Demonic King of the Metropolis - Chapter 112 - Meeting Chen Nan Again

After a while, possibly due to exhaustion, the Chen family members began to falter noticeably. They started retreating step by step, while their opponents from the unfamiliar family pressed on relentlessly. It seemed as though the Chen family would soon be cornered on the arena. Tang Jie noticed one of the Chen family members suddenly swipe something from their waist and then fling their hand toward the leg of their opponent. In that instant, Tang Jie realized they were cheating-there was a small needle in their hand-but he was already too late to intervene.

Tang Jie stood up and immediately spotted a cup of water nearby. He grabbed it and smashed it against the ground, quickly picking up a shard of broken glass. In a split second, he hurled it toward the arena. “Ah!”

The shard struck the wrist of the Chen family member, slicing it open and leaving a bloody wound. The needle they had intended to stab into their opponent’s leg fell to the ground. At that moment, the opposing family member seized the opportunity and launched a powerful kick, slamming it into the stomach of the Chen family member. The Chen family member turned a hateful gaze toward Tang Jie, but Tang Jie coldly stared back, unflinching.

“Round two, victory goes to the Li family!” the host declared. The Chen family members left the arena, their faces visibly dark with anger. Tang Jie saw one of them walk over to Chen Nan, whispering in his ear while gesturing toward the seat where Tang Jie was. Chen Nan’s gaze soon fell on Tang Jie, his eyes gleaming with a chilling light.

Tang Jie didn’t pay much attention to the next competition. His focus was on Chen Nan, who, after exchanging a few words with the person whose wrist Tang Jie had injured, left the area.

Concerned that Chen Nan might be plotting something, Tang Jie decided to check on the situation when Wang Qianya approached him.

“Tang Jie, it’s our turn next. Quickly get ready,” she said. Hearing this, Tang Jie abandoned his plan to leave and nodded in response.

The competition on arena concluded shortly after, but Tang Jie barely noticed who won. He was preoccupied, considering the potential opponents he might face next. The Ancient Martial Arts Competition used an elimination system but was also divided into several levels: Acquired Great Perfection Realm, Innate Great Perfection, and Heaven-Man Realm. Competitions were only permitted between opponents of the same level; competitors from different realms could not face each other.

However, since the previous competition was the first one and at the lowest level, Tang Jie assumed the upcoming round would feature fighters from the Acquired Great Perfection Realm. This didn’t seem to sit right with him. He quickly walked over to Wang Qianya and shared his concerns. Wang Qianya gave Tang Jie a puzzled look, hesitating for a while before reluctantly nodding her head.

“Are you sure you can handle this? You don’t have to win this competition. I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Wang Qianya said, looking at Tang Jie with concern. She couldn’t understand why he insisted on moving himself into the highest-level match.

The highest tier of this competition was the Heaven-Man Realm. If anyone at the Heaven Transformation Realm showed up, the competition would extend further. But considering Tang Jie’s current condition, it was indeed a bit worrisome.

“Just do as I said,” Tang Jie replied firmly. He noticed that the competitors on stage had finished their match and were stepping off. After a brief intermission, it would be time for the Innate Great Perfection matches. Tang Jie didn’t want to waste this opportunity; he wanted to prove his strength and settle old scores.

Seeing his determination, Wang Qianya had no choice but to run over to speak with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Wang listened to her explanation, glanced at Tang Jie, and saw the confidence etched on his face. They nodded in approval. A short while later, Wang Qianya returned, her face bright with excitement.

“Tang Jie, you can go up now. My father said if you defeat all your opponents, you’ll qualify to move up to the next level of the competition.”

Hearing this, Tang Jie felt satisfied. It was just as well since he had complete faith in himself this time.

As this thought crossed his mind, it was already his turn to enter the stage. He heard the host announce: “From the Wang family, Tang Jie!”

Tang Jie stood up slowly from his seat and walked unhurriedly toward the arena. As he approached, he noticed one of Chen Nan’s subordinates stepping up as well, a mocking and disdainful smirk spread across Chen Nan’s face.

