Zhao Xingmo was extremely displeased. Even though he was furious, there was nothing he could do at this moment. His body swayed as he dodged to the side.
No matter how strong the other party was, and whether or not they could withstand it, they couldn't take it head-on. It wasn't that they were afraid of being crippled, but that they couldn't afford to lose face.
Huala!
Just as his body moved to the side, he saw the other party's two fingers pointing at his armpit. The ferocious attack on his crotch just now was actually a feint. The real aim was here!
"If you attack my crotch and infer that I will dodge, there will be an opening under my armpit when I use my movement technique …"
Zhao Xingmo narrowed his eyes in disbelief.
The spot where the other party's finger was pointing at was precisely the mingmen of his cultivation technique. Once struck, his entire body would immediately go numb, and he would lose all fighting prowess!
Both sides were fighting, so it was impossible for them to have pointed at this position by coincidence. They must have made a prediction beforehand.
To be able to make him fall into Zhang Xuan's rhythm with just a single move and deduce the flaws of Zhang Xuan's moves … Wasn't his comprehension of battle a little too frightening?
"What a cunning fellow. He used psychological warfare on me right from the start …"
As a Saint 6-dan master teacher, Zhang Xuan possessed a sharp mind. Seeing through the other party's ploy, he was able to figure out what was going on in an instant.
Pavilion Master Wu had intentionally told Zhang Xuan that Song shi had been crippled, leaving a subconscious thought in Zhang Xuan's mind. Following which, as soon as Zhang Jiuxiao arrived, Pavilion Master Wu immediately attacked Zhang Xuan's position. Naturally, Zhang Xuan had thought that Zhang Jiuxiao would make a move, but he didn't expect that it was just a feint.
Before they could even begin, they had already fallen for the other party's psychological warfare.
Amazing!
"If it were any other ordinary Primordial Spirit realm cultivator, it would be difficult for them to reverse the situation within ten moves, but I'm different!"
Zhao Xingmo's eyebrows shot up as he swiftly turned his body to the side to dodge Zhang Xuan's attack.
Fingertips against fingertips, he wanted to use his own martial skills and strength to break through his opponent's attack, turning from passive to active.
Despite being at the same cultivation realm as Zhang Jiuxiao, Zhang Jiuxiao's finger was far more concentrated than Zhang Jiuxiao's. Before it could even reach Zhang Jiuxiao, it already sounded like it was tearing the air apart.
Seeing the might of the finger, Zhang Jiuxiao was startled. Knowing that he didn't dare to take it head-on, he hurriedly retracted his finger. However, due to his nervousness, his body tilted to the side, and he was caught off guard. His head was facing the finger head-on.
Zhao Xingmo frowned.
With the strength of his finger, once it landed on the other party's head, the other party's head would definitely explode on the spot. It could be said that … the other party would definitely die!
Making a move on a junior would incur the wrath of others, and if he were to kill the examinee as well … there was no need for him to be the envoy anymore.
"Humph!"
The surging True Qi made him groan uncontrollably, and his face flushed red.
If Zhang Xuan hadn't suppressed his cultivation, this bit of backlash wouldn't have been a problem at all. However, given that he was only at Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage, not to mention that he had used his full strength, it was inevitable that he would be injured.
Huala!
He retracted his finger, not wanting to kill Zhang Jiuxiao. However, Zhang Jiuxiao had already predicted his reaction. Unbeknownst to him, Zhang Jiuxiao had already arrived before him and rammed his shoulder into Zhang Jiuxiao's chest.
Even if he didn't sustain any injuries, it would still be difficult for him to escape unscathed. Feeling stifled, Zhao Xingmo raised his palm and slashed it downward.
Suppressing his cultivation to fight with the other party, if he were to retreat now, where would he put his face in the future?
It was as if the sun had fallen to the ground, carrying with it an inescapable might. Judging by the time, Zhang Jiuxiao would have been struck by the palm before he could even reach Zhang Jiuxiao, severely injuring him.
