"Tch!"
Zhou Yu clicked his tongue and said in irritation, "This is the first time I've seen someone as shameless as you. Where does your confidence come from, daring to speak like that?"
Zhi Xuan sneered, "I should be the one asking that. Where does your confidence come from, acting so arrogant in front of me?"
Hearing this, Zhou Yu clicked his tongue again and said, "I'm curious—does your strength match the size of your mouth?"
Zhi Xuan pointed to the side and said, "Why don't we test it right now?"
At the direction of Zhi Xuan's finger, there was an arena commonly used for competitions between the younger generation of the Lin Clan cultivators.
Just by that gesture alone, Zhou Yu immediately understood Zhi Xuan's meaning.
A strange smile curled at the corner of Zhou Yu's lips.
It looked sly.
"Fine. However, to make it more interesting, how about we place a wager?" Zhou Yu said.
Zhi Xuan frowned and asked, "A wager? What kind of wager?"
Without hesitation, Zhou Yu replied, "We'll bet Lin Xianyun. The loser will stay away from her. How about that?"
Zhi Xuan stroked his chin and thought for a moment.
After a while, he suddenly smiled and said, "Alright, but I want to add something to the bet."
Zhi Xuan took something out from his sleeve and said, "I'll stake this."
The moment the item appeared, Zhou Yu's brows shot up in surprise.
"Isn't that the secret technique manual of the Gu Clan? So you're from the Gu Clan, huh? Hahaha! Fine, I'll bet the Zhou Clan's secret technique manual as well."
Zhou Yu brushed his spatial ring, and a book instantly appeared in his hand.
"So it's a spatial ring," Zhi Xuan thought inwardly.
Zhou Yu's father suddenly whispered, "Son, are you sure? What if that brat is hiding his true strength?"
"This is the 'Dragon Seal Technique', one of the Zhou Clan's secret arts. How about it? Is this enough?"
Zhi Xuan smiled faintly. "Yes, that's sufficient."
On the arena.
Zhi Xuan and Zhou Yu stood facing each other. Zhou Yu drew his sword from its sheath, which had previously hung calmly on his back.
On the other side, Zhi Xuan stood empty-handed, yet his expression remained calm and confident.
Meanwhile, the surrounding crowd watched closely, some whispering among themselves.
Seeing that Zhi Xuan had no weapon, Zhou Yu frowned and asked, "Where is your weapon?"
Zhi Xuan shrugged lightly and chuckled. He shook his head and said, "Do I really need a weapon for a small competition like this?"
"Hmph!"
Zhou Yu activated his Qi Condensation Technique, channeling his Spirit Qi into the blade. In an instant, the sword was covered in a golden glow that wrapped around its entire surface.
In the next moment, his Spirit Qi condensed fully into the blade.
"Don't regret it," Zhou Yu said coldly.
Zhi Xuan raised his hand and casually flexed his fingers, as if provoking Zhou Yu to attack first.
Zhou Yu gritted his teeth. "Prepare yourself!"
With that, he shot forward like a streak of light tearing through the air!
A violent gust of wind erupted, and within it, Zhou Yu rushed forward with a sword strike that carried the power of the early Yuan Ying Realm!
The wind pressure exploded across the arena, shocking everyone watching.
Zhou Yu smirked. "Take this!"
The moment the tip of the sword was about to pierce Zhi Xuan's chest—Zhi Xuan didn't move at all. He simply stood there with a calm and confident expression.
Zhi Xuan suddenly smiled faintly and, with a soft hum, raised two fingers.
BOOM!
A sudden explosion erupted across the arena floor. The entire area within a five-meter radius beneath Zhi Xuan and Zhou Yu collapsed into a deep crater!
Dust and debris filled the air, and a violent vortex of wind shot upward, reaching over fifty meters high.
After a moment, the storm slowly dispersed.
The crowd stared in shock as they discussed excitedly.
"So fast!"
"Is this the power of a peak Jin Dan cultivator?"
"The aftermath is insane!"
"Can Gu Qingzhou even survive that attack?"
"No need to ask, he's definitely been reduced to ash."
"Look! The smoke is clearing!"
As the dust settled, two figures gradually came into view.
One was kneeling.
The other was standing calmly.
…
"What?!"
The eyes of everyone widened in disbelief.
Only Lin Xianyun remained calm, as though she had already expected the outcome.
Meanwhile, Lin Fan stood silent, his gaze fixed on the figure standing on the arena.
…
With a wave of his hand, Zhi Xuan dispersed all the remaining smoke effortlessly.
As it fully cleared, Zhi Xuan stood there, calmly looking at Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu's previously clean face was now covered in dust.
And his sword…
It was pinched firmly between Zhi Xuan's thumb and index finger.
"Did he block Zhou Yu's attack… with just two fingers?" one of the youths murmured in shock.
Zhi Xuan casually flicked the sword aside, sending it clattering loudly onto the ground.
He smirked. "So? Can I claim my reward now?"
The crowd erupted into discussion.
"It seems Young Master Zhou can no longer continue the fight."
"Can this even be called a fight? He didn't treat it like a battle at all… it felt like he was playing."
Hearing this, Zhou Yu's father frowned in anger and muttered inwardly, "Damn brat! If this weren't in the Lin Clan residence, I would've beaten him to death long ago!"
Lin Fan snorted and shook his head.
"I didn't expect Zhi Xuan to use such a cheap trick… pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger," Lin Fan thought inwardly.