teach him, but the library did. After all, the library had records of everything that had happened on the Tian Yuan continent.
"Hey look, isn't that Changyang Xiang Tian? I heard he beat the Saint, Ka Di Yun, while he was only at the 8th Saint Force layer…"
"It is, it is! I even watched Changyang Xiang Tian fight in the freshmen competition, but I didn't get a chance to see him fight against Ka Di Yun, what a great shame…"
On the sports field, two males who saw Jian Chen were pointing from afar, while looking at him with a huge amount of respect.
"Wow, Changyang Xiang Tian is so cool and so strong. For him to beat the Saint, Ka Di Yun, while at the 8th Saint Force layer; he really is my idol…" Another first year minor noble girl cried, as her eyes sparkled with emotions.
More and more people started to gather on the field. As Jian Chen walked across the sports field, many of the surrounding people started to notice him. Ever since he had beaten Ka Di Yun three days ago, his name had spread around the academy in a mere few hours, and his reputation had skyrocketed to the point where even the teachers of Kargath Academy knew him by name.
Jian Chen quickly crossed the field into a shady area which would lead him to the library. Because there weren't many people at the library, the path towards the library was fairly serene and quiet. With almost no people in sight, all Jian Chen could see was the scenery of nature, as the wind scattered countless leaves into the air with a rustling sound.
Just then, the shadows of a few people suddenly appeared in front of Jian Chen. It was a group of four people who were laughing and talking amongst themselves, each one of them looking to be around ** years old. A simple look at their school uniforms could identify them as students of the academy as well.
Jian Chen didn't pay any attention to the group of students in front of him, and proceeded to walk past them. But as he just crossed them, the four students suddenly stopped talking, and then quickly surrounded Jian Chen.
Stopping, Jian Chen looked at the students surrounding him and noted that they were all seniors. With a cold smile, he asked, "Dear seniors, what is the meaning of this?"
The four students stood tall and proud as they circled Jian Chen before one of them spoke up.
"Kid, you look unfamiliar, you must be a freshmen." The one in front of Jian Chen smiled with an unfriendly stare at him.
Jian Chen did not show any emotion as he stared at the speaker, speaking to his face, he gave a faint smile, "That's right, this one here is a freshman. What do these seniors want with a freshman like me?"
Hearing this, the senior chuckled, "If you want to live peacefully at Kargath Academy, then it's important that you have people like us protecting you. But if you want our protection, then you need to pay us. Since you're a freshman, then you just need to pay us 10 Purple coins; how about it, a good deal right?" The student had a confident smile on his face; in his mind, he had already intimidated Jian Chen. To him, Jian Chen was smaller, and therefore weaker in terms of strength, and he felt that he had definitely overpowered him already. He was confident in his skills as well, since he had already pulled this off many different times, making him an experienced veteran. If he had met a stronger student, then of course he would have thought twice before pulling this scam off, but Jian Chen didn't seem like a strong student, so this would definitely be a total success; resistance would be futile.
If Jian Chen was just another commoner student, then the four students would not dare extort a protection fee from Jian Chen if they wanted to remain in the academy. After all, all the upperclassmen in Kargath Academy knew that the headmaster always sided with the commoners of the academy. But these four students have been living in the academy for some time now, and they could tell which student was a commoner and which student was a noble. So when they saw Jian Chen, they could clearly tell that Jian Chen was a noble, and therefore dared to extort him for money.
Hearing him, Jian Chen internally snorted; he hadn't thought that people would try to collect protection fees from him.
"Seniors, I am very sorry, but I will have to refuse your protection," Jian Chen stated. Before they could even respond, he shouldered his way past the older students and resumed to walk towards the library once more.
Jian Chen's actions caused the four students to be startled. This situation had gone against their expectations, and none of them had expected to see Jian Chen so straightforwardly decline their protection.
The four students immediately turned towards Jian Chen, who was walking away from them. Their eyes flashed dangerously. The one student who had his shoulder pushed aside snarled, while his face turned unsightly.
"Motherf*cking brat, stop right there!" He yelled angrily. Stomping towards him, he immediately cut Jian Chen off from his path, as the other 3 followed him and formed the circle, once more confining Jian Chen in the middle.
"You dared to knock against me, are you tired of living?" The initial speaker cried before fiercely reaching out to slap Jian Chen across the face with his palm.
Seeing the hand approach his face, Jian Chen's blank stare instantly became sharp, and his eyes flashed with a deep coldness. He lifted his own right hand up to block the incoming hand, so quickly that the other students couldn't react in time. After intercepting that student's hand that was halfway to his face, Jian Chen lashed out with his foot, and his kick connected with the student's chest. With a small gasp, the student was sent flying backwards, before he heavily fell down onto the ground some distance away.
The situation had suddenly escalated, surprising the other 3 students. None of them would have thought that their previously easy target to bully would suddenly become like this. Before they could even react, Jian Chen had kicked their companion across the place.
But they soon regained their wits and started to sweat. Without even needing to discuss it amongst themselves, they all concluded that they needed to dispose of Jian Chen.
Although they knew Jian Chen's strength wasn't normal, these four students had run rampant in Kargath Academy and were not afraid of him. Even if Jian Chen was that strong, the four of them combined could take him on, so they had nothing to fear. Not only that, but they all had strong clans backing them up, thus, they had a strong shield with them throughout the entire academy.
Sensing that the three other students were exuding out their Saint Force, Jian Chen looked at them with a hint of disdain. The moment the three prepared to fight, the levels of their Saint Force had been revealed to him; the three of them were roughly at the 10th layer of Saint Force.
The three went into motion very quickly, and in a blink of an eye, they were in front of Jian Chen. However, at the crucial moment, Jian Chen's body swayed and dodged each one of their attacks.
While the 3 attacks failed to make contact, Jian Chen didn't wait for them to recover, and immediately slammed his fist into one of the students' forehead so quickly that none of them could react.
