Chapter 1979: Please Call Me Gao Jin

"One-Sword Serenity" was considered a top-tier sword art among the many in the Inner Sect, especially when all nine swords were fully combined; it would definitely rank among the top three at the same cultivation level.

Even though Zhu Yanzhi had only mastered eight swords, he was still very powerful. However, his opponent seemed to know the intricacies of his sword art. As soon as the fight began, the opponent exploited the gap where the ninth sword, which Zhu Yanzhi hadn't mastered, should have been. Because it wasn't mastered, it became the biggest flaw in his sword move! How did his opponent manage to find this spot right at the beginning of the move, preventing Zhu Yanzhi from even inflicting a scratch? Even the number one ranked disciple in the Inner Sect couldn't have done that!

His face filled with urgency, Zhu Yanzhi twisted his longsword, intending to switch to another ultimate move to strike down his opponent. Just then, he saw the young man's longsword suddenly rise and thrust towards his glabella. This move could not only break his "One-Sword Serenity" but also effortlessly sever his attempted counter-move, leaving him no room to resist. In other words, if that sword were to truly descend, there would be no need for a counter-move, nor for him to continue fighting; he would undoubtedly be impaled through the glabella and killed instantly.

"I..." His body turned cold, and Zhu Yanzhi's face was filled with panic. He had thought that by unleashing his ultimate move, he could surely force his opponent to reveal their true strength. He never expected to be defeated without even lasting half a move! With this level of power, could the two of them really uncover the opponent's exact identity? If they couldn't... wouldn't coming all this way to compete, causing such a stir, just result in another loss? Filled with regret, as he was thinking he shouldn't have listened to others and continued this bet, the sword that was poised to kill him at any moment suddenly stopped. He looked up and saw that "I'm Very Low-Key" had a conflicted expression on his face.

Having narrowly escaped death, Zhu Yanzhi hastily retreated a step to avoid the killing blow. He then spun around and unleashed another ultimate move. "One-Sword Serenity," though powerful, was no longer a threat once it had been deciphered. The move he unleashed this time was less potent than the former but excelled in its "speed." This was the "Gale Quick Sword!" Each move was faster than the last. After ten consecutive moves, it resembled a fierce storm, utterly unstoppable. This move was most suitable for cultivators at the Ancient Saint Fourth Stage. For someone at the Ancient Saint First Stage, wielding it with their qi and physical body put immense pressure on them, but in this critical situation, he used it anyway.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The swift sword, imbued with a gale, transformed into streaks of sword shadows that tore through the air. Zhu Yanzhi originally thought that even if he didn't win with this move, his opponent would at least be in a sorry state. However, he immediately realized... his opponent made no unnecessary movements, simply stepped forward again, and pressed down with another sword. This was "Great Skill Concealed," perfectly striking the weak point of his quick sword. Likewise, if that sword were to descend, he would undoubtedly be cleaved in two and die instantly.

In other words, despite unleashing his "Gale Quick Sword," it was once again broken by a single move from his opponent! Zhu Yanzhi was on the verge of going mad! Just as he was about to close his eyes and await death, he saw "I'm Very Low-Key" looking conflicted again, and the longsword stopped once more. He quickly rolled away, narrowly escaping another fatal blow, and gasped for breath. Zhu Yanzhi then unleashed yet another ultimate move. Having been at the Lingyun Sword Pavilion for so many years, he had learned countless powerful sword techniques, each possessing immense might. Just like before, he had only unleashed one stance when his opponent seemed to have already deciphered it. The longsword followed closely, poised to kill if it fell, but... it just didn't descend. He consecutively switched through seven sets of movement techniques and twelve sets of sword arts, and each time it was the same. Zhu Yanzhi was practically tearing his hair out.

