The Outer Layer Champion (Part 1)

In the face of Yun Yijian's derisive contempt, Yun Che merely sneered coldly and remained silent.

Yun Yijian, though undeniably formidable, was arrogant and proud, looking down on others as though they were beneath him.

Therefore, Yun Che saw no need for words. He preferred to let his actions speak, intending to prove everything through deeds.

Though he said nothing, his disdainful expression still irked Yun Yijian, fueling a quiet rage within him.

Some of the onlookers below the stage were slightly startled.

Yun Yijian's arrogance was already apparent, yet Yun Che's indifference made his silence far more piercing than words could ever be, adding to the insult.

"You brat, if you keep quiet, I'll make you speak later," Yun Yijian's gaze grew dark and cold.

Clang! Whoosh!

His sword sliced through the air, unleashing a chilling gust, moving so swiftly that it reached Yun Che's front in the blink of an eye.

With that, Yun Yijian unleashed the Cold Stream Sword.

Despite his arrogance, Yun Yijian had noticed, during the earlier battles, that Yun Che possessed the strength of a quasi-warrior, which made him far from careless.

As Yun Yijian's sword strike landed, Yun Che immediately felt a bone-chilling coldness, a sharp shiver running through his skin.

Swish!

A freezing current grazed Yun Che's shoulder by mere inches.

"What an exquisite sword technique! Its speed is such that all one can see are afterimages."

Yun Che narrowly dodged the blow, his heart tightening.

With his current strength as a quasi-warrior, he knew it was impossible to defeat Yun Yijian, whose Cold Stream Sword had reached its pinnacle.

Yun Che did not delude himself into thinking his defense could surpass Yun Yue's.

Whoosh!

He leapt into the air, floating lightly like a falling leaf, creating distance between himself and Yun Yijian on the arena.

Indeed, when it came to offensive power, Yun Che could not compete with the Cold Stream Sword, unless he, like Yun Yue, had cultivated an advanced body-refining martial art.

No escape!

A frosty aura enveloped Yun Yijian's face as he leapt into the air, performing the Cold Stream Sword mid-flight.

No matter how Yun Che dodged, the chilling current relentlessly locked onto him.

As expected of an advanced martial art mastered to perfection!

Yun Che knew that his Raging Dragon Fist at its peak could not withstand Yun Yijian's Cold Stream Sword.

"Cold Stream Waterfall!"

Yun Yijian's sword strike suddenly shifted, growing even more ferocious. The swirling cold stream of sword light transformed into an icy waterfall, sweeping toward Yun Che's landing spot.

This isn't good!

Suspended in midair, Yun Che realized that once he touched the ground, he would be trapped within Yun Yijian's deadly range.

"Such mastery of the Cold Stream Sword! Even warriors below the Fourth Stage can already unleash area-effect techniques!"

"It seems the outcome is already decided!"

Some of the clan elders watching from the stands clapped in appreciation, praising Yun Yijian's skill.

"Come down here!"

Yun Yijian's Cold Stream Waterfall surged with violent sword light, cold air swirling, targeting Yun Che's lower body.

"Floating Void Step!"

Yun Che's eyes sparkled like lightning. Taking a deep breath, he compressed his internal energy, and with a sudden burst of strength, his body defied gravity.

Whoosh!

He soared, breaking free from the confines of gravity, leaping once more in the air, evading Yun Yijian's deadly strike.

How... is this possible?

Yun Yijian's lethal move missed, his face stunned as he watched Yun Che effortlessly "Float Through the Void," elegantly avoiding the crisis.

"Well done, Yun Che! To have cultivated Floating Void Step to such a degree."

The head judge stroked his white beard, his eyes gleaming with admiration.

"Floating Void Step!" A martial artist who had previously practiced it stood up, his face filled with disbelief.

On the battle stage,

Yun Yijian and Yun Che were locked in a high-stakes chase, a deadly game of cat and mouse.

As Yun Yijian's Cold Stream Sword approached perfection, its speed and power increased exponentially.

Yun Che was no slouch either. With his Floating Void Step, he moved as light as a feather, leaping through the air, appearing to be in mortal danger, yet remaining composed and unfazed.

Time ticked by.

As he evaded, Yun Che sought out Yun Yijian's weaknesses, preparing to counterattack.

Yet, to his alarm, he found that he could not approach Yun Yijian without risking a lethal counterattack.

His current Raging Dragon Fist was not sufficient to block Yun Yijian's strikes head-on.

Even if he took a blow, he would surely be injured.

"Am I really left with no choice but to..."

Yun Che took a deep breath, his internal martial energy stirring slightly before retreating once more into concealment.

Using the Concealing Breath Technique, he hid his internal energy.

In the midst of his evasion, Yun Che suddenly focused all his attention, activating the power of his left eye.

Thump! Thump!

The moment he activated it, Yun Che entered a super-visual interface.

Yun Yijian's speed, though astonishing, seemed to slow in his vision, allowing him to see every movement with perfect clarity.

He could even discern the fluctuations in Yun Yijian's internal energy, predicting his next strike's trajectory through the flow of his vital essence.

Whoosh! Whoosh...

Yun Che's evasions became even more fluid and effortless, standing on the verge of invincibility.

Raging Dragon Fist!

In a particular moment, Yun Che dodged Yun Yijian's strike, unexpectedly closing the distance and launching a counterattack.

"Cold Stream Windstrike!"

Yun Yijian's sword pivoted suddenly, not bothering to dodge or defend, but directly aiming for Yun Che's throat.

Yun Che's heart sank. Though he had found an opening to injure Yun Yijian, he knew that such an action would leave him vulnerable to a fatal blow to his own throat.

