The Three Dragon Thunder Gang Fire was incredibly powerful.
Zhang Yuan had conducted experiments. Even fourth-tier Magical Beasts comparable to Dou Ling experts would be burned alive if they failed to evade it, Magic Core included.
He had perfectly mastered this Heavenly Flame, so he could naturally separate a portion of it, whether in quality or quantity.
Whoosh!
Blue-violet flames formed a longsword, easily helping Zhang Yuan block Princess Yaoye's spear.
"What!?"
Princess Yaoye, Qin Zhendong, and Qin Jingyan all revealed shocked expressions.
Zhang Yuan could actually use Dou Qi Condensation. Had he already broken through to Dou Ling?
A sixteen-year-old Dou Ling—what kind of monstrous freak was that?
No, Zhang Yuan's aura could not be faked. He was indeed a Five-Star Great Dou Shi.
But what was going on with that materialized longsword?
"It seems to be a Heavenly Flame." Qin Zhendong, who had seen more than the others, was the first to react, though his tone lacked confidence.
After all, most people had only heard of Heavenly Flames and never seen them. Even those lofty Alchemists pursued them eagerly, yet Zhang Yuan actually possessed one?
Perhaps the royal family had guessed correctly. There was someone backing him!
"No matter what method you used to condense that sword, it works in my favor. Don't say that I, a Dou Ling, am bullying you." Princess Yaoye snorted coldly and rapidly swung her spear.
With one hand behind his back, Zhang Yuan wielded his sword and blocked her attacks with ease.
On a battlefield, he actually preferred using a halberd. Its broad, sweeping strikes made killing more convenient.
But when fighting an opponent, a sword was still more suitable.
With her attacks blocked, Princess Yaoye's expression turned somewhat ugly. She had not expected that, as a Dou Ling using Dou Qi Condensation, she would still fail to defeat a Five-Star Great Dou Shi.
"To be honest, as a One-Star Dou Ling, you're a little weaker than I expected."
Zhang Yuan suddenly spoke and began suppressing Princess Yaoye in return.
He was not trying to provoke or undermine her. He genuinely felt that way.
The Jia Ma Empire was the Jia Ma Empire of the Jia Ma Imperial Family. Though the Misty Cloud Sect was powerful, it could only be considered the empire's strongest civilian faction.
The royal family had its own system for governing territory and nurturing talent. For example, the merit system Zhang Yuan entered after joining the military could continuously provide the empire with powerful experts. The three major southern fortresses alone had six Dou Wangs stationed there.
But the royal family also needed to cultivate heirs. With Jia Xingtian, a Peak Dou Emperor, around, and the previous two generations of emperors having perished one after another because of the Chuyun Empire, the cultivation resources Princess Yaoye and Yaoyue received would only be more plentiful, not less.
Although Nalan Yanran was the personal disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect's leader, a sect was ultimately different from the royal family. Even Nalan Yanran could not access too many resources.
Otherwise, Yun Yun would not have personally gone to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to "borrow" materials from the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King. Nor would she have agreed to help Pill King Gu He seize a Heavenly Flame from the Snake People Tribe in order to repay a favor and have him refine pills.
Comparing the two, Nalan Yanran was a Two-Star Da Dou Shi at eighteen and reached Peak Dou Wang at twenty-one through the Life-and-Death Gate. She was far stronger than Princess Yaoye, who was a One-Star Dou Ling at twenty-two.
Those geniuses in the Jia Nan Academy's Outer Academy received resources and treatment far inferior to Princess Yaoye's, yet all possessed greater talent than her.
"Weak!?"
Princess Yaoye felt insulted.
She took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "You forced me to do this."
As she spoke, the spear in her hand moved even faster, Dou Qi surging.
The Jia Ma Empire Royal Family's strongest Dou Technique was a Low-level Earth tier spear technique. It was suitable for both battlefield slaughter and personal combat, but even getting started required profound spear mastery and cultivation above Da Dou Shi.
Her grandfather and father had both been poisoned on the battlefield against the Chuyun Empire and eventually died from their injuries. Many Jia Ma Empire soldiers had also been poisoned to death, so the two nations were bitter enemies with a national blood feud.
