Chapter 25: A Brutal Beating

The martial artists in Yandu City were well aware of the events surrounding the White Cloud Dojo over the past few days, and upon witnessing the scene, they immediately understood the situation.

"It’s a disciple of the White Cloud Dojo here for revenge!"

"Didn't they say Dong Guzhi was critically injured and dying? How can the White Cloud Dojo still dare to retaliate?"

"Chen Fan... that name sounds so familiar. Is it that Chen Fan from the Martial Academy? Wasn't he reported dead in the demon infestation? How is he still alive?"

Perhaps few knew what Chen Fan looked like, but his name was certainly thunderous to their ears. His performance at last year’s Demon-Slaying Assembly had been outstanding, and the fact that he joined the Martial Academy as the top recruit was common knowledge among the people of Yandu City.

Zhang Fan and Yun Wei exchanged glances, both stunned; neither had expected Chen Fan to be so overbearing and high-profile.

Yun Wei pulled Zhang Fan aside quietly. "Junior Brother, keep an eye on Chen Fan. I’m going home to find someone powerful to hold the fort. You must be careful. At the critical moment, use our status as Martial Academy disciples to suppress them..."

Zhang Fan nodded hurriedly, and Yun Wei quickly made her way out of the Jiangshan Gate. Chen Fan was being far too provocative and his strikes were ruthless. If a life were lost, even if the Master of Jiangshan Gate intervened personally, Chen Fan would never be able to withstand it, even if his body and techniques were one.

Chen Fan, however, did not care at all about his senior sister’s departure. He calmly drew his sword and stepped forward. The surrounding disciples instinctively gave way, and in an instant, a vacuum formed around him. He drove his black sword, already covered in cracks, into the ground and waited in silence.

Not ten breaths later, a figure darted out, leapt into the crowd, and stood before Chen Fan. "Chen Fan, I’ll fight you!"

It was a young man in his early twenties. Zhang Fan’s eyes lit up when he saw the newcomer, and he stepped forward. "Junior Brother, this person is also from the Stars Tower of our Martial Academy..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Chen Fan’s figure suddenly vanished.

A spray of blood flashed. The young man let out a miserable shriek and was sent flying backward with a boom! Chen Fan’s figure reappeared. He sheathed his sword, tilted his head, and looked at Zhang Fan. "I don't need to know his name."

Zhang Fan’s expression froze. The young disciples nearby erupted into screams. Some young martial artists from Jiangshan Gate shouted, "Arrogant... too arrogant! Where are the geniuses of our Jiangshan Gate’s Martial Academy? Where have they gone? Are there no Fifth-Stage or Sixth-Stage experts left?!"

The faces of the Jiangshan Gate disciples grew increasingly ugly. By now, other Martial Academy disciples affiliated with Jiangshan Gate had arrived. Many recognized Chen Fan, but seeing this scene, they dared not intervene.

"Senior Brother Zhao is a disciple of the Stars Tower and a Fifth-Stage martial arts genius, yet he was taken down in a single move. Chen Fan’s strength is truly terrifying; he is worthy of being among the top three hundred disciples of the Martial Academy!"

Those who had previously gone to trash the White Cloud Dojo could only offer bitter smiles. Jiangshan Gate was the weakest of the "Four Gates and Two Dojos." Although they had Martial Academy disciples, none were strong enough to enter the Bright Moon Tower. Had they known Chen Fan was alive, they would never have dared to pressure the White Cloud Dojo so easily. But matters had reached this point, and regret was useless. The key was how to drive Chen Fan away.

A Martial Academy disciple suggested, "Go call Senior Brother Fan! He is one of the top disciples of the Stars Tower, already at the Sixth Stage of martial arts and just a hair's breadth away from the Bright Moon Tower. He will surely be able to stop Chen Fan!"

Someone left immediately. Meanwhile, the crowd grew larger, and finally, another person stepped before Chen Fan—a tall, muscular middle-aged man around forty years old.

"It’s Instructor Yuan! He’s a veteran Sixth-Stage expert. Even though he didn't enter the Martial Academy, he has been at the Sixth Stage for many years. He definitely won't..."

*Swoosh!*

Chen Fan flicked his sword. Even with the opponent’s Sixth-Stage strength, he immediately vomited blood and was sent flying backward, defeated in a single strike and losing consciousness.

