Forbidden Stage

“You little brat, don’t get too cocky. I’m here to deal with you!”

A voice suddenly rang out, and at the same time, goosebumps covered Dan Chen’s entire body. He felt an extreme sense of danger. Without hesitation, he activated the Fish to Dragon once again, turning into a blur and quickly leaving his original position.

Another loud explosion followed, and the spot where Dan Chen had been standing was now enveloped in dust. It had clearly been subjected to a powerful attack.

"Shameless!” Dan Ming and the three clan elders almost shouted in anger.

An elder from the Wang family appeared in the arena, his gaze darkly fixed on Dan Chen, who had narrowly escaped the attack. He said with a malevolent tone, “You little brat, you sure know how to dodge.”

“Old man, have I ever beaten up your dad, too?" Dan Chen gave him a resentful look, feeling that if he had reacted a moment slower, he would get severely injured even if he luckily stayed alive. He couldn't figure out what he had done to provoke this old man.

"Chirp!" After the initial tension passed, the Dan family members couldn't help but laugh again. They realized that they knew too little about Dan Chen. Not only did he hide his abilities, but he was also quite clever with words.

The elder from the Wang family's face turned red with anger, and his expression grew extremely dark. "A father's debt must be repaid by his son. The trouble your old man caused will naturally fall on your shoulders."

"Wang Zhenya, with your cultivation at the seventh stage Initial Martial Realm, and the fact that you're two generations older, you're still bullying a younger junior. Do you have no shame?" The Grand Elder from the Dan family looked at Wang Zhenya, and his disdain was evident.

“The Grand Elder actually spoke up for me?” Dan Chen thought he must have misheard. It was only then that he remembered that this elder was known for defending his family members.

Then, Dan Chen focused his attention back on Wang Zhenya. This old guy had the cultivation of seventh stage Initial Martial Realm? According to the customs of each family, sixth stage Initial Martial Realm was already a high-level combat force within the family, with a status just below the clan elders.

Damn! This old guy had no shame. He was both higher in strength and seniority, yet he still resorted to sneak attacks.

"Repaying a father's debt is only right and proper. Since Dan Hao, that brat, doesn't dare to come out and meet me, I have no choice but to seek revenge from this little brat. What's wrong with that?" Wang Zhenya's face showed that he was indeed shameless, completely ignoring the Dan family's clan elder's sarcasm.

Dan Chen was furious that his father was insulted. He pointed his finger at Wang Zhenya’s nose and said, "Fine, let's have a battle today. Regardless of life or death, I have no fear, I just seek a satisfying battle. Old man, bring it on!"

"I'll give you a chance, young one. Let's fight fairly," Wang Zhenya thought smugly. He also started to look down on Dan Chen as young people were easily provoked when their emotions ran high.

The Grand Elder from the Dan family stamped his foot in frustration and said, "This is bad. He fell into a trap."

The second and third clan elders couldn't help but become anxious. Previously, when Dan Chen had engaged in a verbal exchange with Wang Kaijun, he had provoked him with words, making Wang Kaijun impulsive and causing him to act hastily, resulting in a clean victory for Dan Chen. But now, the situation had reversed. Dan Chen was infuriated by Wang Zhenya and even accepted a challenge from an seventh stage Initial Martial Realm expert, which was a mistake.

"Chief, please stop this challenge quickly. Dan Chen's talent is exceptional and not inferior to Dan Yuan. We can't afford any accidents," reminded the third clan elder.

Dan Ming took a deep look at Wang Zhenya and calmly said, "No worries. This old guy is just a useless old rascal with age and unimpressive strength. Even if Dan Chen can't win, he can retreat safely. This will be a good experience for him."

The three clan elders were shocked by his words, and they exchanged glances. They never expected that Dan Ming would hold Dan Chen in such high regard. For such a young person to have the ability to contend with the Wang family's senior members was truly unexpected.

Dan Ming was not overly optimistic. He had received information from Dan Yuan, the most talented youth in the Dan family, that Dan Chen's combat strength was already beyond that of an sixth stage Initial Martial Realm expert.

Wang Zhenshan, the clan chief of the Wang family, did not hear the conversation among the top four experts from the Dan family, but he was also surprised. He had been in conflict with Dan Ming for decades and knew that this clan chief of the Dan family was a cautious person. He would never do anything that would clearly disadvantage him.

As he looked at Dan Chen, his expression became increasingly menacing. Did this son of Dan Hao possess talent surpassing that of his father? If this contest didn't end in death, he would have to eliminate this threat in the upcoming major conflict. Wang Zhenshan secretly decided.

Dan Chen was unaware that he had been on Wang Zhenshan's elimination list. His focus was entirely on Wang Zhenya. This old guy might be useless, but he was an expert at seventh stage Initial Martial Realm, and Dan Chen couldn't afford to be careless.

After a while, both of them initiated their respective unique techniques and engaged in a fierce battle.

Dan Chen mainly used the Azure Jade Thousand-Leaf Hand, occasionally incorporating the Jade-Shattered Fist. The two techniques had different grades and vastly different levels of power, but he wielded them with ease.

"Wow, Dan Chen has brought these two techniques to such a level. I wonder if the instructors can do it," a young member of the Dan family couldn't help but exclaim, astounded.

He voiced the thoughts of many people present. Dan Chen's talent exceeded everyone's expectations. Most people, when they were first learning martial arts, followed techniques rigorously, using them precisely. But Dan Chen had split the moves apart, executing the upper and lower halves of different moves naturally and seamlessly. Even two different half-moves might come from two different martial arts techniques. Such skills were already beyond the realm of ordinary proficiency at the Complete stage.

If this had been seen in a strong martial artist like Dan Ming or Wang Zhenshan, it wouldn't have been surprising. But Dan Chen was only fifteen years old. Could his achievements at such a young age lead to even greater accomplishments in the future?

