Chapter 95

Nie Xuan heard the voice, turned to look at Zhang Ruochen, and did not move his foot that was pressing on Zhang Shaochu's head. A strange smile appeared on his face, and he said, "What did you say just now? You want to cripple me? Everyone heard it, he said he wants to cripple me!"

All the surrounding students burst into laughter, thinking that the two princes of Yunwu County were fools.

Zhang Ruochen is indeed the top freshman, but his cultivation is only at the middle stage of the Profound Realm.

A middle-stage Profound Realm martial artist claiming to cripple a high-middle stage Profound Realm martial artist—what else could he be but a fool?

Nie Xuan slightly bowed to Feng Zhilin and said, "Senior Brother Feng, shall I help you teach that Ninth Prince a lesson first? What do you think?"

Dealing with a middle-stage Profound Realm martial artist, Feng Zhilin was too lazy to move himself. He stood there proudly, nodded lightly, his eyes somewhat cold, and said, "Since he said he would cripple you, shouldn't you cripple him first?"

Nie Xuan smiled in understanding, kicked Zhang Shaochu to the side, and said, "Fat pig, get out of the way. I'll deal with you later."

Nie Xuan shook his shoulders, and his entire body's bones crackled.

He walked steadily towards Zhang Ruochen and said with a smile, "Zhang Ruochen, you said you would cripple me. I'm standing right in front of you now, so come and cripple me!"

All the students surrounding Zhang Ruochen moved to the side, looking as if they were watching a show.

Zhang Ruochen glanced at Zhang Shaochu, who was lying on the ground, shaking his head vigorously, signaling Zhang Ruochen to endure for now.

Enduring might give him a chance to survive, but if he didn't, he would definitely die a terrible death today.

Feng Zhilin, under the guise of avenging his brother, did not want the academy's elders to intervene, intending to kill Zhang Ruochen today.

Zhang Ruochen shook his head at Zhang Shaochu, his eyes becoming more determined. He looked at Nie Xuan and said, "Nie Xuan, do you think I should cripple your hands or your legs?"

Nie Xuan snorted coldly, "Kid, you're too arrogant!"

He stopped talking to Zhang Ruochen, stomped his foot, and suddenly rushed forward, his speed reaching forty meters per second, as fast as a gust of wind.

The greatest advantage of a high-middle stage Profound Realm martial artist is their speed, far surpassing that of a middle-stage Profound Realm martial artist. They can kill their opponent in one move before the opponent can react.

However, Zhang Ruochen was not an ordinary middle-stage Profound Realm martial artist. In terms of speed, he was not much slower than a high-middle stage Profound Realm martial artist.

The moment Nie Xuan rushed over, Zhang Ruochen countered with a strike, slapping out a palm. Jade-white true qi swirled between his fingers, bursting with powerful force.

"Bang!"

Nie Xuan and Zhang Ruochen exchanged a hard punch, and Nie Xuan's face changed slightly. He felt a massive force surge from Zhang Ruochen's palm into his arm, causing his arm to ache as if it were about to break.

Realizing the danger, Nie Xuan immediately retreated, putting some distance between himself and Zhang Ruochen.

Nie Xuan's arm trembled slightly under his sleeve. Fortunately, he had pulled back in time; otherwise, the meridians in his arm would have definitely snapped.

"Such powerful true qi, what level of cultivation technique are you practicing?" Nie Xuan asked.

Feng Zhilin and the other students could clearly see that Nie Xuan had suffered a significant disadvantage in that exchange.

They all knew Nie Xuan's cultivation. Although he had just broken through to the high-middle stage of the Profound Realm, he was far from being a match for a middle-stage Profound Realm martial artist.

That Ninth Prince of Yunwu County was so powerful!

Feng Zhilin noticed the jade-white light that had flashed in Zhang Ruochen's palm and smiled, "Interesting, it seems he is practicing a truly extraordinary cultivation technique, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to force Nie Xuan back."

Zhang Ruochen stared at Nie Xuan and said, "Try taking a hit from me!"

After saying this, Zhang Ruochen's body tensed, like a fully drawn war bow. His true qi circulated rapidly, and he stomped his feet, launching himself forward like an arrow.

He mobilized all the strength in his bones and muscles, unleashing his full power in a palm strike.

"Rushing Elephant Trampling the Earth!"

Nie Xuan, who had suffered a minor setback in the previous exchange, did not dare to underestimate Zhang Ruochen anymore.

As the palm wind approached, Nie Xuan used a high-grade human-level martial technique, the Vajra Bone-Shattering Finger.

Nie Xuan extended his middle finger, channeling all his true qi into it, causing a faint golden light to appear on his finger.

"Vajra Bone-Shattering!"

Nie Xuan's arm moved like a blur, pointing at Zhang Ruochen's palm.

"Bang!"

The finger and the palm collided, and both Nie Xuan and Zhang Ruochen felt the impact, stepping back simultaneously.

Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen had cultivated Jade Purity True Qi, which allowed him to withstand Nie Xuan's Vajra Bone-Shattering Finger. Otherwise, that finger would have pierced through his palm.

As soon as Zhang Ruochen took a step back, he immediately attacked again, leaping seven or eight meters high and striking with a palm.

"Flying Dragon in the Sky!"

Although Nie Xuan's finger was in excruciating pain, he had no choice but to point again, striking Zhang Ruochen's palm once more.

"Bang!"

Nie Xuan was forced back three steps by the palm force.

Zhang Ruochen's movements were fluid, and he immediately struck with a third palm.

"Dragon and Elephant Returning to the Fields!"

"Bang!"

