Chapter 208: Only This Level

Tang Tianlong precariously managed to steady himself. His face was filled with shock. His punch had not only been caught by Jiang Fan, but it had also nearly put him in an embarrassing position.

"What did you just do?" he demanded.

He refused to believe it was Jiang Fan's true strength. Jiang Fan must have used some magical artifact or jade talisman to generate that power.

Jiang Fan calmly looked at him. "Why aren't you smiling anymore? Did you suddenly lose your smile?"

These taunting words filled Tang Tianlong with shame and anger.

"Look at you, all smug!" he retorted. "I was only using less than half my strength just now! You only won by a stroke of luck and trickery. Do you genuinely believe you're that formidable?"

He tensed his body, and spiritual energy surged from his spirit pool, flowing through his entire being. He unleashed the full power of his eighth-level Foundation Establishment cultivation.

"Since you enjoy showing off, I'll unleash my full power! Let's see if you can still be so smug then!"

He let out a cold snort. He propelled himself forward with his legs, leaping like a mighty roc spreading its wings. While airborne, he launched a punch directly at Jiang Fan!

The surrounding disciples held their breath. The Sovereign Peak disciples, in particular, turned their heads away, unable to watch. All the Sovereign Peak disciples had been defeated in this exact manner by Tang Tianlong's full-power attacks. Jiang Fan would be no exception. In their minds, they had already envisioned the grim scene: Jiang Fan being sent flying by a punch, spitting blood, and soaring helplessly through the air.

*Thud!*

A sudden, muffled thud shattered the images they had conjured in their minds. Their gaze was drawn to the arena. What appeared next stunned everyone!

Jiang Fan still stood rooted to the spot. His other hand remained casually clasped behind his back. And with just one palm, he had effortlessly caught Tang Tianlong's full-force, ferocious punch.

In stark contrast: Jiang Fan's expression remained calm and relaxed. Tang Tianlong's face, however, was contorted in a painful grimace. No one could know the sensation of his punch impacting Jiang Fan's palm. It felt less like hitting a human hand and more like striking a solid steel plate. Excruciating pain shot from his fist and spread up his arm.

Jiang Fan calmly stated, "A full-power strike? Is that all?" With that, he gave a gentle flick.

Tang Tianlong, still airborne, was tossed away like a paper airplane. He glided a considerable distance before finally crashing heavily to the ground and rolling several times. The hard granite ground beneath him cracked in several places.

This sight once again stunned everyone present.

Back at Sovereign Peak, Wang Chengjian, who had been expecting to see Jiang Fan spitting blood and sent flying, suddenly sat upright and exclaimed, "How is this possible?" Tang Tianlong's full-power attack was actually repelled by Jiang Fan with such ease?

The Sovereign Peak disciples, who had been too afraid to watch the outcome, now looked on in utter bewilderment. Their eyes, too, were wide with shock.

"What just happened?"

"Why was Tang Tianlong the one sent flying?"

"How did Junior Brother Jiang manage that?"

Disciples from the other peaks also erupted in a flurry of exclamations.

"I'm not seeing things, am I?"

"Jiang Fan defeated Tang Tianlong, who was using his full power?"

"With just one hand?"

Among the elders, a commotion began to stir. Wen Hongyao looked utterly astonished. "This boy... he's actually this powerful?" Even Zhao Wuji, who had suspected Jiang Fan's strength wouldn't be weak, was left dumbfounded: "Dammit! His physical body is actually this formidable? An eighth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator's full-power strike couldn't even faze him?"

Li Qingfeng's expression, meanwhile, grew increasingly grim: "This fellow is significantly stronger than he was last time!" Last time, Jiang Fan's physical prowess was only sufficient to handle Nie Yunzhuo, a seventh-level Foundation Establishment cultivator. Against an eighth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator, he still needed to utilize his cultivation. Now, he didn't need to at all. A simple punch, without even needing body techniques, was enough for a complete victory! His heart sank deeper and deeper. Especially as the elders voiced their exclamations of awe, his expression became troubled. It was over. The incident where he had thrown Jiang Fan onto the plaza would now become a complete joke.