It wasn't just him; the spectators below exchanged glances, all dumbfounded. "He could clearly win in one move... why does he stop halfway every time?" "I don't know... if he just unleashed it, he'd definitely win!" "I originally thought that 'Zao Zao' (Zhu Yanzhi's alias) was suppressed and couldn't move after half a move, but now it seems that's not the reason at all!" "'Zao Zao' was beaten to the point of having no chance to retaliate. He's deliberately stopping, but... I really can't figure out why he'd stop..." After watching for a while longer, everyone felt a bit bewildered. "I'm Very Low-Key" on the platform could clearly win with a single move, yet he stopped every time. It was as if he had reached the peak of excitement, and continuing would turn the world upside down, but he inexplicably... decided to rest. Once could be an accident, but doing it repeatedly suggested it was intentional!

"What exactly are you trying to do...?" While the people below were dumbfounded, Zhu Yanzhi on the platform couldn't take it anymore. After an opening, he finally couldn't hold back and leaped out of the arena. He had participated in so many matches, but this was the first time he wished someone would just hack him to death with a sword! "Aren't we having a match?" Seeing him stop, Zhang Xuan paused. "A match... you could clearly kill me with one sword, why did you keep stopping...?" Zhu Yanzhi gritted his teeth and asked. Since everyone had seen it, there was nothing to hide. "Well..." Zhang Xuan scratched his head. "Looking at my name, you should know that killing you with one sword... doesn't fit my character? I don't want to cause a sensation!"

"You don't want to cause a sensation?" Zhu Yanzhi nearly fainted. You call this low-key? Low-key my foot! Finding the flaw in every move, but just not striking... that's not being low-key; that's deliberately showing off your superior swordsmanship! And you don't want to cause a sensation? It seems you think the sensation isn't big enough, don't you...? Everyone in the audience had their mouths agape, as if stuffed with eggs... this was far more sensational than being killed by a single sword, wasn't it?!

"I surrender..." Knowing that continuing the match would infuriate him to death, Zhu Yanzhi gritted his teeth and turned to leave. It wasn't that he didn't want to compete, but he simply couldn't bear the pressure anymore! Throughout the match, he had this persistent feeling... that was, "Just hack me to death, please hack me to death..." "Sigh, I really didn't want to be too flashy..." Seeing Zhu Yanzhi's disbelief, Zhang Xuan shook his head helplessly. Actually, letting the opponent unleash a few more moves was just one reason... since they had already lost so much money, killing them instantly... felt a bit rude! After all, he was a polite person. Since he was earning money, it was only natural to let the others show off a few more moves as a gesture.

With "Zao Zao" (Zhu Yanzhi) surrendering, the second grey-robed young man, "Into the Night," stepped onto the stage. "You are very strong..." Holding his longsword, "Into the Night" stood on the platform, his eyes narrowed. He had originally thought that by having the two of them attack in turns, no matter how strong the opponent was, they would surely have to unleash their ultimate moves, making it difficult to conceal their identity. He never dreamed that after Zhu Yanzhi's match, the opponent hadn't sustained a single injury, nor even been put in any danger! Thus, all the pressure now fell upon him. "I hope you won't hold back. Use your strongest attack to defeat me!" "Into the Night" said, raising an eyebrow. "Use my strongest attack?" Zhang Xuan hesitated, seeing the opponent's request. "Exactly!" "Into the Night" nodded. As long as his opponent unleashed their strongest attack, even if he lost, he would still be able to deduce their identity, making it a worthwhile trade. "This... alright!" Seeing the sincerity in his opponent's eyes, Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Begin!" Taking a deep breath, "Into the Night" circulated his true qi throughout his body, his longsword trembling. Just as he was about to make his move, his vision blurred, and a sword was already at his neck. The sharp sword edge grazed his skin; it seemed as if a single movement would result in his immediate death. "Into the Night" looked utterly bewildered. What the hell! Brother, when did you get here? What's your name? What move did you use? Why is there a sword at my neck?! He had expected his opponent to unleash an ultimate move, allowing him to discern some clues. But instead... the sword was already at his neck, and he didn't even know what move had been used... Did it have to be this fast? "You lost..." Zhang Xuan said. He had originally thought about fighting a few moves and then letting the opponent win, but since such a request was made, it didn't matter. As long as they paid up readily, any request was acceptable!

