Jiang Chen had occasionally seen Ji San battle because he had known him for a long time, but this was actually the first time he’d ever seen his brother go all out. One could tell that Gu Zhenshan was no longer belittling his opponent. He’d chosen to draw out the fight against Ji San instead of throwing out a flurry of powerful attacks at the beginning like what he’d done in his battle against Alchemist Xi. He was showing his respect and veneration for the Coiling Dragon Clan successor.
Gu Zhenshan was a true disciple of a great emperor. By reputation alone, one would expect that he’d have a better upbringing and legacy than a young master of the Coiling Dragon Clan. However, he was only a mere third-ranked disciple under Emperor Mountaincrush while Ji San was a genius that was first in line to succeed the entire Coiling Dragon Clan. Gu Zhenshan was in no position to act all high and mighty towards him.
Jiang Chan grew more impressed as the battle went on. He’d always thought that Ji San was less of a tactician in battle than Liuxiang due to his easy-going nature. In fact, he’d always thought that Ji San was inferior to Ji Zhongtang in terms of raw martial dao talent as well. However, he soon realized that he’d underestimated his brother too much. Ji San was in no way worse off. Moreover, since he was a few years older than Ji Zhongtang, he was more proficient with the clan’s martial method too.
The easy-going Ji San had become quite serious because he was facing a truly powerful foe. His defense was incredibly tight, his attacks equally as powerful. His impeccable timing for attacking and defending made him every bit worthy of his heritage. He wasn’t showing any signs of inferiority against a true disciple of a great emperor! Jiang Chen never imagined that Ji San would possess such a heaven-defying martial dao. He was actually a cultivator that adapted to his opponent’s strength!
Odd geniuses like these would occasionally appear in the martial dao world. One could never truly see the full potential of these geniuses. However, they would often unleash an unimaginable burst of potential once placed in a difficult battle. The audience would often be shocked by their sudden increase in power. Ji San was definitely a cultivator of this sort. One could say that he was hiding his true abilities by playing a pig to eat the tiger, but this match alone was enough to prove that Ji San was no less talented in martial dao than Liuxiang. Jiang Chen had battled Liuxiang once. First hand experience had told him that Liuxiang was no slouch, but he wasn’t an incredible talent either.
They were both successors of the Coiling Dragon Clan, but Liuxiang’s martial dao path leaned towards the feminine side. Moreover, he was too reliant on his equipment and inheritance. His biggest flaw of all was the fact that his inheritance and equipment weren’t completely compatible with each other. This meant that he wasn’t able to fully utilize either of them. Ji San’s martial dao path, on the other hand, encompa.s.sed a balance of both sides. A path like this would mean that he could attack and defend at will. He might not stand out in any way, but his potential in battle was limitless.
Ji San had given up the match against Jiang Chen. However, his battle today had made Jiang Chen believe that he would’ve had a difficult time defeating Ji San if his brother had gone all out against him and used all of his clan inheritance. Jiang Chen’s opinion of this only solidified as the battle went on. It seems like the clan lord is already leaning towards Brother Ji. I probably won’t be able to defeat Brother Ji if the clan’s ultimate inheritance was pa.s.sed down to him.
Jiang Chen might be strong, but he wasn’t so strong that he could directly confront the Coiling Dragon Clan’s ultimate inheritance. A clan with the potential of becoming another great emperor faction definitely possessed an inheritance that acted as the clan’s ultimate trump card. It could be a treasure, a martial technique, or even a mysteriously powerful totem. Jiang Chen didn’t think he’d be able to suppress such a powerful inheritance unless he used the restrictions in his palace. Their battle would end with a tie at best.
It seems like the internal struggle to become the clan’s successor has finally ended. Liuxiang must’ve lost. Ji Zhongtang wasn’t suited to lead a clan, as his personality is only suitable for martial dao exchanges. He’s a good candidate to be Brother Ji’s right-hand man though. This was Jiang Chen’s initial judgement about the current state of the clan. Meanwhile, the battle in the arena had reached its climax.
Gu Zhenshan was also shocked by Ji San’s battle prowess. Ji San had been able to take all of his attacks head on regardless of any ability he used. He hadn’t faced this situation in his previous bouts. The flow of battle had begun to make him feel anxious. He’d heard rumors that the Coiling Dragon clan lord was going to become the eighth great emperor in Veluriyam Capital. Because of that, he wasn’t that much more superior than Ji San despite his ident.i.ty as a true disciple of a great emperor. He was only ranked third amongst Emperor Mountaincrush’s true disciples after all. He could tell that Ji San was challenging him as the first successor in line to the Coiling Dragon Clan.
