Chapter 928: Zhang Xuan Defeated

"Excellent swordplay!"

The Mu Clan Master's puppet's eyes lit up. It couldn't help but nod, then swayed and charged forward. Instantly, the man and the puppet engaged in battle.

Boom, boom, boom!

Zhang Xuan unleashed his full power, his sword art resembling a surging tide, continuous and endless, like the immense waves of a river, layer upon layer, growing ever more powerful. Although he hadn't practiced any formidable sword arts, the Path of Heaven Sword Art, formed from numerous sword maneuvers, when executed with full force, simplified complex movements. Even a Saint realm expert, if suddenly confronted, would be caught off guard.

"A powerful sword art, but for me, it's still too weak..."

With a light smile, the Mu Clan Master's puppet pointed a finger forward. Whoosh! The air around Zhang Xuan's sword tip immediately seemed to collapse. His incredibly sharp sword qi was drawn into a vortex, losing all its power.

Knowing he had met his match, Zhang Xuan raised an eyebrow, igniting all his strength. Boom! The collapsing air shattered like a balloon, and the sword qi surged again, clashing against the Mu Clan Master's fingertip. Shatter! Like breaking glass and rippling water, Zhang Xuan felt his sword tip hit an enormous wall. The web between his thumb and forefinger throbbed with pain, and blood welled up. His chest tightened, and he was sent flying backward.

While still in the air, he activated the Red Dust Stride, his body sinking as he stamped a series of footprints onto the floor. He roared again, stabbing forward. Whoosh! The air seemed to part like a curtain cut by scissors, and his sword qi thrust towards a flaw in the Mu Clan Master's technique.

"Good eye!"

Seeing Zhang Xuan find a flaw in his technique with a single move, the Mu Clan Master paused, then smiled again. His body swayed, spinning like a top. The flaw that had appeared instantly vanished, as if it had never existed. The Path of Heaven itself is imperfect; it's normal for any technique to have flaws. However, the opponent was too strong, quicker in both reaction and speed. Even if a weakness was discovered, it was useless. Before Zhang Xuan could attack, the puppet would evade, rendering the supposed flaw a joke.

"As expected of the powerhouse who founded the Master Teacher Academy..."

Zhang Xuan's face turned ashen. If it were an ordinary early Saint realm expert, finding a weakness would certainly cause them to panic, even if they weren't hit. But this was different; the puppet had actually anticipated the combat situation several moves ahead, knowing where his sword would aim, and thus concealed the flaw in advance! Terrifying! The opponent wasn't just powerful; their eyesight was also astonishing. Even if it couldn't compare to his Eye of Insight, their combat experience and understanding were far beyond what he could match.

"As long as a technique is used, there will definitely be flaws. I don't believe you can evade forever..."

Zhang Xuan didn't panic. Although he usually relied on the Purple Sun Beast and the Golden Origin Cauldron, having read so many books and synthesized countless Path of Heaven cultivation techniques, his understanding of combat was no worse than that of a seasoned general. In fact, his understanding was deeper. Techniques aren't about being profound or secret; as long as there's a move, there's a loophole, a flaw. With the right counter-measure, even a divine-level martial art could be instantly defeated by a simple technique. Of course, the prerequisite was knowing the opponent's moves beforehand, understanding their flaws, and possessing sufficient strength.

"Break!"

It was as if books appeared in his eyes. His longsword moved like a spiritual serpent, gliding forward and instantly appearing before a flaw in the Mu Clan Master's puppet. As long as he could penetrate, even a Saint realm opponent would be injured.

"Good eye!"

The puppet seemed to guess where he would strike, giving a slight smile and shaking its arms. Zhang Xuan felt an overwhelming force surge towards him, his aura sinking. His incredibly sharp sword tip could no longer penetrate. The immense force sent Zhang Xuan tumbling twice in the air before he was flung backward, his back hitting the wall. His face flushed red, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He had attacked twice in a row, finding flaws both times. Unfortunately, the opponent's strength was too great; he simply couldn't overcome it.

"Still too weak..."

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Zhang Xuan gave a bitter smile and shook his head. He was only at the early Chrysalis realm, battling an early Saint 1-dan expert. There was a difference of three major realms: Half-Saint, Grand Saint, and Saint. This gap simply couldn't be compensated by physical strength or soul power. Even with over eighty million ding of strength, he was still no match for the opponent! Saint realm experts, with their awakened Void Apertures, could not only fly but also possessed over a hundred million ding of strength. Even if Zhang Xuan could find a weakness, his sword qi couldn't even break through their protective true qi. How could he fight? It was like an ant trying to attack an elephant with a longsword; they weren't on the same level. No matter how intricate or complex his techniques were, they were useless! This was precisely his situation: the opponent was a puppet with invincible defense. Even if his longsword struck, it couldn't break through. Additionally, the puppet had rich combat experience, impenetrable defense, and could seize opportunities to counterattack. It was utterly demoralizing. There was simply no way to win!

"Hmph, then I apologize..."

