No matter how valuable an artifact was, it could not compare to the advancement of one's cultivation. If Zhang Xuan could achieve a breakthrough to Grand Dominion realm right now, putting aside selling the Wintry Spirit Essence, even if he were to give it to Zhang Xuan, he would still be able to make a huge profit.
"Alright!"
Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. Just as he was about to accept Zhang Xuan's punch and offer him some pointers, a calm voice suddenly sounded.
"Brother Zhang!"
Raising his head, Zhang Xuan saw a young man standing before him.
"Zhang Zhuo?"
Zhang Xuan frowned.
The other party was none other than the cousin who had saved Zhang Yunfeng after the entrance examination, the 31st rank of the Elite Division, Zhang Zhuo.
"Yesterday, I said that I'd like to spar with Brother Zhang, and Fei shi has announced that I would like to spar with you. I hope that you won't be stingy with your teachings!"
Zhang Zhuo clasped his fist respectfully.
He didn't appear arrogant just because he was a member of the Zhang clan.
"Spar with you?"
Zhang Xuan raised his head and realized that Fei shi had already ended the introduction while he was speaking with Chen Leyao, allowing the students to interact freely with one another.
As geniuses of the Sanctum of Sages, there were many ways to interact with one another, and sparring with one another was one of the most common.
"This …" Zhang Xuan frowned.
Even if Zhang Zhuo was the 31st rank of the Elite Division, it wouldn't be too much of a problem for him to defeat him.
Just that …
After executing the Sea Severing Sword twice in a row, his zhenqi had already been completely depleted. Even though he had recovered a little over the past half a day, it was still far from enough to deal with an expert of that caliber.
"Why? Brother Zhang, are you afraid? "
Zhang Zhuo narrowed his eyes as he spoke with a playful tone.
With so many new students watching yesterday, if the people of the Zhang Clan continuously rushed up to compete with him, it would also be a form of damage to his reputation.
Since all the students of the Elite Division were present today, it would be a good opportunity for him to quell Zhang Zhuo's arrogance and make him realize that not everyone could afford to offend a colossus like the Zhang clan!
"It's just a sparring match, why would I be afraid? I'm just afraid that I might cripple you if I were to go too far! "
Zhang Xuan shook his head.
Even though he had depleted his zhenqi, he still had plenty of means up his sleeves.
At most, he would just have to summon his avatar …
It was just that this fellow was too ferocious, and not easy to control. If he were to cripple this fellow, it would be a little embarrassing.
"You …" Zhang Zhuo's face darkened upon hearing those words. "Since you dare to challenge me, let's begin then!"
After saying that, he jumped into the middle of the hall.
"Fine!"
Seeing how insistent Chen Leyao was, Zhang Xuan could only nod in agreement. He stood up and was just about to walk into the venue when Chen Leyao suddenly appeared before him, blocking his way.
"The true energy in Zhang Shi's body should have been used up, right?"
The girl sent a voice transmission.
"You can tell?" Zhang Xuan was surprised.
He had used up all of his zhenqi, but he had not told the other party about it, nor had he shown it to him. Yet, the other party was able to see through it. He could not help but be surprised.
"When you were speaking just now, all of the acupoints in your body were opened, absorbing spiritual energy to condense zhenqi. With a single look, I can tell that your body is lacking zhenqi!"
Chen Leyao explained, "How could he possibly fight under such circumstances? How about this, I'll help you reject the challenge. Even if he's from the Zhang clan, I'm sure that he'll give me some face if I say it personally … "
Zhenqi was the foundation of a cultivator. Even though cultivators of their level had their Primordial Spirits, without zhenqi to attack, it was no different from a tiger without its fangs and claws. No matter how powerful one was, it would be futile.
"If I reject such a challenge, I fear that I'll become a laughingstock!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.
Had it been anyone else, he would have admitted defeat. However, the one he was facing was the Zhang clan … It would be a huge pity if he rejected the challenge!
"But given your current condition, it's impossible for you to fight!" Chen Leyao said anxiously.
It was not that she had any special feelings for the young man before her, but the young man was the teacher of their young court chief. Since he was with her, she couldn't allow anything to happen to him.
Otherwise, if the young court chief were to blame him, there was no way he would be able to bear it.
"This …"
Zhang Xuan frowned. He knew that he could only rely on his means at the moment. Just as he was considering whether he should find an excuse to change his clothes, a thought suddenly came to his mind. "Why don't you fight in my place?"
"Me?"
Chen Leyao was taken aback for a moment before she hurriedly shook her head. "The reason why I was able to clear the trial and enter the Elite Division is due to the secret art that I executed. In truth, my fighting prowess isn't that great. If I were to face him in a duel … I wouldn't stand a chance at all!"
Her cultivation was only at Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle. In the eyes of others, she could be considered as an expert, but compared to the prodigy of the Zhang clan, she was still a far cry from matching up.
In a real battle, he would definitely lose.
"Who said we have no chance of winning?"
Instead, he turned his gaze to Zhang Zhuo and said, "Brother Zhang, I shouldn't have turned you down if you wish to spar with me. However, it just so happens that I'm at a crucial juncture in my cultivation right now, so it won't be convenient for me to accept your challenge. Why don't I have Chen Leyao help me out while I offer her some pointers? If Brother Zhang is able to defeat her, I'll consider it my loss!"
"Critical juncture?"
Zhang Zhuo snorted.
He could tell that the other party was obviously declining.
You managed to achieve a breakthrough to the Leaving Aperture realm in front of so many people yesterday. Do you think that you will be able to make another breakthrough today?
Even if you want to brag, there should be a limit!
However, did he want to decline?
How could it be that easy?
