Chapter 399: The Astounding Xu Jingwu

On the arena.

Xu Chongfei had completely discarded all his previous underestimation, his expression as solemn as still water.

His hands moved in a blur, abandoning any further probing. He opened immediately with his signature Spell Arts!

Intertwining ice and fire, he effortlessly cast a barrage of low and mid-grade Magical Arts, pouring them toward Xu Jingwu like a violent storm.

His goal wasn't to injure his opponent, but merely to stall that peerlessly swift close-quarters offensive.

For a moment, spiritual light flashed wildly across the arena, Cold Qi and intense heat waves continuously alternating.

However, facing this torrent of Magical Arts, Xu Jingwu's response was incredibly simple and brutal.

Moving like a dragon, he wove through the gaps in the spell barrage. Every punch he threw carried a muffled sonic boom. Whether it was an ice spike or a fireball, everything was smashed into a spray of glowing spiritual dust by sheer physical strength!

Occasionally, a stray Magical Art would land on him, but it couldn't even breach his Yuan Power shield.

Gritting his teeth, he summoned several offensive Top-Grade Magical Artifacts of various shapes from his Storage Pouch.

A saber, a sword, a seal, and a rope transformed into streaks of flowing light. They struck at Xu Jingwu from different angles in a fierce, overwhelming offensive.

As Xu Jingwu swung his arms, faint phantoms of dragons and elephants seemed to accompany his movements. His fists, palms, fingers, and claws became weapons—smashing, deflecting, shaking, and clawing. He was relying on his flesh and blood to forcefully clash against the sharp edges of the Dharma Tools!

The sharp ringing of clashing metal echoed endlessly, sending sparks flying in all directions.

Those Top-Grade Magical Artifacts were blocked and deflected by his bare hands! He even grabbed one Flying Sword by its spine with a backhand grip and forcefully hurled it away!

"What a terrifying physical body!"

"What formidable strength!"

Xu Chongfei had no more doubts, and an even fiercer fighting spirit and competitive drive ignited within him. 'It seems I have no choice but to bring out my true skills!'

Taking a deep breath, his hand seals blurred with sudden speed, and the Mana fluctuations around him grew profound and mysterious.

A scorching heat and a freezing aura rose from his body simultaneously.

Rather than clashing, the two extremes subtly blended together, transforming into red and blue spiritual light that swirled around his fingers and palms.

"Ice and Flame Rotation!"

With a low shout, the red and blue spiritual light blasted from his hands.

This was no simple Magical Art. It had completely fused with a trace of Extreme Yang and Extreme Cold True Intent!

Wherever it passed, the air let out a sharp hissing sound.

The temperature fluctuated bizarrely. Its power far surpassed all previous Spell Arts, reaching the realm of a prototype Divine Ability!

Any Divine Ability that had not yet been fully mastered was known as a prototype Divine Ability.

A trace of absolute seriousness finally flashed across Xu Jingwu's normally placid eyes.

Holding nothing back, he let out a low roar. His Qi and Blood violently boiled, emitting a faint, rumbling sound like roaring tigers and crashing thunder!

His skin shimmered with a faint, dark Golden Luster, transforming him into an unyielding god of war.

Facing the ice and flame strike infused with the True Intent of a Divine Ability, he stepped forward instead of retreating. Drawing his right fist back to his waist, he instantly compressed and gathered his entire physical strength alongside his boundless Yuan Power.

"Human Mountain Fist!"

He threw the punch, completely silent.

Yet, it felt as though he had utterly shattered the air before him!

A brief vacuum ripple rippled outward just ahead of his knuckles!

"BOOM!!!"

The Ice and Flame Rotation ruthlessly collided with his incredibly condensed fist force!

There was no earth-shattering explosion. Instead, a muffled, booming impact echoed out—a sound so heavy it made the spectators' hearts skip a beat.

The red and blue spiritual light and the dark gold fist force intertwined, eroding and annihilating one another!

The stalemate lasted for only a split second. The Ice and Flame Rotation, infused with the True Intent of a Divine Ability, was forcefully blown apart and scattered by that utterly pure, highly condensed physical power!

The remaining fist force carried on with unabated momentum.

It struck solidly against the chest of Xu Chongfei, whose movements had momentarily stagnated from the backlash of his shattered technique.

"Urgh!"

Xu Chongfei looked as if he had been rammed by an ancient mammoth. His protective spiritual light instantly shattered.

He was sent flying backward like a kite with a severed string, crashing violently against the protective Light Screen at the edge of the arena.

Sliding down the barrier, he collapsed onto the ground outside the ring.

