I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

The intense sunlight shone through the crystal dome, illuminating the polished white jade floor of the West Sea Dragon Palace.

Ning Chen, along with Ao Lie and Ao Xue, arrived at the West Sea Dragon Palace's martial arts arena. The old Dragon King Ao Run sat upright on the viewing platform, his eyes gleaming, seemingly very concerned about this competition.

Ao Lie was dressed in silver armor and held a twelve-foot-long silver spear, the tip of which reflected glints of cold light in the sunlight.

He looked at Ning Chen, a hint of youthful arrogance on his lips.

"Brother Ning!"

He spoke loudly, his voice echoing in the empty training ground.

"Your wisdom and strategy are unparalleled. By leveraging the power of Nezha and Yang Jian, you subdued 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals without a fight, causing Li Tianwang and Wang Lingguan to return empty-handed. I, Ao Lie, am ashamed to admit that I am inferior to you in terms of courage and strategy!"

He paused, then changed the subject, revealing a hint of eagerness.

"But when it comes to actual cultivation and combat strength..."

He weighed the silver spear in his hand, full of confidence.

"Forgive my bluntness, Brother Ning, but I'm afraid you're still lacking in experience."

Ning Chen, dressed in a blue robe, stood with his hands behind his back. Upon hearing this, he simply smiled faintly and made a gesture as if to attack.

"Brother Ao, why bother with words? Just unleash your power... Dragon, come at me! If you can defeat me fair and square today, not only now, but even five hundred years from now, whenever and wherever we meet again, I will bow deeply and declare my submission, willing to serve you without a word!"

Ning Chen looked calmly at Ao Lie, then changed the subject.

"However, what if Brother Ao were to be defeated by me today?"

Ao Lie was young and impetuous, and he couldn't withstand Ning Chen's provocation.

He straightened his back, paused with his silver spear, and said proudly.

"Defeat? Hmph! If that day truly comes, there's no need for five hundred years. From this moment on, I, Ao Lie, will obey your every word without question!"

"good!"

Ning Chen clapped his hands and laughed, his smile remarkably similar to that of the thousand-year-old fox.

"Then, a gentleman's word is his bond!"

Ao Lie held his silver spear horizontally.

"Four dragons are hard to catch!"

Before he finished speaking, Ao Lie's eyes narrowed, and his aura surged. The powerful dragon might of a pure-blooded dragon instantly filled the entire training ground.

The mere sight of the dragon's might unleashed would terrify some of the mortal beasts, sending them running for their lives.

But Ning Chen was different. He cultivated with Xiaolongnu Ao Xue and was already used to the dragon's might.

Ao Lie exerted force with his feet, his body moving like lightning, and the silver spear in his hand transformed into a silver rainbow, piercing straight into Ning Chen's chest!

The shot was extremely fast and the angle was tricky. Ao Lie thought to himself that Ning Daoren's cultivation was still shallow.

He planned to use the tip of his spear to poke Ning Chen in the chest, forcing him to back down and admit defeat, thus demonstrating his strength without losing his composure and damaging the harmony.

The spear tip was about to reach him, but Ning Chen seemed to have no reaction and remained completely still.

"Hmph, all talk and no action, his actual strength is nothing special..."

The moment Ao Lie had that thought, a sudden change occurred!

A golden light suddenly appeared from Ning Chen's body. The light was so fast that Ao Lie had no time to react.

The next second, he felt his limbs stiffen instantly, as he was bound tightly by the suddenly appearing, tough ropes.

His proud power of the true dragon melted away like ice and snow in the face of this power, and he could not mobilize it at all!

Ao Lie's silver spear slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Looking at him, he resembled a rice dumpling wrapped in silk threads, completely unable to move.

The Third Prince fell straight down on the training ground with a thud, unable to move even his fingers!

Ning Chen slowly stepped forward, squatted down, and patted Ao Lie's flushed cheeks with the back of his Tai'a sword.

he laughed.

"Brother Ao, how is it? Are you convinced?"

