Chen Jun hadn’t just sprinkled perfume on himself.

Zhang Changchun looked at his face again. His signature bushy beard was now shaved completely clean.

And his face was clearly powdered white. It looked awkward up close, but from a distance, he almost had the air of a fair-faced scholar.

In Great Yan, it wasn’t actually that strange for men to wear makeup.

The problem was, this was Chen Jun, the Fire Fierce Sword, known within the Celestial Essence Sword Sect as the manliest of men...

Zhang Changchun found it hard to imagine just what kind of Sword Intent Chen Jun had comprehended to have changed so drastically.

And could he possibly win against the notoriously ferocious Zou Feng in this state?

Within the Celestial Essence Sword Sect, Zhang Changchun was, of course, not the only one to notice Chen Jun’s significant change.

But one couldn’t just go up and ask Chen Jun, "Why have you been acting like such a sissy lately?"

Chen Jun was famous for his explosive temper that could ignite at the slightest provocation.

If you annoyed him with such a question, you’d most likely end up with a sword pointed at you.

Besides, the Sword Intent faintly emanating from Chen Jun proved that his power had recently increased tremendously. It wouldn’t even be surprising if he broke through to the Second Grade on the spot.

Thus, no one was foolish enough to poke the hornet’s nest. Everyone tacitly chose to turn a blind eye.

A moment later, Chen Jun was the first to step forward.

With a single step, Sword Qi howled around him, the fierce wind gathering into countless invisible blades.

Seeing Chen Jun display this technique, the members of the Celestial Essence Sword Sect were once again filled with admiration.

"There’s no mistaking it! Brother Chen has definitely achieved Entering the Dao with his sword!"

"To reach this level before even attaining the Second Grade... It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Brother Chen is now invincible among all Third Grade cultivators, right?"

"Brother Chen is guaranteed to win this fight!"

Just like that, the group followed Chen Jun, each displaying their own skills as they flew towards the Forbidden City.

And on a distant, solitary peak, the current Sword Saint, Jing Huaisong, watched the faraway figure of Chen Jun, a faint trace of doubt flashing in his eyes.

「Late one night, a day later.」

The Great Yan Imperial Capital, the Forbidden City, was already under a full-scale, early curfew.

In Great Yan, the name "Forbidden City" didn’t just refer to the area where the Emperor resided; the entire imperial capital was known as the Forbidden City.

As for the Forbidden City Peak, the site of the decisive battle between Su Qingyu and Gongsun Xiang, it was naturally the tallest structure in the Forbidden City, a building named the Celestial Sacrifice Platform.

Zou Feng and Teng County strolled through the empty streets, as if walking into a deserted ghost town.

In reality, however, the city was already teeming with True Qi Realm experts from both the righteous and demonic factions.

Although these people all wanted to witness the duel at the Forbidden City Peak and had a duty to support their respective factions, they certainly wouldn’t act like a normal audience, standing out in the open to comment on the fight.

Most of them would only observe in secret.

After entering the city, Zou Feng had no intention of hiding. After all, the news that he had agreed to fight Chen Jun had already spread far and wide.

So, there was no point in hiding. He would have to fight Chen Jun out in the open eventually anyway.

And thanks to the hype generated by various Jianghu figures, his battle with Chen Jun was now being billed as a warm-up act for the final showdown.

It was essentially an opening performance to get the crowd excited for Su Qingyu and Gongsun Xiang.

"You’re here?"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out from nearby.

Before the voice had faded, Biyou Palace’s Vice Palace Master, Bai Chen, slowly walked out from a dark corner.

Behind him, Zhong Zhe, Golden Toad Pond Master Liang Shunan, and other high-ranking members of Biyou Palace also gradually revealed themselves.

Upon seeing them, Zou Feng and Teng County immediately clasped their hands in salute.

"Zou Feng, what are your chances of victory in this battle?" Bai Chen asked, getting straight to the point.

Zou Feng replied without hesitation, "One hundred percent!"

Hearing this definitive answer, Bai Chen nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent. A decisive victory from you will be a considerable boost for the Palace Master’s battle as well."

However, among the Biyou Palace leaders, there were bound to be some who didn’t believe Zou Feng’s claim of absolute certainty.

Some even thought he was being overconfident and underestimating his opponent.

So, a senior Elder gave a strange chuckle and said, "It’s normal for young people to be arrogant, but don’t take it too far..."

"I’ve heard that Chen Jun, the Fire Fierce Sword, is on the verge of breaking through to the Second Grade at any moment. He won’t be that easy to deal with!"

Zou Feng, of course, didn’t bother arguing with him, simply smiling without a word.

’To be honest,’ he thought, ’I’m actually hoping Chen Jun has already advanced to the Second Grade. Only then might this fight be enjoyable for me...’

"Where is the Palace Master?" Teng County, seeing no sign of Su Qingyu, couldn’t help but ask.

Bai Chen said, "The Palace Master is making her final preparations. She will appear when the time is right."

While the two were talking, Zou Feng was also sizing up Bai Chen.

He was surprised to find that the Vice Palace Master, who had been so heavily injured last time, had already made a full recovery after such a short period.

Keep in mind that although Zou Feng had helped him expel the poison at the time, dealing with the immediate crisis of the poison’s backlash...

...the injuries Bai Chen sustained from taking the Twenty-Third Sword head-on were definitely not something that could heal so easily.

Once an expert of their Realm was injured, it would take half a year to a year—or even several years—to recover completely.

This was because the speed of their recovery wasn’t up to them, but was dictated by the conditions in Great Yan.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was not abundant enough, and the quality of various Heavenly and Earthly Treasures was insufficient to meet the needs of a First Grade Expert.

To put it bluntly, the "medical" conditions were limited. If you were seriously injured, you could only recuperate slowly over time.

Therefore, First Grade Experts rarely fought each other to the death.