Chapter 108: Chapter 105: Walking on Air, I Can Do It Too

"Too slow!" Kong Ye Ming sneered. The cyclone of air at his feet spun rapidly, and with a nimble movement, he easily dodged the fan’s attack.

A grin touched Mu Chen’s lips. The moment Kong Ye Ming moved, Mu Chen was already at his destination. This sudden reversal of speed caught Kong Ye Ming completely off guard. He had just regained his footing when Mu Chen appeared before him, slashing out with the Profound Ice Giant Fan. Its entire surface was coated in Thunder Light. Under Mu Chen’s swift and violent attack, Kong Ye Ming had no chance to escape. He had no choice but to raise the Wind Dragon Roar and assume a defensive stance to block the sudden assault.

CLANG!

Mu Chen’s Profound Ice Giant Fan slammed heavily onto Kong Ye Ming’s Sword Blade. The blade visibly bent into a deep arc, a clear sign that it was enduring a terrifying amount of force.

Mu Chen snorted. With a single swing of his arm, he sent Kong Ye Ming, man and sword, flying backward. Kong Ye Ming shot away like an arrow from a bow, traveling a hundred meters at an incredible speed. Moving that fast, even as a Martial Spirit, he couldn’t stop himself instantly. He had no choice but to plunge his Wind Dragon Roar into the ground, using the friction between the blade and the arena to slow his momentum. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

But Mu Chen wasn’t about to give him a chance to recover. Thunder Light erupted from his feet, and his body turned into a white blur, flashing instantly in front of Kong Ye Ming. He wrenched his arm back, swinging the Profound Ice Giant Fan in a massive reverse arc. The whistle of it slicing through the air made the retreating Kong Ye Ming’s pupils shrink violently. He raised the Wind Dragon Roar to block once more.

BAM!

Unsurprisingly, Kong Ye Ming was sent flying at an even greater speed than before. Mu Chen followed up, relentlessly attacking Kong Ye Ming and constantly forcing him toward the edge of the arena. However, Kong Ye Ming was now airborne, unable to use his greatest advantage—his speed. The Martial Spirit Level technique of Walking on Air required extremely fine control of one’s Primordial Power. As a mere Three-Ring Martial Spirit, his mastery of the technique wasn’t refined enough, so he could only suffer Mu Chen’s continuous assault in frustration.

The crowd was stunned silent. One of the Holy Hall Students stared at the stage in astonishment. "What’s happening?" he said in disbelief. "Didn’t Kong Ye Ming have the advantage a moment ago? He even drew his weapon. How is he being so thoroughly suppressed by that kid?"

"That’s not even the main point!" another Holy Hall Student cried out. "The real question is, how can that kid’s weapon, formed from Profound Ice, be tougher than Kong Ye Ming’s Wind Dragon Roar? He’s attacked so many times, yet there isn’t a single chip on it."

Di Cang’s face was all smiles, but his eyes betrayed a considerable amount of surprise. ’This kid didn’t use his full strength when he fought me last time,’ he thought. ’Or rather, back then he was relying purely on his physical power.’

Beside him, Tielin and Tie Mu couldn’t hide the delight in their eyes. Meanwhile, Zhu Da and Zhu the Second, who had been ruddy-faced and beaming just moments before, now looked utterly grim. Their faces were as black as the bottom of a pot.

CRASH!

With another furious slash, the Profound Ice Giant Fan in Mu Chen’s hand finally gave way under the punishing force, and a large gash appeared in it. However, the damage did nothing to stop Kong Ye Ming from flying out of the arena. The Water Attribute Primordial Qi in the surrounding space fluctuated once more, and the huge gash on the Profound Ice Giant Fan healed rapidly. In a matter of seconds, it was as good as new.

Watching Kong Ye Ming hurtle toward the ground, all the Outer Circle Students erupted in cheers. The moment he landed, the winner of this battle would be Mu Chen—and by extension, the Outer Circle. From this day forward, they would no longer have to bow and scrape before the Holy Hall Students.

But things rarely go as planned. Everyone had forgotten the signature ability of a Martial Artist who had reached the Martial Spirit Realm. Just as Kong Ye Ming was about to hit the ground, he flicked his wrist, sending a green slash of Sword Qi toward the arena floor. The recoil from the attack lifted his body slightly. At that same instant, a massive amount of green Primordial Power erupted from within him, and three green Martial Rings silently appeared. His body simply hung there, floating in the air.

It was Hovering, the signature ability of the Martial Spirit Realm! However, Hovering consumed a great deal of Primordial Power, and the average Martial Spirit couldn’t maintain it for very long.

HUFF... HUFF...

In the air, Kong Ye Ming’s sword arm trembled uncontrollably. Mu Chen’s incredible strength had long since numbed it. In fact, Kong Ye Ming realized his arm was completely devoid of feeling, as if it had been broken. Staring in horror at the impassive Mu Chen on the arena floor, a chill ran down Kong Ye Ming’s spine. He knew that if he got hit by that Giant Fan just one more time, he would be trapped in an endless assault until he lost the ability to fight.

HUFF... HUFF...

Floating in the air, he took two deep breaths. As a bit of feeling returned to his arm, Kong Ye Ming had an idea. ’Since I can move through the air and Mu Chen can’t, I’ll just kite him. My Primordial Power can last for a long time.’

With that thought, a savage grin spread across Kong Ye Ming’s lips. He raised his hand and slashed down. The Wind Dragon Roar hummed as it sliced through the air, and a pale green stream of Sword Qi shot down from the sky, aimed directly at Mu Chen below.

SHIINK!

With a sharp tearing sound, a long, narrow gash appeared on the face of the Profound Ice Giant Fan that Mu Chen held before him. The cut was so deep it nearly pierced all the way through. Only then did Mu Chen realize that Kong Ye Ming’s Wind Elemental Power, when amplified by the Wind Dragon Roar, could reach such a terrifying level.