Once on the arena stage, Tang Jie took stock of his opponent-a young man who appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old. The man gave Tang Jie a fake smile, full of disdain, allowing Tang Jie to immediately guess that he was likely a master in the Innate Great Perfection Realm. Tang Jie asked casually, “What’s your name?”

“Chen Zhen,” the man replied. At the name, Tang Jie couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. A famous name, indeed-but compared to that Chen Zhen¹, this guy was more like… garbage.

“Let’s get started. People are waiting,” Tang Jie said, subtly mobilizing his qi in preparation. Chen Zhen sneered in response, clearly looking down on Tang Jie.

As soon as Tang Jie finished speaking, the stands fell completely silent. The air on the stage grew heavy with tension as the true qi emanating from both competitors began to fill the space, creating a stifling and oppressive atmosphere.

Tang Jie narrowed his eyes, channeling true qi into his palms, and struck at Chen Zhen with lightning speed. Chen Zhen, not one to falter, dodged deftly and countered with a swift motion of his left hand, aiming a powerful palm strike toward Tang Jie’s underarm. The force of Chen Zhen’s palm wind blew Tang Jie’s hair back, a testament to its immense strength, which had clearly reached the pinnacle of the Innate Great Perfection Realm.

Tang Jie shifted his body just in time, allowing the palm wind to graze beneath his underarm. He felt the sleeve of his shirt flutter violently from the impact.

Seeing that Tang Jie had evaded his strike, Chen Zhen immediately launched his Flying Eagle Claw, aiming to grip Tang Jie’s wrist, while simultaneously delivering a Flying Knife Kick toward his chest. Tang Jie’s eyes flickered with a cold glint. In one smooth motion, he extended his hand and caught Chen Zhen’s Eagle Claw mid-attack. With a sharp burst of qi, Tang Jie countered, twisting Chen Zhen’s claw back on itself. Without hesitation, Tang Jie aimed a forceful kick at Chen Zhen’s knee, holding nothing back.

Chen Zhen’s eyes widened in shock as he felt Tang Jie’s overwhelming power, amplified by true qi, surging through the counterattack. The strength was beyond anything Chen Zhen had anticipated. He tried to pull his wrist free, but Tang Jie’s grip was unrelenting. Before he could react, a sharp pain shot through his knee, and even as he struggled to regain composure, he felt an intense palm wind barreling toward his abdomen.

“Thud!”

Tang Jie released his hold, and Chen Zhen crumpled to the ground, landing heavily on his stomach.

Gasps and murmurs erupted from the stands. In only a matter of minutes, Tang Jie had effortlessly taken down an opponent of comparable skill. The speed and decisiveness of the victory left the crowd awestruck.

Tang Jie glanced at Chen Zhen, who lay sprawled on the arena floor, struggling to rise. Tang Jie could feel the flow of true qi within his body growing smoother and more powerful. His dantian radiated a distinct warmth. Subtly mobilizing his qi, he was pleasantly surprised to find that his cultivation had returned to the Heaven-Man Realm-and, if anything, it seemed stronger than it had been before.

It dawned on him that his true qi must have been recovering all along, ever since the previous night, which was why he hadn’t noticed this sooner.

Across the arena, Chen Nan’s face darkened as he watched his subordinate crumble in defeat. Unable to maintain his composure any longer, Chen Nan’s gaze turned icy and hostile as it locked onto Tang Jie. Tang Jie responded with a mocking smirk, his expression filled with blatant provocation. He knew Chen Nan would be next.

Sure enough, Chen Nan’s eyes burned with determination as he threw off the jacket draped over his shoulders. Without waiting for the host’s cue, he leapt onto the competition arena in a single bound.

“How about it? Did you manage to find that treasure?” Tang Jie asked coldly, his gaze fixed steadily on Chen Nan.

“Hmph! Looks like I underestimated you,” Chen Nan retorted. His tone was frosty, and Tang Jie noticed that he was already subtly mobilizing qi.

