Chapter 8

Everyone was shaken to the core. They all knew how powerful Jin Mohao was, but for Jiang Xiaofan to easily counter him was out of their expectations.

“Let go of me!”

Jin Mohao lowly roared and struggled to break Jiang Xiaofan’s grip, but his efforts were to no avail. It was as if his two hands were trapped between iron bars. The pain was so great that his face was contorted.

*Bang*

At this time, Jiang Xiaofan made his move again. He kicked out his right leg and performed a roundhouse kick to Jin Mohao’s waist. His actions were smooth like the rolling clouds and flowing water. In an instant, the force of the impact shook Jin Mohao’s body, and his body was swept into the air. Blood trickled from his mouth.

“Brother Mohao, I was actually kidding. Although you went back on your words and used two hands, it was reasonable to act the way that you did. I won’t shame you for it, but why didn’t you dodge that one?” asked Jiang Xiaofan while wearing an expression of surprise.

Jin Mohao’s face paled. He wanted to chop the bastard into pieces. Jiang Xiaofan’s mockery was akin to slapping him in the face, searing with pain.

His eyes seemed to breathe fire towards Jiang Xiaofan. Ever since Jin Mohao had started cultivating, he had never experienced such an insult. His gaze then grew cold. Energy charged up inside him, and with a tremor like the sound of cracking thunder, he broke free from Jiang Xiaofan. He then quickly threw a heavy punch at his opponent.

Again, the unexpected happened. Faint golden light blanketed Jiang Xiaofan’s right hand. Jiang Xiaofan gently grabbed his fist, twirled him like a rag doll in midair, and slammed him to the ground.

*Bang*

Dust kicked up, and heavy quakes rocked the platform. The light from Jin Mohao’s body had completely dispersed. He cried in pain and coughed out several large mouthfuls of blood. His body convulsed.

All the onlookers were stunned. They never imagined that Jiang Xiaofan could be this vicious. He beat Jin Mohao, who was at the seventh heaven of Micro Realm, until he could not even retaliate. Not to mention, the fight was so clean and precise.

It wasn’t that Jin Mohao had no skills. On the contrary, he was very strong. Otherwise, there was no way that he could’ve taken down so many challengers and stood firm until now. It was simply because Jiang Xiaofan was just too nimble. He didn’t give Jin Mohao the time to demonstrate his cultivation techniques.

“You…. Damn you! I’ll fucking kill you!”

Repeatedly subdued and with a loss of face, Jin Mohao finally lost his temper. A surge of green light radiated from his body and a beautifully-designed short sword, as if made from fine jade, emerged. It was razor-sharp and emitted an aura of bloodlust. The entire martial arena was shrouded by the sword’s powerful qi. Green sparks flashed, causing physical pain to those who felt it.

“Qingyun Sword!”

Many people watching the incident unfold were in awe. They recognized the spirit weapon. It was the same sword that Zhu Youwei had used against Jiang Xiaofan. They hadn’t anticipated that it would now appear in the hands of Jin Mohao. This was clearly some devious plot. Someone wanted to exterminate Jiang Xiaofan.

*Hum*

The might of a spirit weapon was unimaginable, and it could greatly enhance the attack power of the user. Under such pressure, Jiang Xiaofan had no choice but to constantly dodge, afraid that he might be pierced by the sword’s qi. After all, this was no child’s play. Even though he was confident in the strength of his spiritual energy, he did not want to risk direct conflict with a spirit weapon.

Besides, Jin Mohao was much stronger than Zhu Youwei.

“Jiang, don’t you dare say that I’m trying to bully you with a spirit weapon. If anyone is to blame, it’s your fault for being supercilious. You messed with the wrong person!”

Jin Mohao icily smirked. Since it had come to this, everyone, not just Jin Mohao, thought that Jiang Xiaofan was finished. Jin Mohao was different than Zhu Youwei. With the cultivation of a seventh heaven Micro Realm, he was capable of maximizing the might of a spirit weapon.

“Looking at your face makes me want to stomp my foot on it,” replied Jiang Xiaofan with disdain. This time, he no longer suppressed his cultivation level. He released dense energy from his body, and dark green light veiled the arena, blinding everyone.

*Boom*

A gale of energy blasted across the platform. Jiang Xiaofan transformed into a streak of green lightning. His form looked strange. In an instant, he appeared behind Jin Mohao and sent him flying out with one punch. The distinct sound of bones breaking was loudly heard.

“You really think that trash like you is capable of bullying me?!”

Unhesitatingly and without any need for fancy moves, Jiang Xiaofan zipped towards him just when sparks flew and directed a simple but ferocious punch at Jin Mohao. While flying through midair, Jin Mohao agonizingly shrieked. His upper arm was twisted, and it was obvious that his bone was shattered.

The onlookers were completely flabbergasted. To them, this guy named Jiang Xiaofan was a beast cloaked in human skin. Not just anyone could withstand the power of a seventh heaven Micro Realm cultivator with a spirit weapon. However, Jin Mohao was easily beaten like a sack of flour and sent flying.

“Again!”

It was as if he was addicted to fighting. Under the cover of the dark green light, he activated one of his ultimate cultivation techniques, the Buddhist Shadow Steps. Revolving around Jin Mohao, he punched and kicked at him. For a while, screams of misery could be heard from all four corners.

