Chapter 80 – Sword Severs Flesh, Heart Severs Soul

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

Jade-Faced Mantis stared at Lu Chen, who was executing the ‘Three Hells Killing Array’.

He couldn’t believe that his unique ability had been completely mastered by a human cultivator in just a few minutes.

If unique abilities could be grasped so easily,

then what was the purpose of his ‘evolution’ that he had barely achieved after enduring life-and-death trials in the Nine Hells and devouring countless evil beings?

Unacceptable! Jade-Faced Mantis absolutely couldn’t accept such an outcome!

“Fake! You must be using some kind of deception! What you’re executing definitely isn’t my Three Hells Killing Array!”

With a furious roar, Jade-Faced Mantis charged directly at Lu Chen.

His frenzied appearance seemed intent on tearing Lu Chen apart on the spot.

Facing Jade-Faced Mantis in this state, Lu Chen remained utterly calm.

Because from the moment Jade-Faced Mantis lost his rationality…

This battle had already concluded.

As Jade-Faced Mantis attacked, Lu Chen and the two illusions beside him advanced simultaneously.

During this movement, the Magic Sword in Lu Chen’s right hand began to vibrate continuously.

A silver-white vibrating Spiritual Power spread from Lu Chen’s arm all the way to the Magic Sword.

In a rational state, Jade-Faced Mantis would certainly have detected the changes in Lu Chen’s Magic Sword.

He would have understood how dangerous that silver-white Spiritual Power was to him.

But after being thoroughly enraged by Lu Chen’s actions, only one thought remained in his mind: to expose Lu Chen’s fake ‘Three Hells Killing Array’.

To prove that his unique ability couldn’t be so easily learned by Lu Chen.

Therefore, his attention was entirely focused on the illusions flanking Lu Chen, completely missing the transformation of the Magic Sword.

However, this conviction shattered completely when Lu Chen’s two illusions clashed with his own.

As these illusions collided, they immediately became entangled with each other.

This proved that Lu Chen’s illusions weren’t mere deception tactics.

They possessed a portion of their master’s combat capability, just like his own illusions!

Upon realizing this, Jade-Faced Mantis felt something break inside him.

His spirit became somewhat disoriented.

It… it really is my ability… How… how is this possible…

Losing focus during combat was undoubtedly a fatal mistake.

“ROAR!”

A clear Dragon’s Roar finally brought the distracted Jade-Faced Mantis back to his senses.

But by then, it was already too late.

Though Jade-Faced Mantis saw the silver-white Flood Dragon flying toward him, he had no time to evade.

BOOM!

As the explosion sounded, the human and evil creature crashed together through the mall’s debris and the glass doors on the first floor.

They flew out of the shopping mall in unison, finally slamming hard onto the concrete ground outside.

CRASH!

Their impact created a massive crater in the solid concrete, sending violent shockwaves through the air.

When the dust settled, Lu Chen stood in the crater with one foot pressing down on Jade-Faced Mantis’s abdomen.

A three-foot-long Sword was buried deep in the creature’s chest.The longsword itself was not the fatal blow; what truly proved lethal was the violent Sword Qi that penetrated Jade-Faced Mantis’s body through the blade.

From the moment the turbulent Sword Qi entered Jade-Faced Mantis, its life had already reached its absolute end.

Looking down at the Jade-Faced Mantis beneath his foot, Lu Chen’s expression remained impassive, neither sorrowful nor joyful.

To him, defeating a Foundation Establishment Stage Nether Fiend like this seemed nothing to be proud of.

After all, before Jade-Faced Mantis, he had already faced two Foundation Establishment Stage beings and emerged victorious in both encounters.

Thus, defeating a Foundation Establishment Stage Fiend while being at a lower cultivation stage was merely a matter of increasing the number of Foundation Establishment Stage beings he had slain—from two… to three.

On the ground, Jade-Faced Mantis could clearly feel its life force draining away.

The moment Lu Chen’s sword pierced its chest, a violent surge of Sword Qi had rampaged through its body, shattering all its internal organs in an instant.

Even for a Nether Fiend with robust vitality, such injuries were undoubtedly fatal.

Yet, at this moment, Jade-Faced Mantis cared little about its own life or death.

It only wanted an answer from Lu Chen.

With great difficulty, Jade-Faced Mantis looked up at Lu Chen and transmitted its thoughts: “Did you… truly learn it just by watching once?”

Faced with this question, Lu Chen calmly nodded in the end.

