Chapter 1334: Chen Leyao Breaks Through

"Is that bloodline power?"

Feeling Zhang Zhuo's aura suddenly surge, everyone was stunned.

A casual spar between students shouldn't require using such power!

"It's not bloodline power; it's a secret technique he cultivates. Once used, even a mid-stage Domain cultivator would find it hard to contend..."

A young man from the Zhang family chuckled.

Bloodline power has limitations; each use causes significant damage to the body, requiring at least a month of rest. Even members of the Zhang family don't use it lightly.

But even without using bloodline power, the Zhang family is still the number one family on the continent, possessing countless secret techniques to rapidly increase strength.

Zhang Zhuo, repeatedly forced back by a girl weaker than him, burned with rage and, unable to hold back any longer, unleashed this secret technique.

"This Chen Leyao is in for trouble!"

"Yeah, technique can only give a temporary advantage, but against true power, it can't last long!"

...

Everyone nodded.

One force subdues ten techniques; sudden attacks with skill can indeed catch someone off guard, but in the long run, power reigns supreme.

Otherwise, cultivators wouldn't endlessly pursue strength and train relentlessly.

Thus, in their view, Chen Leyao only held a brief upper hand; her true strength was still far behind Zhang Zhuo's.

Defeat was inevitable.

As everyone buzzed with discussion, Chen Leyao's heart tightened.

Just as she didn't know what to do, Zhang Xuan's voice sounded in her ear again.

"Crane Walk Palm, third form!"

Having followed his instructions repeatedly, it had become a conditioned reflex. Without thinking, she raised her arm like a crane in flight and swung it straight.

The Crane Walk Palm was a technique created by an elder of the Ice Field Palace after observing cranes in flight. Its power wasn't great, but its speed was extremely fast, and it was as elusive as an antelope's horns—hard to trace.

The third form was the essence of it. As she executed the move, everyone seemed to see a beautiful crane spreading its wings and soaring through the sky.

Slap!

The wing descended, and a crisp sound rang out as a loud slap landed on Zhang Zhuo's face.

"A slap?"

"Zhang Zhuo got slapped?"

The surroundings fell silent, and even Chen Leyao stood frozen.

Although her move was fast and hard to defend against, with his strength, he should have easily dodged it. Yet it hit him square on the cheek, leaving five red finger marks... This humiliation was too much!

Not only was she stunned, but Zhang Zhuo, in the midst of executing his secret technique to boost his power, was also completely dazed by the slap. After a moment, he came to his senses and felt a violent surge in his internal energy, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"I'll kill you..."

His eyes turned bloodshot, and veins bulged on his forehead.

Being forced back to the wall by someone weaker than him was already humiliating, but now he had been slapped with a resounding blow—he couldn't bear it.

Boom!

In his intense rage, accompanied by a roar, the power within him surged like a floodgate opening. In an instant, his strength nearly doubled. Under the impact of the massive airwave, Chen Leyao staggered back, her face pale.

"He who sows the wind shall reap the whirlwind."

Zhang Xu, leaning against the table, smiled lightly.

"Sows the wind?"

A young man nearby looked puzzled.

"The secret technique Zhang Zhuo uses is called the Blood Burning Art, which burns his own essence blood to increase combat power. Normally, it only boosts strength by thirty percent. But after being slapped in public, his extreme rage pushed the technique to its peak, doubling his strength! This state is comparable to a mid-stage Domain cultivator... If it hadn't increased this much, Chen Leyao could have held out for a while. But with such a surge... heh."

Although Zhang Xu didn't finish, his meaning was clear.

Chen Leyao's slap, though humiliating Zhang Zhuo, had inadvertently caused his power to skyrocket, and now she would be the one to suffer.

"So... Chen Leyao is in trouble... Zhang Zhuo is always ruthless; he won't show any mercy..."

The young man swallowed.

With his strength doubled, even he would find it hard to contend, let alone a girl at the peak of the Out-of-Body stage.

As they spoke, Zhang Zhuo's power had gathered to its peak. He stepped forward, and the surrounding air twisted. Chen Leyao felt as if she were bound by ropes, struggling in vain to break free.

"Oh no..."

Her face grim, the girl quickly looked at Zhang Xuan nearby: "Master Zhang, what should I do..."

She had strictly followed his instructions in executing her martial techniques, never expecting that her opponent would be provoked into a frenzy, creating an uncontrollable situation.

"What to do? With his strength doubled like this, you're certainly no match for him now!"

Stretching lazily, Zhang Xuan said.

"But..."

Her body swayed, and Chen Leyao nearly cried.

I know I'm no match, but... am I supposed to just take a beating?

"No 'buts.' Since you can't beat him now, why not break through?"

Zhang Xuan said, utterly speechless.

"Break through?" Chen Leyao was stunned.

