Jiang Chen had occasionally seen Ji San battle because he had known him for a long time, but this was actually the first time heâd ever seen his brother go all out. One could tell that Gu Zhenshan was no longer belittling his opponent. Heâd chosen to draw out the fight against Ji San instead of throwing out a flurry of powerful attacks at the beginning like what heâd 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 heâd 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. Heâd always thought that Ji San was less of a tactician in battle than Liuxiang due to his easy-going nature. In fact, heâd always thought that Ji San was inferior to Ji Zhongtang in terms of raw martial dao talent as well. However, he soon realized that heâd 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 clanâs 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 wasnât 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 opponentâs 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 wasnât an incredible talent either.
They were both successors of the Coiling Dragon Clan, but Liuxiangâs 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 werenât completely compatible with each other. This meant that he wasnât able to fully utilize either of them. Ji Sanâs martial dao path, on the other hand, encompassed 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 wouldâve had a difficult time defeating Ji San if his brother had gone all out against him and used all of his clan inheritance. Jiang Chenâs opinion of this only solidified as the battle went on. It seems like the clan lord is already leaning towards Brother Ji. I probably wonât be able to defeat Brother Ji if the clanâs ultimate inheritance was passed down to him.
Jiang Chen might be strong, but he wasnât so strong that he could directly confront the Coiling Dragon Clanâs ultimate inheritance. A clan with the potential of becoming another great emperor faction definitely possessed an inheritance that acted as the clanâs ultimate trump card. It could be a treasure, a martial technique, or even a mysteriously powerful totem. Jiang Chen didnât think heâd 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 clanâs successor has finally ended. Liuxiang mustâve lost. Ji Zhongtang wasnât suited to lead a clan, as his personality is only suitable for martial dao exchanges. Heâs a good candidate to be Brother Jiâs right-hand man though. This was Jiang Chenâs 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 Sanâs battle prowess. Ji San had been able to take all of his attacks head on regardless of any ability he used. He hadnât faced this situation in his previous bouts. The flow of battle had begun to make him feel anxious. Heâd heard rumors that the Coiling Dragon clan lord was going to become the eighth great emperor in Veluriyam Capital. Because of that, he wasnât that much more superior than Ji San despite his identity as a true disciple of a great emperor. He was only ranked third amongst Emperor Mountaincrushâs 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 didnât happen. He couldnât 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 momentâs notice. The battle between the two great talents was incredibly eye-opening.
Liuxiang, now next to the clan lord, was feeling incredibly unamused. Heâd always thought that he was superior to Ji San. However, he could now tell that this had been his personal delusion all along. Heâd thought that the frivolous Ji San was only a lucky good-for-nothing, but it was evident that Ji Sanâs 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.
âI didnât know that third brother possessed such talent in martial dao. Iâve been underestimating him all this time,â Ji Zhongtang quietly commented.
The clan lord laughed. âJi 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.â The clan lord was overjoyed. He was very proud of Ji Sanâs performance in this battle. The result of the match no longer mattered. What mattered was that heâd brought out the Coiling Dragon Clanâs heart, pride, and soul. Moreover, heâd calculated that Ji San had a fifty percent or more chance of winning this match .
âLiuxiang, this battle might serve as a good inspiration for you,â 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 heâd been defeated. Still, heâd managed to put up a better fight than the other competitors 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 Liuxiangâs. 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 heâd ever imagined.
Ji Sanâs control over the entire battle was beyond that of Gu Zhenshan. However, the clan lord didnât 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 oneâs equipment, a small accident, or maybe even the opponentâs 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 couldnât comprehend how Ji San had managed this. He knew the ladâs 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 analyzing Gu Zhenshanâs abilities and fighting methods during the short break. They had almost fully comprehended his battle style. With Jiang Chenâs memories and martial dao knowledge from his previous life, he was able to easily point out the flaws in Gu Zhenshanâs martial dao and give Ji San the relevant pointers to achieve victory. This wasnât 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. Heâd read countless heavenly books and taught countless geniuses despite being unable to cultivate himself. Heâd also had numerous disciples under him. If Jiang Chen claimed that he was second in martial dao knowledge, then nobody in the Divine Abyss Continent could ever be first. Gu Zhenshanâs martial method no longer held any secrets after his analysis 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.