In a sense, he wasn’t lying.

Upon receiving this answer, Jade-Faced Mantis was utterly bewildered.

Its eyes vacant, it stared at the sky and muttered to itself: “Learned it just by watching once… learned it just by watching once…”

The power it had painstakingly obtained through immense effort was truly mastered by someone with just a single glance.

Then, what was the purpose of all its hard work…?

Could it be that effort truly paled in comparison to talent?

With such confusion, the light in Jade-Faced Mantis’s eyes completely faded.

If Lu Chen’s sword had destroyed Jade-Faced Mantis’s Physical Body, then his feat of mastering myriad techniques with a single glance… utterly shattered its spirit.

To kill a person is one thing; to crush their will is another—this was precisely that.

[You have slain a Nine Hells·Jade-Faced Mantis (Foundation Establishment Stage, Second Layer). You have gained 1500 experience points and Soul Crystal Shard (Green)*1.]

[Current Experience Points: 2825]

Seeing the information that appeared before his eyes, Lu Chen knew that Jade-Faced Mantis was completely dead.

He withdrew the Magic Sword embedded in Jade-Faced Mantis’s body, first returned to the mall, and then quickly left the area.

Through the incident with Jade-Faced Mantis, Lu Chen had gathered another crucial piece of information.

It seemed that Fiends could sense each other’s locations and life states.

After all, Lu Chen believed his actions in eliminating the Fiends inside the mall had been swift and clean.

Yet, despite this, Jade-Faced Mantis had tracked him down almost immediately.

This could only mean that Jade-Faced Mantis had rushed over as soon as it sensed a large number of its subordinates dying in a particular location.

Didn’t this also imply that Jade-Faced Mantis’s death might attract the attention of other Foundation Establishment Stage Fiends?

Unless absolutely necessary, Lu Chen had no desire to encounter multiple Foundation Establishment Stage Fiends at once.

While he certainly had several trump cards, facing a siege by multiple Foundation Establishment Stage Fiends would still put him at a severe disadvantage.He had no desire to leave this paradise—a place teeming with monsters and abundant experience points—prematurely due to reckless boldness.

“Let’s find a place to hide first, or we might be discovered by other Foundation Establishment Stage Fiends rushing over…”

Just as Lu Chen had anticipated, no more than five minutes after he left, two figures descended from the sky and landed at the spot where Jade-Faced Mantis had died.

Staring at Jade-Faced Mantis’s corpse, a colossal creature resembling a rhinoceros beetle was utterly shocked.

“Mantis is actually dead… Given its speed, I can’t imagine who in Jade City could have killed it.”

“After all, even if I tried, I might not be able to stop it if Mantis decided to flee.”

This newly arrived Foundation Establishment Stage Fiend was not only a full size larger than Jade-Faced Mantis but also stood an estimated seven to eight meters tall—about one-third taller than Jade-Faced Mantis.

Aside from its heavy black armor, the most striking feature was the ten-meter-long black saber in its right hand, which was even taller than itself.

Standing in the middle of the road, it looked like an iron tower from a distance, making others wary of approaching.

[Name: Giant Strength Horned Insect]

[Race: Nine Hells]

[Strength: Foundation Establishment Stage, Third Layer]

[Characteristics: A special humanoid evolved from the Black Horned Insect, indestructible and possessing immense strength]

Shortly after Giant Strength Horned Insect finished speaking, a curvaceous white Spider-faced Humanoid beside it couldn’t help but speak up.

“The Human Race cultivator who killed Mantis must be extraordinary. It seems there are still quite a few who have slipped through the net in Jade City.”

“This reminds me of the several unfamiliar Qi Condensation Stage cultivators we encountered yesterday. They seemed to appear out of nowhere—it’s quite eerie.”

“Should we inform the King about Jade-Faced Mantis’s death?”

[Name: White-Faced Spider]

[Race: Nine Hells]

[Strength: Foundation Establishment Stage, Third Layer]

[Characteristics: A special humanoid evolved from a Spider-faced Humanoid, capable of releasing highly seductive illusionary poison]

After pondering White-Faced Spider’s words, Giant Strength Horned Insect replied, “The King is currently pursuing those two fleeing Golden Core Stage cultivators. Even if we report this, it won’t be able to return anytime soon.”

“So, we’ll have to handle this matter ourselves.”

“With Mantis dead, any of us could be next. We need to be extra cautious lately and avoid acting rashly.”

