Chapter 1258: I Await Your Instruction

Even ordinary people, if they spin too much, can't bear it, leading to nausea and vomiting.

This Third Young Master Xue, to execute the Golden Silk Slash, spun many times, and fast... Would he, like ordinary people, find it unbearable?

"Of course not..."

The first pseudo-out-of-body cultivator shook his head with slight exasperation: "If I'm not mistaken, this Zhang Xuan used the ability of a Startling Swan Master, and Xue Ning, caught off guard, couldn't resist."

Not to mention that having reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, he no longer has the reactions of ordinary people; even if he did... being able to execute this move means he must have undergone rigorous training. Otherwise, if he himself vomited while others were fine... what's the point of fighting?

"Startling Swan Master? His gestures just now were indeed strange, but... without wearing fine clothes or exaggerated movements, he could make Xue Ning fall for it?"

The second pseudo-out-of-body cultivator found it hard to believe.

Xue Ning's strength, though not the peak among them, was certainly near the top. A man like that, with unwavering will and cultivation, how could he be ensnared by a man not wearing attractive clothes or using graceful body language?

Aren't Startling Swan Masters supposed to be beautiful women who enchant people?

Could it be that Xue Ning... prefers men?

"A powerful Startling Swan Master can infuse every move with natural grace, making people fall into a trance... Under normal circumstances, it would indeed be difficult to attack Xue Ning with such means. But after defending for so long without success, he grew impatient, revealing a flaw... and was caught."

Seeing the other's expression, the first pseudo-out-of-body cultivator said helplessly.

Though their strength was comparable, he knew more about the Startling Swan Master profession, while the other excelled in other areas.

"Passive defense, consuming power, causing a shift in mindset, waiting for the right moment to strike... No wonder Hall Master Yue said this Zhang Xuan is the strongest among us. He's indeed not simple!"

After hearing the explanation, the second pseudo-out-of-body cultivator looked again at the young man cheerfully pocketing the spirit stones, his expression grave.

Initially, like everyone else, he thought the man relied on luck to defeat Liu Chongxin and Master Yun and others. Now he understood—how could someone selected by Zhao Xingmo be simple?

"I'm interested in such a strong opponent. Brother Sun, let me try first. If I fail, you go."

The second pseudo-out-of-body cultivator nodded.

Under normal circumstances, although Tianchen Drunk drove people mad, given their strength, they could still control themselves and didn't need to rush to compete. But... this Zhang Xuan was so peculiar that he piqued their interest.

"Our strength is similar. If you can't do it, I certainly can't. No need to embarrass ourselves further..."

The first pseudo-out-of-body cultivator shook his head and warned: "When you fight, don't use weapons, and seal your primordial spirit to guard against his Startling Swan Dance..."

"Mm!"

The second nodded, stood up, and cupped his hands: "Master Zhang, I am Ma Minghai, a master from the Qianchong Empire. I request your instruction!"

"From the Qianchong Empire?"

Putting away the spirit stones, Zhang Xuan was just marveling at Hall Master Yue's generosity—giving him a cup of wine that earned him so much—when he heard the call and looked over.

"Indeed! Dare you accept the challenge?" Ma Minghai smiled lightly.

"I dare not."

Zhang Xuan sat down.

"..." Ma Minghai staggered.

This conversation... why wasn't it following the script?

If you dare not... could you not say it so matter-of-factly?

"I am also willing to offer fifteen top-grade essence spirit stones as a wager!"

Full of frustration, he gritted his teeth.

"I've expended too much just now; I have no strength left to fight."

"Twenty, I have no more..."

Clenching his fists, Ma Minghai didn't finish his sentence before he saw the young man had somehow appeared in the center of the hall, flicking his sleeves with an air of a master: "Why didn't you say so earlier? I've recovered; let's begin!"

"..."

Ma Minghai felt suffocated.

He had seen shameless people, but never one so shameless!

Clearly wanting him to wager spirit stones, he claimed he had no strength... Could he have some integrity?

Full of frustration, he was about to speak when a voice transmission reached his ear.

"Don't let him affect you. He's deliberately angering you to unsettle your mind."

It was the 'Brother Sun' from earlier.

"Mm!"

His eyes sharpened, Ma Minghai nodded.

He had indeed become a bit agitated from being angered. It seemed the battle had already begun before the fight started.

Taking a deep breath to calm his mind, he flicked his wrist, produced twenty top-grade essence spirit stones, flicked them onto the other's table, and leaped to the center of the hall, extending his arm.

"Please!"

He had already recovered from his earlier anger.

"Please!"

Zhang Xuan nodded.

Boom!

Without further ado, Ma Minghai suppressed his cultivation level, and his internal qi exploded with a thunderous roar as he charged straight forward.

His movements differed from the previous ones—less flashy, more violent and fierce, impossible to ignore.

"Not bad!"