Among the Grand Elders, a similar stir of shock arose. Zheng Qiushuang exclaimed with a look of astonishment, "Old Huang! You truly have excellent foresight! You saw that this child possessed such formidable body-refining techniques!" Yet, for a long moment, Huang Zhantian offered no reply. When he turned his head, he saw that Huang Zhantian was even more stunned than he was. He stared blankly at Jiang Fan, utterly speechless.

Shi Kaitian also felt a deep sense of shock. "Just now, one could still argue that Tang Tianlong wasn't serious. But now... it's Jiang Fan who hasn't been serious!" Not long ago, when he personally witnessed Jiang Fan employing his body techniques, he wasn't nearly this powerful. After just a few days apart, he had undergone a complete transformation and reached another level of strength! His Heavenly Sword Peak had actually missed out on such a prodigious talent! The thought infuriated him. He shot a furious glare at Liu Wenchen! The grudge for stealing his disciple was far from over!

Zhuang Yuanyin was equally astonished, her aged face now brimming with delighted surprise: "Wenchen! You've truly surprised me! You rascal, why didn't you tell me sooner that you had such a formidable body-refining disciple? I almost expelled him from the sect because of you!"

Little did she know, Liu Wenchen himself was currently so stunned he was questioning reality. Was that truly Jiang Fan, his supposed good-for-nothing disciple? He had actually defeated Tang Tianlong with his bare hands!

Feng Guzen, who had just been feeling invigorated, suddenly sat bolt upright. He roared in exasperation, "Tang Tianlong! Get serious right now! If you lose to Jiang Fan, don't even think about returning to Reincarnation Peak!"

Who was Jiang Fan? A good-for-nothing without spiritual roots! The universally acknowledged weakest in martial arts. It would be reasonable for Tang Tianlong to lose to any other disciple from Sovereign Peak. But losing to Jiang Fan, a disciple without spiritual roots, would make him a laughingstock both inside and outside the sect! His proud disciple, meticulously trained by him, Feng Guzen himself... Was he truly inferior to a disciple with no spiritual roots? The mere thought of such a rumor made him feel as if needles were pricking his entire body!

Tang Tianlong quickly clutched his aching waist and scrambled back to his feet, looking disheveled. He stared at Jiang Fan, his face etched with shock.

"You... how did you possibly do that?" He still couldn't believe that he was inferior to Jiang Fan! It was impossible! Impossible!

Jiang Fan calmly said, "That's two moves already. Is that all you've got? Show me the same ferocity you just displayed against my Sovereign Peak disciples."

Tang Tianlong felt utterly humiliated! To be humiliated by a renowned good-for-nothing in front of the entire sect! This was outrageous!

"You're too arrogant!" Tang Tianlong roared, channeling all his spiritual energy throughout his body. He switched to a more powerful, albeit incomplete, set of finger techniques! He had comprehended this technique from the stone wall. Its power was immense! Feng Guzen had once appraised it as a top-tier finger technique among high-level profound-grade cultivation methods. Combined with his eighth-level Foundation Establishment cultivation, it could even repel a ninth-level Foundation Establishment expert! He had originally intended to keep it hidden as his ultimate trump card. Now, however, he was forced to reveal it prematurely!

"You damn pest! You've gone too far! Die!!!" He had completely lost all restraint. He only wished to forcefully knock Jiang Fan to the ground and wipe away the humiliation he had just suffered!

Jiang Fan nodded slightly. "Now that's more like it! In that case, I suppose I'll get a little more serious too! Nine Forms of Battling Heaven! Heaven-Shattering!"

He quickened his pace, moving with incredible speed, and actively charged forward to meet the attack. His fists were like azure dragons emerging from the ocean. Carrying a heaven-shattering momentum, he delivered a powerful strike!