Though he hadn't lost consciousness, his face was deathly pale and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He was clearly heavily injured and entirely unable to continue fighting.

The entire arena fell into a dead silence.

An instant later, massive cheers and gasps of amazement erupted like a volcano!

"Yuan! Yuan! Yuan!"

"Yuan is simply too strong!"

"Xu Chongfei's final move was incredibly formidable as well! I don't think I could survive even a single hit of that!"

The roaring waves of sound practically overturned the arena.

"To think Dongxi was hiding such a genius, and I had absolutely no idea?" Xu Chongjian's pupils suddenly constricted as he muttered, "I wouldn't have been able to completely block Brother Fei's final move.

"Yet someone as powerful as him was defeated by a mere member of the Shadow Division?

"Who exactly is this 'Yuan'?

"When did our Xu Family gain such a powerful martial artist?"

In a flash, Xu Chongjian thought of Jiang Wu, the man once revered by all martial artists as a pioneer, rumored to possess the potential of a Martial Ancestor.

'Could he be Jiang Wu?'

'No, that's impossible. Jiang Wu's death was personally confirmed by Elder Mingwei. It can't be fake. Even if the Elder lied, why would our Xu Family do such a thing?

'Wouldn't it be far better to recruit him openly if he were still alive?

'After all, his influence alone is enough to make all martial artists in the world follow him.'

Immediately after, Xu Chongjian considered another possibility. 'However, with our Xu Family's Heritage, cultivating a powerful martial artist isn't impossible.

'After all, the path to the Origin Martial Realm has already been made public. The rest simply requires martial artists to walk and perfect it.

'I heard the clan brought Jiang Wu's younger brother and his family into Dongxi a few months ago. They likely made some sort of deal with Jiang Wu before his death. Perhaps they obtained Jiang Wu's detailed Inheritance regarding the path to the Origin Martial Realm.'

Xu Wenjing stared at Xu Jingwu on the arena, an awe-inspiring War Intent swelling in his heart.

Xu Jingwu's martial arts path was remarkably similar to the Dual Cultivation of Dharma and Body.

It made him itch to jump up and fight him right this instant.

However, he knew deep down that he would ultimately lose.

A physical body beyond the second tier provided far too great an advantage.

Moreover, despite being a Perfected Foundation Establishment Cultivator himself, he could sense that the other party's Yuan Power was no weaker than his own Mana.

In a direct clash, he might suffer defeat even faster than Xu Chongfei did.

Below the arena.

Clutching his chest, Xu Chongfei struggled to his feet. His gaze was complex, but completely void of resentment. Instead, it burned with an even fiercer fighting spirit.

He recalled Xu Chuan once telling him that Dongxi harbored Prodigies capable of rivaling him.

He had assumed the old man meant Xu Chongjian.

Although Xu Chongjian was still slightly inexperienced, he certainly possessed the potential to rival him in the future.

As for Xu Wenjing, the two of them had a thirty-year age gap.

At least in his eyes, they weren't even of the same generation.

After all, Ye Fan was only in his fifties; he was actually a few years younger than Xu Wenjing.

If he acknowledged him as a peer, wouldn't they have to fight a generational match?

"Today's Clan Competition ends here. Tomorrow, we will determine the top thirty-two, the top three, and the overall champion."

Ye Fan announced from above.

The pale golden Light Screen surrounding the Youthful Excellence Competition arena slowly lowered.

Xu Jingwu cupped his hands toward Xu Chongfei and politely offered, "Thank you for the match."

Then, he stepped off the arena and returned to his residence.

Ye Fan landed beside Xu Chongfei. "Now you know there is always someone better out there, right?"

"Could he possibly be a ringer you hired, Father? Brought in specifically to snipe my victory?" Xu Chongfei asked, his eyes wide.

"Nonsense! There is absolutely zero foul play in this Clan Competition!"

Ye Fan coughed lightly. "It's simply a matter of your own poor luck."

Xu Chongfei looked at him with profound suspicion. "Dad, I'm not a child anymore. Don't lie to me."

After a brief pause, Xu Chongfei let the matter drop and waved his hand. "Forget it. Although it's a bit of a pity that I didn't claim the championship of the Youthful Excellence Competition...

"I at least got to experience an excellent battle.

"As for the champion's reward, it didn't really appeal to me anyway."

"As long as you understand that." Ye Fan smiled and patted his shoulder. "Let's go home. Your mother is waiting for us."

The two immediately took to the skies and departed.

The third day arrived.

"Today's Clan Competition will take the form of an Arena Battle, consisting of challengers and defenders. Anyone confident enough to claim the championship may step onto the stage, where they can accept challenges from up to nine people.

