Nine Star Hegemon Body Arts

“AH!”

Liu Rujiao screamed as she was expelled from the Seven Treasure Space, her face pale with terror.

Just moments ago, a dagger severed her head, over ten swords pierced through her body, and then countless vines coiled around her, crushing her to bits.

Trembling uncontrollably, Liu Rujiao was overwhelmed. It was the first time she had ever experienced such a vivid, lifelike sensation of death.

Looking at her scornfully, Long Chen said, “I thought you’d last at least a breath. It looks like I overestimated you.”

He hadn’t expected Liu Rujiao to collapse so quickly in the face of death. She had been killed instantly—without even putting up a fight.

“What was that place?” Liu Rujiao asked, her voice shuddering.

“It is the Seven Treasure Space. The people you see inside were killed by me and copied by the space. You just went inside, and the strongest existences didn’t even have time to fight you before you died. Sigh… to think that the name of the great Undying race is just for show.” Long Chen shook his head in disappointment.

“You…”

“Don’t waste time whining. Get back in,” Long Chen said, directly sending Liu Rujiao back into the Seven Treasure Space.

This time, Liu Rujiao responded instantly. She unleashed her powerful techniques, summoning endless willow branches to lock down the heavens and earth.

But before she could relax, a single sharp sword pierced through her defenses, broke her shield, and stabbed her straight in the head.

“AH!”

She screamed again as the world shifted. When she opened her eyes, she was back in front of Long Chen. Her hand shot up to her head in fear. Only when she realized it was just an illusion did her breathing relax.

Seeing Long Chen’s scornful expression, she snapped, “What kind of cursed space is that?! How can a mere human’s sword pierce my defenses? I don’t believe it!”

“There are a lot of things that are true whether you believe them or not. That person you faced came from the High Heaven Sword God Sect. He was a sword cultivator. Your technique concentrated all your power on your head—naturally, that’s where he struck. With a sword cultivator’s precision and killing power, it would’ve been odd if he didn’t kill you,” Long Chen explained casually.

“A sword cultivator? The ones said to have the strongest offense?” Liu Rujiao exclaimed in disbelief.

“What do you think?” Long Chen replied. “Now shut up and get back in. I’m counting on you to help me beat that old fogey!”

Long Chen didn’t give Liu Rujiao any chance to breathe and tossed her back in.

“AH!”

Screams echoed again and again. In the span of half an incense stick’s time, Liu Rujiao had been killed hundreds of times.

The pain, the fear, the mental torment—they were nearly enough to break her. But Long Chen remained unmoved. He continued to toss her back in, over and over again.

Liu Rujiao was of the Undying race. As she wasn’t a human, her soul and will weren’t so easily broken, and her body didn’t register pain as keenly as the human race. She could endure this.

“Are you stupid? Fear won’t save you—fight them!”

“Stop dodging! Face them head-on! Don’t you have the guts to drag an enemy down with you, even if it costs your life?”

“Are you stupid?! Picking off the weakest when you're surrounded? Shouldn’t you focus on the biggest threats first?!”

“Stop being a coward! Keep going! You are from the great Undying race! Are you really going to let those little humans trample you?”

Long Chen roared at her again and again, shouting with anger and disdain, each word intended to provoke her.

Liu Rujiao was like a madwoman now. She clenched her teeth and charged back into battle, fighting enemies from across the ten thousand races.

After all, Long Chen had killed too many people from too many races. The Seven Treasure Space held echoes of them all.

This was not a trial—this was hell.

Each time Liu Rujiao entered, her opponents immediately unleashed their most powerful techniques. She was caught off guard, repeatedly killed, and forced back out—only to be thrown in again.

She didn’t know what kind of hellish torment this was, only that she was on the verge of collapse. There were so many times she wanted to give up.

However, every time Long Chen provoked her using the name of the great Undying race, she would grit her teeth and continue fighting.

One day passed.

By then, Liu Rujiao had died countless times. But now, her aura was sharper, and her movements no longer seemed hasty. Just like that, her attacks started to flow, and she could last five breaths within the Seven Treasure Space.

Seeing this, Long Chen was impressed. The Undying race’s potential really was amazing. Under this hellish torment, Liu Rujiao was gradually showing her sharpness.

The more she faced death, the less it frightened her. Her mind stabilized, her instincts sharpened, and unnecessary moves in her technique vanished. She was becoming deadly.

Liu Rujiao was already on the right path. If this continued, her instincts would evolve naturally, giving rise to her own unique combat style.

Long Chen had thought it would take her at least twice as long to reach this point. Her rapid growth exceeded all his expectations, and he finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Long Chen, can we also enter the Seven Treasure Space to train?” asked Chu Yao

At some point, Chu Yao and Liu Ruyan had come over. They had been quietly watching all along. Although they didn’t know the full extent of what Liu Rujiao was going through, they could clearly see how rapidly she was improving. That made them eager to try as well.

Long Chen replied, “Even if you didn’t ask, I was planning to bring you in. After spending so much time in the Undying Demon Forest, your battle instincts have dulled. It’s time to find that feeling again.”

“Feeling? You mean battle instincts?” Liu Ruyan blinked, confused.

Long Chen shook his head. “There are two meanings to ‘feeling.’ One is perceiving the power, position, angle, range, and intent of your opponent’s attack—even before they strike. The other is knowing how to respond. What comes next? Do you attack? Defend? Dodge? Counter?

“If you can awaken that feeling, you’ll be able to defeat your opponent in just a few exchanges. That day, when I said I’d take on all ten of them at once, I wasn’t bragging. I had a feeling that even together, they wouldn’t be able to defeat me.”

Hearing that, Liu Ruyan was startled. Could it be that Long Chen really was that strong?

“Leaving divine items aside, based purely on our personal strength, we’d be about equal—maybe they’d even have a slight edge. But in actual combat? They’d lose. Because they lack that feeling,” said Long Chen.

After a brief pause, Long Chen continued, “The Seven Treasure Space is the perfect training ground to hone it. It has seven layers of difficulty. You two can start from the first.”

“What level did Liu Rujiao start at?” Liu Ruyan asked.

“The fourth.”

“Then why are we starting at the first?”

“She’s not my wife.”

“...”

The space trembled, and Chu Yao and Liu Ruyan were both sent into the Seven Treasure Space—at the easiest level. After all, Long Chen couldn’t bear to make them suffer too much.

He turned his gaze into the distance, a sly smile playing on his lips.

“Old fogey… I can’t wait to see the look on your face when you lose."