Zhang Xuan silently praised.

Truly a genius, not to be underestimated.

Having fought several rounds without using his full strength, the opponent must have noticed something and abandoned flashy moves for the most brutal force.

This way, even if Zhang Xuan wanted to use other methods, he would be suppressed.

Drawing a circle with his palm, his qi boiled, and a river seemed to appear between them.

He didn't use Air Freeze but employed his own qi.

Though he used less than a tenth of his power, it was still beyond ordinary people's ability to handle.

The qi surged, like a silver ribbon appearing in the hall, dazzling and hard to discern.

"This..." Liu Chongxin, now awake, swallowed hard, his throat dry.

Earlier, he had thought the other won by sheer luck and was unconvinced. Now he realized that if the man had wanted to attack earlier, he couldn't have withstood even this single move.

"Well done!"

With an excited roar, Ma Minghai rubbed his hands together, formed a sword with his fingers, and pointed forward.

Sizzle!

A sword light shot out, tearing the qi river in two in an instant.

"Such strong sword intent!"

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

Among the many experts he had fought, he had never seen such pure sword intent; it could match a fifth of his own!

Truly a master from the Qianchong Empire; his moves were extraordinary from the start.

Raising his index and middle fingers, he gently pinched the sword light, then twisted his fingers and shot it back.

"Pinching such fierce sword light?"

The 'Brother Sun' from earlier narrowed his eyes.

The move seemed effortless, but although Ma Minghai's sword light had weakened after piercing the qi river, it was still not something ordinary people could pinch. It required exceptional eyesight, strength, and even swordsmanship.

Even he couldn't do it.

Was this Zhang Xuan... really a wolf in sheep's clothing, appearing ordinary but actually a top-tier expert?

"Impressive. See if you can take this move..."

Seeing his sword light caught and even returned, Ma Minghai wasn't afraid but excited, his eyes gleaming. He roared again, and sword light spread, surrounding him with countless swords—hundreds of them, dense and blotting out the sky.

These were all formed from sword light, not real, but if they struck the body, they could pierce skin and cause severe injury.

"It's the Thousand Blade Sword Sea!"

"Without using a sword, he can condense so much sword intent. How strong would he be with a weapon?"

"Sword light crisscrossing, intimidating all directions. I definitely couldn't block it..."

...

All the talents present looked solemn.

The Qianchong Empire had a Sword Pool, so the experts it produced had a special understanding of swords.

Among the many sword techniques passed down from the Sword Pool, one of the most powerful was the Thousand Blade Sword Sea. Once executed, sword light filled the air, making defense impossible.

Like the others, Zhang Xuan was also astonished.

In the blink of an eye, he unleashed so much sword light—truly powerful. Though far inferior to himself, compared to Zheng Yang, Wang Ying, Liu Yang... well, at the same level, Sun Qiang certainly couldn't defeat him!

Smiling lightly, instead of dodging, he suddenly opened his mouth and inhaled sharply.

Whoosh!

The flying sword light immediately converged and streamed straight into his mouth.

"Crunch, crunch!"

In an instant, the sword light was swallowed into his stomach.

"This..."

Everyone around turned pale with fright.

With so much sword light, they would dodge if they could, but this guy actually opened his mouth and swallowed it...

"Returning it to you!"

Before their shock subsided, Zhang Xuan, having swallowed the sword light, let out a low shout. The countless sword lights formed a short sword entirely of qi in his belly, and with his shout, it shot straight at Ma Minghai.

The short sword grew as it flew, becoming over ten feet long. Before it arrived, it tore the air, as if to crush everything.

"Ah..."

Not expecting this move, Ma Minghai turned pale. In an instant, his power surged uncontrollably.

Bang!

He retreated over a dozen steps, his sleeves shredded into strips by the sword wind.

Only after returning to the pseudo-out-of-body realm did he block the attack. Even so, his body ached as if torn apart, and his clothes were tattered, leaving him utterly embarrassed.

"You are very strong..."

Taking a deep breath, he was about to suppress his cultivation again and unleash his ultimate move when a voice rang out: "Enough. You are no match for Master Zhang."

Turning his head, he saw Hall Master Yue waving his hand from the side.

"Yes!"

Exhaling, though unwilling, he knew the hall master was right. At the same level, he probably couldn't defeat this young man.

"Master Zhang's strength is evident to all. Alright, let's end the competition here..."

Waving his hand, Yue Yiquan was full of frustration.

He had originally thought to use the crowd to teach this guy a lesson, but never dreamed that not only did it fail, but it also let him steal the spotlight...

"End it here? After bullying me, you think it's over? There's no such cheap deal!"

Raising his eyelids, Zhang Xuan interrupted him, his voice growing louder, causing the entire hall to buzz.

"Zhang Xuan of the Qingyuan Empire wishes to challenge Hall Master Yue of the Qianchong Empire. I await your instruction!"