C19 Just One Move

Yan Beichen attempted to speak further, but Yan Chen, clearly impatient, waved his hand dismissively and declared, "The leader of the Tiger Army must possess the talent of a great general, and their personal strength must be exceptional. Step back now; I have my own strategy in mind!"

Lacking any influence, Yan Beichen found himself unable to voice his concerns. The ministers seated nearby showed no inclination to support him. With a heavy sigh, Yan Beichen resigned himself to his seat.

Meanwhile, in the arena, Chen Dutian's hands were enveloped in a white glow. Jiang Daochen, standing five steps away, noticed the hue of the spiritual energy and furrowed his brow, stating gravely, "Mr. Chen, we truly underestimated you before. To think you're a Sixth Heaven warrior of the Spirit Convergence Realm!"

Previously, Chen Dutian was the acknowledged wastrel of the Imperial Capital, notorious alongside Pang Yuan for lacking a Power Node, thus deemed incapable of cultivating in this lifetime.

Yet, in a stunning turn of events, Chen Dutian had transformed, now demonstrating the prowess of the Sixth Heaven of the Spirit Convergence Realm. Jiang Daochen was skeptical of his claims about receiving the Teachings of the Divine.

"It's not too late for you to realize this," Chen Dutian replied with a serene smile, as a fierce aura began to radiate from him.

Jiang Daochen slowly drew his longsword, his expression one of intense focus. A torrent of Spiritual Qi burst forth, enveloping the blade in its power.

Chen Dutian, however, merely smiled and shook his head. "You're too weak. Even with your skills, you're no match for me!" With that, a glint of cold determination flashed in his eyes. He leaped into the air, the white light on his right hand coalescing into the shape of a fist.

"Heaven Battling Sword!" Jiang Daochen bellowed, no trace of underestimation left in his stance. His longsword thrust forward in a frenzy, with sword lights flashing into existence, causing the air itself to quiver subtly.

"A single move is all it will take to finish you!" Chen Dutian proclaimed, utterly dismissive of Jiang Daochen. The fist-shaped light from his right hand grew larger, colliding head-on with the dazzling sword light.

Boom!

A thunderous roar shattered the silence, and sword lights were obliterated in an instant, engulfed by the overwhelming fist shadow.

"This... This can't be!" Jiang Daochen gasped in disbelief as the relentless fist shadow bore down on him, his eyes wide with horror.

"Heaven Destroying Sword!"

Jiang Daochen bellowed once more, his longsword erupting with a blinding chill. A flurry of sword shadows spiraled towards the plummeting fist shadow.

Yet, Jiang Daochen's technique was merely a low-grade skill, paling in comparison to Chen Dutian's Thunderfist. The disparity was stark.

Thunderfist was a skill Chen Dutian had mastered in his past life within the infernal realms of the Burning Sky Flame Land. With each punch, he could harness the thunder force of the heavens and earth. Achieving Great Completion, and coupled with the Worldscorching Lightning, he could effortlessly vanquish an Apotheosis warrior.

Despite Chen Dutian's current strength being at the Sixth Heaven of the Spirit Convergence Realm, merely executing the first form of Thunderfist was more than sufficient to overpower Jiang Daochen, who was at the Fifth Heaven.

Crack!

The fist's shadow descended slowly, and the longsword in Jiang Daochen's grasp developed a web of cracks. The sword shadows vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye.

Thud!

Jiang Daochen felt an immense force bearing down upon him. His legs shook uncontrollably before he collapsed to his knees on the platform.

His longsword crumbled to dust, and the fist's shadow persisted, relentlessly pounding on Jiang Daochen's form.

Jiang Daochen, a formidable warrior of the Fifth Heaven of the Spirit Convergence Realm, had failed to withstand even a single strike from Chen Dutian. Onlookers Ling Zechuan and Wang Yuntian stood nearby, utterly dumbfounded.

"Am I seeing things? Jiang Daochen is a Fifth Heaven Spirit Convergence warrior. How did he fall to Chen Dutian?"

"You're not mistaken; Jiang Daochen didn't withstand even one of Chen Dutian's attacks!"

"Incredible! To defeat Jiang Daochen with a single move... Could it be that Chen Dutian has ascended to the Astral Wandering Realm?"

"Jiang Daochen has already been defeated. I doubt Ling Zechuan will stand a chance against Chen Dutian. It seems the role of commander of the Tiger Army is destined for Chen Dutian!"

The crowd murmured among themselves, their eyes wide with astonishment as they watched Chen Dutian dominate the stage. Yan Chen and the ministers seated above on the steps furrowed their brows in concern, particularly Wang Xuanyang, whose gaze flickered with icy hostility.

They had never imagined that Chen Dutian, once dismissed as worthless, possessed such formidable strength. With Lord Protector Chen Dou already a Skyflight warrior, the emergence of another from the Chen family would be a force more daunting than the half-million strong Red Banner Army.

"You've lost!" Chen Dutian, his intense presence now subdued, approached the kneeling Jiang Daochen and looked down at him with a cold voice.

Jiang Daochen's face was ashen, his sweat falling like rain, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.

"You... wait and see, I, Jiang Daochen, will one day have my revenge!" Jiang Daochen slowly lifted his head, his teeth gritted as he glared at Chen Dutian.

In front of all these onlookers, he, Jiang Daochen, was kneeling before someone he had once scorned as unworthy, utterly disgracing his family.

"Really? Let me be clear: you are fated never to be my equal in this lifetime!" Chen Dutian said with a scornful smile as he leisurely descended from the stage.

Nearby, Ling Zechuan and Wang Yuntian exchanged anxious glances, palpably tense. The Minister of Rituals approached the platform with trepidation and declared, "Lord Protector's Heir, Chen Dutian, advances to the next round!"

"This Chen Dutian... he appears to be quite formidable," Yan Chen remarked coolly, observing Chen Dutian seated below.

Wang Xuanyang dabbed at the sweat on his brow, glanced at Yan Beichen across from him, and then nodded in agreement, "There's truth to the saying 'like father, like son.' Chen Dutian is indeed fit to command the Tiger Army."

A fleeting glimpse of murderous intent passed over Yan Chen's face. The Lord Protector, Chen Dou, held the tiger-shaped tally that commanded the five hundred thousand strong Red Banner Army. Their power was already formidable. Yan Chen was resolute in his decision not to entrust an additional fifty thousand elite warriors of the Tiger Army to Chen Dutian.

After a brief respite, no longer than the time it takes to sip a cup of tea, Chen Dutian cast a glance at Ling Zechuan, who was still visibly tense, and let out a cold laugh before he leisurely ascended the steps back into the arena.

With a furrowed brow, Ling Zechuan steeled himself and followed. Confronting the composed Chen Dutian, he inhaled deeply, quelling the fear within, and with a swift motion, drew his longsword.

"Jiang Daochen has already fallen to me, and you're no different. If you have any sense, you'll concede defeat now," Chen Dutian said coolly, standing in the arena and looking down at Ling Zechuan with scorn.

"Hmph, just because you defeated Jiang Daochen doesn't mean you can defeat me! Don't expect me to surrender willingly—you can forget about it!" Ling Zechuan was cornered, and conceding to Chen Dutian was a humiliation he could not bear.