Space rippled as the Profound Ice Jade Fan quickly repaired itself. Kong Ye Ming chuckled darkly, his sword hand blurring into a series of afterimages. He executed a variety of Sword Forms with his Wind Dragon Roar, sending a barrage of crisscrossing Sword Qi flying toward Mu Chen. The air filled with an endless hissing sound.

Faced with such a barrage of Sword Qi, Mu Chen didn’t dare try to block it with his Profound Ice Giant Fan again. With a stomp of his foot accompanied by a faint crackle of thunder, he vanished from his spot. The Sword Qi ravaged the place where he had stood for a moment before dissipating, leaving only a few shallow scratches on the Refined Iron Arena.

Even Mu Chen was stunned by the power of that Sword Qi. The arena was forged from Refined Iron, a metal that even a High-level Five Spirits practitioner couldn’t scratch. Yet Kong Ye Ming, a Three-Ring Martial Spirit, had managed to mar its surface. The Wind Attribute amplification from that Wind Dragon Roar was clearly very powerful.

As Mu Chen was lost in thought, several more sharp slashes of Sword Qi rained down from the sky. He moved again to dodge. ’It can’t be helped,’ Mu Chen thought. ’I really haven’t figured out a way to attack Kong Ye Ming while he’s in the air. Unless... I use the Shattered Star Lock Chain. But I don’t want to reveal it just to deal with a small fry like him. It would only invite trouble, someone trying to kill me for my treasure. Even though Broken Star is a Nine-Turn Immortal Soldier, others would mistake it for a Spiritual Treasure Soldier.’

Below the stage, the Outer Circle Students clenched their fists. Some of them shouted, "Despicable! Hiding up in the sky like that!" But all they received in response was a contemptuous look.

Watching Kong Ye Ming continuously send down Sword Qi from the sky, Mu Chen smiled faintly. He opened his palm and then abruptly clenched it into a fist in Kong Ye Ming’s direction. With a soft CHIME, the space around Kong Ye Ming trembled. A cloud of icy mist suddenly appeared around him, and from it, countless Profound Ice Spikes hissed into existence. The sudden attack sent Kong Ye Ming into a panic, and he scrambled to dodge out of the area. He then stared at Mu Chen in astonishment, having never seen such a bizarre form of attack.

Glancing back at the area that had been swarmed by countless ice spikes, Kong Ye Ming’s expression grew even more solemn. He continued his kiting strategy, but this time he was far more vigilant, constantly monitoring the space around him for any fluctuations. The moment he sensed anything unusual, he would immediately relocate.

The battle thus fell into a stalemate once again. ’This isn’t working,’ Mu Chen thought to himself. ’The attack from my Ice Extreme Power is too slow. The icy mist that appears first is too obvious a tell. I’ll never be able to land a hit on him.’

The students in the crowd all began to look worried. If this continued, Mu Chen would eventually run out of stamina. A Martial Spirit’s Primordial Power reserves were immensely greater than a Martial Master’s. In a battle of attrition, Mu Chen had no hope of outlasting Kong Ye Ming.

A confident smile finally broke through Zhu Da’s gloomy expression. The scales of victory were tipping in their favor. He cast a mocking glance at Tie Mu and Tielin, only to be shocked—he and Zhu the Second saw that the two were actually playing a game of Go, in this kind of environment... Shaking his head, Zhu Da just assumed they had given up hope.

On the stage, Mu Chen continued to dodge. ’That’s it! I can try this!’ he thought, overjoyed. ’If this idea really works, I’ll set a new record, create a miracle.’

With a single clench of his fist, the Profound Ice Giant Fan reappeared in Mu Chen’s hand. Everyone looked on in confusion. Could he really attack the airborne Kong Ye Ming just by summoning his weapon? He still didn’t have the slightest advantage.

But then, to everyone’s astonishment, Mu Chen leaped high into the air. That’s right—a single jump, ten meters high.

Some students wondered aloud, "What is Mu Chen doing? Kong Ye Ming is way too high. He can’t possibly reach him with a jump."

"Could it be that he’s figured something out?"

"We’ll know if we keep watching."

After reaching the apex of his jump, Mu Chen’s body began to fall. Seeing him descend, the Outer Circle Students all shook their heads in disappointment. But what happened next left them utterly dumbfounded.

Mu Chen jumped again! He had jumped a second time, in mid-air!

"Wha—" One student rubbed his eyes hard. "Am I hallucinating?"

WHOOSH!

The student’s words had barely faded when, just as he was about to descend, Mu Chen’s figure leaped up yet again. He had jumped three consecutive times in the air. That third jump completely overturned everything the students knew. He hadn’t reached the Martial Spirit Realm, yet he had jumped three times in mid-air, seemingly without consuming any Primordial Power or using any kind of tool. It was just a simple leap, then another, and another...

Watching Mu Chen get closer and closer, Kong Ye Ming had no time to be surprised. He brandished his Wind Dragon Roar and shouted, "Hmph! You’re just jumping in a straight line. So what if you can get up here? You’re just a living target!"

He finished speaking and slashed with his sword. A pale green stream of Sword Qi hissed through the air, heading straight for Mu Chen in mid-jump. But then, a bizarre scene unfolded. A smirk played on Mu Chen’s lips. He tapped his toes on the empty air, and with a surge of Thunder Light, his body instantly shifted more than ten meters to the side, easily evading the Sword Qi.

The moment the Sword Qi flew past, Thunder Light erupted from under Mu Chen’s feet again. In a flash, he appeared directly in front of Kong Ye Ming. A slight smile on his face, Mu Chen said softly, "Walking on Air? It seems... I can do that too."