C8 Someone from Barbarian Essence Blade House!

This morning, a deacon from the Roc Essence Sect arrived in Liucheng. The House Lord, along with several senior brothers, went to greet him. Little did we expect that shortly after the House Lord's departure, troublemakers from the Barbarian Essence Blade House showed up!"

"Typical of the Barbarian Essence Blade House to resort to such lowly tactics!"

The disciples buzzed with conversation about the incident before collectively addressing Chiang Jin, "Senior Brother Jiang, we're all trapped at the gate and can't leave. It's one thing for us to be embarrassed, but if this gets out, the reputation of the Wave Submitting Sword House will be ruined!"

"Senior Brother Jiang, we need you to step in and give those Barbarian Essence Blade House ruffians a lesson they won't forget!"

The incident was a matter of the sword pavilion's honor, and given that the issue with Lin Fengyu also traced back to Chiang Jin, he gave it some thought before nodding in agreement.

"With Senior Brother Jiang taking action, we'll surely drive back those from the Wave Submitting Sword House!"

The disciples were elated and quickly followed Chiang Jin outside.

At the pavilion's entrance, several smug disciples from the Barbarian Essence Blade House were blocking the way. One young man was even stepping on a Wave Submitting disciple, mocking, "Is this the best the Wave Submitting Sword House can muster? Not very impressive!"

"Just a pack of weaklings, utterly pathetic!"

Qu Xiangfei, a Wave Submitting disciple, slung a massive blade over his shoulder and shook his head, "Not a single one can withstand three of my strikes! Seems the teaching skills of Qin Qinggang leave much to be desired!"

The Barbarian Essence disciples erupted into raucous laughter.

The other Wave Submitting disciples seethed with anger but remained silent. Some had already been goaded into challenging Qu Xiangfei, only to return severely injured.

The blockade at the Wave Submitting Sword House drew a crowd of onlookers who whispered and pointed, fueling the spectacle.

The Wave Submitting disciples felt humiliated, especially knowing that none of them were a match for Qu Xiangfei, a direct disciple of the Barbarian Essence Blade House.

"I've heard so much about your Qin Baizhi's prodigious talent, and how proud Qin Qinggang is of her! So where is she now when it counts?"

"That Qin Baizhi is nothing but an overhyped name. A mere woman who's learned a few basic sword tricks dares to claim she's destined for greatness? Ridiculous."

Qu Xiangfei sneered dismissively, but his words were quickly met with a stern reply, "Senior Sister Qin doesn't need to waste her time on the likes of you!"

Qu Xiangfei kicked the Wave Submitting disciple at his feet aside and looked up to see some of the pavilion's disciples shouting with surprise, "Senior Brother Jiang, it's Senior Brother Jiang!"

The Wave Submitting disciples turned to see who had arrived.

"Senior Brother Chiang Jin is here; let's see how Qu Xiangfei can keep up his arrogance now."

Some were thrilled to see Chiang Jin, while others simply shook their heads in disappointment, "Don't celebrate too soon. Qu Xiangfei is no ordinary opponent. He's a direct disciple of the Barbarian Essence Blade House and is said to be second only to Mann Jier, the son of the third barbarian!"

The man seemed well-acquainted with the Barbarian Essence Blade House, lamenting, "Had Qu Xiangfei competed in last year's Liucheng Grand Tournament, he might have had a shot at the title. Senior Brother Jiang has only just begun to harness his inner strength; how can he stand against him?"

The explanation cast a shadow over the spirits of the Wave Submitting disciples.

Qu Xiangfei glanced over and saw a striking young man, about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in simple clothes and wielding an iron sword. He looked unfamiliar, certainly not one of the Wave Submitting's personal disciples he had seen before.

"I recognize all of the Wave Submitting's personal disciples, and this Chiang Jin is definitely not one of them," a man whispered to Qu Xiangfei.

Qu Xiangfei nodded, "Just another novice who's learned a handful of basic moves."

Chiang Jin stopped in his tracks and looked up, "Do you look down on basic martial arts?"

"I do, and what are you going to do about it?" Qu Xiangfei scoffed, "It's only the untalented who spend their days clinging to basic martial arts."

