Chapter 1274: Why is Master Zhang so Weak?

Refusing would make him appear weak, ensuring he could never hold his head high among them again. Accepting, however, would inevitably lead to resentment from others.

The mere thought of it gave him a headache.

As he pondered how to resolve this sudden dilemma, Hall Master Yue smiled faintly. With a flick of his finger, the wine glass and its contents, which had been suspended in the air, flew directly towards him.

It appeared the other party had no intention of allowing him to refuse.

"I hope Master Zhang will not decline this small token of my esteem!"

*Whoosh!*

The wine glass reached him.

In an instant, an intense pressure emanated from the wine glass, as though it sought to crush his body.

Sensing this force, Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed once more.

Although the wine glass appeared to approach slowly and with a friendly aura, the other party was, in fact, using a tactic to assert dominance.

If he failed to catch it and the wine spilled, it would not only be seen as disrespectful to the host but also as an ungracious act! He wouldn't even need to speak; the surrounding crowd, already resentful, would immediately move to put him in his place.

This individual had played the role of a magnanimous host, yet subtly orchestrated a trap for him... quite cunning!

"Many thanks for your generous favor, Hall Master Yue!"

For anyone else, the opponent's sudden move would have been impossible to counter, leading to immediate embarrassment. But Zhang Xuan was different. With his Eye of Insight activated, he instantly perceived the trajectory of the true qi contained within, seeing it with perfect clarity.

Without much movement, he gently raised the chopsticks in his hand and jabbed them sharply forward.

The chopsticks weren't fast, yet they carried an invincible spear intent. In the blink of an eye, they reached the wine glass, and with a soft *pop*, pierced through the true qi surrounding it.

The true qi scattered, like a punctured balloon, losing its support and plummeting downwards.

With a flick of the chopsticks, he gently clamped them, securing the wine glass.

"Oh?"

This series of movements was fluid and seamless, as if Yue Yiquan had simply presented the wine quietly and Zhang Xuan had casually caught it with his chopsticks. While outsiders saw nothing out of the ordinary, Hall Master Yue's expression involuntarily darkened.

The power he had infused around the wine glass earlier was something even a Soul God Realm pinnacle expert would struggle against, likely leading to public embarrassment. Yet, this individual had caught it with ease... His control over power had reached an astonishing degree.

According to the information he had received, wasn't Zhang Xuan's strength attributed to that cauldron?

When did his personal strength become this formidable?

The incident where Zhao Xingmo was severely defeated during his assessment by someone of the same rank was a matter of reputation and certainly wouldn't be divulged. Furthermore, Hall Master Wu, Yao Mantian, Zhang Jiuxiao, and the others present had no reason to mention it.

Consequently, even he, the Hall Master of the Qianchong Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, was unaware of Zhang Xuan's sudden increase in cultivation and his invincibility among peers.

The information he had was only what he'd gleaned from Song Xuan.

As Song Xuan had been defeated by Zhang Xuan, he naturally depicted him as a vile character who resorted to sneak attacks with weapons. Other details, he was too embarrassed to elaborate on, resulting in incomplete and skewed information that complicated matters.

Despite his shock, as a Hall Master, he maintained a placid expression, offering a faint smile. "Master Zhang, please!"

With that, he raised his own wine glass and drained it.

Zhang Xuan smiled, picked up the wine glass, and was about to speak when the young man known as Master Yun suddenly stood up. "Wait!" he interjected.

Everyone turned to look in unison.

"Master Yun, is something amiss?"

Yue Yiquan looked at him.

"Hall Master Yue," Master Yun began, "everyone has already agreed that this cup of wine should go to the most capable. You claim Master Zhang is the strongest among us, and I must admit, I'm not entirely convinced. I'd like to issue a challenge, if that's permissible?"

Cupping his fist, he turned to face Zhang Xuan, his eyes brimming with challenge.

No one would willingly miss out on the Heavenly Star Drunkenness, brewed by Old Man Tianchen. The idea of it being given to some individual from the Qingyuan Empire for no apparent reason was unacceptable, not just to him, but to many others.

"Precisely, I also believe a competition is in order!"

"We are all well aware of the situation in the Qingyuan Empire. This Master Zhang, if I'm not mistaken, is only at the Saint 4-dan, Soul God Realm mid-stage, correct? Such strength... is comparable to one of my own students. I also find it rather inappropriate for him to be considered worthy of this wine!"

"Let the capable have it, Master Zhang. Since everyone is going to be re-evaluated anyway, why not let us see your true strength first?"

A chorus of voices erupted, and everyone looked at him with palpable hostility.

"It seems I still underestimated the allure of this wine..."

Seeing their attitudes, Zhang Xuan felt a degree of helplessness.

He had simply considered it wine, and it didn't matter to him who drank it. He never imagined it would incite such a strong reaction.

"I have already presented the fine wine to Master Zhang; how he chooses to handle it is his prerogative. Let's simply ensure our camaraderie remains intact..."

Yue Yiquan offered a faint smile.

The flames had been ignited; all that remained was to sit back and watch the impending clash.

"Very well!"

Hearing Yue Yiquan's words about preserving harmony, which clearly implied his silent consent, Master Yun's eyes lit up. He sneered, looking at Zhang Xuan. "Master Zhang, do you dare to compete with me? If I win, the fine wine is mine!"

"Oh, and what if you lose?"

Zhang Xuan asked, still holding the wine glass.

"Lose?" Master Yun's lips curled into a smirk. "Rest assured, I will not lose!"

"Whether or not you lose isn't for you to decide. Even if my strength is weak, I still have a chance of winning. If I win, you get the wine, but if you lose, you offer nothing in return? Isn't that a bit too advantageous for you?"

