Chapter 66: A Stunning Battle (Part 2)

All the guests had arrived, and it was time for the banquet to begin. Qin Wuyou returned to his seat, picked up his wine cup, and announced loudly, "Today, for my new appointment, it is truly my great fortune that all distinguished guests have taken time from their busy schedules to attend. As I am new to New Moon City and know very little about it, I will need your generous guidance and assistance in the future. This cup of wine, I offer first to all of you!"

After speaking, Qin Wuyou raised his cup and drained it.

The guests also raised their cups one after another, and various congratulatory remarks followed:

"Haha, Master Qin is too modest. If there's ever anything the Azure Dragon Gang can help with in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

"I heard Master Qin is from the Imperial City's Azure Wind Profound Palace. How inspiring! With Master Qin's new appointment, I believe the New Moon Profound Palace will surely prosper step by step."

"Master Qin's profound strength is unfathomable; he must have reached Earth Profound Realm Level 5 or higher. We are truly filled with admiration and shame."

The atmosphere immediately became lively. Those flattering were naturally from the small and medium sects, as well as the City Lord's faction. The Seven Great Sects maintained a reserved demeanor, only occasionally offering polite remarks.

As the disciples of the Seven Great Sects continuously raised their cups, their gazes subtly shifted towards the New Moon Profound Palace's disciple seating, clearly selecting opponents for the upcoming challenge. The New Moon Profound Palace disciples also had serious expressions, yet their morale showed no weakness. However, after the elders repeatedly assessed the average strength of the Seven Great Sects' disciples, they all sighed deeply in their hearts... Although each sect didn't bring many disciples, they were clearly hand-picked, each possessing astonishing talent, far surpassing the elite disciples of the palace in the same age group. They had initially believed that the New Moon Profound Palace had narrowed the gap with them through years of development, but now it seemed they had been overly optimistic.

Although Lan Xueruo had appeared in the New Moon Profound Palace, she alone could not possibly change the situation. It seemed that this time, they could only repeat the mistakes of five years ago. Alas, there was nothing they could do. The profound palace's heritage and resources simply couldn't compare to those of the great sects, which had been passed down for at least several hundred years.

"The atmosphere is quite subtle; it seems I'll have a good show to watch later," Jasmine said.

"What do you think will be the general outcome if these elite disciples of the New Moon Profound Palace spar with those from the Seven Great Sects?" Yun Che cautiously asked.

"At the same age level, the disciples of these seven sects are on average two to three levels higher than those of the New Moon Profound Palace. Does this princess even need to state the outcome?" Jasmine said indifferently.

"...That exaggerated?" Yun Che slightly furrowed his brow. A difference of half a level might still allow for a fight, but an average difference of one level basically meant no chance. Two to three levels higher... If that were true, it would be a complete pipe dream for the New Moon Profound Palace to avoid repeating past failures. It seemed this newly appointed palace master would also receive a harsh lesson. It remained to be seen how he would handle it.

"Hmph, when it comes to the Burning Heaven Clan and the Xiao Sect alone, they're on average four to five levels higher!" Jasmine added.

"...I want to know, how many levels higher are you than them?" Yun Che slowly asked.

"Compared to them? Are you insulting this princess?" Jasmine's voice subtly carried anger.

"Cough, cough, I didn't mean that at all, just asking casually."

A super monster loli who could instantly kill a Profound King Dragon at thirteen! What sect genius, what the New Moon's top young talent? In front of her, they were barely worth a pile of dung. Yun Che also felt that comparing Jasmine to them was indeed an insult to her...

Qin Wuyou clearly had a knack for managing large gatherings. After three rounds of drinks, the banquet atmosphere was exceptionally lively, filled with continuous laughter and joyous chatter. Although Yun Che didn't drink, he thoroughly enjoyed the food and drinks. Only between the Profound Palace and sect disciples, after a long period of eye contact, did the atmosphere become increasingly tense, ready to ignite with the slightest spark.

