Meng Huaiguang raised an eyebrow, looking as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
“Looking for me? What could a country bumpkin like you possibly want with this Young Sect Master?”
“First thing.”
Chen Zui’s voice wasn’t loud, but it reached the ears of everyone present with crystal clarity.
“A few days ago, you killed a man in a small town. I don’t know his name, only that he had a seven- or eight-year-old son. That child’s name is A-Man.”
The smile on Meng Huaiguang’s face faltered slightly. He frowned, appearing to search his memory.
A moment later, he slapped his forehead in realization.
“Oh, you mean that reckless dog?”
His tone was airy, as if he were discussing a trivial matter.
“That fellow treated a piece-of-junk saber like it was a treasure. I only asked for it because I thought highly of him. It would have been fine if he’d just refused, but he dared to speak insolently to me. I crippled his limbs, and he couldn’t hold on. Who else is there to blame?”
At these words, some of the onlookers gritted their teeth in secret, but not one dared to speak up.
The smile on Chen Zui’s face didn't vanish, but the warmth had completely left his eyes.
“Where is the saber?”
“The saber?”
Meng Huaiguang paused, then took a long saber from a disciple behind him and held it up casually.
The scabbard was old, its leather straps worn white.
However, the blade was exceptionally well-maintained. When it was drawn, it let out a clear ring, its cold light glinting sharply.
“You mean this one?”
Meng Huaiguang toyed with the hilt, looking it over a couple of times.
“It’s mediocre at best. I have plenty of sabers better than this.”
He tossed the saber back to the disciple and clapped his hands as if dusting off something filthy.
“What, are you here to reclaim the saber for that kid? If you want it, you can kneel and give me a few kowtows. I’m a generous man; I might just reward you with it.”
Chen Zui didn't get angry.
He simply hung his wine flask back on his waist and pointed the tip of his spear at Meng Huaiguang from a distance.
“Second thing.”
Meng Huaiguang narrowed his eyes, looking at him with great interest.
“I’m listening. Speak.”
The corners of Chen Zui’s mouth curled up, revealing an inscrutable smile.
“I’m going to beat you up.”
As soon as he spoke, the air at the city gate seemed to freeze for an instant.
In the next second, Meng Huaiguang erupted into a fit of unrestrained laughter.
“Beat me up? You? With that fire stick in your hand?!”
He laughed so hard he doubled over, and the Jinyang Sect disciples behind him joined in the raucous laughter.
“Did you hear that? He said he’s going to beat me! A spear user says he’s going to beat me, the Young Sect Master of the Jinyang Sect!”
The laughter came to an abrupt halt.
Because Chen Zui moved.
Using the 【Dragon Roam】 movement technique, his figure flickered. In the next breath, he appeared directly in front of Meng Huaiguang.
The spear tip pierced the air with a sharp whistle, aiming straight for Meng Huaiguang’s throat!
The thrust was incredibly fast—so fast that the laughter was still on Meng Huaiguang’s lips when the spear tip was already inches away!
However, Meng Huaiguang was no amateur.
The moment the spear was about to strike, he retreated violently. Simultaneously, he slapped his right palm against his waist, and a gold-scabbarded long saber leaped out!
The blade’s light flashed like a bolt of silk as it slashed upward, barely parrying the spear tip!
Blade and spear collided, erupting in a piercing screech of clashing metal.
The surrounding commoners covered their ears from the shock, and several nearby soldiers were forced back several steps.
Meng Huaiguang stumbled a few times before regaining his footing. The arrogance on his face finally receded slightly, replaced by a dark, smoldering rage.
He gripped his saber tightly. A faint golden glow flowed over the blade—a sign of the Jinyang Sect’s unique internal art, the Searing Sun Skill, being pushed to its limit.
“Fine, kid. Since you’re looking for death, I’ll grant your wish today!”
Before his voice had even faded, Meng Huaiguang launched an attack.
He lunged forward like a tiger out of its cage, raising his saber high above his head and hacking down at Chen Zui with overwhelming force!
The strike was heavy and powerful, the blade edge tearing through the air with a shrill boom.
The blade light descended like a golden streak from the heavens. Everywhere it passed, the accumulated snow was kicked up by the blade qi, turning into a cloud of white mist!
The saber techniques of the Jinyang Sect were known for being fierce and domineering.
Once a strike was made, there was no retreat. They didn't seek flashiness, only a one-hit kill!
