Chen Jun must have also realized his actions and tone had been improper, so he hastily drew his sword to cover up his earlier lack of self-control.

With a SHING, Chen Jun held a long sword, gleaming with a cold light, horizontally before him.

True Qi Realm experts could easily condense "living," creature-shaped weapons at will, which was very convenient.

However, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t use Magical Artifacts for combat.

The long sword in Chen Jun’s hand was clearly a top-tier Magical Artifact of immense power.

Seeing Chen Jun draw his weapon, Zou Feng didn’t dare let his guard down. He secretly gathered his strength, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

He had expected Chen Jun to immediately launch his Sword Techniques, but to his surprise, the man remained completely unhurried even after drawing his sword.

Instead, he was just showing off, striking a few poses he thought were dashing and displaying his treasured sword from various angles.

His posture was just like some women showing off the jewelry they wore.

Chen Jun, as if afraid Zou Feng didn’t understand how formidable his sword was, even began to explain solemnly, "This sword is named ’Li Huo.’ It is three feet and seven inches long, and weighs... PWAAH—"

Before he could finish announcing its specs, Zou Feng, who had long since run out of patience, struck out with his palm.

Before Zou Feng even arrived, his Palm Force shot out like a venomous snake from its den, blasting viciously toward Chen Jun.

Zou Feng had poured his feelings into this palm strike. It wasn’t just because he had to settle who was stronger; it was also because Chen Jun’s behavior in every respect was simply asking for a beating...

Fortunately, Chen Jun wasn’t so careless as to forgo protecting his body with True Qi.

Thus, although the palm strike made him cry out in pain, the ridiculous scene of him getting instantly defeated in one blow was ultimately avoided.

But even so, his fellow disciples from the Celestial Essence Sword Sect watching nearby found it increasingly hard to watch.

’What on earth is Chen Jun doing? First, after Zou Feng appeared, he stared at the notorious Poison Cultivator and inexplicably blushed.’

’Then, instead of attacking right away, he started showing off his precious sword. As a result, he lost the initiative and let Zou Feng easily gain the upper hand...’

’As the leader of the Celestial Essence Sword Sect’s "Seven Swords," this is... how utterly improper!?’

"You... you’re despicable!"

After being sent flying, Chen Jun was actually still complaining through gritted teeth.

Now, it wasn’t just the people from the Celestial Essence Sword Sect; the members of the other Sects also started to look on with strange expressions.

They had thought that this duel, while certainly not on the level of the upcoming match between Su Qingyu and Gongsun Xiang, would at least be a visual feast, given that both participants were renowned Third Grade Experts.

’But as it turns out, are they just messing around?’

In the next moment, Zou Feng naturally had no time to waste on idle chatter. He stomped his right foot hard on top of the city gate and formed a Dharma Seal with his hands.

A series of profound runes suddenly materialized beneath his feet.

Great Universal Hand, Hundred-Slit Palm.

The afterimages of hundreds of palms instantly bloomed in front of Zou Feng, rapidly converging into a shockwave of True Qi that shot toward Chen Jun like a giant serpent.

The Great Universal Hand’s Thousand Hands Chaos was a wide-area group attack, while the Hundred-Slit Palm was clearly a single-target Big Move.

Seeing the Palm Force shockwave about to slam into him, Chen Jun’s eyes flew wide in horror.

He didn’t dare waste any more time on nonsense. While retreating through the air, he continuously drew circles with his Li Huo Sword, unleashing the Seventeenth Sword without a moment to spare.

Although Chen Jun’s personality had changed so much he seemed like a different person, his strength had undeniably increased a great deal.

He was indeed just one step away from reaching Second Grade.

And it was a step he was intentionally holding back from taking...

Once he unleashed the Seventeenth Sword, the expressions of the Celestial Essence Sword Sect members gradually returned to normal.

They were all sword experts, and several among them could even perform the Seventeenth Sword. However, the Sword Intent Chen Jun displayed when using the technique was a pleasant surprise.

This Sword Intent was clearly at the realm of Sword Heart Clarity, a state that typically only Second Grade Sword Cultivators could achieve.

The rest of the duel finally returned to normal. The battle grew intense, a true back-and-forth exchange.

The onlookers marveled one after another. Truly, their reputations were well-deserved. Though it was a duel between Third Grade experts, the level of excitement was nearly on par with a clash between two Second Grade fighters.

Above the city gate, Chen Jun was truly getting into the fight, bombarding Zou Feng with one mastered Sword Technique after another.

Gradually, he even began to show signs of turning the tables and suppressing Zou Feng.

At this moment, however, Zou Feng’s expression grew increasingly impatient.

A major reason he had agreed to this duel with Chen Jun was to use the battle to put pressure on himself. He hoped a flash of insight would allow him to seize the opportunity for a breakthrough.

After all, Zou Feng had long since accumulated what was necessary to advance to the Second Grade; the fact that his Primary Cultivation Skill was "Extraordinary to Saint" was proof enough.

’I was hoping that Chen Jun, who was rumored to have improved his strength immensely, could give me some real pressure in a fight, but... this is it?’

"Zou Feng, taste my Eighteenth Sword!"

Chen Jun, still thinking he had the upper hand, looked increasingly composed.

Seeing this, Zou Feng simply flickered like a phantom and caught Chen Jun’s swinging long sword between two of his fingers.

Palm and finger techniques were closely related, and what’s more, Zou Feng had also cultivated the Chaos Finger.

With that one clamp, it was as if the Li Huo Sword had been welded to his fingers. No matter how hard Chen Jun struggled, he couldn’t pull it back.

Chen Jun, who had just been shouting defiantly, was struck dumb. For a moment, he couldn’t even process what had happened.

"Your Sword Skill is a complete mess!"

"If you have anything better, use it now. Otherwise... with my next move, I’ll break your legs!" Zou Feng shook his head, his face a mask of disappointment.