Lin Yan slowed his horse, his gaze following the line of sight of the crowd.
On the mountain ridge to the left, two figures stood facing each other, about a hundred feet apart.
From such a distance, a normal person would only see two blurry black dots. But Lin Yan’s vision was far superior to an ordinary person’s; he could clearly see that they were two young men. One wore green robes, the other a white robe. One held a longspear, while the other had a long saber in his hand. Their robes snapped in the mountain wind.
"The Cui and Zhou families are at it again."
A middle-aged man on the roadside said to his companion.
"Which Cui Family? Which Zhou Family?"
Someone in a small group nearby asked curiously.
"What other Cui and Zhou families could there be in Qing State?" the middle-aged man shot him a glance. "Besides the Zhou and Cui families of the Four Great Clans, what other families with those names could put on such a show? The one from the Cui Family is Cui Chenzong, said to be at the Half-Step True Gang Realm already. The one from the Zhou Family is named Zhou Shan, and he’s also at the Half-Step True Gang Realm. Both are the top talents of their respective family’s younger generation."
Upon hearing this, the other group gasped. "Half-Step True Gang? Why would powerhouses of that level fight here?"
"Who knows? The younger generation of Qing State’s Four Great Clans have never seen eye to eye. Since these two are both at the Half-Step True Gang Realm and they’ve run into each other, a fight is inevitable."
Someone else chimed in with a guess. This person was from Qing State Prefecture and was very knowledgeable about the Four Great Clans.
"That’s right. The Four Great Clans jointly control Qing State Prefecture. The older generation of powerhouses are more restrained, but the younger generation is full of rivalries. Each one wants to dominate the other three. The younger generations of these four clans fight several times a year. It’s just that a clash involving Half-Step True Gang experts like this is quite rare."
Lin Yan narrowed his eyes, listening to the discussion around him. He had a guess as to why these two were fighting.
’The Four Great Clans haven’t leaked anything about the Purple Gold Ore. These two probably received a clan summons while they were traveling, just like me, and happened to run into each other on the way back to Qing State.’
’The top talents of the four clans’ younger generations are scheduled to compete soon anyway. This early clash is just a way for them to size each other up.’
Just as the onlookers were chattering, someone suddenly cried out in alarm.
On the ridge, Cui Chenzong moved.
With a single step, he vanished, reappearing just over ten feet from Zhou Shan. He thrust his longspear forward violently, its tip tearing through the air with a sharp whistle, like the roar of a dragon or the howl of a tiger.
Spear Gang erupted from the spear’s tip—not one, but three streams. The three streams of Dark Red Spear Gang were like three furious dragons, biting at Zhou Shan from three different angles and sealing off all his escape routes.
This was the Cui Family’s secret Top-grade Spear Technique, the Three-Stacked Dragon Tiger Spear.
One spear, three forces, layered one upon another. The first force breaks defenses, the second shatters Gang, and the third pierces the heart.
An ordinary Blood Exchange Fourth Transformation Martial Artist likely couldn’t even block Cui Chenzong’s first force.
Wherever the Spear Gang passed, the rocky ground was torn into gullies. Debris was swept up, only to be pulverized into dust by the Spear Gang’s shockwave.
Several nearby pine trees were bent low by the shockwave, their needles raining down, only to be shredded before they even hit the ground.
The crowd at the foot of the mountain involuntarily took a few steps back, their faces pale.
Zhou Shan’s expression remained unchanged, as if he had anticipated this. His long saber left its sheath, its flashing blade like a bolt of white silk. But instead of meeting the Spear Gang head-on, he drew a circle in front of himself.
The ring formed by the Saber Gang spun as it expanded, colliding with the three streams of Spear Gang.
BOOM!
Saber and spear met. The collision of Spear Gang and Saber Gang was like a clap of thunder, its roar shaking the wilderness.
A visible shockwave erupted between the two men. The gravel on the ground was sent flying, and all vegetation within a radius of several dozen feet was instantly flattened by the shockwave, turning the area into a wasteland.
"The Zhou Family’s Guiyuan Saber. It doesn’t seek to attack, but first to defend. One slash draws a circle, turning the enemy’s force to one’s own use, borrowing strength to strike back, using softness to overcome hardness. Its reputation is well-deserved."
Someone who recognized the Saber Technique Zhou Shan was using exclaimed in a low voice of admiration.
"So this is Half-Step True Gang... They’ve truly touched the edge of the True Gang Realm. It’s far beyond what a Blood Exchange Fourth Transformation can compare to." Among the spectators, a Martial Artist who was also in the Blood Exchange Realm muttered to himself, a trace of fear in his eyes.
Lin Yan sat motionless on his horse, his gaze locked on the two figures on the ridge.
This was the first time he had witnessed the power of the Half-Step True Gang Realm with his own eyes.
Even though a Half-Step True Gang expert had only one foot across the threshold of the True Gang Realm, they were still a great deal stronger than anyone in the Blood Exchange Realm.
On the ridge, the two figures crossed, separated, and crossed again.
Cui Chenzong’s Spear Technique was domineering and fierce, each thrust carrying an unstoppable momentum.
He wielded the Three-Stacked Dragon Tiger Spear to its fullest potential. The tip of his spear left Dark Red afterimages in the air, each thrust unleashing three streams of Spear Gang, layer upon layer, like waves crashing on the shore, each stronger than the last.
When his Spear Gang swept over the mountain rocks, they were sliced apart like tofu, leaving behind gashes several feet deep.
Zhou Shan’s Saber Technique, in contrast, was as steady as a mountain.
The Guiyuan Saber was all about turning defense into offense. Each of his slashes perfectly neutralized the spear’s momentum, never rushed, never overreaching.
The ring formed by his Saber Gang spun continuously, deflecting and dissipating Cui Chenzong’s Spear Gang stream by stream. He was like a boulder in a raging river, unmoved no matter how fiercely the waves crashed against it.
"Cui Chenzong’s Three-Stacked Dragon Tiger Spear is incomparably domineering, but if he can’t break through after a prolonged attack, his momentum will surely wane," an old man in the crowd said while stroking his beard. "Zhou Shan’s Guiyuan Saber uses defense as offense. He may seem passive, but he’s actually building up power. The moment Cui Chenzong’s spear assault slows, that will be Zhou Shan’s time to counterattack."

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