Chapter 1401: Sixth of the Power

If someone at the peak of the Out-of-Body realm had merely unleashed power no weaker than his own, that would have been acceptable. The critical factor was the impeccable timing and positioning of the opponent's punch, striking precisely when his previous momentum had faded and his next was yet to arrive.

In other words, it was as if the opponent had identified a flaw in his combat technique, finding its root cause with a single move and intending to overwhelm him.

The cultivation techniques and martial arts he practiced had been passed down from his teacher, and were in no way inferior to the core secret arts of the Zhang and Luo clans.

Even Master Fei would be unable to instantly discern the intricacies of such profound martial arts and cultivation methods. Yet, this person before him understood it in a flash, finding its weaknesses, suggesting a deep knowledge of his techniques.

"Hmph, you think you can defeat me so easily?"

This surprise flickered in his mind for less than a tenth of a breath. Feng Ziyi's eyes hardened, and he shifted his body, changing his position to meet the incoming attack with a punch of his own.

His punch was aimed at Zhang Xuan's chest, precisely where Zhang Xuan's own punch was aimed at him. He hadn't expected them to resort to such a mutually destructive tactic.

"Let's see how strong your defense truly is!"

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Zhang Xuan's eyes, but he did not alter his move. His muscles rippled, as if infused with a swirling golden light.

When his punch landed on the opponent's chest, he immediately felt as if he had struck solid rock, his fingers tingling. The opponent's return punch struck him, causing his chest to ache again, and he was forced back several steps.

"Your physical body..." Zhang Xuan uttered in surprise.

He practiced the Heavenly Dao Golden Body, which was incredibly potent, no weaker than a half-step high-grade Saint artifact. He was astonished that his opponent also possessed a similar body-tempering secret art, one that made their physique no weaker than his own!

In this clash of brute force, they appeared evenly matched. However, limited by his cultivation level, he was actually at a slight disadvantage.

"Haha, how exhilarating!"

In this head-on clash, the person before him held his ground completely. Feng Ziyi roared excitedly, his arms shaking as his muscles visibly swelled as if inflated, stretching his previously loose clothes taut.

It was as if, in that brief moment, he had consumed a powerful tonic, transforming from a slender figure into a massively built strongman.

With another step, an intense, crushing pressure bore down.

In that brief instant, Feng Ziyi's aura and strength had nearly doubled.

"What kind of secret art is this?" Zhang Xuan wondered, his fists clenching.

Throughout his journey, he had witnessed many methods that could instantly boost one's strength. However, he had never seen one that caused such a rapid increase in muscle mass without any prior indication and appeared to have no side effects.

He knew, however, that his opponent would not grant him time to deliberate. The fervor of battle surged within him, and activating the Heavenly Dao Golden Body to its maximum, he unleashed another powerful punch.

*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*

In the blink of an eye, they exchanged over a dozen blows, almost all direct collisions. The wind howled around them. Sun Qiang, who had been closely following Zhang Xuan, and Zhang Jiuxiao had both retreated outside the main hall.

Even from that distance, they felt a burning pain throughout their bodies, as if seared by raging flames.

"To think, Master Zhang and I were once almost equally strong. How much time has passed? How could the disparity become so vast?" Zhang Jiuxiao murmured in awe.

When he first met Master Zhang in Qingyuan City, their strengths were comparable. He had diligently cultivated during this period, hoping to narrow the gap, but never in his wildest dreams did he imagine... the gap would actually grow wider!

Now, even without closing the distance, a single punch from his opponent, delivered from afar, would likely flatten him into a meat patty and kill him instantly.

The difference between them was now as vast as heaven and earth; they were no longer comparable.

*Whoosh!*

As Zhang Jiuxiao was reflecting, Feng Ziyi suddenly flicked his wrist, and a long sword materialized in his palm. With a slash through the air, the very air within the room began to twist.

"Do you dare to fight me with weapons?"

"Gladly!"

Zhang Xuan pointed a finger, and over a hundred long swords materialized and hovered before him.

"What are you...?"

Feng Ziyi's pupils contracted. Just as he was about to speak, he felt an overwhelming ocean of sword qi bearing down on him.

*Thump! Thump!*

He was sent flying backward, his back slamming into the room's wall, creating a large hole. Then, the ferocious force continued to strike, his back shattering the courtyard wall into powder as well.

He flew for seven or eight hundred meters before the assault finally ceased. His face was pale, his arms trembled incessantly, and the web of skin between his thumb and forefinger felt as if it would tear at any moment.

"You... what kind of move was that?"

It took him several deep breaths to suppress the surging true qi within his body. He looked up, his face filled with disbelief.

He was at the early stage of Saint 7-dan, Void-Entering realm, while his opponent was merely at the peak of Saint 5-dan. With such a vast difference in cultivation, to be repelled by a single sword, almost cleaved in two — what kind of powerful technique was that?

"It's Sword Elder's 'One Sword Breaking the Ocean'!" Zhang Xuan confirmed with a nod.

There was no need to conceal it. Sword Elder had made a significant name for himself back then, and anyone who wished to investigate could easily uncover the information.

"Impossible!" Feng Ziyi retorted.

