Shangguan Feidu's fury erupted in a cold laugh. He saw no advantage—only insult.
Instantly, Qi Refining Ninth Layer power surged. He lunged at Ye Fan:
"This strike—will cripple you!"
Earth Tier Intermediate Martial Skill: Gale-Sweeping Leg!
Hidden Attribute Triggered: Crescent Moon Wind Blade!
His right leg swept horizontally. Razor-sharp wind blades coalesced, screaming toward Ye Fan.
Ye Fan's figure blurred.
Nine Void Mirage Steps — Hidden Ability: Mirror Reflection!
Mid-air, Ye Fan split into two identical figures, darting left and right.
Whoosh!
The wind blades sliced empty space.
"How to cure Death Poison?"
Ye Fan's voice rang out, calm and clear, even as he evaded Shangguan Feidu's assault.
Dual-tasking! Murmurs of awe rippled through the crowd. Evading Shangguan Feidu alone was astonishing—yet he could simultaneously pose a challenge? Such absolute confidence!
Shangguan Feidu's face darkened. His Gale-Sweeping Leg unleashed invisible, lightning-fast blades. Yet this man dodged effortlessly… and spoke with icy calm. Is this truly the crippled Ye family outcast?
Still—absolute power crushes all tricks.
Shangguan Feidu's form dissolved into mist. He spun 180 degrees mid-air, wind blades swirling like a vortex. Then—a brutal axe-kick!
CRACK!
His right leg hammered down.
Two colossal wind blades—cross-shaped—hurtled forward.
Mid-flight, they expanded, engulfing the space, aiming to bisect both of Ye Fan's illusions.
Ye Fan remained unshaken. Palms thrust forward violently.
Ye Clan Core Technique: Earth Tier Advanced Martial Skill — Tempest Palm!
Hidden Attribute: Hurricane Wall!
ROAR!
A cyclone erupted around him.
Same tier—but Ye Fan's cultivation was weaker. A direct clash would shatter his defense. Yet wind blades… are wind.
Ye Fan twisted the Hurricane Wall. Not a shield—a deflector.
SHIIING!
The blades veered wildly, tearing into marble pillars.
His palms snapped back. Feet blurred—Nine Void Mirage Steps activated again.
Phantom Separation!
Two figures lunged from opposite angles.
Shangguan Feidu's eyes widened. Which is real? He scrambled backward, hands weaving intricate patterns.
Earth Tier Advanced Martial Skill: Drifting Cloud Hands!
Hidden Attribute: Imprisoning Circle!
Around him, palms became ethereal shields—a fortress against a thousand strikes.
Shangguan Feidu mastered two supreme skills: one attack, one defense. Both… perfected.
In martial insight—he surpassed genius.
But Ye Fan… understood hidden attributes like breathing. His knowledge of techniques—limitless.
His hands hooked into claws. Yuan force spiraled around his fingertips.
Heaven Tier Primary Skill: Star-Seizing Hand!
Hidden Attribute: Pluck from the Pouch!
The ultimate armor-breaker. Perfected—it strikes faster than thought. Shattering defenses… like plucking fruit.
FZZZT!
Ye Fan's hands became afterimages. They pierced the Drifting Cloud Hands' defense—like smoke through silk.
THUD.
His fingers clamped Shangguan Feidu's throat.
Yuan force sputtered and died. Shangguan Feidu's eyes bulged—impossible.
The hall froze. Gasps choked the air. He defeated Shangguan Feidu… head-on?
The Capital's Five Young Masters each had legends. But combat prowess? Shangguan Feidu reigned supreme. Two perfected skills—invincible within his realm.
Today… shattered by Ye Fan.
Beigong Xue's jade-like fingers flew to her lips. Her tiger-teeth peeked out. He's… strong? Did Father see something we all missed?
"How to cure Death Poison?"
Ye Fan released Shangguan Feidu, turning to Ding Chunqiu and Qian Hong.
All eyes followed. Death Poison—also called Life-Ender. Universally known as… incurable. Many thought Ye Fan deliberately cruel.
The two men paled. Their knowledge surpassed the crowd's. Death Poison wasn't truly incurable… But the answer? Unknown.
Finally, Ding Chunqiu sighed, fist meeting palm in salute: "We yield. Enlighten us."
Ye Fan's voice cut the silence:
"Soul-Nourishing Blossom. Fragrant Rain Grass. Living Water Snake Gallbladder."
"Extract the Extreme Death Qi from the Blossom using the Yuan-Dispelling Hand Seal."
"Separate the gallbladder's bile via Refining Heaven Palm Technique."
"Burn with Yuan Fire for half an hour—flames must be Three-Colored Fire."
"Mid-process—activate the Mystic Fire Hand Seal!"
"Then—the antidote forms."
Murmurs of confusion spread. Soul-Nourishing Blossom? Living Water Snake? Mystic Fire Hand Seal? Unfathomable terms.
Yet Beigong Xue's eyes narrowed. The Mystic Fire Hand Seal… Royal archives held fragments of its lore. Common scholars? Ignorant.
His talent… I underestimated him.
Ding Chunqiu, Qian Hong, and Beigong Qingtian frowned deeply. Lesser minds would cry "Liar!" But they… recognized fragments.
Qian Hong stepped forward, skeptical:
"Soul-Nourishing Blossom—wreathed in true death-qi. Merely touching it kills mortals. Extracting its core's death-qi? Yuan force cannot penetrate its roots!"
Ding Chunqiu's eyes suddenly blazed with epiphany:
"Wrong! It can!" He whirled to Ye Fan, respect dawning. "The Yuan-Dispelling Hand Seal—! Only it can draw the death-qi without contact! Brother Ye… you are transcendent!"
Qian Hong remained baffled: "What is the Yuan-Dispelling Hand Seal?"
Ding Chunqiu explained rapidly, awe in his tone:
"A technique only Third-Rank Alchemists grasp! And only with a rare Spirit Vein Affinity! Its power? Extracting essence from materials… without physical touch!"
He then turned back to Ye Fan, brow furrowed:
"But Brother Ye… what is a Living Water Snake Gallbladder? The Living Water Snake—yes. Translucent as flowing water. Stone-like eyes. Grows to ten meters. But…" He spread his hands. "Dissected specimens reveal no gallbladder! Just water… and eyes. It has no solid form!"
Silence.
Then—Beigong Qingtian's voice cut through, electrified:
"It DOES have one!"
All heads snapped to him. He continued, voice trembling with revelation:
"An ancient text I once found… On nights of the full moon, the Living Water Snake absorbs lunar essence. Within its watery core… a gallbladder condenses!"
His gaze locked onto Ye Fan, filled with stunned reverence:
"But it vanishes… within minutes. Brother Ye… you know even this?"