A max-level player in Jade Dynasty: Awakening the Innate Dao at the start.

That blindingly blue sword aura tore through the air.

It hissed like a venomous snake striking, piercing straight into Zhang Xiaofan's heart!

In the split second when the sword tip was only three feet from his chest, time flowed faster within the hall.

It felt as if it were being dragged away by an invisible hand, becoming incredibly slow and viscous.

Tian Buyi suddenly stood up ten feet away, the Crimson Flame Immortal Sword at his waist sensing its master's fury.

With a "whoosh," the sword sprang out of its sheath three inches, and a flash of crimson fire disappeared in an instant.

But he knew in his heart that it was too late!

Three zhang is but a fleeting moment for a Shangqing Realm peak cultivator who has been planning for a long time and is going all out!

Let alone the fact that Xiao Fan is only at the "superficial" Jade Purity Ninth Level, even if he were truly a fellow cultivator at the Upper Purity Realm...

At such close range, with such a cunning and vicious sneak attack, it was almost impossible to avoid!

It’s over…!

This thought, like ice water formed from millennia-old ice, instantly drenched Tian Buyi's entire body.

He stared intently at the blue light that symbolized death, at the pine tree's face, which was contorted with extreme pleasure, revealing a狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) expression.

Then I looked at my apprentice, who was standing there motionless, seemingly frozen in fear...

My heart felt like it was being squeezed and kneaded by an invisible giant hand, the pain was so intense it felt like it was about to explode!

Almost at the same moment, Dao Xuan Zhenren, who was sitting in the main seat of the sect leader, also had a hint of shock and anger flash in his eyes!

He never expected that Cangsong would dare to be so crazy!

In the solemn and majestic Jade Purity Hall, in front of the sect leader, he openly used such a despicable sneak attack on a disciple!

This has completely trampled on his bottom line as the head of a lineage, and is a blatant provocation against the rules of the Qingyun Sect!

However, there was a distance of more than twenty feet between him and Zhang Xiaofan!

Even with his extraordinary cultivation, he was powerless to stop it at this moment!

That's too late.

Dao Xuan sighed inwardly, a genuine pity and helplessness flashing in his eyes—

Such an extraordinary genius, a rare talent that the Qingyun Sect may never have seen in its entire history,

Am I to perish today from a despicable sneak attack by a fellow disciple?

Cangsong grinned, revealing an undisguised, cruel, and gleeful smile.

He seemed to already see the sword energy piercing through the boy's chest, blood gushing out like a fountain;

I saw those eyes, which always held a hateful smile, quickly dim and lose their luster amidst the excruciating pain and shock;

He saw the young body that had brought him endless humiliation and threat collapse at his feet!

The humiliation of yesterday will be repaid today with interest!

The green mangoes are relentlessly closing in!

Two feet!

One foot!

Only half a foot remained—that icy, piercing sharpness had almost touched Zhang Xiaofan's Taoist robe!

In that critical moment, when life and death were decided—

Zhang Xiaofan has finally moved!

He didn't retreat, didn't dodge, and didn't even make any blocking motion.

He simply raised his head slowly.

Those eyes, which always held a hint of a smile and a touch of nonchalance, were now eerily calm.

He gazed at the menacing pine tree rushing towards him, and at the deadly blue light that seemed poised to pierce his body.

Deep within his eyes, a rich, indistinct crimson hue suddenly flashed!

In the blink of an eye, he had made all his judgments and choices.

Hide? You can't hide.

At a distance of three zhang, the full-force attack from a peak-level Shangqing cultivator had blocked all escape routes with its speed and angle.

Block? What can we use to block? The Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique requires communicating with heaven and earth to draw in lightning and build up momentum, but there's simply no time for that now.

The Demon-Slaying Technique can be activated instantly, but if one only uses the cultivation level of "Jade Purity Ninth Level" to activate it...

It probably wouldn't even be able to withstand the aftershocks of the opponent's sword energy, and would be crushed instantly!

So, there's only one answer left...

Zhang Xiaofan took a deep breath, as if trying to inhale all the stagnant air in the hall into his lungs.

Then he closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, deep within those dark pupils,

A single, intense golden light, like the first ray of dawn piercing the eternal night, suddenly shone brightly and then quickly disappeared!

The next moment—

"boom--!!!"

