Chapter 1614: One Person Against Two Characters

"I'll do it!" Zhang Xuan felt a surge of embarrassment. He had been so engrossed in observing Wu Chen that he'd completely forgotten the protocol. As this was a test, it was inappropriate to let the girl go first while he merely stood by and watched.

"It makes no difference who goes first," the stone statue boy said indifferently. He didn't care about the order. With a flick of his wrist, the second golden warrior, materialized from the character "Zi," stepped forward.

"Of course it's different," Zhang Xuan said, lifting an eyebrow. "You have three characters here, to contend with our three people... If I can defeat all these golden warriors by myself, then she won't need to intervene, will she?"

"One person against two characters?" The stone statue boy was taken aback, then a slight smile touched his lips. "Are you certain?"

"Absolutely!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had closely observed the first golden warrior's battle with Wu Chen. At their current cultivation level, its strength was not as formidable as he had initially thought, making victory quite straightforward for him. Given this, there was no need to inconvenience Luo Ruoxi by having her participate.

"Zhang Xuan," Luo Ruoxi warned, her brow furrowing slightly, "the golden warriors, especially those linked to the 'Shi' character, grow stronger with each successive one. Do not underestimate them..." She hadn't anticipated his intention to challenge two at once.

"It's fine. Just two characters," Zhang Xuan said with a confident smile. "Watch me break them with sheer force..."

"Very well, be careful then..." Seeing his determined expression, Luo Ruoxi said no more and simply nodded.

Once the girl ceased her objections, Zhang Xuan let out a laugh, taking two quick steps toward the golden warriors. As he extended his palm, his aura surged skyward, radiating immense power and heroic spirit.

"He certainly has some heroic spirit..." Wu Chen thought, secretly approving of Zhang Xuan's demeanor. He had always puzzled over why his highly capable young lady was fond of this seemingly unconventional fellow. However, witnessing Zhang Xuan step forward to challenge two characters by himself for the woman he cared for, Wu Chen began to understand. While Zhang Xuan occasionally seemed to enjoy showing off and teasing others, he was indeed quite dependable when it mattered most.

Whoosh! As Zhang Xuan advanced without further ado, the two golden warriors instantly suppressed their cultivation to the peak of the Saint Realm Ninth Level. They launched a coordinated attack from left and right. Though their techniques differed, their movements were flawlessly synchronized, as if guided by a single mind. Every strike targeted Zhang Xuan's unavoidable vulnerabilities, making evasion incredibly difficult.

"Impressive!" Zhang Xuan remarked, noting that the coordinated effort of the two warriors was indeed more formidable than the single "Ran" character he'd just observed. Far from being nervous, he offered a slight smile and extended a finger forward.

"Freeze!" Whoosh! The surrounding space was instantly sealed. The gentle breeze that had been blowing moments before ceased, its movement suspended mid-air alongside his command. The attacking movements of the two golden warriors were likewise halted, like fish frozen solid in a river, unable to advance even an inch. Anything falling would now remain suspended, quietly hovering rather than dropping to the ground.

Having fully grasped the true essence of Spatial Confinement, while it might not completely immobilize Grand Saint-level experts, those at the same cultivation level would find it impossible to break free. In essence, wielding this ability renders one virtually invincible against opponents of the same rank. The only exceptions would be if an adversary had also comprehended the identical spatial laws, or possessed a comparable ability, such as the Zhang Clan's temporal laws.

After immobilizing the two golden warriors with a single technique, Zhang Xuan snorted, extending a finger to disperse them. Just then, the stone statue boy's astonished voice rang out: "Qiu Wu Ancient Sage's Spatial Confinement? So you are a successor of Qiu Wu Zi! Please show mercy!"

"Oh?" Zhang Xuan was surprised that the stone statue could recognize his technique instantly. He turned to face it.

Whoosh! As Zhang Xuan's focus briefly wavered, the power of spatial confinement instantly released. In that moment, the wind resumed its gentle flow, and the two golden warriors' suspended attacks surged forward once more.

"Heh heh!" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. Without any discernible movement from him, the incoming attacks suddenly veered away, narrowly missing his body before arcing upwards and vanishing into the air the next instant, leaving no trace.

"It's Spatial Distortion..." Wu Chen's eyes widened in disbelief. This was precisely the technique Zhang Xuan had used to counter the Luo Clan elders' Demonic Suppressing Circle formation: distorting space. In a mere instant, he could twist the space around his body, causing it to extend upwards, making any incoming attack harmless. While this technique was simple for Zhang Xuan at his current level, it was almost impossible for someone at the peak of the Saint Realm Ninth Level to execute!

Yet, this person before him had done it with effortless ease... Throughout his long life, Wu Chen had witnessed this true essence of spatial distortion being used and had read countless texts detailing its power and execution speed. But comparing all that knowledge to what Zhang Xuan had just demonstrated, it felt like merely stumbling steps compared to the mastery of a true teacher.

They were simply not on the same level. To achieve such power in less than ten minutes after learning it, surpassing those who had dedicated their entire lives to it... What exactly was going on?

As Wu Chen pondered, the stone statue boy, standing nearby, also seemed to sense something was amiss. He frowned in confusion. "Qiu Wu Zi's Spatial Confinement is indeed formidable, but for you to wield it so flawlessly at your current level of strength... even if he were to be resurrected, he likely couldn't achieve such mastery!"

Qiu Wu Zi's Spatial Confinement was impressive, but not to this incredible degree. "Oh, Qiu Wu Ancient Sage's secret art for Spatial Confinement had a few minor flaws," Zhang Xuan casually explained with a nod, "so I took the liberty of modifying it a bit."

While the *Yan Kong Heavenly Book* was considered the most supreme secret manual on the continent, under the scrutiny of the Heaven's Path, its flaws became glaringly apparent. Zhang Xuan, who cultivated the Heaven's Path divine art, naturally wielded power that was incomparable. The former technique of spatial confinement required a build-up of power and incurred a time delay, whereas the Heaven's Path cultivation method required none of these.

"Mod-mod-modify?" Wu Chen nearly stumbled to the ground before the stone statue boy could even react. He had personally witnessed Zhang Xuan's breakthrough simply by borrowing a book. He had assumed that merely being able to learn such a technique under those circumstances was already an extraordinary stroke of luck. He never in his wildest dreams imagined that Zhang Xuan would not only master it but also deem it flawed and then casually *modify* it...

And most crucially, he had succeeded in modifying it, making the technique even more potent... This was simply outrageous! Was there any justice left? Any common sense? Could that basic introductory text truly be so profound? To allow someone to glance at it and even alter Qiu Wu Ancient Sage's ultimate technique? If this were true, then upon returning, he would have to study and research it diligently, striving to someday possess such a mastery over space!

"You modified it?" The stone statue boy also looked incredulous. However, he quickly rationalized that Zhang Xuan's success must have come from the guidance of numerous master teachers from the Master Teacher Pavilion, or perhaps by leveraging some ancestral legacy. Dismissing further questions, he continued, "Since you possess the inheritance of Qiu Wu Zi, you are naturally qualified to enter. Please, come in!"

With a bow, he turned and led the way. *Creak!* As he stepped forward, the closed palace doors before them rumbled open, releasing a powerful wave of ancient and primeval energy.