Chapter 1276: Vomited

"Master Zhang, this is Young Master Xue Ning, from the Sage Clan Xue!"

Zhang Jiuxiao glanced at the speaker and transmitted a message to Zhang Xuan. "Sage Clan Xue?"

"Yes, even though they are a third-tier noble family, they shouldn't be underestimated. Their heritage is no weaker than that of the Qianchong Empire," Zhang Jiuxiao continued. Sage Clans, even minor ones, possess ancient legacies and cultivation techniques perfectly suited to their bloodlines, something ordinary empires cannot rival. Young Master Xue Ning is only at the Half-Step Ethereal Realm, but his true combat strength might even rival an Ethereal Realm expert who has undergone a lightning tribulation!

"Thanks for the reminder!" Zhang Xuan acknowledged, then looked up and frowned, "You also want this cup of Heavenly Stellar Drunk?"

"It's not just the Heavenly Stellar Drunk..." Young Master Xue Ning scoffed, his face filled with arrogance.

Originally, it was just a cup of wine, but Hall Master Yue's declaration that it would go to the strongest person had changed its nature. It was no longer just about the wine. If this fellow's strength were truly exceptional, that would be one thing. But he had won twice by trickery, and his cultivation was only at the Mid-stage Primordial Spirit Realm... How could they, as disciples of a Sage Clan, allow someone of such cultivation to drink such fine wine? It would be a loss of face.

"What else do you want?" Zhang Xuan asked, full of caution.

"Nothing much. It's simple: I'll also offer ten spirit stones. We'll have a match. If I win, the Heavenly Stellar Drunk is mine. If you lose, the spirit stones are yours!" Xue Ning declared.

"This..." Zhang Xuan paused, then said, "I just fought two matches, and my zhenqi is mostly depleted... How about this: offer fifteen spirit stones, and I'll fight you!"

"Depleted?" Xue Ning's eyelid twitched. You just threw a cauldron to knock someone down... What zhenqi did *that* deplete?

"Fine, fifteen it is!" Knowing that arguing with this person would only infuriate him, Xue Ning waved his hand dismissively. Based on the power and reaction speed Zhang Xuan had just displayed, he believed defeating him would be very simple and nothing to worry about. Besides, the Qianchong Empire had annual business dealings with his family; fifteen high-grade essence spirit stones were nothing to them.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "You'll also use a weapon?"

"I won't use a weapon, and you can't use your cauldron! A fair duel, based purely on strength," Xue Ning quickly stated. Although his strength was not weak, encountering Zhang Xuan's cauldron left him no choice but to flee. Since it was a match, they should set the rules beforehand.

"This..." Hearing that weapons were forbidden, Zhang Xuan seemed to shrink back.

"To enter the Saint Son Hall, one relies on their own cultivation and strength, not external power. What? Do you think your strength isn't enough, and you're afraid to agree?" Seeing his hesitation, Young Master Xue Ning sneered, "If that's the case, I advise you to put the Heavenly Stellar Drunk down quickly. Such strength doesn't deserve it!"

"Fine, since neither of us will use them, it's fair!" Pressured by the verbal taunt, Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth and looked up.

"Then let's begin!" With a flick of his hand, the jade box containing the spirit stones flew over. Zhang Xuan casually caught it and placed it on the table. He then put down the wine and returned to the main hall.

"Hmph!" Young Master Xue Ning snorted, no longer bothering to speak. With a swift movement, he transformed into a blur and charged forward. Even though he had suppressed his cultivation to the Mid-stage Primordial Spirit Realm, his speed was lightning-fast, making him difficult to follow with the naked eye. Using his speed, he unleashed a flurry of five-finger attacks.

"Much stronger than Liu Chongxin and Master Yun!" The moment Xue Ning made his move, Zhang Xuan knew that his opponent was significantly more powerful than the previous two. He immediately retreated and countered with his fingers, using the Great Star Luo Finger Art. Seeing Zhang Xuan's rapid speed, Young Master Xue Ning changed his move mid-air, his five fingers moving like he was playing a zither. It was a Saint Domain Mid-tier Martial Skill: "Like a Pipa Player Half-Veiled!"

Crack! Crack! A series of crisp sounds erupted as the five fingers clashed with the Great Star Luo Finger Art, creating a series of sonic booms. Zhang Xuan's face turned pale, and he stumbled back several steps.

"Heh!" With one move successful, Young Master Xue Ning's speed increased further. His fingers, mimicking a pipa player, moved even faster, sending out streams of zhenqi like lute strings that crisscrossed, sealing off the surroundings. Seeing his formidable power, a look of fear appeared in Zhang Xuan's eyes. His palms and feet moved extremely quickly, never extending more than half a foot from his body, forming a defensive circle around him. Young Master Xue Ning's attacks were all blocked outside this circle, rendering them useless.

"I didn't expect him to have some skill..." Seeing his attacks blocked, the third young master raised an eyebrow. In the first match, the opponent won by luck, and in the second, he used a weapon... In Xue Ning's eyes, this guy was just a charlatan. However, after exchanging one move, he immediately realized that Zhang Xuan's feigned weakness might just be a disguise, and he actually possessed some strength. But... only knowing how to defend was still far inferior compared to him!

He changed his fingers into fists and struck directly, aiming for a critical point. It was a Saint Domain Mid-tier Martial Skill: "A Hundred Boats Competing!" This punch was ferocious, no weaker than Liu Chongxin's Eight-Armed Ape. Wasn't his opponent defending like a tortoise shell? Then he would use his fists to break that tortoise shell!

