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Chapter 67: Bai Chen vs. Ji Juechen (Part 2)
Ji Juechen had a defining trait.
As a battle dragged on, his sword intent grew stronger and stronger.
When Bai Chen failed to defeat him at the very beginning, the fight had already begun to tilt against him. The longer it continued, the harder it would become for Bai Chen to win—until victory would eventually become impossible.
No matter how strong Bai Chen's body was, he was still only a one-ring Soul Master.
He didn't truly possess the soul power of a Soul King.
It was similar to how Tang Wulin once faced the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff. In terms of strength, Tang Wulin could contend with Bear Lord, but his true combat power was only around Super Douluo level, far below Bear Lord's actual strength.
If the fight turned into a prolonged stalemate, Bai Chen would never outlast Ji Juechen's soul power.
So there was only one path left.
Before Ji Juechen's momentum fully snowballed—
End the battle in a single decisive strike.
Four white lights ignited behind Bai Chen.
The soul tool thrusters activated again, pushing his speed to its absolute limit—almost beyond what Jing Ziyan's eyes could track.
At the same time, he raised his right hand.
The infamous Dark-Gold Terror Claws flashed again, slashing toward the sword-wielding youth.
Ji Juechen's response was as simple and pure as ever.
With a flick of his wrist, his sword swept upward, meeting Bai Chen's claws head-on.
Humm—
The exchange ended in an instant.
Their figures crossed past each other—
And silence returned.
Bai Chen dropped to one knee.
Cold sweat dripped down his face as he panted heavily.
He turned back toward Ji Juechen.
Ji Juechen stood there quietly, his expression unchanged.
After a moment, he closed his eyes and said calmly,
"You win."
Then he lifted his hand and looked at the "sword" he was holding.
The Meteoric Iron Sword that had accompanied him for years was now reduced to a short fragment.
Five shattered pieces lay scattered on the ground.
The blade had been completely destroyed.
During that last clash, Ji Juechen had not lost to Bai Chen himself.
He had lost to the weapon.
The Dark-Gold Terror Claws were vastly superior to his sword in quality.
The result was inevitable.
And for a sword maniac—
Losing his sword was the same as losing his arms and legs.
Even though Ji Juechen still had plenty of soul power left, the battle could not continue.
"What are you talking about… I noticed."
Bai Chen shook his head with a bitter smile.
"You held back, didn't you?"
He didn't say that because Ji Juechen lacked strength.
Rather—
During the final clash, Ji Juechen had deliberately chosen not to attack Bai Chen's body, striking only the Dark-Gold Terror Claws.
Otherwise the outcome would have been different.
Ji Juechen's sword might still have broken—
But Bai Chen would have been seriously injured.
Even without a sword as a medium, Ji Juechen's sword intent could still travel along the arc of his slash and strike the enemy.
Ji Juechen replied calmly,
"There's no need to say more."
"A loss is a loss."
"My soul power already exceeds yours. If it still ended like this, it only proves that I need to improve further."
"Haha…"
Bai Chen laughed weakly.
What was with these people?
Whether it was Xuan Ziwen or Ji Juechen—
Whenever they suffered a setback, their first reaction was always the same:
They simply needed to improve.
So this was what true geniuses were like.
Bai Chen realized he couldn't allow himself any complacency.
If he relaxed even slightly, these monsters would leave him far behind.
"Ji Juechen! Bai Chen!"
Only now did Jing Ziyan rush onto the stage.
She asked nervously,
"Are you guys okay? No one got seriously hurt, right?"
"Don't worry, Senior Sister," Bai Chen said, shaking his head.
"I'm fine."
"That's good."
Jing Ziyan let out a long breath.
"If you got hurt here, I wouldn't know how to explain it to Senior Brother."
"Haha, don't worry. I know my limits."
"Oh really? So that's how it is."
Jing Ziyan suddenly revealed a dangerous smile.
"So you were acting the whole time, weren't you?"
"Uh…"
Bai Chen immediately sensed danger.
He quietly stepped back.
"Senior Sister, I had my reasons. If I told you at the start that I had this level of strength, you wouldn't have believed me, right? Wait—Senior Sister, I'm sorry! Stop! Stop!"
Before he could finish speaking—
Jing Ziyan pounced.
Her fists began drilling into his head.
"Senior Brother, help me!" Bai Chen shouted.
Ji Juechen glanced over.
After thinking for two seconds—
He silently looked away.
After all, Bai Chen had just broken his sword.
He didn't blame Bai Chen for it.
But choosing not to help right now seemed perfectly reasonable.
After a while of playful chaos, Jing Ziyan finally pulled Bai Chen back to his feet.
She cleared her throat and asked,
"Bai Chen, how did you get so strong?"
"You're not even ten years old, right?"
Bai Chen dusted himself off and smiled.
"Didn't Teacher Xuan tell you? I'm from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Jing Ziyan's eyes widened.
"That sect is that amazing? They can make a kid this strong?"
Bai Chen only smiled.
He wanted to recruit both Jing Ziyan and Ji Juechen eventually.
Naturally, he needed to exaggerate the strength of the faction behind him.
Seeing that he didn't want to elaborate, Jing Ziyan shrugged.
"Fine, if you don't want to say it."
"We won't spread your secrets anyway."
Then she extended her hand.
"But since you're this strong, I'll be challenging you often from now on."
"In exchange, we'll cover for you inside the academy."
"What do you think?"
Bai Chen smiled and shook her hand.
"Then I'll be in your care, Senior Sister."
This was the first step.
Pulling these two battle maniacs fully into his camp wouldn't happen overnight.
But Bai Chen had plenty of time.
Besides, sparring with them benefited him as well.
Jing Ziyan, as an all-round soul engineer, understood nearly every type of low-level soul tool combat style.
Fighting her would help him adapt to different soul engineer tactics.
As for Ji Juechen—
That was even more valuable.
Ji Juechen could gain insights from fighting Bai Chen.
And Bai Chen could do the same.
An opponent like Ji Juechen was so unusual that one might not find another like him in the entire continent.
Training with him was an opportunity that should not be wasted.
"Little Brother Bai Chen, watching you and Ji Juechen fight made my hands itch."
Jing Ziyan grinned.
"How about sparring with me once you've rested?"
Bai Chen sighed helplessly.
"…Let's skip today."
"I still have things to do."
Battle maniacs really were hard to deal with.