The two on the stage had been staring each other down for some time. At first, Qin Chuan was indeed stunned by the violent surge of tyrannical Ice Attribute Elemental Power from Mu Chen, but he relaxed instantly upon seeing that Mu Chen only had five Martial Rings.

"So that’s how it is. Were you just trying to test my strength with that last move? Heh, I’ll have you know it’s useless even if you’ve gauged my full power, because your Martial Artist Realm is far too low compared to mine! Hasn’t your instructor told you what it means to be at a lower Martial Artist Realm than your opponent?" Qin Chuan taunted, executing his Step Technique to close in on Mu Chen once more, his tirade unending. "It means you’ll be completely crushed by my Martial Artist Realm... Ugh!"

Before Qin Chuan could finish speaking, a fist wreathed in red Primordial Power slammed squarely into his left shoulder, sending him flying backward to crash heavily onto the ground.

BOOM!! With a deafening crash, new cracks spiderwebbed across the arena floor, which was forged from Refined Iron. Mu Chen shook his fist, two red Spiral Rune Seals now hovering around his arm. He remarked flatly, "You talk too much."

From start to finish, none of the students present—except for He Long—had been able to see how Mu Chen attacked, or even when he had moved from his spot.

Qin Chuan scrambled up from the ground, abruptly spitting out a mouthful of blood. Feeling his shoulder, which seemed to have been pulverized, he asked in horror, "You... What did you do?"

Mu Chen’s expression was placid. ’An Eight-Ring Martial Spirit would never be defeated so easily,’ he thought. ’That last hit only landed because he underestimated me.’ "Use your full strength."

Qin Chuan’s expression finally grew serious. "It seems the rumors about you are true. The difference in our Martial Artist Realms doesn’t seem to affect you much. But, as you wish."

The moment he finished speaking, Qin Chuan’s hands flew open, and two wisps of green Primordial Power appeared in his palms. He clenched his fists, and with a SWISH, two long, narrow, thorny vines shot out from his hands.

"Blood Rose."

The Holy Hall Students gasped the moment the name was uttered.

"Blood Rose! Isn’t that Brother Chuan’s weapon? He’s bringing it out already?"

"When the Rose appears, blood will fly!"

"I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mu Chen use a weapon. During his intense battle with Kong Ye Ming, he only ever condensed his Primordial Power into an ice-blue giant fan."

"This time is different. Brother Chuan’s Blood Rose is a Control-Type Weapon, which is incredibly effective at restricting offense-focused Martial Artists."

...

Mu Chen heard every word from the Holy Hall Students. ’Control-Type Weapons, huh?’

With a flip of his wrist, the Water Attribute Primordial Qi in the surrounding space fluctuated violently. The next moment, space itself seemed to stutter, and a Profound Ice Giant Fan materialized out of thin air. The sight of this sent another shock through the crowd—it was Elemental Power Materialization, an ability exclusive to the Martial Emperor Realm.

At this point, He Long, who was sitting among the Holy Hall Students, could no longer stay in his seat. If he had been surprised before when Mu Chen, a Five-Ring Martial Spirit, sent the Eight-Ring Martial Spirit Qin Chuan flying in an instant, then this display of Elemental Power Materialization left He Long utterly horrified.

"Elemental Power Materialization?" Qin Chuan’s heart leaped into his throat as he stared at the Profound Ice Giant Fan in Mu Chen’s hand, a secret flicker of fear kindling within him.

Mu Chen smiled. "Let me see just how powerful that Control-Type Weapon of yours is."

With that, Mu Chen stepped forward, Thunder Light sparking beneath his feet. A streak of white light flashed by, and Mu Chen appeared behind Qin Chuan. With a flick of his arm, the Profound Ice Giant Fan swung in a massive arc with a SWOOSH, its speed generating a fierce howl as it tore through the air, aimed squarely at Qin Chuan’s back.

The now-composed Qin Chuan felt a bone-chilling cold assault his back. Executing his Body Technique, he twisted to the side and barely dodged the devastating strike. Not wanting to give his opponent an opening to attack again, Qin Chuan flicked his arms. The two Rose Vines, covered in red spikes, glowed with a green light as they whipped toward Mu Chen’s ankles, aiming to bind him in a single move.

But Mu Chen wasn’t about to let him have his way. Tapping his toes on the ground, he caused the surrounding Water Element to fluctuate once more. In the next instant, a Profound Ice Barrier materialized around his legs, completely blocking the Blood Rose vines. The Thunder Light surged, and Mu Chen’s figure once again vanished from sight.

Qin Chuan didn’t bother searching for Mu Chen. Instead, he extended his arms and spun on the spot, wrapping his body completely with the two astonishingly long Blood Rose vines. Those who knew Qin Chuan recognized this as one of his standard tactics. When an opponent’s location is unknown, self-preservation is paramount. Mu Chen’s use of Elemental Power Materialization had been a stark reminder of that fact.

