Xie Sanqian's energy surged out, creating a dreadful destruction around him. Facing the attack, Xiang Shaoyun drew the Purple Lightning Saber from his back and slashed at the incoming attack. He did not even need to use his saber intent. Only a simple Berserk Lightning Blade was enough to overwhelmingly crush Xie Sanqian's attack.

  Rumble! Rumble!

  A series of explosions erupted, and the area around them shook. When the explosions settled, a figure could be seen flying away with blood spraying. Everyone opened their eyes wide and stared at the person sent flying with disbelief. Why the disbelief? Because the person sent flying was Xie Sanqian and not Xiang Shaoyun.

  "H-how is that possible? Not even Xie Sanqian is his match? How strong is he exactly?"

  "Cultivation level wise, he is definitely a seventh-stage Transformation Realm cultivator. But the energy he releases is so thick it is probably comparable to the energy released by even ninth-stage Transformation Realm cultivators!"

  "This is a genius capable of punching above his weight! Even Xie Sanqian is not his match! No wonder he has the guts to offend the Lightning Alliance."

  "I heard the Red House had invited him to join as well, but he rejected them. I wonder what his background is."

  "I think he probably came from some hidden organization. Or maybe he's a genius from some other city. Otherwise, how is it possible that he has been unnoticed until recently?"……

  Gong Qinyin's eyes were twinkling with an indescribable emotion as she looked at the tall and straight figure before her.

  He is really getting stronger and stronger. I need to work hard as well! Gong Qinyin vowed to herself.

  "Just this much strength is not enough," said Xiang Shaoyun while wagging his finger at Xie Sanqian, who was clasping his wound.

  Xie Sanqian had impressive combat prowess, but the gap between him and Xiang Shaoyun was too big. He would need to be a King Realm cultivator to be able to put up a fight against Xiang Shaoyun.

  Xie Sanqian glared at Xiang Shaoyun with fury, blood gushing from the wound on his shoulder without stop. He had suffered a one-sided defeat in the hands of his opponent. More importantly, his opponent seemed to be about a year or two younger than him. With so many of his fellow apprentices bearing witness to his defeat, he felt terrible.

  "Not enough? NOT ENOUGH? Let me show you if I'm enough!" Xie Sanqian roared and erupted in power again, completely ignoring his wound.

  "Young master, you can't!" Right that moment, an old figure appeared in front Xie Sanqian and stopped him.

  This old man was a Skysoar Realm cultivator, one of Xie Sanqian’s guards. He knew that Xie Sanqian was trying to increase his combat prowess with a forbidden technique, but doing so had a great price attached to it.

  "Stay out of this. If I don't teach him a lesson today, how can I still stand tall in the future?" said Xie Sanqian with a vicious expression on his face.

  \r\r\r

  His strength kept growing, pushing him from the seventh-stage to the ninth-stage. The guard’s face fell when he saw. He knew that he wouldn't be able to stop Xie Sanqian. Thus, he could only turn around and warn Xiang Shaoyun with his eyes. It would seem like he had placed all the blame on Xiang Shaoyun.

  Xiang Shaoyun ignored the warning and looked at Xie Sanqian with a calm look. Inwardly, he thought to himself, This kid is most likely paying a great price to activate this forbidden technique. But it's pointless.

  "Xiang Shaoyun, die!" Xie Sanqian shouted when he was finally done gathering his strength. Wielding his spear with both hands, he swept it toward Xiang Shaoyun. The spear swept forth like it was a massive pillar with an incredibly destructive might.

  With Xie Sanqian's current strength of ninth-stage Transformation Realm, he possessed the strength at the peak of the Transformation Realm and was only a step away from reaching the level of a War King. Nevertheless, the gap of one step was still a gap. How could he be a match of a legitimate War King like Xiang Shaoyun?

  Facing the new attack, Xiang Shaoyun still did not bother dodging. He raised his saber and met the incoming attack with a slash. The slash contained the power of innate purple lightning, pushing the might of Xiang Shaoyun's saber energy to an even more terrifying level.

  The saber and spear clashed, destroying all the trees and plants around them. Even the people were forced to pull farther away from the battlefield. Nobody wanted to be accidentally harmed by the clash's shockwave.

  Xiang Shaoyun actually did not defeat Xie Sanqian instantly this time. Rather, they seemed to be evenly matched. With Xiang Shaoyun's strength, he was definitely not weaker than Xie Sanqian. He was intentionally holding back for a reason.

  He was afraid that if he defeated Xie Sanqian too easily, the potential opponents that he might get to face later would all hide in fear. If others knew what Xiang Shaoyun was thinking, they would most likely feel pity for that Guardian Qiu.