Feng Ziyi shook his head, "Forget about 'Breaking the Ocean'; even 'One Sword Reaching Heaven' doesn't possess such power!"

The Master Teacher Pavilion headquarters collected martial arts from across the land. While Sword Elder hadn't publicly transmitted this particular move, anyone who had comprehended the true essence of offensive sword intent could still deduce the immense power of his sword techniques.

Not only 'Breaking the Ocean', but even 'One Sword Reaching Heaven', the most potent of the 'Three Illusory Void Swords', might not be able to unleash such devastating power.

"Sword Elder's original sword technique didn't possess such might, it's true. However, I made a slight modification to it..." Zhang Xuan explained.

Although 'One Sword Breaking the Ocean' was not weak, it paled significantly in comparison to the version he currently wielded; they were simply not comparable.

The reason for its immense power, which had even sent Jian Qinsheng flying on that occasion, was primarily because all its deficiencies had been perfectly mended. This transformed a technique with over a hundred flaws into a flawless and true Heavenly Dao Sword Art.

"You modified it?"

Feng Ziyi was startled.

If his teacher had modified Sword Elder's ultimate move, it would be no surprise. But this person was merely at the peak of the Out-of-Body realm. How could he have altered it to be so powerful?

"Exactly. If I hadn't modified it, how could I have sent you flying with only one-third of my strength?"

"One-third?"

A corner of Feng Ziyi's mouth twitched, and his facial muscles trembled.

Just now, he had employed his most powerful techniques to block the sword qi, yet he was still knocked back dozens of meters. He had assumed his opponent had used their full strength, but he never expected...

Suppressing the urge to cough up blood, he couldn't help but say, "This sword art of yours is grand and magnificent, like an ocean overturning. There's no way it could be achieved with just one-third of your strength..."

In a battle between two combatants, psychological warfare was also crucial. Their previous exchange had been fiercely contested; in fact, he had been suppressing his opponent. How could a mere one-third of his opponent's strength crush him after weapons were introduced?

Was it a deliberate exaggeration to break his confidence?

"Ah... you've seen through me. Actually... I'm a very humble person, so I understated it. In reality, I only used one-sixth of my strength just now..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

After all, the opponent was Master Yang's student, so he had held back a significant amount of power during the attack. Upon closer calculation, it was indeed as he had estimated: only one-sixth of his actual strength.

He had originally intended to be modest, giving the other party some confidence, but he didn't expect to be found out.

Since that was the case, he had no choice but to admit it.

Feng Ziyi's vision swam, and he nearly vomited blood.

His intention had been to ask if the opponent had used their full strength but claimed one-third to demoralize him. He never imagined that the opponent had actually been *more* modest...

"Don't hold back your strength! Attack with everything you have! I want to see just how powerful your move truly is!"

Suppressing the frustration in his heart, Feng Ziyi gritted his teeth.

He simply couldn't believe it possessed such immense power!

"Full strength attack?"

Zhang Xuan frowned. "If I use my full strength, I fear I might lose control and accidentally kill you!"

He had been reluctant to use his full strength earlier, partly because his opponent was Master Yang's student. More importantly, once he fully unleashed it, the technique wouldn't cease until his true qi was completely depleted. Previously, when his true qi reserves were low, this wasn't an issue. But now, with his dantian transformed by the gourd, his true qi had increased by more than five times. If he were to lose control again... he feared significant problems would arise.

"Can't control it?"

Feng Ziyi gritted his teeth, "Don't worry, I am a Void-Entering realm expert, and I possess many techniques. Even if you lose control, it won't be easy to truly harm me!"

"This..."

Zhang Xuan still hesitated, a troubled expression on his face. "Your strength is impressive, and I admire it greatly, but... this is the new student dormitory area. If my move is too powerful, I'm afraid it might destroy the buildings..."

He had only been back from outside for less than half a day, and he had already demolished the Heavenly Diviner Guild and the Spirit Awakener Guild. If he were to destroy this new student dormitory as well, he genuinely feared that the top-grade spirit stones he had just acquired would be used for compensation before he even had a chance to truly appreciate them.

"This..."

Feng Ziyi looked around.

Their recent battle had indeed shattered the small courtyard. If they continued fighting here, without the protection of an array, it would certainly cause extensive damage.

"How about this: let's go to the Hall of Rites! Coincidentally, Master Fei is there today with the elite class, conducting practical combat training. Do you dare to fight me there?"

After a moment of hesitation, Feng Ziyi nodded.

"The Hall of Rites? Good!"

After a moment's thought, Zhang Xuan nodded.

The Hall of Rites was precisely the venue where students sparred and engaged in combat. It boasted the finest defensive arrays and mechanisms for observation and data analysis. Competing there meant not only freedom from concern about causing destruction but also the ability to analyze one's own combat data and flaws, thereby enhancing one's fighting prowess!

"Let's go!"

Seeing Zhang Xuan agree, Feng Ziyi turned and walked directly towards the Five Great Halls.

Without hesitation, Zhang Xuan followed closely.

Of the Five Great Halls, he had previously visited the Hall of Wisdom, the Hall of Rites, and the Hall of Benevolence. However, he had never been to the Hall of Rites itself, so this was a good opportunity to see it. If it truly was immune to destruction, he could practice here in the future without any concerns.