Chapter 117: The Convergence of Ten Thousand Shadows

"Burning blood essence?"

Tie Muqing’s sudden move caught everyone off guard. Even Tie Muqiu, whose face was usually twisted into a sinister smile, now wore an expression of displeasure.

Burning blood essence involves consuming the vital blood within one’s body to unleash a surge of immense power. If the practitioner lacks a robust physique, this volatile force often recoils, causing severe self-inflicted injuries. Moreover, the cost is heavy; while anyone at the Blood Essence Realm can ignite their essence to gain strength once it reaches a certain threshold, few dare to do so. The consequences are dire: minor cases lead to a depletion of vitality and essence, while major cases can shatter one's martial foundation, permanently obstructing future cultivation. For a martial artist, whose life is a struggle against the heavens to prolong their existence, the destruction of one's foundation is a fate worse than death. Thus, it is a desperate measure reserved only for the brink of ruin.

Yet, Tie Muqing was a man of extreme paranoia and madness; he could not bear the thought of a peer surpassing him.

"This is bad. With his essence burning, Tie Muqing’s aura is surging so rapidly that he is now on par with a peak-stage practitioner of the Origin Realm. Young Master Ye is in grave danger." Xie Cang’s expression shifted. The previously clear outcome had become shrouded in uncertainty, and in his eyes, Ye Cheng’s survival looked slim.

"Old Xie, prepare yourself," Nangong Hao whispered, his gaze fixed heavily on the stage. "If the situation turns dire, we must intervene to save him. If this youth survives, he will surely become a dragon among men and prove a great asset to our Nangong family."

"That is exactly my intention," Xie Cang replied, and the two exchanged a firm nod.

Little fatty Nangong Lin had lost his usual playful grin. His chubby face was etched with worry as he watched the duel. "Tie Muqing is a true lunatic, burning his essence at the drop of a hat. Ye Cheng is done for."

"He will win," Nangong Xue interjected suddenly. Nangong Lin looked back at her in surprise. She had been worried moments ago, yet now she was so confident. "A woman’s mind is truly impossible to fathom," he muttered to himself.

Nangong Xue could not be blamed for her conviction. Tie Muqing’s reputation for dominance in Yongle City was well-earned, but she had witnessed Ye Cheng’s ability to conjure unexpected miracles whenever he faced danger. She remembered the battle against the Luo family elder, where Ye Cheng, despite his grave injuries, had erupted into flames and successfully blocked a strike from an advanced-stage Origin Realm expert. She could not explain why, but she felt an intuitive certainty that Ye Cheng was still hiding his true strength.

"Burning your blood essence—you certainly are willing to pay the price," Ye Cheng remarked, his expression grave. The pressure radiating from his opponent was stronger than he had anticipated. "In my view, however, this is somewhat foolish."

He had not expected Tie Muqing, a genius with a bright future, to resort to such extreme measures.

"Hmph!" Tie Muqing let out a cold snort. His eyes, laced with bloodshot veins, stared at Ye Cheng like a predator fixated on its prey. "Foolish? Once I’ve crippled you, you’ll know exactly what true foolishness is."

Like a frenzied lion, Tie Muqing roared and lunged. The force of his movement caused the bluestone floor beneath him to crack and sink.

"Spiral Break!"

As Tie Muqing roared, he swung his halberd, and Ye Cheng could feel the entirety of his opponent's blood essence funneling into the weapon. *He is compressing the blood essence within the halberd,* Ye Cheng realized, his expression hardening. The power was becoming terrifying; he had not realized that compressing blood essence could multiply the force of an attack to such a degree.

*Could this be the secret to the third level of my father’s "Thousand Shadow Spear Technique," 'Ten Thousand Shadows Converging as One'? Is the key to merging those illusory spear images to compress all my internal force into the spear?*

While Ye Cheng pondered this, the attack arrived in a blink. The halberd shimmered as hundreds of blood-red streaks of light manifested, suddenly coalescing into a single, massive beam that tore through the air toward Ye Cheng. The sheer force of the strike pulverized the bluestone floor in its wake, carving a jagged trench into the ground.

*Indeed, it follows the same principle as my 'Thousand Shadow Spear Technique,' though he can only condense a hundred strikes, while I am capable of a thousand.*

Without further hesitation, Ye Cheng let his eyelids droop slightly, focusing entirely on the silver spear in his hands. The moment he grasped the spirit of the weapon, his eyes snapped open. He channeled his own blood essence, compressing it into the silver spear until the metal began to hum and vibrate violently.

*What pure and potent blood essence,* Tie Muqiu thought, his snake-like eyes narrowing as he watched Ye Cheng. *If this boy can be used by my Blood Fiend Gang, he will be a great asset. If not, he must be eliminated.*

"Ye Cheng’s blood essence is incredibly vast, and more importantly, remarkably pure. I wonder how this lad cultivates," Xie Cang remarked, equally stunned.

Oblivious to their thoughts, Ye Cheng felt the silver spear glow with a radiant red light as the compression reached its limit. *Pity, I can only compress it to two layers; it won't go any further,* he thought, though he knew he had no time to dwell on it.

"Ten Thousand Shadows Converging as One!"

Ye Cheng let out a sharp cry and thrust his spear forward. The movement was like a dragon emerging from the sea. The air exploded with a sonic boom under the force of his strike. A thousand spear images materialized, instantly condensing into a single, massive, silver-red silhouette. As the image appeared, deep, shocking fissures began to spread across the ground beneath Ye Cheng’s feet.