On the Training Ground.
Standing behind a three-meter-long phantom of a giant sword, Xu Ling'er let out a fierce breath, her gaze sharp:
"To force me to use this move, no second person among the younger generation within Cangzhou has ever existed."
"You can be proud of yourself."
"Misty Sect Swordplay, Sword Shadow Kill!"
As her voice fell, the young girl formed a hand seal, and the long sword before her buzzed, flashing with a chilling light.
The giant sword phantom behind her suddenly surged forward at that moment, striking with the force of a raging storm.
The stone slabs on the ground of the Training Ground finally could not bear such pressure, violently shattering along the path carved by the giant sword phantom.
Xiao Huohuo grinned:
"Is this what you rely on?"
"Then let me show you what true immortal arts are!"
Mid-speech, a faint light had already condensed on Xiao Huohuo's finger at some point.
Crimson radiance danced in his hand like a flame, and a rosy glow faintly enveloped his body.
Suddenly, the sound of rolling thunder seemed to rumble in mid-air.
The crowd abruptly looked up to see the sky covered in dark clouds, a gale and surging waves gathering together.
Amidst the flashing thunderbolts, a sense of supreme terror seemed about to be born.
A group of disciples, faction leaders, and high-ranking figures of the Misty Sect looked up at this scene, all frowning tightly.
On the Training Ground, the young man's voice remained crisp:
"This is the immortal art taught to me by my master."
"Take a look and see whether your so-called Houtian peak can block it!"
"And see whether my master, Xiao Huohuo's master, is the charlatan you claim he is!"
At this moment, the giant sword phantom had already arrived like a tornado, within less than ten meters of Xiao Huohuo.
And within the dark clouds, half of a giant finger finally slowly probed outward.
Then Xiao Huohuo let out a low shout:
"Great Desolation Prison Heaven Finger!"
"Half-finger, Shake Heaven and Earth!"
As the young man's cry fell, everyone felt their scalps tingle, staring numbly at the giant finger phantom in the sky.
On the Small Immortal Terrace, the leaders of various sects and factions had almost unified expressions, all staring with wide eyes and drawing in cold breaths as they looked at the sky.
The Moon Sword Sect Master swallowed a mouthful of saliva and muttered to himself involuntarily:
"Such might, this kind of commotion..."
"Is this something a Houtian realm martial artist can achieve?"
Beside him, the Mountain Gate Sect Elder also spoke with a dry voice:
"This, this is drawing upon the power of heaven and earth!"
"Yet aren't martial arts that draw upon the power of heaven and earth supposed to require at least the Grandmaster realm to execute?"
"How could Xiao Huohuo, a mere Houtian realm martial artist, possibly..."
Even Wu Shan wore a gloomy expression, staring fixedly at the half of a giant finger in the sky as he let out a heavy breath:
"How, how could this be..."
"Under this move, who else in Cangzhou could possibly match him among the youths?"
"Ling'er is bound to lose this time..."
At this moment, the giant sword phantom finally reached Xiao Huohuo with its rampaging, terrifying power. At close quarters, as if locked onto by something, it suddenly stopped moving and froze.
Boom!
The half-finger in the sky finally descended at that moment.
The next instant, finger and sword collided, and the giant sword phantom violently shattered into powder.
Xu Ling'er was seen holding her long sword and standing motionlessly below the hovering giant finger.
Suddenly, a flush surged onto her face, and she abruptly spewed a mouthful of fresh blood forward.
"Senior Sister!"
"Young Sect Master!!"
Cries filled the sky at this moment.
Yet Xu Ling'er looked at the young man before her with a pale face and trembling brows.
Biting her silver teeth and leaning on her sword, a trace of panic emerged amidst her disbelieving expression:
"Yet the Misty Sect Swordplay is a Profound-tier high-grade martial art, the premier swordsmanship of the Misty Sect!"
"How could it possibly be crushed so easily..."
Her eyes turned toward the half of a giant finger hanging before her that exuded a terrifying aura, and her expression turned agitated as if she had been stung:
"Impossible, how could you possibly master such a martial art?"
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, shaking her head unceasingly:
"This is impossible, I cannot lose, I will not lose!"
She was the number one genius of the Misty Sect, furthermore the number one genius of Cangzhou, the pride of the Misty Sect.
Moreover, it was she who had gone to break off the engagement three years ago, she who had suppressed Xiao Huohuo.
Now, how could she lose at the hands of Xiao Huohuo.
Lose the face of the Misty Sect, lose her dignity!?
Biting her silver teeth, Xu Ling'er gathered all her internal energy onto the long sword and fiercely thrust it forward.
Streaks of sword shadows darted toward Xiao Huohuo.
Watching the scene before him, Xiao Huohuo felt a trace of disdain rise between his brows:
"Do not use your ignorant and narrow-minded gaze to measure my master, Xiao Huohuo."
"Before meeting my master, I was merely a third-rate martial artist whom anyone could mock."
"Yet ever since meeting my master half a year ago, mere months were all it took to forge this divine strength of mine!"
Several sword shadows struck violently like chasing wind, and Xiao Huohuo flicked a rosy glow from his fingertips.
The half-giant finger hovering in the air plummeted abruptly, and a terrifying explosion erupted on the Training Ground.
The buzzing sound caused even the disciples watching from hundreds of meters away to feel a trace of dizziness.
White bricks and mud chunks scattered in all directions as fragments, falling from the sky like a fine drizzle.
After a few breaths, the dust filling the sky finally settled, allowing everyone's vision to clear.
A terrifying crater with a radius of five to six meters and a depth of three full meters had appeared on the Training Ground.
The crowd watched with bated breath.
This patch of earth had grown incomparably quiet because of this single sound.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, a trace of arrogance appeared on Xiao Huohuo's face as his voice deepened:
"My master's power is akin to an immortal god!"
Looking at the huge crater with a radius of six meters before her, Xu Ling'er suddenly went limp, collapsing onto the ground with a vacant gaze.
Behind her, numerous traces of finger imprints were also left embedded in the floorboards.
Xiao Huohuo had spared her life...
Witnessing this scene, the entire crowd erupted in an uproar.
Countless disbelieving, subdued voices echoed through the corridors:
"This legendary waste actually won?"
"The Young Sect Master actually lost to this waste..."
"A mere city lord's son actually managed to defeat the Young Sect Master of my Misty Sect..."
Suddenly, amidst these voices, a swallowing sound rang out:
"He said that half a year ago, he was still a third-rate martial artist..."
As this abrupt voice fell, the crowd was eerily silenced in an instant, falling silent for a moment.
Countless disciples and high-ranking faction leaders wore faces of utter shock, rendered speechless for a time as absolute quiet prevailed.
Straight away, the Moon Sword Sect Master swallowed a mouthful of saliva, staring at Xiao Huohuo with a shocked gaze:
"Half a year..."
"Straight to Houtian realm after taking a master..."
"And he even learned martial arts akin to those of immortal gods..."
He took a deep breath, yet still wide-eyed with disbelief, he spoke:
"Half a year... This is impossible."
"If it is true, then just what kind of terrifying existence must your master be?"
Before you continue