Chapter 33

On the stage, a young man was extremely arrogant, his hair flying, and he looked down on everyone present: "The champion of this year's Tianling Academy's Inner Gate is nothing more than this!"

The young man's voice echoed throughout the vast square, and many clenched their fists, remembering his terrifying strength, they dared not step forward, allowing him to humiliate them repeatedly.

"What's going on? Why is Ximen Xuri injured?"

Yefeng saw a large crowd gathered from a distance and walked over, asking a disciple.

"Senior Brother Yefeng, you're back, that's really great!"

This disciple was clearly older than Yefeng, but he didn't find it strange, as in this world, the strong were respected, and the capable were given priority.

"It's those guys from Daluo Academy. Today, Daluo Academy came to Tianling Academy to discuss the elite disciples' training. This Zhu Zequn came to challenge the top five of the Inner Gate competition. The last three were defeated, and Senior Brother Ximen was no match for him, being defeated in one move. His strength is too powerful."

The disciple said with a helpless tone.

"It's not just that he ambushed him; otherwise, Senior Brother Ximen wouldn't have lost. He actually used a hidden weapon, and Senior Brother Ximen couldn't dodge it in time, so he lost."

Another person nearby said with an angry tone.

Yefeng understood the whole story. Every year, Daluo Academy, Tianling Academy, and Liuli Valley, along with Guiyun Castle, would organize an elite disciples' training, entering the Tianxiang Valley to gather purple lotus grass. Yefeng had heard about it before.

After these Inner Gate disciples won the championship each year, most of them became elite disciples. These champions would spar and verify their strength to see who was the strongest. This time, Tianling Academy was the host, and Daluo Academy took the lead in challenging, defeating four people in a row. Yefeng understood why the surrounding elite disciples could only watch and not intervene, as they had no authority to interfere.

Yefeng frowned. This was clearly a deliberate provocation by Daluo Academy. Tianling Academy and Daluo Academy had always been at odds, and each generation of champions held their breath, competing with each other.

However, this time it seemed a bit excessive. Humiliating everyone in front of all the elite disciples was a blatant slap in the face, making many Tianling Academy disciples extremely angry.

If no one from Tianling Academy could defeat Zhu Zequn, he would likely continue to humiliate them. Many elite disciples clenched their fists, wanting to teach Zhu Zequn a lesson, but doing so would give the other side an excuse to claim that Tianling Academy had no one.

"Cough, cough..."

Ximen Xuri, dressed in white, covered in dust, barely managed to stand up. There were several clear sword marks on his chest, indicating he was seriously injured.

In front of everyone, Ximen Xuri's long sword drew a long rainbow, angrily slashing at Zhu Zequn. Despite his injuries, facing repeated humiliation, Ximen Xuri endured the pain and continued to fight.

"Looking for death, then I'll grant you that!"

Zhu Zequn's long sword danced, forming sword flowers that sealed every inch of Ximen Xuri's space.

No wonder he was so confident. He seemed to be a few years younger than Ximen Xuri but had such strength, reaching the peak of the Ninth Level of the Later Heaven stage, Yefeng thought to himself.

"Clang!"

A spark appeared, and Ximen Xuri's body was thrown back, falling off the stage and passing out. After enduring two attacks, his heart meridians were damaged.

"Ha ha ha, does your Tianling Academy have no one stronger? If not, I'll take on the elite disciples too. I won't be scared off, so why are you all afraid to step forward!" Zhu Zequn was extremely arrogant and wildly provocative.

"Whoosh!"

An axe mark descended from the sky, bringing a terrifying killing aura, cleaving down at Zhu Zequn, its momentum surging like a vast sea.

Zhu Zequn was instantly shocked, his feet staggered, and his figure moved rapidly, barely avoiding the axe. The axe mark split the stage in two.

"Who is it, who dared to ambush me!" Zhu Zequn shouted in anger.

"It's me!" Yefeng responded, slowly walking out from the crowd, his face pale with anger.

"It's Senior Brother Yefeng!"

A cry of surprise echoed around. Yefeng had been mixed in the crowd, and not many people knew he was there. The crowd instinctively made way for him.

"Great, now that Senior Brother Yefeng is back, I want to see how Zhu Zequn can still be so arrogant!"

Some people began to cheer, hoping Yefeng would sweep Zhu Zequn away and drive him out to vent their anger.

"Was it you who ambushed me just now?" Zhu Zequn was both shocked and angry. He was shocked by Yefeng's axe, which made him feel a chill, and angry that he almost got split in two. The previous axe mark had left him deeply shaken, and he put away his arrogant expression.

"Do you want me to tell you first that I'm going to beat you before I make a move?" Yefeng sneered, his face full of disdain. The crowd went wild, as Yefeng had given a satisfying counterattack.

The crowd burst into laughter, clearly Yefeng was deliberately humiliating the other side.

"Who are you!" Zhu Zequn's face turned red with anger, not knowing who Yefeng was.

"Yefeng!" Yefeng said calmly.

