Chapter 154: How Can He Be So Strong?

"I... what's wrong with me? Ah! Ye Yuan! It's so good that you're okay!"

Nanfeng Zhirou slowly woke up, and seeing Ye Yuan safe and sound, she was overjoyed.

Unconsciously, Nanfeng Zhirou's concern for Ye Yuan had become an involuntary habit.

"Heh, it's just breaking through to the Liquid Realm, nothing serious," Ye Yuan forced down the sorrow in his heart and forced a smile.

"But you were really scary just now, rolling on the ground holding your head. I thought you... Seeing you in pain, I wanted to help you, but this guy knocked me out! Hmph!" Nanfeng Zhirou pointed at Yuan Fei, looking displeased.

If not for Yuan Fei being too strong, she would probably have thrust her sword at him again.

"It was right of him not to let you come over. Don't blame him. My soul transformation is different from others; I underwent a special baptism, which caused such pain. At that time, the area within several zhang around me was very dangerous. If you had come rashly, your soul might have been damaged," Ye Yuan explained.

Nanfeng Zhirou looked suspiciously at Ye Yuan, then at Yuan Fei: "Really?"

"Of course it's true. You can feel my soul power and see that I'm not lying."

With that, Ye Yuan released his soul power, and Yuan Fei and Nanfeng Zhirou clearly felt the surging soul power.

"You... you... you... directly broke through to intermediate alchemist-level soul power?" Nanfeng Zhirou looked as if she had seen a ghost, stuttering as she spoke.

Yuan Fei beside her was also quite surprised, his ape eyes flickering, clearly astonished.

Under normal circumstances, a martial artist's soul power follows their cultivation level; a given realm corresponds to a certain soul power, except for those naturally strong in soul.

Before his breakthrough, Ye Yuan's soul was only average. Even after a soul transformation, he should only have reached beginner alchemist-level soul power. How could he directly have intermediate alchemist-level soul power?

Ye Yuan smiled: "Didn't I just say? My soul transformation is different from others. After enduring such a painful soul baptism, what I gained is naturally more."

"But... but... if you have intermediate alchemist-level soul power, doesn't that mean you can directly refine second-grade upper-tier pills?" Nanfeng Zhirou exclaimed in surprise.

She recalled that when Ye Yuan was at the fourth level of Qi Realm, he could already refine second-grade pills. So now, wouldn't he at least have the strength of a high-level alchemist?

Wasn't that too fast?

"Second-grade upper-tier? Even without intermediate alchemist-level soul power, it's no problem."

For Ye Yuan, these pills from the Qin Kingdom were no challenge at all; refining second-grade upper-tier pills was too easy.

What was truly difficult were those pills beyond second-grade upper-tier. If Ye Yuan's soul power hadn't broken through, refining them would indeed be somewhat challenging.

After all, second-grade pills were much more difficult than first-grade pills, and refining pills across grades naturally became harder.

Nanfeng Zhirou took a deep breath and said, "Su Yishan said something really true."

Ye Yuan was startled and blurted out, "What did he say about me?"

"You're a freak! A freak! A freak!"

For once, Nanfeng Zhirou agreed with Su Yishan, because everything that happened to Ye Yuan couldn't be described as 'normal,' so 'freak' was the only word for it.

Ye Yuan laughed heartily: "It's rare for Su Yishan to think so highly of me. To thank him, I'll give him a fair chance to fight!"

Nanfeng Zhirou was shocked and quickly said, "You're not really going to fight him one-on-one, are you? You just broke through! With Yuan Fei and me here, there's no need to act on impulse."

Her implication was that Ye Yuan was naturally no match for Su Yishan.

Nanfeng Zhirou's thinking wasn't wrong. She knew Ye Yuan was strong and would be even stronger after breaking through to the Liquid Realm, but he had just broken through, while Su Yishan was three minor realms higher. That gap wasn't easy to bridge.

Nanfeng Zhirou knew that after the Liquid Realm, cross-realm combat became more difficult because the gap between each minor realm was larger.

A Liquid Realm first layer with three drops of liquid and a Liquid Realm second layer also with three drops of liquid differed by a full three drops. That meant their yuan power differed by a full double!

To make up for such a gap, it was hard without heaven-defying means!

And between Ye Yuan and Su Yishan, there was a difference of three full minor realms, spanning a small step.

The gap was too huge!

Ye Yuan just smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Just then, Su Yishan also slowly woke up.

Seeing Ye Yuan sizing him up with ill intent, he felt an inexplicable unease.

"Su Yishan, come on! I said I'd give you a chance for a one-on-one fight. Now, let's have a life-and-death battle!" Ye Yuan's words carried an air of dominating the world.

"You... you really want to fight me one-on-one?" Su Yishan was also somewhat incredulous.

Ye Yuan's side had an obvious advantage; there was no need to do such a stupid thing.

"What? You don't want to?" Ye Yuan's tone turned cold.

"I do! Of course I do!" Su Yishan quickly said.

At this point, he had no choice. Since Ye Yuan was being foolish himself, if he didn't seize this opportunity, wouldn't he be as foolish as Ye Yuan?

But he worried that Ye Yuan was just using him to gauge his strength and would eventually have Yuan Fei kill him.

If it were him, he would definitely do that.

"Don't worry, Yuan Fei and Senior Sister Nanfeng won't make a move! As long as you can kill me, you're free to leave. I'll have Yuan Fei keep Senior Sister Nanfeng in check and not let her interfere," Ye Yuan said calmly, seeing through Su Yishan's concern.

"Ye Yuan, you!" Nanfeng Zhirou immediately jumped up, but Yuan Fei held her back.

Seeing this, Su Yishan was overjoyed!

He had been too stifled these past few days; in nearly twenty years of life, he had never felt so oppressed!

"Haha... Ye Yuan, you asked for this. Don't blame me for being rude! You don't naively think that just because you've broken through to the Liquid Realm, you're really a match for me, do you? One-on-one, it's not like when I was your sparring partner!" Su Yishan laughed wildly.

Ye Yuan said indifferently, "So much nonsense. Come on!"

"Ye Yuan, you're asking for death!" Su Yishan gritted his teeth and threw a punch at Ye Yuan.

In the past, Ye Yuan would have dodged this punch immediately. But now, he neither dodged nor avoided, directly striking with Eightfold Wave, and the two clashed!

"Boom!"

After the fierce collision, both retreated several steps!

Su Yishan's face was full of shock: "Didn't you just break through to the Liquid Realm? How can you be so strong!"