"Peng!" The student who had his forehead hit immediately fainted onto the floor. At the same time, Jian Chen's right leg kicked one of the other students in the chest.
Following the dull thud, because the youth had long been prepared, he managed to endure and only stumbled back a few steps after receiving the kick from Jian Chen, and quickly steadied himself. Despite that, his complexion had turned pale as the two huge forces of energy hidden in Jian Chen's kick had jolted his internal organs. Furthermore, faint strands of Saint Force had also flowed through Jian Chen's leg into the youth's body, wreaking havoc among his internal organs.
Just as the youth had stabilized himself, Jian Chen's second leg had already once again kicked out. Leaving behind afterimages in the air, the leg landed onto the chest of the youth once again. Moreover, the second kick landed perfectly on the same spot as the first, beautifully superimposing themselves on each other.
Having received two heavy hits in a row on the same spot, the damage the youth suffered was not as simple as adding one plus one. When Jian Chen's second kick landed on the youth's chest, even if he had the strength of a 10th layer Saint Force, he would still suffer serious injuries. Waves of acute pain emitted from the vital organs within his body, instantly turning the youth's face white. His internal Qi was also blocked, causing him to have extreme difficulty breathing. He staggered back a few steps before one last unsteady step brought him crashing to the ground, and left him unable to stand back up again.
Seeing Jian Chen effortlessly dispatch a comrade who had a strength comparable to his own in the blink of an eye, the remaining youth's complexion changed. The foot that was just about to rush towards Jian Chen suddenly stopped in its place, it was as if the soles of his feet grew roots which extended deep into the ground. The youth did not dare to take a step forward. Eyes filled with vigilance, the youth stared at Jian Chen with an expression that had lost the smugness from before, and was instead now filled with an intense concentration.
Jian Chen's calm gaze turned to glance at the youth, the corners of his mouth betraying traces of a sneer. Without a word, he turned and left towards the direction of the library.
After Jian Chen left, the two youths who had been beaten to the ground by Jian Chen raggedly crawled up from the ground, eyes seething with a poisonous hatred as they bore holes into Jian Chen's back. One of them grumbled in a low voice, "Who is he, to be so strong that even all of us together were far from his match? Is this really a new student who had enrolled this year? How can he be so strong?"
"Who cares who he is; since he dared to offend us, we absolutely cannot forgive him." In a furious tone, another person also cursed. His tone was also somewhat weak, as if he was gasping for breath. This was the youth that had been kicked twice by Jian Chen; presently, his internal organs had already received a serious jolt. If it were not for the fact that his strength was originally above that of Jian Chen's, he wouldn't even have the strength to stand at this point.
Immediately, the spared student ran over to the fallen two students. Concerned, he asked the pale youth that Jian Chen had kicked twice, "Luo Yun, are you alright?"
The student named Luo Yun nodded his head and spoke with a weak voice, "I'll be fine after a few days of cultivation." Turning around, he asked the other injured student and whispered, "Karl, you can find information around the academy faster than us; find out what that brat's name is then have Master Cheng sort him out!"
Hearing his friend, Karl thought for a second before responding, "There's no need to, I think I already know who he is."
The other two student's face lit up as Luo Yun said, "That's great then, Karl, who is he?"
"In this years annual Freshmen Competition, there was an unusually strong competitor, the very same one that beat the Saint, Ka Di Yun, while being an 8th Saint Force layer practitioner. I think he's that person." Karl's face grew dark as he said it.
As the two students heard Karl, their faces immediately changed. Looking at each other, Luo Yun said, "Could he really be that Changyang Xiang Tian?"
Karl nodded his head, "It's very possible. Within the newest group of freshmen, only Changyang Xiang Tian could beat me. If he really is Changyang Xiang Tian, then we can't even be considered his opponents on any reasonable level if he can really beat that Saint, Ka Di Yun. Even if he didn't use his Saint Weapon, that's still enough proof of Changyang Xiang Tian's strength."
"Hmph, even if he really is Changyang Xiang Tian, he still dared to cross my path. I definitely won't let him have a peaceful time at this academy," spoke the first person who had been attacked by Jian Chen.
Luo Yun's white face started to sneer as he growled, "That's good, our Luo clan's young master had been asking around for news about Changyang Xiang Tian recently. If he hears about this, the young master will be happy. It's a pity that we didn't know where he was for the past few days; after searching for him, who knew that he would coincidentally just show up here and now?"
"Luo Yun, you go find the young master of your Luo Clan, Chen Feng and I will call out master Cheng. I doubt that Changyang Xiang Tian would be a match for master Cheng." Karl growled.
"Fine, we'll all do what we need to, but I suggest that we leave one person behind to continue observing Changyang Xiang Tian. Since the academy is so large, if Changyang Xiang Tian decides to hide, we'd never be able to find him," Luo Yun proposed.
Karl nodded his head before turning to his friend behind him, "Chen Feng, you stay here and observe him; I'll go find master Cheng."
"No problem!" Chen Feng promised without hesitation.
After the tasks had been split up, Chen Feng left to trail Jian Chen, while the two other students picked up the still unconscious one and left to do their own task.
Within the library, Jian Chen sat down at a nearby table with two books and began to eagerly read.
Because the day was still early, the library was very empty and quiet. Aside from Jian Chen, there was only a middle aged female janitor nearby bustling around.
The woman was around 40 years old with an average appearance. Since she had no talent in cultivation, she was only at the 6th Saint Force layer, even though she was already 40. Even the weakest student in Kargath Academy was stronger than her.
The woman tilted her head up to look at the studying Jian Chen, and although she didn't know his name, Jian Chen had left a deep impression on her. Aside from the past 3 days, Jian Chen had always been the first student to enter the library, and was always studying for the whole day. There were even some days where he didn't eat lunch to continue reading. The janitor lady had already been serving the academy for many years, but Jian Chen had been the very first student she had ever seen that was so hardworking.
