Unexpected Emergencies

A terrifying aura erupted from Wang Zhenya, and under its pressure, Dan Chen's body was covered in sweat, and his hair stood on end.

Qi-Bursting Pill, what kind of elixir was this? The aura was so terrifying! In the blink of an eye, Wang Zhenya's aura became more than twice as strong. The current Wang Zhenya was no longer someone with the cultivation level of Initial Martial Realm of the Fifth Rank.

Retreat! Dan Chen dared not think further; he pushed his Swimming Fish Step technique to the limit and retreated rapidly.

Dan Chen was fast, but Wang Zhenya was faster. Despite having perfected his Swimming Fish Step, the gap in their respective cultivation levels reduced the effectiveness of the footwork.

Within just a few moves, the bloodied Wang Zhenya, with his clothes torn like a beggar, had already extended his withered claws to grab at Dan Chen.

His speed was so extreme that there was no time to use any special techniques. Dan Chen hastily adjusted his True Qi condensed it in his palm, and resolutely faced the attack.

Upon contact, Wang Zhenya only paused momentarily, and Dan Chen was sent flying several zhang to the side.

Wang Zhenya let out a triumphant and mad laugh. "You little brat, now you know how formidable I am?"

Dan Chen, hovering mid-air, gracefully turned and landed on his feet, spitting out a mouthful of blood. While wiping his mouth, he sneered, "Old man, I see you've been intoxicated by the medicine. Can you still catch up with me now?"

Dan Chen's voice sounded strong, as if he hadn't been affected much. In reality, that mouthful of blood had already dissipated most of the damage he had received from that attack, and he would fully recover after a short rest.

Wang Zhenya's laughter came to an abrupt stop as he realized the distance between them had increased even further, and he roared in anger before lunging again.

Dan Chen's lips curled with a cold smile, and he began retreating calmly. As Wang Zhenya was about to get close again, a blue-colored hand of True Qi suddenly reached out from behind Dan Chen. With a swift smack, it swatted Wang Zhenya away like swatting a fly.

Dan Ming had arrived!

All of this had been calculated by Dan Chen.

"Dan Chen, are you okay?"

Dan Ming had swiftly swatted Wang Zhenya, and now he looked at Dan Chen with concern. He was afraid that the most outstanding genius in the history of the Dan family might have been injured.

"Grandfather, I'm fine. Just need a moment to recover," Dan Chen's face was slightly pale, but his aura remained stable.

"You go down to rest, I've got everything under control," Dan Ming said with a reassuring nod, then turned to glare at Wang Zhenya with icy eyes.

All of this had happened in just a few breaths of time, and the onlookers were left in shock.

"The formidable Wang Zhenya, who had consumed the Qi-Bursting Pill, with the cultivation of an Initial Martial Realm of the seventh rank, only slightly injured Dan Chen, who is at the fifth rank. Is this something a fifth-rank Initial Martial cultivator can achieve?"

"With the cultivation at the fifth rank, he defeated a seasoned expert of the sixth rank in one-on-one combat, and now he has managed to retreat from an attack that's comparable to the seventh rank. This kid is truly extraordinary."

"The Dan family has produced an incredible genius! If things go smoothly he might even reach a high martial realm in the future!"

The battle between the Dan and Wang families had already attracted the attention of the entire Tianyun City. Many people had come to watch. Dan Chen's three battles, his victory at the same rank, his success in challenging higher ranks, and his retreat from a seventh-rank expert had all left the onlookers astonished. Even some senior eighth rank Initial Martial artists were looking at Dan Chen with respect.

"Wang Zhenya, do you have any shame left?" Dan Ming's face was filled with anger. Dan Chen was the hope for the Dan family's future, and any mishap would result in significant losses.

He pointed at Wang Zhenya, scolding him sternly, "You, who are two generations senior and almost fifty years older, used a sneak attack on a junior with a fifth-grade cultivation level. Are you trying to disgrace the Wang family? It's one thing to lose in a direct confrontation, but you even used the Qi-Bursting Pill... Do you have no shame? You've tarnished the reputation of the older generation of martial artists. I'm curious, how will you face others in the future?"

