ACSP: Chapter 210: Can Your [Sharingan] See Through My Genjutsu?
"Elder Xuansu...!"
"Jiang Chen, don't do anything reckless!"
Zhao Bin and Zhao Shui's expressions changed drastically when they saw Ronan effortlessly breach the [Susanoo] armor protecting Zhao Xuansu. They bolted toward the center of the room almost subconsciously, their hearts leaping into their throats.
Ronan's attack sequence had been far too fast. Every calculated movement, from the initial displacement to the lightning-fast armor penetration, had been executed in a fraction of a second—so much so that the two younger clan members hadn't even been able to process the trajectory in real-time.
Now, seeing the absolute authority of the East Pavilion held at sword-point, an suffocating tension gripped both Zhao Shui and Zhao Bin.
It was only at this exact moment that the devastating reality of the gap between themselves and Jiang Chen finally set in. If they could have claimed to barely hold their own against Jiang Chen during their last encounter inside the secret realm, that delusion was now completely shattered.
The divide between them had been widened to an unreachable, terrifying chasm.
Setting aside the fact that Jiang Chen himself could casually manifest a catastrophic Fourth Form [Susanoo], the sheer individual combat lethality of the two subordinates flanking him far exceeded their wildest imaginations.
Zhao Shui and Zhao Bin had initially assumed Ronan and Li Dala were merely average party members tagging along to clear standard instances. In their minds, the level of these two companions couldn't possibly transcend level 50.
But looking at the scene before them now, they realized their estimation hadn't just been slightly off—it was laughably, ridiculously wrong.
A monstrous combatant capable of instantly neutralizing a level 94 veteran's ultimate defense and subduing him in a single breath—how could a powerhouse like that ever belong to a [Contractor] below level 50?
"Rest assured, I am here to establish a cooperation, not to instigate a slaughter. If my objective were assassination, your guards outside would already be corpses," Jiang Chen said smoothly, his tone ice-cold and even.
He cast a subtle glance upward, signaling Ronan.
Receiving the silent cue, Ronan cleanly withdrew the hum of the [Sword of the Thunder God] from Zhao Xuansu's lower back. With a faint spatial distortion, his silhouette blurred and reconstituted back into the shadows behind Jiang Chen. His movement speed remained so utterly unreadable it bordered on the supernatural.
"This guy's strength is absolutely not below mine. He has to be a top-tier [Kage-level Contractor], and his level must be well past 90..."
Zhao Xuansu stared at Ronan, a profound solemnity washing over his face as his eyes filled with raw shock. Even though he had been somewhat caught off guard and careless just now, the sheer velocity and destructive precision displayed by the youth transcended anything an ordinary combatant could ever hope to achieve. He never could have anticipated that even a subordinate flanking Jiang Chen would harbor such terrifying, overwhelming power.
"Elder, are you alright?!"
Zhao Shui and Zhao Bin hurriedly rushed to his side, their faces pale with concern.
However, Zhao Xuansu completely ignored them. Forcing his gaze away from Ronan, he dragged a ragged breath into his lungs, doing his best to forcefully stabilize his racing pulse and calm his erratic emotions.
Once he regained his composure, he immediately locked his eyes onto Jiang Chen, his voice dropping into a low, gravelly register. "Little Brother Jiang Chen... these two companions of yours are certainly no ordinary background players, are they?"
The entire cadence of Zhao Xuansu's tone had fundamentally shifted. Ronan's lethal display had forced him to confront a sobering, high-stakes reality: there was a massive, unfathomably powerful organization backing Jiang Chen from the shadows. Otherwise, it was completely impossible for a young man to have two independent powerhouses of this caliber serving as his vanguard.
"It seems Elder Zhao Xuansu has developed quite an interest in the two of you," Jiang Chen noted, tilting his head slightly as a faint, knowing smirk played on his lips. He glanced back at his teammates. "Since that's the case, why don't you boys introduce yourselves?"
Ronan curled his lips into a lazy, confident chuckle. "Ronan. Level 95, [Kage-level Contractor]."
Li Dala hesitated for a brief second, casting a sideways glance at Ronan's casual admission before looking back toward the trembling veteran.
"The name's Li Dala," he declared, a wild spark in his eyes. "An [Explosion Release] specialist."
