Chapter 78: Chapter 78: The Frustrated Zheng Qian

"How... how is this possible? How does my cousin Li Yang suddenly have the strength of a Celestial Level Cultivator?"

Zhao Xiang was completely stunned.

No one in the Zhao family thought Li Yang could win the fight against Zheng Qian. They had even told Zhao Xiang to stay away from him. But now, Li Yang had suddenly revealed strength even greater than Zheng Qian’s.

Elsewhere, Zhang Lie and Lin Na also saw Li Yang’s sudden burst of power. Lin Na, in particular, was so shocked her jaw dropped.

"Zhang Lie... Li Yang’s... his power is at the Celestial Level?" Lin Na stammered, dumbfounded.

She had asked Li Yang about his power level before, but he wouldn’t say. She had assumed he must be very weak.

Even knowing about the conflict between Li Yang and Zheng Qian, she thought Li Yang was at the Peak of Profound Level at most.

But he was actually at the Celestial Level! There were fewer than fifty Celestial Level cultivators in all of Hua Country! How was that possible?

Beyond the shock, Lin Na was suddenly filled with immense regret.

Earlier, she had been traveling with Li Yang to meet up with the main group.

’Sigh... If I had known Li Yang was so terrifyingly strong, I would have done everything I could to befriend him.’

Lin Na was filled with immense regret.

’He’s a Celestial Level Cultivator. If I’d become friends with an expert like that, my own cultivation path would have been so much smoother.’

But she had completely wasted such a golden opportunity.

During the few hours they’d spent together, not only had she failed to befriend Li Yang, she had given him the cold shoulder and not said a single word to him.

And just like that, such a great chance to befriend a powerful expert was gone.

Right now, Lin Na wanted nothing more than to slap herself hard across the face.

Hearing Lin Na, Zhang Lie swallowed hard, a look of shock in his eyes. "I see it."

It wasn’t just the weaker Cultivators like them. Even the Celestial Level Cultivators at the base, and even Wang Bing of the King Level Realm, were staring at Li Yang with shock in their eyes.

’What a kid,’ Li Yu thought in amazement. ’Li Yang is actually this powerful! And Director Shao Jie actually asked me to look after him. With this kind of strength, does he really need me to watch his back?’

Although he was also at the Celestial Level, seeing how easily Li Yang had just repelled Zheng Qian, he knew he wasn’t much stronger than Li Yang, if at all.

As for the King Level Cultivator, Wang Bing, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, watching the battle below. ’Celestial Level?’ he thought to himself. ’This Li Yang is quite a freak.’

...

Everyone was stunned by Li Yang’s sudden display of power.

While the crowd was in shock, Zheng Qian’s expression suddenly twisted into a ferocious snarl. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Celestial Level! How is that possible?!! Li Yang, how could you possibly have reached the Celestial Level!!!"

Ever since the incident at Xinhu Square, he had been bottling up his rage. But people kept interfering, and only now did he have a chance to strike.

He thought he could finally teach Li Yang a proper lesson, but it turned out Li Yang was a Celestial Level Cultivator—and even stronger than him?

Instead of being vented, his anger festered, making Zheng Qian feel even more suffocated and aggrieved.

"Why wouldn’t it be possible?"

Hearing this, Li Yang gave a faint smile. "Zheng Qian, with your level of strength, you dare speak of teaching me a lesson? You’re incredibly arrogant."

This was the first time Li Yang had truly fought a Cultivator of equal strength. He could feel his blood begin to boil; it seemed... he really enjoyed combat.

Zheng Qian’s expression was grimly uncertain. Then, he roared, "Li Yang, even if you’ve reached the Celestial Level, you’re still no match for me!"

He had a war blade over a meter long strapped to his back. He drew it in a fluid motion and charged at Li Yang once more.

’So he’s using a weapon now?’

Seeing this, Li Yang sneered inwardly. He knew that using a weapon could provide a significant power boost.

"Li Yang, I’ll show you the power of my Golden Road Blade Art!" Zheng Qian roared.

He was becoming truly frenzied, unleashing his most powerful technique without hesitation.

"The Golden Road Blade Art. Zheng Qian is using the fourth form."

"Judging by his execution, he’s only mastered about half of the fourth form."

The other Celestial Level Cultivators, as well as the King Level Realm Wang Bing, were watching the fight.

Could Li Yang withstand Zheng Qian’s Golden Road Blade Art?

They had seen from the earlier clash that Li Yang wasn’t that much stronger than Zheng Qian. At this point, the victor would be decided by who had the superior combat technique.

As they watched, Li Yang gripped his longsword. With a single movement, he easily dodged Zheng Qian’s attack. Then, his own sword flashed out like lightning, its tip striking the back of Zheng Qian’s war blade.

The longsword in Li Yang’s hand wasn’t some flimsy prop from a television show. Its weight of several hundred pounds was proof enough of its quality; even a Peak of Celestial Level Cultivator attacking relentlessly with another weapon couldn’t so much as scratch his meteoric iron heavy sword.

In reality, Zheng Qian himself hadn’t been at the Celestial Level for very long. Cultivation was easy for Li Yang, but for others like Zheng Qian, it was incredibly difficult.

The same was true for their mastery of attack techniques.

Li Yang had mastered the Profound Blue Sword Skill in a matter of days. For Cultivators like Zheng Qian, however, mastering even a single attack technique was an arduous task.

When it came to mastering attack forms, Li Yang was undoubtedly superior to Zheng Qian! And his raw power was greater as well!

CLANG!

With the sound of colliding weapons, Zheng Qian felt a massive force travel up his arm. A sharp pain shot through his palm, and he found he could barely hold on to his weapon!

"Profound Blue Sword Skill? How is that possible?!"

Feeling the force of Li Yang’s attack, Zheng Qian roared, his eyes filled with rage.

’Not only is Li Yang’s raw power so immense, but his mastery of attack techniques is also perfect.’

’I’m... completely outmatched!’

"That Li Yang... he’s nearly perfected the fourth form of the Profound Blue Sword Skill!"

"Heavens, did he start cultivating in his mother’s womb?"

The Celestial Level masters were all staring at Li Yang, undisguised astonishment in their eyes.

In their experience, raw power could be rapidly increased with items like Spirit Fruits and medicinal herbs. But combat techniques were different; there were no shortcuts. They had to be comprehended slowly, over time.

And yet, Li Yang’s mastery was so profound!

While they were reeling in shock, Zheng Qian’s expression was absolutely ghastly.

Even when he unleashed his attack, he was no match for Li Yang. He was just a fraction weaker.

Though the difference was slight, for him, the feeling was unbearable.

"Zheng Qian, is this the full extent of your power?" Li Yang asked with a small smile, gripping his heavy sword. "You ran your mouth for so long, but when you finally make a move, it’s nothing special."

"Shut up!"

Hearing Li Yang’s words, Zheng Qian roared. He could practically feel the surrounding crowd mocking him.

Nearly everyone had expected him to crush Li Yang with ease. Instead, he was the one being crushed!

It was easy to imagine that once word of today’s events got out, he would become an absolute laughingstock.

His expression flickered. Suddenly, Zheng Qian’s gaze fell on a spectator not far away. "Sun Yunqiang," he called out, "help me, and I’ll owe you a favor!"

Unable to defeat Li Yang on his own, he was now resorting to calling for backup.

’Zheng Qian seethed with rage. ’No matter what, I will teach Li Yang a lesson today that he’ll never forget!’’