"Whoosh!"
Sword energy tore through the air, stirring the Yuan Force around them. This wasn't a martial art, yet it surpassed many — it was merely a casual strike from Wu Jiu, but its might was absolutely no weaker than an ordinary martial technique.
"Impressive! Wu Jiu truly lives up to being the founder of the Sword Dao Alliance. His mastery of the sword is simply terrifying."
The moment Wu Jiu unleashed that move, the onlookers erupted in exclamations. Even many Core Elders couldn't help but nod, offering high praise.
But compared to Wu Jiu's remarkable swordsmanship, far more people had their eyes locked intently on Chu Feng — because they all wanted to see how he would die.
"Swish!"
However, Chu Feng was clearly about to disappoint them. Just as the sword energy was about to reach him, he flicked his wide sleeve, and a wave of Yuan Force rippled outward, dismantling the sword energy layer by layer until it dissipated completely.
"No way! Did Chu Feng just neutralize Wu Jiu's strike?!"
Those at the Spirit Martial realm might not have been able to see it clearly, but those at the Yuan Martial realm caught every detail. It was plain as day — Chu Feng had used his first-level Yuan Martial Yuan Force to effortlessly defuse Wu Jiu's fifth-level Yuan Martial sword energy.
"This kid is actually that powerful? Breaking a fifth-level Yuan Martial attack with a first-level Yuan Martial cultivation — that defies all logic!" one Elder couldn't help but cry out in shock. Chu Feng's methods were genuinely terrifying.
"Don't make a fuss. Defeating a stronger opponent isn't without precedent. I've heard that the founding ancestor of our Azure Dragon Sect once defeated a Xuan Martial realm cultivator while still at the Yuan Martial realm when he was young — now that's what you call defeating the strong with the weak," another Core Elder said dismissively.
"Nonsense! Our founding ancestor was naturally extraordinary — after all, he was once the strongest fighter on the entire Nine Provinces Continent. But this Chu Feng can pull off something like this too, which means isn't this kid also a genuine genius?"
"Actually... now that you put it that way, this kid's talent does qualify him as a genius. But I think Wu Jiu hasn't gone all out yet — it's still too early to draw conclusions." When the two Elders looked at Chu Feng again, there was a new weight of seriousness in their gazes.
"Your sword strike was way too weak. Got anything else?" After neutralizing Wu Jiu's attack, Chu Feng grinned.
"Hmph! Fine then — let me show you how terrifying I am when I'm serious."
Wu Jiu snorted coldly, raised the long sword in his hand, and slashed it sharply upward. An enormous crescent moon materialized and hurtled toward Chu Feng.
"Fifth-rank Martial Art — Crescent Moon Slash!"
"No — it's not just a simple Crescent Moon Slash. It's a fifth-rank Martial Art executed on the foundation of another fifth-rank Martial Art — a double-layered martial technique!"
The moment the crescent moon appeared, someone gasped in recognition. It was a powerful technique of the Azure Dragon Sect that had to be wielded with a sword. When successfully executed, the sword energy would form a dazzling crescent moon — visually stunning and overwhelming in pressure.
And Wu Jiu's Crescent Moon Slash wasn't just perfected — it was performed using a sword condensed from a fifth-rank Martial Art. The power of such a slash was absolutely terrifying, far beyond what an ordinary person could withstand.
At that moment, every pair of eyes turned to Chu Feng once more. The Crescent Moon Slash was formidable in both speed and power, and it would detonate according to the wielder's will — there was no dodging it.
Facing the countless stares, Chu Feng simply wore a calm smile, unhurried and unbothered. Only when the crescent moon slash arrived right in front of him did he slowly raise his right arm and throw a single punch.
"Boom!"