Xu Qi’an’s gaze left Cao Qingyang, first looking at Yang Cuixue, Fu Jingmen, and others not far behind him, including the stunningly beautiful Xiao Yue’nu.
He swept past the Martial Alliance members, then scrutinized the Lotus Taoists of the Earth Sect, as well as the masked spies of Prince Huai in black robes.
The spies wore masks, hiding their expressions, but their eyes burned with naked hatred.
It was this Xu Qi’an who had caused such a commotion in the capital, forcing His Majesty to issue an edict of self-blame, causing Prince Huai to be disgraced after death, his bones unable to be buried in the imperial mausoleum, and his memorial tablet unable to be placed in the ancestral temple.
The mysterious expert in Chu Province who had fought five alone with overwhelming ferocity, and under whose hand Prince Huai had died – the spies hated him but had no complaints. The strong prey on the weak; that’s just how it is.
But Xu Qi’an’s actions made them extremely angry and disgusted. A mere ant, when Prince Huai was alive, could have been crushed with one finger. It was only because Prince Huai was dead that he could prance about like a clown, stepping on Prince Huai’s name to make himself famous.
It was truly hateful and infuriating.
As for the Lotus Taoists, they were even more blatant. Some sneered at Xu Qi’an’s appraisal, some coldly laughed, and some showed challenging expressions.
“A bunch of clowns, not worth worrying about!”
Xu Qi’an shook his head and withdrew his gaze.
The spies of Prince Huai and the Lotus Taoists raised their eyebrows.
“Alliance Master Cao, the lotus seed is about to mature and can’t withstand great disturbances, so no formation has been set up here,” Xu Qi’an looked back at Cao Qingyang and said in a deep voice:
“You don’t want to destroy the lotus seed either, do you?”
Cao Qingyang nodded nonchalantly: “What I want is the lotus root. The seed is just an extra. If there is one, that’s best. If not, it doesn’t matter. Tell me, how does Constable Xu want to fight?”
Xu Qi’an took off the black and gold long saber from his lower back and casually threw it aside. With a “thud”, the saber and its sheath fell by the pool.
He looked at Cao Qingyang and raised his chin: “No use of qi, no weapons. Let’s compare our physical skills!”
Clever!
In the distance, Xiao Yue’nu nodded slightly. This way, it was like bringing Alliance Master Cao down to a level close to his own.
Without using qi, the power of a third-grade martial artist couldn’t be displayed; without weapons, and since Alliance Master Cao excelled in saber techniques and saber intent, his strongest killing techniques were also excluded.
Finally, given Alliance Master Cao’s appreciation for Constable Xu, he would give him this face.
People in the jianghu are all like this, valuing face above all else.
“Good, let’s compare physical skills! When the lotus seed matures, if I still haven’t beaten you, I won’t touch it at all.”
As expected, Cao Qingyang nodded in agreement.
The “audience” outside was surprised. Alliance Master Cao was giving Xu Qi’an plenty of face, making a promise in front of everyone, and he wouldn’t go back on his word.
This meant that as long as Constable Xu could hold out until the lotus seed matured without losing, Alliance Master Cao wouldn’t compete for the seed.
The disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society secretly prayed, hoping that Constable Xu could hold out for a while.
Master Jin Lian inviting Young Master Xu to help was truly a brilliant move… Qiu Chan’yi showed a delighted expression. This Alliance Master Cao had broken through the barriers one after another, unstoppable.
Whether it was Chu Yuanzhen or Li Miaozhen, he had never made concessions. But facing Young Master Xu, he was willing to make such a big compromise.
Young heroes with soaring reputations like Young Master Xu were rare in the world.
She admired and was increasingly infatuated with Young Master Xu.
This, this Cao Qingyang could make such a huge concession? The White Lotus Taoist nun’s face was full of astonishment. She realized she had still underestimated Xu Qi’an’s reputation.
“Even if it’s just comparing physical skills, the Alliance Master can’t possibly lose. It’s just a matter of how long Constable Xu can hold out,” Fu Jingmen said.
“Constable Xu seems to excel in saber techniques too,” Yang Cuixue analyzed.
Listening to their discussion, Xiao Yue’nu said in a charming voice:
“Alliance Master Cao’s physique is unparalleled, but Constable Xu also has the Vajra Invincibility. Moreover, they both excel in saber techniques rather than physical skills. Looking at it this way, it might be quite a fierce battle.”
At this point, the spy Tianqu, not far away, interjected with a cold laugh: “A fierce battle? What if I tell you that Xu Qi’an is only a sixth-grade martial artist?”