Ao Lie struggled desperately, but only felt the restraints tightening, as if the air in his lungs was being squeezed out.

He gritted his teeth and forced out the sound.

"I refuse to accept this! This time I... was careless! I failed to dodge! That doesn't count! Let's do it again!"

He thought he had been caught off guard and had fallen for some kind of mysterious magic weapon.

As long as we vary our attacks, we will surely defeat this Daoist Ning with our spears!

"Alright, let's do one more round!"

With a slight thought, Ning Chen caused the golden dragon-binding rope on Ao Lie's body to loosen instantly, transforming into a rope that returned to Ning Chen's hand.

Ao Lie felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He leaped up with a somersault and summoned his silver spear into his hand.

This time, his gaze became extremely serious, and there was no longer a trace of contempt in his eyes.

Ao Lie let out a low roar, unleashing the full power of his dragon essence. His figure transformed into a silver streak barely perceptible to the naked eye, swiftly dodging and weaving across the vast training ground, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.

This time, he dared not hold back in the slightest and was determined to teach this guy who had made him lose face a lesson!

"Don't blame me for being ruthless. As long as I don't kill you on the spot, my father has plenty of healing medicine. I'm sure my father and Xue'er will just complain about me a bit afterward!"

A fierce glint flashed in Ao Lie's eyes, and the power he had accumulated to the extreme erupted!

Like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, he struck with overwhelming force, using the Seven Star Steps to pierce Ning Chen's back!

This time, the speed of Ao Lie's silver spear was several times faster than before, clearly indicating that he had exerted all his strength!

"Young Master Ning, be careful!"

"Be careful, my dear nephew!"

The old Dragon King Ao Run and Ao Xue, who were watching from the sidelines, exclaimed in surprise at the same time, shocked by the power of Ao Lie's all-out attack, fearing that something might happen to Ning Chen.

In a flash, Ning Chen's lips curled into a perfect smile.

The thought crossed my mind again.

"Bind!"

Ao Lie, who had charged forward with overwhelming force, seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall, or been slammed down by an unseen giant hand.

He slammed hard onto the ground; the immense impact made his vision go black, and his internal organs felt as if they had shifted.

"what!"

Ao Lie lay on the ground, furious. He found himself bound by the rope again, unable to move.

This time, Ao Lie's handsome face turned a deep purplish-red as he looked up and roared at Ning Chen.

"Shameless! All you do is rely on your magic weapon to act tough! What kind of hero are you?!"

Ning Chen walked slowly to him, and gently patted Ao Lie's face, which was twisted with anger, with the cold blade of the Tai'a sword, his tone carrying a mocking smile.

"Brother Ao, you are mistaken. How can magic weapons not be considered one's own abilities? Nezha, the Third Prince, is recognized by the Heavenly Court as the number one warrior. If he were to reveal his three-headed, six-armed form but fight the enemy unarmed, wouldn't he just become a street thug with wild fists?"

"And then there's Erlang Shen, the True Lord of Manifestation, with all sorts of divine weapons and treasures at his side, and the celestial hound Xiaotian by his side, roaming freely throughout the Three Realms. Who dares to say that Yang Jian won by relying on magical weapons? Magical weapons are also a part of strength. It's only natural that I used magical weapons to defeat you!"

Ning Chen's twisted logic and heresy were nothing but utter nonsense to Ao Lie.

However, Ning Chen deliberately cited the examples of Nezha and Yang Jian, leaving Ao Lie with no way to refute them, since these two also possessed a number of magical treasures.

When it comes to verbal sparring, Ao Lie was no match for Ning Chen and was immediately rendered speechless.

His chest heaved violently, yet he couldn't find a single compelling rebuttal.

"You disagree?"

Ning Chen stood with his hands behind his back, his smile unchanged.

"Then let's try again. Today I'll make you admit defeat wholeheartedly."

He freed himself from the restraints once again.

"Fine, fine, do you think my West Sea Dragon Palace has no treasures?"

Ao Lie went to the treasure vault and retrieved several magical artifacts. Then he witnessed a scene that caused his pupils to dizzy in shock...