Nie Xuan's finger broke, and he let out a muffled cry, retreating in a disheveled state.

He stared at Zhang Ruochen from a distance, his arm trembling more violently. The pain in his finger made cold sweat bead on his forehead. His middle finger was broken.

Zhang Ruochen was also in pain, his palm burning and bleeding. Blood dripped from his palm, and he clenched his fist, the blood flowing from his fingers and dripping to the ground.

Nie Xuan's combat strength was even greater than Qing You's.

Prince Huoxing stood at a distance, watching the battle between Nie Xuan and Zhang Ruochen, his eyes growing colder. "He can contend with a high-middle stage Profound Realm martial artist at the middle stage of the Profound Realm. He cannot be allowed to live, or he will surely become a major threat to the Four Kingdoms."

Xie Zhaowu, standing beside Prince Huoxing, smiled flatteringly. "Why worry, Your Highness? Nie Xuan hasn't yet unleashed the true power of a high-middle stage Profound Realm martial artist. If he does, Zhang Ruochen won't even be able to withstand one move."

Prince Huoxing nodded. "A low-stage Profound Realm martial artist can condense blood qi into beasts. A high-middle stage Profound Realm martial artist can condense blood qi into weapons. Once these two bloodline powers are unleashed, Nie Xuan will easily defeat Zhang Ruochen."

Xie Zhaowu smiled. "Nie Xuan must have some hidden cards and won't easily use these two powers. After all, he's just dealing with a middle-stage Profound Realm martial artist!"

All of this was orchestrated by Prince Huoxing in the background. As a freshman, he had no blood feud with Zhang Ruochen, so he used Feng Zhilin to deal with him. He just needed to watch the show from behind.

Nie Xuan endured the pain in his finger and said, "Good! Good top freshman, indeed not an ordinary middle-stage Profound Realm martial artist. Since that's the case, let me show you my low-grade spirit-level martial technique, Phantom Hand!"

Nie Xuan moved his feet and hands, creating a series of illusions with his fingers and arms.

Zhang Ruochen squinted, even injecting true qi into his eye meridians, but it was still difficult to see Nie Xuan's moves clearly.

Reluctantly, Zhang Ruochen had to release his spatial domain, controlling everything within a thirty-meter radius.

With the power of the spatial domain, Zhang Ruochen finally saw Nie Xuan's hand seals and techniques clearly.

"Nie Xuan is a high-middle stage Profound Realm martial artist. With my current cultivation, if I fight him head-on, I will lose nine out of ten times. I must defeat him, or even cripple him, before he unleashes his bloodline powers."

Zhang Ruochen was very clear about the gap between him and Nie Xuan. Now, he had only one chance. If he seized this opportunity, he could win. If he missed it, his fate would be worse than that of the Fourth Prince, Zhang Shaochu.

Zhang Ruochen's eyes were fixed on the rapidly approaching Nie Xuan, holding a spatial crystal in his hand, hidden in his sleeve.

"Zhang Ruochen, to be defeated by my Phantom Hand is already quite an achievement," Nie Xuan said with a mad grin, his hands forming over a dozen illusions, all striking at Zhang Ruochen simultaneously.

Zhang Ruochen's body flipped to the left, and at an incredible speed, he retrieved a one-foot-long scythe from the inner space of the spatial crystal.

He swung his arm, and the scythe sliced through the air, cutting off one of Nie Xuan's phantom hands.

Blood splattered!

A bloody hand fell to the ground.

"Ah... my... hand..."

Nie Xuan screamed, clutching his bleeding wrist, nearly fainting from the pain.

Zhang Ruochen seized this opportunity, kicking Nie Xuan in the chest and sending him flying over ten meters away.

As Nie Xuan tried to stand up, a heavy foot stomped on his chest, causing his ribs to crack and his chest to collapse.

Zhang Ruochen placed the scythe at Nie Xuan's neck and said, "Don't move! Otherwise, it won't just be your wrist that gets cut off!"

Nie Xuan was furious. If Zhang Ruochen hadn't suddenly pulled out a scythe from his sleeve and cut off his left hand, how could he have been defeated by a middle-stage Profound Realm martial artist?

" daring to cripple my left hand, you will definitely not have a good end today!" Nie Xuan gritted his teeth and said.

In the distance, Feng Zhilin and the other students finally reacted, rushing over to surround Zhang Ruochen.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

Everyone looked murderous, drawing their true martial weapons, as if they were about to tear Zhang Ruochen apart.

"Scumbag, let go of Nie Xuan immediately!" A student brandished a war saber, pointing it at Zhang Ruochen's chest. If he moved forward, he could pierce Zhang Ruochen's chest.

Zhang Ruochen smiled, placing the scythe at Nie Xuan's neck and said, "Whoever moves, I'll cut off his head."

"Is that so? Do you believe I'll smash this fat pig's head first?"

Feng Zhilin grabbed Zhang Shaochu by the neck and dragged him in front of Zhang Ruochen.

Feng Zhilin channeled his true qi, a sinister smile on his face, and pressed his palm on Zhang Shaochu's head. "Zhang Ruochen, let go of Nie Xuan and drop the scythe. Do you really think I won't kill him?"

Zhang Shaochu was trembling in fear, his lips quivering. "Ninth... Ninth Brother, don't... don't worry about me... If you let go of Nie Xuan, you'll... be dead for sure!"

"Slap!"

Feng Zhilin's fingers merged into a palm blade and struck down, breaking Zhang Shaochu's right arm.

"Ah..."

Zhang Shaochu screamed, his face contorted in pain, sweating profusely, and his lips turning black.