Zhang Jian could tell that Xie Jinhuan's technique was too steady for defensive counters and hunting for openings to mean anything. He therefore seized the initiative. After a moment's stillness, he sprang like a tiger pouncing or a leopard leaping, thrusting his spear forward with both hands.
Boom-
The burst of power was astonishing. Within a distance of barely thirty feet, he pushed his peak cultivation to its limit. This was no contest of technique: he meant to crush Xie Jinhuan with cultivation alone, leaving his less cultivated opponent no chance to react!
Xie Jinhuan did indeed fear the fundamental cultivation principle of "One Force Subdues Ten Skills," but Zhang Jian's foundation was not so powerful that he could not react to it head-on. Faced with the thrust, he did not knock the spear aside and thrust straight back. Instead, he bent his right leg and leaned backward with the motion to evade the point, raising his spear to strike at Zhang Jian's throat like a rabbit kicking at an eagle.
Zhang Jian's thrust missed. Facing the cunningly angled strike, he drew his spear back and swept the point aside. Then his spear wheeled around like lightning, delivering a downward smash with the strength to uproot mountains!
Boom-
Gripping the butt of the spear, he lowered his body and smashed the entire shaft toward the ground. Two waves of earth instantly erupted to either side. It was like a meteor crashing into the earth, the explosion deafening.
But Xie Jinhuan, directly before the spear's edge, had already kicked off with both legs and drawn back. He pulled his spear back so far that he swung it behind his body, every muscle bulging like a fully drawn bow.
The instant Zhang Jian delivered his downward strike, he realized something was wrong.