Chapter 177: Avenging My Brother

Jiang Fan was already prepared for him! A chill flashed in his eyes, and he held nothing back. He immediately unleashed the ultimate strike of the "Nine Styles of Battling Heaven"! "Heaven Breaker!"

Crack—

His punch and Nie Yunzhuo's palm did not produce a violent collision sound. With Jiang Fan's physical technique fully unleashed, the spiritual energy Nie Yunzhuo emitted from his palm was instantly dispersed. An overwhelmingly dominant force struck his palm, surged into his arm, and pulverized the bones piece by piece, producing a continuous series of snapping sounds, like dry firewood breaking.

“Ah!!!” Nie Yunzhuo crashed heavily onto the ground, the pain of his broken bones gradually setting in, making him scream like a pig being slaughtered. “My hand!” “Hiss! My hand!!” He contorted his face in agony, pale, and thrashed around on the ground.

“Yunzhuo!” Everything happened too fast for Nie Yunxi to intervene. She rushed over, her heart aching as she saw her brother's miserable state. She lifted her head sharply and snapped, “How could you be so vicious?”

Jiang Fan was expressionless. “Your brother initiated a sneak attack. Are you selectively blind and pretending not to see?”

Nie Yunxi gritted her teeth. She had nothing to say! While Jiang Fan was indeed ruthless, her own brother had failed in his sneak attack and was injured as a result. She couldn't justify it anywhere!

But Nie Yunzhuo wasn't having it. Clutching his broken arm, he roared ferociously, “Sister! Twist off his arm too!” “Twist off both of them! Otherwise, I'll die, I'll die!!!”

Nie Yunxi tried to soothe him, “Yunzhuo, don't be like this. Go get treated first.”

“I don't care!” Nie Yunzhuo yelled, “If you don't help me, I'll bash my head against something and die, and make sure your Nie family has no descendants!” He made a motion as if to smash his head against a nearby stone pillar.

Nie Yunxi felt pity for her brother. Helplessly, she gritted her teeth, glared fiercely at Jiang Fan, and snapped, “Even if my brother was in the wrong, your attack was too heavy-handed!” “It seems I'll have to teach you a lesson and let you know what moderation means!” She suddenly unleashed her terrifying strength at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment.

Behind the rockery. Shi Kaitian's eyes showed surprise: “This young man, he was holding back all this time.” “Liu Wenchen truly has good judgment. I'm almost impressed by how he picked this child.” Then he looked at Nie Yunzhuo, his eyes narrowing slightly: “His talent is indeed excellent, but his character is truly concerning.”

Li Qingfeng's face had already turned ashen! Losing was one thing; it wasn't shameful for his disciple to lose. But a sneak attack from behind, aimed at a vital spot like the back, was an absolute disgrace to him and to the entire Heavenly Sword Peak. Moreover, it happened right in front of the Grand Elder!

“I'll confine him for three years later! He won't be allowed to step out of his private chamber!” Li Qingfeng said fiercely.

Shi Kaitian nodded slightly. Given his usual character, a disciple like Nie Yunzhuo would have been kicked out of the sect long ago. Why would he even be given a chance for confinement and reflection? However, Heavenly Sword Peak's talent was not what it used to be, so it was better to reform one than none. Glancing at the domineering Nie Yunxi, he waved his hand and said, “Let this female disciple reflect for a few days too.”

“She really has no shame!” Her brother failed a sneak attack and got injured, yet she had the nerve to step forward? Li Qingfeng felt utterly disgraced by the siblings. He walked over with annoyance.

“Come back!” Suddenly, Shi Kaitian abruptly called out to him, his aged eyes staring blankly at Jiang Fan on the arena: “You said he has no spirit root?” Li Qingfeng looked and saw that Jiang Fan was also surrounded by spiritual energy. He said nonchalantly, “It's just a cultivation level achieved by overdrawing potential.”

Overdrawing potential? Shi Kaitian froze, a bewildered expression on his face. “Let's observe the situation before we intervene.”

On the arena. Nie Yunxi immediately initiated a half-set of profound-grade, high-level finger techniques. “Cloud Shuttle Finger!” She refused to believe that Jiang Fan's physical techniques could be so heaven-defying as to withstand a move from an eighth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator.