"You..." Wang Zhenya's face turned crimson, he pointed at Dan Ming, and his whole body trembled. Suddenly, he spurted out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

Wang Zhenya had already suffered severe injuries, and after taking the Qi-Bursting Pill, his aura became extremely violent. Then, after a single strike from Dan Ming, his entire being experienced a violent shock, and in the end, he passed out in embarrassment.

“From today, Tianyun City has another subject of ridicule!”

People who took pleasure in others’ misfortune were not uncommon. Most martial artists had their pride, and they distanced themselves from individuals like Wang Zhenya.

“What an embarrassment!”

Wang Zhenya’s blood-related clan chief, Wang Zhenshan, couldn’t help but feel like kicking him. It was one thing to resort to a sneak attack, but losing afterward was even more disgraceful.

He gestured for people to take Wang Zhenya away for treatment and then shifted his gaze to Dan Chen, who was quietly meditating. A hint of murderous intent appeared in his eyes: “This kid must die. If he's allowed to grow, my Wang family will be in big trouble!”

Dan Ming, who had been closely watching, noticed this and snorted, "Wang Zhenshan, do you also intend to attack someone of a younger generation, regardless of your reputation?"

Wang Zhenshan raised his head, and a chilling aura erupted from him. His voice was ice-cold: "I only have one target. Dan Ming, come out and face your death!"

Dan Ming snorted heavily and took a small step forward, causing his aura to surge. He was not at all intimidated by Wang Zhenshan's imposing presence.

Suddenly, fiery red patterns floated on Wang Zhenshan's body, like flames rising, and they converged above his head, forming a leaping red tiger. The aura it emitted was fierce and ferocious, causing all the nearby martial artists to retreat in shock.

"True Qi Manifestation, Initial Martial Ninth Grade!"

"Hiss! This is the ability of a ninth-grade expert!"

"It's no wonder he's the number one expert among the Five Great Families of Tianyun City. He’s truly extraordinary!"

Dan Chen opened his eyes as well, his gaze full of respect and awe but no fear. Instead, he seemed eager and passionate, his whole body seemly boiling with hot blood.

Dan Ming, taking the brunt of the pressure, displayed several blue stripes that surged from his body, and a blue dragon emerged, surrounded by a cloud of blue energy. It enveloped the fiery tiger and all the surrounding flames.

After a few breaths of time, the fiery tiger disappeared, leaving behind a blue dragon over two feet long that pounced on Wang Zhenshan.

"It can’t be!"

Seeing his True Qi instantly consumed and dissolved by Dan Ming, Wang Zhenshan shouted in disbelief and panic, using his True Qi to form a red shield. Seizing this opportunity, he retreated using a body technique. Nevertheless, he still bore several traces of Qi blade on his body.

"You are also at the Ninth Grade! How's that possible?"

These two sentences with different tones emerged one after the other from Wang Zhenshan's mouth, clearly showing his shock and disbelief.

"Our clan chief has been defeated! How could our clan chief be defeated?"

Over at the Wang family's side, someone broke down, covering their face and crying out. This voice brought the onlookers, who were previously shocked into silence, back to reality, and discussions broke out.

"Am I seeing things? Wasn't Dan Ming at the Initial Martial eighth grade? How can he overpower Wang Zhenshan, who has been at the ninth grade for years, with a single move? This doesn't make sense."

"I remember the Wang family's 'True Flame Technique' is a peak mid-grade martial art, while the Dan family's 'Supreme Jade True Art' seems to have a lower grade. Could the rumors be incorrect?"

Upon hearing these discussions, Dan Chen's lips curled into a faint smile. He had elevated the Supreme Jade True Art to a top-grade cultivation method. Having practiced this new top-grade technique, the True Qi in Dan Ming's body was already exceptionally pure, surpassing Wang Zhenshan at the same level. It was only natural.

Even though he wasn't showcasing his talents personally, he knew that he was responsible for half of the credit, and this filled him with pride.

