Chapter 173: Could It Be That We Were Overthinking Everything?

Xin Feng's aloof face had yet to recover from the shock.

His sword was just gone like that?

This was the longsword he had painstakingly infused with boundless sword intent—how could this be, how could this possibly be.

Xin Feng was furious inside, but he knew he had to hold back; if he lost his temper, the face of the Nine Firmaments Sect would be utterly lost.

Xin Feng's inner turmoil was immense, but he forcibly restrained and soothed himself.

Must not get angry, absolutely must not get angry.

No matter how much it pained him now, he could not show it; he had to put on a look of indifference, letting the other party know that this longsword meant nothing to him.

But Xin Feng forced a smile, while his heart truly ached.

The disappearance of the sword intent domain brought the Sacred Sect disciples back to their senses, but when they saw the scene before them, they fell into a daze once more.

Then everyone excitedly discussed.

Uncle Lin is truly too formidable.

That longsword—just one look at it made my heart tremble, yet Uncle Lin shattered it with his physical body alone, truly terrifying.

Haha, so this is the proud disciple of the Nine Firmaments Sect; even his weapon was broken by our uncle, how satisfying.

When he summoned that terrifying longsword, I thought no one in the Sacred Sect could match it, but when Uncle Lin casually struck it down, I knew I was overthinking.

Look at those Nine Firmaments Sect disciples, their faces are pale.

…

“Dare you take my brick?” This was already the third time Lin Fan had spoken.

The red brick in his right hand, under the blazing sun, appeared even more crimson and radiant.

The sky changed, the wind stopped.

Time and space seemed to freeze; Lin Fan stood there, his calm eyes fixed on Xin Feng.

This little brat, showing off like that—Lin Fan simply couldn't stand it.

You can be cowardly, you can be sneaky—Lin Fan could tolerate all that, brushing it off like dust, waving his sleeve without taking a speck—but why must you show off?

Don't you know that I, Lin Fan, hate show-offs the most?

Xin Feng looked at Lin Fan, his heart pounding slightly; he felt a suffocating sensation, but he hated that feeling.

This man before him was the proud disciple of the Sacred Sect—how could he lose to him?

Then he looked at the red brick in Lin Fan's right hand; it was a very ordinary brick, without a trace of true essence fluctuation.

It was not a mystic weapon, nor any divine armament.

Could it be…

At this moment, a thought suddenly struck Xin Feng: perhaps this man did not intend to harm him but had deliberately taken out an ordinary brick to give the Nine Firmaments Sect a way to save face.

What would happen if this brick struck him? Xin Feng didn't need to think to know—naturally, the brick would shatter instantly, just like his longsword, breaking into pieces.

And that would settle everything completely, no one blaming anyone, the matter ended, and they could properly welcome the Battle of the Strongest Prodigies.

“Haha…” Having figured it all out, Xin Feng suddenly burst into laughter; he had seen through everything—it was all just a face-saving gesture.

To preserve the dignity of the Nine Firmaments Sect, what did it matter if he took a hit from this brick?

Wu Ya and Liang Yichu exchanged a glance, both thinking the same as Xin Feng.

This brick was plain and ordinary, without any true essence fluctuation; a single strike like that, given Xin Feng's physical strength, would absolutely not cause any harm.

Although Wu Ya and Liang Yichu often bickered, their bond was deep; now that things had come to this, though both sides had suffered losses, it could be considered even.

Wu Ya looked at Lin Fan and couldn't help nodding; this young man was very sensible and knew how to maintain relations between friendly sects.

A disciple who knew how to uphold the face of a friendly sect—Wu Ya thought highly of him, even though this young man was the sixth disciple of the Saint Demon Sect on Nameless Peak.

But the Saint Demon Sect was a branch of the Sacred Sect, sharing the same origin; if properly nurtured, he might even be sufficient to inherit the position of Sect Leader in the future.

Wu Ya said nothing; everything would be discussed after this brick strike. From now on, he should pay close attention to this young man, perhaps even recommend him to the Sect Leader.

An outstanding disciple is very important to a sect, but a sensible and outstanding disciple is even rarer.

To be Sect Leader requires not only formidable strength but, more importantly, a mind that is versatile and diplomatic.

“Brother Yichu, since my disciple has received one sword strike, let him also receive one blow, and then we shall dine,” Wu Ya said.

Liang Yichu looked at Wu Ya's expression, then smiled slightly and gave him a thumbs-up, indicating that the Sacred Sect was fortunate to have such a sensible disciple.

“Disciple, since that's the case, take the brick,” Liang Yichu said with a smile.

“Yes.” Xin Feng felt no fear at all in his heart; taking a brick was no big deal, and besides, it was just an ordinary brick.

At this moment, Xin Feng even felt a sense of mutual appreciation.

They shared the same temperament and were in the same situation, so they somewhat hit it off.

After this matter was over, Xin Feng wouldn't mind having his first friend in life.

Xin Feng stared at Lin Fan, imprinting Lin Fan's face into his heart with that proud gaze.

You, as a friend, I, Xin Feng, have decided to make.

“Come on.” Xin Feng raised his head proudly, tilting his body slightly and stretching his neck forward, as if to make it easier for Lin Fan to strike.

At this moment, Lin Fan sneered inwardly, looking at the Ninety-Five Big Red Brick in his hand—such a divine artifact finally had its chance to be used.

“Alright… Don't worry, there won't be any injury,” Lin Fan said.

Xin Feng lowered his head, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth; of course there would be no injury—how could he, a proud disciple of the Nine Firmaments Sect, fail to withstand an ordinary brick?

Friend, rest assured, I now understand your intentions.

At this moment, Lin Fan's right hand moved slightly, as if without any strength.

The surrounding disciples looked at the scene before them, puzzled—what was going on?

But the next second, everyone suddenly understood.

“Bang…”

A gentle tap.

Lin Fan turned around, not even looking, and put the brick back into his backpack.

“Utterly disappointing, too fragile to withstand a single blow…” Lin Fan sighed to the heavens, lightly tapping Xin Feng's forehead with a finger.

“Boom…”

An unbelievable thing happened: Xin Feng's body simply fell to the ground.

At this moment, the surroundings were dead silent; everyone's eyes were wide open, unable to understand what had just happened.

Lin Fan looked at Supreme Elder Wu Ya, nodded slightly, then walked off into the distance, and gradually a voice came from not far away.

“The proud disciple of the Nine Firmaments Sect is nothing more than this…”

His figure had vanished, but his voice, like thunder, exploded between the disciples of the two sects, lingering for a long time without dissipating.

Wu Ya looked at Lin Fan's disappearing back, then at Xin Feng lying on the ground, utterly dumbfounded.

Could it be that we were overthinking everything?