Ever since Ye Futian's sparring session, there had been some changes.
The sparring sessions no longer involved bullying newcomers. Instead, it involved mutual verification. If one's plane was high enough, they would verify their understanding of cultivation, just like Ye Futian had sparred with Lian Yuqing with the guqin.
Due to the arrival of the mighty ones from Zhisheng Cliffs of the Yu State, the sparring sessions were much more intense this time. All the disciples tried their best to show their most dazzling side. At the very least, they could not embarrass the Holy Zhi Palace in front of the sacred grounds of Yu State.
Liu Chan, Kong Yao, and the others watched quietly. Qin Zhong did the same. His face was as calm as still water, without a single ripple.
The Holy Zhi Palace was the place where the Divine Path was passed down in the Barren State. The sparring sessions in the Holy Zhi Palace should be able to represent the highest standards of the younger generation in the Barren State.
It was no wonder that there was no saint in this generation of the Barren State. From the looks of it, the level of the younger disciples of the sacred grounds of the Barren State was rather low.
Zhisheng Cliffs would also have sparring sessions between the younger disciples. In comparison, the Holy Zhi Palace paled in comparison.
"Qin Zhong is the Son of Zhisheng Cliffs. What do you think of the younger disciples of the Holy Zhi Palace?" Liu Chan asked. He was not trying to show off, but he really wanted to ask. Even if he knew the difference, he at least wanted to see how big the gap between the Holy Zhi Palace and Zhisheng Cliffs was.
Only by knowing the gap would one have the motivation to move forward.
Sitting in a pit and looking at the sky made it easy to grow arrogant and overestimate oneself. He hoped that the disciples of the Holy Zhi Palace could see a wider world, so he did not mind Qin Zhong coming to the sparring session.
"Senior, do you mind if I speak frankly?" Qin Zhong asked Liu Chan.
"Go ahead," Liu Chan said.
"At least for now, it seems that there is not a single outstanding person," Qin Zhong said. "Of course, it might be that the truly outstanding ones have not shown up yet."
Qin Zhong did not lower his voice, because what he said could be heard by all the disciples in the sparring session. Many felt that it was a little harsh on their ears.
The sparring sessions had been going on for a while, and many on the Law Rank had shown up. Yet, Qin Zhong claimed that there was not a single outstanding person.
Such words were a little too arrogant, as if he did not respect the Holy Zhi Palace at all.
"If it is as you say, what do you mean by outstanding?" A disciple of the Holy Zhi Palace asked.
Qin Zhong looked at the disciple who spoke and said with a smile, "How can this be described with words?"
"If that's the case, why don't you join the sparring session today? Let's see what it means to be outstanding," someone said to Qin Zhong.
Qin Zhong looked at the other party and scanned the many disciples of the Holy Zhi Palace. In truth, he had only come to see the talents of the younger generation of the Holy Zhi Palace. He had no intention of fighting, especially after seeing the strength of the disciples of the Holy Zhi Palace. However, he also understood that his words would have caused many of the disciples of the Holy Zhi Palace to doubt him.
As such, Qin Zhong smiled and said, "My training is already at the pinnacle of the Noble Plane. To put it bluntly, there is no one in the Noble Plane in Zhisheng Cliffs who can stand shoulder to shoulder with me. As such, it would be unfair to all of you if I were to spar with all of you. Since you want to verify, then let's invite the best of the best in the Holy Zhi Palace to spar and verify."
The disciples of the Holy Zhi Palace looked at Qin Zhong. Since he dared to say such things, it was obvious that he was an extremely reputable person in Zhisheng Cliffs of the Yu State. As such, while they were somewhat dissatisfied with Qin Zhong's evaluation, they understood that Qin Zhong must be extremely powerful.
As such, many people could not help but look at Ximen Hanjiang.
Ye Futian and Yu Sheng were expelled from the Holy Zhi Palace, and now Ximen Hanjiang had regained his position as the first on the Law Rank. In terms of strength alone, he was naturally the strongest, and he was a match for Qin Zhong, the first of the Noble Plane in Zhisheng Cliffs.