He had inquired about the matter regarding Zhang Qian and Zhang Yunfeng the previous day, and it turned out that Chen Leyao was the cause of it all. Since she wanted to stand up for him, it wouldn't be a big deal for him to teach her a lesson.
He knew that the young lady was far from being able to deal with him. If she really wanted to make a move, he would be able to defeat her easily in less than three moves.
"Fairy Leyao, are you intending to stand up for him?"
With such a thought in mind, Zhang Zhuo turned to look at the young lady.
"I …"
Chen Leyao's eyebrows shot up.
She just didn't want to see Zhang Shi get injured, but who could have thought that she would have to drag him out for a duel?
However, the conversation between the two was extremely loud, drawing the gazes of everyone present. Even if she wanted to turn down the duel, it would be impossible for her to do so.
"Indeed. If you wish to fight with Zhang Shi, you'll have to get past me first!"
Zhang Zhuo said with gritted teeth.
"Very well. Allow me to experience the prowess of the Glacier Plain Court then!"
Zhang Zhuo harrumphed coldly as he charged forward. His fingers were as large as bowls, and with a light flick, he struck downward.
This wasn't a battle technique, and it looked extremely simple on the surface. However, as soon as Zhang Zhuo's palm struck downward, he sealed the surrounding space, making it difficult for Zhang Xuan to escape.
Chen Leyao narrowed her eyes in astonishment.
Her strength was roughly on par with Zhang Qian's when he had yet to achieve a breakthrough. Even Zhang Yunfeng was no match for her, let alone Zhang Zhuo.
As soon as Zhang Zhuo's palm struck downward, she immediately felt her zhenqi freezing up. She wanted to retaliate, but it was impossible for her to do so.
"Shift your body half a step to the left, and use your fingers as a sword to stab right!"
While Chen Leyao was at a loss as to how she should counterattack, a voice suddenly sounded in her ears.
It was none other than Zhang Shi.
"I guess that's all I can do …"
Knowing that there was no better way out of this, Chen Leyao could only step forward and tap her palm forward.
Padah!
Along with her movements, Zhang Zhuo's palm strike seemed to have missed, and a crisp sound echoed in the air. At the same time, the tip of her finger coincidentally struck the flaw in his attack. He had no choice but to guard against it.
"It must be a coincidence!"
Zhang Zhuo hurriedly retracted his palm and took a step back.
"Left hand, Swimming Sword into the Sea. Right hand, Dragon Soars the Wilderness!"
Zhang Xuan's voice echoed in the air once more.
Initially, Chen Leyao thought that it was impossible for her to defeat Zhang Zhuo, but after listening to Zhang Zhuo's words, her confidence soared. Without any hesitation, she swiftly executed a sword art and a palm art respectively.
Her physical prowess wasn't too high, and she was still a far cry from Zhang Zhuo's. However, by executing both of her moves simultaneously, she was able to sever the latter's attack routes in the blink of an eye, leaving him no choice but to defend himself.
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to retaliate, and if he were to make a move, he would surely be injured. Thus, he retreated once more.
"Leading Star Steps, Three Suns Pursuing Water!"
Zhang Xuan continued.
Without any hesitation, Chen Leyao executed the Leading Star Steps. Her fingers moved swiftly, and as if drawing a triangle in the air, her zhenqi chased after the three yang meridians in Zhang Zhuo's body.
This move didn't seem to be a particularly profound one, but when paired with the timing, it was as if Chen Leyao knew what battle technique Zhang Zhuo was going to execute in advance and locked onto his blood and zhenqi, interrupting his zhenqi circulation.
"Weird …"
Zhang Zhuo muttered under his breath as he leaped backward.
"What is Zhang Zhuo up to?"
"Chen Leyao's moves look very simple. Why is he retreating instead of defending himself? "
"Simple? How can you tell that it's simple? Look at the direction she's pointing at. If Zhang Zhuo were to retaliate, he would be struck by her Chihai acupoint. If he were to charge forward, he would be struck by her foot on his Ziyang acupoint. If he were to move left, he would be struck by her shoulder on his Huaihai acupoint. If he were to flee to the right, he would be struck by an even more powerful attack.
"This …"
The battle between the two of them had caught the attention of everyone in the room. Initially, they didn't think much of it, but soon, looks of astonishment surfaced on their faces.
They were all offspring of powerful clans, so they knew one another very well. Under normal circumstances, given Chen Leyao's strength, she wouldn't even be able to withstand three blows from Zhang Zhuo. Yet, she was actually able to force Zhang Zhuo into a corner with three consecutive blows …
Were the pointers that Zhang Xuan had casually spoken really that miraculous?
"Interesting!"
Leaning against the table, Zhang Yu watched the dueling ring with a slight smile on his lips.
Initially, he didn't have much interest in a duel of this level, but the sight before him made him want to take a second look.
In order to defeat a stronger opponent, one had to grasp the timing of the battle perfectly, and more importantly, one had to have a clear understanding of one's opponent's moves … Yet, Zhang Xuan was actually able to help Chen Leyao achieve this without even making a move himself. Even he found it hard to believe.
Deng deng deng deng!
Before everyone's perplexed gazes, the two of them exchanged another dozen blows, and Zhang Zhuo was actually unable to withstand even a single blow. He was forced to retreat continuously, and his back eventually crashed into the wall of the room.
"Damn it …"
Zhang Yu's face turned livid.
To be unable to even retaliate after exchanging more than ten blows with Chen Leyao, he was so furious that he could explode on the spot.
"Since that's the case, don't blame me for not going easy on you!"
Knowing that it was impossible for him to retreat anymore, Zhang Zhuo narrowed his eyes, and a powerful surge of energy immediately burst forth from his body.
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