"The Crown Prince of Great Zhou... seems even more monstrous than he was at the Ancient Desolation Tower."
All the young prodigies present looked serious.
Over the past year, they had all improved by leaps and bounds.
But now it seemed Yang Cheng's growth was even more ridiculous.
"Nangong Yi, you can't even hold your sword steady, and you still want to challenge me?"
Yang Cheng said coldly, "I think the sword isn't for you. Better stick to training your blade techniques."
Hearing that, Nangong Yi was so angry his hand trembled.
But he didn't act recklessly—there was clear caution in his eyes.
He wasn't stupid. By now, it was obvious Yang Cheng's strength was absurd.
In the past year, he had gained the Sword God's legacy and undergone a true transformation.
But Yang Cheng's leap was even more outrageous.
"I admit I underestimated you. But didn't you say that anyone dissatisfied could attack you together? Everyone here heard it. Don't try to weasel out of it now."
Nangong Yi spoke up again. "Don't act like you didn't say that."
"A provocation tactic?"
Yang Cheng chuckled. "Don't bother with cheap tricks like that. I may be young, but I always stand by my word. What I say counts."
"I did say anyone unconvinced could come at me. That still holds."
Nangong Yi didn't feel embarrassed—he actually looked relieved.
He'd feared Yang Cheng might deny it. If he had to fight Yang Cheng alone, there'd be no way to redeem himself.
Only by rallying the other prodigies did he have a shot at revenge.
"You really are just as arrogant as ever, Crown Prince of Great Zhou," said a burly six-year-old boy. "But since you're so confident, let me show you what I've got. I'm Zhao Shouyi."
"That's a core disciple of Xuan Yuan Temple!"
"They say Zhao Shouyi was born with monstrous strength and has cultivated the Xuan Yuan Palm to the seventh level."
"Hiss... seventh level? That means he's already reached Minor Achievement in Palm Dao!"
"Six years old and already Minor Achievement in Palm Dao—that's another freak of nature."
The great hall buzzed louder and louder.
"Another defeated nobody," Yang Cheng replied calmly.
Zhao Shouyi's face twisted with rage. "Take this!"
Boom!
He struck out with one palm.
The air exploded.
His palm force roared like waves crashing onto rocks, emptying the space in the hall.
The Xuan Yuan Palm was the signature art of Xuan Yuan Temple, capable of stacking vitality and force.
Each level added another layer of blood energy.
Zhao Shouyi had reached the seventh level, meaning seven layers of blood energy were stacked.
It was like seven crashing tidal waves, plus his own innate divine strength.
The power released in that moment was terrifying.
"Perfect!"
Yang Cheng didn't dodge. His right hand remained behind his back as his left hand calmly struck forward.
Void Great Hand Seal!
Instantly, a massive palm manifested in the air and slammed down toward Zhao Shouyi.
Zhao Shouyi's face changed. He frantically poured all his qi into his palm to clash with the giant hand above.
Boom!
The moment their palms collided, Zhao Shouyi's pupils shrank.
He felt like his seven-layered palm force had slammed into a mountain ten thousand zhang tall.
Crushed!
Shattered!
Zhao Shouyi clearly felt it—his power crumbled completely the moment it touched Yang Cheng's hand seal.
The next instant, he was forced face-down on the floor. His entire body's qi collapsed.
Crack!
A crisp sound of bones snapping rang out. Zhao Shouyi tried to get up, but his right arm dangled uselessly.
Cold sweat soaked his forehead. He realized his arm was broken.
And Yang Cheng hadn't even moved from his spot. Not even his robes had rippled.
He swept his eyes around. "Anyone else?"
"I will."
Yang Xiu stepped forward. "Let me experience what Crown Prince Brother can do."
"Sounds fun. Count me in too," said Tuoba Long, heir to the Eastern King of Great Yan.
Tuoba Long was eleven, younger than Tuoba Xiao had been, but far stronger. His cultivation had already reached fifth-stage Martial Grandmaster.
He was, without a doubt, the top genius of Great Yan's younger generation.
"And me!"
Wu Cangming, heir to the Southern Guardian Prince, spoke up. "Yang Cheng, after you defeated me last time, I inherited the Ancient Blade God's legacy. I've been waiting to fight you again."
"Heh. I'm in too," said Yao Qingxiao, visibly excited. He clearly felt this was his chance.
In an instant, six top-tier prodigies—Nangong Yi, Zhao Shouyi, Yang Xiu, Tuoba Long, Wu Cangming, and Yao Qingxiao—locked their auras onto Yang Cheng.
Even more interesting, among these six, only Nangong Yi and Yang Xiu used swords. The others each practiced different paths.
Zhao Shouyi cultivated Palm Dao, Tuoba Long practiced Fist Dao, Wu Cangming specialized in Blade Dao, and Yao Qingxiao followed Zither Dao.
The major powers' elders didn't stop them.
They all acknowledged Yang Cheng's monstrous talent.
But since he'd boldly claimed he could crush everyone of his generation, then he had to bear the pressure that came with it.
If he couldn't withstand even this six-on-one challenge, then that "crushing the world" talk was nothing but a joke.
Many guests already thought the situation was insane.
Yet Yang Cheng didn't seem to think it was crazy enough.
He turned to Leng Qianyu, Kongxing, and the Jade Zither Pavilion's senior sister. "You three not joining?"
"I'm not in the habit of kicking people when they're down," said Leng Qianyu with a cold face.
Kongxing just shook his head and smiled without saying a word.
The Jade Zither Pavilion's senior sister said, "Let's see you block all six of them first."
"Fine then. Go ahead."
Yang Cheng spoke calmly to the six prodigies.
"Crimson Flood Dragon Divine Fist!"
Tuoba Long struck first.
