Xie Sanqian's energy surged out, creating a dreadful destruction around him. Facing the attack, Xiang Shaoyun drew the Purple Lightning Saber from his back and slashed at the incoming attack. He did not even need to use his saber intent. Only a simple Berserk Lightning Blade was enough to overwhelmingly crush Xie Sanqian's attack.

Rumble! Rumble!

A series of explosions erupted, and the area around them shook. When the explosions settled, a figure could be seen flying away with blood spraying. Everyone opened their eyes wide and stared at the person sent flying with disbelief. Why the disbelief? Because the person sent flying was Xie Sanqian and not Xiang Shaoyun.

"H-how is that possible? Not even Xie Sanqian is his match? How strong is he exactly?"

"Cultivation level wise, he is definitely a seventh-stage Transformation Realm cultivator. But the energy he releases is so thick it is probably comparable to the energy released by even ninth-stage Transformation Realm cultivators!"

"This is a genius capable of punching above his weight! Even Xie Sanqian is not his match! No wonder he has the guts to offend the Lightning Alliance."

"I heard the Red House had invited him to join as well, but he rejected them. I wonder what his background is."

"I think he probably came from some hidden organization. Or maybe he's a genius from some other city. Otherwise, how is it possible that he has been unnoticed until recently?"

...

Gong Qinyin's eyes were twinkling with an indescribable emotion as she looked at the tall and straight figure before her.

He is really getting stronger and stronger. I need to work hard as well! Gong Qinyin vowed to herself.

"Just this much strength is not enough," said Xiang Shaoyun while wagging his finger at Xie Sanqian, who was clasping his wound.

Xie Sanqian had impressive combat prowess, but the gap between him and Xiang Shaoyun was too big. He would need to be a King Realm cultivator to be able to put up a fight against Xiang Shaoyun.

Xie Sanqian glared at Xiang Shaoyun with fury, blood gushing from the wound on his shoulder without stop. He had suffered a one-sided defeat in the hands of his opponent. More importantly, his opponent seemed to be about a year or two younger than him. With so many of his fellow apprentices bearing witness to his defeat, he felt terrible.

"Not enough? NOT ENOUGH? Let me show you if I'm enough!" Xie Sanqian roared and erupted in power again, completely ignoring his wound.

"Young master, you can't!" Right that moment, an old figure appeared in front Xie Sanqian and stopped him.

This old man was a Skysoar Realm cultivator, one of Xie Sanqian’s guards. He knew that Xie Sanqian was trying to increase his combat prowess with a forbidden technique, but doing so had a great price attached to it.

"Stay out of this. If I don't teach him a lesson today, how can I still stand tall in the future?" said Xie Sanqian with a vicious expression on his face.

His strength kept growing, pushing him from the seventh-stage to the ninth-stage. The guard’s face fell when he saw. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stop Xie Sanqian. Thus, he could only turn around and warn Xiang Shaoyun with his eyes. It would seem like he had placed all the blame on Xiang Shaoyun.

Xiang Shaoyun ignored the warning and looked at Xie Sanqian with a calm look. Inwardly, he thought to himself, This kid is most likely paying a great price to activate this forbidden technique. But it's pointless.

"Xiang Shaoyun, die!" Xie Sanqian shouted when he was finally done gathering his strength. Wielding his spear with both hands, he swept it toward Xiang Shaoyun. The spear swept forth like it was a massive pillar with an incredibly destructive might.

With Xie Sanqian's current strength of ninth-stage Transformation Realm, he possessed the strength at the peak of the Transformation Realm and was only a step away from reaching the level of a War King. Nevertheless, the gap of one step was still a gap. How could he be a match of a legitimate War King like Xiang Shaoyun?

Facing the new attack, Xiang Shaoyun still did not bother dodging. He raised his saber and met the incoming attack with a slash. The slash contained the power of innate purple lightning, pushing the might of Xiang Shaoyun's saber energy to an even more terrifying level.

The saber and spear clashed, destroying all the trees and plants around them. Even the people were forced to pull farther away from the battlefield. Nobody wanted to be accidentally harmed by the clash's shockwave.

Xiang Shaoyun actually did not defeat Xie Sanqian instantly this time. Rather, they seemed to be evenly matched. With Xiang Shaoyun's strength, he was definitely not weaker than Xie Sanqian. He was intentionally holding back for a reason.

He was afraid that if he defeated Xie Sanqian too easily, the potential opponents that he might get to face later would all hide in fear. If others knew what Xiang Shaoyun was thinking, they would most likely feel pity for that Guardian Qiu.

Xiang Shaoyun and Xie Sanqian exchanged a few dozen moves; the intensity of their battle was immensely satisfying to watch for the crowd around them. Since Xie Sanqian had increased his combat prowess with a forbidden technique, he was now able to utilize king-grade techniques. Each attack he unleashed was incredibly stunning. Every now and then, he would conjure the apparitions of wolves when attacking, shocking everyone witnessing the fight. From the combat prowess he was displaying, his reputation as a young genius was not in vain. 

Even so, Xiang Shaoyun was still able to meet all of Xie Sanqian's attacks head on with his Purple Lightning Saber. He looked incredibly graceful and elegant as he drifted about the battlefield, his purple lightning attacks similarly possessing a shocking might that could not be underestimated. In fact, regular ninth-stage Transformation Realm cultivators were completely not a match for him when one considered the might he was displaying.

"They are really strong. I won't be able to take even one of their attacks."

"You think too much. Anyone who is not a peak Transformation Realm cultivator will stand no chance against them. It is really surprising how terrifying that Xiang Shaoyun kid is. Xie Sanqian still can't defeat him even after using a forbidden technique."

"From the look of things, Xie Sanqian will most likely be the one to lose. After all, he was the one who had used a forbidden technique, not his opponent. It is obvious who is the stronger one here."

"This Xiang Shaoyun uses the power of lightning, similar to the Lightning Kid. What will happen when the two meet?"

...

They kept on fighting for a while, and Xiang Shaoyun intentionally restrained even more of his strength, letting Xie Sanqian deal him some superficial wounds, making it look like he was the one at the disadvantage.

As for Xie Sanqian, the longer they fought, the more excited he became. He could already see Xiang Shaoyun being skewered by his spear. But right as victory seemed so near, he reached the time limit of his forbidden technique. Just as he was about to give Xiang Shaoyun a fatal attack, his entire body was suddenly emptied of all energy. He collapsed on the ground and started twitching.

"Ahhhh!"

The veins on Xie Sanqian's arms became visible, as if they would burst at any moment. He was in so much pain he started wailing. At this time, Xiang Shaoyun pushed on, looking like he was going to beat up Xie Sanqian.

Xie Sanqian's guard appeared before Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Our young master has conceded defeat. This ends here."

"Hmph. It ends just because you say so? According to the rules of the pavilion, the struggle between us of the younger generation has nothing to do with old fellows like you," said Xiang Shaoyun overbearingly.