Supreme Sword Exalt

Jiang Feng grew worried again when he saw how formidable Yang Ying was. “Brother Gu, he...”

With an uncharacteristically serious expression, the fatty said somewhat gravely, “It’s going to be tough. This guy’s interesting!”

Jiang Feng was stunned. “Interesting?”

Jiang Feng knew the fatty quite well. Despite his carefree, playful exterior, the fatty was extremely arrogant at his core, looking down on everyone. Apart from Gu Han, he didn’t even spare a glance at experts like Du Teng in the Soaring Realm. Yet now, he actually used the word ’interesting,’ which proved how extraordinary Yang Ying was.

The fatty nodded. “Yup. He hasn’t reached the Supreme Stage and doesn’t have a special physique, but his combat skills are great.”

“How... how great?”

The fatty thought for a moment, feeling Jiang Hong was a good unit for measuring battle prowess. “That Redhead wouldn’t even survive a single of his spear strikes.”

Jiang Feng’s face turned pale. “Then what should we do?”

The fatty’s gaze was fixed tightly on the battlefield. “Let’s watch first. If he isn’t as strong as I think, we’ll rush in together and gang up on him.”

Jiang Feng swallowed. “W-what if he’s too strong?”

The fatty said as if it were the most natural thing, “Run! This is that bastard’s test, why should I risk my life for him?”

Inside the battlefield, the extremely fast Great Evolution Sword Qi arrived within three chi of Yang Ying, aiming precisely at his vital points.

Surprise flashed across Yang Ying’s eyes. He flicked his spear, and a surge of overwhelming force erupted, scattering six sword qis outright and bending the paths of the remaining three.

At the last moment, his figure twisted strangely for an instant, narrowly avoiding the last three sword qi. From beginning to end, his speed never decreased in the slightest.

His cold and gleaming spear tip, unchanging in direction and speed, arrived in front of Gu Han. In that moment between life and death, Gu Han’s mind went blank. Fear, anger, joy—all sorts of emotions vanished, leaving only fear in those eyes.

The fatty’s eyes widened. “Damn! This bastard has that skill too?”

“What is it?” asked Jiang Feng.

The fatty was somewhat envious. “His combat instinct is strong.”

Jiang Feng was somewhat puzzled. “What does combat instinct have to do with strength?”

The fatty glanced at him. “Think about it, your opponent has the exact same cultivation, realm, and strength as you. Moreover, the other party’s every move—even the use of every strand of spirit qi—is almost flawless. Who do you think would die?”

“Then, Brother Gu, he...”

The fatty sighed. “As much as I don’t want to admit it, that bastard seems to be a combat genius.”

Yang Ying had the same thought in his heart. Gu Han’s Great Evolution Sword Qi and his state forgetting both self and surroundings left Yang Ying slightly amazed. Still, that was it. He had no intention of holding back either. He swung his spear lightly, increasing its speed by another third.

In the blink of an eye, it was less than three chi from Gu Han’s heart. Suddenly, Gu Han unleashed all of his remaining spirit qi, channeling it into his sword. He flicked his wrist, slashing onto the cold, gleaming spear tip.

That spot was clearly the weak point in Yang Ying’s spirit qi flow. A metallic sound rang out, and Gu Han flew backward as if hit by a giant rock. The residual qi from both sides scattered, cutting several bloody marks on his face. Yang Ying’s spear also deviated from its original trajectory, directly stabbing into an empty patch of ground.

A thunderous boom erupted, and a three-zhang-wide crater opened up before the group.

Jiang Feng looked worried. “Brother Gu, are... are you alright?”

Gu Han trembled as he waved his hand. “Cough cough... Yeah...”

The fatty looked disdainful. “Don’t push it. If you want to cough blood, then do so. No need to be shy.”

“You—cough!” Gu Han was about to retort but felt a surge of qi and blood. He couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood. “Dammit, Fatty! Which side are you on?!”

However, after spitting the blood, he actually felt much more relaxed.

