Liu Wencai's victory meant that among Jiang Chen's trio, they now had their first person to advance to the Round of Sixteen.
Next, Tang Hong took the field, facing the twenty-fourth-seeded warrior—a female disciple from the Flowing Cloud Sect who was obviously no match for Tang Hong.
This was especially true after Tang Hong's bloodline had been modified by the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Lizard's blood. His combat power was explosive to the extreme, and the female disciple couldn't hold on for long before Tang Hong defeated her.
Just as Jiang Chen had predicted, both Tang Hong and Liu Wencai smoothly advanced to the Round of Sixteen.
The third day finally arrived. Jiang Chen took the field!
"Xinghan, remember my words—this fight, if you gain nothing from it, don't bother coming down from the stage to see me!" Master Shuiyue's tone was cold as ice.
In her eyes now, there was only Long Juxue. Even Zeng Shi, her former first disciple, had been relegated to secondary importance—let alone Chu Xinghan, a disciple who had never known how to flatter, outwardly smooth but unyielding within.
Chu Xinghan's talent couldn't match Long Juxue's or Zeng Shi's, his tongue wasn't as sweet as Hai Tian's, and he wasn't as thoughtful as He Yan—always deftly attuned to his master's wishes.
Aside from his efficiency in handling tasks, Master Shuiyue truly had little fondness for this disciple.
Chu Xinghan suddenly stopped and turned, bowing deeply to Master Shuiyue. "Master, this word 'Master' is the last time your disciple will ever speak it in this life. We part forever today. Your disciple only hopes that Master's Dao heart remains clear, unclouded by worldly things. I also wish to tell Master—even an ant has its own Dao, and hopes to command its own fate rather than be someone else's pawn."
Now that Chu Xinghan had resolved to die, he might as well speak his mind freely.
Master Shuiyue's expression turned icy, about to rebuke him in fury.
But Chu Xinghan had already surged forward at lightning speed and leapt onto the stage.
"Master, this Chu Xinghan has a rebellious bone at the back of his skull," Long Juxue said coldly. "The way he looks, it seems he's very dissatisfied with Master's arrangements."
"Hmph, his entire life exists because of me. His fate should be governed by me. If he doesn't follow my wishes, then he is a traitor to my Water Moon lineage!"
Master Shuiyue's voice was glacial. Clearly, what had happened in the Earth Spirit Zone had already made her hate Jiang Chen to the bone—a hatred that absolutely did not fall short of Long Juxue's hatred for him.
Three years had passed since their last encounter.
Jiang Chen cleared his mind of all distractions. Every scene from the Second Crossing Pass flashed through his memory like a whirlwind.
He studied Chu Xinghan once more. Though his steps were steady, within that steadiness there was a hint of hesitation, a trace of desolation. Every detail might seem unchanged to an ordinary warrior, but under the observation of Jiang Chen's Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil and Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance, every minute particular was laid bare.
Jiang Chen was somewhat surprised. In his memory, Chu Xinghan was not the type to waver or drag things out.
Back then, he had arrived with flair and departed with grace.
Even when confronted by a mysterious powerhouse's threat, he hadn't lost his composure.
Such a person should have an extremely firm Dao heart. So why did he now appear to be in complete disarray? This kind of opponent made Jiang Chen frown slightly.
An unsteady Dao heart on the arena—that was practically a death sentence!
"So Chu Xinghan actually means to seek death?" Jiang Chen, with his extraordinary powers of perception, quickly reached the conclusion that Chu Xinghan had come here with the conviction he would die.
An ordinary warrior who came with the resolve to die would typically brim with fierce courage, radiating a tragic, death-defying valor.
But Chu Xinghan's manner was clearly not that of someone coming to fight desperately. He looked more like a man walking calmly to the execution ground.
"That's not Chu Xinghan's style at all!"
Though somewhat surprised, Jiang Chen gave no outward sign of it.
He did appreciate Chu Xinghan to some degree, but anyone standing on the same stage was an opponent. Jiang Chen had never shown sentimentality toward his enemies.
"Jiang Chen, a master's orders cannot be defied. I, Chu Xinghan, have come to die—a righteous death for a righteous cause. You need not hold back. However, I refuse to serve as Long Juxue's vanguard, detonating my Spirit Sea to fight you on her behalf. I, Chu Xinghan, would rather die than do that. I hope we can have a fair fight. I hope I can die with my head held high!"
Chu Xinghan's face was dark as still water as he transmitted his voice.
Jiang Chen was slightly startled. He transmitted back: "You recognized me?"
"When you were in the Earth Spirit Zone, the entire Purple Sun Sect had already identified you. Jiang Chen, I, Chu Xinghan, was not wrong about you. You truly are a genius. Come!"
Chu Xinghan had achieved a profound enlightenment. His mindset was detached and transcendent, yet he did not wallow in sorrow.
In this moment, all he wanted was a fight—a glorious, unrestrained battle!
He raised his head and let out a long, piercing cry. In that wail, his heart was filled with such desolation that even the sun and moon seemed to grieve alongside him.
"Fight!"
Chu Xinghan gripped his longsword. Behind him, streams of qi converged into a celestial river, as brilliant as the starry heavens themselves.
This dazzling stellar river was a sword technique that Chu Xinghan had cultivated exclusively. Driven by his spiritual energy, it formed an aura vast and luminous as a river of stars.
But three years had passed since their last meeting, and Jiang Chen was no longer the Jiang Chen of old.
Though Chu Xinghan's cultivation had been steadily advancing, compared to Jiang Chen's progress, it was naturally insufficient.
Chu Xinghan was now at the initial stage of the sixth level of the Spirit Realm. Those star-bright silver-white points of light gathered and fused into a pillar of sword energy that shot toward the heavens.
With a single guiding flourish of the blade's edge, a towering momentum surged forth.
"Sword energy pierces the heavens—go!"
When it came to swordsmanship, Chu Xinghan's style was grand and sweeping, bold and expansive. Though brilliant and imposing, it was no mere showy framework without substance.