Chapter 17: Feigned Breakthrough

Inside the arena, Xu Ziyan could no longer withstand Xu Hualing’s fierce assault. Xu Hualing’s advantage and momentum grew with each attack, showcasing the Xu Family Clan’s cultivation method, Wave Overlapping Wave. With every strike she delivered, the force accumulated on top of the previous one. In just a short time, Xu Hualing had unleashed eight strikes. The combined power of these eight strikes erupted violently from her palms.

Restrained by her controlled cultivation level, Xu Ziyan tried her best to dodge but ultimately failed. Left with no choice, she met the attack with both palms.

A loud explosion rang out. Though Xu Ziyan’s cultivation level was what it was, and she wasn’t injured, she was still sent flying. Her body tumbled through the air before landing, staggering backward several steps.

She stomped her right foot hard on the ground to steady herself. Lifting her gaze, she saw Xu Hualing shooting toward her like a meteor across the sky. A flurry of leg shadows filled the air, pressing down on her like a moving mountain.

Xu Ziyan knew that with her Sixth Level of Houtian cultivation, she stood no chance of defeating Xu Hualing. If she couldn’t curb Xu Hualing’s offensive and let her unleash her full potential, defeat was inevitable. But Xu Ziyan did not want to lose, and she could not afford to.

“If the Sixth Level of Houtian isn’t enough, then I’ll use the Seventh Level of Houtian!”

Xu Ziyan pushed off with both feet, swiftly retreating. As she dodged the onslaught of leg shadows, she forced her blood and qi upward, turning her face bright red. Then she abruptly released the True Qi within her, pretending to break through in the midst of battle.

“She’s breaking through!” Xu Hualing, her opponent, was the first to sense it. Startled, she accelerated her attacks even more. Her figure in the air moved faster, leaving afterimages, and the speed of her leg shadows intensified, whipping through the air with explosive sounds.

“She’s breaking through!” The teachers in the pavilion tower were all taken aback, then cast strange looks at Brother Min nearby. Each thought to themselves, “Is this the person you looked down on?”

“She’s breaking through!” The senior disciples watching from outside were equally shocked, a single thought flashing through their minds: “This… this can’t be! It’s too fake—breaking through while being beaten up?”

“She’s breaking through!” The new disciples felt a surge of excitement, followed by elation. As long as Xu Ziyan didn’t lose today, they wouldn’t have to suffer humiliation from the senior disciples. Their fates were now closely tied to hers. Unable to contain themselves, they cheered loudly: “Keep going, Sister Ziyan!” “You can do it, Boss Ziyan!”

Xu Qingxue watched Xu Ziyan continuously retreating inside the arena, a complex mix of emotions bubbling in her heart. She felt happiness, envy, and even jealousy. Her expression was complicated as she gazed at Xu Ziyan.

Seeing that her act of feigning a breakthrough was convincing enough, Xu Ziyan suddenly shook her arms, and her retreating figure tilted back as she let out a clear, piercing cry that shot straight into the clouds. Her aura surged dramatically as she instantly raised her cultivation level to the peak of the Seventh Level of Houtian, mimicking a genuine breakthrough.

Her figure abruptly shot upward like an arrow released from a bow, soaring into the sky. She stomped her feet fiercely toward Xu Hualing’s barrage of leg shadows. The air erupted with a series of “bang” sounds. In an instant, Xu Ziyan and Xu Hualing’s legs collided dozens of times. Then both of their figures flew backward and landed on the ground.

After landing, neither immediately re-engaged. Instead, they glared fiercely at each other. From their expressions, it was clear that the dozens of leg clashes had left both in considerable pain.

“Impossible!”

This was Xu Hualing’s inner thought. Breaking through in battle was shocking enough, but Xu Ziyan hadn’t just advanced from the Sixth Level of Houtian to the Seventh Level of Houtian—she had jumped straight to the peak of the Seventh Level of Houtian, on the verge of breaking through to the Eighth Layer of Houtian.

“This can’t be!”

The teachers in the pavilion tower were equally stunned, a shared disbelief crossing their minds. Could there really be such talent in the world, capable of breaking through like this? If she continued cultivating this way, who knew if she might one day surpass Zhou Hao and Yang Linglong? They couldn’t let such a person get injured. Exchanging glances, they suddenly rushed down the stairs without a word, heading toward the plaza outside the main hall.

“This is absolutely impossible!”

That was the collective thought of the senior disciples outside the arena. Their faces showed not only shock but also fear. Each worried inwardly: “If this is real, will we still have a place in the Outer Hall?”

They all knew that even if Xu Ziyan truly broke through to the Seventh Level of Houtian and managed to defeat Xu Hualing, who was at the Ninth Layer of Houtian, it wouldn’t be a big issue. The true experts of the Outer Hall hadn’t come this time. Within the four gangs, their gang leaders were all at the Postnatal Peak of the Postnatal Twelfth Layer, and there were others at the Eleventh and Tenth Levels of Houtian. Dealing with Xu Ziyan wouldn’t be impossible; in fact, it would be quite easy.

However, Xu Ziyan had entered the Outer Hall with a Sixth Level of Houtian cultivation, already ranking high among the new disciples. Now, on only her second day, she broke through to the Seventh Level of Houtian—and did so in the heat of battle. What’s more, she jumped directly to the peak of the Seventh Level of Houtian.

From then on, Xu Ziyan would undoubtedly become a key focus for the clan’s training. She would no longer be someone the Outer Hall disciples could easily bully. Given a few years, who in the Outer Hall would be a match for her?

“Is this a dream? Is this really happening?”

That was the shared sentiment among all the new disciples: “She really broke through!”

Xu Ziyan and Xu Hualing stared at each other. A flicker of surprise appeared in Xu Hualing’s eyes. She hadn’t expected Xu Ziyan, with only a Sixth Level of Houtian cultivation, to evade her attacks and withstand her eight-strike combo. Even more astonishing, Xu Ziyan broke through to the peak of the Seventh Level of Houtian after the combo and, instead of continuing to dodge, chose to confront her head-on. Judging by Xu Ziyan’s expression, she hadn’t been at a disadvantage. Unconsciously, Xu Hualing’s momentum dropped by two levels.

On the other side, Xu Ziyan felt reassured seeing that her Seventh Level of Houtian cultivation could hold its own against her opponent. What she didn’t realize was that although she controlled her cultivation level at the Seventh Level of Houtian, her physical body, as someone at the Second Layer of Qi Refining Stage, had improved with her realm. Even without using True Qi, her physical body’s resistance to blows was beyond what a Ninth Layer of Houtian cultivator could harm. Otherwise, when she was at the Sixth Level of Houtian, Xu Hualing’s single strike would have injured her.

Feeling more confident, a flame of fighting spirit ignited in Xu Ziyan’s eyes, and her battle intent surged continuously. This battle intent was Soul Force, not an external release of True Qi, so it didn’t correspond to the Seventh Level of Houtian. Instead, Xu Ziyan raised her momentum to the battle intent of the Postnatal Twelfth Layer. This overwhelming battle intent shot into the sky and pressed down on Xu Hualing like a mountain.