Liang, Lingxiao City, Canglan Martial Arts Academy...
All the watching disciples were in an uproar, and even the outer disciples of the East Sea Divine Palace responsible for broadcasting were extremely excited.
Just one more match, and Lin Chen would set a new record of one hundred thousand consecutive victories on the Martial Arts Mountain.
Although they were not martial artists from Liang, nor from the Canglan Sect, having stayed in Liang for a few days, they naturally sided with Lin Chen.
...
Linhu Village.
The entire village was incredibly excited. Maybe they didn’t know what reaching the summit of the Martial Arts Mountain meant, as it was too far removed from their lives.
Even if they heard about it from the mouths of those martial artists, they couldn’t really comprehend it, but they were simply thrilled for Lin Chen’s victory.
Father Lin and Mrs. Lin held their hands tightly. Their son had won, but what made them even happier was that their son was uninjured.
"Zhao’Er, did you see that? Your uncle won."
Chen Ting shook her daughter’s arms. The little girl was startled by everyone’s cheers, her small face a little bewildered, but hearing her mother’s words, she giggled.
"Yin... mouse, mouse yin..."
...
...
Canglan Sect.
Lin Chen came down from the Martial Arts Mountain, saw the quiet courtyard, and smiled slightly, then looked at his master: "Master, I didn’t disgrace you, did I?"
"Hahaha!"
Du Xiaofeng broke into hearty laughter: "You’ve surprised your master greatly."
Du Xiaofeng had thought his disciple would win, but he hadn’t expected it to be so easy. Lin Chen completely overpowered Zeng Xi with his Divine Soul attacks.
Disciples of the Canglan Sect crushing those from the Thousand Mechanism Sect in Divine Soul attacks—he could imagine how distressed the elders of the Thousand Mechanism Sect would be upon hearing this.
"Junior Brother Lin, you really shocked me."
Chai Daoqi came forward and patted Lin Chen’s shoulder. His own master had accepted a disciple who was just too formidable.
"You’ve just entered the Innate Realm, yet you possess such strength. You’re not at all inferior to those who have been in the Innate First Realm for years."
This wasn’t an exaggeration from Chai Daoqi. He knew the situation of the sect’s Innate First Realm disciples. As of now, except for a few who had reached the peak of the Gang Transformation Realm, the others truly might not stand a chance against Junior Brother Lin.
It wasn’t that Junior Brother Lin’s Inextinguishable Divine Face Technique and Canglan Finger were exceptionally strong; it was mainly about his Divine Soul.
The realm can be elevated easily; the Divine Soul is hard to enhance.
Do Canglan Sect’s Innate disciples lack resources for Martial Arts Cultivation?
If they want to rapidly improve their strength in a short time, then yes, they do lack resources. The sect cannot provide unlimited resources; to gain more, they have to complete sect missions or venture out to acquire them themselves.
But if they take it slow, relying on the resources given by the sect and searching for themselves, they shouldn’t face a shortage of resources at least before reaching the Innate Third Realm. Those who venture out are seeking to break through quicker.
But after entering the Innate Realm, the most difficult thing is the growth of the Divine Soul. All resources in the Flame Dynasty that can enhance the Divine Soul are extremely precious treasures. Even the direct disciples of elders couldn’t satisfy their needs with resources given by the sect or their masters.
This is also why both he and Second Senior Brother chose to venture out—to find ways and treasures to enhance their Divine Soul.
Junior Brother Lin’s Divine Soul is comparable to the late stage of the Gang Transformation Realm. Now, all he needs to do is train step by step to break through to the Innate Second Realm without any issues.
...
"Junior Brother Lin, you defeated Zeng Xi. Now, there’s only one battle left, and it will be the hardest. Your opponent has been reigning supreme on the Martial Arts Mountain for a full ten months."
Liang Hanyang began to introduce Lin Chen’s final opponent, and Qiao Yuan added, "Sima Kong is very strong. He stabilized his position two months earlier than Zeng Xi, and Zeng Xi must have challenged Sima Kong."
Qiao Yuan had originally planned to challenge the rankings on the Martial Arts Mountain after entering the Innate Realm, so he paid special attention to the top thirty.
Sima Kong!
The name left a deep impression on Lin Chen—such a name seemed fit only for Celestial Pride figures.
If he wasn’t a Celestial Pride, he couldn’t live up to the name.
"Master, why can’t I see which sect Sima Kong is from?"
After defeating Zeng Xi, Lin Chen checked Sima Kong’s information, but the Martial Arts Mountain only displayed Sima Kong’s name, without mention of a sect.
"Sima Kong is from the Sima Family, which has existed for nearly ten thousand years in the Flame Dynasty. While their family’s overall strength is somewhat lacking compared to sects like ours, they have Myriad Phenomena Powerhouses among their top forces."
Du Xiaofeng explained slowly. In the Flame Dynasty, there are a few special families whose strength is only slightly weaker than super sects like theirs.
"Sima Kong hasn’t joined any sect because he’s biding his time. Many sects want to accept Sima Kong as a disciple, but the Sima Family isn’t satisfied with the offers and conditions provided to them."