“These Human Race cultivators who call themselves ‘cultivators’… are not to be trifled with.”

White-Faced Spider nodded, then stepped forward and touched Jade-Faced Mantis’s corpse.

In the next moment, the corpse shattered and turned into a cloud of green powder.

Witnessing this, both Giant Strength Horned Insect and White-Faced Spider fell into a heavy silence.

The extent of damage inflicted on Jade-Faced Mantis revealed just how terrifying that mysterious Human Race cultivator was.

Perhaps… they needed to be even more careful.

The two fiends stared at the powdered remains of Jade-Faced Mantis for a long time before finally departing.

Sharing their silence were the numerous teachers and investigators in the conference room.

“Is… is this for real?”

A teacher from Third High, who had previously asserted that Lu Chen would never survive an encounter with Jade-Faced Mantis, now stared in disbelief at the screen showing Lu Chen, who had found a safe spot and resumed meditating.A ninth-level Qi Condensation cultivator against a second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator—and one renowned for speed at that.

Not only did he think Lu Chen couldn’t win, but ninety-nine percent of those present probably shared the same disbelief.

Yet the final outcome was not only Lu Chen’s victory, but a victory achieved in an almost overwhelming manner.

The implications hidden within this were utterly terrifying.

After all, some of the teachers present might not even be able to defeat the Jade-Faced Mantis in a one-on-one fight!

At this thought, the teachers collectively turned their gaze toward the direction of No. 1 High’s faculty.

And the teachers from No. 1 High, in turn, shifted their attention toward Chen Fugui.

In an instant, Chen Fugui—who had always been somewhat overlooked among the teachers—became the center of attention.

This feeling of standing under the spotlight… Chen Fugui absolutely reveled in it!

Yes, yes, this feeling was absolutely perfect!

I, Chen Fugui… have finally welcomed the overwhelming fortune that was rightfully mine!

So what if I was assigned as the homeroom teacher of the Humanity Class?

Even the Humanity Class can produce geniuses!

Chen Fugui adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on his plump, round face with a touch of theatrical flair as he observed the envious glances from the surrounding teachers.

Li Youquan, witnessing this from the side, immediately understood what this guy was up to.

Because since they were kids, whenever this guy was about to boast about something, he would always make that damn gesture!

What’s a nouveau riche like you pretending to be refined for?

As if sensing something, Chen Fugui cast a smug glance at Li Youquan, who stood beside him looking as if he had eaten a lemon, his face twisted in discomfort.

Then, cheerfully, he stood up.

“It’s just defeating a Foundation Establishment Stage Fiend single-handedly. Look how shocked you all are. A small scene, just a small scene.”

“Fellow teachers, just watch carefully. No one understands Xiao Lu’s limits better than I do. What you see now is merely the tip of the iceberg.”

“And why am I so confident in saying this? Well, of course, it’s because Xiao Lu is the prized student I personally nurtured!”

“His achievements today are inextricably linked to me, his homeroom teacher.”

“After all, even the finest Thousand Li Horse needs someone to discover it, doesn’t it?”

Hearing Chen Fugui’s words, even the teachers from No. 1 High, who knew part of the truth, found it hard to discern how much of what he said was genuine.

It was true that Chen Fugui had privately funded many cultivation resources for Lu Chen.

But that investment only came after Lu Chen displayed astonishing talent during the mock exams—a belated realization on Chen Fugui’s part.

Before the mock exams, no one believed this guy, reeking of money, could have detected the immense potential hidden within Lu Chen.

Yet, to say that Lu Chen’s current achievements had nothing to do with Chen Fugui wouldn’t be entirely accurate either.

After all, although Lu Chen performed well during the mock exams, his current feat of overwhelmingly defeating the Jade-Faced Mantis was like night and day compared to his earlier performance.

Perhaps it was Chen Fugui’s private funding that allowed Lu Chen’s talent to fully blossom.

So, in a way, Chen Fugui’s claim that Lu Chen’s success was inseparable from him… damn it, wasn’t exactly a lie!

That’s why, as they watched Chen Fugui boast so shamelessly, they felt an indescribable discomfort.

Damn it, he really managed to pull it off!

And if you asked who in the room was the most jealous, it would undoubtedly be our very own Li Youquan.After all, he and Chen Fugui were genuinely close friends who had grown up together, knowing each other inside out.

For these two who had never wanted for food or clothing since childhood, after realizing they were unlikely to achieve major accomplishments in cultivation, their life goal shifted from becoming great cultivators themselves to nurturing a student who would become one.

