Chapter 11

"Ye Fan has come out!" Someone shouted, and outside the Ye residence, everyone’s eyes turned towards the entrance. There, a man in a long robe stepped out! The man was none other than Ye Fan! Upon seeing Ye Fan, the Ye family’s Grand Elder’s expression immediately turned cold, with a sneer forming at the corner of his lips. On the other side, the invited head of the Zhang family, the governor of the city, and the head of the Li family also directed their gazes towards Ye Fan. Watching Ye Fan stride towards the duelling stage with composure, the Zhang family head, Zhang Lie, nodded slightly. "This Ye Fan certainly has a presence and courage. No wonder he has embarrassed my Zhang family’s younger generation countless times in the past!" The Li family head, Li Yu, also nodded. "This man is decisive in killing, bold and resourceful—an impressive figure. It’s a pity that the Ye family cannot tolerate him. Otherwise, with Ye Lang managing internal affairs and him handling external matters, the Ye family had a real chance of rising to prominence." The city governor said indifferently, "Ye Lang is the Grand Elder’s direct grandson. The man is narrow-minded and will not allow anyone to threaten Ye Lang’s position. The more he thinks this way, the less likely the Ye family is to become an influential clan." Hearing this, Li Yu and Zhang Lie both nodded slightly. In aristocratic families, indeed, two tigers cannot share one mountain. However, this does not mean that a family can only have one supreme genius. In some elite clans, there is usually one person managing internal affairs and another handling external matters. Who takes which role depends entirely on individual capability. If someone wants to play dirty, it’s not impossible, but if the family is truly strong, its young masters wouldn’t dare act recklessly! Yet, the Ye family’s approach—suppressing one genius in favour of another—is an extremely rare sight in the world! Soon, Ye Fan stepped onto the Life and Death Stage. Opposite him stood Ye Lang. Ye Lang glanced at Ye Fan and smiled faintly before turning towards the Grand Elder. However, the Grand Elder looked towards the distant seating area, where a middle-aged man and a beautiful woman were seated. These two were not from Qingcheng but had come from Flame City and Luo City. They represented the most powerful forces in their respective cities—forces that the Ye family could not afford to provoke! Sensing the Grand Elder’s gaze, the middle-aged man and the woman nodded slightly in response. Seeing this, the Grand Elder smiled subtly. He naturally understood that the other party was showing goodwill. Looking down at the stage, he spoke, "According to the rules of my Ye family, once you step onto the Life and Death Stage, your life and death are your own responsibility. No one may interfere. The two of you will determine your fate today—whoever walks off this stage lives, and the dead shall not be avenged in any way! Now, begin!" "Begin!" Ye Lang looked at Ye Fan and smiled faintly. "This time next year will be your death anniv—" Before he could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed! Ye Fan, like a ferocious tiger, had charged straight towards him! Seeing this, the onlookers were stunned—no opening remarks? Straight into battle? Ye Fan had experienced countless life-and-death battles. Through these battles, he had learned a vital truth: more often than not, people die because they talk too much! This was a fight to the death—why waste time with unnecessary words? Apologies, but Ye Fan did not abide by such conventions! By striking first, Ye Fan seized the initiative. As he closed in on Ye Lang, his power surged, and he threw a punch directly at Ye Lang’s face! "Collapse Punch!" This was a low-level martial technique of the Ye family, but Ye Fan had perfected it to an extraordinary level. With this punch, he could shatter stone and crack gold! Sensing the terrifying force behind Ye Fan’s punch, Ye Lang’s expression shifted. Not daring to be careless, he quickly stepped back and crossed his arms to block the attack. Boom! With a low explosive sound, Ye Lang was sent stumbling backwards by the impact! The crowd was stunned. Ye Lang had lost the first exchange? On the viewing platform, the expressions of the Ye family elders darkened, especially the Grand Elder, whose face became terrifyingly grim! On the duelling stage, Ye Fan did not stop after his successful strike. Instead, he stepped forward again, using his momentum to launch another punch at Ye Lang! Pure physical strength! In a small place like Qingcheng, martial techniques were scarce, and most fights relied on brute force and experience! Ye Lang’s face turned incredibly sour. He had not expected Ye Fan’s strength to be so overwhelming—it completely exceeded his expectations! Seeing Ye Fan’s next punch coming at him, he chose not to block. Instead, he clenched his right fist and swung at Ye Fan in return! A faint glow flickered over his fist. A sign of reaching the Qi Transformation Realm—where one could harness their own Qi to enhance physical strength! Boom! The moment their fists clashed, Ye Lang’s expression changed drastically. The next moment, he was sent flying backwards, retreating several metres! Anyone with sharp eyes could see that Ye Lang’s entire arm was trembling violently! On the viewing platform, the Grand Elder and the others abruptly stood up, disbelief filling the Grand Elder’s eyes. "How can his strength be so terrifying?! This is not the power of someone at the Fifth Grade Unending Realm!" Around him, Li Yu and the others were equally astonished—Ye Fan’s strength was indeed abnormal! Elsewhere, the middle-aged man and the beautiful woman from Flame City and Luo City exchanged glances, surprise also flashing in their eyes. On the Life and Death Stage, after forcing