Everyone was bewildered. "Too fast!" Few could even see the glimmer of Chen Fan's sword.

"Instructor Yuan may not be in the Martial Academy, but his Sixth-Stage strength is no lie. Few in Jiangshan Gate can compare to him, yet he was beaten to the point of vomiting blood and losing consciousness in one blow?"

"This... defeating a Sixth-Stage expert in one move? How is that possible? Isn't Chen Fan only sixteen? How could he be this strong?" The surrounding disciples whispered in astonishment.

"Shut up!" Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and swept his sword horizontally.

It was like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky. Chen Fan did not intend to kill, but everyone felt the sharpness of the blade and the chill against their necks. They scrambled away in panic, distancing themselves. They clamped their mouths shut, not daring to speak, their faces filled with shock and humiliation.

As disciples retreated, they whispered, "Warn the others—anyone below the Sixth Stage should not step forward!"

Jiangshan Gate was a powerful dojo founded by a Grandmaster; the number of Sixth-Stage martial artists in this single gate exceeded that of an entire county like Feiling, and some were even Martial Academy disciples. However, while those in the Bright Moon Tower were almost all Sixth-Stage, it did not mean that every Sixth-Stage student in the Martial Academy could join the Bright Moon Tower. Many reached their limit at the Sixth Stage and remained merely Stars Tower disciples, perhaps unable to advance for the rest of their lives.

None of the Sixth-Stage Martial Academy disciples at Jiangshan Gate were Bright Moon Tower members. While they were stronger than ordinary Sixth-Stage fighters, the gap between them and Chen Fan was simply too vast. One by one, Sixth-Stage disciples arrived, and one by one, they were instantly defeated by Chen Fan’s sword.

By the time he defeated the fifth challenger from Jiangshan Gate with a single strike, the anger in Chen Fan’s heart remained unquenched; instead, he grew even more impatient.

He drew his sword upward and looked coldly at the surroundings. "If this is all Jiangshan Gate amounts to—being beaten to this state by a single disciple from the White Cloud Dojo—then you might as well take down your sign and close your doors. Stop taking in students and ruining their futures!"

Everyone looked at one another, speechless. Many new students felt incredibly embarrassed. Jiangshan Gate had a significant reputation; if they were truly dismantled by Chen Fan alone, the entire dojo’s name would be completely disgraced.

"Chen Fan! You go too far!!" A cold voice rang out from the distance.

Nearby disciples cried out in joy, "It’s Senior Brother Fan! Senior Brother Fan is finally here!"

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and looked at the newcomer. The man appeared to be in his early thirties, similar in age to his own senior brother, with a long blade hanging at his waist, alongside a Martial Academy disciple’s badge.

Zhang Fan’s expression shifted rapidly, and he hurried forward. "This guy is the one who went to our White Cloud Dojo to challenge us the other day. He’s from the Stars Tower, the strongest disciple of Jiangshan Gate. He injured several of our core disciples before being defeated by Senior Brother Tao..."

Chen Fan’s eyes turned icy.

The Jiangshan Gate disciple named Fan frowned and shook his head. "You, Chen Fan, are one of the top three hundred disciples in the Vientiane Void Realm. I am also in the top three hundred, just unlucky enough not to have entered the Bright Moon Tower. Do you truly think you can act lawlessly just because you have talent?"

"I originally felt pity for your White Cloud Dojo and didn't intend to strike, letting you have your way, but I didn't expect you to be so unable to distinguish between importance and ignorance."

Chen Fan laughed out of extreme anger. "Are you finished?"

The disciple named Fan paused, only to see Chen Fan raise his hand again. He was prepared and drew his long blade instantly.

*Clang.*

He felt a numbness spread through his entire body. A massive force struck his palm, sending his blade flying from his hand. At the same moment, a cold blade was pressed against his neck.

His pupils contracted in shock. "How is this possible? This speed..."

He had assumed Chen Fan’s strength was similar to his own—or at most, only slightly better—but he had never imagined that in a single move, he would not only lose his weapon but have his throat held at the mercy of his opponent.

"You talk a lot, but your skill is nothing special..." Chen Fan sneered, then kicked the disciple named Fan in the face, sending him flying like a ball toward the front, smashing him into one of the main support pillars of the Jiangshan Gate hall, snapping it in two!

The hall swayed, and the disciples inside scrambled out, screaming.