"Fine, since you feel that way, I'll take you on with the Wave Submitting's Light Fixing Sword Technique," Chiang Jin stated calmly.

The Wave Submitting disciples gasped in alarm. Qu Xiangfei was unaware of the full story, but they knew all too well that Chiang Jin had mastered the Wave Submitting Sword Technique.

Chiang Jin was already at a disadvantage, and now he was forgoing the use of the more advanced Wave Submitting Sword Technique—this was tantamount to suicide.

"You're out of your depth," Qu Xiangfei said with a scornful smile, lifting his massive blade and slashing it towards Chiang Jin.

The blade hadn't even reached him yet, but the force of the swing brought a fierce wind that stung the face, a clear testament to Qu Xiangfei's profound inner strength.

Chiang Jin's gaze flickered with certainty. Had he not enhanced his inner strength with his innate talent yesterday, defeating this opponent would have required considerable effort. But now, the task was far less daunting.

With a flourish of his iron sword, he countered using the Light Fixing Sword Technique, his inner strength flowing through the blade. A succession of metallic clangs filled the air as the sword danced.

Qu Xiangfei was overwhelmed by a blur of sword lights, his massive blade struck nine times in rapid succession by the young man's long sword. Each strike hit the exact same spot with unerring precision, vibrating the hilt from his grasp until the blade clattered to the ground.

Looking up, Qu Xiangfei found Chiang Jin's sword tip at his throat, barely a hair's breadth from his skin—a testament to his adversary's exceptional swordsmanship.

"This is the seventh form of the Light Fixing Sword Technique from the Wave Submitting Sword House, the Light Combo," Chiang Jin stated coolly after his victory. "Senior Sister Qin's martial arts prowess far exceeds mine. With your limited skills, you're not even qualified to challenge her."

With those words, Chiang Jin sheathed his sword and walked away. The brief encounter had ended before the onlookers could fully process Chiang Jin's swift swordplay, leaving Qu Xiangfei defeated by what he had scorned as a mere beginner's technique.

The Barbarian Essence Blade House disciples exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions akin to having seen a ghost.

"Way to go, Senior Brother Jiang!" one of them shouted, breaking into cheers.

"Hahaha, I knew it! The moment Senior Brother Jiang stepped in, he was bound to be extraordinary. Victory was certain!"

"I honestly thought Qu Xiangfei could withstand at least a few of Senior Brother Jiang's moves, but he couldn't even fend off one! Some personal disciple of the Barbarian Essence Blade House he is—turns out to be just a lot of hot air!"

"He dares to challenge the Wave Submitting Sword House with such meager skills?"

"Look down on our basic martial arts? He was taken down by that very technique in a single move!"

Qu Xiangfei, shaking, reached for his fallen blade, humiliation washing over him as he watched Chiang Jin's retreating figure.

"Senior Brother Qu, are you okay? There's no shame in losing to someone as formidable as Jiang. We'll go back, regroup with Mann Jier, and take him on again! There's no way we can't beat him!" a fellow disciple from the Barbarian Essence Blade House encouraged.

However, these words only fanned the flames of Qu Xiangfei's rage.

With a furious roar, he grabbed his blade and swung it at Chiang Jin's back, putting all his might into the attack.

"Despicable!"

"Watch out, Senior Brother Jiang!"

Caught off guard by Qu Xiangfei's sudden assault, Chiang Jin instinctively retaliated. His sword, powered by a surge of inner strength, parried the heavy blade with a resounding clang and thrust directly into Qu Xiangfei's chest.

Qu Xiangfei shuddered, looking down in disbelief at the blood blossoming from his wound, then up at Chiang Jin, as if unable to accept the reality before him.

"Collect your talent points," a system notification intoned as Qu Xiangfei's body thudded to the ground.

Chiang Jin's brow furrowed deeply. Qu Xiangfei's sneak attack had targeted his vitals, leaving no room for restraint. Had the tables been turned, it might have been Chiang Jin lying there.

"Senior Brother Qu!" The cry of anguish rose from the Barbarian Essence Blade House disciples as they saw Qu Xiangfei fall. Some rushed to his side, while others launched themselves at Chiang Jin in a vengeful attack.