Chapter 74: Explode!
The sure-hit lightning sword strike had missed, and his plan to finish Yun Che in one blow was ruined. Lu Zhannan was quite shocked in his heart. He quickly turned around, without any pause, and swept his longsword straight at Yun Che.
A spear has spear momentum, and a sword naturally has sword momentum. The momentum of a spear is overwhelmingly domineering, while the momentum of a sword is sharp and unstoppable. As Lu Zhannan's sword momentum rose, it brought with it an imposing aura like surging clouds and winds. The sword moved like flowing light, shooting toward Yun Che's chest.
Yun Che's expression was indifferent. He lightly and effortlessly shifted his body a small step backward, easily evading Lu Zhannan's second strike. With a "sizzle," the momentum of the sword tore through the ground of the main hall like a silver shark breaking through ice, carving a deep trench.
The power of this sword strike made many disciples gasp.
"Lu Zhannan isn't holding back at all, and both strikes targeted vital points... He clearly harbors killing intent!"
"Daring to kill someone in the New Moon Mystic Palace, perhaps only Lu Zhannan would dare to do such a thing. But at this rate, Yun Che really might end up dead here."
At the main seat of the hall, Qin Wuyou sat calmly on his chair, watching the battle between Yun Che and Lu Zhannan with a composed gaze. Although Sikong Han kept signaling him with his eyes, hoping that he would stop this unfair fight on different levels as the palace master, Qin Wuyou seemed not to notice Sikong Han's hints and had no intention of intervening, leaving Sikong Han anxious but powerless.
Qin Wuyou watched Yun Che, his mind unsettled for a long time... This young man indeed only had the Xuan power of the first level of the Xuan Entry Realm. But at the moment he made his move, the fluctuation of his Xuan power was surprisingly strong. What was going on? Could it be that he was hiding his strength? Impossible. If I, an old man, couldn't even see through a junior's strength, then my decades of experience would be worthless.
Defeating Tie Hengjun at such a young age and state showed his strength was enough to cause a stir in New Moon City. If he could also overcome Lu Zhannan... then this duel, which I was witnessing with my own eyes, might be witnessing the rise of a future throne!
From the very beginning, he appeared extremely arrogant, even seeming overly proud and dismissive of others. But was that truly his nature? When facing Tie Hengjun, he had a completely different attitude. Arrogant people tend to be restless, but his aura and gaze were always too calm—so calm that it should not have appeared on a sixteen-year-old. How could someone with such eyes and aura truly be arrogant?
The only explanation was that all his arrogant postures from the start were deliberate... including provoking and offending the seven major sects—all intentional!
Since he decided to enter the New Moon Mystic Palace, what was his purpose in deliberately provoking these seven major sects?
Qin Wuyou's mind kept turning, but his gaze remained fixed on Yun Che, filled with undisguised admiration.
At this moment, Yun Che was already caught in the sword shadows of Lu Zhannan.
Lu Zhannan's sword grew faster and faster. He held only one sword, yet he wielded it into a sky full of sword shadows—dozens of them—making it impossible to distinguish which were real and which were illusions. Amid these densely terrifying sword shadows, Yun Che's figure constantly shifted and moved. The sword was like a storm, yet it left no wound on Yun Che.
This undoubtedly meant that Yun Che's movement speed... was faster than Lu Zhannan's sword!
The disciples in the hall were all stunned. When Lu Zhannan stepped onto the stage, everyone thought Yun Che was finished, and the most likely outcome was an instant defeat. Lu Zhannan did not disappoint anyone; every sword strike after he made his move was dazzling... But up till now, he had made nearly a hundred strikes without even touching the corner of Yun Che's clothes.
Every time Lu Zhannan swung his sword, the next instant Yun Che would shift, causing Lu Zhannan's sword to strike only an afterimage. This was Yun Che's "Star God Remnant Shadow" used at a very small amplitude. With all fifty-four acupoints fully open, he could release it effortlessly at will, with very low Xuan power consumption. Of course, there was one prerequisite: Yun Che had to have sharp enough perception to judge the cutting trajectory of the sword the instant Lu Zhannan struck.