Knowing that a pure martial arts contest was certainly not his strong suit, Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed. He mentally connected with the Library of Heaven's Path, and a book appeared. Since it was a puppet, it must have joints and various flaws. If all else failed, he would disregard any martial ethics, just like on the seventh floor, and dismantle the thing first! With a touch of his finger, the book's contents immediately entered his mind, transforming into his own knowledge. "Seven-Star Chain Puppet..." The book recorded the puppet's name. With just a glance, Zhang Xuan's eyebrows twitched. When he had dismantled the seventh-floor puppet, he had gained some understanding of these objects' levels. That was a six-star level, already not easy to dismantle. This one was seven-star... Given his current strength, it was hard to say if he could even dismantle it! A puppet was not an ordinary artifact that would stand still and let him systematically exploit its flaws. Once attacked, it would immediately retaliate, and at that point, it would be uncertain who would survive.

"I have to try!"

Memorizing the opponent's flaws, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath and looked at the puppet again. Employing the Path of Heaven Movement Art, he moved like a phantom, appearing before the puppet in an instant. With his longsword, he lightly slashed. At the same time, his left hand, with fingers held together like a spear, thrust towards a point not far away.

"Interesting!"

Seeing Zhang Xuan's attack aimed directly at a weakness, the Mu Clan Master's body rotated, meeting him with a punch. There were no techniques, no martial arts, only pure power and crushing force. Not daring to advance further, Zhang Xuan executed a twist of the Path of Heaven Movement Art, swiftly dodging to the left, evading the attack. With that swift dodge, the flaw he had just targeted was no longer accessible, and his long-prepared move struck empty air.

"What incredible reactions..."

Zhang Xuan's face was livid, looking utterly disheartened. Since he began fighting, he had never experienced such humiliation. The opponent knew he had seen the flaw and simply stopped using techniques, instead relying on pure power to crush him! As long as his strength was inferior, no matter how he fought, it would be useless! He couldn't even get close, let alone injure the puppet. It would be a success just to ensure he wasn't killed. One could say that while he found the opponent's weakness, the opponent also found his: insufficient strength! Focusing on this weakness alone rendered even the most magnificent ultimate moves useless.

"You are no match. Surrender!"

The Mu Clan Master's puppet shook its head.

"Surrender?" Zhang Xuan frowned. After struggling to reach the ninth floor, was he truly going to admit defeat and turn back?

"Indeed, your strength is insufficient; you definitely cannot defeat me. However, if you cultivate slowly and reach the peak of the Chrysalis realm, then return, it's very likely I won't be your match!" the Mu Clan Master's puppet stated. Although Zhang Xuan was no match, the puppet knew it wasn't a matter of talent but simply that Zhang Xuan had cultivated for too short a time and his cultivation was insufficient. Even without Half-Saint strength, if Zhang Xuan reached the peak of the Chrysalis realm, the puppet would likely find it very difficult to defeat him.

"Since the Record Mountain established a ninth floor, it must hope for someone to successfully clear it, right? Can anyone with less than Half-Saint strength truly defeat you?" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask. If the opponent were an ordinary early Saint 1-dan, his chances of winning would be high. But... this was a Master Teacher, a super powerhouse who founded the Master Teacher Academy, with an extremely profound understanding of combat. As long as his strength couldn't surpass the puppet's, he couldn't win. He cultivated the Path of Heaven cultivation technique, comprehended the Five Grand Gold Body, and even dual-cultivated the Witchcraft Soul. With such formidable strength, it was already difficult for him. He didn't believe anyone in the Master Teacher Academy could be stronger than him! If no one could, why set up a ninth floor that couldn't be passed?

"Yes!"

The Mu Clan Master nodded.

"Yes?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"You don't need to disbelieve; it's true. Many combat masters can achieve it. Even Master Kong, back in his day, slew Saint realm experts before reaching Half-Saint!" the Mu Clan Master stated.

"Slew Saint realm experts before Half-Saint?"

Zhang Xuan's pupils constricted. He knew that "slew," as the puppet described it, must have been accomplished through personal strength, not external objects like the Purple Sun Beast or the Golden Origin Cauldron. Master Kong was that formidable before even reaching Half-Saint? Was that true?

"Yes. If one cannot accomplish what ordinary people cannot, how could they be qualified to be a combat master and fight against the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?" the Mu Clan Master's puppet said expressionlessly.

"This..." Zhang Xuan was stunned. He had previously thought the two combat masters he met in Lu City were typical, but now it seemed it wasn't that simple.

"Surrender. You cannot defeat me. Even if you stall for more time, it will be useless!"

Knowing that Zhang Xuan was stalling to recover his true qi, the Mu Clan Master waved a hand. "When you reach the peak of the Chrysalis realm, you can try again. Perhaps then you can defeat me." He didn't believe that someone at the early Chrysalis realm could defeat him. If that were the case, this person would be far more terrifying than many true combat masters.

"Wait until the peak of the Chrysalis realm?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. "No need to wait. I can defeat you right now!"

"Oh?" The Mu Clan Master's puppet frowned.

"You don't believe me? Heh heh!"

Seeing its reaction, Zhang Xuan chuckled softly. "I can prove it to you, but... you'll have to wait a moment. I need to change my clothes... then I'll come back and fight you!"