One Against Four

Zhou Heng had lost his mind!

With such a miraculous movement technique at his disposal, why would he choose to clash head-on with Kong Xiang? Had he taken leave of his senses? Seventh Layer of Body Refining was exactly that—the gap was right there in front of them. Did he really think he could defy heaven itself?

A hint of savagery curled 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 placed no restrictions on sparring between disciples—in fact, it encouraged such behavior, for only through constant battle could a martial artist truly grow.

A faint smile spread across Zhou Heng's face.

Boom! A powerful aura erupted, surging toward Kong Xiang!

First Form of Heaven-Soaring!

Not a sword technique—sword intent!

Though Zhou Heng had yet to master the Fourth Form of Heaven-Soaring in these past days, his study of the first three forms had reached a considerable depth, allowing him to directly unleash their sword intent.

Kong Xiang's body immediately froze, a flicker of hesitation appearing in his eyes.

Under the utterly bewildered gazes of everyone present, Zhou Heng simply sidestepped Kong Xiang's fist with a single shift, charged straight in, and drove his own fist into the other's face.

Thud! Under the immense impact, Kong Xiang's body was sent flying, arcing through the air before crashing down with a slap.

Shock!

The entire scene was filled with heavy, ragged breaths.

What had just happened?

Kong Xiang fell fast, but he got up just as quickly. His face was a mask of confusion, tinged with a hint of fear. His eyes locked onto Zhou Heng, yet he made no move to attack again.

Just now, his very mind had been bound!

Though it lasted only a brief instant, in battle, that sliver of time was more than enough to decide the outcome.

Could it be that this kid possessed that kind of ability? But wasn't that ability supposed to only manifest after reaching the Spirit Gathering Realm?

Shen Xinqi's beautiful eyes shimmered with brilliance, a strong desire to recruit him rising within her. Even if Zhou Heng had no powerful backing behind him, what did it matter? A talent like this was worthy of attention in its own right.

And Zhou Heng also had that marvelous movement technique. If she could learn it... Her heart immediately grew hot.

"Not fighting anymore?" Zhou Heng asked casually, watching the left side of Kong Xiang's face rapidly swell, yet feeling not a shred of pity in his heart.

These people, relying on their higher cultivation and greater combat strength, had actually forced newcomers to crawl between their legs. If not for the many fortuitous encounters he'd had, making his combat power completely mismatched with his cultivation level, the one being humiliated right now would have been him.

They deserved no sympathy at all!

"Kong the Tenth, giving up that easily?" Wei Quanhe stepped forward, a smile on his face, but the look he gave Zhou Heng was filled with chill. He did not make a move.

His rank was indeed higher than Kong Xiang's, but the gap in strength was not large, so he had no confidence in defeating Zhou Heng.

"Wei Quanhe, feel free to try!" Kong Xiang did not explode in anger, instead retreating a few steps.

"No need for all this back-and-forth. All of you, come at me together!" Zhou Heng pointed a finger at Kong Xiang, then at Wei Quanhe, before sweeping it toward Ren Anyi and Wei Jinping.

Madness!

This kid had lost his mind, actually wanting to take on four at once! Who did he think he was—Ma Yunlong, ranked third in the Outer Sect? Or Guo Gang, ranked second? Or Jing Tian, ranked first?

Only those three had such boldness and strength!

Boldness without the strength to back it up could only be called arrogance.

"Tch, a mere Seventh Layer of Body Refining little—" Wei Quanhe let out a disdainful snort, but before he could finish, Zhou Heng had already charged straight at him. Startled, he hurriedly assumed a defensive stance, but his vision blurred, and Zhou Heng had vanished from sight.

He knew something was wrong. Sure enough, with a thud, he took a heavy punch to the back, a searing pain spreading across his spine, nearly making him spit out a mouthful of old blood.

"You—" he roared in fury, only to see Zhou Heng already sweeping away like the wind, launching attacks at Ren Anyi and Wei Jinping.

Thud! Thud!

Those two each took a punch as well.

Now, even if they didn't want to fight, they had no choice!

To be struck in public by a newly arrived junior disciple—if such a disgrace could not be washed away, how could they ever show their faces again?

All three let out furious roars and lunged at Zhou Heng. And Kong Xiang, though unwilling to face Zhou Heng alone, had no fear with three others fighting alongside him.

Four Ninth Layer of Body Refining experts joined forces against Zhou Heng!

And these were no ordinary Ninth Layer cultivators—even the weakest among them was nearly invincible among their peers. With these four working together, they could even take on a Blood Refining Realm expert.

The onlookers were all dumbstruck, never imagining Zhou Heng would be so insane! Even Shen Xinqi felt a bit dizzy, beginning to reconsider whether she should recruit him. Because while this kid was indeed a talent, he was also an utterly reckless troublemaker!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The four Ninth Layer of Body Refining experts went all out. Though none of them used weapons, the sheer force of their fists and palms was terrifying, the wind they kicked up sharp enough to cut through an ordinary person's skin!

Faced with such a coordinated assault, who among the same cultivation level could last even a single move?

Zhou Heng's feet drifted lightly as he executed the Flying Cloud Steps, strolling through their encirclement as if on a leisurely walk.

His spiritual sense had been greatly enhanced through his cultivation of the Heaven-Soaring Nine Styles, allowing him to perceive his surroundings with extreme precision. The blood flow and muscle tension of Kong Xiang and the other three were all within the scope of his perception—the moment they stirred, he knew exactly what move they would make.

