SWOOSH! The longsword in Ge Jian’s hand whistled through the air as it chopped toward Shen Haoran’s head!

But Shen Haoran acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing, remaining perfectly calm and composed where he stood. He didn’t even blink.

CLANG! Finally, Shen Haoran moved. He extended his index finger, which was instantly enveloped in black flames, and used it to block the sword’s edge head-on. The sound of metal striking metal rang out!

"What!" Ge Jian was horrified to see Shen Haoran block his strike with a single finger. ’Even if this isn’t a High Level Spiritual Artifact, it’s still a Spiritual Artifact!’ he thought. ’Its sharpness is far beyond that of a normal weapon, yet Shen Haoran blocked it with his bare flesh!’

The truth was, Ge Jian had picked a fight with the wrong person today. What kind of constitution did Shen Haoran have? He was the inheritor of the Chaos Divine Body, so his physique was already far beyond that of an ordinary person. On top of that, his body had fused with the Divine Artifact, the Soul-devouring Sword, and had since been further tempered through Body Forging with the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian. At this point, Shen Haoran’s body could be considered a Divine Artifact in its own right, one that was still growing. Its physical strength was not something an ordinary Spiritual Artifact could compare to. Blocking Ge Jian’s sword strike was a piece of cake!

"Heh heh!" Watching the stunned Ge Jian, Shen Haoran licked his lips. He pinched the longsword between two fingers, then sent his right fist, wreathed in black flames, straight for Ge Jian’s face. The searing gust of wind made it hard for Ge Jian to breathe!

But with his sword held fast by Shen Haoran, Ge Jian had no choice but to abandon it and retreat, dodging the punch.

Shen Haoran wasn’t disappointed by the missed strike. He dispersed the black flames on his fist, snapped the longsword in his hand, and tossed it aside. Looking at Ge Jian, he shouted, "Is that all you’ve got?"

Hearing Shen Haoran’s shout, Ge Jian’s expression turned awkward. He hadn’t expected Shen Haoran to be so difficult to deal with. Between his body, which was as tough as a Spiritual Artifact, and those bizarre black flames, he, a Tier Nine Spirit Pupil, was completely helpless!

’Do I have to use that thing?’ Ge Jian hesitated.

"What’s wrong, Ge Jian? You can’t even handle a Tier Seven Spirit Pupil?" Senior Brother Huo said with a frown from the side.

Hearing Senior Brother Huo’s words, Ge Jian’s heart hardened. He gritted his teeth and retrieved a Broken Sword from his Storage Ring.

Although the sword was broken, the moment it appeared, a sharp aura erupted from it. All the surrounding tree branches were sliced off, their cuts smooth and even. It was a terrifying sight!

Shen Haoran stared gravely at the Broken Sword, horrified. ’If that sword were to strike me,’ he thought, ’I probably couldn’t block it, even with my physique!’

When the two Spirit Crane Sect disciples felt this aura, they stared greedily at the Broken Sword in Ge Jian’s hand, their eyes darting about as new schemes formed in their minds.

Ge Jian, however, had no energy to spare on the crowd’s shock. He had found this Broken Sword in an Ancient Tomb. Although the blade alone could emit such powerful Sword Qi, its wielder would suffer a backlash. If they couldn’t control it, their Spiritual Thought would be devoured by the sword, turning them into a mindless husk! With Ge Jian’s strength, he could only last for five minutes. He had to take down Shen Haoran within that time!

In truth, Ge Jian didn’t want to use this Broken Sword; it was too dangerous! But under pressure from Shen Haoran and the two Spirit Crane Sect disciples, he had no choice. As long as he dealt with Shen Haoran, he could enter the Spirit Crane Sect, and his future would be bright!

The moment he gripped the Broken Sword, Ge Jian seemed to become a completely different person. His aura grew incredibly sharp, forcing Shen Haoran to release his own tyrannical aura to resist it.

"Die, Shen Haoran!" Ge Jian raised the Broken Sword high. With only five minutes, he didn’t plan to drag things out. He would go for the killing blow right from the start. It had to be said, this was both the safest and the most correct choice!

