Chapter 402: Zhao Ya, Jian Lai

Whoosh! A burst of force energy shot out like a white beam, hurtling straight towards Zhang Xuan.

The Zhizun (Supreme) realm, also known as the Myriad Cauldron realm, is the final stage of the nine levels of martial artist cultivation. At this level, both the physical body and zhenqi reach their absolute peak, making practitioners incomparable to those in the Zongshi (Master) realm.

Although Lin Ruotian was only a Half-step Zhizun, the power within him was inexhaustible, flowing like a surging river. His zhenqi surged forth like a giant whip, reducing the surrounding rocks to dust even before it fully reached its target.

As his zhenqi circulated to its limit, it emitted a piercing, whistling roar.

"Blood and qi resonating, externalized zhenqi... this, this is a sign of an imminent breakthrough to the Zhizun realm!" Mo Tianxue's face turned pale.

As the top expert in the Tianwu Kingdom's Zongshi Peak realm, he possessed the most knowledge about the Zhizun realm. It was rumored that those who reached this level had their entire body's blood and qi solidified like mercury, and their surging zhenqi would produce a distinct whistling sound.

All along, he had assumed Lin Ruotian's breakthrough was due to his connections with the Xuanyuan Kingdom, believing that even as a Half-step Zhizun, he wouldn't be very stable or formidable. Only now did he realize that was not the case at all!

Lin Ruotian's strength was absolutely among the strongest even within the Half-step Zhizun realm, capable of breaking through the final barrier and reaching the peak of martial arts at any moment!

No wonder, despite being a Half-step Zhizun with the Xuanyuan Kingdom as a powerful backer, he still acted so covertly when scheming against the kingdom-guarding savage beast. It wasn't out of fear of retaliation from the Tianwu royal family, but rather to mislead them. His true objective was likely to successfully break through to the Zhizun realm as quickly as possible. At that point, he could simply overwhelm them, and even if the Master Teacher Pavilion became aware, they would be powerless to stop him.

From his current state, it was clear that if President Liu hadn't forced him to act, he would likely have broken through his shackles and succeeded in his breakthrough within a year at most, or even just a few months. At that point, even without any disguise, the others would have been helpless.

It was terrifying! Mo Tianxue shivered, a chill running through his body.

If President Liu hadn't directly confronted Lin Ruotian, this secret might never have been discovered. It was laughable how ignorant they had been, thinking that as long as the kingdom-guarding savage beast lived, the other party wouldn't dare make a move.

"President Liu... he's probably going to collapse soon..." Mo Tianxue thought, horrified yet filled with worry.

Although President Liu was formidable at the Zongshi Peak, he was likely still a significant step behind compared to an expert of Lin Ruotian's caliber. Beyond everything else, simply in terms of strength, Lin Ruotian's power must have already reached over 9,000 cauldrons, capable of perfectly overwhelming anyone with just his zhenqi.

He couldn't help but look forward.

"Impressive..." Zhang Xuan murmured, his initially dismissive gaze becoming solemn, much like Mo Tianxue's worried expression.

Having broken through to the Zongshi Peak, Zhang Xuan now commanded a formidable 5,000 cauldrons of power, comparable to an ordinary Half-step Zhizun. However, against Lin Ruotian, he was still considerably outmatched.

The moment their forces met, Zhang Xuan immediately felt immense pressure.

His opponent's zhenqi surged like river water; dodging was impossible, leaving him no choice but to meet it head-on.

He stumbled back seven or eight steps, his blood and qi boiling within him.

Knowing he couldn't withstand a direct confrontation, Zhang Xuan remained calm. With a mental flick, his eyes radiated a brilliant light, and intricate patterns slowly appeared – his Eye of Insight!

Immediately, he frowned and shook his head helplessly.

The Eye of Insight could discern a cultivator's flaws and weaknesses. However, limited by his own cultivation, and with his opponent being stronger, this formidable ability — a reward for being a 'Heavenly Acknowledged Master Teacher' — was useless. In essence, if an opponent was stronger than him, the Eye of Insight couldn't identify their weaknesses, making it impossible to formulate a winning strategy.

"Never mind, flaws!" Knowing this newly acquired talent was useless at this moment, he swiftly commanded mentally. The Library of Heaven's Path trembled, and a book appeared before him. He casually flipped it open.

The book's contents flowed into his mind. A moment later, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. "No wonder he's so vigorous and powerful—he actually used spirit beast blood!"

Unlike the Eye of Insight, the Library of Heaven's Path could identify flaws in any martial technique, regardless of the opponent's cultivation level.

It meticulously recorded the Lin family head's true strength, martial techniques, and cultivation methods.

The reason he could break through so quickly and possess such formidable strength was not, as Mo Tianxue had speculated, due to consuming some potent elixir, but rather... the essence blood of a spirit beast!

Spirit beasts are life forms that surpass even savage beasts. The lowest-grade spirit beasts possess power that exceeds a Zhizun. A single drop of essence blood from such a powerful creature could very likely enable a Half-step Zhizun level savage beast to evolve its bloodline and successfully break through to the Zhizun realm.

Lin Ruotian broke through from the Zongshi Peak to Half-step Zhizun precisely by utilizing spirit beast essence blood, which granted him his wild, ferocious, and seemingly boundless power.

"How to deal with him?" Although the Library recorded many flaws, Lin Ruotian's aura was sustained, and with his rampaging zhenqi, it was difficult to even get close, let alone inflict injury.

Upon clashing with such a powerful expert, Zhang Xuan realized that his martial techniques were too fragmented, offering no particular advantage in combat.

