Chapter 427: Unfortunately, I Can Do It Too

Zhao Chengqian's breakthrough did not last long. Soon the elemental storm dissipated, but his aura surged significantly, stabilizing firmly above the seventh level of the Sea of Qi!

He looked at Ye Yuan with a cold smile and said, "Now, do you regret your foolishness? But it's too late. Provoking me is the greatest tragedy of your life!"

Cross-tier combat was as easy as eating and drinking for Zhao Chengqian. Ordinary late-stage Sea of Qi martial artists had no power to resist before him.

Even peak Sea of Qi martial artists could be easily killed by Zhao Chengqian.

And today, for the first time, he was the one being challenged across tiers!

And not just one or two minor realms, but an entire major realm!

To Zhao Chengqian, this was a great insult.

But Zhao Chengqian had to admit that Ye Yuan, having defeated the combined forces of Huang Wenqiu and Xue Zaihe, was certainly worthy of his serious attention!

So he chose to break through without hesitation!

After breaking through five realms in a row, Ye Yuan was no longer the rookie who could be bullied at will!

Shangguan Lingyun could guess that Ye Yuan had a backup plan, and so could Zhao Chengqian.

Ye Yuan dared to challenge him in such a state; it was impossible that he had no preparation at all.

But like Shangguan Lingyun, he did not know what Ye Yuan's backup plan was.

Ye Yuan shook his head and sighed, "I really don't know where you get your confidence. Is breaking through to the seventh level of the Sea of Qi such a big deal?"

"Heh, the seventh level of the Sea of Qi is nothing special, but it's enough to deal with you!" Zhao Chengqian sneered.

Ye Yuan smiled and said, "You seem full of confidence. I hate to dampen your spirits, but unfortunately, I've always been quite good at breaking through realms. One realm is too few!"

Zhao Chengqian's expression changed. "What do you mean? You just broke through five realms. Can you still break through now? Don't joke around!"

Cultivating elemental energy is a process that requires accumulation, especially after the Crystal Condensation realm. Each minor realm breakthrough demands an enormous amount of elemental energy.

Ye Yuan had secluded himself for a month and consumed so many Jade Spirit Pills just to break through five realms.

At this critical juncture, trying to cram for a breakthrough was nearly impossible.

Zhao Chengqian could break through because he had already reached the bottleneck of the seventh level of the Sea of Qi and had not broken through earlier, so it went smoothly.

Ye Yuan, on the other hand, had only just broken through to the seventh level of Crystal Condensation not long ago. Breaking through again—how could that be easy?

Ye Yuan said calmly, "I'm not in the mood to joke. That Xue Zaihe just used a move called 'Nine Transformations of Primordial Spirit,' didn't he? Unfortunately, I can do it too."

Zhao Chengqian was stunned. Before he could react, Ye Yuan's aura suddenly exploded, making everyone feel suffocated.

Then, in everyone's perception, Ye Yuan's aura surged rapidly, directly breaking through the bottleneck of the eighth level of Crystal Condensation!

Shangguan Lingyun suddenly stood up, staring at Ye Yuan in disbelief, muttering, "How is that possible?"

"Isn't that... 'Nine Transformations of Primordial Spirit'? Why does Ji Qing know this move? It's the Xue family's secret art. Where... where did he learn it?"

"I feel like Ye Yuan's mastery of this move surpasses Xue Zaihe's! Look, he's already broken through to the ninth level of Crystal Condensation! This speed..."

"Today's surprises just keep coming, one after another, overwhelming! Now there's going to be a good show!"

Although Ye Yuan's realm was lower than Xue Zaihe's, the momentum of his breakthrough was even greater.

Ye Yuan's Pure Sand Holy Flame was a top-grade fourth-tier elemental flame, making it a waste to use 'Nine Transformations of Primordial Spirit'.

Soon, Ye Yuan's realm broke through to the peak of the ninth level of Crystal Condensation!

But it didn't end there; Ye Yuan's aura continued to rise!

Half-step Sea of Qi!

Ye Yuan's realm finally settled at the half-step Sea of Qi level!

Unfortunately, Ye Yuan had no Sea of Elemental Energy within him, otherwise his realm could have risen further.

Half-step Sea of Qi was the limit he could reach.

At this moment, Ye Yuan showed no sign of depleted elemental energy. Instead, he was full of vigor, having returned to his peak state!

"Hiss..."

Everyone drew in a cold breath!

"Clearly, 'Nine Transformations of Primordial Spirit' is the Xue family's ultimate technique, but why do I feel that Ji Qing's version is the authentic one? Is it an illusion?" Shangguan Lingxue frowned.

"It's not an illusion! Ji Qing's 'Nine Transformations of Primordial Spirit' is indeed far superior to Xue Zaihe's! If his dantian could not hold more elemental energy, it's hard to say how many realms he could have broken through!" Shangguan Lingyun's expression was unprecedentedly grave.

He had previously joked about stepping down to defeat Ye Yuan and then deliberately conceding.

Now it seemed he had been too naive!

It was hard to say who was stronger between half-step Sea of Qi Ye Yuan and himself.

Zhao Chengqian's face was extremely ugly. He raised one realm, and Ye Yuan raised three. How infuriating.

However, Zhao Chengqian did not think Ye Yuan could defeat him like this, after all, he was still a full major realm higher!

Half-step Sea of Qi and the Sea of Qi realm were worlds apart.

"Hmph! It's just a temporary realm boost. Let's see how long you can hold out! Take this spear!"

The black spear in Zhao Chengqian's hand was extremely fierce, actually a one-hundred-twenty-eight-seal spirit artifact!

In previous battles, Ye Yuan had always had the advantage in weapons, but today, for the first time, he was at a disadvantage.

But this was not surprising; Zhao Chengqian was the son of the Wind Emperor. He would not lack even mystic artifacts, let alone spirit artifacts.

However, Zhao Chengqian's current strength was insufficient to unleash the power of a mystic artifact, so he used a spirit-level weapon.

Zhao Chengqian twirled his spear, and the tip actually brought out a semi-circular halo!

The next moment, Zhao Chengqian's figure vanished without a trace!

"Swish!"

When he reappeared, his spear had already pierced through Ye Yuan's chest.

Ye Yuan stood still, showing no reaction at all.

"Is... is it over? Too fast, right?"

"Yeah, Ji Qing was so strong, he couldn't even block one blow?"

"No... that was just an afterimage!"

"What? An afterimage... how could it last so long?"

"Too fast... because it was too fast, in our eyes, he never moved!"

"But... the arena is only this big. Where did he go?"

Zhao Chengqian frowned, then suddenly turned and swung his spear in a full circle!

With a 'clang,' the spear directly shattered the sword light that came from behind.

Ye Yuan's figure finally reappeared in everyone's sight.

In an instant, everyone felt a very oppressive atmosphere spreading.

Although it was just a probing exchange, the strength of both had given everyone a clear understanding!