Whew, whew, whew....
No one knew how long had passed; only then did a continuous exhalation sound emerge within the Martial Arts Arena, and the expressions of the crowd slowly returned to normal. However, that extremely shocking scene still incessantly circled in their minds.
Thirty breaths!
In less than thirty breaths, Ye Zhen had defeated sixteen Peak of the Fifth Stage of the Soul Sea Realm martial artists, and these sixteen were amongst the strongest in the Moonlight Hall, each capable of singly defeating two or three martial artists of the same stage.
And now, they had been defeated by Ye Zhen.
Ye Zhen himself remained completely unharmed.
What did that signify?
Whether it was Fengh Qingyue, Tian Guizhang, Yao Sen, Tus De, Great Commander Jio Yuanxiu, Second Commander Chen Changxing, or Third Commander Jiao Xi, all the Vein Forging Realm powerhouses were pondering one issue.
If it were they who faced sixteen opponents today, could they perform better than Ye Zhen?
After a brief consideration, the answer was clear.
They could probably do better than Ye Zhen, but not by much; at most, they could only have used less time than Ye Zhen.
However, a few ordinary Divine Guards of the Second and Third Stage of Vein Forging Realm held a different thought. No matter how they speculated, in today’s scenario, they definitely couldn’t reach Ye Zhen’s level.
In other words, although they were Vein Forging Realm powerhouses, they still couldn’t match up to Ye Zhen!
Even when put against Ye Zhen, they couldn’t defeat him!
Instantly, the way they looked at Ye Zhen changed.
It wasn’t just them; the way others looked at Ye Zhen also changed, Fengh Qingyue was thrilled while Tian Guizhang was cautious.
Tian Guizhang realized and had decided that with the strength Ye Zhen had shown today, he would have to treat Ye Zhen as an equal in the future.
After all, Tian Guizhang felt that with his current strength, capturing Ye Zhen wouldn’t be easy.
As for Vice Sect Hierarch Yao Sen, deep wariness shone in his eyes.
He initially thought, no matter how strong Ye Zhen was, he was just a Soul Sea Realm martial artist, and the advancement in the Vein Forging Realm was usually slow, so Ye Zhen was not much of a threat.
But today’s performance had been eye-opening.
Now, Ye Zhen already possessed the strength of the Vein Forging Realm, then in the future....
At the same time, Vice Sect Hierarch Yao Sen also recalled something else; previously, it was rumored that Ye Zhen had killed the Helm Master of the Longevity Sect Xining Branch, Yang Zhengxi. At that time, he didn’t take it seriously, thinking the rumor was false.
Ye Zhen might have been extremely clever, and Yang Zhengxi could have been ambushed by him, but now, he didn’t think so anymore.
"How strong, with such strength, even if he joined my forces, he could rank in the middle, right?" Second Commander Chen Changxing’s eyes suddenly became exceedingly eager as he looked at Ye Zhen.
"Master Fengh, Ye Zhen now possesses such formidable strength, and the second division of my Sun and Moon Divine Guards is short-staffed, I want to transfer Ye Zhen to fill the vacancy now!" Chen Changxing said to Fengh Qingyue.
Fengh Qingyue completely ignored Chen Changxing’s words and immediately turned her head to remind Punishment Hall Elder Tus De, "Elder Tus, the competition has ended." This left Chen Changxing quite embarrassed.
"Ah...."
Punishment Hall Elder Tus De finally came to his senses, glanced at Ye Zhen quite unexpectedly, and then proclaimed, "One against sixteen, Ye Zhen wins! Ye Zhen wins completely and ranks first in points, becoming the champion of this half-year’s competition and the head of the Moonlight Hall! Now, the competition continues!"
Not far away, Yanz Jingshu, whose situation had just improved slightly, heard this statement and his vision suddenly darkened, ultimately, he failed to retain the position as the head of the Moonlight Hall....