An immense aura, far beyond ordinary imagination, erupted without warning, like a dormant volcano suddenly bursting forth, centered on Zhang Xiaofan!

That was definitely not the kind of spiritual energy fluctuation that a cultivator in the Jade Purity Realm should have!

It was more profound, more vast, and more condensed, as if it contained some kind of ultimate truth of heaven and earth!

The azure spiritual energy cultivated through the Taiji Xuanqing Dao flowed like a burst dam from the Milky Way.

It surged forth from the deepest part of his dantian, rushing into his limbs and bones, filling every meridian!

The sound of surging spiritual energy resounded within him like a mighty river, even faintly reaching the ears of others in the hall!

The air around him began to distort violently, and his ordinary blue-cloud Taoist robe billowed without any wind.

It rustled and swayed, as if filled and surging with an invisible force!

Shangqing Realm!

His genuine Upper Clarity Realm cultivation was now completely revealed without any concealment!

Almost simultaneously, the dormant, jet-black fire poker at his waist seemed to be completely activated by this terrifying aura.

An unprecedented, terrifying crimson light erupted from the shaft of the staff!

That was not the subtle red light we had seen when fighting the enemy before, but a blinding blood light that resembled a churning sea of ​​blood and a mountain of corpses and bones!

On the surface of the stick, those dark red patterns that were originally only faintly visible...

At this moment, it seemed to come alive, twisting, spreading, and bulging wildly, like countless pulsating blood vessels.

It's like the bulging veins under the skin of some ancient, ferocious beast when it awakens!

Zhang Xiaofan slowly raised his right hand, which was holding the stick.

The movement appears slow, but the trajectory of the stick's movement...

Yet it carries a terrifying and heavy feeling, like mountains collapsing and rivers turning upside down.

It stirred the thick air around it, emitting a low, mournful wail.

The instant he raised the fire poker above his head, the soaring blood-red light had already solidified—

A lifelike, ferocious, and enormous blood dragon coils around the staff!

The dragon's head was raised high, its fangs bared, and every scale was as if carved from the finest blood jade.

In the morning light streaming in from the palace gates, it reflected an eerie and dangerous dark red glow.

As the dragon coiled around itself, it exuded an overwhelming ferocity and a will to annihilate everything!

"Slay—demons—gods—!"

The three words burst from Zhang Xiaofan's lips, low and deep, yet carrying a power that pierced the soul!

"roar--!!!"

The blood dragon roared in response!

The dragon's mouth opened wide, spewing out no longer light, but a thick, viscous, blood-red tide!

This tide of blood, carrying a mad will to devour everything, crashed headlong into the azure sword energy that was already within reach!

There was no earth-shattering noise as expected.

Or rather, the sound of the collision was so terrifying that it exceeded the limits that ordinary people's eardrums could withstand!

Inside the main hall, everyone, including several chief deities,

I felt a loud "buzz" in my head, as if an invisible, heavy hammer had struck the top of my head!

Instant tinnitus, blurred vision, and surging blood and qi.

Those with slightly weaker cultivation levels experienced immediate blackouts and nearly collapsed to the ground!

Then came the belated, but visible, devastating impact!

At the point of impact, the air seemed to be violently crushed by an invisible giant hand.

It transformed into visible, distorted, transparent ripples that spread wildly in all directions like waves!

The sturdy beams supporting the main hall groaned under the strain, shaking violently and sending dust flying.

In front of the statue of the Taoist patriarch, the huge bronze incense burner was overturned with a loud crash.

The incense ash spilled out of the incense burner, creating a choking cloud of smoke.

The azure light and the blood tide were locked in a stalemate in the air for only a moment.

immediately--

"Snap!"

That deadly sword aura, imbued with the pine tree's lifelong cultivation and killing intent, struck like glass struck by a heavy hammer.

It let out a crisp, mournful cry, and began to crumble inch by inch from the tip!

It transformed into countless tiny blue light spots, which quickly vanished into the viscous, blood-red raging tide!

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

A terrifying backlash of spiritual energy traveled along the dissipating sword energy.

Caught off guard, Cangsong let out a muffled groan and stumbled back three large steps!

Each step left a deep, cracked footprint on the incredibly hard obsidian ground!

The ferocious laugh on his face had frozen, replaced by an incredulous look of horror and pallor.

Zhang Xiaofan merely took a step back.

With just one step, he stood firmly on his feet. The fire poker remained held horizontally in front of him.