“No, you didn’t underestimate me,” Tang Jie replied, his voice calm and cutting. “You just overestimated yourself.”

Unfazed, Tang Jie began gathering his true qi, completely composed, as he prepared for Chen Nan’s response. The arena was set for an intense showdown.

“Today, I’ll settle old and new scores together,” Tang Jie declared firmly. Without hesitation, he launched himself toward Chen Nan with the ferocity of a storm. His movements were fast and overwhelming.

Chen Nan immediately raised his hand and unleashed a powerful surge of energy. The clash of their forces created two streams of true qi that collided in midair with a deafening roar. A powerful windstorm erupted, forcing onlookers in the stands to shield their faces as they struggled to keep their eyes open against the turbulent gales.

“Boom!”

The impact sent both Tang Jie and Chen Nan flying backward, each forced to retreat to opposite sides of the arena. Chen Nan’s expression twisted with shock as he stared at Tang Jie, clearly unable to comprehend how his strength had grown to such an extent.

Tang Jie, for his part, was equally surprised-but for a different reason. The true qi he had just unleashed hadn’t reached the level of power he had expected. That Chen Nan could resist it meant his opponent was likely at a similar realm of cultivation.

Tang Jie’s thoughts raced. He quickly replayed in his mind the new content he had studied from the iron piece. The techniques depicted there should have been enough to elevate him to the Heaven Transformation Realm-or even higher. Could it be that he hadn’t yet trained long enough to fully unleash their potential?

Chen Nan, meanwhile, studied Tang Jie carefully, his wariness growing. The arrogance had faded from his face, replaced by a cautious focus. Ever since Tang Jie had left with Wang Qianya that day, Chen Nan and his people had failed to recover the ancient coin. Worse, the giant python guarding it had escaped, leaving them empty-handed. Chen Nan suspected Tang Jie had since gained guidance or assistance from some powerful master, which would explain his sudden leap in inner strength.

As he continued to stay alert, Chen Nan’s gaze briefly swept over the Wang family’s seating area-but he found no unfamiliar faces.

“It seems you’ve made progress,” Chen Nan said with a cold smile. “But you’ll still end up as my defeated opponent.”

Without giving Tang Jie a chance to respond, Chen Nan struck again. His movements were swift and calculated, aiming to keep Tang Jie on the defensive. Tang Jie’s expression turned icy as he charged forward to meet Chen Nan head-on, making no effort to evade. He reached for Chen Nan’s wrist with decisive precision.

Chen Nan quickly identified Tang Jie’s intent. Twisting his palm with practiced ease, he altered his attack and thrust it directly toward Tang Jie’s face. Today, I’ll smash your head! Chen Nan thought venomously as his palm shot forward.

What Chen Nan didn’t expect was Tang Jie’s sudden evasive maneuver. Tang Jie leaned backward with impeccable timing, narrowly avoiding Chen Nan’s strike. At the same time, he kicked out with both feet while his hands moved like lightning to grab Chen Nan’s arm.

Caught off guard by Tang Jie’s unconventional techniques, Chen Nan froze momentarily, his mind reeling at the unexpected shift. He felt a sharp, cold sensation on his wrist and looked down, only to see that Tang Jie had already locked onto it with an iron grip.

Tang Jie let out a cold chuckle. With a sudden burst of strength, he performed a powerful shoulder throw, channeling every ounce of his power into the move. Chen Nan’s body was sent hurtling through the air. When he finally landed on his feet, he looked visibly disheveled and shaken, struggling to maintain his balance.

The spectators erupted into murmurs and gasps as Chen Nan’s previous air of dominance was clearly challenged. Tang Jie stood tall, his calm exterior barely hiding the fierce intensity brewing beneath the surface. This fight was far from over, but the balance of power had clearly shifted.

Footnote:

1. Chen Zhen(陈真):Chen Zhen is a fictional hero in Chinese popular culture, often depicted as a martial artist who fights against oppression and injustice. The character has been portrayed in various films and television series.