Committing a Crime Right Under One's Nose

Thud!

Jiang Cheng's lean figure erupted with astonishing power.

His fist, clad in brass knuckles, smashed viciously into the armored giant!

Before the spiked club could swing, Jiang Cheng’s punch landed squarely on the giant’s chest armor, leaving a gruesome dent as cracks began to spread.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jiang Cheng’s narrowed eyes suddenly snapped open!

The silver knuckles in his hand struck like lightning, hammering the armored giant relentlessly!

A surge of fierce energy rippled through the giant’s body, the shockwaves even shattering the clouds above.

The armored giant, utterly defenseless, was pummeled into a battered wreck by Jiang Cheng’s blows.

Finally!

Seizing a brief opening—

The armored giant roared in fury, swinging its spiked club and forcing Jiang Cheng back!

Bang! Bang!

Two gunshots rang out, hitting the giant but dealing minimal damage.

Still, they successfully diverted its attention.

"Are you here to forge metal or fight?"

A cold voice cut through the chaos.

Jiang Cheng’s sly grin twisted slightly. "So you finally showed up."

The speaker was none other than Lin Chen.

His earlier shots had drawn the giant’s rage—its club now hurtled toward him.

Thud!

In an instant, Lin Chen caught the spiked club with one hand.

Jiang Cheng and Zhang Qianyu both froze in shock.

Blocking the armored giant’s strike with a single hand?

Impossible!

At the very least, no one their age should be capable of such a feat!

Jiang Cheng’s sharp phoenix eyes narrowed as he noticed the trick.

Lin Chen hadn’t used raw strength—he’d manipulated qi to solidify the air, forming an invisible barrier.

Interesting.

Jiang Cheng relaxed, opting to observe the battle with detached amusement.

The armored giant was no pushover.

Just look at Zhang Qianyu—ranked fifth on the Hidden Dragon List—reduced to such a pitiful state. That alone spoke volumes about the giant’s power.

A cold smirk curled Lin Chen’s lips as his hooked staff, Lieyun, spun in his grip and slammed into the giant’s chest.

Boom!

The impact was brutal beyond measure—the piercing screech of metal made even Su Xue’er cover her ears in the distance.

That single strike!

Released a shockwave of terrifying force!

It pierced straight through the already shattered armor, exposing a flickering light deep within the giant’s chest.

In one fluid motion, Lin Chen extracted the glowing cyan core.

Jiang Cheng and Zhang Qianyu stared in disbelief.

One hit. One kill.

Realization dawned on Zhang Qianyu, his face twisting with fury.

He knew it!

From the start, he’d been the one locked in combat with the armored giant, wearing it down through sheer endurance.

He’d pushed it to the brink!

Only then had Jiang Cheng found openings to counterattack.

And now? This ice-cold bastard had swooped in to steal the final blow!

Infuriating!

Zhang Qianyu’s rage burned hotter.

That moment of glory should have been his!

Lin Chen held up the cyan core, his gaze challenging Jiang Cheng.

"I know you’re after this too. Let’s settle it. I’ve always wondered—just how strong is the so-called number one on the Hidden Dragon List?"

"Lin Chen, he—he’s the Azure Dragon, Jiang Cheng!" Su Xue’er whispered, her face pale.

Number one on the Hidden Dragon List!

The undisputed top genius of their generation—a figure shrouded in legend.

Lin Chen’s provocation sent a chill down her spine.

Jiang Cheng grinned as he looked at Lin Chen: "Alright, I’m quite curious about your strength! Where exactly did you get the guts to challenge me?"

He didn’t know much about Lin Chen.

But he had heard a thing or two about him.

Back then, this guy had nearly lost his life fighting an S-rank assassin like Butcher, yet in just half a year, he had grown strong enough to reach this level!

This rate of growth was downright terrifying!

Zhang Qianyu stepped forward, gripping his sword, as the three of them stood in a triangular formation.

An overwhelming aura radiated from each of them.

"Who would’ve thought it would come down to the three of us in the end!"

Zhang Qianyu, clad in flowing white robes, spoke with cold arrogance: "I, Zhang Qianyu, eldest disciple of Dragon Elephant Mountain, have trained in the sword since childhood. This blade is named 'Sunset Sword,' measuring three feet, three inches, and three-tenths. My expertise lies in swordsmanship—"

Just then, the barrel of a sniper rifle locked onto his head.

"If you keep yapping on the sidelines and disturbing their fight, I’ll blow your brains out!"

Su Xue'er glared, steadying the massive sniper rifle aimed squarely at Zhang Qianyu’s skull.

What the hell was this guy even doing here?

Zhang Qianyu glanced at Lin Chen and Jiang Cheng.

The two were locked in a fierce stare-down, brimming with killing intent—not sparing him a single glance!

Zhang Qianyu’s heart sank.

Ice-cold!

How could someone as powerful as him be ignored like this?!

"Damn it, this place is a nightmare to climb."

A slender hand gripped the rocky edge of the floating island before its owner hauled himself up.

An elderly man with streaks of white in his hair appeared silently.

"Old geezer?"

Lin Chen was slightly taken aback when he saw the newcomer.

It was Cheng Yuanfeng.

Cheng Yuanfeng shot Lin Chen a glance and scolded, "You idiot, why are you dawdling with this gray-haired brat instead of refining it already?!"

Jiang Cheng’s eyes turned icy as he regarded Cheng Yuanfeng, his guard instantly rising.

This man was no ordinary opponent.

Ranked 29th on the Heavenly Leaderboard!

In the entire Great Xia, few could stand as his equals!

Whether Jiang Cheng could even match him was uncertain—but the odds were grim.

Cheng Yuanfeng smirked arrogantly at Jiang Cheng. "If you want a fight, you’ll have to go through me first. My disciple has business to attend to."

"Disciple?"

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. Since when had he ever taken a master?

"Hurry up and refine it. Stop wasting time—this secret realm is far more dangerous than you think."

Cheng Yuanfeng’s expression grew solemn as he spoke.

Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes, hesitating.

Lin Chen alone was already a headache, and now Cheng Yuanfeng had shown up. Facing both of them at once? His chances of winning were slim.

"If you want to monopolize it, you’ll have to get past—"

Zhang Qianyu’s cold retort was cut short as he felt the sniper barrel press against his back. A cold sweat broke out, and he hastily amended, "Go ahead, take it! I fully support it!"

Purple lightning crackled through the air, splitting the sky.

On the towering ancient tree,

the small blue ghost had already been slain.

Its body slowly faded, dissolving into nothingness.

Ji Chen clenched his prayer beads, his handsome face dark with displeasure, his gaze frigid.

Beside him, Lv Zheng, ever the carefree rogue, laughed heartily. "Well, as they say, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Who’d have thought that after all our fighting, someone else would swoop in and reap the rewards?"

After the blue ghost was slain,

a single blue orb materialized.

But there was only one.

Neither Ji Chen nor Lv Zheng was willing to back down.

They even clashed again in a brief skirmish.

Yet, to their shock, after a few exchanges, the blue orb vanished—right before their eyes!

It couldn't have just vanished into thin air!

Someone must have taken it!

Ji Chen's handsome face twisted with anger: Who on earth dared to do this?

Behind the towering ancient tree.

Bai Xiu gasped for breath, his chest heaving.

Shadow Step!

This move drained his stamina like nothing else—he’d probably need to sleep for ages to recover from the toll.

But stealing right under the noses of two masters? Now that was a thrill!

How the hell does this thing work?

Bai Xiu clutched the glowing blue orb, his curiosity burning brighter than the light in his hands.