The towering crimson light emanating from the staff was rapidly receding and dimming, like the receding tide.

But that chilling, malevolent aura still rippled subtly, like breathing, with the flickering of the blood-red patterns on the staff.

A deathly silence fell over the Jade Purity Hall.

Only the dust that had not yet settled remained, slowly floating in the beams of light shining through the temple doors.

Tian Buyi was the first to react.

He practically became a blur, instantly rushing to Zhang Xiaofan's side.

His broad, calloused hand trembled slightly as he pressed heavily on his apprentice's shoulder.

The powerful yet gentle spiritual energy swiftly entered Zhang Xiaofan's body, quickly circulating throughout his body.

After confirming that apart from the enormous depletion of his spiritual energy, his meridians and internal organs were all unharmed, he finally let out a long, long breath of stale air that had been trapped in his chest.

As he exhaled, his hand on Zhang Xiaofan's shoulder was still trembling slightly.

"Xiao Fan..." Tian Buyi's voice was hoarse from surviving the ordeal, and he couldn't hide his surprise and doubt.

"You...when did you...achieve this level of cultivation...?"

"Shangqing Realm," Zhang Xiaofan began, his tone so calm it was as if he were stating something trivial and unrelated to himself.

"More than two years ago, I made a breakthrough by chance at the Ancestral Master's Shrine."

Tian Buyi's eyes widened suddenly, his dark face displaying an extremely interesting expression.

His lips moved a few times, as if he had a thousand questions to ask.

In the end, he just patted Zhang Xiaofan's shoulder forcefully and repeatedly.

His throat bobbed, and he uttered two dry but powerful words: "Good! Good!!"

Overwhelmed with joy and lingering fear, he was momentarily speechless.

But Tian Buyi was, after all, a shrewd man who had lived for hundreds of years. After the initial shock, a huge question immediately arose in his mind.

He leaned closer to Zhang Xiaofan, lowering his voice so low that only the two of them could hear him:

"You brat! With such cultivation, why have you been hiding it all this time? You even kept it a secret from your master!"

Zhang Xiaofan's gaze passed over Tian Buyi's shoulder.

He cast a cold glance at Cangsong, whose expression was constantly shifting and whose eyes were filled with venom, and replied in a similarly low voice:

"Master, the reason why a trump card is a trump card is because it is hidden deep enough."

If people had known earlier that I had already reached the Upper Clarity Realm cultivation level...

"If someone makes a move, it might not just be this one sword aura today."

He paused, his voice growing even colder:

"Perhaps it will be highly poisonous, or other more covert and insidious methods that are harder to guard against."

Revealing your strength before you have absolute certainty is tantamount to suicide.

Upon hearing this, Tian Buyi's pupils suddenly contracted.

He instantly understood the unspoken meaning in Zhang Xiaofan's words, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

Yes, if Cangsong had known earlier that Xiaofan possessed the strength of the Upper Clarity Realm,

Given the ruthlessness and decisiveness he displayed today, in order to eliminate the threat,

They will definitely resort to even more terrifying and harder-to-prevent methods!

Whether Xiao Fan will be able to escape with such good fortune as he is today is truly hard to say.

Zhang Xiaofan did not continue speaking.

His concerns were far more profound than what he told Tian Buyi.

The fact that Cangsong is a spy for the Demonic Cult must not be easily exposed now.

It's not because there's no evidence—the original memory is the clearest script.

Rather, it's because the time is far from ripe.

Would Dao Xuan Zhenren believe it?

On one side is his junior brother, who has been a disciple of Qingyun Sect for three hundred years, holds the high position of head disciple, and wields the power of punishment;

On the other side was a disciple who had only been a student for five years, and although his talent was amazing, his origins were questionable.

When both sides have conflicting accounts, who will Daoxuan tend to believe?

The answer is almost self-evident.

Making a hasty accusation at this moment will not only fail to bring down the pine tree,

Instead, it might alert the enemy and put you in an even more dangerous situation.

They might even be falsely accused and convicted of being "a traitorous spy of the demonic sect who slandered the leader of the righteous path."

That's true folly, courting disaster.

Moreover, the story of Cangsong is far more complex than simply involving a traitor who needs to be eliminated.

In Zhang Xiaofan's longer-term plan, this person is crucial to the future acquisition of the second volume of the "Heavenly Book"!