"What a hardworking child." She had muttered to herself as she set out to do her tasks.
In a large room, a youth around 20 years old stood in the middle of the room with his eyes closed. His body was positioned in a very strange way, and like a log, he just stood there without moving a single inch.
"Dong dong dong!"
At that moment, a muffled knock was heard from the other side. At the same time, the youth with the closed eyes began to slowly open them and maintaining his strange posture, he stared at the door, "Who is it!" He called out.
"My lord, it's me, Luo Yun." Came the voice from outside.
"Enter!" He stated.
The door opened, allowing the 20 year old man to see one of the four students that was beaten up by Jian Chen–Luo Yun.
Luo Yun looked at the weirdly positioned youth without batting an eye, as if this wasn't a strange occurrence. That was because this weird position was actually the Luo Clan's method of cultivation.
In the Tian Yuan continent, there weren't many training manuals recorded. Among the few of them were cultivation meditation, and even less people had mastered a new position to cultivate in. The Luo Clan was definitely the latter and would put their bodies into a position unique to them in order to maximize their cultivation.
Luo Yun walked over to the other youth and stooped over in respect, "Master, for the past few days you've been searching for the whereabouts for Changyang Xiang Tian; I've just recently found and met him." Although Luo Yun had a great standing within his clan, in front of this youth, even he would not dare to be arrogant. That was because this youth was Luo Jian, the first son of the clan leader of the Luo Clan. Along with the loving affection from the clan leader, he was deemed to be the future successor of the Luo Clan, and so Luo Yun had wanted to curry favor with him.
"You've found Changyang Xiang Tian!" Upon hearing that, Luo Jian's eyes brightened up. Noticing Luo Yun's pale face, Luo Jian's eyes trailed down Luo Yun's shirt to see the single footprint on his chest. With a haughty voice, Luo Jian said, "Seeing you in such a sorry state, it would appear that this Changyang Xiang Tian forced you to suffer quite a bit."
Luo Yun's face grew angry as he spoke, "What the lord says is correct; I just recently saw Changyang Xiang Tian and politely asked him to come visit my lord. But that Changyang Xiang Tian was completely outrageous and arrogant beyond belief. Not only that, but he is extremely violent, and most importantly, he did not care for you at all. He said…he said that the lord…the lord is…" Luo Yun started to trail off from hesitation.
Luo Jian scowled, "Don't just stand there and stutter, what did Changyang Xiang Tian say about me?!"
Luo Yun's eyes flashed with an indignant color as he hesitated for one last time. With a spurt of courage, he cried, "Changyang Xiang Tian said that the master wasn't worth a fart, and throwing a shoe at him would not be worth the effort!"
"What!" Luo Jian's face grew just as angry as his emotions. Although the Luo Clan was not extremely influential within the Tian Yuan continent, within the Gesun Kingdom, they were one of the most prestigious clans with a 200 year old history. In the Gesun Kingdom, the amount of clans that could beat them in power could be counted on one's hands. When it came to the successor of the Luo Clan, it can be said that Luo Jian was a noble of extremely high standards that even the crowned prince and princess of the kingdom could be considered to be on the same footing as he was. He didn't think that within the Kargath Academy there would be an unknown freshman that would dare to be so egotistical. In his entire life, he had never seen someone so arrogant towards him.
Luo Jian's stare grew cold towards Luo Yun, "He really said this?" The amount of anger was hardly being concealed by Luo Jian's tone.
Seeing Luo Jian's reaction, Luo Yun was secretly delighted, however, he quickly regained himself and said, "Yes my lord, what Luo Yun says is true. I wouldn't dare lie to you; this Changyang Xiang Tian is truly too arrogant. He never saw you as anyone worthwhile, and even dared to spout out arrogant words. If we do not teach him a lesson, then I fear that the lord will lose face and be the target of ridicule within the academy."
The more Luo Yun spoke, the angrier Luo Jian became. Standing to his feet, he growled, "Where is Changyang Xiang Tian? I want you to bring me to him, and if he truly doesn't see me as someone worthwhile, than I shall see how strong he is."
"Yes, of course! Please follow me my lord." Luo Yun exited the room and brought the angry Luo Jian out of the room with him towards the library.
At the same time within one of the rooms in Kargath Academy, the respectul Karl brought another 20 year old youth out and towards the library.
As they passed through the sports field, a few seniors noted the group with looks of surprise, their comments could be heard from all directions.
"Ai…isn't that person walking over there Lord Cheng? He hasn't been seen around the academy for over a year already, what wind blew him here today?" A senior around the same age as him said in surprise.
"I've heard that a year ago, Lord Cheng had already reached the middle levels of Sainthood, so there's no telling how strong he is now."
"Lord Cheng is definitely the genius of Kargath Academy. He had condensed a Saint Weapon at the age of 19 and became a Saint. At the age of 20, he then reached the middle levels of Sainthood. One year has passed already, so the Lord Cheng must had reached the upper levels of Sainthood with his talent in cultivation."
"Definitely, Lord Cheng is the number one genius at cultivation at Kargath Academy. The headmaster had even said before that by the age of 23, Lord Cheng would definitely become a Great Saint."
"Becoming a Great Saint by the age of 23, Lord Cheng is truly amazing. Many of the seniors in Kargath Academy are still at the rank of the 10th layer of Saint Force."
As Karl walked down the path slowly, the seniors the saw the pair walk by continued to gossip. Lord Cheng was a very well known figure within Kargath Academy, not for his character, but for his cultivation rate that would astound anyone. Within the Tian Yuan continent, he could be considered to be a prodigy blessed by the heavens, and in Kargath Academy, he could be considered as standing at the peak of the strongest experts.
At this moment, Jian Chen was still pouring his interest into the book in his hands, completely unaware of the incoming trouble.
