Chapter 16: Xu Hualing’s Fury

Upon hearing Xu Xiangqian’s words, the faces of the New Disciples behind Xu Ziyan turned pale. Ninth Layer of Houtian! Originally, these New Disciples saw Xu Ziyan bravely fight a Senior Disciple and ultimately win. They were overjoyed, thinking they finally had a backbone among the newcomers. They thought they wouldn’t suffer humiliation from Senior Disciples anymore, but what shocked them was that a Ninth Layer of Houtian cultivator emerged from the Senior Disciples.

Ninth Layer of Houtian was like heaven to them. It was an existence they had to look up to. Seeing such a figure appear now, they knew these Senior Disciples weren’t going to let them go today. They anxiously watched Xu Ziyan’s back, their hearts screaming:

“Xu Ziyan! Xu Ziyan! Sister Ziyan! Boss Ziyan! Can you really hold out? We’re counting on you!”

Xu Ziyan still walked forward without hurrying, her face showing no change. Yet inside, she kept pondering:

“My understanding seems seamless below the Twelfth Layer of Houtian, but that was just an overview. I haven’t studied it in detail. It probably isn’t entirely mastered. Earlier, against an Eighth Layer disciple, I only won by draining his True Qi. Now facing a Ninth Layer opponent, can I win?”

But the situation allowed no choice – she had to fight whether she wanted to or not. Besides, no matter how slowly she walked, she reached Xu Xiangqian. Xu Ziyan gave him a cold glance and said evenly:

“Step aside.”

Xu Xiangqian’s expression stiffened. He had been in the Outer Hall for ten years and never encountered a New Disciple speaking to him like that. Even among Senior Disciples, few dared. Enraged, he scoffed:

“Fine! Fine! Fine! I, Xu Xiangqian, have been in the Outer Hall ten years. Never has a New Disciple dared speak to me like this. You! You’re very good!”

“I am indeed good,” Xu Ziyan replied coolly, thinking to herself, “Seems I’ve angered him already. I’ll stoke the fire, make him lose control completely. Then I can take advantage and defeat him.”

So, Xu Ziyan slightly curled her lips, her gaze dismissing Xu Xiangqian, her tone utterly dispassionate:

“Oh, you’ve been here ten years? So you’re an old-timer?”

“Of course!” Taking her words as fear, Xu Xiangqian puffed out his chest proudly. “I’ve been here a full decade. Everyone knows me. Everyone respects me. Obey me, and I guarantee you a good life.”

“Ten years!” Xu Ziyan ignored his point and said to herself, “That’s a long time! I wonder how you trained. A whole decade passed, and you’re still in the Outer Hall! Will you ever break through and reach the Inner Hall in this lifetime?”

“You… You… You…” Xu Xiangqian was nearly choked with fury. He pointed at Xu Ziyan, a breath stuck in his chest, unable to speak.

Seeing he was off balance, Xu Ziyan knew her chance had come. Xu Xiangqian’s foul mouth and his earlier words filled her with shame and rage. The opportunity was now; she wouldn’t show any mercy.

Without hesitation, she grabbed the finger pointed at her. She wrenched it upwards.

Crack!

The snapping sound echoed as Xu Xiangqian’s finger broke.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

A howl of pain tore from Xu Xiangqian’s mouth. Before it finished, Xu Ziyan’s palm chopped down on the artery in his neck. The howl cut off instantly. Xu Xiangqian’s eyes rolled back, and he crumpled, unconscious.

“Ooooh!”

A collective gasp of shock rippled across the Plaza before the Main Hall. No one expected this outcome. A Ninth Layer Houtian martial artist hadn’t even used a single move. Instead, he’d had his finger snapped and was knocked out with one chop. And his opponent was only at the Sixth Layer of Houtian.

Xu Ziyan remained outwardly calm. She stepped right over the unconscious Xu Xiangqian and walked slowly forward, followed closely by thirty-something New Disciples. The Senior Disciples gaped at her, disbelief in their eyes. Up on the Pavilion Tower, the teachers took a sharp breath in unison. Their eyes snapped to Brother Min. Brother Min flushed, pretended not to see their stares, and looking down at Xu Ziyan, felt deep shock.

“Let me try!”

A clear, firm voice rang out. Xu Ziyan looked up. A woman emerged from the Senior Disciples. She wasn’t pretty, but determination filled her brow. She planted herself squarely in their path, blocking Xu Ziyan’s exit. Her voice rang like steel:

“Xu Hualing. Ninth Layer of Houtian.”

