Chapter 1644

Wan Guiyi quickly smiled wryly. What could his father possibly have done to wrong him? His attention quickly returned to the arena.

Luo Dongjiang of Mount Luofu gazed sharply at the honest and simple-looking man opposite him. "Brother Wu," he said, "everyone says you are the strongest among the younger generation of Taoists. I'd like to see it for myself this time."

Wu Xiaofan shook his head slightly. "How could I possibly claim to be the strongest of the younger generation?" he replied. "Master Zu, from a few days ago, was stronger than me."

Luo Dongjiang's breath hitched. He thought, "Isn't that obvious? Even Elder Xu of our sect was defeated by him. Everyone compares him to the previous generation of elders; why would he be compared among the young?"

He took it as the other party deliberately trying to disparage him. Enraged, he stopped speaking. His long sword was drawn, and a dense earth element gathered around his feet, quickly forming an earth dragon that coiled around him. It even emitted a faint dragon's roar.

Mount Luofu was skilled in earth-element cultivation techniques, and this was their ultimate skill: the Earth Dragon Roar.

The earth dragon became increasingly violent, emitting a formidable pressure. Even the many disciples and spectators around the arena could feel the profound weight of the earth.

Many disciples exclaimed that because of Luo Dongjiang's previous embarrassing defeat against Zu An, everyone had somewhat underestimated this chief disciple of Mount Luofu.

Popular contenders like Wan Guiyi and Lou Wucheng intently watched Wu Xiaofan, to see how he intended to respond.

As Luo Dongjiang's aura grew stronger, Wu Xiaofan calmly watched him, showing no intention of interrupting.

Many disciples felt Wu Xiaofan was being overconfident. After all, his opponent was also a chief disciple; even if there was a gap, how significant could it be?

Allowing the opponent to build their momentum to its peak like this, they would surely suffer a disadvantage in the fight later.

"Earth Dragon Roar!" By this point, Luo Dongjiang had completed his charge. He spun rapidly, merging with the surrounding earth dragon. Carrying a heavy, destructive aura, he charged towards Wu Xiaofan. The barriers around the arena flickered continuously, indicating that the violent power within was causing them to activate rapidly.

"Earth element cultivation usually emphasizes defense over offense," someone remarked, "I never expected an offensive technique to be so overbearing."

"As expected of Mount Luofu's ultimate technique!"

Disciples from various sects gasped in astonishment. Chief disciples like Wan Guiyi began to ponder how they would counter such a powerful and weighty strike if they were in Luo Dongjiang's place.

"These chief disciples certainly have some skill..." Zhang Zijiang couldn't help but exclaim. However, seeing Zu An's calm expression, he quickly changed his tone. "Of course, they're still far inferior to Master Zu."

Not missing any opportunity to flatter was a fundamental quality of a qualified court official.

On the arena, Wu Xiaofan remained as steady as a mountain. Only when the violent earth element power was upon him did he raise his hand.

A faint purple aura emanated from his hand. He seemed to casually swat forward, but soon, a powerful surge of primal energy burst forth.

With a loud bang, the charging earth dragon suddenly paused. Then, a visible wave of force quickly spread throughout its body. Immediately after, the earth dragon's body began to crumble inch by inch, and finally, the once ferocious and powerful earth dragon completely turned into dust.

Luo Dongjiang, who was in the very center of the earth dragon tornado, performing his sword technique, was stunned. This move used the earth dragon tornado as an outer shell to conceal his true killing blow within.

But the outer earth dragon tornado had directly collapsed, and he immediately felt his qi and blood churning.

What made him even more uncomfortable was that the opponent's strike seemed to have torn off his outer garment, giving him the illusion of being naked and exposed to everyone.

How could this be!

Luo Dongjiang's face was filled with shock. He knew there was a gap between him and Wu Xiaofan, but he never expected it to be this great.

Earth Dragon Roar was already his strongest attack. He had originally thought that the opponent would either dodge or expend great effort to resist the earth dragon tornado. He would then find an opening during the opponent's energy circulation and catch them off guard.

But he never expected that the one caught off guard would be himself.

But now, with the arrow on the string, it had to be fired. Without the cover of the earth dragon tornado, he still unleashed his strongest sword technique.

Dazzling sword light bloomed on the arena, then instantly engulfed Wu Xiaofan.

However, in the next moment, all sword shadows dimmed. Wu Xiaofan was seen striking the sword with his palm, directly shattering Luo Dongjiang's sword momentum. He then closed in on him.

Luo Dongjiang was greatly alarmed. He wanted to retreat and dodge, but unfortunately, the force from the opponent's strike on his sword had disrupted his qi. In that brief moment of stagnation, Wu Xiaofan had already landed a palm strike on his chest.

"Pfft!" Luo Dongjiang spewed blood, and his entire body flew backward like a sandbag.

Wu Xiaofan did not pursue. Instead, he politely cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the match!"

Luo Dongjiang slowly got up from the arena, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and with a crestfallen expression, said, "Thank you, Brother Wu, for showing mercy."

Although he had just coughed up blood and looked dishevelled, he could feel that his opponent had not used his full strength. Otherwise, he might not even be able to stand.

He usually thought highly of himself. He never expected that he wouldn't even be worthy enough to make his opponent use full strength. Recalling his embarrassing defeat against Zu An a few days prior, he was instantly disheartened.