In a flash, Luo Yun and Luo Jian arrived at the library gates. A few feet away from the big gates, the one who had been trailing Jian Chen, Chen Feng, was leaning against a tree trunk. His eyes were constantly watching Jian Chen, who was still reading with relish, and had completely forgotten about his surroundings.
When Chen Feng saw Luo Yun with Luo Jian by his side, he immediately ran over to them. He bowed at Luo Jian, and with a charming face, said, "I didn't think that I would meet the lord Luo Jian here. I am truly honored to see you." Chen Feng was extremely respectful; although he too belonged to a clan, within the Gesun Kingdom, it was a very minor one. It was only when he was joined together with the children of bigger clans that he dared to collect money from those weaker than him. With this, he had a strong relationship with the Luo Clan that would definitely bring him many benefits. If he was lucky, then his own clan would be pulled up into the higher ranks with the help of Luo Jian; after all, Luo Jian was to be the clan's successor.
Luo Jian felt proud as he looked at the respectful Chen Feng, and gave a small wave of his hand, "Don't say anymore crap, is Changyang Xiang Tian in the library?"
Even though Luo Jian had absolutely no trace of politeness, Chen Feng's look of respect didn't waver in the least. With a smile, he replied, "He is, Changyang Xiang Tian is still in the library."
A sneer gradually formed on Luo Jian's face, as he got the answer he wanted, "That's good. Go inside and call him out for me." The library had a rule that all fighting inside was prohibited, and even Luo Jian had to respect that rule, despite his family having a great amount of influence.
"Yes, of course, master Luo. I'll have Changyang Xiang Tian out immediately," Chen Feng said compliantly as he entered the library.
Inside the library, Jian Chen's focus was still on his book; whenever he was in the library his guard was at its lowest. This was because within the library, he didn't have to worry about others causing trouble or asking questions, so remaining on guard wasn't needed.
While Jian Chen was lost in his own world, he had the sudden feeling of someone's hand clasping down on his shoulder. Although he was still reluctant to part from his book, he looked to the youth standing next to me with a cold sneer on his face. From his memory, he remembered that this person was one of the four people who had tried to extort protection money from him.
Chen Feng stood by his side with a look of great joy at Jian Chen's impending doom. With a strange tone, he said, "Changyang Xiang Tian, I didn't think we'd see each other again so soon."
"It's you!" Jian Chen scowled. Without giving him face, he spoke, "If you're still looking for protection money, then you can scram."
Chen Feng's eyes flashed with anger, but he didn't dare make a move towards Jian Chen. The library was strict on their rules, and he was sure that he wasn't a match for Jian Chen.
Chen Feng stuck his chest out as his glared maliciously at Jian Chen, and coldly said, "Changyang Xiang Tian, although I am no match for you, Kargath Academy is not someplace you can rampage around. If you really have the guts, then follow me outside. Otherwise, prepare to stay in this library for the rest of your life." After dropping these words, Chen Feng directly walked out of the library. However, the words he had said had already attracted the attentions of all the students within the library. Immediately, many people began to shift their attentions to Jian Chen with complicated expressions of envy, respect, and jealousy.
Jian Chen slowly closed the book with a crossed expression. From Chen Feng's words it would seem that he got reinforcements to help him.
Jian Chen's eyes twinkled as he put the book back on the bookshelf and then walked towards the entrance of the library deep in thought. Although he knew people were waiting outside for him, if he didn't go out then people would think he was afraid of them. If Jian Chen wanted to continue reading books in the library in peace, then he would need to reveal his own strength and inspire fear into the others. Otherwise more and more people would come and find trouble with him; there would be no point in coming to the library in that case.
Although he knew that the people outside were definitely not weak, it was possible that they were experts at the same level as Ka Di Yun. However, Jian Chen still did not show any trace of fear. He was confident that if he faced a Saint at his current level, even if he didn't win, he would not easily lose. After all, no matter if it were battle experience or techniques, Jian Chen far surpassed anyone else at the academy. Moreover, he was a person who had experienced countless life or death situations.
As soon as Jian Chen left the library, he looked up to find three youths standing outside the door. They didn't look very different from each other, as they all wore the school uniform. Two of the people were part of the extortion group Jian Chen had met before, and the third one was looking at Jian Chen with an expression full of arrogance. It was obvious that he had been a helper summoned by the other two.
Seeing Jian Chen actually walk out of the library, Luo Yun began to laugh evilly. He whispered to Luo Jian standing next to him, "My lord, he is Changyang Xiang Tian."
Luo Jian's arrogant eyes sized up Jian Chen with an expression of disdain, and he coldly said, "Brat, are you Changyang Xiang Tian?"
Jian Chen gave Luo Jian a level look. Luo Jian looked to be around 22-23 years old, and he had an extremely handsome appearance. However, his expression did not hide any of his arrogance.
"And who are you?" Jian Chen indifferently replied to Luo Jian, his tone ice-cold.
Luo Yun, who was standing next to Luo Jian, shouted, "How dare you, Changyang Xiang Tian. What kind of status do you have to dare to use that kind of tone to talk to my clan's lord? Do you want to get kicked out of this academy?"
"Changyang Xiang Tian, hurry up and apologize to my lord. Otherwise, don't think you can stay at Kargath Academy for much long." Chen Feng did not miss the chance to suck up to Luo Jian, and yelled back at Jian Chen in an indignant tone.
Hearing these two's words, the Luo Clan's lord, Luo Jian, became even haughtier, and his face was full of self-pride.
Jian Chen's unchanged face gradually showed a hint of a sneer, and he looked at the three people with disdain, and said, "Based on your words, are you saying that the headmaster of Kargath Academy will listen to you three? Or perhaps, are you saying that Kargath Academy belongs to your clan, whoever you want to leave must leave? The three of you are really too audacious, to even dare to look down on the headmaster."