"I'm sorry …"
Just as Zhao Xingmo was wondering what kind of move Zhang Jiuxiao would use to gain the upper hand, he suddenly heard a calm voice. Following which, he felt a numbing sensation in his armpit. Unknowingly, Zhang Jiuxiao's finger had already appeared on his mingmen.
Huala!
Zhao Xingmo's strength immediately receded, and in the blink of an eye, he felt powerless.
"You …"
Hu!
Seeing that his attack had succeeded, Zhang Jiuxiao didn't continue attacking. Instead, he hurriedly took a step back and said apologetically, "It's fortunate that Zhao shi went easy on me.
"Humph!"
Driving his zhenqi to recover, Zhao Xingmo felt stifled, but he couldn't find the words to say.
If the other party had seized the opportunity to attack his mingmen, he would have surely been pummeled … If that had happened, he would have died from embarrassment.
"Zhao shi, if you really wanted to kill me, you would have died in the second move. Actually, I resorted to shameless means …"
Seeing that Zhao Xingmo was displeased, Zhang Jiuxiao continued apologizing.
In the second move, Zhang Jiuxiao's finger had continued moving forward, and before he could even get close to Zhang Jiuxiao, his head would have exploded. Thus, he forcefully retracted his zhenqi and sustained injuries, thus allowing him to succeed in his sneak attack.
It could be said that he had made use of Zhang Jiuxiao's compassion. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to survive the second move.
"A win is a win, there's no reason for that!"
Zhao Xingmo waved his hands impassively. "I can give you two slots to the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, but this is only the preliminary round. I hope that you'll be able to hold on to your two slots in the secondary round. Otherwise, it'll still be useless!"
Even though the other party had plotted against him, the final result was that not only did the other party survive three moves, he even managed to subdue him.
Just based on this point alone, it was a real victory, without any adulteration.
Since that was the case, there was no harm in giving them an additional slot. However, whether or not they would be able to obtain this slot would depend on their performance in Qianchong Empire.
"Did you impart those experiences to him?"
Putting this matter aside, Zhao Xingmo turned to look at Zhang Xuan.
Regardless of whether it was in terms of zhenqi strength or reaction speed, it was impossible for Zhang Jiuxiao to achieve such a feat. Thus, the only possibility was that the young man before him had been sharpening his spear at the last minute.
"I just casually came up with three moves. I apologize for the humiliation I've shown Zhao shi."
Knowing that there was no way he could hide it from the other party, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist.
"Casually came up with three moves?"
Zhao Xingmo sneered. "Casually came up with three moves? You were able to deduce that my movement technique would be [Delayed Leaf Steps], and the flaw would be in my armpit. On top of that, you were able to deduce that I wouldn't kill you. Instead, you retracted your strength and retreated half a step, allowing Zhang Jiuxiao to strike my mingmen.
There was no such thing as luck in a battle.
Of the three moves that Zhang Jiuxiao had executed earlier, the first was a psychological battle, the second was a desperate battle, and the third was a trick … To be able to pull off such a feat, the other party must have thought through his battle strategy thoroughly and come up with such a plan.
To be able to pull it off so casually, you must be joking!
"Perhaps, I was just lucky!" Zhang Xuan nodded.
The reason why he had instructed Jin Yuan Ding to launch a sneak attack on Zhao shi was so that he could compile a book in the Library of Heaven's Path.
With the book in hand, he would be able to discern the other party's moves and flaws, and it would be much easier for him to design a counterattack.
However, he couldn't reveal the details of the Library of Heaven's Path, so he could only play dumb.
"Luck?"
Knowing that Zhang Shi wasn't willing to talk too much about it, Zhao Xingmo couldn't be bothered to probe any further. Instead, he raised his eyebrows and said, "With just a few casual pointers, you were able to defeat me within three moves. Since that's the case, I'll still suppress my cultivation. Do you dare to challenge me?"