Ximen Hanjiang saw that everyone was looking at him, so he took a step forward and looked at Qin Zhong in the distance. He said, "Ximen Hanjiang, disciple of the Holy Zhi Palace. Are you willing to spar with me?"
"Please." Qin Zhong nodded calmly and gestured for Ximen Hanjiang to proceed. Ximen Hanjiang stepped forward and walked towards the center of the sparring platform. Qin Zhong did the same. The two of them stood facing each other in the air. Even though there was still a great distance between them, their auras had already been released.
Everyone stared at the two of them in the air. Ximen Hanjiang had been defeated by Ye Futian, who was two planes above him, and he must have felt extremely humiliated.
Now that people from Zhisheng Cliffs had come, he must have wanted to prove himself.
Coldness filled the air, and frost covered the battle platform. Frost formed in the air, as if it was going to completely freeze everything, causing the air to freeze under that will.
In the next moment, the sword was unsheathed. A cold sword was born, and it appeared before Qin Zhong at extreme speed.
Qin Zhong watched all of this calmly. His body was also covered in frost. When the sword slashed towards him, he still stood there steadily. He did not make any unnecessary movements. The sword was about to pass through him.
However, at that moment, Qin Zhong extended his finger. His movements were almost impossible to see. He casually tapped the air with his hand, and a crisp clang was heard. Ximen Hanjiang's sword was deflected, and his body moved in the same direction.
Ximen Hanjiang's sword had the speed of lightning, and he lashed out in an instant. However, Qin Zhong was even faster than him. He moved forward like a shadow, and his finger landed on Ximen Hanjiang's shoulder.
Ximen Hanjiang's hand loosened involuntarily. The sword fell downwards, and his body was also repelled.
The falling sword dissipated into Spiritual Qi. Ximen Hanjiang stood there, his arm trembling slightly, and his face pale.
"He lost?"
Everyone looked at the scene before them and found it hard to accept.
Qin Zhong was the number one noble of Zhisheng Cliffs. They had thought of losing, and it was not that they could not accept losing, but they still found it hard to accept such a defeat.
Ximen Hanjiang, who was number one on the Law Rank, did not even have the chance to show his power. His opponent had just casually attacked with two fingers, and the sword had fallen. How humiliating was that?
Many looked at Ximen Hanjiang, and they saw him standing in the air, feeling cold all over. The proud son of the heavens, number one on the Law Rank?
Everything seemed so ironic at that moment, and it was like a joke.
He had thought of losing, but he had never thought that he would lose like this. He had lost without knowing why, and his opponent had not even bothered to fight him. He did not even know how he had lost.
Was there a more humiliating way to lose than that?
Liu Chan looked at the scene, and his heart trembled slightly. Was this the Son of a sacred ground of Yu State? The difference between Ximen Hanjiang and his opponent was too great, and he could not even withstand a single blow.
Of course, with his plane, he could naturally see that his opponent was half a sage. Ximen Hanjiang's loss was actually not too much of a shame. In the period before Hua Fan became a sage, he might have had the ability to fight against his opponent. At the very least, he would not have lost so badly.
However, if the disciples of the Holy Zhi Palace knew that there was always someone stronger, they would probably understand the pressure the Holy Zhi Palace was under.
"If you really are the number one noble in the Holy Zhi Palace, then I am indeed a little disappointed in the sacred ground of the Barren State," Qin Zhong said softly. Ximen Hanjiang's face was pale, and many looked at him with pity. The number one on the Law Rank was indeed pitiful.
In the Holy Zhi Palace, there had never been a first on the Law Rank like Ximen Hanjiang.
However, judging from Qin Zhong's tone, he did not seem to be deliberately trying to humiliate Ximen Hanjiang. Rather, he had never thought about it at all. It was obvious that Qin Zhong did not take the Holy Zhi Palace seriously at all, which was why he was so calm.
