Chapter 1321: Challenge Zhang Xuan

“Can you sleep?”

Stunned, Zhang Jiuxiao was bewildered. He wanted to ask how to become an elite class student, hoping to hear about the other person’s experience... what did ‘being able to sleep’ have to do with it?

“That’s right,” Zhang Xuan said. “Not everyone can sleep for three days straight!”

Zhang Xuan wore an expression of unparalleled loneliness. He honestly hadn’t intended to sleep for three days and three nights straight. He had been quite shocked when he first woke up, but after some thought, he decided it was worth it. Otherwise, even if he had been awake, there would have been nothing to do. The Nine Nether God’s Eye had too many flaws to cultivate, and Sage Kui had been so utterly overwhelmed by his words that he was practically in a state of ecstasy. Rather than being awake and awkward, it was better to sleep a bit longer and recuperate. Therefore, being able to sleep was also a kind of happiness.

“More than three days of sleep?” Shaken, Zhang Jiuxiao looked as if he’d seen a ghost. “Master Zhang, are you saying... that when you were attempting the Mountain Gate, you weren’t continuously challenging trials and undergoing various assessments, but instead... you slept for three days?”

“That’s right,” Zhang Xuan said with a wry smile. “I didn’t expect to sleep for so long myself...”

“Slept for three days, and still became an elite class student...”

Swallowing hard, Zhang Jiuxiao felt like he was going crazy. The moment he entered the Mountain Gate, he had desperately showcased his best skills, not daring to rest for a single moment. Yet this person in front of him had slept for three days and still became an elite class student... Could it be any more exaggerated?

“Good!”“That’s brilliant!”“Well done, Young Master Xue!”

Just as he was about to explode from shock, he heard excited shouts from all around. He looked up and immediately saw the result on the fighting stage.

Zhao Qi, who had stepped forward to challenge, was firmly trapped by a golden silk thread, standing on the stage like a cocoon, unable to move at all. Xue Ning’s Golden Silk Cut had been useless against Zhang Xuan, but its power was immense against others. Even though Zhao Qi was not weak, he still couldn’t resist it and lost convincingly.

“I concede!” With a dejected expression, Zhao Qi spoke. He had thought that the difference in scores wasn’t much, and with a bit of luck, he could definitely win. Now it seemed that the Mountain Gate assessment was indeed fair, not something someone like him could question.

“I am willing to accept the punishment!” Untangling the Golden Silk Cut, Zhao Qi said no more and withdrew.

“Is there anyone else willing to challenge?” Seeing the first match conclude, Elder Haoyu smiled and continued.

“I’ll go! I want to challenge the last-ranked student of the elite class, Zhang Xuan!” With a loud shout, a figure leaped onto the elevated stage.

“That’s Meng Fanxing, ranked fifty-second!”“He’s a descendant of the Sage Meng clan. Although his bloodline is only second-grade, his cultivation has already reached the Half-Dimension realm!”“He must be dissatisfied with Zhang Xuan, who is only at the Primordial Spirit realm!”“Indeed, from the start of the challenge, I felt it was perfectly normal for Zhang Xuan to be challenged. Not only is his cultivation low, but most importantly, he’s the last-ranked student in the elite class. It would be strange if people didn’t covet his spot!”“Oh, by the way, I just heard a piece of news, though I don’t know if it’s true. They say this Zhang Xuan wasn’t even among the top five hundred before, but when the assessment stele was last refreshed, he somehow ended up as the last-ranked student in the elite class. In other words... he gained over ten thousand points out of nowhere!”“Gained over ten thousand points out of nowhere? He must have cheated!”“I don’t know about that...”

Hearing that Zhang Xuan was to be challenged, a wave of discussion rippled through the crowd.

Among the crowd, Zhang Qian’s eyes reddened with excitement. What had happened in the Hall of Achievements had already spread, and many people now knew about it. Everyone wanted to see what reliance this fellow named Zhang Xuan had to become an elite class student.

Elder Haoyu, Elder Hanzhu, and the others also looked over, wanting to see this fellow’s performance and resolve their doubts.

“Challenge me? Alright!” Not expecting to be challenged himself, Zhang Xuan shook his head, and with a swift movement, he too appeared on the elevated stage. Although he had always wanted to keep a low profile and avoid trouble, he was not someone afraid of it. If the other party wanted to cause trouble, they would have to see if they were strong enough to back it up.

“Master Zhang, I don’t know what kind of assessment you went through when attempting the Mountain Gate. Please tell me directly, and I will compete with you according to that!” Seeing him ascend the stage, Meng Fanxing snorted coldly and said.

“I just woke up, and I don’t want to sleep yet... Never mind, to avoid trouble, just make your move!” After thinking about his own assessment, Zhang Xuan shook his head and said. He had just slept for three days and three nights and had been awake for less than an hour; if it were a sleeping contest, he would definitely lose. Besides, the crowd certainly wouldn’t want to watch that kind of match. It was better to just have a fight, like Xue Ning did earlier! It would be quick and avoid complications.

“Make your move? You want to compete with me in strength?” Meng Fanxing looked as if he was seeing an idiot. He was a Half-Dimension realm expert, and you were only at the peak of the Primordial Spirit realm... You want to compete with me? Are you still half-asleep?

“Yes!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“Alright, I can suppress my cultivation to be on par with your strength...” Meng Fanxing responded, and his entire body’s power rapidly diminished. In the blink of an eye, it also reached the peak of the Primordial Spirit realm. He raised his palm, making an attacking gesture, and said, “Let’s begin!”