His words caused an uproar of discussion.
The crowd of onlookers suddenly realized that they indeed had no concept of Constable Xu’s grade.
Firstly, the night watchmen’s silver bells ranged from eighth-grade Spirit Refinement to fifth-grade Force Condensation, so they weren’t classified by grades in the first place. Secondly, Constable Xu’s early exploits included single-handedly stopping thousands of rebel troops in Yun Province and battling with the Buddhist sect… These were all “battles” where he punched above his weight.
The only standard they could judge by was last night when Constable Xu killed that mysterious young master, who himself was not weak and had two peak fourth-grade experts as bodyguards.
So in everyone’s minds, even if Constable Xu wasn’t fourth-grade, he should at least be fifth-grade Force Condensation.
“Constable Xu is only sixth-grade? How could he kill that young master if he’s sixth grade?”
“How could a sixth-grade break into the imperial palace and kidnap two dukes? Don’t listen to his nonsense.”
“But these people seem to be from the imperial court, they should know Constable Xu inside out.”
“Why talk about all this? We’ll know once they start fighting.”
Cao Qingyang scrutinized Xu Qi’an: “You’re only in sixth grade? That’s a bit surprising to me.”
In the intelligence gathered, Xu Qi’an’s latest feat was overpowering the outstanding disciples of the Heaven and Earth Sects, although he used Confucian spell books, outsiders’ assessment was that his own strength was also fifth-grade, not far behind.
But it turned out he was just a sixth-grade martial artist.
Xu Qi’an didn’t respond, just smiled faintly: “Please give me some guidance, Alliance Master Cao.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly flew up, accompanied by a muffled “boom” under his feet, a fierce knee strike attacking head-on.
In the process, a spot of golden paint lit up on his brow, quickly spreading across his entire body.
Cao Qingyang took a step forward, actively meeting him. His left hand blocked Xu Qi’an’s knee strike, while his right palm turned and pressed against Xu Qi’an’s chest.
Dong!
It sounded like a giant bell being struck. Xu Qi’an flew back, rolling to dissipate the force before stabilizing himself.
“He hasn’t reached fifth grade…” Fu Jingmen was greatly shocked.
An uproar immediately arose, with the crowd of heroes whispering to each other. Those with keen eyes immediately saw Xu Qi’an’s level from that brief exchange.
The disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society’s faces sank, their hearts sinking with them.
Although they practiced the Taoist system, they were very familiar with the martial arts system. After all, the martial artist system wasn’t as mysterious as other systems because too many people walked this path.
Fifth-grade Force Condensation was the peak of martial artists’ physical skills. Before fifth grade, although martial artists’ close-quarter attacks were formidable, they weren’t enough to make high-grade experts of other systems fear them.
It was martial artists after fifth grade that were the reason other high-grade systems feared them.
Force Condensation martial artists had perfect control over their physical strength and could ignore inertia, ignore imbalance, etc. Once they got close, you would face a storm of attacks until the outcome was decided, or you used special means to create distance again.
Constable Xu hadn’t reached fifth grade, so this battle was hopeless. Trying to delay was just wishful thinking.
After Xu Qi’an stabilized himself, an image automatically appeared in his mind: Cao Qingyang appeared at his side, chopping at his neck with a hand knife.
Without time to think, following a martial artist’s instinct, he crouched down and then rolled forward.
The moment he completed this series of actions, Cao Qingyang appeared at his side, swinging his hand knife.
The hand knife naturally missed, and surprise flashed in Cao Qingyang’s eyes. His figure disappeared again, descending from the sky with a punch.
But before he could strike, Xu Qi’an suddenly stumbled, like a drunk person losing balance, sliding two steps to the left, perfectly avoiding the attack.
“First adapt to the rhythm, his attacks are too fast, and I can barely keep up. Focus on dodging, wait for a chance to counterattack…”
Relying on his extraordinarily keen senses, Xu Qi’an repeatedly foresaw Cao Qingyang’s attack images, frantically evading.
To the onlookers outside, the two looked like they were playing a game of cat and mouse.
Finally, after Xu Qi’an leaned back to avoid Cao Qingyang’s whip kick, he seized the opportunity to counterattack. Using his right foot as an axis, he suddenly spun, rotating to Cao Qingyang’s back.
The next moment, a rain-like attack fell, punches, knee strikes, elbow strikes… Dozens of moves were unleashed in an instant, making Cao Qingyang’s steel-like body resound with huge noises.
