Chapter 66

Feng Ming was so domineering that, whether in his understanding of the Sword Canon or in his inherent strength, he subtly surpassed all the others present. At this point, no one dared to step forward and risk losing face. Everyone thought that Feng Ming obtaining the Starlight Sword Pill was a foregone conclusion, but unexpectedly, Zhang Yan stood up at this moment, instantly becoming the focus of everyone's attention.

Feng Ming, who had already prepared to step forward, retracted his foot and turned his head. Seeing Zhang Yan standing at the farthest end, which seemed to be a seat for some of the Pulse Opening disciples, he wondered, "Who is this disciple, and how can he be so ignorant of the gravity of the situation?"

Despite feeling somewhat displeased in his heart, he put on a very composed demeanor, with a gentle smile on his face. "If this junior brother is interested, you can also come up and exchange insights with me."

Disciples like him, chosen by the elders, were the backbone for future battles against the mystic families and would form their own core groups. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he needed to show his superiority over disciples of similar cultivation, but for those of lower cultivation, he had to show kindness and win their support to build a good reputation.

Zhang Yan smiled slightly and said, "Then I will have to ask Senior Brother Feng to kindly instruct me." He flicked his sleeve and stepped forward.

When Zhang Yan stood up, Qin Nan, who was beside him, widened her eyes. Now, as she watched his retreating back, her face was full of admiration. She felt that if it were her, she would never dare to challenge Feng Ming, her idol.

When Wang Kun saw Zhang Yan below the stage, his expression changed. As a member of the Hao Pu Wang clan, he had been present when Wang Pan and Zhang Yan had their decisive battle on Spirit Page Island, so he naturally recognized Zhang Yan. Then, as if he remembered something, he suddenly turned his head to look at Feng Ming, a hint of schadenfreude appearing in his eyes.

Under the gaze of thousands of disciples, Zhang Yan walked to the front of the green stone wall and stood face to face with Feng Ming.

Seeing his calm and composed demeanor, Feng Ming did not dare to be careless. When Zhang Yan was far away, he had not paid much attention, but now, up close, he was startled to find that although Zhang Yan's aura was subtle, his spirit energy was abundant, clearly indicating that he was already a Bright Qi cultivator. However, he could not discern which specific realm he had reached.

He immediately put away some of his contempt, but did not take it too seriously, smiling and saying, "Junior brother, please make the first move."

Zhang Yan had already observed many of Feng Ming's techniques, but the latter knew nothing about him. He thought that if he launched a surprise attack, he had a good chance of defeating the other person in one go.

However, to compete for the Starlight Sword Pill, brute force alone was not enough; strategy was also needed.

Today's situation was not about who was stronger, but who had a deeper understanding of the True Source Sword Canon within ten days.

If he won too quickly, it would only show that his tactics were correct or that he was stronger, but it would not demonstrate his superior sword skills. If Elder Chen slightly favored Feng Ming, he would still get the sword pill, and all his efforts would be in vain.

Therefore, he had to truly defeat Feng Ming in sword skills to avoid giving the other party any excuse.

Seeing Feng Ming invite him to attack first, he did not hesitate. He formed a hand seal, and a white sword pill rose into the air, floating above his head. He said, "Senior Brother, be careful."

As soon as he spoke, a white light shot out at a speed that was hard to discern with the naked eye.

Someone in the audience immediately exclaimed, "Rainbow Light Heavenly Beam!"

The "Rainbow Light Heavenly Beam" technique involved converting most of the spirit energy attached to the sword into clear qi, then striking with the sword, achieving extremely fast speed. The more clear qi, the faster the speed.

In just ten days, even disciples at the second or third level of Bright Qi had mostly only grasped the "One Breath" technique. The "Rainbow Light Heavenly Beam" was only mastered by a few. Seeing Zhang Yan perform it so effortlessly, everyone was surprised.

The sword pill almost instantly reached Feng Ming's face, shocking him. He hurriedly tried to make his sword pill fly out to block, but it was too late. Just as he was about to be defeated, the sword pill paused just before touching his robe and then retreated. He felt a cold sweat on his back.

Zhang Yan retracted the sword pill, letting it float on his finger, and smiled. "Senior Brother Feng, don't be distracted."

Because his attack and retraction were both so fast, no one in the audience noticed any flaw, thinking that he had attempted a sneak attack but was blocked by Feng Ming. A few disciples who were close to Feng Ming immediately cheered.

Elder Chen, who was watching from the stage, frowned slightly.

Feng Ming's eyes first showed surprise and doubt, then quickly calmed down. He said in a deep voice, "Junior brother, you are skilled, but you won't have such good luck next time."

From the previous attack, he saw that Zhang Yan was slightly better at controlling the speed of the sword pill. He could not compete with him in speed, but if he was cautious, such a sneak attack would not work. After all, they were about ten feet apart, and he could intercept in advance.

A month ago, Elder Xun had secretly taught him this sword canon, giving him the confidence to face everyone. However, to avoid being too obvious and inviting criticism, he had not used his full strength.

Now, he had made up his mind. Once the other party attacked again, he would use the "One Breath" technique to knock down the other's sword pill. He had forty-nine breaths of spirit energy in his chest, and if he gathered them all to attack, no one present could stop him. This was his greatest reliance, and he should win by force.

If the other party did not seize the opportunity to defeat him in one go, it was their own fault. He would not make such a mistake again.

Feng Ming pointed with his finger, and the sword pill flew up, stopping three feet in front of him, taking a defensive stance.

Few in the audience found this strange, thinking he was giving the junior brother a chance to exchange moves, so he was defending rather than attacking.

Zhang Yan saw through his intentions and smiled. He changed his hand seal, and the sword pill floating on his finger suddenly spun, making a large circle and heading toward Feng Ming at a speed no slower than before.

Feng Ming hurriedly made his sword pill fly out to intercept. Seeing the two about to collide, a smile appeared on his face. However, at that moment, Zhang Yan's sword pill suddenly turned in mid-air and circled around. Feng Ming was greatly surprised and dared not hold back. He changed his hand seal, and his sword pill also turned, trying to intercept.

Just as they were about to collide again, Zhang Yan's sword pill turned once more. Feng Ming was startled and dared not let it pass. His sword pill also turned, heading straight for it.

The two sword pills, like birds chasing each other, turned several times in the air. The disciples below finally understood what was happening and exclaimed, "‘High Waves Stacking’?"

This was the most difficult technique for Bright Qi cultivators in the True Source Sword Canon. It involved using one breath of spirit energy to make the sword pill spin and attack. If it missed or was blocked, a second breath of spirit energy was added, making it spin again. After several repetitions, the sword pill's speed increased, and the force it carried grew stronger until the opponent could neither block nor avoid it.

To use this technique effectively, one had to master both the "One Breath" and "Rainbow Light Heavenly Beam" techniques.

After the two sword pills had turned twenty-eight times in the air, Zhang Yan's sword pill had approached within three feet of Feng Ming.

Feng Ming was already struggling to keep up. Unlike Zhang Yan, who was actively attacking, he had to spend twice the effort to defend, barely keeping up with the other's speed.

In the end, he was drenched in sweat but still gritted his teeth, still believing he had a chance to win. The "High Waves Stacking" technique had its limits, which was the number of breaths of spirit energy one had. If one had thirty-six breaths of spirit energy, the sword pill could only turn thirty-six times. He did not believe the other party could surpass him in this aspect!

As long as he endured this challenge, once the other party's spirit energy was exhausted, he could do as he pleased!

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ps: There will be another update soon.

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