Chapter 1474: First Victory

The surging true qi shook the ground, stirring up dust. Zhang Jiuxiao wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, his teacher had taken him flying for a while; otherwise, he feared he would truly have been late.

He turned his head to look off the stage and saw his teacher, disguised as a middle-aged man, standing in an inconspicuous corner, smiling slightly. Only then did he look at Qing, who stood opposite him. "Still made it in time..." he said.

"So what if you did?"

Qing scoffed, shook his head, and extended a finger.

Zhang Jiuxiao didn't understand.

"One move is enough to deal with you!"

Qing looked over indifferently, his face full of arrogance. "Even if you've broken through to the early Domain Realm and your strength has increased, it means nothing to me. Now, I'll show you the true gap between a branch disciple and a core one!"

With his words, he stepped forward. Six illusions appeared on the high platform in the blink of an eye. With a light press of his palm, fierce power surged forth.

His attack didn't seem to employ many techniques, yet it enveloped the surrounding space, making escape impossible.

"Impressive!"

Zhang Jiuxiao nodded secretly.

As expected of a core disciple, none of them should be underestimated.

Any other early Domain Realm practitioner encountering this situation would likely be flustered. But Zhang Jiuxiao, having been in the blood pool, had cultivated his nascent soul to the peak of Saint 7-dan. His insight, knowledge, and understanding of martial arts were no less than Zhang Chun's and others', so he naturally wouldn't be fooled by such tactics.

He lightly tapped his foot and suddenly drifted backward. His left hand, clutching the supreme-grade spirit stone, did not loosen its grip, continuing to absorb spiritual energy frantically.

Although his retreat speed wasn't fast, it caused all of Qing's attacks and follow-up moves to miss.

A single exchange of blows, and he remained completely unharmed.

"You have some tricks, but this is as far as you go..."

Unexpectedly, this inconspicuous branch disciple had easily found the flaws in his attack and dodged it. Qing's face turned ashen, his eyebrows shot up, and he changed his palm into a claw, swiping through the air.

The air crackled!

As power surged from Qing's palm, Zhang Jiuxiao immediately felt as if his body was bound by ropes, irresistibly pulled towards his opponent.

Knowing that once he was close, escape would be difficult, Zhang Jiuxiao took a deep breath. No longer suppressing it, the spiritual energy from the supreme-grade spirit stone in his palm surged into his body like a river.

"Break through!"

With a furious roar, his entire aura suddenly soared skyward. His full strength climbed steadily, and in the blink of an eye, he broke through the early Domain Realm, charging towards the middle stage.

Once his cultivation reached the middle Domain Realm, his strength and aura nearly doubled. His forward movement halted, and he gradually became stable.

"He can still break through?"

Qing was startled, his eyes flashing.

According to the information he had, this branch disciple, Zhang Jiuxiao, was at most at the peak of the Spirit Severing Realm, still some distance from the Domain Realm. It was already surprising to see him break through just now, but he never expected him to continue!

But even if he reached the middle Domain Realm, so what?

There was still a significant gap to the peak!

"Trying to sharpen your spear on the battlefield? It's too late..."

With a sneer, his true qi circulated rapidly within him, and the pulling force from his palm surged once more.

A grating sound echoed.

Grooves appeared on the ground. Zhang Jiuxiao could no longer hold on and was slowly pulled forward.

Not only was his opponent at the peak of the Domain Realm, but he had also been immersed in it for an unknown period, having long mastered his cultivation methods and power. When displayed now, there was no awkwardness, making it difficult to resist.

"Whether it's too late or not is not for you to decide..."

With a flick of his wrist, he put the supreme-grade spirit stone into his ring. Zhang Jiuxiao gave a cold smile and suddenly stamped his feet.

Boom!

Two large pits appeared on the ground as his feet sank into them. His forward-moving body immediately came to a halt.

Early Domain Realm might not have been enough to contend with his opponent, but mid-stage... that was enough!

Even if his opponent was a core disciple capable of fighting above his rank, Zhang Jiuxiao's bloodline was now purer. Crossing just two minor levels shouldn't be difficult!

"Hmm?"

He didn't expect his opponent to stop and remain unbudging despite his full strength. Qing's face darkened again, losing his previous contempt. His body swayed, and he unleashed a punch.

Although he inwardly looked down on this branch disciple, after two consecutive moves, he already knew that if he didn't use his full strength, the outcome was uncertain.

Immediately, all contempt vanished.

Boom!

The fist crushed forward, and an umbrella-shaped arc of power immediately appeared before him. The air emitted a "creaking" sound, as if it would shatter at any moment.

"It's a high-grade Saint Realm martial art, the Fissure Fist!"

"One punch, and the air fissures. It's a technique where the cultivator instantly unleashes their full power through a special method. Its power is immense, impossible to guard against!"

"This is a secret art that only core disciples can cultivate. Branch disciples haven't even seen it before. Let's see how he resists!"

Everyone focused their gaze on Zhang Jiuxiao, wanting to see how this latecomer would face the enemy.

Uncaring of the crowd's discussions, Zhang Jiuxiao showed no tension or agitation. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes.

In his spiritual perception, the opponent's attacking fist technique became slower and slower, like an elderly person practicing Tai Chi.

"This is the benefit of a pure bloodline..."

He took a deep breath and smiled slightly.

Although he hadn't activated his bloodline, its integration into his entire body had already brought about a complete transformation in him.

Although the opponent's moves were extraordinary, in his eyes, it was as if time had slowed down, allowing him to easily detect their flaws.

"My teacher said," he recalled, "when facing such attacks, just attack the vital points and break their defense..."

His teacher's words flowed through his mind. He formed his fingers into a sword and lightly tapped a certain spot.

Shatter!

Before his finger even reached Qing, Qing's Fissure Fist truly developed fissures and began to shatter like glass. A look of unbelievable terror appeared on Qing's face, which had just been full of confidence and pride.

Hit in the chest, Qing fell from the air to the ground with a splat! His meridians throbbed with intense pain, and unable to endure it any longer, he spewed out a mouthful of blood.

"You... you..."

He hastily looked up and again gazed at the branch disciple before him, his eyes filled with terror.

He knew very well how powerful his Fissure Fist was. Under normal circumstances, even an early Void-entering Saint 7-dan expert wouldn't dare to take it head-on. Yet now... his opponent not only took it but easily broke it!

From this one move, it was clear that his opponent's insight and understanding far surpassed his own!

Is he really a branch disciple?

How could he be so powerful?

"You lost..."

Knowing what shocked his opponent, Zhang Jiuxiao smiled faintly, put his hands behind his back, and stood with an air of condescension and complete composure.

While Zhang Jiuxiao wore a proud expression, Zhang Xuan, who was below the stage, was almost fuming.

"That show-off," Zhang Xuan muttered, "He could have finished him in one move, but he insisted on using three... How did I end up with such an unreliable disciple?"