Chapter 435: Night Rain Moistens All Things, Crossing the River Gate

"Something's off—this guy has some skill!" Luo Qianhong's face turned grave.

Outsiders watch the excitement, insiders watch the craft.

Bai Chen was hopping around here, spitting blood on cue like a watering can. To others, it looked like dancing, but he saw it was no simple matter.

Clearly, the young man's nearly lifted foot posed a great threat to his old friend, so much so that he would rather suffer backlash and injury than retreat and avoid it.

In other words... this guy had seen the flaw in Bai Chen's moves and figured out a counter in advance, which was why he was so relaxed and casual, making Bai Chen, also a renowned teacher, look so pathetic.

"Could it be... he knew Master Bai would make a move and studied his martial techniques and cultivation methods beforehand?"

Ding Mu also saw it and couldn't help saying.

"Studied beforehand? Impossible! The techniques and methods each person cultivates are never revealed except to close kin, and even then, they hold back to avoid letting opponents know and exploit them."

Luo Qianhong shook his head as he spoke: "I know Bai Chen practices the Great Prajna Hand, but he's never displayed the Clear Wind Chain Fist or the Departing Sorrow Blade before others. Even I'm not entirely clear about them. How could an outsider have investigated in advance?"

"Then..." Ding Mu's face turned pale.

He thought of the various legends about this young renowned teacher.

He hadn't taken them seriously before, thinking the other party just had a good teacher and rode on his master's coattails. Now it seemed it might not be that simple.

"It's highly possible he has seen or practiced these techniques and knows their flaws..."

After explaining, Luo Qianhong couldn't help turning his head to stare at the crown prince before him: "Is there something you're hiding from me, not telling me in detail? Is this person really just an ordinary two-star initial-phase renowned teacher?"

When this guy came to him, he said he had offended an ordinary renowned teacher from a first-rank kingdom.

Just a two-star renowned teacher from a subordinate kingdom—he didn't pay much attention and didn't investigate thoroughly.

Who knew that a moment of negligence would lead to such a problem?

Earlier, standing on the beast and shouting loudly, he thought it was a reckless guy who knew nothing. Even if he had some talent, limited by age, he wasn't worth worrying about. Now it seemed... that wasn't the case at all.

Could an ordinary two-star initial-phase renowned teacher have cultivated so many techniques and know their flaws?

It must be that Ding Mu was vague and unclear, leading him to misjudge!

"He..."

Pressed face-to-face, Ding Mu clenched his fist: "I don't know much about him either. I only know... he passed the two-star renowned teacher exam less than ten days ago."

"Less than ten days?"

Luo Qianhong frowned.

Logically, if he was a newly successful two-star renowned teacher, he shouldn't be this formidable, right?

Bang!

Full of doubt and still not understanding, he heard a sound of fist hitting flesh. He quickly turned to see Bai Chen, unable to dodge any longer, kicked in the face, flying forty or fifty meters, his head stuck in a low wall, already unconscious.

Forced to jump around by Zhang Xuan, suffering backlash from his own power, he couldn't bear it anymore and risked mutual destruction, but the result was that he was 'destroyed' while the other was fine.

"Master Bai was kicked flying?"

"Is he really that strong?"

"Wasn't the crown prince said to be the top talent? He... under twenty, defeated Master Bai—doesn't that make him even more formidable?"

Earlier, the 'dancing' left everyone baffled. Now that Bai Chen was kicked unconscious, even the foolish knew that this 'reckless' young man's strength surpassed that of the three-star initial-phase Master Bai.

They looked at each other, dumbfounded.

Clatter!

As the crowd was astonished, the surrounding soldiers, seeing the young man advancing closer to their crown prince, rushed over in unison and blocked his way.

"Hold on!"

Seeing Ding Mu about to order the guards to act, Luo Qianhong waved his hand grandly.

"Hall Master Luo..." Ding Mu looked over, thinking he might change his mind.

"I'll try to persuade him. It's best to resolve this peacefully."

Though he blamed this guy for not telling the truth, Luo Qianhong owed a debt of gratitude to the kingdom and had to repay it. Moreover, since things had come to this, even if he wanted to avoid it, it was too late. He had to grit his teeth and see it through.

"Then I'll leave it to Hall Master Luo!"

Ding Mu nodded.

"Mm, continue the ceremony and speed it up. Once you become king and hold the jade seal, it will be simpler. I'll also have a better reason to speak for you."

Luo Qianhong said.

"Yes!"

Ding Mu quickly nodded and hurried toward the throne in the center.

Seeing him go to receive the crown and undergo the final coronation, Luo Qianhong breathed a sigh of relief. He turned and walked toward Zhang Xuan, looking at the soldiers who had drawn their weapons and were ready to strike at any moment: "All of you, get out of the way!"

"Hall Master Luo!"

Knowing his identity, the soldiers made a path and bowed.

"You must be Master Zhang Xuan. I am Luo Qianhong, Hall Master of the Xuanyuan Master Teacher Hall."

Stepping forward, Luo Qianhong clasped his fists: "I don't know what grievance you have with Ding Mu, but since enmity should be resolved rather than kept, and since we are all master teachers, I'll act as a mediator here. Let this matter rest. Whatever compensation you ask, I'll have him prepare it."

