Super Combat Soldier
Chapter 680 - 679: [The First Battle as a Martial Artist]

Chapter 680: Chapter 679: [The First Battle as a Martial Artist]

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Bang!

Inside Ye Tianchen’s body, two different kinds of energy were temporarily suppressed below the Dantian. He evolved from a minor Superpower User into a half Martial Artist. Such a transformation was something he could accept, as he had always felt the strength of Martial Arts Power. Coupled with Master Fang Zheng’s explanation, and his prior exposure to martial arts, it came naturally for him to understand. From the start, he had aspired to learn Ancient Martial Arts Absolute Skill and even sought to merge the Ancient Martial True Energy with Superpower, aiming to fuse them together and carve out a unique "Tao"!

Master Fang Zheng’s selflessness and his death had greatly shocked Ye Tianchen, who held immense respect for this elderly predecessor. He was a man of kindness and integrity, who had long understood another realm of life. Under such circumstances, he had given his own death to preserve Ye Tianchen, exhausting all his Martial Arts True Power to help suppress the Superpower within Ye Tianchen’s Dantian. Otherwise, he would not have been successfully ambushed by the Sword Emperor, pierced through the heart with a single strike.

In his rage, Ye Tianchen still used "Thunder Sky Fist" to smash at the Sword Emperor. The ferocious Martial Arts True Power surged forth, alarming the Sword Emperor enough not to underestimate it. After exchanging a blow, Ye Tianchen staggered back three or four steps to steady himself, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. Meanwhile, the Sword Emperor stood still, coldly smiling at Ye Tianchen, "You’re still wet behind the ears. Even if you’ve become a Martial Artist and stepped into this universal cultivation trend, you’ll never be my match. Master Fang Zheng died in vain, hahaha!"

"Tianchen, are you alright?" Dongfang Meng, too, was greatly startled and rushed to Ye Tianchen’s side to ask with concern.

Ye Tianchen shook his head and stared at the Sword Emperor without speaking. He, too, was extremely shocked in his heart, not expecting the Sword Emperor to be this powerful. Was this the strength of the top ten on Earth? Truly terrifying. The Sword Emperor and Master Fang Zheng had battled for so long, using their strongest Absolute Skills against each other, undoubtedly depleting much of their Martial Arts True Power. Although the Sword Emperor succeeded in ambushing Master Fang Zheng, he was also gravely injured by the master. His combat strength must have greatly diminished, yet when Ye Tianchen first unleashed his full force of Martial Arts True Power—that overwhelming sensation of power—it should not have been less than when using Superpower, perhaps even stronger. Still, the Sword Emperor managed to block it, which was indeed shocking.

"Fang Zheng, oh Fang Zheng, is this the person you’ve exhausted yourself to help? That’s all the potential he has? Your death was in vain. Now, let me send him to reunite with you..."

The Sword Emperor absolutely would not show any mercy toward Ye Tianchen. Aside from Ye Tianchen having obtained the Yijin Jing, the fact that Ye Tianchen killed his biological younger brother, Songben Xiajian, made it imperative for the Sword Emperor to kill Ye Tianchen. As he spoke, the Sword Emperor raised his hand to suppress Ye Tianchen, only to realize that he couldn’t feel his right hand lifting at all. Frowning, he looked down at his right hand and saw that his entire right arm was ruined, flesh mangled and bones shattered to bits.

"No, it can’t be, this can’t be happening, how can you possibly be my match, the Sword Emperor? You’re just a greenhorn, this is impossible..." Upon seeing that he had been severely wounded by a single punch from Ye Tianchen, the Sword Emperor almost felt a sense of madness, yelling in disbelief.

At this moment, the Sword Emperor was somewhat incredulous, and also struggling to accept this reality. Who was he? The most outstanding disciple within the Beicheng Sword School decades ago, he had fought against the strong within the Ancient Martial World, even drawing a tie with Master Fang Zheng in his youth, never losing. Now he was ranked among the ten strongest on Earth. And Ye Tianchen? He was just a man in his twenties. Even if his combat ability was great, it couldn’t possibly match the Sword Emperor’s. The Sword Emperor had seen Ye Tianchen as nothing more than an ant he could squash with a slap, and this ant had almost just forsaken his Superpower User identity to become a Martial Artist, nearly becoming possessed by an evil spirit, causing his own demise. If not for Master Fang Zheng forcibly suppressing the Superpower, Ye Tianchen would already be dead. Now, the display of combat power by Ye Tianchen was something even the Sword Emperor had to seriously contend with, causing him to verge on breakdown.

"I will kill you, to avenge Master Fang Zheng!" Ye Tianchen calmly stated as he looked at the Sword Emperor.

"Oh? Kill me? Do you really think you have what it takes to kill me? You’re far from it!" the Sword Emperor said fiercely to Ye Tianchen.

Ye Tianchen ignored the Sword Emperor. At this moment, he felt the surging power of Martial Arts within him, a strength far greater than his Superpower. It seemed Master Fang Zheng was right—Superpower Users were just a minor category in this grand world of cultivation. This universe was, in truth, a Martial Arts World. If he wanted to go further and reach higher, he had to abandon his previous identity as a Superpower User and become a Martial Arts Practitioner. It was his destiny and an inevitable trend.