This… Xiao Yue’nu’s beautiful eyes were slightly dazed. She suspected that Alliance Master Cao was holding back, giving face to Constable Xu.
“Something’s strange, he seems to be able to capture Alliance Master Cao’s movements in advance, making effective predictions,” Fu Jingmen slowly clenched his fists, seeming a bit eager to try, and said:
“It’s making me itch to join in.”
How is he doing this… Yang Cuixue frowned deeply. The ability Constable Xu displayed had already surpassed a martial artist’s intuition for danger as if he possessed the ability to foresee the future.
“Eh? Didn’t he not reach fifth grade? How is he instead pressing Alliance Master Cao?”
“Alliance Master Cao isn’t being serious, right? Maybe he wants to give Constable Xu a face, give him a way out.”
The crowd of heroes discussed animatedly.
This reason was acceptable to everyone. In the jianghu, the most important thing was to give others a face.
If you don’t give people a face, how can you survive in the jianghu? Especially when the other party is the righteous Constable Xu.
“Alliance Master Cao, time is precious. How long are you going to tangle with Xu?” The female spy Tianqu said coldly: “Let me remind Alliance Master Cao, this boy is very tricky. Don’t let him slip through your fingers.”
Cao Qingyang could feel the ferocity of the other’s attacks, and the pain transmitted. Although it was just pain, for a sixth-grade martial artist to have this kind of strength was truly rare.
He turned and kicked Xu Qi’an away, but it was still anticipated in advance. The other even used this kick to create distance.
“You seem to be able to predict my attacks in advance? What kind of technique is this?” Cao Qingyang frowned, asking curiously.
“A unique secret technique,” Xu Qi’an said.
“Then I’ll just treat this as the intuitive instinct of Spirit Refinement.”
Cao Qingyang moved his neck a bit and said calmly: “Do you know that martial artists’ instincts have a fatal weakness, which is…”
Xu Qi’an’s pupils suddenly contracted. He once again crouched down and rolled forward.
Bang!
Cao Qingyang appeared in front of him, kicking him flying. This kick was very solid, sending him flying like a cannonball, smashing through fake mountains, cracking the stone-paved ground, and deeply embedding him into a wall.
Looking at the disheveled young man, Cao Qingyang smiled and said: “As long as the speed of the attack is faster than its warning of danger, you can’t effectively respond.”
I understand, in simple terms, it’s just CPU overload… Xu Qi’an pulled himself out of the wall and grinned: “The warm-up is over.”
This time, he actively pounced over but was countered by Cao Qingyang, and a rain of fists immediately smashed into his face.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of sharp, cracking explosions burst in Xu Qi An’s ears. Fists, each heavier and faster than the last, flashed before his eyes and smashed into his face. The impacts shook his protective golden body and cracked the ground beneath him.
When he threw a punch, his power traveled in a straight line, his arm muscles exerting force in a single direction…
Why couldn’t he achieve the same effect as his opponent? Why did his power scatter during the punch?
The “concentration” of the Heaven and Earth Slash lasted only for an instant. He had only mastered that fleeting moment, unable to maintain such a state for long…
While enduring the beating, Xu Qi An observed the changes in his opponent’s energy. He noticed that each of Cao Qingyang’s punches carried the same force, as if perfectly replicated.
Martial artists below the Fifth Realm, as well as ordinary people, could never guarantee that each punch would be identical in power.
He collapsed all his qi and blood, twisting it into a single strand, then kicked Cao Qingyang in the abdomen, sending him flying.
This kick, with all its power concentrated into one, had already reached the level of the Fifth Realm.
Transforming force? No, not yet. He was just one step away from it… Cao Qingyang suddenly realized. He retreated a distance, dissipated the force, and then charged in again, not giving Xu Qi An a chance to catch his breath.
To the onlookers, this appeared to be a one-sided beating. Guild Master Cao’s martial arts were unparalleled, his attacks fierce. He pummeled Constable Xu, forcing him to jump and roll, constantly evading.
Occasionally, Xu Qi An would burst into a counterattack, but after one or two moves, he would be suppressed, followed by another round of one-sided beating.
Clang!
Cao Qingyang’s fist broke through Xu Qi An’s crossed arms. His palm pressed against the golden chest, suddenly exerting force. Constable Xu flew back uncontrollably, but Cao Qingyang grabbed his ankle, forcefully pulling him back.
Another set of fierce martial arts attacks followed.
Fists continuously hammered into his chest, abdomen, and face… Xu Qi An couldn’t stand steady, stumbling backward under the onslaught, unable to defend himself.
