Li Yuan felt very aggrieved!
He, a dignified Peak Fourth-Grade Martial Artist, was actually being suppressed by a junior like Lin Chen.
He even felt that Lin Chen was deliberately mocking him, otherwise he wouldn’t hit him back down every time he tried to rise.
This kid is too detestable.
Besides his grievances, Li Yuan was more shocked.
By now, he had to admit that he couldn’t do anything to Lin Chen.
Even when he fused the Poisonous Python Bloodline with his Spirit Soldier, he still couldn’t break through Lin Chen’s defense. Transformed into a giant ten feet tall, Lin Chen was innately invincible.
Initially, he hoped that Lin Chen’s transformation wouldn’t last long, but as Lin Chen continued to toy with him, Li Yuan also realized that Lin Chen’s transformation could persist for a long time.
Underwater, Li Yuan didn’t plan to surface again, but instead quickly moved toward the Zhao Kingdom border.
He had lost the previous thought of killing Lin Chen, and now he only wanted to escape to the Zhao Kingdom. As long as he reached the Zhao Kingdom border, Lin Chen couldn’t pursue him further.
As for Lin Chen...
The Han Kingdom is now at war with Liang. As long as he informs the Han Kingdom about Lin Chen’s Martial Arts Realm, with Lin Chen’s terrifying speed of strength advancement, the Han Kingdom will surely go to any lengths to destroy Lin Chen.
Otherwise, when Lin Chen grows up, he will be a nightmare for the Han Kingdom.
Three breaths later, Li Yuan’s body leaped from underwater, and at this moment, he was less than ten feet away from Zhao Kingdom’s border.
For a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist, ten feet is merely a breath away.
"Just wait."
Li Yuan looked back at Lin Chen with eyes full of resentment. After reaching Zhao Kingdom, his first move would be to head to Han Kingdom.
On the river surface, the giant-transformed Lin Chen saw the resentment in Li Yuan’s eyes, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth. His feet suddenly stomped the river surface, splashing a hundred-foot water curtain toward Li Yuan.
Seeing the incoming water curtain, Li Yuan laughed, acknowledging his strength was inferior to Lin Chen’s, but thinking that Lin Chen could stop him with just splashes was too fanciful.
He, Li Yuan, was after all a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist.
As the water curtain fell, Li Yuan did not dodge, letting his body shuttle directly through it.
However, Li Yuan hadn’t noticed that along with the falling water were four flying sabers emitting a cold light.
In the next moment, Li Yuan stumbled, and in the gaze of the surrounding martial artists, he rushed into the water curtain, unable to withstand its pressure, stumbling and falling toward the river surface.
Then, they saw that the giant’s hand arrived at the water curtain, grasping Li Yuan out of thin air, and then those hands erupted with crimson-gold flames.
Piercing screams emanated from his palm, chilling the spine of those present.
Three breaths later, the giant’s palm opened, and numerous bones and flesh crumbled into ashes under their watchful eyes, leaving only a scant amount of bone powder and flesh fragments falling into the river, causing an insignificant splash.
"He crushed a Fourth or Fifth-Grade Martial Artist with one hand... What on earth is this giant’s origin?"
The Zhao Kingdom’s martial artists felt a chill all over, especially when the giant’s eyes glanced over, making them dare not move.
Escape?
They didn’t even dare to think about it.
Even a suspected Fourth-Grade Martial Artist couldn’t escape, let alone others.
Fortunately, the giant only glanced at them before withdrawing his gaze, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief.
On the Liang border, several guard martial artists tensed up the moment the giant turned toward them, but to their surprise, the giant nodded to them before they could react, and in a few strides across the river, it disappeared upstream.
"Sir, was that giant just greeting us?"
The Liang border martial artists finally reacted, and one uncertainly asked.
"You ask me, who should I ask?"
The leader rolled his eyes, but in his heart, he was sure the giant had indeed greeted them with that nod.
So, is this giant related to Liang? Is he a Liang warrior?
If this giant is a Liang martial artist, it should be Liang’s secret weapon. Until the other party actively reveals their identity, he naturally won’t expose this on the surface.
"Let’s go back and report what happened here to our superiors. I suspect Liang is hiding their strength."
Meanwhile, Zhao Kingdom’s guards also snapped back to reality. They too saw the giant nodding toward Liang’s guards, hinting strongly at a connection with Liang.
A giant ten feet tall...
If Liang possessed dozens of such giants, wouldn’t they be unstoppable on the battlefield, their lethality no less deadly than First-Grade Martial Artists?
Now, Liang and the Han Kingdom are locked in a stalemate, with other nations observing. Relaying this information to the higher-ups will let them assess Liang’s strength more accurately and avoid wrong decisions.
Dozens of miles away.
Lin Chen resumed his original form, beginning his return to the military camp.
This encounter with Li Yuan gave him a rough assessment of his strength; Fourth-Grade Martial Artists couldn’t break through his Inextinguishable Divine Face Technique. Below the Upper Grade, he should be invincible.
Taizhou Military Camp.