Nothing escaped his notice!

With complete control over the situation, and relying on the wonder of the Flying Cloud Steps, Zhou Heng moved with effortless grace within their siege, occasionally launching counterattacks, using his sheathed longsword to smack the four of them on the backside, producing a steady rhythm of smack, smack, smack.

"Bastards!"

"That insufferable brat!"

Kong Xiang and the other three were about to lose their minds—spanked in public like they were five-year-olds. But what use was their fury against the wonder of the Flying Cloud Steps? They had no way to vent it.

"Back to back!" Ren Anyi shouted.

The other three caught on instantly. They pressed tightly together, each facing a different direction, like a four-headed, eight-armed beast with no blind spots left.

Zhou Heng stopped as well. No matter how miraculous the Flying Cloud Steps were, he couldn't circle behind them now.

"So you're just going to stand there and try to beat me with your eyes?" he said with a faint smile, his face full of mockery.

Kong Xiang and the others flushed red with rage, but against that bizarre footwork, they had no counter. Aside from this clumsy tactic, they truly couldn't think of anything else.

The onlookers felt a mix of amusement and disbelief. These four were clearly powerful, yet Zhou Heng had forced them into playing turtle with nothing but a single movement technique!

Shen Xinqi's beautiful eyes grew even brighter. She realized she had underestimated the strength of Zhou Heng's footwork, and her desire to obtain it burned even fiercer.

"In that case, I won't keep you company!" Zhou Heng wagged his finger, turned, and walked away without a trace of hesitation.

Only then did Kong Xiang and the others let out a sigh of relief, their faces cycling through shades of red and green.

Where was their dignity?

They had been struck by a whim to throw their weight around with the new junior brothers and sisters, only to kick a steel plate. They had truly woven their own noose!

Though the storm quietly passed, Zhou Heng's name had already spread throughout the entire Outer Sect.

However, being able to take on four at once didn't mean Zhou Heng truly had the strength to defeat Kong Xiang and the others. The grudge was set, and under the shadow of their authority, no one dared to associate with Zhou Heng, afraid of becoming the next target of Kong Xiang's group—after all, they didn't have the Flying Cloud Steps!

Over the next two days, Zhou Heng gained a deeper understanding of the Outer Sect and the Nine Spirits Sect.

The Nine Spirits Sect allowed sparring among disciples, but only within the same level—Outer Sect disciples against Outer Sect disciples, Inner Sect against Inner Sect. No lethal weapons were permitted during practice fights, nor could injuries cause permanent disability. Violators faced severe punishment!

Full-force combat was allowed, but only in the designated Martial Arena, where sect experts stood by to stop the fight the moment a victor was decided.

Not all Outer Sect disciples were as monstrous as Kong Xiang and his group; some had just entered the Flesh Refining Realm. Most were descendants of the Nine Spirits Sect's "old guard," not necessarily gifted.

Those like Kong Xiang were true geniuses the sect had scouted, not limited to the once-every-five-years mountain-opening recruitment. That was why they looked down on disciples recruited through that process.

The Outer Sect had two hundred and forty-two disciples in total. Only the ten strongest were ranked, known as the Top Ten of the Outer Sect, who monopolized a third of the entire Outer Sect's cultivation resources!

These ten ate demon beast meat and took Gathering Essence Pills every day. They were the sect's key training targets. Every Spirit Gathering Realm expert in the Nine Spirits Sect had once been one of the Top Ten of the Outer Sect!

Of course, becoming one of the Top Ten didn't guarantee a breakthrough to the Spirit Gathering Realm. The rate was less than one in ten, and sometimes several cohorts passed without producing a single one!

What Zhou Heng cared about most was Zhou Dinghai's situation. But Feng Tengyuan had disappeared somewhere, and due to his status, Zhou Heng couldn't go around asking. He could only wait patiently. Three days later, Feng Tengyuan finally appeared and led Zhou Heng to a small courtyard halfway up the mountain.

"Senior Feng... Feng Senior Brother, how is my father?" Zhou Heng couldn't hold back his excitement.

"It was a bit tricky at first, but the young lady came out of seclusion temporarily. When she learned of the matter, she specially asked an elder to intervene. Now your father's injuries are no longer a concern. He just needs a few days of rest to fully recover!" Feng Tengyuan smiled faintly, feeling more and more that he had made the right move. The young lady clearly had a special regard for Zhou Heng.

Once inside the courtyard, Zhou Heng rushed straight into the bedroom and saw Zhou Dinghai sitting up against the headboard. Though the old man's spirit wasn't fully restored, he was infinitely better than before.

"Father, are you really better?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"Better, haha, better!" Zhou Dinghai laughed heartily, patting Zhou Heng's shoulder—firm and steady.

Zhou Heng finally relaxed and began chatting with Zhou Dinghai.

Feng Tengyuan had the good sense not to stay and disturb them, slipping out silently.

When he learned that Zhou Heng had entered the Nine Spirits Sect, Zhou Dinghai didn't show much excitement. He only earnestly warned him never to become arrogant or complacent, and to break through to the Spirit Gathering Realm as quickly as possible.

In his brow, Zhou Heng saw a trace of worry and anger that could not be erased.

ps: Feels like the temperature dropped a little today~