"Is that so? Then I’d like to see just how I’m not going to get out of this in one piece..."
BOOM!!
The instant he finished speaking, an utterly terrifying Qi Vortex Gang Wind erupted from Mu Chen’s body. It expanded dozens of meters in a flash before abruptly contracting! The pitch-black Demonic Flame and frigid Ice Breath, which had just faded, flared to life once more as an astonishing aura swept the field. A blue Martial Ring with a shimmering golden outline appeared beneath his feet, pulsing with a fantastical light.
"Hiss..."
Feeling Mu Chen’s explosive Pure Elemental Power, the hundred-odd Outer Mountain members in the air were all utterly shocked. But when they saw the blue Martial Ring at Mu Chen’s feet, they were instantly dumbfounded...
"Wh-what is going on? He... he’s a First-Ring Martial Sect? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"
"Huh? You see a First-Ring Martial Sect, too?"
GULP...
Hearing the others’ disbelief, everyone finally understood. The man before them really was just a First-Ring Martial Sect. But as they looked from the Martial Ring at Mu Chen’s feet to the Thunder Demon in the giant crater, they all swallowed hard.
Was this guy even fucking human? A First-Ring Martial Sect, a nobody who was like an ant in their eyes, had just beaten the Thunder Demon of their Holy Tomb Mountain’s Outer Mountain to within an inch of his life. If word of this got out, would anyone even believe it?!
"Haha..."
Just then, Wu Yue, who had been watching from the air this whole time, suddenly let out a hearty laugh.
"I have to admit, your aura is truly astonishing. But if this is all you have, it’s a bit foolish to think you can scare us." Wu Yue chuckled, then continued, "Everyone, don’t you find this odd?"
"Odd?"
SWISH...
In an instant, all eyes were on him. He reveled in the feeling.
"Of course it’s odd. Across the entire Extreme Martial Continent, tier jumping is theoretically impossible. I’m sure you’ve all come to understand that very clearly here at Holy Tomb Mountain. Yet in reality, battles involving tier jumping are common across the continent. You all know this. But have you ever stopped to think about *why* these people are able to do it?"
Why? The simple question stumped them all.
’That’s right! Why?’
"Because they are people of great fortune who have all, to some extent, acquired a few Secret Techniques! You are certainly no strangers to Secret Techniques! The Thunder Demon’s Thunder Armor Secret Technique is one of them. With that kind of power boost, a person using a Secret Technique naturally has a chance to defeat someone a full tier higher. However, the more powerful the Secret Technique, the greater the side effects after using it!"
"And this kid, a mere First-Ring Martial Sect, just defeated the Thunder Demon, a Five-Ring Emperor who possessed the Thunder Armor Secret Technique. The Secret Technique he used must be anything but ordinary, and it’s for that very reason he must now be a spent force! What are you still afraid of?!"
Laced with Primordial Power, Wu Yue’s voice sounded incredibly imposing. But the more he spoke, the more excited the Outer Mountain members became. They had picked up on a piece of fatally attractive information within his words.
’That kid has more than one Secret Technique!’
"..."
Seeing the excited faces of the Outer Mountain members all around them, Mu Chen couldn’t help but give Wu Yue an odd look. Ye Shuangshuang’s reaction was even more dramatic. Her eyes went wide as she exclaimed, "Th-this guy... isn’t he a little too full of himself?"
Mu Chen smiled at her words, thinking, ’More than just full of himself. His arrogance is on another level.’
At this thought, Mu Chen almost felt sorry for Wu Yue. He let out a breath and drew back the vortex of qi swirling around him, though the smile never left his lips.
Noticing that Mu Chen showed no fear upon hearing his words, but was instead smiling broadly, Wu Yue shook his head and chuckled. "So, you know you’ve been exposed. Have you decided to give up?"