At the same time, Yanz Jingshu regretted somewhat; if he hadn’t been so arrogant when he first came out from the Sun and Moon Divine Altar, if he hadn’t ignored Ye Zhen’s greeting, perhaps he wouldn’t have ended up so miserably.
Today, his image in the Moonlight Hall was completely destroyed!
His hair and eyebrows all turned to ashes, even his clothes were mostly burned due to the Thunder Light; his skin was a mess of black and red patches, extremely disheveled....
"Master Fengh, I have an unbidden request! Observing Ye Zhen’s outstanding strength and his decisive extermination, Punishment Hall just happens to be short of young people. I want to take Ye Zhen under my wing and personally train him, what do you think?"
As these words were spoken, all the Vein Forging Realm powerhouses present were taken aback.
Punishment Hall Elder Tus De personally training Ye Zhen, what did that signify?
Punishment Hall Elder Tus De was a true behemoth of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, an elder. While Tian Guizhang and Yao Sen were both revered as Vice Sect Hierarchs, upon seeing Punishment Hall Elder Tus De, they both had to approach and greet him respectfully.
In terms of authority, Punishment Hall Elder Tus De, as the elder of Punishment Hall, had jurisdiction over everyone under the Sect Hierarch, including the Vice Sect Hierarchs Tian Guizhang and Yao Sen.
But Tian Guizhang and Yao Sen didn’t have this authority.
Moreover, the Punishment Hall of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect had been firmly under Tus De’s control for over forty years, and his mention of training sparked many speculations.
Could it be that Elder Tus, this old monster, was looking for a successor for the Punishment Hall?
This showed how weighty the words of Tus De were.
Even Tian Guizhang and Yao Sen were shocked, both turned their gazes toward Moonlight Hall Master Fengh Qingyue, causing her brow to involuntarily furrow.
She and Chen Changxing were good friends and held comparable positions, so she could outright ignore Second Commander Chen Changxing’s request, but Punishment Hall Elder Tus De was different.
Moreover, since Elder Tus had requested, it wasn’t something that she, as the Moonlight Hall Master, could refuse.
In other words, the moment Tus De spoke, he effectively issued a command that absolutely did not permit Fengh Qingyue to refuse.
However, thinking about the squalor within the Punishment Hall, deep down, Fengh Qingyue actually did not wish for Ye Zhen to join the Punishment Hall. Those who came out of the Punishment Hall were all inhumane, each one cold and serpentine like Tus De.
"Elder Tus, since you have spoken, Qingyue naturally can’t refuse and can only release him, but you still have to ask Ye Zhen himself," Fengh Qingyue said helplessly.
As he nodded slightly, the Punishment Hall Elder Tus De turned his gaze toward Ye Zhen, "Ye Zhen, I wish to recruit you into the Punishment Hall and have you serve as my personal follower. Would you be willing?"
The mention of "personal follower" made clear the true intention of Punishment Hall Elder Tus De, which was to significantly cultivate him. Not only were Tian Guizhang and Yao Sen extremely shocked, but other Martial Artists of Moonlight Hall, as well as several ordinary Sun and Moon Divine Guards nearby, showed envy in their eyes when looking at Ye Zhen.
To become the personal follower of Punishment Hall Elder Tus De, just a few years of service would be enough to secure at least the position of a Sect Leader of an Earth Hall.
If one were to catch the eye of Punishment Hall Elder Tus De, even becoming his successor in the Punishment Hall was a possibility.
Tian Guizhang was even more certain about this because a few years ago, it was rumored that Punishment Hall Elder Tus De wanted to seclude himself to advance to the Establishment Realm but couldn’t let go of his duties since there was no suitable person to take over the Punishment Hall.
Now choosing Ye Zhen likely meant prioritizing his cultivation; of course, whether Ye Zhen could become the steering person of the Punishment Hall in the future would still depend on his performance.
After all, Punishment Hall Elder Tus De would absolutely not only train Ye Zhen.
