Senior Chen Challenge

Space was limited in the Liu Clan territory, and only the top experts were allotted private courtyards. Despite his superior battle prowess, Senior Chen was not yet qualified for one and lived with other clansmen. While he was cultivating in his room, two men barged inside.

"Senior Chen, we saw Young Master in the training grounds. He's there with his two beauties for practice," one of them reported breathlessly.

Senior Chen opened his eyes and regarded the two men. They were the ones he had tasked with keeping an eye on Liu Xuefeng. He regretted not acquiring his dream sword and was biding his time for another opportunity.

"That's perfect. Here, your reward," he said, tossing them a bag of ten spirit stones.

Though a modest sum, it was easy money for the men. "Thank you, Senior," they bowed and quickly departed.

"Let's see what you're made of," Liu Chen muttered with a smile as he stood up and headed for the training grounds.

***

"What Spirit Art did you choose to practice? I'm not proficient with swords, so Princess Shan will instruct you later. You need a lot of battle practice to become a good swordsman," Wuying said as they walked toward the Spirit Puppets.

Their goal was to train Spirit Arts, as the puppets were tough to destroy. There were five ranks of them, each representing the defense level of a corresponding rank Spirit Beast. Destroying a rank 5 puppet meant your Spirit Art could penetrate the hide of a rank 5 Spirit Beast. The puppets were positioned around the field and could regenerate from damage, even if cut in half.

"Besides the clone art, I have created a super powerful sword art," Xuefeng said proudly. They were alone, so only the ladies heard him.

"Wait, you created a Spirit Art?" Princess Shan asked, dumbfounded. She wasn't aware of the existence of his master and he didn't plan to expose his secrets unless necessary.

"Yeah, want to see?" He nodded with a cheeky smile and drew his rank 3 sword, approaching the nearest puppet.

Testing his sword art against a black wall in his father's study hadn't revealed its true power. Now, it was time to showcase it.

Xuefeng channeled his Spirit Qi and performed the move. A wild serpent cry echoed as his black blade cut the puppet in half with minimal resistance as if slicing through butter.

Everyone in the training grounds turned to see what had happened. When they saw a rank 3 Spirit Puppet lying in two pieces, their jaws dropped. Mastering a rank 3 Spirit Art was necessary to create such an effect.

"How is our Young Master so strong already? Didn't he start cultivating just a few days ago?" one swordsman asked jealously, practicing his own rank 3 art but only managing scratches.

"Well, we can't compare with black talents. Instead of envying him, we should train more," his companion shrugged and resumed his practice.

"Aren't I awesome?" Xuefeng turned to the ladies, seeking praise. Despite the bracelets hindering his movements, he achieved his desired effect.

Princess Shan looked at him in shock. She knew how difficult it was to master a Sword Spirit Art, having spent countless hours perfecting hers.

"Did you just learn a sword art in less than a day? And you created it yourself?" she asked, needing confirmation.

"Yeah," Xuefeng confirmed shamelessly.

"Freak," was all Princess Shan could say.

"I'll take that as a compliment," he laughed.

"Does this Sword Spirit Art have only one move or more?" Wuying asked suddenly.

"It has about nine, but I've only practiced one so far. I wanted to master the second one today," he replied, regretting not testing the second move yet.

Seeing his regret, the ladies cursed him in their minds. They had trained for years, but he needed just one day and was still dissatisfied. Spirit Arts, unlike normal attacks, combined the power of Spirit Artifacts with precise techniques for a powerful effect.

"Young Master, how about a duel?" a male voice called out behind them.

They turned to see a handsome black-haired man with dark blue eyes approaching.

"Look, it's Senior Chen. He's going to duel with Young Master," one of the men who had received spirit stones from Liu Chen shouted, hoping to gather a crowd. An unofficial duel might pressure Xuefeng into handing over his sword.

"Xuefeng, you don't need to accept his challenge. You're one stage lower than him," Wuying reminded him. She knew this guy's battle experience would give him an edge.

"Who's talking about a challenge? It's just a friendly spar. Are you going to hide behind a woman?" Liu Chen taunted, turning to Xuefeng with a sneer.

"We can have a duel, but without fighting. Let's compare the strength of our Spirit Arts instead. What do you think?" Xuefeng proposed after a moment's thought. If his sword art could pierce the hardest material, a puppet would be no challenge.

The ladies understood his plan and didn't stop him. If it wasn't a fight, he might have a chance.

"Perfect! What are the rules?" Liu Chen accepted eagerly, finding it laughable that Xuefeng wanted to compare Spirit Arts.

"We'll both strike a rank 5 Spirit Puppet once. The one who deals more damage wins," Xuefeng explained.

"Deal. What are the stakes?" Liu Chen asked slyly.

"What stakes?" Xuefeng asked, puzzled. "Wasn't this a friendly duel?"

"Wouldn't it be boring without a prize? How about we wager our rank 5 swords?" Liu Chen suggested with a smile.

"Liu Chen, don't push it!" Wuying snapped angrily, realizing his ploy to steal Xuefeng's Black Flames Slayer.

"Miss Wuying, this is a matter between men. Don't interfere," Liu Chen said dismissively, unafraid of her.

"You…" Wuying started to retort, but Xuefeng's hand stopped her.

"Show me your sword. I don't think it's worth as much as mine," Xuefeng said, not hiding the fact that he had the Black Flames Slayer after the incident in his courtyard.

"I know. I'll also give you 100,000 spirit stones if you win. How about it?" Liu Chen, prepared for this, threw a rank 1 Storage Bracelet filled with spirit stones at Wuying for verification.

"So, do we have a deal?" Liu Chen asked, pulling out his rank 5 sword and resting it on his shoulder.

'You can agree. There's no way he'll overpower my art. With the second move and the Black Flames Slayer, you have a ninety-nine percent chance of destroying the puppet entirely,' Ling suggested after analyzing the situation.

'What about the other one percent?' Xuefeng asked curiously.

'You might get crushed by a sudden meteor shower before finishing your move,' Ling joked.

Xuefeng decided not to comment on her joke. "Okay, I agree," he announced confidently.