The disciples of Mount Luofu were also distraught. Their leading elder had suffered a crushing defeat against a young man earlier, and now their chief disciple had also been crushed by another chief disciple. Mount Luofu would not be able to hold its head high for at least ten years.

Wan Guiyi cursed under his breath. "That good-for-nothing Luo Dongjiang!" He had hoped Luo Dongjiang could force out some of Wu Xiaofan's trump cards, but he was defeated by just two of his opponent's palm strikes.

The other chief disciples also looked displeased. Everyone had hoped Luo Dongjiang would exhaust Wu Xiaofan, their biggest rival, more. Who knew it would be such a swift defeat?

"Master, this Wu Xiaofan is quite strong," Qiu Honglei whispered to Yun Jianyue.

"You're not weak either. You'd have an advantage against him compared to that Chu girl," Yun Jianyue replied.

Qiu Honglei rolled her eyes. "That's only an advantage if my charm spell works," she said. "But looking at how prim and proper he is, it's probably useless against him."

"You can know a person's face but not their heart. The more prim and proper they seem, the more likely they are to be secretly lustful," Yun Jianyue said indifferently. In her eyes, no matter how formidable these young cultivators were, she could suppress them with a single hand, except for that monstrous one.

She subconsciously glanced at Zu An in the distance, only to see him occasionally looking towards the Biluo Palace disciples.

She couldn't help but inwardly sneer. "He truly is a philanderer."

At this point, Wu Xiaofan on the arena cupped his hands towards Luo Dongjiang. "Brother Luo, don't be disheartened," he said. "The main reason is that you lost your edge a few days ago against Master Zu, which prevented you from performing at your usual full strength today. To be honest, I was merely taking advantage of the situation."

Everyone's gaze immediately turned to Zu An. Zu An, smiling, waved back at them, as if he were reviewing a military parade.

The crowd was utterly confused. How could this overly familiar fellow have any semblance of the terrifyingly powerful master he was before?

Luo Dongjiang knew Wu Xiaofan was trying to save his face. A hint of gratitude flashed in his eyes, and he cupped his hands to thank him before leaving the arena.

Wang Wuxie nodded secretly. He most admired the dignified demeanor his own disciple possessed. One's potential for achievement could be entirely judged by their bearing, a quality sometimes even more important than talent.

However, he immediately thought of Zu An as a counterexample, and his expression stiffened. He quickly announced, "First match: Wu Xiaofan of Zhengyang Sect wins! Next match: Wan Guiyi of Biluo Palace versus Qiu Chanzi of Qingxu Mansion."

Wan Guiyi stood up and walked towards the arena. Pei Mianman smiled kindly at him and said, "Good luck, Senior Brother!"

After all, they were from the same sect, so naturally, she hoped he would win.

To her surprise, Wan Guiyi glanced at her disdainfully, and then kept muttering:

"No women in my heart, my sword becomes divine..."

Pei Mianman was speechless.

Master Huoling was instantly enraged. She glared fiercely at Wan Tongtian. "Like father, like son, indeed!"

The surrounding Biluo Palace disciples were accustomed to the two arguing, but today, was that saying perhaps reversed?

Only Wan Tongtian knew what was happening. His face alternated between green and pale. Finally, he flicked his sleeve and snorted, "A good man doesn't argue with women!"

The commotion here did not escape Zu An's notice. He couldn't help but take a few extra glances at Wan Guiyi. "This kid is truly a talent," he thought. "If this continues, Old Wan might not have any descendants."

At this point, both contenders had entered the arena. Wan Guiyi, of course, carried himself with an arrogant, juvenile bravado. His opponent, Qiu Chanzi, was a refined and delicate-looking young boy.

"Wow, how cute!"

Many female cultivators in the audience exclaimed. During the previous brawls across nine arenas, everyone was more concerned with their own opponents, or at most, the battles of their fellow sect members, so they might not have paid attention to others.

Many people were now discovering for the first time that Qiu Chanzi of Qingxu Mansion was such an adorable young boy.

The young celibate monk Jie Se from Wuyou Temple couldn't help but gasp quietly, "This child actually rivals me in cuteness."

Master Jianhuang barely managed to resist the urge to hit him with his wooden fish.

"Senior Brother, please be merciful later," Qiu Chanzi said, looking like a well-behaved student, the kind of person anyone would want to pinch his cheeks.

Wan Guiyi impatiently waved his hand. "Less talk, let's just start the fight."

Wu Xiaofan had won so cleanly just now, and Wan Guiyi felt a lot of pressure. He also wanted to win beautifully.

Qiu Chanzi lowered his head, looking as if he had been wronged.

Seeing this, the surrounding female disciples, acting like doting mothers, were filled with righteous indignation, denouncing Wan Guiyi for his terrible attitude.

"Hmph, women," Wan Guiyi said, ignoring them. With his arrogance, he naturally disdained making the first move, but he was also somewhat impatient. "Are you going to make your move or not?"

The cicadas nearby were also chirping noisily, making him even more irritable.

Qiu Chanzi suddenly raised his head. A strange smile appeared on his face. "Senior Brother, I've already made my move!"

At this moment, everyone in the audience was startled. After all, Qiu Chanzi had previously been a cute and gentle young boy, the kind that anyone would want to pet, hug, and pinch his cheeks. But now, despite being the same face, its lines were contorted, and shadows appeared, making his demeanor extremely eerie and terrifying. Moreover, an inexplicable sense of madness emanated from his entire being.