However, to Nie Yunxi's surprise, Jiang Fan did not employ his physical techniques again. Instead, spiritual energy swirled around his body, and he unleashed a peculiar palm technique. “Startling Dragon!” As his fists struck out, they were like two gigantic dragons emerging from the vast ocean amidst lightning and thunder. With loud dragon roars, they fiercely collided with Nie Yunxi's Cloud Shuttle Finger.

Thud, thud, thud— Both retreated several steps. Nie Yunxi was utterly horrified: “You…” Jiang Fan could actually fight her to a standstill? How was this possible? She was at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment, among the top twenty cultivators in the sect! How could Jiang Fan, a disciple without a spirit root, be her equal in strength? Although she hadn't used her full power, it was also possible that Jiang Fan hadn't gone all out either.

Nie Yunzhuo, sitting on the ground, was greatly astonished. His greatest reliance was on his extraordinarily talented sister. But she was actually no match for Jiang Fan? Looking at Jiang Fan again, a trace of apprehension finally appeared in his eyes. There was no longer any hint of disdain.

Behind the rockery. Li Qingfeng stood like a statue, staring motionlessly at the arena, his eyes vacant. Shi Kaitian couldn't help but gasp: “Seventh level of Foundation Establishment?” “I'm asking you again, does this child really have no spirit root?”

Li Qingfeng was also stunned, affirming, “The test results definitely showed no spirit root!” “But how could he progress so quickly? The last time he acted, he was only at the third level of Foundation Establishment.” “In just half a month, he advanced to the seventh level of Foundation Establishment?”

Shi Kaitian was greatly astonished! “What did you say? Half a month ago, he was still at the third level of Foundation Establishment?” What kind of monstrous prodigies hadn't he seen? But breaking through four realms in half a month was unheard of!

Li Qingfeng also said, bewildered, “What method of overdrawing potential did he use? It's too bizarre, isn't it?”

Smack— Shi Kaitian slapped him on the back of the head and reprimanded, “Has your brain rusted?” “A method of overdrawing potential can allow someone to break through all the way from the first level of Qi Condensation to the seventh level of Foundation Establishment?” “I've traveled far and wide and seen countless people who overdraw their potential, but those who can break through to the Foundation Establishment realm are as rare as phoenix feathers.” “Let alone advancing like a hot knife through butter to the seventh level of Foundation Establishment?”

Li Qingfeng was stunned, somewhat disbelieving: “Could all my previous speculations have been wrong?”

Shi Kaitian retorted grumpily, “Nonsense!” “If there were such a powerful method of overdrawing potential in the world, would there still be a place for my Azure Cloud Sect?”

Li Qingfeng was instantly awestruck. Indeed! If such a powerful method of overdrawing potential truly existed, cultivators at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment would be everywhere! Those proud children of heaven would certainly not diligently continue their studies at the Azure Cloud Sect.

But he grew even more confused: “If he's not overdrawing potential and has no spirit root, then how is he repeatedly breaking through realms?” Shi Kaitian narrowed his eyes, stroking his beard, and pondered for a long time.

“There is one possibility.” “That is, this child's spirit root is so powerful that it exceeds the limits of the detection artifact, making it appear as if he has no spirit root.” “Only this can explain why his cultivation progresses with such divine assistance.”

Li Qingfeng recalled a term and muttered, “Are you saying he has… an Infinite Spirit Root!” An Infinite Spirit Root, rumored to be incredibly rare, almost impossible to find in the world! A super spirit root with infinite possibilities!

Shi Kaitian took a deep breath and said, “It can only be that!” “My Azure Cloud Sect actually has such a supreme talent, a king among prodigies.” “In the future, it would be difficult for my Azure Cloud Sect not to flourish greatly.”

His face twitched, utterly shocked by his own discovery. Immediately, he added with a hint of regret, “What a pity you didn't choose him back then, allowing that old fellow Liu Wenchen to gain such a huge advantage!” At this moment, he noticed Li Qingfeng's expression was grim. He patted his shoulder, comforting him, “You merely misjudged him.”

“Wouldn't that massive fool who brought him into the sect, then left him in the square for Liu Wenchen to pick, be so mortified they'd commit suicide?” He said with a hint of schadenfreude, “To miss an Infinite Spirit Root, hahaha!” “Qingfeng, quickly tell me, which peak does that blind elder belong to?” “I need to go tell their Grand Elder this wonderful news and make him half-dead with anger, hahaha!”

Upon hearing this, Li Qingfeng turned to stone.