BANG!

Sure enough, the very moment Qin Chuan was fully encased by the Blood Rose vines, a blue, fan-shaped blade of light SIZZLED down from above and struck them. The power Mu Chen unleashed after releasing his Taotie Seal was immense. In a flash, countless vines were severed, revealing Qin Chuan inside. A bloody gash had appeared on his right arm.

But when Mu Chen saw Qin Chuan’s expression through the newly formed gap, his heart lurched. ’It’s a trap!’ he thought. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Because the moment he was exposed, Qin Chuan showed no fear or concern. Instead, a cryptic smile graced his lips.

"Too late!"

Qin Chuan bellowed as green Primordial Power surged from his hands, instantly enveloping the vines Mu Chen had severed. As if nourished by the Wood Attribute Elemental Power, the broken pieces began to grow frantically. In the space of a single breath, each piece had regenerated into a complete vine. And they were all right at Mu Chen’s feet!

"Bind him!"

At Qin Chuan’s command, the Rose Vines surged toward Mu Chen like a swarm of red snakes. Watching the vines rushing toward him, Mu Chen frowned. He held the Profound Ice Giant Fan horizontally in front of him. A sharp glint flashed from behind his closed eyes, and his arm trembled violently. In an instant, seven or eight jets of blue Sword Qi shot forth, shredding the approaching Rose Vines to pieces.

The shattered pieces of vine CLATTERED to the ground as if they’d lost their power. But the very instant they landed, wisps of green energy wrapped around them. The fragments immediately grew back into countless individual vines, their numbers now more than ten times greater than before.

"Keep at it!"

Qin Chuan remained standing in the center of the arena. At his command, all the vines charged at Mu Chen from every direction, hell-bent on trapping him. Mu Chen’s brow furrowed slightly; he sensed something was wrong, but he had no time to devise a countermeasure. So, the moment the Rose Vines caught up, he once again swung his Profound Ice Giant Fan, pulverizing the multiplied vines.

Unsurprisingly, the rose fragments that Mu Chen had cut down were again swept up by Qin Chuan’s green Primordial Power, regenerating into even more individual vines that resumed the chase.

Chase, destroy, regenerate, multiply. After several cycles, Mu Chen finally understood the problem. Unless he defeated Qin Chuan himself, these Rose Vines would never stop. On the contrary, they would just keep multiplying, becoming an ever-growing problem.

Standing outside the ring, Di Cang watched the dense, endless mass of Rose Vines on the stage, beads of sweat forming on his temples. "This is bad," he muttered.

Lingyun’s expression was just as grim. As onlookers, they could see the situation more clearly than Mu Chen. She figured it was likely because this was Mu Chen’s first time fighting a Wood Attribute Martial Artist, so he had little experience to draw on.

"Teacher, I don’t recall Qin Chuan having a Combat Skill like this," Lingyun said.

"Indeed. The Qin Chuan from six months ago didn’t have this Regeneration Combat Skill," Di Cang speculated. "But a lot can happen in half a year. He likely came across it while on a mission."

"This Combat Skill is incredibly troublesome," Lingyun said in a low voice. "It’s like bacteria—the more you destroy it, the more it multiplies. One becomes two, two become four, four become eight. Eventually, not only will their numbers not decrease, they’ll grow to be innumerable. If these Rose Vines cover the entire arena, the outcome won’t be pretty."

Di Cang nodded. "That’s true, but all he needs to do is destroy the core of this Combat Skill. I have faith in Mu Chen; he’ll figure it out." With that, Di Cang said no more and turned his gaze back to the arena below.

The Holy Hall Students, of course, were buzzing with excitement, as not even they knew Qin Chuan possessed such a bizarre Combat Skill. A long-absent smile finally broke through Qin Garden’s sullen expression. "As expected of Qin Chuan. It’s been half a year, and his combat power has increased severalfold. No wonder he was able to kill a King-level Magical Beast. He must have used this very same method."

On the stage, Mu Chen showed no sign of panic. He glanced at the tide-like mass of Rose Vines below, then stomped his foot. With a flicker of Thunder Light, he instantly appeared next to Qin Chuan.

His arm trembled, and thirty-eight consecutive strikes landed solidly on the roses enveloping Qin Chuan. But the defense was nothing like it was before. Back then, only two Rose Vines had been protecting him. Now, there were thousands, if not tens of thousands. From the outside, Qin Chuan looked as though he was shielded by a giant green cocoon, and Mu Chen’s attacks had no effect at all.

"Heh heh... Mu Chen, you’ve missed your best opportunity to attack. If you had pressed the advantage after sending me flying with that punch, I would have already been defeated. Or, if you’d used this flurry of attacks when I was only protected by two Rose Vines, I would have lost then, too. But it’s too late now. On this stage, I am the King! I am the Overlord! Because this... is my Rose Domain!"