Hearing Jian Chen's words, the expression of both Luo Yun and Chen Feng suddenly paled. Even Luo Jia, who had a huge clan backing him up, he could not stop his expression from turning unsightly, as he glared poisonously at Jian Chen. Although he had the most influence backing him up out of the three since Luo Jian was the successor of Gesun Kingdom's powerful Luo clan, he did not dare to show any disrespect towards the headmaster of Kargath Academy. If Jian Chen's words spread to the headmaster's ears, then they would be heavily punished. In the worst case scenario, they could be directly expelled. Even if Luo Jian had a powerful background, even if his father was Luo clan's clan leader, even if he was Luo clan's successor, there was no way he could get away of such a consequence completely cop-free. His Luo clan would definitely not be willing to offend Kargath Academy's headmaster for his sake.
Luo Jian's face turned gloomy, and he glared at Jian Chen, "Changyang Xiang Tian, you really are quite arrogant. I just wonder if you have the qualifications to be so arrogant."
Jian Chen laughed in disdain, and coldly replied, "Stop wasting your breath, just say why you've come looking for me."
Luo Jian let out a smile filled with a murderous intent. "The reason I came is very simple. I just wanted to see how someone like you defeated a recently advanced Saint, even if Ka Di Yun didn't use a Saint Weapon. Changyang Xiang Tian, are you really that amazing?" Luo Jian cracked the knuckles on both his hands before clenching them both. The loud snapping sound from his knuckles was clear to hear as a strong amount of energy started to emit from his body onto Jian Chen's own.
At the same time, the people who were reading their books inside the library all closed their books. Everyone start to chatter excitedly as they watched the events that were happening with Jian Chen with pleasure.
Regarding the Qi that Luo Jian was emitting, Jian Chen was not affected at all and stood straight like a towering mountain. Luo Jian's strength was clear to Jian Chen and was not at all weaker to Ka Di Yun; however, it was not strong enough for him to fear, instead, his fighting spirit rose.
As soon as they saw the two opponents were about to start fighting, the people in front of the library began to retreat, afraid that they would be affected by any shockwaves.
"How could we miss such an interesting battle?" Just before the two people were about to begin fighting, a voice suddenly rang out from the back, and a few youths wearing the school uniform walked out from behind.
There were a total of five people that had just arrived. Among them, one of the people was another person from the extortion group that Jian Chen had encountered earlier. Jian Chen did not recognize the other four, but anyone could tell with a single glance that they were from major clans. Their brows seemed to hold an aloof and remote expressions.
However, what drew Jian Chen's attention was the youth standing in the center of the group of five. It was obvious from his eyes that he was the core figure the other four revolved around. He didn't seem that old; based on his appearance, he was probably around 20 years old.
"Ya….everyone, look; isn't the person in the middle master Cheng, who's been missing the past year? I didn't imagine that he would also come."
"That's right, it really is master Cheng, our Kargath Academy's genius. It's said that a year ago, his power had already reached the middle Saint levels. With his talent in cultivation, I had thought during the past year, master Cheng had already broken through to the Great Saint level and graduated. I didn't think that he was actually still on the academy grounds."
"I wonder what master Cheng's current power is, and whether or not he has reached Great Saint level yet…."
"The three people next to master Cheng seem to be powerful Saints who have already condensed their Saint Weapons. To think that the elites that are normally rare to see would all appear here…."
Seeing the students standing there, all of the students started to shout in alarm, rapidly increasing the noise in the environment.
"Cheng Mingxiang, you've come at just the right time. If you were the slightest bit late, you would've missed this interesting show." Seeing the youth amongst the crowd, Luo Jian immediately stopped his imposing manner, and laughed as he greeted the youth. He then nodded at the other three students following behind.
Cheng Mingxiang started to smile, "How could I miss a match like this?" He stared down at Jian Chen with disdain before saying, "Do you think that's Changyang Xiang Tian?"
"Correct, Lord Cheng. He's definitely that Changyang Xiang Tian who hurt our companions." Luo Jian said as he stood behind Karl.
Cheng Mingxiang nodded his head and said slowly, "Changyang Xiang Tian, you're definitely not bad, to even hurt my comrades!" His voice was getting darker with each word.
Jian Chen's mind already understood that these were a group of unreasonable children with rich parents, so arguing with them was of no use; they would only listen to force. Thus, Jian Chen didn't bother to say any trash talk; instead, he said coldly, "So what if we fight; if you're not happy with this, make the first move instead of spouting so much bullsh*t."
Hearing Jian Chen's words, Cheng Mingxiang's face gradually turned ashen, "Good. Good, good. Then it's time to see how strong you really are." With that, his body started to glow so brightly that the light extended 10 meters away to where Jian Chen was. Dashing forward, he launched his fist towards Jian Chen's nose; against a person who wasn't even a Saint, he wouldn't even bother using his Saint Weapon.
Even Jian Chen knew that Cheng Mingxiang's strength far surpassed Ka Di Yun; the difference in Saint Force was far too great with his own as well. Therefore, Jian Chen absolutely could not afford to take that fist. Just when Cheng Mingxiang's fist was about to connect with Jian Chen's head, his head suddenly blurred and dodged the fist. At the same time, Jian Chen's two fists went up to grab at the incoming arm from Cheng Mingxiang. Assuming a horse stance, he stiffened his back and pulled at the arm with both of his own.
Originally, when Cheng Mingxiang was attacking, his center of gravity had been leaning forwards. Now, Jian Chen had pulled him further, he momentarily lost control over his body, and he began to fall forwards. However, Cheng Mingxiang was quick to respond. Stamping on the ground with his foot, he exerted all his force to try to prevent any further pull from Jian Chen. As he did that, however, Jian Chen suddenly let go of Cheng Mingxiang's arm and immediately pummeled at his stomach with a barrage of blows that were as fast as lightning.
Since Cheng Mingxiang's center of gravity was now focused towards the back, when Jian Chen had punched him with all his might, his legs couldn't help but stumbled backwards, as if he was struggling to avoid falling.