"The Cold Stream Sword is so extreme, only focused on offense with no defense! The most troublesome part is that he has perfected it to such an extent, with almost no openings. Trying to win through risk, I only have a fifty percent chance of success."

Yun Che analyzed the situation in his mind, weighing his options.

The greatest disparity between him and Yun Yijian lay in their martial levels.

At this point, if he wished to secure victory, only two paths remained.

The first—drag the fight on, wear him down until Yun Yijian is exhausted.

Yun Che was confident in this method. With his left-eye assistance and the cultivation of his internal martial energy, his endurance exceeded Yun Yijian's.

The second—use his internal martial energy to secure a forceful victory!

As Yun Che was pondering in his heart,

"Judge, both of these young men are talents that our clan can nurture. If the fight is delayed too long and casualties occur, you will be held responsible."

Yun Tianjian approached the referee and spoke in a low voice.

Watching the battle unfold, Yun Tianjian couldn't help but feel uneasy for his son, Yun Yijian.

Logically speaking, even if the fight dragged on, Yun Yijian had at least a fifty to sixty percent chance of victory, but for some reason, a sense of unease, rooted in his instincts, urged him to end the fight before things escalated further.

"This... but there is no clear winner yet."

The referee hesitated for a moment, uncertain, but dared not offend Yun Tianjian.

With Yun Tianjian's cultivation at the Sixth Stage of Martial Arts, he held a prominent position in the clan, and his influence was substantial.

"Though the winner has not yet been determined, can't you see who holds the upper hand?"

Yun Tianjian smiled faintly and subtly signaled to the referee with a knowing glance.

The meaning was clear: If this was resolved, there would be generous rewards…

"Very well."

The referee turned his gaze to the arena, his voice steady as he declared, "Contestant 188, Yun Che, you have fallen into a disadvantageous position. If you continue to delay, I have the right to declare a decision."

This… could he do this?

Yun Che's heart burned with unspoken fury.

The referee's decision seemed clearly biased toward Yun Yijian.

However, the referee was not completely violating the rules, as the competition's regulations allowed the referee some discretion in judgment. In situations where the outcome was unclear, and the battle dragged on, the referee had the authority to call for a verdict to keep the competition moving forward.

The referee's decision naturally sparked some controversy among the onlookers.

"Yun Che may be on the defensive, but there's no clear sign of defeat."

"Hmph! What kind of hero runs around dodging? He's wasting our time. The referee is right to intervene!"

There was only minor dissent among the spectators.

Although some of the older clan members felt a sense of injustice, none were willing to speak up for a lesser branch member, especially when offending Yun Tianjian and his son was unnecessary.

"Fine! If you won't dodge, then I won't force you to!"

Yun Che laughed instead of growing angry, descending lightly from the air.

"You brat! Take my sword!"

Yun Yijian's heart rejoiced, casting a grateful glance at his father on the sidelines.

Yun Tianjian stood with his hands clasped behind his back, smiling but saying nothing.

At that moment, many in the audience, including Yun Kun and other younger members, wore expressions of gloating amusement.

Yun Xue watched the familiar figure on the arena, her heart heavy with an inaudible sigh. Her expression was complex, tinged with a hint of pity, yet quickly overshadowed by a cold indifference.

Swish—

Yun Yijian's Cold Stream Sword, like a winter wind, surged toward Yun Che with deadly intent, closing in with relentless speed.

Facing a sword technique mastered to perfection, Yun Che did not flinch or retreat.

Raging Dragon Fist!

A wave of fiery anger surged within Yun Che, his blood roaring like a river, as he channeled it into a thunderous, earth-shaking punch.

Blind to the moment's danger!

Some of the clan elders watching from the stands couldn't help but shake their heads.

"Sigh…"

The white-bearded chief judge also sighed deeply.

"Hahaha! A foolish attempt, utterly futile—Break for me!"

Yun Yijian laughed heartily, his sword slicing through the air like a cold, glaring rainbow across the night sky.

"Open!"

Yun Che inhaled deeply, his internal energy suddenly bursting forth with powerful force.

Whoosh—

A pale blue aura surged from Yun Che's arms and fists, glowing with a translucent brilliance that shimmered in the sunlight, faint yet mesmerizing.

Suddenly,

Yun Che felt his striking speed and power explode, breaking through an unseen barrier, shattering the previous limitations of his physical body.

Before his fist could even reach its target, an invisible wave of force slammed into Yun Yijian.

Whoooosh!

Around Yun Che, the dust and particles in the air trembled and floated, caught in the wake of his powerful unseen force.

"What—"

The clan elders in the stands gasped in shock.

"Could it be…"

The chief judge stood up suddenly, unable to contain the excitement that bloomed across his face.

This is bad!

Yun Tianjian's face turned pale, his heart pounding as he watched below.

"What's going on?"

Yun Yijian was suddenly overwhelmed by an indescribable pressure, struggling to breathe as a mysterious force weighed down on him, slowing his own sword strike.

In his vision, Yun Che's fist seemed to lead a roaring, storm-like dragon, full of rage and fury…

Clang! Crack—

Yun Yijian staggered, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Clang!

His treasured sword shattered into two, falling to the ground in pieces.

A surge of invisible power coursed through the blade, invading his body.

"Ah!"

Yun Yijian screamed in agony as his arm was shattered, his entire body flung backwards, flying several meters before crashing to the ground.

Such a sight left many of the Yun clan's younger members stunned and in awe.

Whoosh—

As Yun Che's fist struck, an invisible wave of force radiated outward, the dust and particles slowly descending in a ripple-like effect.

After an indeterminate amount of time, someone gasped in shock, "Martial Energy!"

Martial Energy!

A faint, pale-blue aura flickered around Yun Che, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.