When Jin Rensu’s group first made contact with him, Wu Yuan refrained from immediately launching into combat for two reasons. Apart from curiosity, he had felt an almost imperceptible, unsettling aura emanating from the dense forest hundreds of meters away. This had aroused suspicion and instilled a hint of hesitation within him.
However, once he made up his mind to fight, Wu Yuan went all out, holding nothing back as he eliminated these threats first.
And now, Wu Yuan could finally confirm with absolute certainty that a Grandmaster expert had arrived.
Furthermore, from the opponent's height, weapon, and the way Ninth Prince Jin Rensu addressed him, Wu Yuan had roughly guessed his identity: one of the twelve Grandmasters of the Jiang Continent—Chen Luo. He was ranked 116th in the Land Rankings, and his forte lay in the staff!
Processing this information, Wu Yuan realized that although his soul was powerful, his soul sense was not invincible. He could perceive experts below the level of Grandmaster with clarity. But for those who reached the human limits? He could only get a vague sense of their presence, as Grandmasters had the ability to conceal their auras.
Whoosh! The man in red robes arrived beside Jin Rensu and Grandmaster Chen Luo in a flash.
"Grandmaster Chen!" the red-robed man bowed his head in extreme respect. Proud as he was, boasting a near-invincible status beneath the Grandmasters, he still had to bow his head in front of a real Grandmaster.
In the Middle Land, an insurmountable chasm separated the Grandmasters from the rest. Throughout the ages, few martial artists could ever break this convention.
"Uncle Chen, kill him! You must kill him!" Jin Rensu suddenly yelled, hatred blazing in his eyes as he pointed accusingly at Wu Yuan.
For a prince, enlisting the aid of top-tier experts, particularly those ranked high on the Human Rankings, was far from easy. They were not inclined to pledge their allegiance to others. Both the old man in white robes and the woman in black were individuals he had painstakingly recruited and trusted immensely.
Pa! A sudden, forceful slap landed across Jin Rensu's face.
The youth was completely dazed. "Uncle Chen."
"Still not awake? When you encounter a problem, you let hatred cloud your mind, driving you to recklessly seek revenge." Chen Luo's voice was cold "And what's the result? If it weren’t for me, you'd be dead! With such a temperament, how could His Majesty rest easy entrusting the future of Great Jin to you?"
"But I..." Jin Rensu attempted to protest.
Pa! Another slap landed.
"Listen when your elders are imparting wisdom!" Chen Luo's voice turned icy. He pointed at the two lifeless bodies strewn across the ground with his staff. "Take a good look, two Savant experts have perished because of your actions."
Jin Rensu ground his teeth in frustration as he listened. A fire raged within him, but at this moment, he could only bow his head and utter, "Thank you, Uncle Chen. Rensu understands his mistake now."
Naturally, Chen Luo recognized Jin Rensu's dissatisfaction, but he was confident that in retrospect, Jin Rensu would naturally comprehend. If he couldn’t? Then he was simply unworthy of taking the throne. That would also mean Chen Luo had misjudged him.
What's more, he didn't care in the slightest if Jin Rensu held a grudge against him. Where couldn't a Grandmaster go in this vast world?
Even if Jin Rensu became emperor, Grandmasters were never truly beholden to anyone.
Only at this moment did Chen Luo's gaze land on Wu Yuan. "You are Shadow Blade?"
His eyes were filled with curiosity and killing intent, "I never expected you to be a quasi-grandmaster."
Quasi-grandmaster? The middle-aged man in red robes and Jin Ren felt their hearts shudder. Only then did they realize what kind of being they had provoked.
"Quasi-grandmaster?" Wu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
"Based on the speed and strength you displayed earlier, your power doesn't seem to have reached the first-grade level." Chen Luo said softly.
"And what of it?" Wu Yuan's eyes flickered.
"But, it appears you have reached the Harmony of Man and Nature stage. How strange." Chen Luo said softly, "Your vital qi appears vigorous, unlike that of an 80-year-old. Truly bizarre. Can you explain it to me?”
"Hmph." Wu Yuan just snorted coldly, refusing to offer an explanation. He naturally understood what Chen Luo meant.
In the world of the Middle Land, an average second-grade martial artist, regardless of how gifted or how hard they strived, could only enhance their physical constitutions to a limit of 160,000 to 180,000 catties.
Only by mastering Rigid Yet Supple and gradually gaining Environmental Mastery could one truly unleash the full potential of their body, reaching the limit of their human body. At that stage, one's physical constitution would experience a significant leap, breaking past 200,000 catties of strength.
This Grandmaster had easily discerned that Wu Yuan recently exerted 160,000 catties of strength, barely qualifying him as a top-tier second-grade martial artist. Yet, Wu Yuan's martial skills were at an extraordinarily high level.
As for the Harmony of Man and Nature? According to Wu Yuan's previous research, the stage of Environmental Mastery was indeed referred to as the Harmony of Man and Nature in the Middle Land!