After falling back 10 steps, Cheng Mingxiang finally regained his bearings but his face had long since turned into the same color as a pig's liver. With a dark and ominous expression, he glared at Jian Chen maliciously. Because of his majestic body, he was considered to have one of the strongest in the academy, so how could he not feel furious at this? If the academy found out his body was actually hit and injured like this, then he would no longer have face within the academy and become a laughing stock.
After thinking about the consequences of this, he glared at Jian Chen with a stare that could kill since this was an utter disgrace to him.
Already, the entire audience had became absolutely quiet. Luo Jian's own face had become sluggish as he stared at Jian Chen with a surprised look. This was far beyond his wildest imagination, and not just his own, but everyone else watching. Cheng Mingxiang was a talented genius when it came to cultivation, and even Saints couldn't match him in a hand to hand fight. To have Jian Chen make him suffer such a loss and put him in such an ugly state was very surprising.
Glaring once more at Jian Chen, Cheng Mingxiang's arm started to release a silver type of Qi before forming a two handed sword. He snarled, saying, "Changyang Xiang Tian, I will definitely cripple you today!" With that declaration, he surged towards Jian Chen with the silver sword in tow.
"Stop!"
Right as Cheng Mingxiang had started to move, another deep voice had shouted over the crowd and noise. Immediately, everyone saw a rather robust and suntanned youth slowly walk forward.
When Jian Chen saw the sturdy youth come forward, his eyes widened in shock. It was because this person was also a participant in the Freshmen Competition and the person with the heavenly blessed strength–Tie Ta.
The moment when Luo Jian and Cheng Mingxiang's men looked at Tie Ta, their faces started to change, an abject fear taking hold of them.
Luo Yun didn't recognize Tie Ta at all, so with an arrogant cry towards Tie Ta, he demanded, "Who are you? This is business concerning Lord Luo and Lord Cheng so don't interfere, otherwise you'll regret it…"
"Shut your mouth!" Not even waiting for Luo Yun to finish talking, Luo Jian cut into Luo Yun's speech. Not even paying attention to Luo Yun's look of surprise, Luo Jian's face contained a smile towards Tie Ta as he cupped his hands in salute. "So it was brother Tie Ta after all, this one wonders what brother Tie Ta is doing here."
Tie Ta looked at him with an strange look before speaking in a low voice, "Who are you? I don't recognize you at all." Not understanding why Luo Jian's face became so unsightly, Tie Ta directly walked towards Jian Chen and lifted his hand to clasp onto Jian Chen's shoulder. "Changyang Xiang Tian, I didn't think I'd meet you here of all places! It has been so many days since I last saw you!" He boomed.
Jian Chen also gave a faint laugh, "Tie Ta, let us put off this chat for now and let me take care of a few troublesome matters first."
Listening to what Jian Chen said, Tie Ta's head whipped over to Cheng Mingxiang and Luo Jian's group and slowly stared at them before pointing a finger, "Changyang Xiang Tian, could it be that they're trying to bully you?"
"It could be said that way, yes, " Jian Chen indifferently said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
As soon as he heard this, Tie Ta immediately rolled up his sleeves. He fiercely looked at the opposing group of people and loudly declared, "Changyang Xiang Tian is my brother. Anyone who bullies him is bullying me as well. Whoever wants fight, come out. Even though my power might not be that strong, I, Tie Ta, am not afraid of you guys."
Hearing Tie Ta's words, Jian Chen hesitated for a second. He looked at Tie Ta in confusion, not quite understand when he had become Tie Ta's brother.
Cheng Mingxiang and Luo Jian's expressions changed. They glanced at each other with a serious look. It was obvious that they were somewhat afraid of Tie Ta. Even though Tie Ta's actual power wasn't very strong, and they could easily defeat him in a fight, Tie Ta had a formidable supporter that even the two of them were afraid to encounter. This was why they had never dared to touch Tie Ta at Kargath Academy.
Neither of the people spoke, and Karl and Luo Yun had already realized from Luo Jian's attitude that Tie Ta's identity was not normal. Thus, they made the smart decision off not making a sound. At that moment, the atmosphere had become slightly strange.
After quietly pondering for a while, Luo Jian was the first to break the silence, "Brother Tie Ta, this is a problem between me and Changyang Xiang Tian; I hope you don't meddle with our affairs." Luo Jian's tone was extremely polite. He clearly understood that although Tie Ta was a commoner, his current status was without a doubt not any less powerful than his. It was even higher than his by a bit. Even if he was the successor to the Luo clan, his status was at most equivalent to Tie Ta's
Luo Jian's words made all the spectators shocked. There were quite a few seniors amongst them that recognized both Luo Jian and Cheng Mingxiang, and they knew that although their individual statuses weren't that high, they both had great clans backing them up. And yet, at the moment, the two of them had suddenly acted polite to Tie Ta. This made the library's spectators curious about Tie Ta's identity. They couldn't imagine what kind of background Tie Ta must have to have been so domineering, and to make the insufferably arrogant Luo Jian and Cheng Mingxiang so cautious and fearful.
Unfortunately, Tie Ta had no intention to appreciate the offer. Without giving face, he said, "I already said earlier, Changyang Xiang Tian is my brother. His problems are my problems. If anyone has complaints, then everyone should direct them towards me."
Luo Jian's expression changed colors, and his eyes showed a serious expression. In regards to Tie Ta, he really didn't dare to offend him too much.
At that moment, Cheng Mingxiang snorted, and he glared at Tie Ta. In a heavy voice, he said, "Tie Ta, do you really want to butt into this business?" Having suffered from Jian Chen's hands, Cheng Mingxiang had already formed a hatred for Jian Chen in his heart. For a freshman that hadn't even reached Saint level yet to have put him in such a difficult situation was definitely a humiliation to his genius. If he didn't clean this situation up now, then he wouldn't be able to enjoy his time at the academy in the future.