"You're Yefeng, the champion of this year's Inner Gate competition!" Zhu Zequn seemed to know who the champion of Tianling Academy's Inner Gate competition was.

"Good, good, good, I've been waiting for you. Since you dare to step on the stage, are you willing to take one move from me? If you can't, you'll crawl under my legs in front of everyone. Do you dare to bet?"

Zhu Zequn's arrogance flared up again, making such a vicious bet. If Yefeng lost, wouldn't the entire Tianling Academy lose face?

Several mentors in the distance had grim faces. They were being bullied to this extent, but they couldn't intervene, to avoid accusations of bullying the young.

"Why be angry, it's just a conflict between the young. Who wins or loses is just a form of training!"

Lü Zhongyue, the leader of Daluo Academy, smiled, stroking his chin, and said calmly, causing the mentors of Tianling Academy to snort in cold response.

Yefeng didn't speak, his cold killing aura already told everyone that he was truly angry.

"If you can take one move from me, I'll leave and never step into Tianling Academy again!" Yefeng finished, stepped forward, and his figure darted out like a butterfly, his axe cleaving down, forming an unparalleled wave of energy, charging straight at Zhu Zequn.

This axe move was simple and unadorned, showing no trace of any martial technique. It was a return to simplicity, as Yefeng had combined the three moves of the Xue Tian Axe, transforming them into a formless and imageless technique, transcending the constraints of specific moves.

To others, this was a plain move, but for Yefeng, it had already reached the peak of advanced martial techniques. This was all thanks to Yefeng's study of innate martial techniques, from which he had derived the essence, transforming intermediate martial techniques into advanced ones.

Martial techniques were different from cultivation methods. Good cultivation methods could speed up the condensation of true qi, while a good martial technique required great talent to master and understand its essence. Yefeng had grasped the essence of martial techniques.

This axe move was the result of Yefeng's nearly month-long cultivation, fully demonstrating his improvement.

The brilliant axe mark cut through the air with a creaking sound, the terrifying force tearing apart the surrounding waves of energy. The axe mark instantly reached Zhu Zequn's chest.

Zhu Zequn's face turned pale with shock, and he quickly swung his long sword, the sword qi dancing wildly, occupying every inch of space, as if it could break through the heavens.

"Boom!"

A huge explosion, the sword qi and the axe mark collided in the air, producing a terrifying blast. However, Yefeng's force did not dissipate but continued to surge, breaking through Zhu Zequn's sword qi and striking his long sword.

"Crack!"

The long sword split inch by inch, breaking into countless fragments that scattered in the air, creating a dazzling display of colors.

The momentum did not stop, continuing to surge, slicing through the void. The axe mark transformed into a roaring tiger, its running sound echoing throughout the square, gripping the hearts of many.

"Bang!"

The tiger slammed into Zhu Zequn's chest, the immense force causing him to spew a mouthful of blood, his body flying like a broken kite, crashing heavily to the ground.

"Thud!"

The impact shattered the stones on the ground, leaving a deep human-shaped crater.

Silence!

Complete silence!

The surroundings fell into an eerie quiet, with some people forgetting to breathe, and others covering their mouths, afraid to break the rhythm.

"Roar!"

A wave of energy surged into the sky, and everyone roared in excitement.

None of the onlookers had expected that the arrogant Zhu Zequn would be unable to withstand even one move from Yefeng, being beaten to the point of unconsciousness.

"Cough, cough!"

Zhu Zequn did not pass out, barely lifting his head, his face covered in blood, looking at Yefeng with a terrified gaze.

"Someone like you dares to be arrogant at Tianling Academy, even making wild threats to challenge elite disciples. This is just a lesson to teach you not to be so arrogant. Even if you challenge Tianling Academy, it's not your place. If you do it again, I'll cripple you!"

Yefeng said coldly, then turned to leave, treating Zhu Zequn like a dead dog. Yefeng had already killed several disciples from Daluo Academy and didn't care about killing a few more.

"You..."

A mouthful of blood spewed from Zhu Zequn's mouth, his anger and humiliation causing him to continue spitting blood from the corners of his mouth. If not treated in time, he might become paralyzed.

"I will take revenge, I will get my revenge. I will tear you to pieces to avenge today's humiliation!"

Zhu Zequn roared, the humiliation of today would make him unable to hold his head up for the rest of his life.

"Looking for death!" Yefeng was about to leave when he heard Zhu Zequn still wanting to take revenge. Yefeng could not tolerate being threatened, and any threat had to be eliminated at its root.

"Since that's the case, I'll cripple you completely!"

Yefeng acted without hesitation. A martial artist should act freely, and not be overly cautious, as that would limit their development.

A palm wind swept over, and Yefeng intended to cripple Zhu Zequn to prevent future trouble. The terrifying palm wind would likely turn him into a pile of meat.

"Ridiculous!"

A roar interrupted Yefeng's move, like a giant bird, intercepting his palm. However, the palm wind still struck Zhu Zequn.

"Spit!" This time, Zhu Zequn passed out completely, his condition worsening, likely crippled.