Chapter 884: Zhang Xuan's Strength

"Teacher Zhang..."

Upon seeing him, Hu Yaoyao and the others' eyes lit up. Just as they were about to leave, they heard the master teacher opposite them let out a cold snort: "You want to stop? It's not that easy!"

*Whoosh!*

Moving his body, the long sword in his hand slashed out repeatedly. Powerful energy blades pursued them, and Hu Yaoyao and the others were immediately pulled back into the fight, hastily counterattacking. However, it was still a bit late. Each of them had their arms pierced by the long sword, bleeding profusely.

"What fast swordsmanship!" Zhang Xuan noted. The opponent's sword moves were not complicated, but their speed was extremely high, and their understanding of sword intent had reached a very high level. Even with Hu Yaoyao and the other three working together, they suffered heavy losses and couldn't disengage from the fight.

"Friend, we are all master teachers. Let's talk this out; there's no need for a life-and-death duel!" Seeing that the opponent wouldn't stop and Hu Yaoyao and the others were forced to retaliate, unable to escape, Zhang Xuan looked over.

"No need for a life-and-death struggle? Alright. If you can save them, I'll stop. If not, then I'm afraid they'll have to lie down today!" The strong cultivator at the Silkworm Chrysalis realm, who was fighting Hu Yaoyao and the others, spoke with his long sword still flashing, seemingly feeling no pressure at all. Instead, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile.

His voice was very young. Only then did Zhang Xuan pay attention to his appearance. This person was actually younger than Hu Yaoyao and the others, appearing to be in his early twenties. To reach the peak of the Silkworm Chrysalis realm at such an age, and to suppress the four of them, forcing them to take hits, his strength was truly terrifying! The Half-Saint not far away was also not old, seemingly around twenty-four or twenty-five.

"In that case, excuse me!" Seeing that they couldn't escape and their injuries would surely worsen if he didn't act, Zhang Xuan stopped wasting words. His body swayed, and he charged straight into the battle circle.

"Stepping Void realm?" The Half-Saint on the side, seeing him display his strength, showed deep disdain on his face, a smile playing on his lips, as if waiting to see a joke. Even a peak Silkworm Chrysalis realm cultivator couldn't hold their own against his partner, so for an early-stage Stepping Void realm cultivator to charge in... wasn't he just asking for death?

"I thought he was powerful, but he's only at the Stepping Void realm. My apologies, but you can lie down first!" The young man fighting also discerned Zhang Xuan's strength and likewise let out a light chuckle. With four sword strikes, he forced Hu Yaoyao and the others back, then raised an eyebrow and thrust his sword straight forward.

Even before the sword arrived, an intense aura pressed down, piercing to the bone marrow, making one's body turn cold. Although the opponent was only at the Silkworm Chrysalis realm, the power of this sword strike far surpassed that of some Half-Saint experts! No wonder Hu Yaoyao and the others, four against one, were still no match.

Seeing the long sword thrusting towards him, Zhang Xuan did not dodge. His Eye of Insight twitched, immediately identifying where the opponent's sword blade would land. He took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. *Whoosh!* His chest immediately caved in.

In a master's duel, even a hair's breadth can make a difference. The opponent's sword strike wasn't intended to kill but merely to pierce his chest. The control of power was extremely precise. As his chest caved in, the sword's wild power was precisely diverted past him. A mighty force, once its momentum is spent, can't even pierce the thinnest silk! Although the sword move was powerful, at this moment, it had lost its effectiveness. With a faint smile, Zhang Xuan brought his index and middle fingers together and lightly pinched.

The opponent's incredibly sharp sword glow immediately stopped, like a snake held by its seven-inch vital point. No matter how much it struggled, it couldn't break free.

"What powerful judgment, what a calm mind..." The Half-Saint on the side narrowed his pupils. This move looked simple and finished quickly, but it actually demanded exceptional eyesight, judgment, and mental fortitude. With such a sharp sword strike, misjudging it would easily lead to a pierced chest. Furthermore, someone with poor mental fortitude would never dare to let the sword get so close without batting an eye.

"Interesting!" A mere junior at the Stepping Void realm dared to use his fingers to parry a peak Silkworm Chrysalis realm long sword. He had considerable guts. "However, Wu Xu's sword isn't so easily parried. If you want to take it, you'll have to pay a price!"

His companion's swordsmanship was exceptional. While the opponent might have cleverly parried it just now, it wouldn't be so easy next time. With a smirk, the Half-Saint looked on with a casual gaze, anticipating how his companion would injure the young man. However, he then saw his companion's face turn red, seemingly using all his might, yet unable to pull his long sword free from the opponent's two fingers.

"What's going on?" His friend was practically unrivaled at his own level. Facing a junior almost two realms weaker than him, not only was his sword caught, but he couldn't even pull it out... How was that possible?

"You... you..." While he was shocked, Wu Xu on the other side was nearly driven mad with fear. He had thought Zhang Xuan was just a small fry at the Stepping Void realm, easily dealt with. He never dreamed that his full-force sword strike would be effortlessly caught by the opponent, and he couldn't even break free!

"Let go!" Wu Xu gritted his teeth, his entire body's strength surging like a dragon.

"Here!" Zhang Xuan's fingers suddenly released.

"Hmph!" Wu Xu proved himself a master of practical combat. Unlike Ying Qin, who would have stumbled from a sudden release, he sank his body, neutralizing the force. Raising an eyebrow, he thrust his sword forward again.

Seemingly aware that the person before him was not simple, this time his attack was even more swift and rapid, appearing before Zhang Xuan almost unnoticed.