As the Young Sect Master of the Jinyang Sect, this set of Eighteen Searing Sun Slashes was a fundamental skill he had practiced since childhood.
When he demonstrated it in the past, even the sect elders were full of praise, saying he had “deeply grasped the essence of the saber and already possessed the air of a Grandmaster.”
Unfortunately, today he had met Chen Zui.
Facing this aggressive strike, Chen Zui didn't dodge or evade. He only made one move.
He gave the red-tasseled spear a gentle flick.
【Wind and Snow Night Return Spear Third Form: Wind and Snow Everywhere.】
The spear tip traced countless trajectories in the air, each one carrying a bone-chilling cold, as if a blizzard had descended all at once!
The snow was stirred by the spear intent, swirling and dancing in the air, intertwining with the spear shadows to form a hauntingly beautiful scene.
Meng Huaiguang’s saber hacked into the impenetrable shadows of the spear, producing a series of crisp clangs.
His saber’s momentum crumbled inch by inch within the spear shadows, and his proud Searing Sun inner energy was neutralized by the erosion of the frost spear intent.
The more Meng Huaiguang fought, the more alarmed he became. Cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.
He realized he couldn't see his opponent’s spear path at all. All he could see was the cold glint of the spear tip!
It was everywhere, pervasive and inescapable.
Before he could even get halfway through the Eighteen Searing Sun Slashes, his saber momentum had been completely suppressed!
Xie Jiuzhen stood outside the crowd, a hint of gravity flashing in his cloudy old eyes.
He noticed something was off.
Although this young man’s spear techniques seemed simple, every thrust was in harmony with the world’s momentum and the power of the wind and snow.
This level of mastery was definitely not something an ordinary Inquiry Realm martial artist could achieve!
However, before he could think further, the situation on the field changed.
The corners of Chen Zui’s mouth suddenly curled into an arc.
“Let me show you what real spear techniques look like!”
The momentum of his long spear shifted abruptly. The shaft vibrated, letting out a low hum like a ghost’s wail.
In that instant, the frost on the spear was replaced by a thick layer of black energy. The black energy billowed restlessly, carrying a cold but not wicked aura.
【Thirteen Ghost Shadow Spears First Form: Ghost Peeking】
Meng Huaiguang was terrified and used all his strength to swing his saber in a block.
The collision of blade and spear numbed his webbing. He was forced back three or four steps before he could barely steady himself.
But before he could catch his breath, the second spear arrived.
【Thirteen Ghost Shadow Spears Second Form: Ghost Wall.】
Meng Huaiguang felt as if he were surrounded by overlapping spear shadows, unable to tell which was real and which was a feint.
He swung his saber desperately to block, but every strike hit nothing but air, while the spear tip always found a gap in his defense to strike through.
One thrust came, flicking away the Jinyang Sect emblem on his shoulder.
Another thrust pierced the jade belt at his waist.
The third strike—
“Smack!”
A crisp sound rang out.
The shaft of Chen Zui’s spear slapped across Meng Huaiguang’s face.
The force was perfectly judged—not fatal, but extremely loud.
Meng Huaiguang was sent flying sideways, crashing heavily into the snow. Half of his face immediately swelled up, and a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.
The city gate fell into a dead silence.
Every Jinyang Sect disciple froze in place, dumbfounded.
In their wildest dreams, they never imagined that their normally invincible Young Sect Master would be slapped to the ground within three moves!
Meng Huaiguang struggled to crawl up from the snow. Half of his face was swollen like a pig’s head, with none of his former arrogant demeanor remaining.
“You... you dared to hit my face?!”
He clutched his face, his voice trembling with rage and humiliation, his eyes bloodshot.
“Do you know who I am? My father is the Sect Leader of the Jinyang Sect, Meng Qianshan! I am the Young Sect Master of the Jinyang Sect! If you hit me, don't even think about leaving the three northwestern provinces!”
“Smack!”
Another crisp sound.
Before anyone knew it, Chen Zui was already in front of him. He backhanded the spear shaft across the other side of Meng Huaiguang’s face.
This strike was even heavier than the last. Meng Huaiguang spun half a turn and fell into the snow once more, blood streaming from his nostrils.
Chen Zui took a step forward, looking down at Meng Huaiguang from above.
“Who your father is is none of my business.”
Chen Zui crouched down and used the spear tip to tilt Meng Huaiguang’s chin up. His voice was as calm as water, devoid of any emotion.
“So what if you’re the Young Sect Master of the Jinyang Sect?”
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