"However, if Sima Kong defeats you this time, I’m afraid some sects won’t sit idly by and will certainly agree to the conditions proposed by the Sima Family."
Upon hearing his master’s words, Lin Chen’s eyes flickered; he understood his master’s meaning.
Sima Kong’s talent is evident, waiting for the sects to make their offers. However, the Sima family is dissatisfied with the conditions proposed by the sects. Now, with my ten thousand consecutive wins, a sensation has been created within the Flame Dynasty. If I were defeated by Sima Kong, it would only elevate his value.
"Your challenge against Sima Kong this time is likely the last one he will face at Martial Arts Mountain. No one else will challenge him for several months after you, allowing Sima Kong to secure first place until he turns twenty and leaves Martial Arts Mountain, which means he will receive special rewards."
Special rewards?
Lin Chen’s eyes contracted sharply as he recalled the Life Chart reward mentioned by the Sect Leader.
To claim the top spot until leaving Martial Arts Mountain at the age of twenty is to receive the Life Chart reward.
"Thus, it’s not that Sima Kong’s conditions are too high; it’s that all the sects are watching and waiting for Sima Kong to secure that first place before making their offers."
"Exactly, holding the first place and maintaining it are two entirely different things."
Du Xiaofeng nodded with deep meaning: "Your initiating the ten thousand consecutive wins challenge brought out everyone under twenty in the Flame Dynasty who is confident in their abilities and hasn’t been to Martial Arts Mountain to stand against you. This means no one will challenge after you, so your battle with Sima Kong will determine the ownership of the first place in this cohort of Martial Arts Mountain."
"It seems my decision to start the winning streak challenge inadvertently helped Sima Kong."
Lin Chen smiled faintly; if Sima Kong defeated him, the various sects wouldn’t have to worry about Sima Kong being ousted from the top in the final months.
For Sima Kong, having a sect meet his requirements early would accelerate his cultivation progress. It’s common knowledge that the conditions laid out by Sima Kong or the Sima family would be costly even for a super sect.
"In three days, I will challenge Sima Kong."
Lin Chen made his decision. He would use the three days to trade his points at Martial Arts Mountain to enhance his strength.
Once the points are exchanged, he will challenge Sima Kong.
After several panel assessments, Lin Chen noticed a pattern: the better the performance, the better the new titles conferred post-settlement.
This was why he decided to undertake consecutive challenges in one go.
...
...
Sima City.
A city named after the Sima family.
Sixty percent of the city’s population belonged to the Sima Race, and the remaining forty percent had intricate connections with the Sima family.
The Sima family has been in the Flame Dynasty for thousands of years. Its heritage is not weaker than those of first-class sects; its only shortcoming is the number of clan members compared to those sects.
In the backyard of the Sima ancestral residence:
"Fourth brother!"
A few young men pushed open the door to enter the yard. Inside, a young man emerged from the house, his features chiselled like cold jade, with a high bridge nose and a sharp jawline like a blade.
"Fourth brother, did you watch the fight between Lin Chen and Zeng Xi just now?"
In the face of his elder brothers’ questions, Sima Kong shook his head, "I didn’t watch it."
"Didn’t watch?"
Sima Kong gave a domineering smile, "Zeng Xi challenged me twice and was defeated at my hands both times. If Lin Chen couldn’t even defeat Zeng Xi, there’s naturally no need for concern. Even defeating Zeng Xi doesn’t make him a formidable opponent."
Hearing this, several young members of the Sima family also smiled, worthy of their fourth brother, whose words were just as dominant. It’s no wonder he’s the most outstanding talent in their five hundred-year family history.
Losing to Zeng Xi, no need to watch.
Defeating Zeng Xi, still not a threat.
"Fourth brother, the fight between Lin Chen and Zeng Xi was purely a contest of Divine Souls, and in the end, Zeng Xi was defeated."
One of them couldn’t help but remind, if Lin Chen had only narrowly won, they naturally wouldn’t worry. But in this battle against Zeng Xi, Lin Chen dominated with just his Divine Soul.
Zeng Xi’s greatest strength lies in his Divine Soul, yet Lin Chen managed to defeat him with it, suggesting that Lin Chen still has a trump card.
"Defeating Zeng Xi with his Divine Soul?"
Sima Kong showed a trace of surprise on his face, "This makes Lin Chen somewhat interesting; if he’s too weak, there’s really nothing to be excited about."
As the first at Martial Arts Mountain and having held the title for ten months, Sima Kong had substantial confidence.
Zeng Xi challenged him twice, and he defeated Zeng Xi both times with all his might.
"It seems fourth brother should actually thank Lin Chen. By challenging, Lin Chen alleviated the sect’s concerns, which means they will agree to the conditions proposed by the family, and by then, fourth brother can decide which sect to join."
"Unfortunately, the Canglan Sect won’t make an offer to fourth brother. Otherwise, if he joined, it would cause a sensation throughout the Flame Dynasty."
Hearing his brothers’ words, Sima Kong smiled too; if he defeated Lin Chen, the Canglan Sect certainly wouldn’t extend an offer to him since even a super sect couldn’t nurture two super geniuses.
Unless the Canglan Sect abandoned Lin Chen, but if they actually did that, it would likely cause unrest among the disciples.