His Crimson Flood Dragon Divine Fist had reached the eighth stage, and the power it unleashed was terrifying.
A dragon's roar shook the air as a crimson flood dragon lunged toward Yang Cheng.
To everyone's shock, Yang Cheng also clenched his fist and used the same Crimson Flood Dragon Divine Fist to meet the blow head-on.
At the same time—
"Mountain-Splitting Divine Blade!"
Wu Cangming shouted as he slashed his blade at Yang Cheng.
The force of the blade was like a rainbow, carrying a destructive might that could cleave mountains.
Yang Cheng's face didn't change. He raised his other hand and used his palm as a blade to strike back at Wu Cangming.
Boom!
First came the impact of fists clashing.
A thunderous sonic boom rang out, making the nearby windows buzz violently.
Several tables and chairs nearby were instantly reduced to dust.
The next moment, Tuoba Long was blasted backward through the air.
Right after that, a blade light from the Absolute Godblade Technique collided with Wu Cangming's massive blade.
Logically, Yang Cheng should've been exhausted after defeating Tuoba Long, unable to stop Wu Cangming.
But instead, Wu Cangming ended up just like Tuoba Long—sent flying, blade and all.
Two prodigies fought Yang Cheng, and both were instantly crushed.
"Attack!"
Zhao Shouyi struck again from the front with his palm.
Yang Xiu and Nangong Yi exchanged a look, then charged at Yang Cheng from the left and right.
At the same time, Yao Qingxiao began strumming his zither in the distance, using its sound to disturb Yang Cheng's rhythm.
In a blink, Yang Cheng was being surrounded and attacked by four prodigies at once.
But he didn't panic.
With a flick of his hand, he strummed Wei Roujia's zither string, instantly throwing Yao Qingxiao's music into chaos.
Then, with his right hand, he drew the wooden sword from his waist and charged alone toward both Yang Xiu and Nangong Yi, the two sword cultivators.
In that moment, Yang Cheng's terrifying mastery of swordsmanship exploded forth.
Yang Xiu and Nangong Yi were both considered elite sword cultivators among the younger generation.
But compared to Yang Cheng, they looked like clumsy novices.
Even people who knew nothing about swordplay could clearly see that Yang Cheng's sword dao far outclassed theirs.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clash between the three swordsmen was lightning fast.
And Yang Cheng still had energy to spare, using his Void Great Hand Seal to keep Zhao Shouyi at bay.
Everyone around them was utterly stunned.
None of them expected Yang Cheng to shine so brightly.
Every one of his challengers was a renowned prodigy in the Eastern Wastes.
And yet, Yang Cheng was handling them all by himself with ease.
Even more shocking was the versatility of his talent.
No matter what path his enemies used—palm, blade, zither, fist, or sword—he could counter them all using the same path.
He was proficient in everything.
People had seen geniuses who mastered one or two martial paths.
But never anyone like Yang Cheng, who seemed to excel at them all.
It was nothing short of monstrous.
"I don't believe it!"
Yang Xiu's face twisted in frustration.
"Supreme Sword Canon—Sword Without Self!"
In that moment, Yang Xiu unleashed his true trump card.
A blinding sword light shot out, carrying an unimaginable sword intent that pierced straight toward Yang Cheng.
"This sword technique!"
"Incredible technique. Terrifying sword intent!"
"The Sixth Prince of Great Zhou is a monster too!"
"His sword dao might already be near Great Achievement!"
The surrounding experts were visibly shaken. Many who were seated suddenly stood up.
Most people couldn't even reach Initiation in sword dao.
But Yang Xiu, at only three years old, had not only entered sword dao, but might already be close to Great Achievement.
It was unbelievable.
Emperor Qian Yuan felt both joy and concern.
Any ordinary family with a child like this would be celebrating.
But he had two such children—he must've hit some kind of ancestral blessing.
And yet, it guaranteed him future troubles.
If he only had one prodigy, he could pass down the throne without worry.
But with two, even though he had already named Yang Cheng as Crown Prince, would Yang Xiu really accept it quietly?
"Can the Crown Prince of Great Zhou block this sword?"
Everyone was watching closely.
'As expected of Heaven's Mandate,' Yang Cheng thought, smiling calmly. His expression never changed.
Yang Xiu's sword was indeed impressive, but to someone whose sword dao had already reached Perfection, it was nothing.
In an instant, Yang Cheng saw right through the flaw in Yang Xiu's strike.
With a sudden flick, his wooden sword flashed forward like a deer leaping over a hanging horn. At an impossible angle, it struck the back of Yang Xiu's sword.
That spot was the weakest point of Yang Xiu's sword force.
"What?!"
Yang Xiu's hand went numb. His palm split open.
His expression changed drastically as he pulled back, but Yang Cheng's wooden sword followed like a shadow, its tip stopping just three inches from his throat.
The crowd collectively gasped.
What just happened?
Those with lesser understanding of sword dao were completely confused.
Just a moment ago, Yang Xiu's sword momentum was soaring. How had Yang Cheng unraveled it so easily?
But those deeply versed in sword dao were struck with fear.
Only one thought flashed through their minds—Just how deep is Yang Cheng's sword dao?
Could it be that he had already reached Great Achievement?
Even thinking about that made their skin crawl.
Ding!
At the critical moment, Nangong Yi swung his sword sideways to block Yang Cheng and save Yang Xiu.
He knew very well—if Yang Xiu lost here, he alone could never beat Yang Cheng.
"I was waiting for you."
Yang Cheng smiled.
In warfare, attack the false and defend the real.
From the start, when he pressed Yang Xiu, he was ready for Nangong Yi's interference. He had been waiting for this moment.
Of course, if Nangong Yi hadn't stepped in, he would've simply taken down Yang Xiu—either way, Nangong Yi was bound to lose.