Whether it was the Heaven's Path Fist Art or his movement techniques, they were fundamentally one-hit kill methods. These techniques were highly effective at close range, but naturally useless if he couldn't get near. Moreover, even if he managed to close the distance, having consumed spirit beast essence blood, Lin Ruotian's defense was as strong as a savage beast's. It wouldn't be easy to bring him down.

Zhang Xuan feared that even if he exhausted all his zhenqi, he could only injure Lin Ruotian. Killing him would be almost impossible.

After all, Heaven's Path martial techniques—be it fist, movement, or leg arts—demanded a tremendous amount of zhenqi and physical energy. Even at the Zongshi Peak cultivation, he couldn't use them continuously; their usage was limited.

"Forget it," Zhang Xuan decided. "I won't use Heaven's Path martial techniques for now. I'll just wear him down; I don't believe he can last forever!"

With his ability to see through martial techniques, while it was difficult to defeat Lin Ruotian in a single move, it was absolutely impossible for the opponent to injure him. At worst, he would simply wear him down gradually, to see how much stamina he truly possessed. Even with spirit beast essence blood, endless stamina was surely impossible.

While Zhang Xuan's mind wandered, Lin Ruotian on the other side grew increasingly frustrated, almost to the point of spitting blood.

The young man's movement techniques were strange, and his speed was incredibly fast. The moment Lin Ruotian attacked, he poured out his zhenqi like spilled ink, his purpose simple: to prevent his opponent from getting close.

He had expected that such a furious attack, even against an opponent with formidable combat prowess, surely wouldn't last long. But he never expected...

His opponent was like an eel, as if he knew the flaws in Lin Ruotian's cultivation method and moves beforehand. With a slight sway, he would dodge into the blind spot of an attack. Although Lin Ruotian's power was wild, sending rocks flying and making the air explode, not a single hair on the other person was touched!

His rampaging zhenqi didn't even ruffle the other person's hair.

This guy wasn't fighting at all; it was like he was on vacation. All of Lin Ruotian's feints and changing moves were completely useless. His so-called attack traps had no effect whatsoever.

Any casual movement Zhang Xuan made would inevitably lead him to a spot where Lin Ruotian felt extremely uncomfortable, unable to hit or injure him.

It was like holding a large saber, wanting to strike someone, but each swing missed the opponent by mere centimeters. This small difference not only failed to inflict any injury but also made him so exhausted he was about to spit blood.

"Are you serious?!" Lin Ruotian internally fumed. "We're fighting to the death! We've exchanged over a hundred moves, and I haven't even touched a corner of your clothes... You're driving me insane!"

"This...""Are these two... definitely fighting?""Why does it not feel like it?"

As Lin Ruotian verged on madness, the onlookers stared dumbfounded, their faces blank with confusion.

Normally, when two people fight, zhenqi surges, powers clash, and the battle rages fiercely. If there's a disparity in strength, the weaker party, even if they manage to hold on, certainly won't last long. Any true battle must involve collisions and direct engagements...

What in the world! What's going on with these two? They don't look like they're fighting; it's more like... they're dancing!

Lin Ruotian often hadn't even made a move, and President Liu would already have jumped to one side, looking on with a relaxed expression. Only then would Lin Ruotian's attack arrive.

In other words, although it was clearly Lin Ruotian attacking, in the eyes of the onlookers, it seemed as if President Liu merely moved to a spot, and Lin Ruotian obligingly attacked that exact location. One retreated, the other retreated; one advanced, the other advanced... Even dancing wouldn't have such perfect synchronicity!

Could it be that the two already knew each other and were intimately familiar with each other's fighting styles? No, that couldn't be right. Judging by Lin Ruotian's furious expression, as if he could bite someone at any moment, the two clearly didn't know each other. They certainly wouldn't be bored enough to deliberately put on a show in front of everyone!

"President Liu is predicting Lin Ruotian's moves in advance, completely disrupting his rhythm..." Dean Xie's face was solemn.

Such a significant incident, with their academy's teacher causing a scene at the Lin family, naturally brought him news. He had just arrived and witnessed this scene, leaving him utterly dazed.

To predict moves in advance and dodge to a safe spot before the opponent even attacked, rendering his wild power useless... How did he do it?

Even a 3-star master teacher wouldn't possess such terrifying ability! Unless... President Liu was Lin Ruotian's father or teacher, knowing his attacks and moves inside out. Otherwise, it would be impossible to be so familiar and make such accurate predictions!

But... could President Liu truly be Lin Ruotian's father or teacher? Absolutely not!

He had long known that President Liu was highly talented and a bit eccentric, but he never dreamed he would be this eccentric. Forcing an opponent so much stronger than himself to hit nothing but air with every move, rendering even his most powerful techniques completely useless... it was simply astounding.

"You... can you fight me head-on!" Growing more frustrated with each exchange, almost exploding with rage, Lin Ruotian roared.

"Head-on battle? Isn't this exactly what we're doing?" Zhang Xuan replied while nimbly dodging. "You attack, I dodge; you retract your power, I advance... I'm always facing you, so how is this not a head-on battle?"

Hearing this, Lin Ruotian was so frustrated he nearly spat blood. He knew that if he said anything more, he wouldn't even need to fight; he would simply die of rage on the spot.

With a flick of his wrist, a long sword appeared in his palm. With a light slash, the air rippled as if cut like paper. "Do you dare face me with weapons?"

"Weapons? Alright!" Zhang Xuan was momentarily surprised, then smiled. He turned his head and, with a soft chuckle, called out, "Zhao Ya, my sword!"