Xiao Wuchen moved with eerie speed, combining the ethereal quality of his internal energy technique, 'Purple Qi Comes from the East', with the subtle, yin-like nature of the Rootless Sect's martial arts. Like the morning mist, he was both unpredictable and silent.
Gu Qingfeng's eyelids twitched violently and his heart filled with terror. He knew that Xiao's high ranking on the Human Ranking was no fluke, but it was only when he saw him in person that he truly understood the intangible pressure.
"Evil demons, behold my righteous energy!"
Gu Qingfeng abandoned his offensive strategy, completely withdrawing his sword energy and focusing solely on defence. His longsword instantly danced in an arc, the shadows forming a dense, impenetrable shield of righteous energy.This was the Supremely Strong Defensive Sword Technique of the Haoran Sword Sect. Any evil energy that attempted to approach would be shredded by the sword energy. Xiao Wuchen sneered. Although his [Purple Qi Brushing Willow] was subtle and unpredictable, he knew that to truly break through this supremely strong defence, he had to find a gap. Instead of approaching, he used the two Judge's Pens as true 'hidden weapons'. "Go!" The Judge's Pens, imbued with purple internal energy, flew out of his hand. They weren't fast; in fact, they seemed slow and light, but this was precisely the most terrifying aspect of the Purple Qi Brushing Willow technique. They traced two unpredictable arcs through the air, like two butterflies gently approaching Gu Qingfeng's sword circle. 'With this speed, do you think you can break my defence?' Gu Qingfeng thought disdainfully, the tip of his sword twitching as if about to knock them away. However, just as the Judge's Pens were about to touch the sword circle, Xiao Wuchen suddenly unleashed his internal energy! A subtle shift — a miraculous escape! The two Judge's Pens seemed to be drawn by an invisible hand, tracing a physically defying 'S'-shaped turn in the air! Gu Qingfeng's world seemed to freeze. The hidden weapon, which had been aimed straight for the centre of the sword circle, bypassed the extremely hard area covered by his sword technique. It moved like willow branches brushing the surface of water, lightly shooting towards his Jiquan acupoint under his armpit and Dai Mai acupoint at his waist. These two acupoints were weak nodes where his internal energy was converted when he used the 'Righteous Qi Shield'. Xiao Wuchen had transformed the fierce internal energy of the Purple Qi into flexible, freely changeable hidden weapon force. Gu Qingfeng was utterly horrified; he couldn't imagine that such a subtle and unpredictable hidden weapon technique existed in the world. 'Break!' At the critical moment, when life and death hung in the balance, Gu Qingfeng roared, forcing an abrupt end to his 'Righteous Qi Shield' sword technique. He channelled all his inner strength into the sword, using a self-destructive method to parry the attack. When the Judge's Pen struck the sword, instead of the expected loud noise, two sticky, intertwined forces were transmitted. Like countless tiny threads, this force instantly pierced through Gu Qingfeng's protective inner strength and penetrated his meridians. Gu Qingfeng groaned, feeling his righteous energy obstructed and his chest tighten. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. Although he had blocked the Judge's weapon, he had already sustained internal injuries. The debate between good and evil: Xiao Wuchen reappeared, standing less than three feet from Gu Qingfeng with the Judge's Pen pressed against his throat and his purple inner strength fluctuating wildly. 'Young Master Gu, your righteousness is strong, but too rigid. The way of the martial world is like water: both strong and gentle. Only then can it endure. Your Haoran Sword Sect regards the Rootless Sect as the demonic path. Have you ever considered that your righteousness is also stifling the vitality of martial arts?" Gu Qingfeng's face was pale due to his internal injuries and the shock of Xiao Wuchen's martial arts prowess. He gripped his longsword tightly and spoke with difficulty: 'Your martial arts are subtle and unpredictable, following the heretical path!' Xiao Wuchen smiled contemptuously and twisted his wrist slightly. 'Heretical path? I use pure internal energy combined with hidden weapon techniques to create a completely new martial art. Isn't that more important than your Haoran Sword Technique, which hasn't changed for a hundred years?" He lightly flicked his judge's pen, completely dispersing Gu Qingfeng's sword energy. 'Go back and tell your master, Li Mubai, that... The Rootless Sect is not something that your Haoran Sword Sect can simply wipe out." "You'll have to get used to seeing Xiao Wuchen's name on the Ranking of Men sooner or later." With that, he withdrew his judge's pen and flicked his sleeve. Purple internal energy propelled Gu Qingfeng backwards, slamming him down beside his two younger brothers, who had already been overpowered by disciples of the Rootless Sect. 'Go back.' Gu Qingfeng retreated in a sorry state — the Haoran Sword Sect's first purge had ended in failure. Next, Xiao Wuchen would face even greater attention and challenges in the martial world, and he still had many more martial arts techniques to master.