"I said, once I take Ding Mu's life, I'll leave."

Zhang Xuan's tone was calm.

No matter how precious the compensation, how could it compare to the life of his student?

"Ding Mu is the crown prince and will soon ascend to become King of Xuanyuan Kingdom. If he is killed, it will cause national turmoil and suffering among the people. Any master teacher hall would stop this, and your master teacher status might even be implicated..."

Frowning, Luo Qianhong couldn't help saying.

"Move aside!"

Seeing Ding Mu speeding up the coronation and this guy clearly stalling for time, Zhang Xuan's face darkened.

"I'm only sparing you because I see you're young and talented. Don't be ungrateful!"

Luo Qianhong snorted.

If you don't appreciate the face given, even if you're a genius, do you really think I, a three-star peak renowned teacher and half-step Mortal Transcender, am afraid of you?

"If you don't move aside, then lie down like that guy!"

Seeing him still dawdling, Zhang Xuan raised his brows and, without another word, suddenly flickered.

Whoosh!

He vanished from his spot, darting dozens of meters to appear before the other.

Heavenly Movement Technique.

He hadn't used Heavenly techniques in the fight with Bai Chen, waiting for this moment. Otherwise, if his trump card was discovered, the opponent might prepare in advance, and it would lose its effect.

With his cultivation reaching the Sovereign realm, his Heavenly true qi became purer and denser, and the speed and effect of the Heavenly Movement Technique also increased greatly.

Even though Luo Qianhong was a half-step Mortal Transcender, he didn't expect such speed. By the time he reacted, the person was already before him.

"You..."

His pupils constricted, Luo Qianhong hurriedly retreated.

Before he could retreat half a step, he saw a fist, growing from small to large, appear in his vision.

Heavenly Fist!

The speed of this fist was no slower than the movement technique, perhaps even faster, likely exceeding the speed of sound. Knowing he couldn't dodge, Luo Qianhong boiled his true qi, filled his hands, crossed his arms, and met it.

Boom!

Fist and palm collided. Feeling his palms go numb and his face turn pale, Luo Qianhong retreated seven or eight steps before stabilizing himself.

To dissipate the other's violent force, each step sank his foot three inches into the ground. Under the impact of the energy, the hard rock shattered into powder.

"What a formidable fist technique!"

Sharp pain came, and Luo Qianhong's arms trembled slightly.

From the clash, he also saw that although the other's strength was strong, compared to his half-step Mortal Transcender level, it was still lacking. What was terrifying was this fist technique!

It conformed to the Great Dao, arriving before him in the blink of an eye, and... there was no flaw to be found, no weakness at all!

Even he, a three-star peak renowned teacher, suffered a hidden loss in haste.

Taking a deep breath to suppress his somewhat chaotic true qi, he flipped his palms and stepped forward.

Forced back by one move, he had lost face. This time, he wouldn't let the other act first; he would seize the initiative.

Rumble!

The true qi of a half-step Mortal Transcender surged out, forming something like a river around him, and the surrounding air seemed to become viscous.

Martial artists cultivate themselves, able to unleash the absolute power of their physical bodies and true qi, reaching their peak and limit.

But the cultivation method of Mortal Transcender experts is completely different.

True Mortal Transcender experts can borrow from the environment, mobilize the surrounding yuan qi for their own use, thereby unleashing combat power several times beyond their own.

In Zhang Xuan's previous life terms, martial artists use fists and muscles, while Mortal Transcenders are like using machines, leveraging external forces.

Incomparable.

How can bare fists fight tanks and cannons?

Half-step Mortal Transcender, though not yet possessing the ability to borrow from nature and environment, has stepped onto the threshold. The power they can mobilize far exceeds the forty thousand cauldrons of a Sovereign peak!

Even compared to Zhang Xuan's fifty thousand cauldrons, it's insignificant.

With his true qi spreading out, unleashing his full half-step Mortal Transcender strength and controlling the surroundings, Luo Qianhong finally breathed a sigh of relief. With a light snort, he turned his palm and struck down at Zhang Xuan.

Ghost-level peak technique, Sleeve-Brushing Hand!

Warm breeze brushes willows, turning sleeves; night rain moistens all things, crossing the river gate!

This palm was light and seemingly weightless, yet it condensed the surrounding yuan qi into an iron block. Not only rock, but even steel and ghost-level weapons could be easily pierced.

A half-step Mortal Transcender combined with a ghost-level peak technique was full of power. Not even a Sovereign peak, let alone a same-level expert, could withstand it.

As soon as he struck, Luo Qianhong used his best skill.

Swish!

The palm arrived before the young man at a fearsome speed. Just as it was about to land, the other party, instead of dodging or fleeing, flickered and charged straight at it.

"Oh no!"

The Sleeve-Brushing Hand, with its subtle breeze and ethereal moves, was hard to defend against... but it also had a flaw, which was the 'river gate' in the formula.

And this guy was now standing right at his 'river gate'!

In one move, he saw the flaw and found the spot, with perfect accuracy.

This... how is it possible!

At this moment...

Luo Qianhong was horrified beyond belief.