Chapter 1455: First Match Won

Boom!

The surging true qi stirred up dust from the ground. Zhang Jiuxiao wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, his teacher had flown with him for a while; otherwise, he might have truly been late.

Turning to look down at the stage, he saw the middle-aged man his teacher was disguised as, standing in an inconspicuous corner, smiling slightly. Only then did he look at his opponent, Zhang Linqing, and say, "Still in time..."

"What does being in time matter?"

Zhang Linqing sneered, shook his head, and extended a finger.

Zhang Jiuxiao did not understand.

"To deal with you, one move is enough!"

Looking over calmly, Zhang Linqing's face was full of arrogance. "Even if you've broken through to the initial stage of the Domain Realm and your strength has increased, it means nothing to me. Now I'll let you know the gap between a branch disciple and a core disciple!"

With that, he stepped forward, and in the blink of an eye, six phantom images appeared on the platform. He pressed down lightly with his palm, and ferocious power cascaded down.

His attack seemed to lack much technique, yet it enveloped the surrounding space, making it impossible to escape or dodge.

"Impressive!"

Zhang Jiuxiao nodded inwardly.

As expected of a core disciple, not one to be underestimated.

If it were any other initial-stage Domain Realm cultivator, they might have been flustered, but Zhang Jiuxiao, having cultivated in the Blood Pool, had trained his primordial spirit to the peak of the seventh level of the Saint Domain. His insight and understanding of martial arts were no less than those of Zhang Chun and others, so naturally, he was not fooled by such techniques.

He lightly stamped his foot, floated backward, and did not release the top-grade spirit stone in his left hand, continuing to frantically absorb spiritual energy.

Although his retreat was not fast, it caused all of Zhang Linqing's attacks and follow-ups to miss.

After one exchange, he remained unscathed.

"You have some skill, but this is as far as you go..."

Unexpectedly, this unremarkable branch disciple had easily found the flaw in his attack and dodged it. Zhang Linqing's face turned dark, his brows raised, and he changed his palm into a claw, swiping through the air.

Zizi zizi!

Power surged from his palm, and Zhang Jiuxiao immediately felt as if his body were bound by ropes, involuntarily drawn toward his opponent.

Knowing that once he got close, escape would be difficult, Zhang Jiuxiao took a deep breath and no longer suppressed himself. The spiritual energy from the top-grade spirit stone in his palm surged into his body like a river.

"Break through!"

With a loud shout, his aura soared into the sky, and his power climbed step by step. In the blink of an eye, he broke through the initial stage of the Domain Realm and charged toward the mid stage.

With his cultivation reaching the mid stage of the Domain Realm, his power and momentum nearly doubled. His forward movement stopped and gradually stabilized.

"You can still break through?"

Zhang Linqing was startled, his eyes flickering.

According to the information he had, this branch disciple Zhang Jiuxiao was at most at the peak of the Out-of-Body Realm, still some distance from the Domain Realm. It was already surprising to see him break through, but now he was continuing!

But even if he reached the mid stage of the Domain Realm, so what?

There was still a huge gap to the peak!

"Sharpening your spear on the battlefield—too late..."

With a cold laugh, he rapidly circulated his true qi, and the tearing force in his palm surged again.

Creak, creak, creak!

Grooves appeared on the ground. Zhang Jiuxiao could no longer hold his ground and was slowly dragged forward.

His opponent was not only at the peak of the Domain Realm but had also been immersed in it for who knows how long, already proficient in his techniques and power. Now that he unleashed them, there was no awkwardness, making them difficult to resist.

"Whether there's time or not isn't for you to decide..."

Turning his wrist, he stored the supreme-grade spirit stone into his ring. Zhang Jiuxiao gave a cold smile and suddenly stamped his feet.

Boom!

Two large pits appeared in the ground, his feet sinking into them, and his forward momentum immediately halted.

At the initial Domain Realm, he might not be able to contend with the opponent, but at the mid stage... it was enough!

Even if the opponent was a core disciple capable of cross-tier combat, his own bloodline was now purer; crossing just two minor levels should not be difficult!

"Huh?"

Unexpectedly, the other party had stopped, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge him. Zhang Linqing's face darkened again, losing his previous contempt. He shook his body and threw a punch.

Although he somewhat looked down on this collateral branch disciple from the bottom of his heart, after two consecutive moves, he knew that without going all out, the outcome was uncertain.

He immediately shed all disdain.

Boom!

His fist pressed forward, and an umbrella-shaped arc of force appeared before him. The air let out a creaking sound, on the verge of splitting at any moment.

"That's a high-grade Saint Domain martial technique, the Fissure Fist!"

"With one punch, cracks appear in the air. The practitioner instantly unleashes their full power through a special method, making it extremely powerful and hard to defend against!"

"This is a secret technique only core disciples can cultivate. Collateral branch disciples have never even seen it. Let's see how he blocks it!"

Everyone focused their gaze on Zhang Jiuxiao, curious to see how this latecomer would face the enemy.

Unfazed by the crowd's murmurs, Zhang Jiuxiao showed no tension or disturbance, but slowly closed his eyes.

In his spiritual perception, the opponent's incoming punch slowed down more and more, like an old man practicing Tai Chi.

"This is the benefit of a pure bloodline..."

He took a deep breath and smiled faintly.

Although he hadn't activated his bloodline, its integration into his body had already brought about a transformative change.

Though the opponent's technique was remarkable, in his eyes, it was as if time had slowed, allowing him to easily detect its flaws.

"The teacher said that against such an attack, one only needs to strike at its vital point and break its defense..."

The teacher's words flowed in his heart. Forming a sword with his fingers, Zhang Jiuxiao gently pointed at a spot.

Crash!

Before his finger even reached Zhang Linqing, the Fissure Fist truly began to crack, shattering like glass. The face that had been full of pride and confidence now showed disbelief and terror.

Bang!

Struck in the chest with a smack, Zhang Linqing fell from the air to the ground. His entire meridians ached violently, and unable to hold back, he spewed a torrent of blood.

"You... you..."

He quickly looked up at the collateral branch disciple before him, his eyes filled with terror.

He knew well how powerful his Fissure Fist was. Under normal circumstances, even a strong cultivator at the initial stage of the Saint Domain Seventh Layer Void Entry Realm would not dare to take it head-on. Yet now, the other party had not only received it but easily broken it!

From this single move, it was clear that the other party's insight and knowledge far surpassed his own!

Was he really a collateral branch disciple?

How could he be so powerful?

"You lost..."

Knowing what the other was shocked about, Zhang Jiuxiao smiled lightly, clasped his hands behind his back, and with an air of superiority, remained utterly calm.

While he was full of arrogance, Zhang Xuan below the stage was nearly bursting with rage.

"This show-off, he could have finished it in one move, but he had to use three... How did I end up with such an unreliable disciple?"