The battle had only just begun, so the Panlong Great Emperor and the Jimie Great Emperor naturally could not rush to any conclusions. But Jiang Chen's formation had unquestionably bolstered everyone's confidence.
At the very least, this fight would not turn into the one-sided rout that many had initially predicted.
At the very least, Young Master Zhen was not as fragile as everyone had imagined. Even facing the Asura Great Emperor, he clearly had no intention of conceding.
On the Asura dojo's side, however, the reactions were entirely different.
When the Asura Great Emperor's punch fell short at the edge of the formation, every face in the crowd twisted into an expression of profound complexity, their features etched with undisguised astonishment.
Clearly, none of them could quite accept what they had just witnessed.
Even Danji Great Emperor, watching from the guest pavilion, felt his brows knit tight as he stared at the arena in disbelief, his heart shaken beyond measure: "Could this Zhen fellow truly have some connection to Myriad Abyss Island? Otherwise, who in the human territories could possibly produce such a monster?"
Danji Great Emperor was, without question, stunned by Jiang Chen.
That young man had given him far too many shocks, far too many jolts to his worldview.
A few years ago, during the struggle for the Longevity Pill, this young man had landed a crushing blow on their Pill Fire City, shattering Ji Lang Pill King's aura of invincibility.
Then, at the Moon God Sect, he had once again stolen the spotlight by identifying the problem with the Moon God Treasure Tree — and in the process, had ground Ji Lang Pill King's reputation into the dust a second time.
And just these past few days, word had spread of a heaven-defying pill called the Pine Crane Pill. Moreover, that rumor had already been confirmed!
Beyond alchemy, the boy had actually tamed a true dragon and bound it as his contracted beast!
Beyond beast taming, his mastery of formations was equally monstrous — he could even go toe-to-toe with the Asura Great Emperor in the art of talismans!
And now, on this martial arena, the boy was actually holding his own against the foremost figure in the Glazed Tile City — the Asura Great Emperor himself!
He was relying not on genuine martial cultivation, but on formations and all manner of heaven-defying artifacts.
But for a young genius not yet thirty to battle a Great Emperor renowned for three thousand years on an arena stage — that alone was enough to become the stuff of legend!
Most critically, the Asura Great Emperor's punch — one imbued with a lifetime's worth of power — had failed even to breach the young man's defenses.
The strike may not have been the Asura Great Emperor's most refined technique, perhaps only a probing blow, but it was by no means a half-hearted one.
If that punch had landed on any Emperor-realm powerhouse without protective measures, it would have undoubtedly killed them on the spot.
Such a young talent who had achieved mastery across so many disciplines — even a figure of Danji Great Emperor's caliber could not help feeling a flicker of genuine wariness.
"With such transcendent talent and not yet thirty, if given thirty or fifty more years, wouldn't he tear the entire human territories apart?"
"This boy must not be allowed to grow like this! He absolutely must not be allowed to control the Glazed Tile City! Given time, the Glazed Tile City would inevitably become the greatest threat to our Pill Fire City! Our Pill Fire City's destiny would surely be devoured by this young man!"
Danji Great Emperor was not indulging in baseless paranoia. He could genuinely foresee it. Once a Young Master Zhen of this caliber grew to his full potential, given the abysmal relationship between Pill Fire City and the Glazed Tile City, Pill Fire City would become his prime target. When that day came, who in Pill Fire City could possibly restrain him?
Such a threat had to be strangled in its cradle!
Not far from Danji Great Emperor, Han Qianzhan of the Xiayu Heavenly Sword Sect slapped his thigh and burst into hearty laughter. "Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! I always knew Young Master Zhen was an alchemy genius — but who would have thought his martial talent was no less extraordinary! A young man of such promise — surely the foremost talent in the Upper Eight Regions!"
Han Qiansui nodded in agreement. "Brother, our Heavenly Sword Sect's decision to befriend Young Master Zhen was a stroke of brilliance. This boy's momentum is simply too staggering. In my estimation, his fortune is something that simply cannot be blocked. No matter how this fight ends, the one who loses will be the Asura dojo. With a Young Master Zhen like this, with a Peacock Sacred Mountain like this, how could anyone in the Glazed Tile City bear to abandon them?"
"Exactly!" Han Qianzhan laughed and nodded. "The way I see it, if the Asura Great Emperor wants to win this round, it won't be easy at all."
Su Zhenhuan, Academy Master of the Tianchan Ancient Academy, spoke up from the side in a quiet, measured tone: "The Asura Great Emperor cannot win."
"Oh? What makes you say so?" Han Qianzhan smiled leisurely, his eyes crinkling as he looked toward Su Zhenhuan. They were all of the same generation, and he knew full well that Su Zhenhuan and the Peacock Great Emperor had once shared a connection of sorts.
Could it be that Academy Master Su was merely supporting the Peacock Sacred Mountain on a psychological level?
Even Danji Great Emperor pricked up his ears, eager to hear why Su Zhenhuan would voice such a categorical opinion. The Asura Great Emperor unable to defeat a young genius?
The very notion sounded almost absurd.
Su Zhenhuan said coolly, "Young Master Zhen's formations are exceptionally sophisticated — the components interlock with perfect precision, each linked to the next. Even I, watching from the outside, cannot discern the full mystery of it. This formation has the Asura Great Emperor trapped as the man inside the puzzle. Breaking it? Easier said than done."
A sparring match on the arena had a strict two-hour time limit. If the formation could not be broken within that window, the result would be declared a draw.
On the Asura dojo's side, every face had grown taut with gravity.