At this moment, Xuan Ao, the chief elder of the Profound Heart Sect, stood up with his wine cup and loudly declared, "This cup of wine, I, on behalf of the Profound Heart Sect, wish Master Qin to swiftly lead the New Moon Profound Palace to renown across the lands." After speaking, Xuan Ao drained his cup and turned it upside down, then continued, "However, with the banquet at this point, and so many distinguished guests present, it feels like something is missing, not lively or enjoyable enough. Master Qin has just taken office and probably doesn't fully understand the New Moon Profound Palace yet. He must also wish to know the strength levels of the disciples here. Therefore, I have a suggestion: why don't we have the disciples from our various sects spar with the disciples of your palace of similar age? This would not only liven things up and deepen our mutual friendship but also help Master Qin understand the strength of his disciples. Wouldn't that be hitting three birds with one stone?"

"Good! Elder Xuan's suggestion is excellent!"

"What a brilliant 'three birds with one stone'!"

"That's a great idea! What are we waiting for? Let's start now. I'm sure Master Qin won't refuse."

As soon as Xuan Ao's voice fell, the Seven Great Sects immediately cheered in agreement, with constant responses. Meanwhile, the elders of the New Moon Profound Palace all sighed in their hearts... What was bound to happen, would happen. The New Moon Profound Palace changed palace masters every five years, and each new master was almost invariably given a 'welcome challenge' by them. This had practically become a rule.

With all Seven Great Sects in agreement, and their disciples already standing up, eager for action, Qin Wuyou naturally couldn't refuse. But he appeared very calm, standing up and smiling, nodding, "Elder Xuan's suggestion is good. So, how should we conduct these spars?"

"That's simple!" Xuan Ao laughed heartily and said, "The younger generation is different from us; they're all at the starting stage. So, 'a year of age, a step to heaven,' when sparring, it should naturally be between those of similar age to be fair. Of course, younger ones can also challenge older ones; it's more glorious to win that way, hahahaha."

Xuan Ao's last remark, coupled with that hearty laugh, clearly implied that even their younger disciples could defeat the New Moon Profound Palace's older ones.

"Since I proposed it, let our Profound Heart Sect go first... Xuan Yu, you're up! Remember to state your age."

"Yes, Elder!"

The Profound Heart Sect youth whose name was called appeared sixteen or seventeen, the youngest among the disciples who came this time from the Profound Heart Sect. He was slightly thin and wore a tight-fitting combat suit. He took a breath, leaped high from his seat, landed in the center of the hall, hands clasped behind his back, and his challenging gaze swept towards the New Moon Profound Palace's disciple seating: "I am Xuan Yu, an unworthy disciple of the Profound Heart Sect, sixteen years old. May I ask who from your esteemed palace will grant me guidance?"

As soon as Xuan Yu appeared, the elders of the New Moon Profound Palace all fell silent... This Xuan Yu was indeed only sixteen, yet he was already at the second level of the Spirit Profound Realm! And these elders knew their own situation well; among the sixteen-year-olds in the New Moon Profound Palace, the strongest in profound strength was only at the first level of the Spirit Profound Realm. Furthermore, these sect disciples all possessed sect profound arts. In a same-level fight, the Profound Palace disciples would basically have no chance of winning, let alone when they were a level lower.

The most unacceptable thing was that this Xuan Yu, among the disciples brought by the seven sects, could only be considered mid-tier, definitely not upper-tier.

Xuan Yu stood there for a while, but there was no movement from the New Moon Profound Palace for a long time. The smile on Xuan Yu's face had clearly turned into a sneer, and the Seven Great Sects also showed expressions of disdain. If the silence continued, the New Moon Profound Palace would be utterly humiliated even before the "spar" began. Sikong Han waved his hand back, "Li Hao, you're up!"

"Yes!"

The Profound Palace disciple called Li Hao leaped from the disciple seating, stood before Xuan Yu, and said formally, "Li Hao of New Moon Profound Palace Class 1, please guide me!"

"Hehe, no need to say it, I'll guide you well," Xuan Yu chuckled, whispering in a clearly mocking tone. Facing the New Moon Profound Palace, which they had always suppressed, the disciples of the Seven Great Sects consistently felt a strong sense of superiority. Conversely, while the New Moon Profound Palace disciples could still show off in front of mid-tier sects, they had always been unable to hold their heads high in front of the Seven Great Sects.

"Hmph!" Xuan Yu's disdainful gaze ignited anger in Li Hao's heart. With a low roar, he concentrated profound energy in his right arm and threw a punch that generated a piercing wind, aiming for Xuan Yu's face.

"Hehe, is that all you've got?"