WHOOSH... Sensing the terrifying Spiritual Power instantly gathering in the Broken Sword, Shen Haoran let out a long breath as black flames once again surged around his body. He knew that as long as he blocked this attack, Ge Jian would be a spent force.

Both Ge Jian and Shen Haoran were gathering their power. The outcome would be decided by this one blow! Slowly, Ge Jian’s arms began to tremble. He was starting to lose control of the power in the Broken Sword!

On Shen Haoran’s side, black flames rose up, obscuring half the sky and making him look like a Demon God descending upon the world! 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"Wave-breaking Slash!" Ge Jian attacked first. The violent and sharp Sword Qi formed a semicircle that slashed toward Shen Haoran. Wherever the Sword Qi passed, even space itself seemed to be cut in two. A long ravine appeared on the ground; the very earth had been split open by this strike!

Meanwhile, a black Lotus floated gently in Shen Haoran’s hand. Black flames flickered over it, emitting an aura of destruction. Seeing the Sword Qi just inches away, Shen Haoran threw the black Lotus. It transformed into a streak of light, trailing a black tail as it shot toward the Sword Qi!

One white, one black, the two attacks closed in at extreme speed. Everyone held their breath. The winner would be decided in an instant!

However, just as the two attacks were about to collide, a dark figure descended from the sky and blocked them both!

BOOM! With two tremendous explosions, both the white Sword Qi and the black Lotus self-destructed. The resulting Energy blotted out the sky, with white and black each occupying half. It was a spectacular sight!

But no one was in the mood to appreciate the beautiful scenery. All eyes were fixed on the figure who had descended from the sky.

Shen Haoran narrowed his eyes. This figure was no stranger to him; it was Zuo Chuan of the Spirit Crane Sect!

Seeing Zuo Chuan, the two Spirit Crane Sect disciples hurried forward and bowed. "Senior Brother Zuo Chuan!"

"Mm," Zuo Chuan grunted softly. He turned his gaze to Shen Haoran and Ge Jian and asked coolly, "Was that attack your handiwork?"

Hearing Zuo Chuan’s question, Ge Jian, who had collapsed onto the ground with a pale face, struggled to his feet and nodded in response. Shen Haoran, however, ignored Zuo Chuan, simply staring at him with a grave expression.

Shen Haoran’s mind was in turmoil, like a stormy sea! That black Lotus was the strongest attack he could currently muster, yet Zuo Chuan had blocked it with a single hand. ’Just how much has Zuo Chuan grown in the past two years?’

While Shen Haoran was shocked, Zuo Chuan was equally so. His left hand was now completely numb—the very hand he had used to block the black Lotus!

He had initially thought they were just two attacks at the Spirit Pupil Tier, which he, at the Spirit General Tier, could easily block. He never expected that neither attack was an ordinary Martial Skill. This was especially true for Shen Haoran’s black Lotus; Zuo Chuan had to use seventy percent of his power just to stop it. Even then, the palm of his left hand was now scorched, and his entire left arm had gone numb. It would take some time to recover! However, Zuo Chuan hid it well, and Shen Haoran didn’t notice anything amiss.

What shocked Zuo Chuan even more was the strength and potential Shen Haoran had displayed. Two years ago, Shen Haoran was just a Little Martial Artist hovering between Spirit Tempering Tier Seven and Tier Eight. In just two years, he had broken through two major realms to become a Tier Seven Spirit Pupil! Even Zuo Chuan himself couldn’t have done that. Shen Haoran’s potential was terrifying!

Every genius has a jealous heart, and Zuo Chuan was no exception. His eyes narrowed, staring at Shen Haoran like a venomous snake. For a genius like this, the only thing Zuo Chuan could do was strangle him in the cradle before he had the chance to mature!

Shen Haoran felt Zuo Chuan’s cold, sinister gaze but didn’t back down in the slightest, meeting his eyes directly.

Their gazes clashed in mid-air, and the smell of gunpowder instantly filled the space between them. At this moment, they were at daggers drawn...