Zhou Heng had gone mad!
He had such a marvelous movement technique, yet instead of using it, he chose to meet Kong Xiang head-on? Had he lost his mind? The Seventh Layer of Body Refining was still the Seventh Layer of Body Refining. The gap was right there for all to see. Did he really think he could defy the heavens?
A vicious glint appeared at the corner of Kong Xiang's mouth. He would show no mercy!
Killing was absolutely forbidden within the Nine Spirits Sect, but the sect did not restrict sparring between its disciples. In fact, it encouraged such behavior, because only through constant battle could martial artists truly grow!
A faint smile appeared on Zhou Heng's face.
Boom! A powerful aura erupted, surging toward Kong Xiang!
First Form of Heaven-Soaring!
It wasn't a sword technique, but sword intent!
Although Zhou Heng still hadn't mastered the Fourth Form of Heaven-Soaring after all these days, he had already reached a considerable level of understanding of the first three forms and could directly unleash their sword intent!
Kong Xiang's body suddenly stiffened, and a trace of bewilderment appeared in his eyes.
Under the utterly baffled gazes of everyone present, Zhou Heng merely swayed aside, dodged Kong Xiang's fist, charged straight at him, and punched him in the face.
Bang! The tremendous force sent Kong Xiang flying. He traced an arc through the air before slamming to the ground.
The crowd was stunned!
Heavy breathing filled the arena.
What had just happened?
Kong Xiang had fallen quickly, but he scrambled back to his feet just as fast. His face was full of confusion, and even a trace of fear. He stared fixedly at Zhou Heng but made no further move.
Just now, his mind had been restrained!
Though it had lasted only a brief instant, that was more than enough time to decide a battle.
Could this kid really have that kind of ability? But wasn't it only supposed to become effective after reaching the Spirit Gathering Realm?
Shen Xinqi's beautiful eyes glittered with admiration, and a powerful urge to recruit Zhou Heng rose within her. So what if he had no powerful backing? Someone like him was worth taking seriously in his own right.
Besides, Zhou Heng also had a marvelous movement technique. If she could learn it... Her heart immediately began to race.
"Not fighting anymore?" Zhou Heng asked casually. Kong Xiang's left cheek was already swelling rapidly, but Zhou Heng felt not the slightest pity.
These people had relied on their higher cultivation and superior fighting strength to force the newcomers to crawl through their legs. If Zhou Heng hadn't repeatedly stumbled upon fortuitous encounters, leaving his strength far beyond what his cultivation level suggested, he would have been the one suffering humiliation now.
They weren't worth feeling sorry for!
"Kong, the Tenth, you're giving up just like that?" Wei Quanhe stepped forward with a smile. His gaze toward Zhou Heng, however, was ice-cold, and he made no move to attack.
His ranking was indeed higher than Kong Xiang's, but there wasn't much difference in their strength. He had no confidence at all that he could beat Zhou Heng.
"Wei Quanhe, why don't you give it a try?" Kong Xiang didn't leap up in anger. Instead, he took a few steps back.
"No need for you to take turns pushing each other forward. All of you can come at once!" Zhou Heng pointed at Kong Xiang, then Wei Quanhe, and swept his finger toward Ren Anyi and Jinping.
Madness!
This kid was crazy. He actually wanted to take on four opponents at once! Who did he think he was? Ma Yunlong, ranked third among the Outer Sect disciples? Guo Gang, ranked second? Or Jing Tian, ranked first?
Only those three had the confidence and strength to make such a boast!
Without the strength to back it up, a bold boast was nothing but arrogance!
"Hmph, you're just a mere Seventh Layer of Body Refining—" Wei Quanhe sneered in disdain, but before he could finish speaking, Zhou Heng was already charging toward him. Wei Quanhe hastily raised his guard, but Zhou Heng blurred out of sight before his eyes.
He knew things were bad. Sure enough, bang! A heavy punch slammed into him. His back burned, and he nearly spat up a mouthful of blood.
"You—" he roared furiously, only to see Zhou Heng sweep away like a gust of wind and launch himself at Ren Anyi and Jinping.
Bang! Bang!
Both of them took a punch as well.
Now the three of them had no choice but to fight!
Being punched in public by a newly arrived junior was a humiliation they couldn't afford to leave unavenged. How could they show their faces again otherwise?
The three roared and rushed at Zhou Heng. Kong Xiang had no desire to face Zhou Heng alone, but with the other three fighting alongside him, he had nothing to fear.
Four Ninth Layer of Body Refining experts ganged up on Zhou Heng!
These weren't ordinary Ninth Layer of Body Refining experts. Even the weakest among them was nearly invincible among those of the same level. With all four joining forces, they would even dare to challenge a Blood Refining Realm expert.
The onlookers were all dumbfounded. No one had expected Zhou Heng to be so reckless! Even Shen Xinqi felt a little dizzy. She began to reconsider whether she should recruit Zhou Heng. He was certainly a talent, but he was also a troublemaker who didn't know his limits!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The four Ninth Layer of Body Refining experts went all out. None of them used weapons, but their punches and palm strikes alone were terrifying. The gusts of force they whipped up could slice an ordinary person's skin!
Against a group attack like this, who at the same level could withstand even one move?
Zhou Heng's steps floated lightly as he activated Flying Cloud Steps. He strolled as if through a courtyard, moving with ease amid the four men's onslaught.
His divine sense had grown tremendously stronger as he cultivated the Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles. His awareness of his surroundings had become extraordinarily precise. The pulsing of Kong Xiang and the others' blood and the shifting of their muscles all lay within the reach of his divine sense. At the slightest movement, he knew what attack they were about to make.
