Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

This made Li Yu quite proud.

Having such a son brought him, the Governor of Dongxuan Province, a great deal of glory.

In previous years, at the Four Provinces Conference, Dongxuan Province's cultivation strength was always at the bottom. As a result, he often felt that he couldn't hold his head high, losing face and having no say in matters.

But with the rise of Li Jianyin, everything changed.

Now, when the governors of the other three provinces saw him, they had to be exceedingly polite, afraid of accidentally causing offense.

When one man finds the Way, his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven!

Li Jianyin's mind, however, was not on the martial arts arena.

He silently recalled the events of the previous night at the Lingtian Pavilion in Dongxuan Restaurant, his gaze subtly flicking toward Bai Yujie, who stood not far away.

'I already had a complete falling out with that guy last night. Given his personality, he won't just pretend nothing happened.'

'And where was that mysterious swordsman who wounded Bai Yujie with a single strike?'

Li Jianyin looked toward the Sacred Temple, and after scanning the area, a look of disappointment couldn't help but cross his face.

'The mysterious man was no longer by the Buddha's Son's side!'

Soon, a new round of matches began in the martial arts arena.

'Is it my turn?'

Chi Ming took out his token. It was emitting a scorching heat, its surface seemingly plated in a layer of pale gold light.

The matches for the Peach Blossom Banquet were all randomly drawn.

Chi Ming knew it was his turn to enter the arena.

"Good luck. Don't you dare disappoint our Master," the Realm Spirit said, blinking. A hint of cunning suddenly flashed across her cold and stunningly beautiful face.

The sight sent a slight shiver through Chi Ming.

He knew, of course, that since the Realm Spirit accompanying Ye Chen had recovered some of her memories, her very temperament had changed.

No one knew if this change was for the better or worse. Shaking his head, Chi Ming stopped thinking about it and stepped into the arena.

"Which faction's successor is this? I've never seen his face before!"

"Perhaps he's from some unknown minor faction? But that can't be right. How could a successor from a minor faction possibly be qualified to participate in the Peach Blossom Banquet?"

"Who knows, maybe he's the hidden, final disciple of some old monster, planning to make a name for himself at the Peach Blossom Banquet!"

"Hahaha, well then, I'm looking forward to this!"

"It's a shame, though. The kid's luck doesn't seem to be very good."

"..."

Countless murmurs of discussion rose from the crowd.

It was the leaders of the major factions, all bantering and joking.

No one truly considered Chi Ming a character worth taking seriously.

After all, with their experience, was there any genius in the entire eastern part of the dynasty they didn't know about?

True talent will always shine through. A real genius would have made a name for themselves long ago. How could one truly be hidden away until now, completely unknown?

Unless... like Li Jianyin, they didn't cultivate within Dongxuan Province. That was one way to possibly avoid everyone's notice.

"I don't believe we've met, brother. How should I address you?"

Chi Ming's opponent was a genius from the Jin family, one of the four great families of Dongxuan Province. His name was Jin Can.

Dressed in a Daoist robe, he cut a heroic and valiant figure. His eyes shone like torches, and the aura of the Divinity Transformation Realm surged from his body, startling many in the audience.

This was the power and prestige of the four great families!

Not only did they have far more slots for the Peach Blossom Banquet than ordinary factions, but every disciple they sent was a prodigy among prodigies. They had broken through to the Divinity Transformation Realm at a young age, enough to look down on most cultivators of their generation in the eastern dynasty!

"Chi Ming."

Chi Ming cupped his hands, his tone indifferent. "Please, enlighten me."

Jin Can chuckled. "I'm a straightforward person, so I'll be blunt. You aren't qualified to receive my 'enlightenment.' Why don't you just surrender now? It'll save you a world of pain."

The crowd erupted. This successor from the Jin family was far too arrogant and domineering! He completely looked down on his opponent, his words dripping with blatant humiliation.

Chi Ming frowned. He couldn't help but wonder, 'What would Master do in a situation like this?'

The answer came to him almost immediately.

"If you can take one punch from me, I'll immediately surrender and leave the arena."

Chi Ming said coolly.

'My opponent is arrogant? Then I'll be even more arrogant!'

'This was Master's way of doing things—never afraid of anything!'

"What?"

"He... he actually dared to say something like that to a successor of the Jin family?"

The uproar from the crowd grew even louder.

Jin Can raised an eyebrow. He wasn't angry. Instead, he looked as if he had seen right through Chi Ming's ploy. "You think throwing a few tough words around will let you match my presence?" he said coolly. "That it'll let you save face even when you leave the arena?"

"Let me tell you something. If you dare to make a move, you're in for a beating. The only way out is to surrender right now!"

'In his eyes, Chi Ming's words were nothing more than a desperate attempt to save face.'

'After all, not even geniuses on the level of Song Tianxing or Jin Shengquan would dare claim they could defeat him in a single move.'

'Let alone this unknown, red-haired boy!'

'The guy just wanted to look a little better when he made his exit. Why would I ever grant him that satisfaction?'

However, as soon as his words fell, Chi Ming merely gave him a calm glance, and in the next instant, he attacked!

BOOM!

A vast wave of energy exploded outward from Chi Ming. His figure closed the distance like a phantom, and he threw a fierce punch at Jin Can!

Scorching divine flames wreathed his fist, incinerating even the air in its path!

"You dare!"

Jin Can's eyes flew wide. He never imagined the other man would actually dare to attack him.

But in the next instant, his expression changed.

A terrifying power erupted like a flash flood, a tsunami. As Chi Ming took a single step, the martial arts stage beneath his feet—forged from Top Grade Soul-Condensing Cold Iron—groaned and cracked under the unbearable strain.

In that moment, Jin Can felt like a small boat tossed about in a violent storm, on the verge of capsizing at any second!

'He... how can he be this strong?!'

The thought had barely flashed through Jin Can's mind before he lost consciousness.

BOOM!

A dull, heavy thud reached the ears of the crowd—the sound of Jin Can's body crashing outside the arena.

Jin Can had already passed out. Bathed in his own blood, he lay in a crumpled heap in front of the spectator stands, his aura faint, completely unconscious.

The entire arena was stunned, the uproar unceasing!

The leaders of many major factions stared wide-eyed, looking at Chi Ming in utter disbelief.

'A successor of the Jin family, a cultivator in the Divinity Transformation Realm, was defeated in a single punch by this red-haired youth, completely powerless to fight back?'

'How was this possible?'

'Could he really be the secret disciple of some old monster?'

"No, that's... that's the aura of the Divine Might Realm!"

A white-haired elder exclaimed, his voice filled with shock and disbelief.