“I must say, the Buddhist Golden Body Technique is truly one of the world’s finest protective arts,” someone commented.
“Looks more like a turtle shell technique to me. This ability to take a beating is beyond my skills,” another chimed in.
“Tsk tsk, this poor Daoist feels sorry for Guild Master Cao’s hands. It must be so painful.”
“Constable Xu, if you can hold on for another incense stick’s time, you might make it onto the Martial Arts Ranking with your turtle shell technique.”
“Haha, senior brother, isn’t the Martial Arts Ranking only for jianghu experts? Constable Xu is a government official. Oh, I forgot, he’s not even a constable anymore.”
These cold mockeries came from the Lotus Daoist of the Earth Faction and his disciples. The demon cultivators of the Earth Faction were constantly venting their inner darkness and malice.
Tianji and Tianshu exchanged glances, years of tacit understanding allowing them to comprehend each other’s intentions. Once Cao Qingyang broke through Xu Qi An’s Golden Body Technique, they seized the opportunity to end the little thief’s life.
Li Miaochen tried several times to intervene but was stopped by Chu Yuanren.
“Don’t be rash,” Chu Yuanren warned sternly. “He won’t be in mortal danger, but if you interfere in the fight, the duel between Cao Qingyang and Xu Qi An will be nullified, and the situation will spiral out of control.”
Great Master Hengyuan clasped his hands and sighed deeply. Such a formidable opponent was truly disheartening. He had done his best, and he hoped Constable Xu would do the same.
Lina’s right hand hung down, her skin wrapped in white, silk-like threads, healing her injuries. She gritted her teeth angrily, “If my father were here, he’d smash that dog’s head with one punch.”
Li Miaochen scoffed without humor, “Your father?”
Chu Yuanren coughed lightly, reminding her, “The leader of the Force Gu Tribe reached the Third Realm twenty years ago.”
Li Miaochen: “Oh, never mind then.”
Bang!
A deafening sound interrupted their conversation. They looked over to see Cao Qingyang’s punch forcing Xu Qi An to his knees, creating two deep pits in the ground.
“I’ll give you five punches. Learn well from them. After the fifth, I’ll break your Golden Body,” Cao Qingyang declared. He then delivered the second punch to Xu Qi An’s head.
Clang!
The Golden Body Technique seemed unable to defend against such a terrifying attack, dimming slightly.
Clang!
The third punch dimmed the golden sheen further. As one weakened and the other strengthened, Xu Qi An could no longer remain unscathed, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Qiu Chanyou burst into tears, covering her mouth as teardrops rolled down her cheeks.
The other disciples’ eyes also reddened, feeling that Constable Xu had already done more than enough. Even if he surrendered now, they wouldn’t blame him.
Clang!
The fourth punch left the golden sheen mottled, like a weathered Buddha statue, signaling the imminent collapse of the Golden Body Technique.
Blood flowed from Xu Qi An’s seven orifices, and his vision blurry. The force of the punch continued to reverberate within him, constantly shaking and ravaging his tendons, bones, and internal organs.
This vibration was like a fuse, igniting one cell after another, causing them to vibrate together and resonate.
He understood now.
He grasped the essence of the Fifth Realm’s force transformation.
Cao Qingyang had imparted the principles of the Fifth Realm’s force transformation to him in this brutal, vicious manner.
Cao Qingyang clenched his fist, taking his stance. The fifth punch was poised to strike.
Li Miaochen and Chu Yuanren moved simultaneously, with Lina and Hengyuan following closely. On the other side, the White Lotus Daoist could no longer stand idly by.
Anyone could see that if this punch landed, Constable Xu’s life would be in grave danger.
“Guild Master, please show mercy!” Xiao Yuerou cried out.
“Guild Master, please be merciful! Don’t take Constable Xu’s life!” Yang Cuixue shouted.
Tianji and Tianshu simultaneously unleashed blade energies towards Chu Yuanren and the others, clearly intending to block them.
The Lotus Daoists revealed sinister smiles.
In Xu Qi An’s pupils, the approaching fist grew larger and larger. The gust from the punch blew his bangs into disarray, his warrior’s instinct signaling imminent danger.
His face appeared somewhat dazed, his expression stiff, as if he hadn’t yet recovered from the dizzying state. But his fist clenched instinctively, and some dormant cells in his body awakened at this moment.
Some cells that he had never been able to control or use before suddenly became incredibly active.
All the power in his body twisted into a single strand, every cell exerting force in one direction.
With all his might, he threw a punch to meet Cao Qingyang’s incoming fist.