When Lin Chen returned to the military camp, he went to see his teacher immediately.
"Do you now possess the strength of a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist?"
Jia Nanzhu looked at his disciple. He had already heard about Li Yuan fleeing the camp, and with his disciple disappearing for a day and night, there was only one possibility: he went after Li Yuan.
His disciple wasn’t the impulsive type. If he dared to chase after Li Yuan alone, he must be confident in his own strength.
This made him curious all day long, wondering what Martial Arts Realm Lin Chen had reached. Previously, Lin Chen only said he turned misfortune into fortune, and he subconsciously thought Lin Chen at most broke through to the First Grade.
Going from Junior Seventh Grade to Sixth Grade, chasing Li Yuan alone — Lin Chen would never do this unless he had lost his mind.
"Yes, master, I possess the strength of a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist."
Seeing Lin Chen nod and admit it, Jia Nanzhu’s old eyes lit up. Although he had some guesses, hearing Lin Chen confirm it felt unbelievable. He fell silent for several breaths before saying, "This shouldn’t be called turning misfortune into fortune, but rather a great blessing in disguise."
In just a few months, he transitioned from Junior Seventh Grade to Fourth Grade, equating to ten years of hard training for talented martial artists. Even Pei Qingming took ten years to go from Junior Seventh Grade to Fourth Grade.
"The Martial Arts Technique of the Flame Dynasty is truly unmatched by those of the Nine Kingdoms."
Ultimately, Jia Nanzhu attributed Lin Chen’s achievement to his cultivation of the Flame Dynasty’s technique.
"The Flame Dynasty’s techniques are indeed far more powerful than those of the Nine Kingdoms. I felt this when I sparred with the martial artists of the Flame Dynasty at Martial Arts Mountain."
Lin Chen nodded, seeing his teacher’s surprised expression. He thought it best not to reveal his unmatched status beneath the Upper Grade, lest his teacher be too shocked.
When Lin Chen wasn’t looking, worry flickered in Jia Nanzhu’s eyes.
With the Flame Dynasty’s cultivation techniques so miraculous, the martial artists of the Flame Dynasty could easily crush the Nine Kingdoms. If martial artists from the Flame Dynasty enter the Nine Kingdoms, the balance might shift instantly, which is not good news for Liang.
However, Jia Nanzhu quickly concealed this bit of worry. For now, martial artists from the Flame Dynasty have yet to appear. Who knows what the future holds?
Worrying too much is unnecessary anxiety.
When the martial artists of the Flame Dynasty do descend upon the Nine Kingdoms, he might have already turned to dust.
"What of Li Yuan now?"
"He has already been slain by me."
Jia Nanzhu: ...
"Since that is the case, you and I as teacher and student should leave the camp, so as not to trouble Lord Ge any further."
"Alright."
Lin Chen nodded and went with his teacher to Lord Ge’s tent, bidding farewell to him.
Regarding his slaying of Li Yuan, Lin Chen did not disclose it, mainly to avoid too much shock.
"On Li Yuan’s end, I have already arranged for someone to pursue him. The Imperial Court will not let him escape. As for those who leaked military information, though they spoke without malice, they have broken military regulations, and I have already dealt with them according to military law."
Ge Hongyi assured them, personally seeing Lin Chen and Jia Nanzhu out of the camp.
Liang Capital.
Military Affairs Department.
Kong Qifeng looked at the envelope in his hand, a smile appearing on his face.
Chu Zining, standing nearby, saw his lord’s smile and felt perplexed. Since the Han Kingdom and Liang went to war, and Lin Chen became lost after entering the Li Fire Array, he hadn’t seen a smile on his lord’s face.
Though Lin Chen’s fate was uncertain, Chu Zining believed Lin Chen’s survival was impossible.
"My lord, is there good news?"
Unable to hold back, Chu Zining spoke. Kong Qifeng smiled, stroking his beard, "Look for yourself. This is a letter from Ge Hongyi of Taizhou Prefecture."
Chu Zining quickly scanned the letter’s contents. Upon seeing that Lord Ge mentioned Lin Chen appearing in Taizhou Prefecture, his pupils dilated.
"Junior Brother Lin is still alive?"
"Ge Hongyi wouldn’t joke with me about this. I surmise Duke Fang will soon send word too."
"Junior Brother Lin truly... truly survives disaster for future blessings."
Chu Zining couldn’t help but marvel, finding no suitable words, using that phrase at last.
Being devoured by Li Fire yet surviving — truly incredible.
"You’re not wrong, surviving disaster..."
Kong Qifeng’s words were cut off as rushed footsteps came from the courtyard entrance.
"My lord, the Left Prime Minister has sent orders. There’s important military news. He requests your presence at the hall."
Important military news!
Upon hearing those four words, Chu Zining’s expression grew solemn. If this important military news benefited Liang, the Left Prime Minister would openly state it to the messenger. But now he’s been summoned, implying it’s bad news for Liang.
"I understand."
Kong Qifeng replied, his figure turning into a stream of light, soaring over the courtyard walls towards the Imperial Palace.

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