The five volumes of the Heavenly Book were the foundation he needed to gather in his pursuit of the supreme Dao and true transcendence.

If we were to expose the pine tree now just for a moment's pleasure,

This is tantamount to personally destroying this important clue that might have led to the second volume of "The Book of Heaven".

A small leak will sink a great ship.

Therefore, we must endure it.

Endure until the evidence is irrefutable and there is no room for argument;

Wait until the time is right, and the fruit will ripen and fall from the tree.

Endure until... the moment when you can squeeze every last drop of value out of this "venomous snake" and then crush it completely!

Dao Xuan Zhenren stood still, the hem of his wide, dark Daoist robe fluttering gently.

His gaze fell upon Zhang Xiaofan as if it were a tangible object, and the shock in his eyes lingered for a long time.

He first breathed a sigh of relief—the person was safe, and the sect's unprecedentedly rare talent had been saved, which was a great fortune for Qingyun.

Immediately following was an overwhelming wave of shock.

It was only after a long time that the overwhelming force of the attack nearly shook his calm and composed mind, which had remained undisturbed for centuries.

Two years.

Just two years!

He clearly remembered that two years ago, on the back mountain of Tongtian Peak,

He will deal with Zhang Xiaofan, whose cultivation has stagnated due to "qi deviation".

When it was sent to the ancestral hall and handed over to Wan Jianyi for safekeeping...

This child is only at the eighth level of the Jade Purity Realm.

According to his most optimistic estimate, he could break through to the peak of the ninth level of the Jade Purity Realm within two years.

Reaching the threshold of the Upper Clarity Realm is already the limit of limits, enough to shock the world.

But what about reality?

Shangqing Realm!

This is the true Shangqing Realm! It's not just touching the threshold, but breaking through and firmly establishing a foothold!

The immense spiritual power displayed in that all-out strike that clashed with the ancient pine tree, and the depth of mastery over the "Slaying Ghosts and Gods" technique,

It is something that someone who has just entered the Shangqing Realm cannot possess; it is at least at the mid-to-late stage of the first level of the Shangqing Realm, or even... higher!

What does this mean?

Dao Xuan himself was once hailed as a prodigy of Qingyun.

It took a full thirty years of hard work to break through from the eighth level of the Jade Purity Realm to the Upper Purity Realm!

His current eldest disciple, Xiao Yicai, is widely recognized as one of the most talented disciples of the Qingyun Sect in the current generation.

I have been stuck at the peak of the ninth level of Yuqing for more than sixty years and have not yet been able to glimpse the path to Shangqing!

Zhang Xiaofan... only took two years.

In just two years, he crossed the barrier of a major realm, going straight from the eighth level of Jade Purity to Upper Purity!

During this time, he also devoted himself to practicing Wan Jianyi's extremely difficult "Slaying Ghosts and Gods" technique, which required a high level of mental fortitude and understanding!

Such talent cannot be described as "genius"; it is simply monstrous!

It's a monster that would send chills down the spine of anyone who knows the inside story!

Dao Xuan's gaze lingered on Zhang Xiaofan's young yet unusually composed face with a complex expression.

His gaze then swept over Cangsong, whose face was ashen and whose breathing was unsteady.

Finally, the focus shifted to Tian Buyi, whose face was a mixture of excitement and lingering fear.

A complex and indescribable emotion suddenly welled up within him—

I feel fortunate, fortunate that this child was born in my Qingyun family;

There was lingering fear, a lingering fear of that close call crisis just now;

There is also a strong, long-lost anticipation and burning passion!

Such a disciple is simply the greatest hope bestowed by heaven for the future prosperity of Qingyun Sect, and even for it to regain its thousand-year glory!

Lu Xueqi's talent is undoubtedly exceptional, but compared to this young man, she seems to pale in comparison.

Although Lin Jingyu is also a talented and promising individual, the difference is even more obvious.

What's even more terrifying is that this child not only possesses extraordinary talent,

His temperament, composure, judgment of the situation, and forbearance far exceed the maturity expected of someone his age!

Despite possessing the cultivation level of the Upper Clarity Realm, he was able to endure loneliness.

He disguised himself as a disciple of the Jade Purity Realm for two years, silently accumulating power until he was forced to reveal it at the critical moment of life and death.

This forbearance, this calculation, this calm assessment of the situation...