From Chen Luo's perspective, if Wu Yuan possessed such exceptional martial skills, his physical body should not have stagnated at this level; he should have already entered the first-grade level.
Generally, there are only two possibilities.
Either he was still in a period of physical growth, and would naturally transition to the first-grade level in the future. Or he was an extremely old martial artist, like Mo Jingchen. At that point, with declining qi and vitality, making further breakthroughs would become impossible even with incredible martial skills.
"Unwilling to speak?" Chen Luo fixed his gaze on Wu Yuan. "Speak up, Shadow Blade. There might be a chance, a slim chance, that I will spare your pitiful existence."
"Spare me?" Wu Yuan scoffed, shaking his head. "Is Great Jin made up of fools? Even the Grandmasters are no exception."
"Can't you guys switch up your lines?" Wu Yuan shot back with a mocking sneer.
Chen Luo faltered. The ninth prince, Jin Rensu, and the man in red robes looked at Wu Yuan in surprise. He dared act so brazenly in front of a Grandmaster?
"Do you really think you can escape from me?" Chen Luo asked, his voice now a dangerous whisper.
"Chen Luo." Wu Yuan chuckled coldly, "Everyone knows you by your Grandmaster title, but the first time I heard your name was ten years ago, during the Battle of Hillstride."
"Ha! It was there that the Cloudstride Sect's Grandmaster Yu gave you a good beating, nearly routing Great Jin's army! If it weren't for the timely arrival of East King Jin Jiu who held her off, I bet you'd have died there and then!" Wu Yuan sneered, "I've never considered you a worthy opponent."
Silence fell. Ninth Prince Jin Rensu and the red-robed man stared at Wu Yuan, stupefied. Yes, everything he said was true. But what good could possibly come from provoking a Grandmaster?
"You're courting death!" A chilling light exploded in Chen Luo's eyes. Wu Yuan's words had struck a nerve within this proud Grandmaster.
The Battle of Hillstride concluded in triumph for Great Jin. Yet, it was a battle of dishonor for him. As a young Grandmaster at the peak of his prowess, not even 60 years old, he found himself on the brink of death at the hands of an elderly Grandmaster nearing 100. How pathetic.
"Chen Luo!" Wu Yuan roared suddenly, battle intent erupting in his eyes. "I’ll give you two choices. One, you let me go, and today's events end here. Two, fight me, and you might just kill me."
"But." Wu Yuan lifted his saber, the tip pointing at Ninth Prince Jin Rensu, "He, will die!"
Such a naked threat caused a flicker of fear to pass through Jin Rensu's eyes. He trusted Chen Luo, but anyone would be apprehensive when threatened by a quasi-grandmaster.
"Shadow Blade, I don't care who you are, or whether you have a Grandmaster backing you," Murderous intent burst in Chen Luo's eyes, "Today, you are dead meat! Li Zi, protect the prince."
Boom! Chen Luo shot forward, skyrocketing to nearly the speed of sound, his staff whirling through the air with unbridled fury.
The mighty staff descended on Wu Yuan, its force akin to the collapse of the sky.
"Good move." Wu Yuan's eyes were fixed on the metal staff as it closed in, a surge of adrenaline flooding his body.
Grandmaster! Finally, he was facing a true Grandmaster for the first time since arriving in this world. Was he confident? Not at all.
Roaming the world, engaging in countless fights, can one have absolute certainty of victory in every battle? Only when the battle commences, can one truly know whether they will live or perish. Fighting spirit blazed in Wu Yuan's eyes.
Whoosh! A dazzling blade ray ignited.
Confronting a Grandmaster expert, Wu Yuan dared not hold back at all, simultaneously activating the two secret arts Thousand Mountains and Ghostwalk.
Boom! Accompanied by a dull explosion, an invisible wave of power swept in all directions. Although Jin Rensu and the man in red robes stood nearly 200 meters away, they could feel the impact vividly.
Bang! Like a meteor, Wu Yuan was violently blasted back hundreds of meters, slamming into the riverbank and sending up a tide ten meters tall.
Once more, Chen Luo took a single step forward. Like a phantom, he charged at Wu Yuan. The air merely erupted with a faint rumble. It was evident that Chen Luo’s martial skill had reached a terrifying level. Even if it didn't surpass Wu Yuan’s, the gap was not significant. Both had reached the Environmental Mastery stage.
Boom! The staff swung down towards Wu Yuan's head. If this blow landed, Wu Yuan's skull would surely burst open. In clashes between martial artists, life and death hung by a thread.
Swish! Wu Yuan's figure twisted. Like a gust of wind, he evaded the blow, simultaneously delivering a saber strike of his own. But it was blocked by the staff right away.
A Grandmaster indeed! Wu Yuan's eyes burned with excitement, I can't confront him head-on, or my defeat will be inevitable.
"The staff is a heavy weapon. But Chen Luo, I've told you. If you attack me, he's doomed!" Wu Yuan suddenly sidestepped. Exerting force with his legs, he dashed straight towards Jin Rensu.