"Ye Zhen, quickly accept, this is a rare opportunity that comes once in a century! Even with all my efforts, I could not offer you such an opportunity. Just work hard for a few more years, and you might suddenly become the steering person of the Punishment Hall!" Tian Guizhang’s Divine Soul Telecommunication echoed in Ye Zhen’s mind.
At this moment, everyone’s gaze turned towards Ye Zhen, and the eyes of Punishment Hall Tus De brimmed with expectation!
But the next moment, the expression of Punishment Hall Elder Tus De suddenly became stupendously astonished, as Ye Zhen actually shook his head at him.
"Elder Tus, I’m sorry, but before my Cultivation breaks through to the Vein Forging Realm, I will not leave Moonlight Hall!"
Somehow, hearing Ye Zhen’s words caused Fengh Qingyue to feel an inexplicable delight.
The expression of Punishment Hall Elder Tus De, however, turned markedly somber, even somewhat regretful.
"Well then, since you have decided thus, I won’t force you! However, if you change your mind, you can always come find me," Tus De said.
"Thank you, Elder Tus!"
Hearing this, Tus De grew even more disappointed, knowing that Ye Zhen was unlikely to change his mind.
Moreover, the reason Ye Zhen gave was quite legitimate—before breaking through to the Vein Forging Realm, he would not leave Moonlight Hall, which was the intent of Moonlight Hall and also a rule of the Divine Sect.
As an Elder of the Punishment Hall who strove ardently to uphold the rules of the Divine Sect, Tus De would definitely not break the rules!
This was also the main reason why Tus De did not force Ye Zhen.
Otherwise, with his position, he could have directly issued an order.
A look of disappointment suddenly appeared on Tian Guizhang’s face; clearly, he too believed that Ye Zhen had missed a great opportunity! In contrast, Vice Sect Hierarch Yao Sen seemed a bit perturbed.
"What a pity...."
"Why wouldn’t he go?"
"So foolish, to give up such a great future, too foolish!"
The voices of many Martial Artists of Moonlight Hall feeling sorry for Ye Zhen rose like a tide and also reached Ye Zhen’s ears.
Yet Ye Zhen remained unmoved, his gaze even more resolute!
His goal was Martial Arts!
He wanted to see how far and how high the path of Martial Arts could take him, what different kind of world he could behold! How could he waver over a mere position as the successor to a Punishment Hall Elder?
Merely thinking about it, one would know that the affairs of the Punishment Hall were numerous and involved a lot of secrecy, which would definitely affect Cultivation, even one’s state of mind.
Why would Ye Zhen go?
"Thank you!"
"Thank you for showing mercy!"
As Ye Zhen descended from the sky, Huo Ming and others came up to meet him, thanking him with folded hands, their hands mangled and bloody. Now thinking back, Ye Zhen had shown mercy several times to them earlier.
Otherwise, the first explosion would not have turned into a suppression!
"Sorry, I wanted to win and had to use some methods. I have some top-notch...." Seeing Huo Ming’s bloody hands, Ye Zhen felt somewhat remorseful.
"No need, no need, we have them! The fact that you showed mercy twice just now, we are already very grateful!" Huo Ming quickly stopped Ye Zhen.
"Earlier, thank you... for showing mercy!"
The voice of Zheng Ling sounded beside Ye Zhen, with only a large bump on the back of her head. However, Ye Zhen had managed to break through her Protective Spirit Armor at that time; he could have taken her life.
But she had only been knocked unconscious, which was also why Zheng Ling thanked Ye Zhen.
"It was merely a match!"
"Can I ask you a question?" Zheng Ling suddenly asked.
"What question?"
"The Protective Cultivation Method you practice, is it a Heaven Rank Martial Skill? How could you remain unharmed after directly receiving my Golden Plum Seal?" Zheng Ling asked curiously. (The end continues. If you like this work, we invite you to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)

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