Xuan Yu sneered inwardly. He raised his right hand, and suddenly a layer of light purple glow appeared on his palm.

"It's the Profound Heart Sect's profound art — Purple Sun Art!" an elder of the New Moon Profound Palace roared in a low voice.

The gap between the New Moon Profound Palace and the Seven Great Sects was not only in profound strength levels but also in profound arts! Large sects, with hundreds or even thousands of years of heritage, possessed mature inherited profound arts. These profound arts were typically secrets of a sect or clan, never passed on to outsiders. For the New Moon Profound Palace to teach its disciples profound arts, they would have to create their own. Moreover, even in terms of profound skills, the New Moon Profound Palace mostly relied on basic, low-level profound skills, greatly inferior to the Seven Great Sects.

The purple energy on Xuan Yu's palm boiled like scalding water. He transformed his palm into a fist and directly struck Li Hao's incoming punch... It was also a simple, unadorned punch, without any profound skills.

When the two fists collided, a purple light erupted at the impact point. With a crisp 'crack,' Li Hao's fist was directly dislocated, and his face twisted in pain. His entire upper body reeled backward. A sinister smile played on Xuan Yu's lips as he suddenly swung his left fist, which was also enveloped in purple light during the swing, fiercely striking Li Hao's abdomen. This time, it wasn't an ordinary punch, but a powerful profound skill of the Profound Heart Sect...

"Purple Cloud Palm!"

"Bang!" The purple-glowing fist heavily struck Li Hao's abdomen, sinking deeply in. Li Hao's face instantly turned incredibly pale. With a muffled groan, he flew backward, tumbling several times in mid-air before crashing heavily onto the ground. His chest and abdomen churned with surging blood and qi, and finally, with a "poof," he spat out a jet of blood. He lay on the ground, clutching his stomach, convulsing, utterly unable to stand.

"Li Hao!"

"Junior Brother Li!!"

Two New Moon Profound Palace disciples quickly rushed out and helped the defeated and disheveled Li Hao away. All the New Moon Profound Palace disciples felt a tremor in their hearts. Li Hao and Xuan Yu were similar in age, with only a one-level difference in profound strength. They had thought that even if Li Hao couldn't win, he could at least hold out for a long time. They never expected Li Hao to be utterly defeated in just two exchanges.

They had heard that five years ago, the disciples of the Seven Sects had inflicted a ten-match losing streak on their senior brothers and sisters of that generation, a truly miserable defeat, and they had felt quite indignant about it. But with this first "spar" concluded, they felt a chill run down their spines.

"Thank you for the concession," Xuan Yu said with a smile. The previous fight had barely cost him any energy. He didn't leave the stage but stood his ground, looking at the New Moon Profound Palace disciples and saying, "Which friend from the New Moon Profound Palace would like to offer guidance next?"

"Tch, this kid seems to be addicted to showing off," a disciple from the Seven Star Sword Pavilion scoffed with a laugh.

"Sigh, bullying these rookies isn't very interesting. Let's just treat it as entertainment," another person said, pouting.

Defeating an opponent in two exchanges, and with such brutal force, made the sixteen-year-old disciples of the New Moon Profound Palace uneasy. None dared to step forward voluntarily. Because Li Hao was essentially the strongest among the sixteen-year-olds in the New Moon Profound Palace, any other sixteen-year-old stepping up would only invite further humiliation and be pointless. And if seventeen or eighteen-year-olds went up, winning wouldn't be glorious, and losing would mean even greater loss of face.

"Hmm? What's going on? Are all the friends from the New Moon Profound Palace a bunch of timid turtles?" Xuan Yu scoffed with a grin, then his expression changed, and he lightly slapped himself on the mouth: "Look at my mouth, it's getting worse at talking. This is a magnificent Profound Palace established by the imperial family; its disciples should all be of the highest caliber. How could they be timid turtles? Does that mean you disdain to spar with little ol' me? How about this then? I'll boldly pick someone to challenge. If I win, it's naturally by fluke, and if I lose, I'll immediately roll off the stage and stop being a laughingstock for everyone."

The Seven Sects immediately burst into laughter.

Before the New Moon Profound Palace could react, Xuan Yu had already stretched out his hand and pointed at someone: "That big senior brother, from your appearance, you must possess immense strength. Please kindly guide me."

The person he pointed to... was none other than Xia Yuanba!