“Who’s supercilious?! Am I as fucking supercilious as you, hm?! Using a spirit weapon against me! Do you and I have some sort of enmity going on here? You bastard! You think that I’m a weakling?! You think you can pick on me whenever you desire?! I’ll kick you to hell!”

While teaching Jin Mohao an unforgettable lesson, he also grumbled. The spectators were at a loss for words. They could only silently pray for Jin Mohao.

Half an hour later, Jiang Xiaofan finally stopped. He shook his hands repeatedly and muttered, “Damn! This guy sure is thick. Shit, that really hurt.”

He spoke quietly, but the others on the martial arena could nevertheless hear him clearly. They all had a strong urge to want to vomit blood right on the spot. How could a tough guy who had just obliterated a seventh heaven Micro Realm cultivator complain about his hands hurting after the ordeal?!

“No, that’s impossible! I have a spirit weapon at hand! How could I lose?! This isn’t real!”

To the edge of the platform was Jin Mohao hollering. His nose was bruised and face swollen. One of his arms drooped, and both of his legs were disfigured. From the looks of it, he had broken bones throughout his body. Qingyun Sword was already out of his reach.

With a gentle wave of Jiang Xiaofan’s hand, Qingyun Sword suddenly flew into his grasp. He lightly flicked the blade, and the piercing cry of the sword echoed in his ears. He looked at Jin Mohao with contempt. “You think a spirit weapon is all that special? Not the least bit! You can’t even counter my physical moves at all! So what if you’re given a legendary weapon? The only suitable ending for you is defeat!”

The color drained from Jin Mohao’s face. He knew that Jiang Xiaofan was right. His opponent’s agility was too fast. There was no way for him to react at all. Even if he could see his moves, there was no time for his body to respond. He had an overwhelming advantage with the help of a spirit weapon; however, he already did all he could.

No matter what, he was still a young seventh heaven Micro Realm cultivator. Despite his tattered body, he still kept his consciousness and stared daggers at Jiang Xiaofan. Jin Mohao’s hatred for him was as deep as the ocean’s bottom.

Today, he had completely lost face. How could he, a seventh heaven Micro Realm with the assist of a mighty spirit weapon, lose this pathetically? His will to cultivate the Dao was nearly destroyed. If in the future he wanted to level up, the challenge would prove to be quite a feat. He would need to put in one-hundred times more effort than the average person. Jin Mohao wanted to tear Jiang Xiaofan apart with his bare teeth, but it was to no avail. His body carried grave wounds after all. He couldn’t even move.

The whole scene had quieted down. One person stood atop each of the seven platforms. No other challenger came forth. As a result, this tournament came to an end. With his overwhelmingly powerful physical strength, Jiang Xiaofan stole the spotlight and successfully advanced. As for Ye Yuanxue, she also stood as the victor and smiled sweetly. She was like a beautiful work of art who had come to life, mesmerizing countless youths who saw her.

“Good! Very good! The seven of you aren’t bad. Three days later, there will be a guide who will lead you to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. From then on, you will be assigned to your mountain gate.”

At this moment, an elderly voice boomed from above. The seven of them all nodded and simultaneously jumped down from the platforms. With a wave of his hand, an elder at the forefront cast a Daoist hex. The martial arena brightly glowed, swiftly soared into the sky, and disappeared.

The elders glanced down one last time, transformed into streaks of light, and flew into the distance in the blink of an eye.

“Xiao Xue….”

He waved at her and excitedly ran towards her. Everyone felt disgusted, mentally labeling him ‘perverted’. When they noticed Ye Yuanxue beaming her playful, adorable smile at him, they added ‘wolf’ to the end of ‘perverted’.

“Brother Jiang is indeed very strong. I’m deeply impressed.”

The green-robed man who had first invited Jiang Xiaofan up to the platform came to him, his face still wearing a gentle smile. His name was Chen Yifeng. He had a scholarly temperament and exuded the feeling of affinity for him.

“How so? It was merely good fortune. Compared with Brother Chen, I am still lacking.” Since he treated him with courtesy, Jiang Xiaofan naturally had to reciprocate. He nodded to the other victors as well.

“Brother Jiang, you are too humble. Since a lady is by your side, I won’t trouble you any longer and will take my leave now. I hope that we will have the opportunity to have a friendly face-off in the future.”

Chen Yifeng bowed at Ye Yuanxue and gestured a fist salute at Jiang Xiaofan, who then returned it back. This guy’s not bad. He knows the ways of the world.

“Jiang Xiaofan, right? Hold it right there! You’re after my Qingyun Sword, aren’t you? What gall you have!”

Just as Jiang Xiaofan and Ye Yuanxue turned to leave, a voice suddenly rang out from behind. A purple-robed child came into view. He was surrounded by several youths who walked forward together, one of them being Zhu Youwei. His eyes were filled with vengeance as they locked onto Jiang Xiaofan.

The child was about eleven to twelve years of age, yet the look in his eyes was cold and dark. With his hands to his back like an old man, he glared at Jiang Xiaofan.

“It’s him! Zhu Yunlin!”

The crowd immediately froze on the spot. Many of those who had turned to leave were stopped in their tracks. They had never envisioned this person would appear here.