C17 Intentionally Letting the Water down

The other young nobles watched as Cao Hexuan leaped onto the platform, whispering among themselves. Yan Chen and Yan Nantian, seated above the steps, exchanged a glance, with Yan Chen frowning slightly.

Cao Yi, a former subordinate of Chen Dou, naturally didn't want to see Cao Hexuan win this contest. Sitting nearby, Wang Xuanyang seemed to sense Yan Chen's thoughts, his gaze shifting to his son, Wang Yuntian.

Wang Yuntian had just recently reached the Spirit Convergence stage, and challenging ten palace guards would be quite a feat for him. Meanwhile, on the platform, Cao Hexuan had already drawn his longsword, surrounded by the ten palace guards, their expressions cold and unyielding.

"Cao Hexuan doesn't stand a chance against these ten palace guards," Chen Dutian sighed, shaking his head. He could tell that among the guards, two were powerful Fourth Heaven warriors. Given that Cao Yi was a confidant of Lord Protector Chen Dou, Yan Chen certainly didn't want to see Cao Hexuan become the leader of the Tiger Army.

Sure enough, shortly after Chen Dutian's words, a flurry of sword lights clashed, and Cao Hexuan was quickly defeated. One of the palace guards kicked him off the platform, and he coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.

"The fact that even Cao Hexuan, at the Third Heaven of Spirit Convergence, was defeated means we shouldn't embarrass ourselves by trying."

"I think that skill book was meant for Jiang Daochen. Otherwise, who could defeat ten palace guards?"

"Not necessarily. Ling Zechuan from the General's Mansion is here too, and he's at the Fifth Heaven. It's still anyone's game!"

After Cao Hexuan was carried off by several guards, the surrounding officials' children began to whisper among themselves.

Meanwhile, Chen Dutian noticed Wang Yuntian stepping out from the crowd, leaping onto the platform.

"If even Cao Hexuan couldn't beat those ten palace guards, this guy, who just entered Spirit Convergence, is looking for trouble!" Pang Yuan sneered, rolling his eyes in disdain.

"Not so fast!" Chen Dutian whispered with a cold smile, noticing that the ten palace guards who had fought Cao Hexuan were replaced.

Wang Yuntian had indeed just entered Spirit Convergence and stood little chance against the previous ten guards. But the new group, with the strongest only at the Ninth Heaven of Awakening, seemed to be holding back for him.

Not only did Chen Dutian notice this, but the high-ranking officials seated above, especially the generals, also saw through the setup, their brows furrowing in dissatisfaction.

In front of Yan Chen and Wang Xuanyang, no one dared to say much. Meanwhile, ten palace guards were already engaged in a fight with Wang Yuntian. As the son of the Grand Preceptor, Wang Yuntian had long been trained in martial skills, and having reached the Spirit Convergence stage, these ten guards were no match for him. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, under a wave of astonished gazes, all ten palace guards were defeated and lay sprawled on the stage.

"Wang Yuntian advances!" the Minister of Rituals announced loudly from the steps. Not far away, an elegantly dressed attendant hurriedly brought over a chair, inviting Wang Yuntian to sit at the edge of the steps.

"Did Wang Yuntian just get lucky or what? He just reached the Spirit Convergence stage and managed to beat ten palace guards. So why did Cao Hexuan lose earlier?"

"I must be seeing things. It seemed like Wang Yuntian used some martial skills just now. Were the ten palace guards going easy on him?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Offending the Grand Preceptor is not something you can afford!"

Wang Yuntian sat proudly in the chair, completely ignoring the murmurs from afar. With his father secretly "helping" him, the position of Tiger Army commander was practically his.

Moments later, another ten palace guards stepped onto the stage, and the martial competition continued. Everyone was speculating about when Jiang Daochen and Ling Zechuan would take the stage.

Chen Dutian noticed that among the ten palace guards on the platform, one was a Third Heaven Spirit Convergence expert.

"Hey, buddy, it looks like Yan Beichen is checking you out. You think he wants you to join this martial competition?" Pang Yuan nudged Chen Dutian with his elbow and whispered.

Turning to look up the steps, Chen Dutian saw Yan Beichen indeed smiling and nodding at him. After a brief moment of thought, Chen Dutian grinned and stepped out from the crowd, heading straight to the side of the platform.

"Chen Dutian wants to join the competition? Is he out of his mind?"

"The top playboy of the capital—if he can beat those ten palace guards, I'll write my name backward!"

"Don't be so sure. Antler Marquis Qin Fan met his end at Chen's hands, and even the arrogant Lee Huai'en was taken down by his sword."

"This guy didn't even have a Power Node before. They say he learned from a divine being in a dream, but his strength is probably just at the Awakening level. Beating ten palace guards? No way!"

Everyone was pointing and gossiping about Chen Dutian, but up on the steps, Yan Chen and Wang Xuanyang exchanged a serious glance.

Leaping onto the platform, Chen Dutian crossed his arms and sized up the ten palace guards. Shaking his head, he said, "If all of you were at the Third Heaven Spirit Convergence level, I might have hesitated to step up!"

"Ha, Mr. Chen, you'd better watch out! We won't hold back in the ring!" one of the palace guards, a Third Heaven Spirit Convergence fighter, sneered as he drew his sword.

"You think you can match me with a sword? You're not quite there yet!" Chen Dutian scoffed, a mocking smile playing on his lips. He channeled his energy through his body, effortlessly sidestepping. The guard to his right suddenly felt a sharp pain in his wrist and looked down to find his sword had somehow ended up in Chen Dutian's hand.

"Sword Dance of the Storm!"

Seeing the other guards block his escape with their longswords, and the Third Heaven master lunging at his chest, Chen Dutian shouted fiercely. A surge of energy flooded from him, coursing down his arm and enveloping the sword.

A flash of steel, and Chen Dutian leaped into the air. The blinding glint of his sword scattered, piercing the chests of five Awakening-level palace guards in an instant.

The mighty God-Emperor, every strike a deadly one! In his past life, countless formidable warriors fell to his blade, and Chen Dutian never flinched. Taking down these guards left him unfazed.

“Gasp...”

Everyone watching the scene in the arena collectively took a sharp breath, the silence in front of the Cloudwatch Palace so profound you could hear a pin drop. Chen Dutian, once dismissed as a good-for-nothing playboy, had just slain five palace guards with a single stroke of his longsword. When did he acquire such terrifying power?

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