Chapter 15

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Xu Ziyyan, seeing his speed and momentum, knew that the other party had already used their full strength. She could not reveal her own abilities, so she had to be even more careful, controlling her cultivation at the Sixth Layer of the Later Heaven realm. As she dodged, she deflected the other party’s strength and engaged in a standoff.

However, with the Sixth Layer of the Later Heaven realm against the Eighth Layer, Xu Ziyyan could not withstand the other party’s attacks and could only dodge, occasionally using their force against them. This put her at a disadvantage. Xu Ziyyan was highly focused, her figure like a butterfly weaving through the other party’s punches and kicks.

Although she was in a difficult position, the foundational knowledge she had learned in the hall had gradually been fully integrated from the inside out, from her soul to her body. In the hall, Xu Ziyyan had only mentally integrated what she had learned without practical application, meaning her mind and body had not yet combined.

Now, under the intense pressure of an Eighth Layer of the Later Heaven realm, she had to be fully alert and carefully respond. This accelerated the integration of her mind and body. Initially, Xu Ziyyan was in a very difficult position under the other party’s pressure, though she was not injured. This was because she had secretly raised her cultivation to the Seventh Layer of the Later Heaven realm while dodging, only controlling it to the Sixth Layer when attacking. Moreover, at the beginning, Xu Ziyyan was so pressured by the other party that she had no chance to counterattack.

However, gradually, Xu Ziyyan truly integrated everything. She was no longer as flustered as before, and as time passed, she became less flustered. Although she was still at a disadvantage, her defense was extremely tight, and her dodges were very agile. After a while, Xu Ziyyan began to counterattack.

In theory, as a senior disciple, she must have attended many lectures in the hall in the past, and the teachers must have taught the same content. However, attending the lectures did not mean understanding them. Even if she understood, it would only be the secrets of the Eighth Layer of the Later Heaven realm and below. How could she fully understand the secrets of the Twelfth Layer and below like Xu Ziyyan? This was due to the difference in cultivation, the height of their perspectives, and the angles from which they viewed things.

After this battle, Xu Ziyyan, with only the Sixth Layer of the Later Heaven realm, managed to fight the Eighth Layer opponent to a draw, and there was even a trend of her surpassing him.

This not only shocked and puzzled the surrounding new and old disciples but also the teachers on the nearby pavilion, especially Ming Ge. He recalled that after his lecture in the hall, all the disciples had looked confused except for the woman currently fighting, whose eyes were clear. At the time, he thought she had not listened to his lecture, but now it was clear that she had not only listened but also fully understood his teachings.

"That... she must be a genius!" Ming Ge thought, suddenly feeling a shock: "No, she only has the Sixth Layer of the Later Heaven realm. How could she understand everything I taught today? I covered from the First Layer to the Twelfth Layer of the Later Heaven realm. Even as an overview, it was not detailed, yet she could understand to such a degree. Could she be a genius?"

At this moment, the other teachers standing with him were also stunned. Xu Ziyyan’s actions completely overturned their previous understanding of cultivation. The girl in front of them was not only fighting a stronger opponent but was about to win.

"Ming Ge, this girl doesn’t seem like someone who didn’t listen to your lecture."

"Yes, not only does she not seem like it, but she seems to have understood everything you taught!"

Ignoring the teachers on the pavilion who were asking Ming Ge, Xu Ziyyan had already taken complete control of the situation. In her understanding of cultivation, she was far ahead of the other party. Although she controlled her cultivation at the Sixth Layer of the Later Heaven realm, her true level was the Second Layer of the Qi Cultivation stage. Therefore, she naturally had more endurance than an Eighth Layer of the Later Heaven realm opponent.

At this point, the young man had lost his initial sharpness, his internal true qi almost depleted, and his attacks becoming weak. He was puzzled:

"Who is this girl? How can someone with the Sixth Layer of the Later Heaven realm have more endurance than me, an Eighth Layer?"

While he was puzzled, his mind momentarily slipped. He was already at a disadvantage, and this slip made him even more vulnerable. Xu Ziyyan’s palm mercilessly slapped his face, and he heard:

"Slap~~"

The space echoed with the sound: "Slap~~ Slap~~ Slap~~"

The young man was stunned, his face turning red. Half of it was from the slap, and the other half was from the embarrassment of being slapped by a girl in front of so many people. He knew he was no match for Xu Ziyyan, but even if he was not a match, being slapped in public like this, he should have some reaction, otherwise, how would he face others in the outer hall?

So, the young man, in a moment of desperation, pretended to faint, falling to the ground with a "thud."

Xu Ziyyan naturally saw through his act, as she had been watching him closely. Before he pretended to faint, he had closed his eyes forcefully, looking righteous, clearly pretending. Xu Ziyyan was amused but did not expose him. Winning was enough; humiliating him further was something she could not do yet.

She looked up at the senior disciples, who stiffened. Today, they had come to bully the new disciples, to have fun, to reap the rewards. They did not expect a Sixth Layer of the Later Heaven realm female disciple to slap two of them unconscious, which made them fear Xu Ziyyan.

To be fair, these people were not the true experts of the outer hall. The true experts were the figures behind the four groups outside the hall, the leaders of these four groups.

Currently, there were over a thousand outer hall disciples, among whom four were experts: Xu Gan, Xu Wen, Xu Tianxiao, and Xu Dongxue.

These four were all at the Twelfth Layer of the Later Heaven realm, the family’s key cultivation targets. With the same cultivation, none of them could defeat the others, so they divided the outer hall disciples and formed four gangs. Xu Gan’s gang was called the Brave Gang, fitting his name. Xu Wen, as his name suggested, looked down on Xu Gan’s coarseness and named his gang the Splendid Gang. Xu Tianxiao named his gang the Soaring Sky Gang, and Xu Dongxue, the only woman among the four, named her gang the Plum Blossom Gang.

Today, these four did not come, thinking that dealing with a group of new disciples did not require their presence. So, they only sent their subordinates, not expecting someone like Xu Ziyyan to appear among the new disciples.

Xu Ziyyan’s gaze quietly swept over the senior disciples, who were startled. The new disciples, especially those who had been humiliated, were excited, looking at Xu Ziyyan with admiration.

Xu Ziyyan moved, still walking slowly towards the senior disciples, followed by the dozens of new disciples.

As her gaze flickered, she saw eight Ninth Layer of the Later Heaven realm senior disciples looking at each other. The other senior disciples, those at the Eighth Layer and below, had completely lost their composure, their expressions showing confusion.

A figure stepped out from the crowd, nodding to Xu Ziyyan with a haughty expression:

"I am Xu Xiangqian of the Brave Gang. Follow me, and I will not treat you badly."

Seeing no change in Xu Ziyyan’s expression, still stepping towards him as if he did not exist, Xu Xiangqian could not help but become furious, coldly saying:

"Little girl, do you know you only have the Sixth Layer of the Later Heaven realm, while I have the Ninth Layer? Do you think winning against an Eighth Layer opponent by chance means you can defeat me, a Ninth Layer?"

Pausing, he revealed a condescending look and said, "If you don’t want to be crippled, follow me. As long as you serve me sincerely, I will take care of you."