Zhang Xuan lifted an eyebrow and met his gaze.

"Then what do you propose?"

Master Yun paused, then scoffed.

This wine had been bestowed upon Zhang Xuan by Hall Master Yue. If Master Yun won, Zhang Xuan would lose the wine. However, if Master Yun lost, there was no agreed-upon stake. This felt somewhat unfair.

"It's simple," Zhang Xuan replied. "You and I both know the value of Heavenly Star Drunkenness. This single cup is worth ten high-grade essence spirit stones. However, I won't ask for ten. You put up five as a wager. If I lose, you take the wine. If I win... the spirit stones are mine!"

Zhang Xuan smiled.

Yue Yiquan's objective was to embarrass him, but... with a clever maneuver, he could actually "reap" some benefits from this group of "geniuses"!

Ten high-grade essence spirit stones might be too much for these individuals, but five... given their status, it shouldn't be a problem.

"Five high-grade essence spirit stones?"

Surprised by the high stakes, Master Yun frowned, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

"If you're too afraid, then forget it. In that case, I apologize, but I'll simply drink this wine now..."

Disinclined to waste more words, Zhang Xuan picked up the wine glass, preparing to drain it.

"Wait!"

Just as the wine glass was raised, another loud cry echoed, and another Master Teacher rose to his feet. "Old Yun, if you lack the courage, this wine is mine..."

With a light chuckle, he produced a jade box before everyone. He gently opened it, revealing five sparkling spirit stones inside.

"These are five high-grade essence spirit stones. Please inspect them!"

With a flick of his palm, the spirit stones flew towards him.

Casually catching them, Zhang Xuan glanced at them and nodded.

"They're correct!"

"Alright then, let's begin! Since the initial assessment focuses on strength, I'll compete with you... Do you dare to accept my challenge?"

Seeing Zhang Xuan catch them, and not worried he would pocket them, the Master Teacher smiled faintly and took two steps to the center of the grand hall.

The hall was spacious; although over thirty talented individuals were seated on both sides, several hundred square meters remained empty in the center, perfectly suitable for a martial arts bout without any hindrance.

"A martial arts match?" Zhang Xuan asked, seemingly having lost his prior confidence, looking over cautiously. "May I ask, what is your cultivation level?"

"I am at the Soul God Realm pinnacle... If you are fearful, I can suppress my cultivation to match yours, at the Soul God Realm mid-stage!"

Seeing Zhang Xuan's demeanor, the Master Teacher's face was etched with a sneer.

He had lost his composure even before the fight began. There was no need to compete; it was obvious who would win.

"That would be for the best then!"

With a sigh of relief, Zhang Xuan set down the wine glass, rose to his feet, and stepped into the empty central area.

"I am Liu Chongxin from the Northern Ye Empire!"

As Zhang Xuan approached, Liu Chongxin raised an eyebrow, suppressing his full power. In the blink of an eye, his cultivation was at the Soul God Realm mid-stage, matching Zhang Xuan's.

"Zhang Xuan, from the Qingyuan Empire!"

Zhang Xuan nodded, hesitated for a moment, then cupped his fist. "I hope you will show mercy!"

"Heh, I will," Liu Chongxin responded.

Seeing this individual, who had just been so aggressive about the wager, change so dramatically in the blink of an eye, Liu Chongxin showed disdain. He flipped his palm, and it began to glow red. "Let's begin!"

He stepped forward and lunged with a mid-air grab.

"Master Liu appears reckless, but he's actually very cautious. His very first move was to unleash his Iron Heart Palm!"

"Passing Master Zhao's selection means he withstood three moves from those two observers. How could he be simple? Master Liu's apparent recklessness is merely a facade to make his opponent complacent. In a true fight, he's bound to be exceedingly cautious!"

Other cultivators familiar with Liu Chongxin whispered among themselves.

To have emerged from a titled empire and been selected, none of these individuals could be simple. Although Zhang Xuan's performance was unremarkable, his opponent still wouldn't let down his guard.

*Wham!*

As his palm descended, the surrounding space began to glow red, as if scorched by hot embers.

The Iron Heart Palm, a unique technique of the Northern Ye Empire Master Teacher Pavilion and a Saint 4-dan martial art, was incredibly powerful when fully unleashed, easily comparable to the Grand Astral Finger Force.

"Excellent!"

Zhang Xuan, seemingly invigorated, let out a loud shout, flipped his wrist, and met the attack.

His move was also a Saint 4-dan martial art: the Crane Cloud Palm!

It appeared formidable but was actually agile, clearly not daring to directly counter the Iron Heart Palm. He intended to break it with finesse.

"Trying to be clever? Dream on!"

With a faint smile, Liu Chongxin pressed down sharply with his palm. The surrounding space seemed to be directly enveloped, making it impossible for the Crane Cloud Palm to employ its subtlety. It could only meet the attack head-on along its original trajectory.

Overwhelming force trumps all!

He used his powerful true qi cultivation to directly suppress Zhang Xuan's shifting maneuvers.

As their palms met, Zhang Xuan's face paled, and he staggered back several steps, as if unable to withstand the opponent's fierce power. His palm appeared twisted, concealed beneath his sleeve, and trembled uncontrollably.

"I thought you were formidable. With just this level of skill, you actually expect to drink that wine?"

Having succeeded in one move, Liu Chongxin raised an eyebrow and let out a hearty laugh.

"This..."

Blinking, Zhang Jiuxiao's mouth twitched. "Master Zhang... how did he become so weak? I can only wish Master Liu good fortune..."

His eyes were filled with sympathy.

Whenever Master Zhang behaved this way, someone inevitably suffered misfortune. Having witnessed it multiple times, Zhang Jiuxiao considered himself experienced.