Wiping the bloodstain, Gu Han beckoned to Yang Ying, the fighting spirit in his eyes blazing. “Let’s continue!”

Unexpectedly, Yang Ying shook his head and put away his spear. “There’s no need for that. You passed the test.”

Having said that, he slung the spear over his back again, preparing to leave.

Gu Han was stern. “Stop! We’re going to stop fighting just because you say so?! As if you ever considered my opinion from the beginning!”

Yang Ying paused, slowly turning around. “That’s enough. You are the first Acupoint Unsealing cultivator who can take my full-power spear strike. Therefore, you are qualified to join the Qingyun Pavilion.”

Gu Han laughed coldly. “What if I don’t want to?”

Yang Ying wasn’t angered either. He glanced at Gu Han again, then took the spear and strode away. “It’s up to you. I am only responsible for testing you. Everything else is not my concern.”

The fatty came over. “Tsk tsk. Quite an arrogant guy, he is.”

However, Gu Han was completely calm, as if his previous outburst was a lie. “He has the right to be arrogant. He’s stronger than Yu Hua. But his technique is strange, and his fighting style is also very special. I don’t think he’s good at fighting head-on.”

Jiang Feng was stunned. Not good at fighting head-on, yet still this strong?

The fatty rubbed his chin, seemingly coming to an understanding. “Now that you mention it. It seems like it. He seems skilled at concealing his aura, and his attacks are clean and efficient, without the slightest hesitation. He follows the path of a one-hit kill. If he had been lying in ambush just now, that spear...”

Gu Han said expressionlessly. “I couldn’t have blocked it. It would’ve been certain death.”

The fatty’s eyes flickered. “Qingyun Pavilion, huh. Originally, I thought it was a mediocre, shabby organization, but... heh, it’s a bit interesting.”

Gu Han’s expression suddenly turned unfriendly. “Fatty, were you just planning to abandon me and run by yourself?”

The fatty’s expression turned serious. “What are you talking about?! I am righteous and heroic. I value loyalty above all! How could I possibly do something like abandoning brothers and friends, surviving alone? You definitely heard wrong!”

Jiang Feng finally couldn’t hold back. “You... really are shameless.”

“Nonsense! I—hm?” The fatty glared at Gu Han, but halfway through his sentence, his expression shifted as he stared into the distance. “Why is he back?”

Solemnly, Gu Han raised his sword again. “I don’t know. If he’s back, he’s back. At most, we’ll just fight another round.”

Jiang Feng was somewhat uneasy. ”Brother Fatty, you mustn’t run. Otherwise, you’d be harming Brother Gu.”

The fatty smiled awkwardly. “Well, let’s see what his purpose is first.”

Strangely enough, despite the trio’s vigilance, Yang Ying acted as if he didn’t see it. He just frowned as if he was constantly searching for something.

The fatty looked puzzled. “What is he looking for?”

Gu Han remained focused and alert. “How would I know? Could it be that during the fight just now, he dropped something? But with his strength, how could he possibly—”

Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly stiffened. Not far away, after searching for a long while, Yang Ying finally found something. He carefully picked up a crystal from the scattered soil, wiped the blood and dust off it, and put it into his storage ring with satisfaction. He seemed much more at ease now. Without even looking at the trio, he left again.

The three were dumbfounded. They saw clearly that it was a beast core from that Tier 2 demonic beast at the start of the fight.

The fatty remained dazed for a long time, before finally turning to Jiang Feng. “Do you think... he’s similar to Gu Han?”

Jiang Feng glanced at Yang Ying’s retreating back, then at Gu Han, his tone extremely firm. “Yup! Extremely similar.”

Gu Han was furious. “Nonsense! Do you think I’m that cheap?!”

Jiang Feng and the fatty stared at each other and nodded simultaneously. “See, you realised it yourself!”

Just then, the angry roar of a demonic beast came from within the forest again, along with the voices of several martial academy students.

“Run quickly!”

“It’s catching up!”

“Quick, quick, lure it to an open area, wear it down slowly!”