"Woah, did you see that?"
"What the... isn't Thunder Fang Strike incomplete?"
"No, I didn't see wrong, that streak of light definitely means he has mastered this technique to proficiency."
"But how is this possible?"
As soon as Xiao Chen used his sword style, the crowd went haywire.
Although Thunder Fang Strike was a low-level Earth-grade sword technique, everyone knew it was incomplete.
Moreover, due to its strict requirements for learning and the difficulty in practicing due to its inherent affinity for the Lightning element, nobody from the Xiao family practiced it.
Even those who tried almost became crippled due to deviation.
That's why it was said that the Xiao family only had one Earth-grade martial art—Titan's Crashing Palm.
"How is this possible?"
Not only the crowd but even Grand Elder Baizhen and the Elders were shocked.
As the upper echelon of the family, they knew that practicing that technique was utterly impossible, no matter how talented, as the most important part of the technique was missing.
But today, Xiao Chen showed them something unbelievable.
"Zhixian!"
Grand Elder Baizhen felt the fiery streak of light nearing the still figure of Zhixian, appearing worried.
He knew that his grandson hadn't comprehended the Titan's Crashing Palm technique much, so there was no way he could parry this attack.
Just when the crowd was surprised and the elders were solemn, Xiao Chen was instead smiling big as he slashed his sword, aiming at Zhixian, who still seemed oblivious.
'Heh, let me show you what it means to get beaten black and blue. Even if you are at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm today, I won't let you go.'
He thought with a fierce light in his eyes as all the pent-up emotions from the seven days spent in prison burst forth in the form of a fiery fighting spirit.
However, even as the crowd was astonished, the Elders were surprised, and the Grand Elder seemed worried, Zhixian's expression never changed.
It was as if he wasn't surprised at Xiao Chen's use of Thunder Fang Strike, nor intimidated by his fiery fighting intent.
He seemed just as easygoing as before while looking at those streaks of light heading in his direction.
Or he seemed even mocking?
'Hmph, acting tough.'
Of course, Xiao Chen noticed the sarcastic look on his face, only to scoff in annoyance and increase his power even more.
He didn't know why, but from that day onward, he was getting more and more annoyed by this guy.
"Eagle's Glide!"
Just when the streak of white light came near his body, Zhixian finally moved gracefully like an eagle, appearing a few meters to the side, perfectly dodging the attack.
"Hmph, how many times can you dodge?"
Xiao Chen wasn't surprised by him dodging his attack but was even happier because it meant Zhixian didn't have the power to parry his attack.
So, without giving him a chance to breathe, he began brandishing his sword faster, sending streaks upon streaks of piercing light, each intending to hurt Zhixian and forcing him to use Eagle's Glide constantly to dodge.
With such an outcome, the situation suddenly turned so one-sided that the crowd was completely disappointed.
After all, they wanted to see a heated battle, but now that Zhixian could only dodge, the fight seemed pointless.
"Zhixian!"
Grand Elder thought the same as he stood up, ready to help if necessary. After all, those streaks of light were deadly and could injure someone badly, even if they didn't kill.
However, before he could do anything, another person stood up from his seat, blocking his path.
"Grand Elder, let the youngsters handle their battle themselves. Besides, Zhixian himself decided to fight to prove himself. Aren't you interfering like this, hurting his pride?"
Xiao Heng said with slight sarcasm while smiling brightly. From his satisfied expression, he seemed quite pleased with his son's performance.
"You... Xiao Heng, you are going too far."
Xiao Baizhen gnashed his teeth in hatred.
This bastard was getting more and more unruly.
But to his rage, Xiao Heng didn't even pay attention. He just stood next to him, making it clear that he would never allow him to meddle in this fight.
...
In the arena, the more the fight progressed, the more excited Xiao Chen became because he saw that not once did Zhixian try to attack him.
He was just dodging everywhere like a leaf caught in a storm, barely keeping ahead of the relentless attacks.
"Hahaha, Zhixian, look, this is what you are."
Of course, this made him happy as he laughed uncontrollably, relishing the feeling of humiliating his opponent.
This face slapping moment was what he had been craving for so long.
It was only because of this hateful guy that it had been delayed. Now he would get it back by beating him.
"See, everyone can see that you are just a weak, talentless kid who can only sneak attack to win against me. Now that you have to fight head-on, where is your courage? How can you become a Clan Leader like this?"
Xiao Chen ridiculed with sarcasm as he intensified his attacks, closing the distance between him and Zhixian.
From the way Zhixian looked, it seemed victory was really in his hands.
Everyone thought so—only Xiao Chen was extremely annoyed that even now, that hateful guy still had that sarcastic smile on his lips and that amiable aura he hated so much.
"Okay, I think this much is enough."
Then, suddenly, he heard a low mumbling from the front and saw Zhixian suddenly stop dodging his attack.
Then before he could react, Zhixian lifted his dull sword, which seemed unremarkable, standing with a straight posture, completely unfazed by the sharp streak of sword light upon him.
'What is he doing?'
Not only Xiao Chen, but even the Grand Elder and others were stunned by Zhixian's sudden move.
But the next moment answered their doubts, as they saw a sudden violent wave of spiritual energy erupt around Zhixian, followed by the same streak of light as Xiao Chen's sword technique rushing forth.
Only this time, it was sharper, stronger, and almost invisible. Even those at the Essence Forging Realm couldn't see its flow.
But they knew—it was the same technique just because Zhixian's shout echoed throughout the hall.
"Thunder Fang Strike!"
"Swish!"
With his shout, a violent streak of light swept across from his direction, directly obliterating Xiao Chen's piercing sword strike just by its mere presence.
And without stopping, it continued unabated, heading straight for Xiao Chen, who was completely caught off guard by the sudden reversal.
"Xiao Chen, DODGE!"
Only after hearing his father's shout did he finally come to his senses and hurriedly tried to dodge the sword strike while positioning his own sword in its path.
"Click!"
But the attack was so sudden and fast that the sword in his hand snapped in half without any resistance.
The sword light then grazed his cheek and hair, drawing blood as it sliced through effortlessly.
"Ugh...fuck!"
The sheer force threw him to the ground, crashing embarrassingly onto the dirt-covered floor, which almost cracked under the sheer power.
However, although the strike was impeccable, the sword light was sharp, and the technique was both sudden and surprising, Xiao Chen wasn't thinking about any of that.
Instead, he suddenly roared in extreme anger at Zhixian, even ignoring his embarrassment.
"Zhixian, you bastard! You are clearly at the Peak of the Qi Gathering Realm! You are cheating!"
The voice was so strong yet so heartbreaking, even the crowd felt embarrassed.
"Oh? But when did I say I was at the Middle Level of the Qi Gathering Realm?"
But to Xiao Chen's shock, he suddenly heard the reply right beside him, as he didn't even know when Zhixian arrived near, looking at him slyly.
"And honestly, aren't you the same? I think it's totally fair."
He smirked a little playfully, causing Xiao Chen's eyes to go wide.
"You..."
"Boom!"
"Ugh..."
Before Xiao Chen could say anything, Zhixian once again attacked him mercilessly using the Titan's Crashing Palm.
The punch was so heavy that it made Xiao Chen delirious.
'Heh, I have an antagonist system for fuck's sake. Why would I play by the rules? I'm not a protagonist.'
Zhixian thought with glee as he looked at the beautiful crimson arc flowing out of Xiao Chen's mouth.
'Hmm... Why do I feel like I've seen this scene before?'