  Xiang Shaoyun and Xie Sanqian exchanged a few dozen moves; the intensity of their battle was immensely satisfying to watch for the crowd around them. Since Xie Sanqian had increased his combat prowess with a forbidden technique, he was now able to utilize king-grade techniques. Each attack he unleashed was incredibly stunning. Every now and then, he would conjure the apparitions of wolves when attacking, shocking everyone witnessing the fight. From the combat prowess he was displaying, his reputation as a young genius was not in vain.

  Even so, Xiang Shaoyun was still able to meet all of Xie Sanqian's attacks head on with his Purple Lightning Saber. He looked incredibly graceful and elegant as he drifted about the battlefield, his purple lightning attacks similarly possessing a shocking might that could not be underestimated. In fact, regular ninth-stage Transformation Realm cultivators were completely not a match for him when one considered the might he was displaying.

  "They are really strong. I won't be able to take even one of their attacks."

  "You think too much. Anyone who is not a peak Transformation Realm cultivator will stand no chance against them. It is really surprising how terrifying that Xiang Shaoyun kid is. Xie Sanqian still can't defeat him even after using a forbidden technique."

  "From the look of things, Xie Sanqian will most likely be the one to lose. After all, he was the one who had used a forbidden technique, not his opponent. It is obvious who is the stronger one here."

  "This Xiang Shaoyun uses the power of lightning, similar to the Lightning Kid. What will happen when the two meet?"……

  They kept on fighting for a while, and Xiang Shaoyun intentionally restrained even more of his strength, letting Xie Sanqian deal him some superficial wounds, making it look like he was the one at the disadvantage.

  As for Xie Sanqian, the longer they fought, the more excited he became. He could already see Xiang Shaoyun being skewered by his spear. But right as victory seemed so near, he reached the time limit of his forbidden technique. Just as he was about to give Xiang Shaoyun a fatal attack, his entire body was suddenly emptied of all energy. He collapsed on the ground and started twitching.

  "Ahhhh!"

  The veins on Xie Sanqian's arms became visible, as if they would burst at any moment. He was in so much pain he started wailing. At this time, Xiang Shaoyun pushed on, looking like he was going to beat up Xie Sanqian.

  Xie Sanqian's guard appeared before Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Our young master has conceded defeat. This ends here."

  "Hmph. It ends just because you say so? According to the rules of the pavilion, the struggle between us of the younger generation has nothing to do with old fellows like you," said Xiang Shaoyun overbearingly.

  Chapter 241: Just a Bunch of Useless People With Empty Reputations

  The older generation would not involve themselves in the conflicts of the younger generation. This was an unwritten rule in the Cloud Margin Pavilion. Otherwise, if the younger generation all threw the weight of their seniors around to affect how things worked for them, how would the pavilion hope to continue unearthing new talents?

  That was why Xiang Shaoyun was so confidently speaking up against Xie Sanqian's guard. The guard clearly knew that unwritten rule as well.

  An unhappy look surfaced on the guard's face as the guard said, "Kid, know when to stop. Otherwise, you will only suffer losses in the future."

  That was a clear threat.

  Xiang Shaoyun roared with laughter as he said, "Hahaha, are you threatening me? Do you think you are above the rules? Are you trying to suppress me with your seniority? Are the elders of the pavilion nothing in your eyes?"

  Faced with Xiang Shaoyun's series of questions, the guard's expression kept shifting. If those high-level elders heard those words, they would most likely assume that the guard was trying to challenge their authority.

  Forced to take a milder approach, the guard asked, "What will it take for you to let go of my young master?"

  "See? Things would have been much easier if you had asked this question from the get-go," Xiang Shaoyun replied, smiling. He continued, "Well, that depends on how much your young master is worth to you."

  The guard frowned. "I will get someone to deliver you 10,000 spirit crystals later."

  He was about to leave with Xie Sanqian when he heard what Xiang Shaoyun had to say next.

  "Your young master is only worth that much? If news of this spread, he would lose all his face."

  "Hmph. I'm referring to mid-grade spirit crystals," said the guard with a cold snort before lifting Xie Sanqian and leaving without looking back.

  Xiang Shaoyun blanked out slightly before bursting out in laughter, "Hahaha, thank you very much. Oh, be sure to ask around about where I'm currently staying. Don't get the delivery address wrong."

  He had assumed that the 10,000 spirit crystals would be low grade, but surprisingly, that old man was actually offering mid-grade spirit crystals. That was a price enough to put a hit on even a Skysoar Realm expert.

  But that also served as proof of Xie Sanqian's remarkable background. He was definitely more than just a personal disciple of some elder. Despite the realization, Xiang Shaoyun still felt no pressure whatsoever. In any case, with Hua Cheng having his back now, ordinary people wouldn't dare to do anything to him anyway.

