Jiang Yun's performance on the field made Zhang Zhe furrow his brows slightly. The smile on Jiang Yun's face puzzled him. His initial reaction was whether Jiang Yun was setting him up, but when he saw Jiang Yun's gaze sweep over Lan Yao in the stands, combined with the smile he had just shown, Zhang Zhe felt infuriated.
He hadn't expected that before facing him in the match, Jiang Yun was actually being affectionate with a woman. Even though that woman was indeed attractive and charming, it was a clear display of disrespect towards him.
Do you, Jiang Yun, really think you can beat me for sure?
With anger burning in his heart, as soon as the announcement was made by the one overseeing the assessment, Zhang Zhe impatiently drew his sword and attacked. The strike carried an astonishing momentum, clearly showcasing Zhang Zhe's full strength.
The blade in Zhang Zhe's hand traced a brilliant trajectory, slicing towards Jiang Yun with a speed that left no room for evasion. Zhang Zhe was confident in this strike, as in the Divine Path Sect, it was known as the "Ghost-Startling Blade." The name alone indicated its formidable power.
Compared to the previous duels involving Yang Jinyan and others, with their swirling sword lights, Zhang Zhe's strike wasn't as flashy, but its might was equally overwhelming.
"It seems that Senior Brother Zhang is feeling quite pressured facing Jiang Yun. He unleashed his renowned technique, the Ghost-Startling Blade, as soon as he made his move."
One of the Divine Path Sect disciples below recognized Zhang Zhe's attack and couldn't help blurting out.
"Although Zhang Zhe's strike appears powerful and I can even vaguely hear the air being torn apart, the moment I think about him facing our Senior Brother Jiang, I can't help but feel his chances of winning are quite slim."
As a disciple of the Divine Path Sect, when he heard the nearby disciple from the Heavenly Sword Sect picking up where he left off, he looked at him displeasingly. Seeing the way the Heavenly Sword Sect disciple gazed at Jiang Yun on the field with undisguised admiration, he felt a strong sense of disdain.
He wondered what Jiang Yun had done to the outside disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect. During these past few days of interacting with them, whenever Jiang Yun's name was mentioned, the confidence of these Heavenly Sword Sect disciples in him was unshakable.
Where did Jiang Yun's ability to inspire such confidence among the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples come from? Naturally, it was from his victories in these battles.
Zhang Zhe's swordsmanship was steady and unwavering. Even though he had attacked with anger, Jiang Yun could still perceive that there was a bit of reserve in his strike, as if he was keeping some strength in reserve for unexpected circumstances.
"Quick, look! Senior Brother Jiang is about to make his move. If Zhang Zhe can force Senior Brother Jiang to draw his sword, it's already a testament to his considerable strength."
Did Jiang Yun draw his sword?
Most of the spectators in the stands hadn't seen Jiang Yun draw his sword yet, but if he hadn't drawn his sword, where did that streak of light, like a shooting star, come from in midair?
Just as Zhang Zhe's blade was about to skim past Jiang Yun's forehead, Jiang Yun made his move.
Perhaps only Zhang Zhe, who was closest to Jiang Yun, knew how he had acted. Right when Zhang Zhe's blade was almost grazing the hair on Jiang Yun's forehead, Jiang Yun finally acted.
In the eyes of the spectators below, the streak of light that flashed by like a shooting star wasn't from Jiang Yun's sword, but merely his right hand's two fingers.
Under Zhang Zhe's incredulous gaze, the index and middle fingers of Jiang Yun's right hand closed around his sword as swiftly as lightning. At that moment, Zhang Zhe felt as though his strike had hit an iron plate, being firmly caught and disrupted by Jiang Yun's fingers.
He couldn't fathom that a person could halt his famed strike using just two fingers. He found it even harder to accept how, as Jiang Yun gripped his sword between those two fingers, it was twisted as if bending sugarcane, turning his finely forged steel blade into two broken pieces.
Zhang Zhe never imagined that his indomitable strike, which had always brought him success, would crumble under the pressure of Jiang Yun's two fingers. Those two fingers not only broke his steel sword, but also shattered Zhang Zhe's confidence in his own strength.
Regrettably, Zhang Zhe had never heard of a technique called "Lingxi One Finger," so naturally, he couldn't accept it.
Zhang Zhe had never underestimated Jiang Yun's strength, so when he struck, he had held back some of his power. He had imagined that Jiang Yun might use his exquisite sword techniques or his powerful spiritual cultivation to block this strike. Yet, he had never considered that Jiang Yun would use just two fingers to make his strike appear laughable.
It was precisely because Zhang Zhe had never considered that Jiang Yun would use two fingers to catch his strike that he had kept some reserve power. He waited until Jiang Yun's two fingers twisted his sword into two pieces before taking any action.
From the perspective of the spectators below, they only saw a streak of light as fast as a shooting star intersecting with Zhang Zhe's sword. However, by the time they looked again, the shooting star had passed, leaving Zhang Zhe's steel blade broken in two.
Everyone thought that Jiang Yun had used the Qingping Sword to break Zhang Zhe's sword. Perhaps because Jiang Yun's sword strike was simply too swift, no one saw how Jiang Yun had acted, causing Zhang Zhe's blade to snap.
The Divine Path Sect disciple who had been observing below earlier, upon witnessing Zhang Zhe slumped on the ground in defeat, his gaze lifeless as he stared at the broken sword, might have gained a bit of understanding. Perhaps he was starting to understand why the Heavenly Sword Sect disciples always had confidence in Jiang Yun. It was because this person was like an enigma of immense strength.
Dragon General An was formidable, that much was clear. As a disciple of the Divine Path Sect, he was well aware of Dragon General An's strength. But at least he had a grasp of the extent of Dragon General An's might. However, Jiang Yun? He was an enigma through and through. One could never discern the limits of his strength. That was what truly instilled fear.
Truly an enigmatic powerhouse.
The Divine Path Sect disciple gazed at Jiang Yun's slender figure as he descended from the arena. Unconsciously, his perception of Jiang Yun aligned with that of the Heavenly Sword Sect disciple he had once scorned.