He noticed the tiniest details!
With the whole fight under his control and the marvelous Flying Cloud Steps at his disposal, Zhou Heng moved nimbly among the four men. Every now and then, he counterattacked, smacking their backsides with his sheathed sword until they rang out with a series of sharp slaps.
"Bastard!"
"Damn brat!"
Kong Xiang and the others were going mad. They were being spanked in public! Did Zhou Heng take them for five-year-old children? Yet what could they do, furious as they were? Faced with the wonder of Flying Cloud Steps, they were utterly helpless.
"Back to back!" Ren Anyi shouted.
The other three immediately understood. They pressed tightly together, each facing a different direction. Like four bodies with eight arms, they left no blind spots.
Zhou Heng stopped as well. No matter how marvelous Flying Cloud Steps was, there was no way he could get behind them now.
"Are you planning to just stand there and beat me with your eyes?" He smiled faintly, his face full of mockery.
Kong Xiang and the others flushed with rage, but they had no answer for Zhou Heng's strange movement technique. Apart from this clumsy solution, they simply couldn't think of anything else.
The onlookers couldn't help finding the scene both amusing and absurd. The four men were clearly overwhelmingly powerful, yet Zhou Heng's movement technique had forced them to huddle together like turtles hiding their heads!
Shen Xinqi's eyes shone even brighter. She now understood that she had underestimated how powerful Zhou Heng's movement technique was, and her desire to obtain it grew stronger still.
"Since that's the case, I'll be going!" Zhou Heng waggled a finger, turned around, and walked away without the slightest hesitation.
Only then did Kong Xiang and the others let out a breath. Their faces flushed red, then pale.
Where had their dignity gone?
They had gotten a sudden urge to teach the new juniors a lesson, but instead, they had kicked an iron plate so hard it had nearly broken their feet. They had brought this upon themselves!
Although the commotion had quietly died down, Zhou Heng's name had spread throughout the entire Outer Sect.
Still, the fact that he could take on four opponents at once didn't prove he could truly defeat Kong Xiang and the others. And now he had made enemies of them. Under their fearsome reputation, no one dared associate with Zhou Heng, afraid they would become targets too. After all, they didn't have Flying Cloud Steps!
Over the next two days, Zhou Heng learned more about the Outer Sect and the Nine Spirits Sect.
The Nine Spirits Sect allowed its disciples to spar, but only with others at the same level: Outer Sect disciples could spar with Outer Sect disciples, and Inner Sect disciples with Inner Sect disciples. They couldn't use lethal weapons during a match, nor could they cripple or maim their opponents. Anyone who broke these rules would be severely punished!
They were allowed to fight with all their strength, but only in the designated Martial Arena, where powerful sect experts presided. They could stop the fight the moment a victor emerged.
Of course, not every Outer Sect disciple was as monstrous as Kong Xiang and the others. Some had only just entered the Flesh Refining Realm. Most were descendants of "old hands" in the Nine Spirits Sect, and they weren't necessarily especially talented.
People like Kong Xiang and the others, however, were genuine geniuses discovered by the sect. They weren't limited to those recruited through the Mountain-Opening Selection held once every five years, so they looked down on disciples recruited through the selection.
There were two hundred and forty-two Outer Sect disciples, but only the ten strongest were ranked. They were known as the Top Ten of the Outer Sect, and they claimed a third of the cultivation resources available to the entire Outer Sect!
These ten received monster beast meat and Gathering Essence Pills every day. They were the sect's key cultivation prospects, and every Spirit Gathering Realm expert in the Nine Spirits Sect had once been among the Top Ten of the Outer Sect!
Of course, becoming one of the Top Ten of the Outer Sect didn't guarantee that one could break through to the Spirit Gathering Realm. The success rate was less than one in ten, and sometimes not a single person managed it across several consecutive generations!
What Zhou Heng cared about most was Zhou Dinghai's condition. But he didn't know where Feng Tengyuan had gone, and given his status, he couldn't go around asking. All he could do was wait patiently. Three days later, Feng Tengyuan finally showed up and took Zhou Heng to a small courtyard halfway up the mountain.
"Elder Feng—Senior Brother Feng, how is my father?" Zhou Heng asked, unable to contain his excitement.
"It was a little tricky at first, but the Eldest Miss came out of seclusion unexpectedly. When she learned what had happened, she specifically asked an elder to help. Your father's injuries are no longer a problem. He'll be fully recovered after a few days of rest!" Feng Tengyuan smiled faintly, increasingly convinced he had made the right move. The Eldest Miss clearly thought highly of Zhou Heng.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, Zhou Heng rushed into the bedroom and saw Zhou Dinghai propped up in bed. His father's energy and vitality hadn't yet fully recovered, but he was far better than before.
"Father, you're really better?" he asked in a trembling voice.
"I'm better! Hahaha, I'm better!" Zhou Dinghai laughed heartily and patted Zhou Heng's shoulder. His hand was strong and steady.
At last, Zhou Heng let out a sigh of relief and began chatting with Zhou Dinghai.
Feng Tengyuan was considerate enough not to stay and disturb them. He silently withdrew.
When he learned that Zhou Heng had entered the Nine Spirits Sect, Zhou Dinghai didn't seem especially excited. He simply urged him earnestly never to grow conceited and to reach the Spirit Gathering Realm as quickly as possible.
Between his brows, Zhou Heng saw a sorrow and fury that couldn't be wiped away.
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