Chapter 82: Sparring

Jiang Fan, who hadn't slept all night, turned over and got out of bed. After a quick wash, he calmly arrived in the main hall.

Xu Zhengyan, Xu Yining, Xu Youran, and other core family members were already there. Li Qingfeng sat, looking tired. After days of fruitless searching for a ninth-grade spiritual root, he had no choice but to return to Qingyun Sect with Xu Youran and Xu Yining. Of course, he hadn't forgotten his promise to Jiang Fan. Today, he would give him a chance: if Jiang Fan could withstand ten moves from Zhong Qizhen, his carefully trained disciple, he would bring him back to the sect.

Looking at Jiang Fan, who appeared calm and composed, Li Qingfeng took a small sip of tea and asked, "Are you confident?" He continued, "If not, it's still not too late to give up now. Fists and feet have no eyes; it's hard to guarantee that Zhong Qizhen won't hurt you during the spar."

Jiang Fan glanced at Zhong Qizhen, who stood beside Li Qingfeng, his eyes sharp and intense. Remaining calm, he picked up a brush and wrote, "To Elder Li, this junior is confident."

Li Qingfeng was not surprised by such a reply; he merely sighed softly. He knew better than anyone how strong Zhong Qizhen was, having personally trained him. A fourth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator who had trained through various external opportunities would definitely not be as strong as Zhong Qizhen, because the cultivation methods and experience gained through self-exploration could not possibly surpass the personal guidance of an Elder like himself. Moreover, Jiang Fan was only at the third level of Foundation Establishment. In the Foundation Establishment realm, a difference of one level represented a significant gap in power. He couldn't imagine any reason for Jiang Fan to win. But since Jiang Fan was unwilling to give up, he might as well let him try. After all, it was only ten moves at most.

"In that case, both of you prepare yourselves." Zhong Qizhen had been waiting for this moment; he stepped forward with his hands behind his back, arriving at the center of the main hall. He stared at Jiang Fan with a mocking look in his eyes: "You've been jumping around these past few days; did you ever think about today? Later, show me your full strength. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't even last one move!"

Hearing this, Xu Youran's heart jumped into her throat. Her exquisite face showed deep worry and a hint of regret. Why hadn't she tried harder to persuade Zhong Qizhen back at the shop that day? Perhaps he would have shown Jiang Fan some mercy out of consideration for their shared mentorship. Now, it was absolutely impossible for Zhong Qizhen to let Jiang Fan pass. No, the real worry was whether Zhong Qizhen would seize the opportunity to kill him.

Xu Zhengyan was also deeply concerned. He had already heard from Xu Youran about Jiang Fan taking a concubine. The conflict between the two had reached an irreconcilable point; there was no hope that Zhong Qizhen would spare Jiang Fan. He could only pray that Jiang Fan would remain safe. As for victory or defeat, that was up to fate.

Jiang Fan, however, remained calm. He quietly raised his brush and wrote, "You should worry about yourself instead. If you lose to me, you'll not only lose your own face but Elder Li's as well."

Seeing the words, Li Qingfeng's eyebrows furrowed, and he said in a low voice, "Zhong Qizhen, is that how I taught you?! Never underestimate any enemy; you must guard against arrogance and impatience! Go back and copy the insights I taught you ten times!" Zhong Qizhen shivered and immediately bowed, "Yes, Master!" When he lifted his head, his gaze towards Jiang Fan was filled with intense anger. He gritted his teeth, wishing he could slap Jiang Fan to the ground and then fiercely stomp on his face, grinding it into the dirt!

Seeing that the two were already spoiling for a fight and the atmosphere for the spar was ripe, Li Qingfeng nodded and announced, "The spar... begin!"

As the last word fell, Zhong Qizhen was the first to attack. He unleashed his full fourth-level Foundation Establishment cultivation and performed the high-grade Yellow-level blade technique personally taught by Elder Li. "Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade!" With this powerful blade move infused with spiritual energy by Zhong Qizhen, visible blade energy appeared on the surface of the golden saber. It possessed immense power, capable of cutting through metal and stone. Even Xu Zhengyan, standing far away, felt a shiver of fear from the biting blade energy. His heart pounded with extreme tension. Jiang Fan probably wouldn't be able to block this attack. Xu Youran's small hands were tightly clasped together, her knuckles white from clenching so hard. Her rosy lips were tightly bitten, her mind filled with extreme worry. Li Qingfeng, meanwhile, nodded slightly, quite satisfied with Zhong Qizhen's move. This was Zhong Qizhen's full-power attack. It seemed he wasn't giving Jiang Fan any chance to pass the assessment. If Jiang Fan lost in one move, he probably wouldn't have the face to mention joining Qingyun Sect, would he?

Zhong Qizhen also smirked coldly. "Jiang Fan, why aren't you moving? Are you scared senseless?" He noticed that Jiang Fan showed no intention of striking. On the contrary, he still stood with his hands behind his back, appearing remarkably calm. Furthermore, upon hearing Zhong Qizhen's words, he even had time to scribble a note: "Is this your full-power strike? It's much weaker than I imagined." In Jiang Fan's perception, a full-power strike from a Qingyun Peak disciple should be devastating. But compared to it, it was even weaker than Nangong Liuyun from the Soaring Dragon Path, who was only at the third level of Foundation Establishment. Zhong Qizhen laughed in anger: "Such boasting! Take my blade first, then talk tough!"

Jiang Fan shook his head. Without any further hesitation, he decisively drew a rusted iron sword he had prepared. He fearlessly met the attack with a forward thrust of his sword. "Seven Stars Northward!" He felt that using the Soaring Dragon Palm against such strength would be a waste.

*Clang*— The two weapons met, and one person staggered back several steps. When they saw who had retreated, everyone couldn't believe their eyes. It was actually Zhong Qizhen who was stumbling backward, having been repelled. Xu Zhengyan and Xu Youran were both startled, then showed expressions of pleasant surprise. Xu Yining was equally astonished, murmuring, "How is this possible? A third-level Foundation Establishment cultivator repelled a fourth-level one?" Li Qingfeng also showed a look of surprise. His face darkened, and he shouted, "Zhong Qizhen, pull yourself together! If you truly lose to Jiang Fan, your own reputation as a master would be tarnished!" Zhong Qizhen was momentarily stunned, then gritted his teeth and roared, "I was just careless! Do you really think you're so formidable?" With that, he swung his golden saber again, chopping down.

Jiang Fan calmly met the attack with his sword, his exquisite swordsmanship unleashing the full power of the "Seven Stars Sword Art." In contrast, Zhong Qizhen clearly hadn't fully grasped the "Five Tigers Soul-Severing Blade." In Jiang Fan's eyes, there were weaknesses everywhere. With a single clash, he repelled Zhong Qizhen again. Seeing how incompetent Zhong Qizhen was, Jiang Fan even freed one hand, lifted his brush, and made a quick stroke. Ink left a line of text on the ground: "Poor blade technique." After saying this, he thrust again, forcing Zhong Qizhen to hurriedly dodge. At the same time, Jiang Fan flicked his brush again. "Too slow!" "Insufficient power!" "Unstable foundation!"

A spar that left everyone dumbfounded unfolded in a shocking manner. They saw Jiang Fan, wielding his sword with one hand, effortlessly forcing Zhong Qizhen to retreat step by step. Furthermore, his other hand could occasionally make comments! It was as if a master was lecturing his disciple from a position of superiority. Who was assessing whom, after all? A unique sense of absurdity arose in everyone's hearts.