Li Youquan had thought that after pulling strings to secure the position of homeroom teacher for No. 1 High’s Heaven’s Path Class, he would achieve the great life achievement of “Mentor to a Great Cultivator” before Chen Fugui.

But now it seemed Chen Fugui might reach this grand achievement ahead of him!

What frustrated Li Youquan even more was that Mu Xiaoye, whom he valued most, appeared to be throwing herself at Lu Chen with abandon.

Didn’t this mean Chen Fugui would not only achieve “Mentor to a Great Cultivator” but also the special achievement of “Mentor to a Great Cultivator’s Husband” in the future?

At this thought, Li Youquan’s face twisted in displeasure, as if he were wearing a mask of agony.

He didn’t mind his friend suffering, but he couldn’t stand his friend driving a luxury car.

Chen Fugui, how did all the good fortune end up with you!!!

As for this dramatic scene unfolding outside the examination hall, Lu Chen remained unaware.

Because at that moment, he was focusing on his innate divine ability.

[Innate Divine Ability: Heretical Avatar]

[Rank: First Realm (1/20)]

[Effect: Upon activation, summons a heretical avatar. The avatar possesses 50% of the user’s cultivation and physique, 100% of skill levels, and receives 500% damage]

[Soul Crystal Shard (White): 35]

[Soul Crystal Shard (Green): 1]

“If only I’d known I could collect soul crystal shards in this joint exam too, I shouldn’t have used that precious green shard to exchange for white ones back then…”

Remembering how he’d been forced to use one green soul crystal shard to exchange for thirty white ones because he was short three shards made Lu Chen’s heart bleed profusely.

After all, converting white soul crystal shards to green ones required a full fifty pieces.

In the end, he had essentially lost twenty white soul crystal shards for nothing.

“Enough, enough. No point dwelling on the past. I just need to make the most of the present…”

After a day of hunting, aside from obtaining one green soul crystal shard from the Jade-Faced Mantis, Lu Chen had also gathered a small number of white soul crystal shards from other ordinary nether fiends.

To upgrade his innate divine ability from the first realm to the second, he needed to save up eighteen more green soul crystal shards.

But Lu Chen knew all too well how difficult it was to obtain green soul crystal shards.

They were rare drops that only Foundation Establishment Stage enemies would yield.

“I hope more Foundation Establishment Stage fiends appear in this exam venue…”

With these words, Lu Chen immediately took out a large quantity of blank talisman papers from his storage bag and laid them before him.

On this first day of the exam, Lu Chen hadn’t been solely occupied with battling fiends.

After defeating the Jade-Faced Mantis, he had found time to locate a talisman specialty shop where he acquired numerous blank talisman papers and some spare magic swords.

This was precisely why Lu Chen had gone to that abandoned shopping mall.

With these talisman papers at hand, his talismanship skills would finally have a purpose, allowing him to increase his combat strength by ten to twenty percent.If he could bring the Ink Dragon Sword and Azure Mystic Puppet from reality into this space, Lu Chen felt he could truly dominate this examination hall.

But unfortunately, this was merely a simulation test where real-world items couldn’t be brought along.

Otherwise, he might have genuinely given everyone a small taste of shock.

In the dim underground parking garage, as Lu Chen continuously traced patterns on Talismans with a specialized ritual brush,

sheet after sheet of brand-new Talismans materialized before him.

Not only were these Talismans diverse in type, but each one surprisingly possessed remarkably high quality.

The teachers in the conference room witnessing this scene once again turned to look at Lu Chen’s homeroom teacher… Chen Fugui.

“Teacher Chen, why didn’t you mention earlier that student Lu Chen also practices Talismanship?”

“Judging by his current performance, it seems his mastery in Talismanship… might not be much inferior to his Swordsmanship.”

Though equally astonished by Lu Chen’s Talismanship prowess, Chen Fugui knew he mustn’t reveal his surprise at this moment.

Because if he admitted ignorance, wouldn’t that imply he was an incompetent teacher?

Thus, Chen Fugui adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses once more and feigned profundity as he said: “It’s not that I didn’t mention it, but rather that you didn’t ask, isn’t that right?”

“……”

Very well, so you deliberately withheld this information just to show off to us again, is that it?

We never should have asked that extra question, letting you seize the spotlight.

How infuriating! Why don’t we have students like Lu Chen under our guidance?

(End of Chapter)