Once more, there was stillness on the battlefield.
Even the two Nascent Soul participants who were against Bai Zihan had their mouths open in shock.
One should know that Bai Zihan was almost 13-14 years younger than them, but his cultivation level was the same as theirs.
And they were hailed as talents themselves, so it wasn’t a comparison between trash and a genius—
but rather a genius and a monster who couldn’t be comprehended.
Moreover, even they couldn’t claim they could take out Bai Tian the way Bai Zihan did, even though Bai Tian held himself back, possibly not expecting Bai Zihan to be this powerful.
The others who didn’t disagree with Bai Zihan were shocked and relieved that they hadn’t because there was no way they would humiliate themselves like that and offend Bai Zihan—who was undoubtedly their future leader.
And even if not, he was sure to become someone they couldn’t go against.
They avoided opposing him simply because they were a bit reluctant; otherwise, their fate wouldn’t be any different from Bai Ming’s or Bai Tian’s.
“Everyone, we must attack together with our full power!”
Bai Jian roared angrily.
Despite Bai Zihan’s revelation of his Nascent Soul realm cultivation, it seemed like Bai Jian wasn’t going to give up.
Perhaps he still couldn’t come to terms with the fact that the waste he looked down on had surpassed him.
Or perhaps he didn’t want to remember the days that would come with Bai Zihan being this powerful.
A lot of bad memories flooded his mind as Bai Zihan displayed his strength.
There was no way he was going back to the days of being bullied by Bai Zihan.
This time, though, the others from the older generation got ready to fight, not because Bai Jian ordered them, but because it was the only way for them to win.
If they lost, they would lose their face as the elite of the Bai Clan.
The other two Nascent Soul Realm cultivators exchanged glances and nodded.
The two Nascent Soul experts unleashed their full power, a storm of Qi swirling around them.
The sky darkened as one conjured a vortex of black lightning, crackling with destructive energy.
The other’s aura transformed into a freezing mist, sharp as blades, swirling around her like a violent blizzard.
The rest of the Golden Core disciples joined in, their auras flaring as they surrounded Bai Zihan, creating a formation similar to before, with Bai Zihan having no way of escape.
Nine cultivators, each powerful in their own right, all focused on a single target.
“Try dodging this!”
One of the Nascent Soul cultivators shouted, his voice booming like thunder.
A storm of Qi crashed toward Bai Zihan. Black lightning arced like serpents, the freezing mist transformed into sharp ice blades, and golden sword light tore through the air.
He wasn’t the only one; the others also joined in, leaving Bai Zihan with no way to dodge or block their attacks.
“Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword: Flickering Shadow Step!”
Facing the combined onslaught, Bai Zihan used Flickering Shadow Step, dodging with supernatural speed.
But the sheer number of attacks began to overwhelm him.
A bolt of lightning grazed his shoulder, searing his robe.
A blade of ice nicked his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.
Indeed, they weren’t just the elite of the Bai Clan in name only. Unlike the younger generation, they understood the essence of teamwork.
“Tch!”
Bai Zihan clicked his tongue.
More and more attacks closed in.
The Nascent Soul cultivators were coordinating, driving him toward the center of their formation.
“Now!”
One of them shouted, and an enormous sphere of lightning and ice surged, sealing Bai Zihan within a prison of chaotic Qi.
“He’s trapped!”
Bai Jian’s face twisted with a vicious grin.
“Hahaha! Do you see, Bai Zihan? Arrogance is your downfall.”
But his laughter stopped when he saw Bai Zihan’s calm expression within the swirling storm.
From within the prison, a blinding light erupted.
Clang!
A resonant sword hum filled the air, sharp and piercing.
The swirling lightning and ice shattered as a beam of radiant light tore through them.
The Nascent Soul cultivators stumbled back, their auras disrupted.
And there he stood.
Bai Zihan—his robes tattered, but his gaze cold and piercing.
In his right hand was a sword—its seemed like Bai Zihan finally forced to use his sword.
Eternal Spirit Sword!
Although Bai Zihan had only managed to upgrade it to Mid Earth-Grade, he had decided to use this as his main weapon.
His other sword was still stronger by a level, but he thought of using this one to get used to it.
Since it was upgradeable, he would be using it anyway in the future.
(I guess this is my limit.)
Relying only on his body and power, it was feasible to take out a single Nascent Soul Realm opponent.
But against two Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, supported by other Golden Core disciples, it was difficult, even with his body’s strength.
Still, he was satisfied to know his limit, at least without his sword.
“Let’s see whether you can handle this!”
Bai Zihan’s voice was cold, and his grip tightened on the hilt.
A terrifying sword aura surged from his body, an oppressive force pressing down on everyone present.
The Nascent Soul cultivators’ eyes widened in horror.
“Impossible! That sword aura… It’s dangerous!!!”
“Everyone! Defensive formation!”
One of them screamed.
Everyone felt the power radiating from Bai Zihan and knew that whatever was coming would be incredibly powerful. They immediately went into full defense mode.
“Nine Shadows Flowing Light!”
In an instant, his figure split into nine, each one a shadow dancing around his opponents.
“What—?! Where is he?!”
“Defend! Defend!”
But their screams were drowned in a storm of sword light.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Nine strikes in rapid succession.
The first Nascent Soul expert barely raised his hand to defend when his arm was sliced clean off.
He stumbled backward, clutching the stump, blood gushing out.
The second tried to dodge Bai Zihan’s attack, but she couldn’t even see where it was coming from. A sharp pain exploded in her abdomen as the strike landed.
The Golden Core cultivators didn’t even have a chance.
One by one, they fell—some clutching deep gashes, others dropping their weapons as the force of the strikes shattered their bones.
Nine strikes. Nine opponents. None could defend.
The battlefield froze once more, as if time itself had halted to comprehend what had just occurred.
Bai Zihan stood at the center, his robe tattered, the Eternal Spirit Sword glistening with a thin sheen of blood.
The faint blue glow around the blade flickered like ethereal flames.
(So this is the power of combining a Heaven-Grade Technique with Sword Intent…)
Bai Zihan thought, his grip on the sword relaxing.
“Argh!”
“Ahh!”
The Nascent Soul and Golden Core disciples lay on the ground, moaning in pain.
But despite the deep cuts and intense pain, none of them were dead.
Bai Zihan had held back—just enough.
It wasn’t like they were his enemies—because if they were, they wouldn’t have been able to keep their heads on their shoulders.
His gaze swept over the disciples, every one of them unable to retaliate.
He sheathed his sword, and the oppressive aura dissipated. The crowd, previously frozen in fear, finally dared to breathe again.
The realization hit them like a tidal wave: Bai Zihan had just crushed the combined might of two Nascent Soul experts and several Golden Core cultivators.
One of the older generation’s disciples whispered, trembling, “He… he really is a monster, just like his sister.”
“Damn! How can they be so strong while we’re like this?”
“At least be happy that this monster is in our clan. With the two of them, our clan might as well rise above everyone else.”
…
“I won! I will be leading the team tomorrow. Does anyone have any other opinions?”
Bai Zihan asked.
His question was met with silence. There was no way anyone could argue with his overwhelming victory.
And who else could lead a team if not their strongest?
This was their future Clan leader.
This was Bai Zihan!