Seeing that the situation was about to worsen, Wang Zhenshan forcibly calmed himself down, his face displaying a fierce expression as he shouted outward, "Xu Shaoguang, Feng Yiqian, it's come to this point, and you still won't come out?"

"The Xu family? And the Feng family?"

Dan Chen's heart sank suddenly, while the people from the Wang family revealed excitement. The onlookers from other families also displayed surprise.

The middle-aged man in a yellow robe and the elderly man in a blue robe were none other than Xu Shaoguang, the head of the Xu family, and Feng Yiqian, the head of the Feng family, both of them having reached the eighth level of cultivation at the Initial Martial Realm.

Feng Yiqian stared at Dan Ming, his eyes filled with enmity. "Dan Ming, you've hidden deep enough. You've actually advanced quietly. If we don't get rid of you, there will be no peace in Tianyun City. Today, I will and must eradicate this menace for the people."

"What kind of ‘eradicating the menace’ is this, you hypocrite?" Dan Ming sneered coldly. His body trembled and turned into three illusory images, launching simultaneous attacks on Wang Zhenshan, Xu Shaoguang, and Feng Yiqian.

The three men's expressions changed drastically. These were the perfected and sublimated forms of the Fish to Dragon, three illusory images with identical auras. Among them, only one was real, creating a bewildering effect.

Dan Chen watched with a gleam in his eyes. This transformation was something he hadn't comprehended, leaving him itching to learn more. He secretly decided that when his spiritual energy was abundant, he would definitely delve into the Swimming Fish Step; it had untapped potential.

The bewildering exchange of positions left two muffled groans in the field. When Dan Ming stood firm once again, Xu Shaoguang and Feng Yiqian were already spitting blood with ashen faces, bearing the appearance of severe injuries.

The onlookers were momentarily speechless. Two clan chiefs at the eighth rank Initial Martial Realm had been gravely wounded in the blink of an eye. Had Dan Ming truly reached such heights?

"Merely some eighth-level cultivators, and you dare to be my enemy? Seeking death!"

Dan Ming's majestic voice echoed above the Dan family, not particularly loud but having a deafening effect. It was then that everyone truly awakened to the reality that Dan Ming had indeed reached the pinnacle of the ninth level, the top expert in Tianyun City.

For a moment, people's gazes toward Dan Ming turned to ones of reverence.

"Dan Ming, don't let your arrogance get the better of you!" Wang Zhenshan roared in anger. He waved his hand forcefully, and three Wang family elders appeared behind him.

The three Wang family elders, each exuding a fierce aura, displayed formidable eighth-level strength. In their eyes, the Dan family had only one expert—Dan Ming. If they eliminated the others first, then joined forces against Dan Ming, their chances of victory would be quite high.

"Wang Zhenxi, you'll experience my methods." The Grand Elder of the Dan family smiled and released his own imposing aura, confronting the Wang family's top elder.

The second and third elders of both families found their respective opponents.

"This can't be right. How did all three Dan family elders reach the eighth level?"

Wang Zhenxi couldn't believe his eyes. Weren't the three Dan family elders all at the seventh rank Initial Martial Realm? How had they all suddenly advanced to the eighth?

"What?" Wang Zhenshan's task was to hold off Dan Ming, but when he heard the commotion, he hastily turned to look at the three Dan family elders. Indeed, he witnessed something that deflated him, even left him in despair. At this moment, he had only one question in his mind: What had happened? How had the overall strength of the Dan family's higher-ups improved?

Wang Zhenshan couldn't have fathomed that all of this had been caused by a seemingly arbitrary excuse he had used to initiate this conflict, and everything was due to Dan Chen, a fifteen-year-old youth.

"The title of Tianyun's first family might be about to change."

"Yes, the Dan family's strength has significantly risen and can now comprehensively contend with the Wang family."

"The power dynamics in Tianyun City are bound to shift."

In the midst of discussions, the onlookers were contemplating their positions and strategies, seeking the maximum benefit.

"Wang Zhenshan, do you still wish to engage in a decisive battle with my Dan family?" Dan Ming's calm voice resounded.