"Knocking an opponent off the arena or forcing them to yield will count as a successful defense.

"If sixty seconds pass without a challenger, that will also count as a successful defense.

"Once someone successfully defends the ring nine times, they will be crowned the overall champion of this Clan Competition.

"Those aiming for the top three must defend the arena five times.

"To secure any remaining rank, one only needs to defend the arena three times.

"Furthermore, each participant only has three opportunities to act as a challenger, and three chances to choose a specific ranking stage to defend.

"If a participant exhausts all their challenge and defense opportunities without success, they will be ranked dead last."

Ye Fan hovered high in the sky as he announced the rules for the day's competition.

"It seems today's battles will purely test our raw strength. I was hoping the stronger competitors would wear each other down," a Zhao clan disciple sighed softly.

"Isn't that the truth?"

A Zhou Clan disciple replied, "Although we all get three chances to challenge and three to defend, even if a defender is worn down by previous challengers...

"...if your own strength isn't sufficient, stepping up is completely useless anyway."

Murmurs and whispers rippled unceasingly through the crowd.

A moment later.

Ye Fan declared, "The battle for the championship rank begins now!"

As his words echoed out, the crowd remained perfectly still. Everyone was well aware of their own limits.

The champions had practically been decided already.

"Since there are no volunteers, allow me to step up."

From the high viewing platform.

A figure in ink-blue robes darted out, landing gracefully in the very center of the Sexagenary Cycle Competition arena.

"It's the Old Family Head!"

Many people exclaimed.

The person who had stepped down was none other than Xu Dezhao.

Given his profound seniority and undeniable strength, absolutely no one dared to contest Xu Dezhao.

Watching this, Yang Ronghua chuckled softly. "For Zhao'er to step up... it feels a bit like he's bullying the juniors."

"In future Clan Competitions, those who have previously claimed the championship will no longer need to participate to prove themselves. Furthermore, the clan will fully cover the resources required for their cultivation throughout the Foundation Establishment Stage.

"Even if they win the championship again, it would serve no practical purpose."

Xu Chuan smiled faintly.

"Father is entirely correct," Xu Mingwei agreed.

Over at the Youthful Excellence Competition arena.

Xu Jingwu calmly stepped onto the stage as well.

The other competitors had simply been waiting for him to do so.

After all, the memory of his astonishing battle with Xu Chongfei the previous day was still incredibly vivid in everyone's minds.

It was no exaggeration to say that yesterday's match had been the true battle for the championship. No one felt dissatisfied with the result.

However.

Things were slightly different compared to the Sexagenary Cycle Competition arena.

While no one dared challenge Xu Dezhao on his stage, two people here were actually Eager to Try their luck.

Bearing an ancient sword upon his back, Xu Chongjian silently leaped onto the stage.

"It's Xu Chongjian!"

"He was previously known as Dongxi's number one genius! It seems this will be A Fight Between a Dragon and a Tiger!"

The crowd surged with excitement.

Everyone eagerly anticipated this clash between a Sword Cultivator and an Origin Martial Realm martial artist.

Neither man spoke a word, but their soaring War Intent had already spread across the entire arena.

Xu Chongjian slowly raised his hand and gripped the hilt of the ancient sword strapped to his back.

With a clear, metallic shing, the longsword was drawn from its sheath.

The blade gleamed like a pool of clear autumn water, perfectly reflecting his tranquil eyes that currently blazed with raging War Intent.

"Please."

The moment that single word left his lips, his sword moved!

There was no probing attack. The moment Xu Chongjian struck, he unleashed his full power!

As he swung his longsword, streams of incredibly condensed, nearly tangible pale gold sword qi crisscrossed the air. Every single strike was imbued with an incomparably sharp will designed to sever all things.

Woven within those strikes was a trace of the Sword Dao True Intent he had recently comprehended!

The sword qi wasn't scattered randomly; rather, it rapidly wove into an inescapable net that locked down every direction.

The speed of every swing was incredibly fast, the angles tricky and ruthless, fully showcasing his breathtakingly exquisite attainments in the Sword Dao.

Facing the suffocating net of sword strikes hurtling toward his face, Xu Jingwu remained as calm as ever.

He spread his feet slightly apart and lowered his center of gravity. The Qi and Blood within his body let out another low, rumbling roar.

As the fierce sword qi approached, he either dodged its sharpest edges or simply met it head-on with heavy fists and sweeping palms.

His dark golden knuckles collided with the sword qi, emitting a sharp clang resembling striking metal as he shattered the energy constructs barehanded!