"That 'Drifting Sword' technique was used well; it already has two or three tenths of my mastery!" The Half-Saint on the side nodded secretly, seeing this sword strike. This strike was both swift and rapid. Once unleashed, it carried a sense of unchallenged dominance! Although it was only two or three tenths of his own level, it was still formidable. With the two of them so close, let alone trying to catch the sword, even dodging would likely be too late. A typical mid-stage Half-Saint expert encountering it would probably only suffer bitter defeat. It was clear that the Stepping Void realm fellow opposite him was doomed to fail!

"Seeking death!" Seeing that he had let the opponent go, yet the opponent was still so vicious—if Zhang Xuan didn't react quickly enough, he would be severely injured, or at least incapacitated for several months, even if he didn't die. A displeased look appeared on Zhang Xuan's face. He raised an eyebrow, still not dodging, bent his middle finger, and lightly flicked.

With a crisp *crack*, the opponent's long sword, in the blink of an eye, shattered into several pieces like broken glass and fell from the air. When he had just gripped it, the Library of Heaven's Path had already provided a detailed description of the opponent's long sword, revealing its flaws. Now, combined with his strength comparable to a peak Half-Saint, a single flick of his finger pulverized it.

"What?!" Watching his Spirit-grade high-tier long sword being destroyed by a single finger, Wu Xu nearly fainted, trembling uncontrollably, almost losing his mind. A Spirit-grade high-tier long sword was so durable that even a Half-Saint would find it difficult to destroy. Yet, during combat, the opponent had shattered it with a single flick of his finger... How did he do it?

The Half-Saint on the side also felt his eyes nearly pop out. He had just thought the opponent would be severely injured, or close to it, but instead, with one finger, the opponent shattered Wu Xu's long sword into pieces... This level of strength was truly terrifying! Was he truly at the Stepping Void realm? How could someone at a lower cultivation level be stronger than them? Or even more powerful than Wu Xu?

"Damn it!" Despite his long sword being shattered and his momentary shock, Wu Xu's body swayed, and he continued to charge forward. Even he couldn't believe that someone nearly two major realms lower than him could easily overwhelm him.

Seeing that the young man still dared to attack, Zhang Xuan shook his head, clenched his fist, and extended it forward. Fist of Heavenly Dao! With just one strike, Wu Xu was hit in the chest, collapsing to the ground, vomiting large mouthfuls of blood. His entire stomach was somewhat contorted by the immense force, and he remained kneeling on the ground for a long time, unable to catch his breath.

"You..." After meditating for a long time, Wu Xu finally recovered, his face contorted. Just as he was about to continue the fight, the Half-Saint on the side spoke: "That's enough! Haven't you disgraced yourself enough?"

"Yes!" Struggling to his feet, Wu Xu swallowed a pill, immediately feeling much better. He shot a venomous glare at Zhang Xuan, but made no further moves.

Ignoring the two of them, Zhang Xuan took out his wine gourd, infused it with true qi, and let Hu Yaoyao and the others heal their injuries. Only then did he turn to look at the two. "Gentlemen, we are all master teachers. For you to immediately attack upon arrival, and with such ruthlessness, it seems you have little regard for the rules of the Master Teacher Pavilion!"

"Ruthlessness? Hand over the Crimson Glow Fruits, and today's matter will be settled. Otherwise, none of you will leave..." Wu Xu gritted his teeth.

"Crimson Glow Fruits? We were behind you; when did we ever take Crimson Glow Fruits?" Xue Zhenyang, with his fiery temper, couldn't help but retort. Those two had hidden in front, set off smoke in the cave, and then rushed in. They themselves hadn't even touched the edge of the cave, yet these two were demanding Crimson Glow Fruits from them. That wasn't how you accuse people!

"We investigated earlier, and the Crimson Glow Fruits were inside. But when we went back in, they were gone, and the fruit trees were clearly ripened prematurely with a powerful force! There are only so many people in this valley; who else could it be but you?" Wu Xu said. The two saber-toothed spirit tigers had already been drugged, and they had searched them. There were no signs that the tigers had swallowed the fruits. From this, it was clear that someone had gotten there first and taken the items. In this valley, besides themselves, there were only these few people. It was easy to guess.

"If we had obtained the Crimson Glow Fruits, we would have left a long time ago. Why would we stay here and waste words with you? If I'm not mistaken, you must have picked them yourselves and are deliberately blaming us!" Hu Yaoyao scoffed. In her opinion, the opponents had definitely picked the fruits and were now deliberately turning the tables. It was truly an insult to the dignity of master teachers.

"You're full of nonsense..." Wu Xu's face darkened as he was about to speak, but the Half-Saint in front of him waved his hand: "Enough!"

Hearing his words, Wu Xu immediately fell silent.

"Friends, we are all master teachers, and we are all at a crucial stage of breakthrough. If you have picked the Crimson Glow Fruits, we are willing to exchange them in a master teacher's manner. What do you say?" The Half-Saint looked over, speaking indifferently.

"Master teacher's manner?" Zhang Xuan looked over.

"It's simple: we challenge you. If anyone among you can withstand three of my moves, we will turn around and leave, no longer bothering you! If you can't... then I'm afraid you'll have to give us five Crimson Glow Fruits." The Half-Saint said.

"Withstand three moves and you'll leave? And if we can't, we have to give you five Crimson Glow Fruits? Haha, are you trying to get something for nothing? And you call this a 'master teacher's manner' of exchange?" Zhang Xuan commented.