The disciples in the hall remained silent for a long time. They had not witnessed Yun Che's tragic defeat but another shock. After staring wide-eyed for a long time, Sikong Han murmured to himself in a daze: "No wonder... He was sensing through the airflow! But in the early stages of Xuan cultivation, the eyes are the primary means of perception. To judge and sense through Xuan power aura and airflow requires at least over a decade of combat experience... at least twenty-five years of age! None of the young disciples present could do it. Yun Che is only sixteen, yet he can already do this! And he does it so skillfully, remaining calm and precise even within the sword shadows!"
"Xiao Lie... how did he cultivate such a monstrous grandson!"
As streaks of sword light slashed toward his body, Yun Che dodged swiftly, the sharp aura from the sword scraping against his face and arms, causing faint pain. Just then, Mo Li's voice suddenly rang in his mind with a warning: "End this quickly. This is your first time activating the Evil Soul, and yet you have fought continuously—it's too much of a strain. You should already feel the burden on your body and Xuan meridians. In your current state, the Evil Soul can last at most another thirty seconds. Beyond that, your Xuan meridians could be severely damaged."
Yun Che's heart trembled slightly.
"You waste! Do you only know how to dodge?" Lu Zhannan had made over a hundred strikes without even touching a hair on Yun Che's head, and he grew increasingly alarmed, letting out an angry roar in desperation.
In his rage, Lu Zhannan surged all his Xuan power wildly, his sword momentum becoming fiercer. Under the sweep of the sword shadows, the main hall seemed to have a fierce gale blowing through. The marble floor was continuously cut and shattered by the sword aura, then swept up by the sword wind and scattered everywhere!
As if Lu Zhannan's words had an effect, when his next sword slanted downward, Yun Che did not choose to evade with his bizarre footwork. Instead, he suddenly advanced, charging straight toward his blade, attacking his body.
Yun Che's move made Lu Zhannan almost overjoyed, and he growled in his heart: Fool, you're asking for death!
Sizzle!!
Lu Zhannan's longsword viciously slashed across Yun Che's left arm, drawing blood without suspense. But when he saw the cut on his arm, Lu Zhannan was not pleased but alarmed... Because with his Xuan power at the seventh level of the Xuan Entry Realm, that strike only cut a wound on his arm. Not only did it not chop off his entire arm, but it didn't even touch the bone!
Yun Che's protective Xuan aura was clearly only at the first level of the Xuan Entry Realm!
And by enduring that slash, Yun Che's right fist, filled with all his strength, heavily slammed into Lu Zhannan's chest.
Bang!!
Could Xuan power at the first level of the Xuan Entry Realm possibly break through the protective Xuan aura of a seventh-level opponent?
Lu Zhannan had originally dismissed Yun Che's attack with disdain, but immediately, his expression changed drastically.
The protective Xuan aura on his chest held out for less than half a breath before shattering. Lu Zhannan felt as if a thousand-pound heavy hammer had hit him square in the chest. His internal organs churned violently, and he staggered backward seven or eight steps, almost falling to the ground.
Impossible! He only has Xuan power at the first level of the Xuan Entry Realm! Even if his Xuan power is much denser than someone at the same level, at most he could rival a third or fourth level. But I, on the other hand, am a full half-realms above him! How could I not break through his protective Xuan aura? Why am I so miserably affected by his strike?
Just as his mind was thrown into chaos and his killing intent grew stronger, ready to use the Seven Kills Sword Pavilion's ultimate technique, he suddenly saw Yun Che extend his right hand toward him, a strange smile on his face.
"Explode!" Yun Che's five fingers suddenly clenched as he faced Lu Zhannan, a low word escaping his mouth.
Just as everyone was baffled by his action and the word he uttered, they suddenly heard a "whoosh" from Lu Zhannan's body. Then, Lu Zhannan's heart-wrenching screams resounded throughout the entire hall.
"Ahhhh—!!"