  By the time Xiang Shaoyun waved at Gong Qinyin, who was blanking out, and reminded her it was time to keep moving, the crowd finally recovered from their shock. A great commotion erupted among them.

  "Xie Sanqian was defeated. That Xiang Shaoyun is really strong."

  "Looks like Guardian Qiu is faced with a thorny problem this time. I wonder if he will fight personally or avoid this opponent."

  "Don't worry. Xiang Shaoyun might be strong, but we have a lot of talents in the Lightning Alliance. If he dares enter Guardian Qiu's estate, he won't be able to leave safely."

  "Come on, let's go already. Xiang Shaoyun is increasing his speed."

  \r\r\r……

  Xiang Shaoyun knew that he had already done enough to establish his dominance. There wouldn't be many random people coming to challenge him anymore. Since that was the case, there was no point in continuing to walk slowly and dragging it out.

  Soon, he arrived at Qiu Chonglei's estate alongside Gong Qinyin. The estate was already filled by a large number of people with solemn expressions. It was obvious these people were the Lightning Alliance members that were also inner disciples. Each of them was at least a Transformation Realm expert.

  They had received news that Xiang Shaoyun was coming here long ago. All of them were currently glaring at him fiercely. Wen Jinrui and Wen Jinruo were among them. Even Wang Jiaohua was there. But traces of fear could be seen in the eyes of these three in particular.

  Even if the Lightning Alliance managed to eventually take Xiang Shaoyun down, the three would have to pay a great price to compensate the alliance for what they did for them. Wen Jinrui would never believe that a regular king-grade weapon would be able to satisfy Qiu Chonglei. After the entire thing ended, he would most likely have to offer Qiu Chonglei even more benefits.

  Xiang Shaoyun glanced at the group before him and smiled. "Where is your Guardian Qiu? I thought he had a bounty on me? I'm here. Is he not coming out to meet me? Is this how the Lightning Alliance greets a guest?"

  "Hehe, if you are willing to join the Lightning Alliance, you will be a friend of ours. And naturally, you will be receiving an entirely different treatment then," said Qiu Chonglei with a smile as he walked out the estate with a small group walking alongside him.

  Xiang Shaoyun raised his brow as he studied the young man before him who was about 20 years old. He clasped his fists and asked, "You're Qiu Chonglei? You don't look that much, to be honest."

  One ought to admit that Xiang Shaoyun was pretty good at provoking others' anger. Just a few words from him were enough to put a gloomy expression on Qiu Chonglei's face.

  As one of the four great guardians of the Lightning Alliance, Qiu Chonglei was a person who spoke with his strength instead of his looks. As a matter of fact, he really wasn't a person with good looks. When standing near Xiang Shaoyun, the contrast between the two was extremely pronounced. Being a person who cared a lot about his reputation, Qiu Chonglei naturally couldn't swallow what Xiang Shaoyun said about him in front of so many people.

  "Impudent. Since you are the one who had harmed someone from the Lightning Alliance first, I shall cripple you today. Men, go!" Qiu Chonglei ordered the people around him.

  Just as the people were about to charge Xiang Shaoyun, Gong Qinyin suddenly spoke, "Who dares?"

  Gong Qinyin knew Xiang Shaoyun was strong, but she was still afraid that there were too many enemies for Xiang Shaoyun to handle. In terms of strength alone, Gong Qinyin was nothing special in the Cloud Margin Pavilion. But her shout was still able to cause all of them to hesitate. There was nothing they could do. She was the personal disciple of the Zither Empress.

  "Junior Sister Gong, this has nothing to do with you. You better leave immediately," said Qiu Chonglei with a frown.

  Gong Qinyin raised her head and asked, "What if I say no?"

  "Then you can't blame me if I don't hold back against you. I doubt the Zither Empress would interfere too much with this anyway," said Qiu Chonglei coldly.

  "You—" Gong Qinyin wanted to continue speaking but was interrupted by Xiang Shaoyun.

  He said, "This is a business between men. You don't have to get involved."

  Gong Qinyin said anxiously, "But there are so many of them……"'

  Xiang Shaoyun waved his hand and said candidly, "Just a bunch of useless people with empty reputations."

  "He is completely looking down on us! Let me, Sun Qiang, show you what we are made of!" said a young man with his golden sword raised.

  After he said that, a golden beam shot forth toward Xiang Shaoyun. Sun Qiang's attack was merely the start. The others attacked as well, and everyone started ganging up on Xiang Shaoyun.

  They were aware of what Xiang Shaoyun had done earlier. Thus, none of them held back when they attacked. They were of the opinion that Xiang Shaoyun was most certainly exhausted after several battles. Now would be their best chance to take him. Unfortunately, they had still underestimated Xiang Shaoyun. That mistake was one they would suffer gravely for.