“Alright!” Zhang Xuan replied.

Actually, whether the opponent suppressed their cultivation or not made little difference to him. However, since the opponent had done so, he didn’t bother with idle talk. With a swift movement, he appeared in front of the opponent, his palm reaching straight forward.

“You...” Seeing that palm, Meng Fanxing felt as if heaven and earth were being crushed upon him from the opponent’s palm. All directions were completely sealed, making escape impossible. In an instant, his breathing became rapid, and his face flushed from holding his breath.

Before he even reached him, Zhang Xuan abruptly retracted his palm. One attack, one retraction – the speed was extremely fast. To outsiders, it looked like a mere feint, without any discernible skill. However, with just that one move, Meng Fanxing seemed to have been struck. His mind instantly went blank, his thoughts disconnected. His body swayed as if drunk, and with a ‘thud!’, he fell to the ground, unconscious.

“This...”“What happened? I didn’t feel any true qi fluctuations. How did Meng Fanxing faint?”“I’m not sure either, I just saw Zhang Xuan feint a palm strike...”

The people below the stage stared at each other, bewildered. Zhang Xuan’s palm earlier, extending and retracting, showed no flashy moves or any true qi fluctuations. Yet with such an attack, Meng Fanxing didn’t even dodge and simply fainted... What exactly happened? Even among them, there were many seven-star master teachers, but they were all completely confused.

“What powerful palm force!” Unlike the confusion of the crowd, Elder Haoyu’s pupils contracted. As an expert of Saint 8-dan, his eyesight was extraordinary, and he immediately saw that something was amiss.

“A palm strike, though visually terrifying and seemingly a physical attack, is actually an assault on the soul. It gives the opponent an irresistible feeling. Under intense pressure, the opponent’s spirit gathers to an extreme point. Then, when this pressure is suddenly withdrawn, it’s easy to cause insufficient blood supply to the brain, leading to immediate unconsciousness!” Elder Hanzhu also nodded, explaining while filled with disbelief: “It’s like how many ordinary people who jump from buildings don’t die from the fall, but are scared to death before hitting the ground! This palm strike used a similar method. There were no true qi fluctuations, no chaotic energy, yet a casual tap made him faint... How precise must one’s control over strength and the opponent’s abilities be to achieve this?”

“Indeed, it’s truly remarkable. It seems the Mountain Gate assessment was not mistaken!” Elder Haoyu also nodded. Before, he had been somewhat suspicious, thinking this fellow might just be lucky. Now, it seemed the Mountain Gate assessment was not about luck, but about genuine strength.

“I lost...” Waking up, Meng Fanxing’s face flushed red. He didn’t know what attack the other party had used, but being knocked out in one move felt shameful just thinking about it.

“It’s nothing!” Zhang Xuan smiled.

“I voluntarily accept the punishment...” Knowing the consequences of a failed challenge, Meng Fanxing gritted his teeth.

“There’s no need. We are all students of the Saint Son Hall, and sparring is normal. I also took advantage of you suppressing your cultivation to narrowly win. If you had truly used your full strength, it would have been very difficult for me to win! Therefore... strictly speaking, you cannot be considered to have lost to me.”

His rank had been obtained by Sage Kui modifying the scores, so it was perfectly normal for the opponent to be dissatisfied. It was completely unnecessary to have him punished because of this.

“Master Zhang possesses great magnanimity. No wonder you could become an elite class student. I am utterly convinced!” Meng Fanxing cupped his fist, his eyes filled with admiration.

“You’re welcome!” Nodding, Zhang Xuan was about to step off the elevated stage when a voice rang out again.

“Wait... I’m also unconvinced and wish to test Master Zhang’s skills!” Turning to look, a familiar figure walked up. It was none other than Zhang Qian, who had previously been knocked to the ground with a single palm!

“This guy... didn’t he see my strength?” Not expecting him to also challenge, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but be stunned. If they hadn’t fought before, that would have been one thing. But he couldn’t even withstand one of his palm strikes, yet now he wanted to rush over again. Did he not feel that the previous humiliation was enough?

“It’s Zhang Qian... Didn’t he lose before?”“That’s right, I don’t understand why he’s coming up... Could it be that he’s still unconvinced?”“Or... does he have some hidden trump card he hasn’t used?”“He was ranked fifty-first, and his spot was taken by the other party, so he must be unconvinced!”

The people below the stage, who knew the two had fought before, were all full of curiosity. Three days ago, he had just been beaten and couldn’t even take a single move, yet now he was rushing up again. Did he think he hadn’t been beaten enough?

“You want to spar with me again?” Seeing him approach, Zhang Xuan looked at him with a sympathetic expression.

“That’s right! However, since you are an elite class student and have defeated me once already, you wouldn’t ask me to suppress my cultivation, would you?” Zhang Qian snorted.

“You don’t need to suppress your cultivation!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“Good, then let’s begin...” His lips curling into a smirk, Zhang Qian let out a cold snort. The power within his body immediately unleashed, his aura soaring into the sky.

“Half-Ethereal Realm? No wonder...” Feeling the power emanating from the opponent, Zhang Xuan paused for a moment, then understood. No wonder he lost once and still dared to come looking for trouble; it turned out that in three days, his cultivation had advanced, already reaching the Half-Ethereal Realm!