Xu Ziyan continued her slow advance, saying softly, “Another Ninth Layer. You haven’t been stuck in the Outer Hall ten years, have you?”

Xu Hualing wasn’t provoked. She gave a faint smile. “Don’t try to anger me. No, I haven’t spent only ten years. Correct, I too have been in the Outer Hall ten years. But do you truly believe you can break through to the Qi Refining Stage and enter the Inner Hall within ten years?”

“I can,” Xu Ziyan stated simply, nodding.

“You!”

Even prepared, Xu Hualing almost leaped at Xu Ziyan’s words. But she quickly caught herself. She took a deep breath, clamped down on her fury, and regained her composure, her gaze turning icy. She waited for Xu Ziyan to come near enough to strike her down. She didn’t expect the next sentence to shatter her hard-won calm.

“I know you don’t believe it, but I speak the truth,” Xu Ziyan said flatly.

Learning from Xu Xiangqian’s example, Xu Hualing forced her rage down again, regaining calm faster this time. Yet, beneath it, murderous intent crystallized. She was determined to end Xu Ziyan here and now.

Xu Ziyan sensed the killing intent radiating from Xu Hualing. A soft sigh escaped her thoughts. Why was peaceful Cultivation so difficult?

They faced each other now. Xu Hualing didn’t want to hear more; she knew Xu Ziyan wouldn’t say anything pleasant. Holding back no longer, her body blurred as her attacks lashed out like a furious storm.

Xu Ziyan was also ready. Outwardly serene, internally on high alert, she reacted instantly the moment Xu Hualing moved.

The clash immediately pressured Xu Ziyan. A Ninth Layer master, going all out with deadly seriousness, exerted immense force. While her newly integrated understanding and her true Qi Refining Stage let her perceive flaws instantly, her self-restricted Sixth Layer cultivation wasn’t fast enough to exploit fleeting openings. She soon became overwhelmed.

After just a few exchanges, Xu Ziyan’s disadvantage became glaringly obvious, drawing starkly different reactions.

The Senior Disciples, still rattled by Xu Ziyan’s previous acts – the humiliation, the slaps knocking out two people, breaking a Ninth Layer disciple’s finger – felt collective shame and fury. It was like those blows landed on all of them. Now, seeing Xu Hualing dominate Xu Ziyan effortlessly after just a few moves, clearly utterly suppressing her and poised to defeat her soon, they thrilled to Xu Hualing’s palpable murderous intent. It felt like a heavy stone lifted off their hearts. Their frustration vanished, replaced by excited whoops.

The New Disciples behind Xu Ziyan also saw Xu Hualing’s lethal intent pouring into every vicious strike. Fear clamped their hearts. They realized Xu Ziyan had fully enraged the Seniors. Once Xu Hualing killed Xu Ziyan, the Seniors wouldn’t easily let them escape. Anxious eyes darted towards the struggling Xu Ziyan. Some even thought: Why show off, Xu Ziyan? Did you actually believe you could beat a Ninth Layer Senior? Your death is your problem, but you’re dragging us down! With this thought, their gaze lost any trace of gratitude, filling instead with resentment.

In contrast, the teachers on the Pavilion Tower held no such thoughts. They were immensely intrigued by Xu Ziyan, eager to see how she’d handle this situation. Against the Eighth Layer disciple earlier, she’d also started out looking helpless, much like now. Yet she gradually seized the advantage, even knocking him unconscious with only Sixth Layer strength. This filled them with fascination.

They wondered: Facing a Ninth Layer opponent giving their all, could Xu Ziyan possibly pull off another victory?

“Brother Min, do you think that Xu Ziyan girl can win this time?”

“Looks difficult. That’s three layers higher,” Brother Min replied after a thoughtful pause.

“I agree. She pushed her limits for that win against the Eighth Layer. This Ninth Layer opponent is a full realm higher. Hard to see her winning,” another teacher added.

“Exactly. And she’s fighting consecutively. Her True Qi can’t last long. Even with exceptional combat insight, the vast difference in Cultivation Level means her Qi reserves were already inferior. Fighting twice? Defeat is certain,” chimed in another.

“Look at Xu Hualing’s eyes. She means to kill. I fear she might actually slay the girl.”

“That little girl is talented! A loss to the Clan if she dies young!”

“Should we step in?”

“Alright. Let’s go down.”

Just as the teachers prepared to descend the Pavilion Tower, a surge of shocked gasps and cheers erupted from the fight outside the Main Hall.