"That's right, I want to get involved." Tie Ta's yelled back, his expression harsh. Even though he clearly knew how powerful Cheng Mingxiang was, Tie Ta still did not show any sign of fear.
Jian Chen pulled at Tie Ta and said, "Tie Ta, this is something between me and him. You shouldn't come **; otherwise, you'll just get caught up in more trouble."
Tie Ta's eyes flashed with anger, and he suddenly turned towards Jian Chen, frowning, "Changyang Xiang Tian, what kind of words are those? Do you think that I, Tie Ta, is someone who would be scared of these things? Do you not think of me as your friend?"
Hearing this, Jian Chen could not help but feel puzzled. When had he and Tie Ta gotten so close? They barely even met each other; the only time they had really interacted was during the freshmen martial arts competition.
"Hmph, Tie Ta. since you want to suffer so badly, then don't blame me. Don't think that just because you're the headmaster's apprentice, I won't dare to attack you. Let me witness exactly how great the headmaster's apprentice's abilities are."
Hearing Cheng Ming Yan's words, Jian Chen was internally shocked. He hadn't imagined that Tie Ta had actually become the headmaster's apprentice. If this news was spread throughout the academy, it would spur a great craze.
At this moment, Cheng Ming Yang had already appeared in front of Tie Ta, and directly struck his fist against Tie Ta's chest. Because Tie Ta had a special status, Cheng Mingxiang did not dare to actually hurt Tie Ta, and his fist only used fifth layer force. In his opinion, even if he only used the strength of the fifth layer, it still wasn't an attack that a Saint could receive, let alone someone below that, like Tie Ta.
Faced with Cheng Mingxiang's attack, Tie Ta did not dare to be careless, and his face showed matchless concentration. He roared, then with his right arm seemingly as sturdy as steel, he fearlessly threw a fist at Cheng Mingxiang to meet force with force.
"Peng!"
Tie Ta and Cheng Mingxiang's fists collided into each other, creating a loud boom. A fierce shockwave exploded as the two fighters flew backwards.
Feeling Tie Ta's power within his fist, Cheng Mingxiang's face faltered slightly, becoming a look of astonishment. Although Tie Ta's strength wasn't at the level of a Saint, the energy in Tie Ta's fist was something that even a Saint couldn't release. If it weren't for the fact that Cheng Mingxiang's strength was stronger than Tie Ta by so much, then he would have suffered a huge loss from that confrontation. But even though he had made it out relatively unharmed, Cheng Mingxiang's shoulder had started to ache with pain.
Stretching his right shoulder a bit, Cheng Mingxiang looked at Tie Ta in a new light, "The headmaster's apprentice is truly marvelous. The power inside your fist is likewise frightening, and completely dominated my own fist. If you were a Saint, then your fist would have forced me into taking a huge amount of damage."
Tie Ta's godly strength was an inconceivable amount of power that no one else could compare themselves too. His strength was so strong that even Jian Chen gasped in astonishment. Against such a strong opponent, Tie Ta didn't suffer a single trace of damage.
Tie Ta boomed with a happy laughter, and said, "Try again, I'll return the favor immediately." He swung his fists in a ready position as he faced Cheng Mingxiang.
Looking at Tie Ta, Cheng Mingxiang's eyebrows knitted together as he looked the paling Luo Jian. "I'll stall Tie Ta, you go teach Changyang Xiang Tian a lesson." Without a pause, he charged at Tie Ta and the two started to fight once more.
Thanks to Tie Ta's special status within the academy, Cheng Mingxiang didn't dare to use his Saint Weapon, and instead used his twin fists to fight him. But after a few rounds of close combat exchanges, Cheng Mingxiang began to grumble to himself about how absurd Tie Ta's strength was. Not only that, but Tie Tia's body was like steel, so combined with his enormous strength that complimented his Saint Force, there was no way Cheng Mingxiang would be able to defeat Tie Ta without using his Saint Weapon, despite being stronger than Tie Ta. He was using the entirety of his strength, but could only accomplish very little, such as pushing Tie Ta backwards. In addition, he still didn't dare to fight head-on with Tie Ta for an extended period of time.
The students all watched Cheng Mingxiang fight against the incredibly strong Tie Ta with wide eyes, as they took pleasure in watching the fight. Although many of the students here had never seen Tie Ta before, they all knew him by name. After all, he was the 2nd place winner of the Freshmen Competition, and thus his name had spread throughout the academy. Still, many people were having a hard time believing that someone who wasn't even a Saint yet could fight toe to toe with Kargath Academy's talented genius, Cheng Mingxiang.
The news that the Freshmen Ruler of the Freshmen Competition, Changyang Xiang Tian, was able to beat the Saint Ka Di Yun had already shaken the academy. And at the moment, they were completely incapable of accepting the fact that Tie Ta, who wasn't even a Saint yet, could fight one of the strongest Saints, Cheng Mingxiang, to a standstill.
While Cheng Mingxiang fought fiercely against Tie Ta, Luo Jian didn't idle about. Rushing towards Jian Chen, Luo Jian didn't bother to use his Saint Weapon since he was a middle rank Saint, so it would be a waste for him to use it against someone who wasn't even a Saint yet.
Luo Jian quickly ran towards Jian Chen before he could even prepare himself, and used his right leg to kick him. The kick traveled at such a fast speed towards Jian Chen's stomach, that he could feel a cold gale. The kick was both fast and so fierce, and had no hesitation at all. Since it was Jian Chen, Luo Jian would never consider holding back.
Despite Luo Jian's kick being extraordinarily fast, he underestimated Jian Chen's reaction and evasion speed. Just as Luo Jian was about to kick Jian Chen, he narrowly dodged to the side, and so Luo Jian's leg only clipped his clothes. Although it had looked like Jian Chen had only barely dodged the kick by the skin of his teeth, there was not a single trace of panic on Jian Chen's face, instead, there was only a casual look of relaxation.