Do you think I'm like you, breaking through on the spot as easily as eating or drinking?

If the Domain stage were that easy, I would have succeeded a month ago, not still stuck in place.

"Exactly!"

Zhang Xuan nodded: "From now on, follow every move I say. Don't be afraid, don't be nervous. The Domain stage is nothing; I guarantee you'll reach it within ten breaths!"

"Ten breaths..."

Chen Leyao's vision went dark.

That's too much of a boast!

The sixth level of the Saint Domain, the Domain stage, requires not only the accumulation of true energy to reach its natural conclusion but also an understanding of some spatial laws... Countless brilliant geniuses on the continent have been stuck at this step, unable to break through.

The most talented genius of their Ice Field Palace had spent at least three months to break through back then...

And he wants me to do it in ten breaths?

How can this sound reliable at all?

"Break through in ten breaths?"

"Is he serious?"

"He's at the early Out-of-Body stage, instructing someone at the peak to break through, and boasting like that... Can such a person really be a master teacher?"

...

Zhang Xuan's voice was not concealed; everyone in the room heard it clearly. They looked at each other with expressions as if they'd seen a ghost.

There's a limit to showing off!

Aren't you afraid of bursting your bubble?

Even Teacher Fei, standing to the side, frowned. Clearly, even he thought it impossible for Chen Leyao to break through in ten breaths.

"Break through? No chance..."

Zhang Zhuo, furious to the point of exploding, raised his hand, and a surge of violent power erupted, bearing down on the girl opposite him.

"I..."

Feeling the ferocious force, Chen Leyao felt as if her bones were about to be crushed. She tried to escape but found herself completely restrained, unable to move.

Just as she didn't know what to do, Zhang Xuan's voice sounded in her ear again.

"Arc Step, second form. Use the Ice Cold Art for your internal energy, circulating it through the Tianmen acupoint and the Qixin acupoint."

"Okay!"

Knowing she had no choice but to trust him, Chen Leyao gritted her teeth, shifted her feet into an arc, and instead of retreating, she dashed straight forward.

The second form of the Arc Step was precisely for charging forward.

"It's over..."

Her face turned deathly pale, and her heart sank.

She had moved as soon as she heard the instruction, not realizing it was walking right into the trap.

She could barely withstand his palm strike from a distance; rushing directly into it would only increase the pressure and hasten her death.

But there was no time to think. After charging less than two meters, the pressure before her more than doubled. Her bones had been on the verge of breaking, and now her muscles and meridians felt like they would tear apart at any moment.

"Death or not, I'll strictly follow Master Zhang's instructions..."

Filled with despair but with no other option, she focused her mind and activated her internal energy according to the Ice Cold Art, surging it toward the Tianmen and Qixin acupoints.

These two acupoints were key to breaking through to the Domain stage. She had tried several times before, all in vain.

Now, under immense pressure, she found the energy flowing incredibly smoothly. The violent force pressing on her seemed to propel the energy forward. In a daze, she felt as if he wasn't attacking but transmitting power to her.

Boom!

With the energy racing rapidly, it broke through the two acupoints in an instant. Then Chen Leyao saw a blur before her eyes and perceived the patterns of space.

She gently grasped with her hand.

A special force coiled around her like a belt.

Half-step Domain stage, achieved!

"She really broke through?"

"How did she do it?"

Seeing Chen Leyao charge into Zhang Zhuo's palm range and break through the shackles of the Out-of-Body stage to reach half-step Domain in less than two breaths, everyone was stunned, finding it hard to breathe.

Earlier, they thought he was spouting nonsense; they never dreamed it would actually happen.

Not only were the others shocked, but Chen Leyao also trembled with excitement, her eyes filled with disbelief.

What she had failed to achieve with countless efforts was now accomplished so simply.

"Switch to the Yang Fire Art, let the energy flow through the Yin Art's three meridians..."

Just as she was filled with excitement, Zhang Xuan's voice continued.

Without pausing, Chen Leyao strictly controlled her energy, circulating it as instructed.

Boom!

Her internal meridians roared, and the palm force from Zhang Zhuo lessened again. In an instant, Chen Leyao heard her entire body seem to play a symphony. The belt-like domain that had been binding her waist expanded outward.

Normally, expanding a domain like this would cause internal energy to fail to keep up, resulting in severe injury. But circulating the Yang Art through Yin meridians made her domain resemble a black hole.

Sizzle!

In an instant, all the power from Zhang Zhuo's attack was absorbed. With this added power, the domain immediately stabilized, forming a halo about five meters around her.

"I... really broke through?"

Feeling the domain fully stabilized and power flowing continuously, Chen Leyao's body involuntarily stiffened, unable to contain her excitement.

"Indeed, I broke through, and it only took... five breaths!"