However, this made the disciples of the Holy Zhi Palace feel even more ashamed. Ximen Hanjiang's loss was also their loss. After all, Ximen Hanjiang was number one on the Law Rank.
At that moment, many could not help but think of the person who had been expelled from the Holy Zhi Palace.
If he had been here, would he have been able to fight Qin Zhong?
Perhaps he would have lost. After all, his plane was lower, but at least he would not have lost in such a humiliating way as Ximen Hanjiang had. Moreover, if Ye Futian had reached the pinnacle of the Noble Plane, who would dare say that the Son of Zhisheng Cliffs would have been able to suppress him?
Ye Wuchen, Phoenix, Yun Shuisheng, and the others were all present that day. They did not say anything and simply watched everything unfold in silence. They turned their eyes to Liu Chan and the great figures of the Holy Zhi Palace. It was unknown if they would have recalled that there were two geniuses in the Holy Zhi Palace several months ago, the ones who ranked first on the Law Rank.
Qin Zhong walked back to Liu Chan and asked, "Can the disciples of the Holy Zhi Palace represent the strongest in the Barren State?"
Liu Chan pondered for a moment. While he had hoped to let the disciples see the geniuses of the outside world, such a crushing defeat was beyond his expectations. Qin Zhong's question made him feel even more awkward.
If Ye Futian, Yu Sheng, and the others were still in the Holy Zhi Palace, he would have said yes without hesitation.
After all, Ye Futian had defeated Di Gang, the number one in the Western Region, Ximen Hanjiang, the number one on the Law Rank, and Huang Jiuge, the number one of the Sovereign Family in Zhongzhou City, as a Grade Three Noble. Such talent was undoubtedly the best in the Barren State, and Yu Sheng was not far behind. However, now that the two of them had been expelled, the Holy Zhi Palace could no longer maintain such a reputation.
The disciples looked at Liu Chan, who remained silent. They knew that the battle had put the Palace Lord in a difficult position.
"There are no boundaries to cultivation. It does not mean that those who cultivate in the Holy Zhi Palace are the most outstanding. The Barren State is huge, and there are many top-notch geniuses. I naturally would not dare to say that the Holy Zhi Palace is the best. Of course, if we were to look at the whole, that is indeed the case," Liu Chan replied with some finesse.
Qin Zhong nodded slightly and said nothing more. At that moment, another group of people came from afar, with people from the Holy Zhi Palace leading the way.
"Brother Qin, you're here." The people who came were Zhan Xiao and the others. They took to the air and looked at Kong Yao, who was beside Qin Zhong, and smiled. Since Kong Yao was here, it meant that the matter was settled.
He knew that with his position, he would not be able to get someone like Kong Yao to come out, which was why he invited Qin Zhong.
"Brother Zhan." Qin Zhong nodded.
"Uncle Kong." Zhan Xiao bowed slightly to Kong Yao, who nodded lightly.
"Junior Zhan Xiao greets the elders of the Holy Zhi Palace." Zhan Xiao nodded and bowed to Liu Chan and the others, but he was not as respectful as he was to Kong Yao. Liu Chan and the people from the Holy Zhi Palace saw that. The Son of Zhisheng Cliffs seemed to have a sense of superiority in the sacred grounds of the Barren State. It was probably him who came to the Zhuge family several months ago to take Gu Dongliu away.
"Brother Zhan, the Holy Zhi Palace is a sacred place in the Barren State, and we, Zhisheng Cliffs, are of the same lineage as Emperor Xia. Since this is a matter of the Barren State, we should ask Palace Lord Liu of the Holy Zhi Palace to step in. Things might be much simpler." Qin Zhong looked at Zhan Xiao and said, "Brother, why don't you tell Palace Lord Liu about it?"
"Alright." Zhan Xiao nodded and looked at Liu Chan. "Senior, is this a convenient place?"
"Let's talk as we walk," Liu Chan said, then turned to the disciples of the Holy Zhi Palace and said, "Carry on."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