"Step back. I’m going to kill this old thief and avenge Master Fang Zheng," Ye Tianchen said to Dongfang Meng after glancing at her.

Dongfang Meng was somewhat worried, but seeing Ye Tianchen’s resolute gaze, she nodded and stepped aside. The death of Master Fang Zheng had greatly moved her as well. He was a venerable and respectable elder. If it weren’t for saving the two of them, with Master Fang Zheng’s cultivation, it would have been nearly impossible for the Sword Emperor to kill him. Now that Master Fang Zheng had passed away, there was one less person to restrain the Songshan Sect’s Bei Lengshi. It was uncertain what kind of storm of blood and violence would sweep through the Ancient Martial World. Dongfang Meng indeed felt anxious.

"Delusions of grandeur, I can annihilate you with just one hand!" the Sword Emperor sneered.

Smack!

"Die!"

In that moment, Ye Tianchen was furious, his combat power surging tumultuously, no longer able to restrain the rage within him. With a palm strike directed at the Sword Emperor, the attack shook the heavens and the earth. As soon as he unleashed it, it seemed to cause the very sky of the Heavenly Capital to collapse. The Sword Emperor furrowed his brows deeply, utterly incredulous, unable to believe that Ye Tianchen, who had just transformed from a Superpower User to a Martial Artist, possessed such combat power, such formidable Martial Arts Absolute Skills.

Dongfang Meng was also stunned. She recognized Ye Tianchen’s Absolute Skill palm technique as Qingchengyue’s Yaochi Sect’s "Heavenly Shocking Palm," immensely powerful. She had suffered from this technique during her fierce battle with Qingchengyue. If not for Ye Tianchen’s intervention, she might have lost her life.

Boom!

The entire Shaolin Temple trembled; even the sealed Ancient Martial World shook slightly, a testament to the tremendous force of Ye Tianchen’s palm strike. Now a Martial Artist, he could still wield Superpower Skills, but he had no further connections to Superpower. A clean break was needed, or else it would leave future troubles. From now on, Ye Tianchen was a Martial Artist, joining the "Righteous Path" of cultivation in this world.

For Ye Tianchen, known for his strong will and decisive actions, if this world revered Martial Artists and only through this path one could reach the Peak, then he, Ye Tianchen, would become a Martial Artist and ascend to the Martial Arts Peak. Otherwise, he could not accomplish his goals and would fail to honor Master Fang Zheng’s sacrifice for others.

There was nothing to hesitate about. Now that Ye Tianchen had become a Martial Artist and temporarily suppressed the Superpower in his Dantian, from this day forward, he would find every way to purge the Superpower from his body, delve into the power of Martial Arts, and if he lacked such resolve and will, he could not accomplish what lay ahead. Sometimes, one must jettison what needs to be left behind, or they will stagnate, and by the time they wish to discard it, it will be too late!

Splat!

The Sword Emperor failed to withstand Ye Tianchen’s palm strike; his body was soaked in blood, with only his head visible above ground. Ye Tianchen had driven him deep into the earth, a sight too dreadful to behold. However, there was no pity for such a person; he was nothing more than a murderous devil, and Ye Tianchen certainly could not afford to show mercy!

"You... You just received the transmission of the Yijin Jing, suppressed the Superpower within your body, and became a Martial Arts Practitioner. How could you have such tremendous combat power?" The Sword Emperor looked at Ye Tianchen with an expression of disbelief, unable to accept the fact that he, who had claimed he could annihilate Ye Tianchen with just a finger, couldn’t even withstand a single palm strike from him.

"All I know is that now that I am a Martial Artist, I must reach the peak of Martial Arts. I will shed my identity as a Superpower User and find a way to integrate it. And you, you must die!" Ye Tianchen said earnestly, gazing at the Sword Emperor.

"Hahaha, I understand now, I see... Fang Zheng, that fellow, in order to help you suppress the Superpower within your body, transforming all the power within your meridians and blood into Martial Arts True Power, did not hesitate to expend hundreds of years of his skill. Not only did he suppress the Superpower inside you, but he also maintained your level of cultivation at its former state. It wasn’t easy, indeed, that old baldy really had a broad perspective on life and death!" the Sword Emperor suddenly realized and laughed loudly.

Ye Tianchen was taken aback. He had indeed been somewhat puzzled; even if Master Fang Zheng had suppressed the Superpower within him, confining it below his Dantian, it shouldn’t be possible for it to burst forth and clash with the Martial Arts True Power so soon, and after such a recent brush with danger, how could his combat strength be so formidable?

It turned out, Master Fang Zheng had not only helped Ye Tianchen suppress the Superpower in his Dantian but, to ensure that Ye Tianchen could more cleanly and smoothly transition to a Martial Artist, he went all out with his entire True Power to press down the Superpower accumulated in Ye Tianchen’s blood and bones, setting the most solid foundation for this pivotal moment in Ye Tianchen’s life with his own life...(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)