He unleashed all sorts of abilities at the beginning, believing that Ji San would eventually cave to one of them. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. He couldn’t even manage to gain the upper hand. This was a blow to his pride. It seemed like Ji San was no less capable than Sunyu Xiaosheng in terms of his ability to read the battle. He was also quite adept at controlling the flow of the battle too.
Gu Zhenshan tried to crush his opponent with a flurry of vicious attacks, but Ji San nullified them all the same. This was his most difficult battle yet. Back then, Sunyu Xiaosheng had been prevented from dealing many fatal blows due to his inferior equipment. Ji San, however, was a successor to the Coiling Dragon Clan. Like a dragon, he was capable of dealing a fatal counterattack any time by soaring through the skies at any moment’s notice. The battle between the two great talents was incredibly eye-opening.
Liuxiang, now next to the clan lord, was feeling incredibly unamused. He’d always thought that he was superior to Ji San. However, he could now tell that this had been his personal delusion all along. He’d thought that the frivolous Ji San was only a lucky good-for-nothing, but it was evident that Ji San’s talent in martial dao was above his own. He was unwilling to accept such facts, but there was no way he could deny it after watching the battle taking place before his very eyes.
“I didn’t know that third brother possessed such talent in martial dao. I’ve been underestimating him all this time,” Ji Zhongtang quietly commented.
The clan lord laughed. “Ji San has a unique personality. He is able to adapt himself to the strength of his opponents. Zhongtang, you should strive to be as creative and malleable as him.” The clan lord was overjoyed. He was very proud of Ji San’s performance in this battle. The result of the match no longer mattered. What mattered was that he’d brought out the Coiling Dragon Clan’s heart, pride, and soul. Moreover, he’d calculated that Ji San had a fifty percent or more chance of winning this match .
“Liuxiang, this battle might serve as a good inspiration for you,” he said plainly after taking a brief look at Liuxiang.
Liuxiang had no choice but to nod bitterly. Flames of jealousy were raging inside of him, but there was nothing he could do. It was just the reality of things. During his battle against Gu Zhenshan, all he could do was put up a brief period of resistance before he’d been defeated. Still, he’d managed to put up a better fight than the other compet.i.tors before him had. But in the end, it was still an uneven matchup. Gu Zhenshan was the only one on the offense. The only reason why he was able to put up a resistance for such a long time was due to his equipment and inheritance. He was truly no match for Gu Zhenshan in martial dao.
Ji San was also using his equipment and inheritance to put up a good fight against Gu Zhenshan, but there was no doubt that his innate talent for battle was above Liuxiang’s. The clan lord was a little surprised by that too. He already knew that Ji San was full of potential, and that he was even more capable in a real battle, but after watching the match, he realized that Ji San was even more talented than he’d ever imagined.
Ji San’s control over the entire battle was beyond that of Gu Zhenshan. However, the clan lord didn’t exactly know why. The lad might have incredible innate talent and battle senses, but his opponent was a true disciple to a great emperor! How had Ji San managed to seize control of the fight?
There was actually a reason behind this. Seizing control of a battle was entirely different from winning the battle by luck. If one were to win a match by luck, it could be due to one’s equipment, a small accident, or maybe even the opponent’s mistake. However, seizing control of a battle meant that the opponent had been completely dominated and had nothing to do with luck. The clan lord couldn’t comprehend how Ji San had managed this. He knew the lad’s talents, but what Ji San was doing was obviously beyond his abilities. How could the clan lord know that this was all due to the few hours rest that Gu Zhenshan had taken after his battle with Sunyu Xiaosheng?
Jiang Chen and Ji San had been busy a.n.a.lyzing Gu Zhenshan’s abilities and fighting methods during the short break. They had almost fully comprehended his battle style. With Jiang Chen’s memories and martial dao knowledge from his previous life, he was able to easily point out the flaws in Gu Zhenshan’s martial dao and give Ji San the relevant pointers to achieve victory. This wasn’t a privilege that others had.
Jiang Chen was more knowledgeable about martial dao than anyone present, including the great emperors. After all, he had been surrounded with heaven realm geniuses in his previous life. He’d read countless heavenly books and taught countless geniuses despite being unable to cultivate himself. He’d also had numerous disciples under him. If Jiang Chen claimed that he was second in martial dao knowledge, then n.o.body in the Divine Abyss Continent could ever be first. Gu Zhenshan’s martial method no longer held any secrets after his a.n.a.lysis and conjectures. It was no surprise that Ji San was able to claim the upper hand when he possessed such knowledge. However, those who had no idea as to what was going on would naturally find this situation very bizarre.