Seeing his attack miss, Luo Jian's eyes reflected a shocked expression. However the next instant, the cyan Saint Force immediately appeared from within his body. As soon as it materialized, mysterious breezes began to surround his body.
Suddenly feeling the fierce gale from Luo Jian's kick, Jian Chen's eyes revealed a look of amazement. According to the books he had read earlier this type of attack was an example of a Saint with a wind attribute.
A Saint with an attribute was generally stronger than a Saint without one by a large margin; not only that, but those with an attribute would generally have that added to their strength. Those with a wind attribute would definitely have their speed increased multiple times, and in the higher ranks, there would be very little that could compete with a wind attribute Saint in speed.
A cyan colored Saint Force started to flow out from Luo Jian as his right hand was completely wrapped up in it. With another quick dash towards Jian Chen to attack him, this fist was even faster than before and even left behind a phantom image; the naked eye would not be able to see the fist at all.
His face growing grave, Jian Chen leaned his head to the side and dodged Luo Jian's fist once more. His right leg immediately lashed out towards Luo Jian that was no slower than the fist earlier.
Luo Jian's eyes flashed dangerously as he realized Jian Chen's speed was no slower than his own. Because of the high speed kick, Luo Jian had no time to dodge it. Without any other choice, the wind attributed Saint Force started to concentrate within his left hand as he brought it smashing down onto Jian Chen's incoming leg.
Luo Jian wind attributed Saint Forced infused fist fiercely collided with Jian Chen's leg, causing the weaker Jian Chen to be sent flying back.
Jian Chen's body was thrown back with great speed, but both of his legs dragged against the ground, using the friction to slow his momentum. Leaving behind two exceptionally clear drag marks on the ground, Jian Chen estimated that he had been forced to retreat 10 meters back.
Luo Jian cracked his knuckles and stared at the rarely seen look of solemnity on Jian Chen's face. In that short confrontation, Luo Jian realized that he could not view Jian Chen as a regular person. Although his strength wasn't that of a Saint, his fighting capabilities were.
Luo Jian's eyes started to flash with a small amount of hesitation before he finally came to a conclusion . In this situation, if he wanted to defeat Jian Chen as soon as possible, then he would have to use his Saint Weapon. Although this would be hard to avoid being subjected to everyone's laughter, but he knew that if he didn't use his Saint Weapon he would not be able to defeat Jian Chen in a short amount of time. If it took a long time for someone like him to deal with a freshmen that wasn't a Saint, then it would create an even bigger impact on his reputation.
When he thought about how he, as a middle Saint level, was unable to defeat a person who had not yet reached Saint level, and even had to use a Saint Weapon to do so; Luo Jian could not help but feel vexed. It made his hatred for Jian Chen develop even deeper. Today's battle, no matter who the victor was, he would still lose a lot of face. On the other hand, Jian Chen would most likely have his reputation increased by today's battle, and his reputation would once again spread throughout the entire Kargath Academy.
Luo Jian's eyes shone with a cold light that could make one shudder, and nobody dared to look at him straight in the eyes. Accompanying his palm, a powerful cyan Saint Force began to frantically rush forth, gradually condensing into a cyan greatsword. It was about 5 feet long and 3 inches wide, and the entire sword was covered in a thick layer of cyan light. That sharp blade emitted blinding light rays from the reflection of the sun light, and the mere sight of it made people quake in fear.
Jian Chen sensed that the cyan greatsword in Luo Jian's hand was emitting a powerful Saint Force, and his face gradually became more grave. Using a Saint Weapon, Luo Jian's power had multiplied, much higher than it previously was. If Luo Jian didn't use his Saint Weapon, then Jian Chen could still deal with the fight, albeit with some difficulty. However, once the Saint Weapon was drawn, Jian Chen could only cautiously take up the challenge. Based on his previous world's experience from the countless life or death battles he had gained, perhaps he would be able to hold off the attack. However, it would be extremely difficult to win.
With his Saint Weapon in hand, Luo Jian's imposing manner suddenly grew stronger. His eyes intensely glared at Jian Chen, as he said, "Changyang Xiang Tian, today I will definitely dispose of you." Luo Jian raised the cyan greatsword high in the air, and its cyan glow sharply increased in brightness, as its strong Saint Force managed to jolt even the few students observing the fight from within the library.
"Ah!" Luo Jian roared, as he quickly slashed the cyan greatsword down from above his head, leaving a gorgeous cyan trajectory behind it as it moved. The only thing that could be seen was the lightly fast cyan Sword Qi that shot out and headed straight towards Jian Chen.
Sensing that the Sword Qi was extremely powerful, Jian Chen's face immediately showed matchless concentration; that was definitely not something the current him could withstand. The cyan Sword Qi was so incomprehensibly fast that Jian Chen didn't have the time to contemplate his actions. He gathered all his power into his legs, to prepare to dodge with all his might. Suddenly, a white figure shot out as fast as lightning at a pace even faster than the cyan Sword Qi, and stood in front of Jian Chen as a shield.
When the cyan Sword Qi shot towards the white figure, it unexpectedly disappeared silently without a trace. Not even a single spark could be seen.
The white figure that approached was a middle-aged man around 40 years old. The man wore a white changpao, and his scholarly face was extremely solemn. His pair of unordinary eyes were completely filled with anger.
When Luo Jian saw the white clad middle-aged man, his expression drastically changed, and his face paled. He made the cyan greatsword in his hand disappear in an instant, and immediately bowed to greet the man respectfully, "Vice headmaster!" These mere two words betrayed the traces of fear hidden in Luo Jian's voice.
Hearing Luo Jian address this middle-aged male like so, Jian Chen paused. His gaze rested on the male's back for a bit, as his heart realized the man's identity. To his relief, it was the one who held the position second only the headmaster's: Kargath Academy's one and only vice headmaster, Bai En.