"I..." "Into the Night" felt like dying. With the sword already at his neck, he couldn't deny it; he had definitely lost. After two matches, they hadn't posed any threat whatsoever, let alone discerned any specific sword moves! However, even though they hadn't definitively identified the person, they had narrowed down the possibilities. There were definitely no more than five people in the Inner Sect with this level of strength! But... people with such strength were cultivated by the sect, lacked no resources, and could easily earn Sword Pavilion Coins. They would never participate in gambling for a small amount of money. After all, ruining a promising future for such a trivial gain would be a huge loss... Yet, the person before them seemed like a money-grubber, not letting a single coin slip by... This didn't align with those few individuals at all! No matter how they thought about it, they were completely baffled.

"You lost, give me 720 Sword Pavilion Coins!" Stepping off the platform, Zhang Xuan looked over. He now knew the true identities of the two in front of him through the match, so he wasn't worried they wouldn't pay. "Here..." Having tried to trick someone but ended up losing themselves, Zhu Yanzhi and "Into the Night" looked as if they had lost their parents. Yet, they had no choice but to pool their money and pay the debt. "Welcome to bet with me again next time..." Seeing that he had earned over 1,400 Sword Pavilion Coins in less than twenty minutes, Zhang Xuan was utterly satisfied and looked at the two "Gods of Wealth" before him with great delight.

Seeing Zhang Xuan's sincere gaze, both Zhu Yanzhi and "Into the Night" felt a pang in their hearts. "We weren't here to give away money; we wanted to win money..." "How is it that in his eyes, we seem like 'big fools'?" Thinking about it carefully, they had indeed given away so many years of savings in just about twenty minutes... perhaps they really were "big fools," and the incredibly foolish kind at that... "Could you tell me... your real name?" Seeing Zhang Xuan about to leave after winning the money, Zhu Yanzhi could no longer hold back and asked. "Me? My real name?" He glanced at them, seeing their expectant eyes. Zhang Xuan untied his hair, wet it with water, combed it back, and clasped his hands behind his back, leaving them with only his back view. "Please call me... Gao Jin!" After speaking, he paid no further attention to the two bewildered figures. With a thought, his consciousness left the Spirit Unveiling Hall.

His purpose in coming this time was to earn money. Now that he had the large sum of 1,440 Sword Pavilion Coins, it should be enough for a while, so there was no need to stay longer. "Gao Jin?" "Is there an Inner Sect disciple named Gao Jin? Go check..." Full of doubt, the two hastily went to investigate. Moments later, they were all gritting their teeth... That guy had tricked them! "Next time, if I don't make you cough up everything you took from us, I'm not Zhu Yanzhi!" Zhu Yanzhi gnashed his teeth, growing angrier the more he thought about it. "He's so strong, what can we do?" "Into the Night" was also furious to the point of exploding, but there was nothing he could do.

"It's simple," Zhu Yanzhi's eyes gleamed. "He's powerful, but he might not be the absolute strongest in the Inner Sect... In that case, we can go find those few top individuals... We'll tell them that an unrivaled master has appeared in the Spirit Unveiling Hall and get them to take action! Then... we'll place our bets!" "That's right!" "Into the Night's" eyes lit up. "Let's do it!" Although "I'm Very Low-Key" was formidable, he might not be the number one ranked in the Inner Sect... If that was the case, why not invite those few monstrous talents here?

Zhang Xuan returned to his room, pondered for a moment, and then walked out again. His cultivation had been at the Shattered Void realm for a long time; it was time to strive for a higher realm! However... to break through to a higher realm, he needed sufficient cultivation techniques. Purchasing them in the Spirit Unveiling Hall would be expensive; it would be better to check the Sword Pavilion's library! It was precisely for this reason that he had allowed Shan Xiaotian to become an Inner Sect disciple of the Lingyun Sword Pavilion. As he stepped out of his room, before he even left the courtyard, he heard the main gate creak open. Elder Lu Yun, looking full of excitement, walked in. At this moment, Elder Lu Yun's aura was subtle and profound. In just a few hours, he had actually broken through the Pseudo-Immortal realm and reached the True Immortal realm!