He remained completely unharmed!

His footwork lacked the elegant grace of Xu Chongfei, but it was far more concise and ruthlessly efficient. Every step he took landed precisely on the weakest points or within the gaps of the sword qi net.

He stood like an immovable reef amidst a violent, stormy sea, steadily and methodically unraveling the incoming sword momentum.

Xu Chongjian abruptly changed his sword style. The overwhelming barrage of sword momentum compressed, gathering entirely into a single thread.

His body followed his blade—Man and Sword as One.

He transformed into a dazzling, golden rainbow, thrusting his blade directly toward Xu Jingwu's center!

This thrust—with its speed, power, and Sword Intent focused to the absolute limit—was the ultimate manifestation of his current Sword Dao cultivation. It was more than enough to threaten a Perfected Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

However, Xu Jingwu had been capable of suppressing Perfected Foundation Establishment Cultivators several years ago.

He had even suppressed a Tier 2 Peak Demonic Beast entirely on his own.

The gap in raw power between the two men was simply staggering!

Yet, a Sword Cultivator would rather break than bend!

Defeat was nothing to fear; what was truly terrifying was allowing fear to take root in one's heart, completely robbing one of the courage to even draw their sword!

Seeing the incoming sword light, a brilliant gleam erupted in Xu Jingwu's eyes. 'What an excellent sword art!' he praised silently.

'He is truly worthy of being our Xu Family's Sword Dao prodigy!'

He no longer focused purely on defense.

With a fierce shout, the dark Golden Luster covering his right fist intensified brightly. The thrum of his Qi and Blood surged like a roaring river. Refusing to dodge or evade, he met the incoming sword point with a head-on punch!

"CLANG!!!"

The point of the sword and his iron knuckles slammed into each other, letting out a sharp, piercing sound—a true clash of equals, like Needle Point Against Wheat Beard!

A ring of visible shockwaves violently erupted outward with the two men at the epicenter!

The stalemate lasted for merely a split second.

Xu Chongjian felt an unstoppable, horrifying force—as overwhelmingly heavy as a mountain yet as violently explosive as thunder—transmit straight up his blade.

His fiercely proud and highly condensed Sword Intent trembled violently beneath the sheer brunt of this overwhelmingly pure force, hovering on the verge of complete collapse!

His longsword let out a mournful keen as the blade bent into a Soul-Stirring and Heart-Shaking, dangerous arc.

The webbing between his thumb and forefinger split open, letting blood spill down his hand. Unable to maintain his grip any longer, both he and his sword were blasted violently backward by the titanic impact!

"Thud!"

Xu Chongjian landed heavily near the edge of the arena. By quickly driving his sword into the ground, he barely prevented himself from tumbling off the stage.

However, his sword arm trembled uncontrollably, and a trail of fresh blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.

He raised his head to stare at Xu Jingwu, who remained standing stably in his original position. The only sign of damage was a faint white mark on his knuckles. Xu Chongjian's eyes were filled with absolute shock, followed by a sudden glimmer of profound realization.

'As expected... Even Brother Fei falls short against him. The depth of my comprehension regarding Sword Dao True Intent is still far too lacking.'

Rather than despair, Xu Chongjian's eyes were filled with the serene clarity of finally understanding the true gap between them.

A few dozen seconds.

From drawing his sword to admitting defeat, barely a few dozen seconds of time had passed.

No matter how exquisite his sword art, or how awe-inspiring his Sword Intent, everything ultimately fell short in the face of an absolute gap in both power and Cultivation Realm.

This was the currently insurmountable gap in raw, unadulterated strength between the two men.

The area beneath the stage fell silent once more before erupting into cheers far more fervent than before.

Xu Chongjian's power was obvious to everyone present, and his single sword strike imbued with True Intent was truly breathtaking.

Yet, 'Yuan's' strength was completely bottomless.

He had actually crushed the killing blow of a Sword Dao genius with nothing but his bare hands, claiming absolute victory.

Faced with his might, everyone under sixty in the audience felt they were Too Far Behind to Even See the Dust.

"I have lost."

Xu Chongjian slowly rose to his feet, wiping the trail of blood from his mouth. After smoothly returning his blade to its sheath, he cupped his hands in a respectful bow toward Xu Jingwu. Although he had been defeated, he remained resolute and entirely unbowed.

With those words spoken, he silently turned and walked off the stage.

On the arena, Xu Jingwu gave a slight nod in return, his gaze remaining as calm as an undisturbed lake.

"I'll go next!"

Yet another figure vaulted eagerly onto the Youthful Excellence Competition arena.