A burst of flame suddenly erupted from Lu Zhannan's chest—exactly where Yun Che had struck—engulfing the flesh, bones, and even nearby organs of his chest in blazing fire. Lu Zhannan writhed in agony on the ground, frantically slapping at the flames, trying to extinguish this unknown "demonic fire." But these flames were ignited by the Xuan power Yun Che had forced into his chest. Unless he ripped open his own chest, there was no way to put them out.
For a man known as "Coldblood" to scream like this, one could imagine the immense pain he was enduring. Burning from flames on the body is already unbearable for ordinary people, let alone flames ignited from within. The faces of everyone in the hall changed—some turned pale, some sickly white, and some trembled all over.
"It's fire... fire-type Xuan arts! He even knows fire-type Xuan arts!"
"Good heavens! Isn't that the realm of remote ignition only achieved at higher levels of fire-type Xuan arts? Yun Che not only possesses fire-type Xuan arts, but he has already reached this level... He's only sixteen! How is this possible!"
"So that's it! No wonder Yan Ming was so miserable before. That wasn't some low-level mistake by Yan Ming; Yun Che also has fire-type Xuan arts, and clearly far superior to Yan Ming's! Yan Ming playing with fire in front of him was nothing but digging his own grave!" Many realized in shock as they watched the flames explode on Lu Zhannan's chest.
Meanwhile, Yan Ming, whom Yun Che had previously defeated, stood there dumbfounded. Remote ignition of Xuan power was a capability that his sect's Xuan arts could only achieve at the sixth level. He wouldn't even dare to dream of it before turning thirty. But Yun Che had done it, and he displayed it without deception in front of everyone. At that moment, he completely understood that his defeat was not unjust at all. Playing with fire in front of someone who could remotely ignite Xuan power... was like waving an axe before Lu Ban—a display of shallow skill, a self-inflicted humiliation!
If Lu Zhannan, after being struck by Yun Che, had immediately used his own power to expel the Xuan power that Yun Che had driven into his body instead of grinding his teeth and preparing to retaliate, the result would never have been this. But even though he was knocked back by Yun Che's punch, he still could not bring himself to acknowledge Yun Che's power, let alone imagine that he possessed such formidable fire-controlling ability.
Yun Che walked to his feet, looking down at him with pity in his eyes, and said lightly, "As I said earlier, I have no interest in knowing your name. With power at the seventh level of the Xuan Entry Realm, yet unable to defeat me, a mere first-level Xuan Entry Realm—a waste like this, I have no need to get to know at all."
With that, he let out a scornful laugh and flicked his finger. The nightmare-like flames on Lu Zhannan's chest finally extinguished.
Toward people he despised, Yun Che did not mind adding insult to injury. Besides, this Lu Zhannan had already harbored killing intent toward him. If it weren't in the main hall of the New Moon Mystic Palace under the watchful eyes of everyone, he would not have been so kind as to put out the fire on Lu Zhannan.
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[Some things should have been said many days ago, but I never knew what form of language could fully express my feelings, so I kept silent and procrastinated. Today, I must speak, or it will be too late.]
[100,000—we have created a miracle. 40,000 monthly votes, first place on the entire site, breaking the highest monthly vote record since Zongheng started the monthly vote system. Of course, this has a lot to do with Zongheng's monthly vote system reform, but it must be said that it is a very proud achievement. This achievement far exceeded the best I could have imagined at the beginning of October. This is my pride, a pride and miracle you have given me, because the ones who created this achievement are not me, but all of you.]
[For the October monthly vote championship, your enthusiasm and efforts shocked and humbled me. In the first month since the new book opened, the tips in this single month exceeded the total tips of my previous four books! We won the monthly vote championship. To achieve this title, everyone has given so much—book reviews, forums, YY chats, various organizations, calls to action, mobilizations... Many people tipped. But in this world, there aren't that many rich folks. Some classmates tipped using one month's, or even several months' worth of living expenses, in order to cast a few extra monthly votes. This is a truly selfless, regret-free kind of giving with no expectation of return, with the sole reason being their pure support for me—this somewhat disappointing Mars Grime... After finishing this chapter, I looked at last month's vote count again and couldn't help but mock myself: what have I done to deserve this...]
[Truly... thank you all...]