His power was wild, his speed rapid. In the blink of an eye, he delivered over a hundred punches. However, his attacks were strong, but the opponent's defense was even stronger. So many continuous attacks failed to break through; instead, the "tortoise shell" seemed to grow even harder!

"This guy is truly cunning!"

"He's clearly not weak, but he deliberately feigns weakness to draw us into battle and seize the opportunity to earn spirit stones..."

"However, prolonged defense will inevitably lead to a mistake. Even though he blocked so many of Young Master Xue Ning's punches, he must be injured..."

At this point, others also realized that Zhang Xuan was not as simple as they had imagined. They were all top talents among master teachers; feigning weakness once or twice was acceptable, but if they couldn't see through it after three consecutive times, they wouldn't deserve to be called talents. However, while Zhang Xuan's strength wasn't as poor as they thought, it wasn't excellent either, otherwise he wouldn't just be defending without any ability to counterattack. Prolonged defense would eventually lead to a defeat. If this continued, he would be defeated sooner or later.

"Xue Ning's zhenqi is incredibly profound. Over a hundred punches are just a warm-up... Let's see how long he can keep defending!"

"Indeed. I once sparred with the Third Young Master. His punches come one after another, and the more punches he throws, the greater his power becomes. Even if Master Zhang has some clever tricks, it's almost impossible for him to win!"

Among the crowd, two young talents nodded simultaneously. Both of them had reached the Pseudo-Ethereal Realm, making them the strongest among the onlookers, and they could discern at a glance who was superior and who was inferior. Xue Ning's strength might not be much compared to theirs, but among the thirty-three participants in the retest, he was considered quite strong. With such strength, if he couldn't defeat a minor figure from Qingyuan Empire who was only at the Mid-stage Primordial Spirit Realm, they wouldn't believe it.

"Look, Xue Ning's speed has increased even further..." After another moment of fighting, one of the Pseudo-Ethereal talents remarked. Looking up, they saw Young Master Xue, his footwork like a ghost, darting left and right, back and forth. Under the impact of his ferocious aura, the surrounding air continuously exploded. His speed was so immense that it made one dizzy to watch.

"He can still defend against that?" After watching for a while longer, they saw that Zhang Xuan, despite constantly defending and appearing like a candle in the wind about to be extinguished, managed to hold on every time, leaving no openings for his opponent to exploit.

"Even if he can defend, he probably won't last much longer!" Frowning, the second Pseudo-Ethereal talent said. Under normal circumstances, even he would only be able to temporarily evade Xue Ning's wild attacks and look for opportunities to counter. This guy, however, had been constantly defending and managed to block everything... He was truly like a tortoise! However, he probably wouldn't last much longer. Xue Ning's attacks were not only powerful but also contained hidden force. After so many continuous punches, the force would penetrate. Even he couldn't withstand it, let alone Zhang Xuan!

"To be able to hold out against me for so long... I admit, I underestimated you. However, this ends now!" Just as the two talents had guessed, Young Master Xue Ning's continuous attacks yielded no results, which made his face flush with anger. With a long roar, the power within him surged rapidly. Unable to break through after a prolonged assault, he was growing impatient and decided to use his ultimate move. This technique was originally intended for the retest, but encountering such a "tortoise shell" made him unable to hold back.

Boom! As his power surged, his speed became even greater, making it seem as though seven or eight illusions of him appeared around Zhang Xuan. Following this, his zhenqi formed a golden thread, creating a circle that enveloped the "tortoise-shelled" Zhang Xuan, slowly infiltrating inward.

"This is... the Sage Clan Xue's Golden Silk Cut!" The first Pseudo-Ethereal talent's face hardened. "He's mastered that move!"

"Golden Silk Cut?" The second seemed a bit unsure.

"Yes, the Xue family's Golden Silk Cut uses extremely fast movement and speed to form a cutting blade with zhenqi. If executed perfectly, it can cut even mid-grade Saint artifacts in half!" The first talent clenched his fist. "This move is incredibly powerful. If Zhang Xuan continues to defend like this, he'll very likely be entangled by the golden silk, and even if he doesn't die, he'll be severely wounded!"

"That powerful?" The second talent swallowed and quickly looked over. After just one glance, he couldn't help but be stunned. "What... what is Zhang Xuan doing?"

"Hmm?" He looked over, and upon seeing, the first talent also couldn't help but freeze in place. Zhang Xuan, who was trapped in the middle of the golden silk, swayed involuntarily as if he were drunk. At the same time, he flailed his arms and legs, making very strange movements, like a dance, or perhaps like someone overwhelmed by fear.

Suddenly! The moment Zhang Xuan's movements ceased, Young Master Xue Ning, who was executing the Golden Silk Cut, instantly lost control of his speed, becoming even faster. Suddenly, he lost control entirely and flew straight out, crashing headfirst into a pillar in the main hall. His face immediately turned red, his mouth opened wide, and he vomited... After vomiting, his body convulsed. Thud! He fainted.

"This..." Unexpectedly, Young Master Xue Ning, who had been so aggressive just moments ago, was now vomiting and dizzy. The second Pseudo-Ethereal talent was utterly astonished, barely able to believe his eyes. "Did he spin too fast and too much, making himself sick... and throw up?"