C12 Invincible

Confronted with Zhang Heng's thrusting spear, the young man remained serene, seated on the sole chair in the room. He spared Zhang Heng only a cursory glance before effortlessly producing an identical fan from his storage bag. With a light flick of his right hand, he deflected the tip of Zhang Heng's spear.

This opponent had only recently formed his Qi Sea, and despite some natural aptitude in Body Tempering, his time spent cultivating was minimal. Was such an attack even worthy of his full effort? After all, he was a prodigy who had ascended to the status of an outer court disciple in under a year. His current level had reached the pinnacle of the first grade in Qi Refining, and his supreme skill had achieved Small Completion. Such prowess was not something a newcomer could match.

The murmurs of the onlookers echoed his sentiment. "Zhang Heng is far too arrogant! With his robust build, he thinks he can dismiss anyone." "He's only just established his Qi Sea, and his supreme skill has been in practice for a mere few days. How could he possibly challenge Senior Brother Xiaoluo?" "Some people just don't know their limits, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!"

Senior Brother Xiaoluo took in the crowd's commentary with a smug smile. But as his fan met Zhang Heng's spear, that smile vanished without a trace. "Such power!" he exclaimed, his brow furrowing as he attempted to retract his fan. In that instant, a soft "puff" was heard, and Zhang Heng's spear tip emitted a burst of pure Yuan Qi. The delicate fan, now enveloped by the piercing, twisting, and vibrating forces, disintegrated under the might of the Overlord Spear's inaugural technique, Fearless.

The spectators outside were dumbfounded. "What just happened?" "Where did Senior Brother Xiaoluo's fan go?" "Did he put it away?" While the others stood bewildered, Senior Brother Xiaoluo had no such luxury; Zhang Heng's relentless Fearless continued its advance.

It was already within arm's reach.

"Quite intriguing," Senior Brother Xiao Luo remarked, his expression turning solemn at last.

He rose abruptly to his feet, a sword now in his grasp—a sword as red as blood.

The sword was slender, measuring eight feet and seven inches, yet it was as narrow as a finger.

Its design was unique, with a forked tip resembling the split tongue of a venomous snake.

The sword itself seemed to be a crimson serpent.

As the long sword was revealed, someone exclaimed, "The Scarlet Blood Sword!"

"That's Senior Brother Xiao Luo's Origin Weapon."

"This Origin Weapon is a top-tier yellow weapon, capable of slicing through iron as if it were mud. Ordinary weapons stand no chance against it!"

"Senior Brother Xiao Luo has even drawn his Origin Weapon!"

"It looks like Senior Brother Xiao Luo means business."

Senior Brother Xiao Luo flicked the Scarlet Blood Sword in his hand, and the crimson blade twisted and coiled like a living serpent, swiftly entwining Zhang Heng's iron spear.

With a crisp snap, the forked tip of the sword clamped down on the tip of Zhang Heng's spear.

"The end has come," Senior Brother Xiao Luo declared, eyeing Zhang Heng with an icy gaze.

As he spoke, his sword hand swept through the air once more.

In the next instant, Senior Brother Xiao Luo's expression darkened.

His face grew stern, his brows knitted together, and his irritation reached a boiling point.

He had assumed that with his strength at the Perfection level of Qi Refining, even without exerting his full power, he could easily send Zhang Heng's Damascus Steel Spear flying.

He expected Zhang Heng to be severely injured, crashing through the building and thrown out in disarray, lying on the ground, humiliated, waiting for him to crush Zhang Heng's detestable face under his boot.

Just as he had done to Zhang Heng's comrade, Lee Qi.

Yet, contrary to his expectations, none of this occurred.

Zhang Heng had withstood the powered strike from Senior Brother Xiao Luo's Perfection-grade Qi Refining.

Furthermore, Zhang Heng's spear thrust was unstoppable.

Zhang Heng's spear continued its piercing advance.

With a piercing ring, the spear was upon him, its speed unmatched.

Zhang Heng's spear thrust was so swift that Senior Brother Xiao Luo had no time to evade. He barely managed to intercept it with the spine of his Red Chi Lianbing Sword. Despite the sword dissipating much of the force, an unexpected and more massive surge of power slammed into him. He couldn't muster his Qi Sea quickly enough to defend himself.

The impact sent Senior Brother Xiao Luo flying, his body lifted off the ground as he hurtled backward. His back slammed against the rear wall, giving him a momentary sense of relief. If the wall could just hold for a split second, he could gather enough vital spirit from his Qi Sea to counter Zhang Heng's spear. But against Zhang Heng's Damascus Steel Spear, a technique of Great Completion, even the sturdiest wall of the wooden huts crumbled like paper, offering no resistance.

With a loud crack, the back wall burst open, leaving a comically human-shaped hole. Zhang Heng stood within this newly formed aperture, his spear at rest. Before him lay a steep slope, and at the bottom, a figure emerged from the thorny bushes. It was Senior Brother Xiao Luo, disheveled from his tumble down the slope after Zhang Heng's powerful strike.

Struggling to his feet, Senior Brother Xiao Luo was a mess. His headscarf was gone, his hair whipped into disarray by the mountain breeze. His once pristine white robe was now torn and stained with dirt from the wall's debris and the dusty slope. He resembled a rooster defeated in battle.