Ye Lang back, Ye Fan suddenly stomped on the ground and shot forward like an arrow! Covering several metres in an instant! As he reached Ye Lang, he planted his left foot firmly and swung his right leg in a powerful whip kick aimed at Ye Lang’s shoulder! As the kick swept through the air, a faint sonic boom could be heard! A sinister glint flickered in Ye Lang’s eyes. He did not block the attack but instead allowed Ye Fan’s kick to land on his shoulder while simultaneously punching Ye Fan’s abdomen! Boom! Boom! Ye Lang rolled several times to the side, while Ye Fan staggered back more than ten steps! However, he was completely unharmed! He had taken Ye Lang’s punch head-on with just his physical body! "Impossible!" On the viewing platform, the Grand Elder’s eyes were filled with disbelief. "How can he be completely fine?!" Elsewhere, Li Yu and the others frowned. Ye Fan had taken Ye Lang’s punch directly—and was completely unscathed! On the Life-and-Death Stage, Ye Lang was unharmed because the inner armour he wore had absorbed most of Ye Fan’s power. When he saw that Ye Fan was also unscathed, Ye Lang furrowed his brows deeply. “How can you be unharmed?!” That punch just now—he had used his full strength! Not only that, but he had also infused it with his internal energy! Yet, Ye Fan had withstood it head-on! In the distance, Ye Fan glanced at Ye Lang, slowly clenching his right fist. His sleeve burst apart instantly, and the veins on his entire arm bulged, looking rather terrifying! Ye Lang stared at Ye Fan with wide eyes. “You’ve been hiding your true strength, you…” Before he could finish speaking, his pupils shrank abruptly—Ye Fan had already charged straight at him. Bang! Under the watchful eyes of countless spectators, Ye Lang suffered yet another setback. His entire body was forced back to the edge of the duelling platform! Up in the stands, the Grand Elder roared angrily, “This is a life-and-death battle! What’s the point of all this nonsense?!” Clearly, he was extremely displeased with Ye Lang! Not just the Grand Elder, even several other elders looked rather dissatisfied. Ye Lang had already suffered once, yet he was still wasting time talking—how foolish! On the Life-and-Death Stage, Ye Fan did not stop. Once again, he charged straight towards Ye Lang! From a distance, Ye Lang’s expression suddenly twisted into a menacing grimace. He lifted both hands slightly. Boom! A powerful surge of energy erupted from within him! “He’s reached the Qi Manipulation Realm!” A wave of exclamations erupted from the audience below! “My god, he really has reached the Qi Manipulation Realm! Isn’t Ye Lang only eighteen? He’s already reached this level!” “No wonder he’s a supreme genius capable of triggering celestial phenomena…” In the stands, the Grand Elder and the others finally revealed beaming smiles—brilliant and triumphant! He cast a glance at the two figures from Yan City and Luo City. The middle-aged man and the beautiful woman both had a trace of shock in their eyes. Seeing this, the Grand Elder’s smile grew even wider! On the Life-and-Death Stage, Ye Lang glared at Ye Fan with a sinister expression. “Let me show you the difference between a mere ant like you and me!” As soon as he finished speaking, he stomped his right foot forcefully, launching himself forward like a raging storm! A powerful stream of energy radiated around him! The Qi Manipulation Realm—it meant he could now control energy freely. This was no longer a level that mere physical strength could contend with! Opposite him, Ye Fan’s face remained expressionless. He slowly clenched his right fist. Inside his body, a surge of power rolled like crashing waves! The Golden Body Realm! After reaching the Golden Body Realm, his strength had increased more than tenfold compared to before! Under the gaze of the entire crowd, Ye Fan charged straight at Ye Lang! In the stands, many people shook their heads—this was no different from an egg smashing against a rock! The Grand Elder’s lips curled into a sneer full of ridicule. Physical strength going up against the Qi Manipulation Realm? That was suicide! In an instant, Ye Lang and Ye Fan closed in on each other. A brief moment of silence. Bang! Under countless watchful eyes, a figure was sent flying through the air! And then, everyone was stunned! Because the one who had been sent flying was not Ye Fan—but Ye Lang! “How is this possible?!” The Grand Elder stared in disbelief at Ye Lang, who had been flung away. He looked as if he had lost his soul! Around the Life-and-Death Stage, the crowd was frozen like statues, staring at the scene in utter shock. He lost? The so-called chosen one actually lost? On the Life-and-Death Stage, Ye Fan did not stop. Instead, he continued charging towards the airborne Ye Lang! “Outrageous!” At that moment, the Grand Elder in the stands suddenly bellowed in rage. The next instant, he leapt onto the duelling platform and struck his palm towards Ye Fan! Seeing the Grand Elder intervene, a fierce glint flashed in Ye Fan’s eyes. He did not retreat but instead surged forward, throwing a punch directly at the Grand Elder! Boom! With a deep, explosive sound, the Grand Elder was sent flying several metres away! Ye Fan was about to strike again, but at that moment, the elders of the Ye Clan rushed onto the stage. Around the Life-and-Death Stage, countless Ye Clan guards armed with crossbows also appeared! Ye Fan slowly clenched both fists. He swept a cold gaze around him. “What, is this so-called life-and-death duel actually a group battle now?” From a distance, the Grand Elder suddenly pointed at Ye Fan in fury. “Ye Fan, you cheated!” Ye Fan turned to look at him. The Grand Elder roared, “Your dantian was clearly destroyed! How do you still possess such immense power?!” Ye Fan sneered. “None of your bloody business!” The crowd: “......”