As Wang Zhenshan, the head of the Wang family, observed, he grew increasingly astonished. He also became more determined to eliminate Dan Chen. This kid must die.

Meanwhile, Wang Zhenya was both surprised and pressured as he fought against Dan Chen. He couldn't take advantage of Dan Chen's moves, so he could only compete in terms of stamina.

"He's so shameless!" Many people could see through Wang Zhenya's intentions and muttered curses.

That was indeed Wang Zhenya's advantage. He had lived for decades and had a much higher level of cultivation. Using his strength to dominate was the right choice.

Dan Chen was helpless. He had no choice but to release his True Qi to resist Wang Zhenya. Otherwise, one wrong move, and he might get injured.

This situation was not favorable for him. Dan Chen understood this well and couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Did this old man really think he had provoked him with his words? As for who would triumph in the end, it was still unclear.

Dan Chen's aura suddenly surged, and he delivered a fierce blow, resulting in both sides momentarily freezing. His speed increased significantly, and he pushed the Fish to Dragon to the limit.

Wang Zhenya's Spirit Cat Step had reached its Complete stage and was on par with Dan Chen's Fish to Dragon. However, when Dan Chen suddenly accelerated, Wang Zhenya, although reacting promptly, was still half a beat behind.

To a master, this half-beat was a fatal flaw.

Dan Chen might have only recently entered the realm of martial arts, but as a natural warrior, his understanding of martial techniques far exceeded that of ordinary people. His grasp of battle strategies was impressively accurate.

Thousand Leaves Drifting Kill! Dan Chen's heart roared, and he displayed his most powerful move. This was a top-tier martial technique personally improved by Dan Chen. Strictly speaking, his understanding of this technique had already surpassed the typical Complete stage and reached the legendary forbidden stage.

Top-Tier Forbidden Technique!

The True Qi created by the Dao of Heaven was several times purer than that of an ordinary martial artist. Despite having only reached the fifth rank Initial Martial Realm, Dan Chen's True Qi quality and quantity far surpassed martial artists of the same rank, putting him on par with an sixth stage Initial Martial artist.

When the Thousand Leaves Drifting Kill was executed, a sudden gust of wind swept through the area, and the previously empty space was filled with falling leaves. This technique created an attack range within the fallen leaves' coverage, extending to a radius of over two yards.

Wang Zhenya found himself in a dangerous situation. His face turned pale as decades of experience told him that he was in grave danger. Staring at the swirling leaf-like blades, he was horrified. These were no ordinary leaves; they were death symbols! Each leaf emitted a sharp aura capable of cutting through metal and stone.

Spirit Cat Nine Flashes!

Wang Zhenya didn't hesitate; his True Qi Grand Grasp couldn't be applied, so the only option was to evade the deadly leaves. Wang Zhenya's body vanished, reappearing in another location, and then vanished once more. When this technique reached its pinnacle, it could be executed up to nine times consecutively, making it the peak technique among intermediate martial arts techniques.

Wang Zhenya had only practiced it to the sixth flash, which had saved him from life-threatening situations several times before. He was confident it would work this time too.

However, after the third flash, Wang Zhenya's expression changed to despair. He realized he couldn't escape the area covered by falling leaves. Three flashes were enough to escape a few feet, but was this area as wide as several yards?

This was impossible! Intermediate martial techniques didn't possess this kind of power. Wang Zhenya shouted in his mind; he had lost his sense of direction after every move. The directions he had moved in after several shifts weren't consistent. He was just going around in circles and couldn't escape.

“It's time to finish this,” Dan Chen thought to himself.

With Wang Zhenya at the center, the falling leaves gathered back like thousands of blades slicing through the air, breaking through Wang Zhenya's True Qi shield, cutting his clothes, and injuring his body.

It was as if he were cut for a tens of thousand times!

"Ahh! You brat, I'll kill you!" Wang Zhenya's miserable scream erupted as his clothes turned into shredded pieces. Blood continuously oozed from his body, turning him into a bloody figure. If he hadn't protected his head and vital spots during the crucial moment, he might have died on the spot.

Even with these precautions, Wang Zhenya had still sustained significant injuries, making it unlikely for him to continue fighting.

Wang Zhenya, an seventh stage Initial Martial Realm expert, had lost to a teenager at the fifth rank Initial Martial Realm. The spectators were left stunned; challenging someone from a higher rank and still emerging victorious – what kind of prodigy was this?

Some of the people who had been secretly watching outside the Dan family couldn't help but be overwhelmed.

"Thousand Leaves Drifting Kill should not be this powerful! It doesn't make sense!"

Wang Zhenshan kept a close eye on Dan Chen. A dreadful thought emerged in his mind. There was only one possibility, the legendary Forbidden stage.

In martial arts comprehension, there were four stages: the Initial stage, Developing stage, Mature stage, and Complete stage. However, only a very few knew about a realm beyond Complete. This was the Forbidden stage, which ordinary martial artists couldn't access.

As far as Wang Zhenshan knew, anyone who managed to enter the Forbidden stage, as long as they didn't die prematurely, would ultimately become one of the continent's top experts.

Dan Chen must not be spared. Wang Zhenshan looked at Dan Chen, his intent to kill rising. He had already talismaned Dan Chen as the first person he needed to eliminate.

"Kid, it's your fault you've pushed me this far. I'm going to kill you!"

Wang Zhenya, the bloodied figure, retrieved a small jade bottle. He took out a black pill and swallowed it without hesitation. His aura surged violently, growing more and more fierce.

"This is bad! It's the Qi-Bursting Pill! Dan Chen, get out of there!" Dan Ming's face turned drastically, shouting urgently as he dashed forward at the same time.