With a fierce glare, Senior Brother Xiao Luo's expression turned grim and vengeful as he fixed his gaze on Zhang Heng above. Gone was his earlier poise and elegance. The onlookers remained silent, witnessing the transformation of the once dignified Senior Brother Xiao Luo into a figure of abject disarray. Many were at a loss for words, their mouths agape in disbelief at the scene unfolding before them. In a matter of moments, a newcomer had bested an outer court prodigy with a single move, shattering their expectations.

Events had transpired in a mere moment that were beyond their comprehension.

A novice, fresh from the ranks, had repelled a genius senior from the outer court with a single move. Such an occurrence had never even graced their wildest dreams.

"You're going to die!" At the bottom of the hill, Senior Brother Xiao Luo clenched the Red Viper Sword, his eyes cold and venomous as he glared at Zhang Heng. "You're going to regret what you did!"

"You're the one who's going to pay!" Zhang Heng returned the stare, his face impassive. "The one who should pay is you."

He glanced back at Lee Qi, who was struggling to sit up in a pool of blood, trying to offer a reassuring smile despite his pain. Zhang Heng saw the agony etched on his face, twisted and ghostly, and his broken arms and hands. Zhang Heng's eyes grew colder.

Fixing his gaze on Senior Brother Xiao Luo, he stepped out of the wooden house and approached him, his battle intent intensifying with each step.

"Do you really think you can beat me?" Zhang Heng taunted. "I'll show you the chasm that lies between us. I'm on the verge of breaking through to the second level of Qi Refining, while you're nothing but an ant, a newcomer who's only been here a few days. I'll teach you what it means to be crushed by a higher realm."

With a thunderous roar, Senior Brother Xiao Luo unleashed his full power, his Qi Refining at the pinnacle of the first level, nearly touching the second. The Red Viper Sword in his hand vibrated, buzzing with the vital spirit of Heaven and Earth.

Gripping the sword firmly, Senior Brother Xiao Luo advanced on Zhang Heng.

A piercing clang shattered the air as the two adversaries closed in and struck simultaneously. The Red Viper Sword met Zhang Heng's iron spear head-on. Zhang Heng's expression remained unchanged, his battle intent reaching skyward.

Senior Brother Xiao Luo's face, however, underwent another drastic change. He had just exerted nearly all his strength, and yet, he had not been sent flying. But neither had he gained any advantage. His attack, fueled by 90% of his power, had been matched evenly by Zhang Heng's spear.

In that moment, he realized the caliber of the individual his brother had crossed. Astonishingly, a newcomer who had been at the academy for mere days was matching him blow for blow. A twinge of regret surfaced, but he quickly banished it from his thoughts and launched another attack with his sword.

The sword appeared to take on a life of its own, its blood-red form twisting and turning with agility and speed, creating a mesmerizing dance of feints and strikes aimed at Zhang Heng's throat. He had pushed his mid-grade yellow level technique, the Spirit Snake Sword, to its absolute limit. In just six months, his mastery of the Spirit Snake Sword had advanced through two levels, achieving Small Completion. Even the academy's sword arts instructor, known for his sparing praise, held him in high esteem.

He was convinced Zhang Heng wouldn't be able to evade his sword, let alone survive without being decapitated by it. Yet, Zhang Heng countered with his spear, employing the same "Fearless" maneuver from the Overlord Spear technique. He was like an expert snake charmer, his spear thrust dispelling all illusions and targeting the Scarlet Blood Sword's critical point with his spearhead charged with pure vital spirit.

With a resounding clang, spear and sword met once again. The Scarlet Blood Sword's bewildering illusions vanished in an instant. Before the sword could graze Zhang Heng's neck, it was deflected mid-strike, its technique unraveled by Zhang Heng's precise spearwork.

Senior Brother Xiaoluo watched Zhang Heng with a grimace. He had exerted his full strength this time, even unleashing his most powerful technique. Yet, he had not triumphed. The outcome was inconceivable to him, and utterly unacceptable. He had never entertained the possibility, nor was he aware, that Zhang Heng's cultivation had soared to the peak of the first grade of Qi Refining, just a small step behind his own.

Unbeknownst to him, while his Qi Sea was the size of three fists, Zhang Heng's Qi Sea had already expanded to more than double that, comparable to the size of a large bowl. His ultimate skill was at Small Completion, but Zhang Heng's had reached the stage of Great Completion, and Zhang Heng was already on the cusp of breaking through to an even higher level.

Unbeknownst to him, his Qi Sea was merely the size of three fists, while Zhang Heng's Qi Sea had grown to surpass the size of a sea bowl, more than double his own.

He was also unaware that his mastery of the ultimate skill was only at Small Completion, whereas Zhang Heng had already achieved Great Completion. Zhang Heng was even attempting to break through to an even higher realm of mastery.

Senior Brother Xiao Luo stood there, somewhat lost.

But Zhang Heng had no intention of sparing him.

"Wuji!"

His spear thrust forward once more, without a moment's hesitation.

Senior Brother Xiao Luo defensively raised his sword to parry.

A sharp clang resonated.

Senior Brother Xiao Luo's complexion grew even worse.

This time, he had been thoroughly overpowered.

Could it be that Zhang Heng hadn't even tapped into his full strength?

What, then, could be the limits of this newcomer's abilities?