"Challenge you? You'll still suppress your cultivation to Primordial Spirit realm intermediate stage? "Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
"That's right!" Zhao Xingmo nodded.
His interest in the young man before him had been piqued.
To be able to severely injure two auditing students of the Sanctum of Sages within three moves … To be able to cause him to suffer a loss with just a few casual pointers …
How powerful would the other party be if he were to use his full strength against the other party?
"Ah … Forget it. I fear that I won't be able to control my strength properly and might end up injuring myself." Zhang Xuan shook his head.
"Don't worry. As soon as I feel that I'm going to injure you, I'll release my seal immediately. I guarantee that you'll be fine!"
Noticing the apprehension in the other party's voice, Zhao Xingmo reassured him.
In a battle between opponents of equal strength, it was indeed easy for one to lose control over one's strength. However, Zhao Xingmo was a Saint 6-dan expert. If he were to face any danger, he would be able to release his seal easily and control his strength.
Seeing that the other party had misunderstood his intentions, Zhang Xuan replied awkwardly, "I didn't say that I would be injured. I was just worried that you wouldn't be able to withstand my attacks."
"You …"
Zhao Xingmo nearly exploded from rage.
It was one thing for an envoy from the Sanctum of Sages to challenge him to a duel, but to think that he would actually be afraid of injuring him … This was truly intolerable!
"You don't have to worry about me getting injured. Given my strength, it'll be difficult for me to sustain any injuries!"
Zhao Xingmo harrumphed with a livid expression.
"This …" Zhang Xuan hesitated.
"Don't worry, just make your move. No matter how talented you are, your eye of discernment is nothing in the eyes of the experts of the Sanctum of Sages. "
Placing his hands behind his back, Zhao Xingmo spoke with the disposition of an expert.
The Sanctum of Sages was the greatest academy on the Master Teacher Continent, and even the Sage Clans had sent their juniors there to study. From this, one could see just how deep the foundation of the Sanctum of Sages was. How could a country bumpkin like him possibly defeat it so easily?
The only reason he had fallen for the other party's trick earlier was due to a moment of carelessness. Now that he was fully prepared, how could it be that easy for him to defeat the other party?
"Since that's the case … I'll give it a try then!"
Seeing how confident the other party was, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up in excitement.
He had just achieved a breakthrough, so he wanted to test his strength against someone. Since the other party was so confident, he should give it a try as well.
"Let's begin!"
Taking a deep breath, Zhao Xingmo clenched his fists tightly and infused his strength into his body.
In his view, while the other party's talent was decent, the other party was a little too arrogant. This was a good opportunity for him to teach the other party that there was always someone stronger in the world.
"Alright, I'll begin now."
Zhang Xuan nodded as he reminded the other party.
"Un."
With a cold sneer, Zhao Xingmo leaped forward. Just as he was about to make a move, a palm print suddenly appeared right before his eyes.
It felt as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, and a torrent of energy.
Pu!
All of Zhao Xingmo's movements were immediately suppressed. Before he could even catch his breath, he was struck squarely in the chest, and his entire body was sent flying. A mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth.
Boom boom boom boom!
Driving his zhenqi, Zhao Xingmo attempted to neutralize the other party's attack, but his eyes suddenly narrowed once more. Following which, he saw countless palm prints descending upon him once more. This time, it wasn't just a single palm print but a thousand!
Hong long!
His back crashed heavily into the wall of the Hall of Sages, creating a massive crater.
Hula!
Unable to hold himself back any longer, Zhao Xingmo hurriedly undid his seal and managed to fend off the other party's attack. However, just as he was about to heave a sigh of relief, he suddenly heard Zhang Xuan's voice.
It was filled with loneliness.
"I thought that you were really formidable, but you were actually sent flying with less than a fifth of your strength … What are you bragging about?"
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