One Move Sends Him Flying

Dongfang Bai?

Ye Xiwen hurriedly grabbed an Inner Disciple beside him and asked, "What's going on? Why is it still so noisy over there?"

"Senior Brother Ye, you're back? That's wonderful!" The Inner Disciple was clearly older than Ye Xiwen, yet no one found it strange. In this world, the strong were honored and the accomplished came first.

"Isn't it those people from the Zhang Family? Today, the Zhang Family sent an elder to discuss the Core Disciple Competition with our sect, and a Zhang Family disciple came along with him. His name is Zhang Yunfei, and he was the champion of this Zhang Family Lineage Competition. The moment he arrived, he challenged the top five from our Sect Internal Competition. He defeated the last three senior brothers, but he was too despicable. Unable to defeat Senior Brother Dongfang, he actually ambushed him!"

Ye Xiwen frowned. The Zhang Family had come here deliberately to provoke them, hadn't they? The Zhang Family differed from the Yi Yuan Sect. The Yi Yuan Sect embraced all rivers, while the Zhang Family was organized around its lineage. Their Lineage Competition was much like the Yi Yuan Sect's Sect Internal Competition in nature, with roughly equal prestige. It was held once every three years, and the champion of every competition held his breath, eager to measure himself against the Yi Yuan Sect's champion.

But the timing they had chosen was rather telling. They had actually come to provoke them while all the Core Disciples were present—this was a blatant slap in the face!

This was a contest between the younger generation's Core Disciples. It was not that no one could beat Zhang Yunfei into a dead dog, but they could not act. They absolutely could not act. Once they did, it would make the Yi Yuan Sect seem weak. Even defeating Zhang Yunfei would be useless. The Yi Yuan Sect and the Zhang Family had openly and covertly battled for so many years that they had long passed the stage of winning by fair means or foul. Now, what mattered was dignity—a contest between those of the same level.

Of course, that was only if Zhang Yunfei could suppress every talent the Yi Yuan Sect had produced this time. If he could not, then he would naturally become a complete laughingstock.

Countless thoughts flashed through Ye Xiwen's mind in an instant. He put aside his thoughts of going home and headed to the plaza first. Pushing through the crowd, he saw Dongfang Bai standing in the center of the grounds, holding a longsword in one hand while blood streamed continuously from the other. His expression was rather grim.

On the other side stood another young man with an exuberant expression, his face full of smug satisfaction. He too held a sharp sword, and he was actually a Houtian Eighth Stage Middle Stage expert.

No wonder he was so confident. At such a young age, he possessed this level of cultivation. He indeed had the capital to be so high-spirited and unruly.

"Despicable! If you hadn't wounded Senior Brother Dongfang first with poisoned needles, how could this have happened?"

"Shameless! Are all Zhang Family people like this?"

"Ha ha ha! When fighting someone to the death, would you demand that your opponent not use hidden weapons?" Zhang Yunfei's face showed disdain. "This only proves that he was too lacking in vigilance. Someone like him—I truly don't know how he managed to stay alive until now!"

"Despicable!"

"Shameless!"

Zhang Yunfei's words instantly aroused the indignation of countless Yi Yuan Sect disciples.

"Does your Yi Yuan Sect not have anyone stronger? I heard that a champion emerged in this Sect Internal Competition. Why don't I see him? Don't tell me he was so frightened by me that he doesn't dare come out? Ah ha ha ha!" Zhang Yunfei laughed arrogantly.

Whoosh! A heaven-shaking blade aura descended from above, chopping toward Zhang Yunfei.

Zhang Yunfei was instantly alarmed. He stamped hard with his foot, his body barely evading the terrifying blade aura. He immediately roared angrily, "Who is it? Who dares sneak-attack me?!"

"It's me!" Ye Xiwen answered as he walked out from the crowd.

"It's Senior Brother Ye Xiwen!"

"It's Senior Brother Ye! Now that he's back, Zhang Yunfei definitely won't be able to keep acting so arrogantly!"

"You actually dared to sneak-attack me?" Zhang Yunfei said, both shocked and enraged. That slash just now had been terrifying. If he had been even slightly careless, he would have been cut in two.

"Would you demand that your opponent not strike first during a fight?" Ye Xiwen sneered disdainfully.

The surrounding Yi Yuan Sect disciples immediately burst into laughter. It was obvious that Ye Xiwen was using Zhang Yunfei's own words to slap him in the face. Hadn't he been acting so smug just moments ago?

Now he was being slapped in the face by his own words.

Zhang Yunfei's face flushed red with rage as he shouted, "Who are you?!"

"Ye Xiwen," Ye Xiwen said flatly.

"So you're Ye Xiwen!" Zhang Yunfei stared at Ye Xiwen with an ugly expression. He opened his mouth, yet did not know how to curse him. Was he supposed to call him a despicable villain?

But hadn't he himself just wounded Dongfang Bai with hidden weapons? This time, he was like a mute swallowing bitter herbs—he had suffering he could not voice!

"Fine, fine, fine! I heard that you're the champion of this Yi Yuan Sect's Sect Internal Competition. Do you dare step onto the stage and fight me?" Zhang Yunfei demanded angrily.

"Fine. As long as you can take one move from me, I'll turn around and leave!" After saying that, Ye Xiwen stamped his foot. His body swept out like a flying swallow, and the long blade in his hand instantly slashed out a rainbow-like arc, charging straight at Zhang Yunfei.

This slash was plain and unadorned. Ye Xiwen did not even use a blade technique; it was merely a simple chopping strike. To others, it might have been an ordinary move, but in Ye Xiwen's hands, it had already reached the realm of the marvelous. Among his many Martial Skills, blade techniques were his primary path, and the basic blade technique was the very heart of it. Though he could not yet turn decay into wonder and conquer the world with the basic blade technique alone, he had nevertheless refined it to the point of consummate mastery. After all, the basic blade technique was the foundation of all blade techniques. Every blade technique was built upon it, just as one had to lay a solid foundation before constructing a tall building.

Martial arts manuals were like blueprints for the floors of a building. Even with blueprints, if the foundation was loose, then even plans for a hundred-story tower would be useless, because it could not be built. And if it were built, it would only collapse in an instant.

Therefore, no matter when, Ye Xiwen had never forgotten to train his fundamentals.

This slash embodied the results of Ye Xiwen's cultivation during this period.

The resplendent blade aura tore through the air, and the terrifying aura instantly reached Zhang Yunfei.

Zhang Yunfei hurriedly swung out a long Sword Qi.

Boom! A tremendous explosion rang out as the Sword Qi and blade aura collided in midair, unleashing a terrifying blast. Yet Ye Xiwen's blade aura did not disperse. Instead, it charged onward like bamboo splitting before an axe, directly shattering Zhang Yunfei's Sword Qi and slashing viciously onto Zhang Yunfei's treasured sword.

Bang! The blade aura struck the longsword. The tremendous force made Zhang Yunfei spit out a mouthful of blood, and his body flew backward like a kite with its string cut. He soared high into the air before crashing heavily onto the ground.

Silence!

Dead silence!

None of the watching disciples had expected that the arrogant and domineering Zhang Yunfei would be unable to withstand even a single move from Ye Xiwen.