My Status Makes It Inappropriate

"All experience?"

Lu Changzhi was a little surprised.

It was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

Just then, Xie Yang waved an arm.

"Peak Master Lu, please."

As he spoke, a wine cup flew straight toward Lu Changzhi.

Spiritual power was hidden within the cup, and as it sped through the air, it even gave off a faint whistling sound.

The onlookers nearby all narrowed their eyes.

Naturally, they could see what Xie Yang was after.

He simply wanted to test Lu Changzhi's strength.

To be honest, many of them wanted to know as well.

Being a peak master meant possessing extraordinary strength and cultivation.

Yet Lu Changzhi was about the same age as they were.

It was hard not to be curious.

And of everyone present, Xie Yang was the one most capable of testing him.

But as for this cup of wine...

Did Lu Changzhi, as a peak master, dare accept it?

Whoosh!

Before the cup arrived, a light suddenly flashed.

Spiritual power took the form of a spear and struck the cup.

Boom!

With a muffled bang, the cup shattered, filling the air with a mist of wine.

Everyone's gaze sharpened.

The one who had struck was Gu Chen, who stood beside Lu Changzhi.

Xie Yang's gaze abruptly turned razor-sharp.

"Is the Five Symbols Sect so ignorant of propriety in its dealings?"

Lu Changzhi glanced at Xie Yang and said calmly:

"If you understand propriety, then first recognize your own status."

"Have your master come speak to me."

His voice was quiet, but it left everyone momentarily stunned.

Only then did many of them come to their senses.

Although Lu Changzhi looked about their age,

he was not a disciple.

He was a peak master of the Five Symbols Sect.

Xie Yang's talent was extraordinary, but he was still only a disciple.

Their statuses were on entirely different levels.

"Is throwing your status around all you can do?" Xie Yang snorted, a hint of disdain flashing across his face.

In his view, the reason Lu Changzhi would not strike was precisely because he dared not.

Once he did, he would be exposed.

That was why he had brought out his status as a peak master to suppress him.

And that was the very thing Xie Yang feared least.

Lu Changzhi glanced at Xie Yang and said calmly:

"With my status, striking you would be an elder bullying a junior."

"Since this is how you choose to act, I'll have my disciple fight in my stead and see what you're capable of."

As his words fell, Gu Chen stepped forward.

From the very beginning, Gu Chen had wanted to send a voice transmission asking to step in and exchange pointers with Xie Yang.

Now was the perfect time.

"Him?" Xie Yang glanced at Gu Chen.

"A mere Dao Platform Realm cultivator is no match for me."

The onlookers shook their heads as well.

The gap between the Dao Platform Realm and the Life and Death Realm was already considerable.

Besides, Xie Yang was already at the fourth level of the Life and Death Realm.

There was no chance of victory whatsoever.

Some disciples quietly asked the elders whether Gu Chen was concealing his cultivation.

The answer they received was no.

"Whether I can or not, we'll have to try before we know."

Gu Chen paid the crowd's reaction no mind.

With a sweep of his arm, a spear appeared, and a domineering, razor-sharp presence surged forth.

Its edge was laid bare, pointing straight at Xie Yang.

"Fine." Xie Yang frowned.

"Since that's what you want, I'll oblige."

"I'll also see just what sort of people become disciples of Hidden Origin Peak."

As his words fell, he closed his hand around empty air.

A sword appeared in his hand out of nowhere.

"As long as you can withstand one strike of my sword, it'll be your win."

Whoosh!

A violent wind suddenly rose around Xie Yang.

Streaks of sword light lay hidden within the gale, their sharpness astonishing.

"That feeling... Xie Yang is about to form Sword Qi!"

Someone cried out, utterly shocked.

Sword Qi could only be formed once one's mastery of the sword reached a certain level.

Even after ordinary people reached the Life and Death Realm, they might still need many years to accomplish it.

Yet Xie Yang had already formed it at his age.

"This Gu Chen probably doesn't stand a chance of blocking it."

Someone looked at Gu Chen and said:

"He's still in no hurry to strike. Could he have some trump card too? But even if he has a trick up his sleeve, it'll be useless against Sword Qi."

"Gu Chen was a little too impulsive. He's only been in the Five Symbols Sect for such a short time, and he probably hasn't mastered many things yet. With such a huge gap between their realms, how did he dare face Xie Yang?" Someone shook his head inwardly.

"He has some strength, at least."

Mu Fan reclined in his chair and gave his quiet assessment, then shook his head.

"But compared with Xiao Ming, he still falls a little short."

"There probably won't be much suspense."

"Brace yourself." Xie Yang gave a low shout, and sword light blazed in his eyes.

"Mystic One Sword Art: Sever Mountains and Rivers!"

Xie Yang gripped his sword in both hands and stepped forward. In an instant, heaven and earth changed color, and hundreds upon thousands of sword lights swept along with him.

To the onlookers, it seemed that a terrifyingly immense sword had appeared between heaven and earth, slashing down at Gu Chen along with Xie Yang.

But Gu Chen's eyes burned with intense fighting spirit.

Spear in hand, he leaped up fiercely to meet the descending sword light.

Hum!

In midair, the spear suddenly shuddered.

A supreme power abruptly revealed itself and surged into the spear.

The next moment,

a point of cold light flashed at the spear's tip.

Clang!

A crisp ring sounded.

The point of cold light fell like a shooting star.

The terrifying, invisible giant sword fell apart the instant they touched.

Then, beneath countless gazes,

the spear smashed through streak after streak of sword light like rotten wood, finally striking down in front of Xie Yang.

Bang!

With a muffled thud, a brilliant light burst from beneath Xie Yang's clothes, and he shot backward.

After he came to a stop, a trickle of blood slowly ran from the corner of his mouth.

The entire venue abruptly fell deathly silent.

Even the elders observing in secret failed to react for a moment.

"Is that all?"

Gu Chen put away his spear, his voice breaking the silence.

"Where did you get the courage to provoke my master?"

With that, Gu Chen returned to the table.

That last question was not meant to show off. He was genuinely curious.

Provoking a great master who has returned to simplicity?

How is that any different from carrying a lantern into a latrine?

"Hiss-"

Only then did everyone come to their senses.

"No way, he was beaten with one spear strike? What realm is Gu Chen actually at?!"

"He wasn't concealing his cultivation, which means he can go head-on against someone in the Life and Death Realm while he's only at the Dao Platform Realm? What happens when he breaks through to the Life and Death Realm?"

"The new disciples the Five Symbols Sect recruited this time are really fierce. Xie Yang might have been careless, but that was still incredibly impressive."

"I reckon this dealt Xie Yang quite a blow."

A stir swept through the crowd.

Meanwhile, Lu Changzhi and Gu Chen, the people involved, continued enjoying the feast as though no one else were there.

Now, when everyone looked their way, their gazes had grown somewhat more serious.

And from then until the feast ended, no one else dared come forward to disturb them.

For the various parties,

although they had not gotten to the bottom of Lu Changzhi,

they had gotten to the bottom of the Five Symbols Sect's newly recruited genius.

Yes, he was unexpectedly tough.