He deliberately chose to withhold his exact level and his formal classification as an Elite Jonin Contractor. In Li Dala's mind, the sheer, volatile lethality of his clay artistry was far superior to that of those run-of-the-mill, ordinary Kage-level characters anyway. Why bind himself to a rigid title when his art spoke for itself?
So he directly resorted to his self-proclaimed title of [Explosion Release] specialist. His ultimate goal was to make it known that he was a lethal [Bloodline Limit] Contractor who was absolutely not to be trifled with.
Well... if we're being completely honest, he just didn't want to lose face.
After all, Ronan had already casually dropped that he was a level 95 Kage-level powerhouse. If Li Dala suddenly admitted to being a mere Elite Jonin Contractor, wouldn't he instantly look like a total lightweight? The exact same logic applied to his level. Ronan was sitting comfortably at level 95—how was he, at a mere level 86, supposed to look cool if he blabbed about that?
In short, it boiled down to a simple rule of survival: never volunteer disadvantageous information. If it's advantageous, flex it if you can; it definitely won't go wrong. After all, when you're out roaming the world, your identity is whatever you say it is.
"Damn... a level 95 Kage-level Contractor. No wonder he was so incredibly arrogant just now."
"This Explosion Release guy looks completely full of himself too. He's probably another Kage-level heavyweight sitting comfortably above level 90."
Both Zhao Bin and Zhao Shui gasped in synchronized shock. The overwhelming strength Ronan and Li Dala brought to the table forced the two younger men to hold Jiang Chen in even higher, terrified regard. Although it was his subordinates doing the talking, everyone in the room knew the truth: this was Jiang Chen deliberately flexing the raw authority under his command to break Zhao Xuansu's resolve.
"As expected..."
After processing the terrifying credentials of Ronan and Li Dala, Zhao Xuansu didn't actually seem overly dismayed. On the contrary, a sudden wave of frantic excitement began to swell within him.
The logic was simple: the more monstrous the experts flanking Jiang Chen were, the greater the strategic advantage for the East Pavilion. The four major factions of the Zhao family all maintained their own networks of affiliated forces, and high-tier external aid was legally recognized as part of a faction's military assets.
"Elder Zhao Xuansu, I have already put more than enough cards on the table to prove my sincerity," Jiang Chen said, his tone dropping as his patience rapidly approached its limit. "If you still harbor doubts and wish to decline this cooperation, then we have nothing left to discuss. We can part ways on good terms right now..."
He directly issued a harsh ultimatum to Zhao Xuansu, demanding a definitive answer without further delay.
In truth, if he hadn't already crossed paths with Zhao Shui and Zhao Bin and realized that their fundamental nature wasn't entirely rotten, he wouldn't have bothered wasting his breath on these people in the first place. If an agreement could be hammered out, they would talk. If not, he would simply pack up and find a different pavilion. It made absolutely no difference to him. His sole purpose in entering the Demon City was to secure capable allies for the upcoming storms; as for whose banner they flew under, he couldn't care less.
"Little Brother Jiang Chen, please, calm your anger," Zhao Xuansu pleaded, noticing the dangerous flash of impatience cutting through Jiang Chen's eyes. He hurriedly attempted to placate him, saying, "This old man genuinely desires a partnership with you. It is simply that the specific infiltration method you proposed just now is truly a bit too reckless..."
However, before the old man could even finish his sentence, Jiang Chen's form blurred. In a seamless, instantaneous transition, he invoked the Transformation Technique, his physical build and features morphing perfectly into an exact replica of Zhao Shui.
Zhao Xuansu's voice died in his throat.
Standing in the center of the room, the newly formed double opened his blood-red eyes, locking his gaze directly onto the stunned elder. A soft, mocking chuckle escaped his lips. "Go ahead. Try using that proud Sharingan of yours to peer through my disguise..."
Zhao Xuansu froze in sheer disbelief. Snapping out of his stupor a second later, he violently channeled his ocular energy, focusing the full, analytical weight of his Sharingan directly onto Jiang Chen's body.
Yet, in the very next heartbeat, the impossible occurred. The basic Transformation Technique enveloping Jiang Chen remained entirely flawless—utterly impervious to the absolute insight of his activated bloodline.
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