She had practiced the spear since childhood. Though she had yet to learn an Earth Tier Dou Technique, she had mastered a Mysterious Tier Mid-grade spear technique, the Raging Tide Spear Technique.
"To fall beneath this Dou Technique, you can still be proud."
Princess Yaoye fully displayed her strength.
Spear shadows multiplied and overlapped, turning into raging waves that instantly covered several yards.
Facing this, Zhang Yuan held his sword in one hand and said calmly, "It's time for this game to end."
Princess Yaoye, you were the one who used a Dou Technique first!
Zhang Yuan raised his longsword. His aura changed, and the violent lightning coursing over his body gathered onto the sword.
Facing that sea of spear shadows, he neither dodged nor evaded. He poured all his Dou Qi into the Heavenly Flame sword before thrusting straight ahead.
This was the Mysterious Tier Low-Grade Dou Technique, Raging Thunder Strike. He had already mastered it to perfection and had even developed it further.
The Heavenly Flame was part of him, so Dou Qi lightning could naturally be added to it.
This sword strike was brilliant and swift, without any variation and seemingly without a follow-up.
Zhang Yuan poured ninety percent of his Dou Qi into this strike, building up its speed. This was no ordinary sword strike—it was the Thunder God's wrath, a thunderbolt-fast blow.
Boom!
A streak of lightning tore open a gap in the sea of spears, allowing Zhang Yuan to flash through and arrive before Princess Yaoye.
The lightning dissipated, and the Heavenly Flame sword rested against Princess Yaoye's throat, carrying devouring power.
"Your Highness, you have lost."
Boom!
Lightning suddenly appeared behind Zhang Yuan, swallowing the sea of spears whole.
A One-Star Dou Ling had been defeated head-on by Zhang Yuan, completely and utterly.
Princess Yaoye looked dazed and could not speak, as though unable to accept reality.
Qin Jingyan excitedly widened his eyes and shouted, "Brother Yuan is awesome!"
He was overjoyed.
Zhang Yuan had even defeated a One-Star Dou Ling head-on. Beating him, a Peak Da Dou Shi, was not only natural?
It was not that he was too weak. Zhang Yuan was simply too monstrous.
Qin Zhendong: "..."
"Your Highness." The flaming sword in Zhang Yuan's hand gradually dissipated. Smiling, he said, "Do you think thirty thousand military merits are worth it now?"
Princess Yaoye withdrew her spear, her expression complicated. "They are naturally worthy. I hope Commander Zhang will offer me more guidance in the future."
Without waiting for Zhang Yuan's reply, she turned and left, clearly intending to find somewhere to calm down.
Zhang Yuan did not say anything more. Only after she had left did he ask Qin Zhendong, "Commander, is there anything else?"
"No. You may return." Qin Zhendong waved his hand.
Princess Yaoye had been angered into leaving. He needed to consider how to explain this to Jia Xingtian.
"Then I'll take my leave."
Zhang Yuan cupped his fists and turned to leave.
His path was unobstructed. When he reached the entrance of the commander's residence, he found that Meng Xu had returned and was guarding his Silver-Horned Black Rhinoceros Horse.
Meng Xu was not alone. Three of his "acquaintances" stood around him: Meng Xing of Qingyun's Meng family, Qing Yanjing of the Myriad Books Pavilion, and Qin Hai of the Qingyun Escort Agency, whom he had met at Twin Dragon Pass.
"Commander."
Meng Xu had been watching the entrance of the commander's residence. The moment he spotted Zhang Yuan, he immediately led the three over.
"Greetings, Commander Zhang."
Meng Xing, Qing Yanjing, and Qin Hai cupped their fists in greeting.
Meng Xing's eyes were filled with unease. He had clearly already learned Zhang Yuan's identity.
Qing Yanjing's eyes carried curiosity, and her sparkling gaze was particularly lovely.
Qin Hai, meanwhile, was full of gratitude. After all, Zhang Yuan had helped him before.
"Hm?"
Just as Zhang Yuan was about to respond, he sensed the Thunder God Visualization Diagram within his Spiritual Sense suddenly tremble.
Immediately afterward, he felt his consciousness appear somewhere out of thin air, beginning to rise, beginning to transcend.
"What's going on!?"
(End of this chapter)
Before you continue