He doesn't look like a teenager at all; he looks more like an old monster who has lived for hundreds of years!

Dao Xuan Zhenren slowly, very slowly, sat back down in the headmaster's seat.

He knew that everything that happened today would completely change the course of many things.

He needed time, he needed to quietly reassess his disciple named Zhang Xiaofan.

Assess his grievances with Dazhu Peak and Longshou Peak.

Assess the potentially earth-shattering impact he could have on the future of the entire Qingyun Sect.

The air inside the Jade Purity Hall remained heavy.

But some things are completely different now.

Cangsong stared intently at Zhang Xiaofan, his usually dignified and profound eyes...

His eyes were wide open, filled with terrifying bloodshot veins.

It was filled with astonishment, shock, and overwhelming anger at being fooled!

"You...you..."

He pointed at Zhang Xiaofan, his finger trembling violently from extreme emotional turmoil, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper were being rubbed together.

"How could you possibly be... from the Shangqing Realm?!"

Five years! Just five years to get started!

From a country boy who knew nothing about Taoist cultivation,

How many powerful individuals have been able to withstand a direct blow from a peak Shangqing cultivator like him?

This is utterly absurd! It violates all the common sense and ironclad rules of cultivation!

Even if the legendary Patriarch Qingye were to be resurrected, it would be impossible for him to achieve such accomplishments within five years!

Zhang Xiaofan slowly turned his head and looked at the pine tree.

There was no smugness or boastfulness in his eyes.

There was only a bottomless, chilling feeling, as if one were looking at a corpse.

"Old dog," he said, his voice low but each word clear.

Like an icicle falling onto a jade plate, it carried a bone-chilling cold.

"If I weren't from the Shangqing Realm, wouldn't I be doing as you wish today?"

"To die a violent death in this Jade Purity Hall, fulfilling your vicious plan to silence witnesses and settle personal scores?"

Cangsong's face turned deathly pale in an instant, completely devoid of color.

"Listen to me carefully,"

Zhang Xiaofan took half a step forward, pointing the fire poker diagonally at the ground.

An invisible aura of malevolence locked onto the pine tree, each word spoken slowly and deliberately, like a curse from the deepest hell.

"I, Zhang Xiaofan, will remember the 'gratitude' of this sword strike today."

Sooner or later, I will make you wish you were dead!

These words were not spoken with great passion, but rather in a rather bland manner.

But the resolute, cold, and undeniable killing intent contained within it...

But everyone in the hall who heard it couldn't help but shiver!

Tian Buyi frowned, wanting to speak up and stop his disciple from making such a blatant threat.

But when he looked into Zhang Xiaofan's icy eyes, he swallowed the words back down.

Dao Xuan Zhenren sat upright in his seat, a faint, strange light flashing in his eyes, yet he remained silent.

The pine tree's chest heaved violently like a bellows.

The intense frustration and rage from being humiliated to his face, being completely seen through, and the failure of his plan.

It almost broke his reason!

He looked at Zhang Xiaofan's excessively young face.

Looking into those unfathomable, all-seeing eyes, a chill ran down my spine.

It didn't stem from fear, but from a deeper level of apprehension and trepidation.

It surged uncontrollably up the spine and spread throughout the body in an instant!

Such talent, such rapid growth, such patience and ruthlessness...

If we don't eliminate him now before he grows too strong, one day... it will definitely be Cangsong who dies!

Even the entire Dragon Head Peak could be destroyed as a result!

New and old grudges fueled his murderous intent, which surged to an unprecedented peak at this moment!

All pretense, calculation, and weighing of options were replaced at this moment by the most primal killing intent!

"You fiend from the demonic sect! You've usurped the cultivation of the Shangqing Sect and dare to spout such nonsense and threaten the head disciple!"

Cangsong suddenly drew his sword fully, the blade gleaming coldly.

It emitted a clear yet murderous tremor, the sword tip once again pointing directly at Zhang Xiaofan.

The voice became shrill with extreme anger:

"Today, I will act on behalf of Heaven to cleanse Qingyun of its corruption and punish you, this scourge!"

Before he finished speaking, his aura surged once more.

A sword aura, several times more powerful than before, soared into the sky, seemingly disregarding the presence of the sect leader.

Ignoring his fellow disciples nearby, he vowed to strike again, a fight to the death!

Inside the Jade Purity Hall, the atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point, and a great battle was about to erupt!