บท 66: It's True, Heavenly Sword Sect Has Many Talents

In the waiting area, two elders from the respective sects stood side by side. These two were responsible for overseeing this challenge.

Elder Zhou from the Dalu Sect wore a faint smile on his face as he leisurely said, "Indeed, your sect has a wealth of talents. The chief disciple, who is just an ordinary inner disciple of our sect, can engage in such a difficult and evenly matched battle with your core disciples. Truly, your sect possesses top-tier talents!"

"Congratulations on that!"

Elder Zhou's seemingly complimentary words carried a touch of sarcasm, leaving Elder Qin from the Heavenly Sword Sect's face alternating between pale and flushed.

In reality, before the challenge began, Elder Zhou didn't have high hopes. After all, in his view, a difference in realms couldn't be easily bridged by any means.

While there were prodigies capable of challenging opponents from higher realms, they were at most peak talents in the True Qi Realm defeating newly advanced innate realm mediocrities.

To defeat the chief disciple of the Dalu Sect, who was a core disciple, one would need at least the strength of the peak innate realm to have a slim chance.

So, when Jiang Heng stepped onto the stage, Elder Zhou had been on edge, ready to step in at any moment.

However, to his surprise, Jiang Heng not only didn't lose but easily overpowered two core disciples from the Heavenly Sword Sect. Even in the current duel against the chief disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect, he held a significant advantage, rendering his opponent helpless and unable to engage in a direct confrontation.

Such strength made even Elder Zhou, as a core disciple of the sect, look up to him.

No wonder he had been accepted as a disciple by the sect's master Bai Haocang, who was also a peerless genius.

Thinking this, he cast a slightly smug glance at Elder Qin from the Heavenly Sword Sect.

At this moment, Elder Qin could only watch the battle on the arena with a grim face, pretending not to hear the other's words.

The failure of the first two core disciples had already left him feeling heavy-hearted. Now, the situation on the stage, which seemed evenly matched, sank his heart to the lowest depths.

Experienced in countless battles, Elder Qin could naturally see Wu Mingxuan's passiveness. Entrapped by Jiang Heng's mysterious techniques, Wu Mingxuan dared not confront the enemy head-on, only resorting to constant evasion and attacks.

But with the opponent's formidable physique defense, even if he managed to land one or two hits, it might not be enough to overcome him.

Moreover, with the opponent's speed not inferior to Wu Mingxuan's, combined with those enigmatic attack techniques...

If Wu Mingxuan made any mistakes, he would be defeated instantly.

"Haha! Is Heavenly Sword Sect's trash only good at hiding?"

On the arena, Jiang Heng suddenly burst into laughter.

He stomped forcefully on the ground.

The entire arena quaked in an instant. Cracks spread rapidly like a spider's web, centered around Jiang Heng. Thick stone slabs lifted up in chunks.

Wu Mingxuan, who was desperately evading, experienced a momentary delay in his movements.

"This is bad!"

His expression changed.

As expected, Jiang Heng's figure moved instantly, closing in on his side.

A thunderous punch was unleashed!

Their distance was already short, and with the previous momentary delay, Wu Mingxuan had no time to evade.

"Very well! Let me witness your techniques!"

Wu Mingxuan focused his mind as true qi circulated on his long sword.

In the proficient level of Earth-grade martial arts, the Tiangang Sword was executed with full force, compressing layer after layer of pure red true qi, completely enveloping the long sword.

"I don't believe I can't kill you!"

Facing the incoming fist, a sword suddenly struck down.

In an instant, waves of qi surged, and invisible shockwaves scattered wildly.

The ground beneath the two cracked once again.

Wu Mingxuan was shocked and surprised.

He was shocked that Jiang Heng's fist collided head-on with his full-force sword strike and remained completely undamaged.

He was pleasantly surprised that he didn't feel the numbness in his body as he did with his two junior brothers before.

In other words, the refined true qi from the **Tiangang Sword** exceeded the level of Jiang Heng's strength that his attack could penetrate.

This way, he didn't need to fear a direct confrontation with the opponent.

However, with the opponent's terrifying defensive ability, his attacks were completely ineffective.

"No, it's not definite; it might be a special secret technique that makes his fist as hard as a treasure, allowing it to contend with my top-grade magic weapon."

"Maybe other parts of his body are still the same as a normal martial artist of the same level."

"There's still a chance!"

Wu Mingxuan finally saw a glimmer of hope.

"Alright, let's prepare for the second phase of the battle!"

He smirked, regaining his confidence.

At this moment, Jiang Heng's calm voice entered his ears.

"Well done! To actually withstand 80% of my strength with a single punch."

"What!"

Wu Mingxuan trembled all over.

But Jiang Heng just slightly raised the corner of his mouth, seizing this opportunity and struck again with all his might.

The so-called 80% strength was, of course, just a bluff to demoralize the opponent, creating psychological pressure.

Unexpectedly, the effect turned out better than expected.

This sentence momentarily distracted Wu Mingxuan.

Faced with Jiang Heng's punch coming at him again, he could only hastily raise his sword.

*Clang!*

The long sword flew out of his hand.

Jiang Heng didn't stop for a moment; he grabbed Wu Mingxuan's arm and smashed his right fist down.

A step can make a thousand-mile difference.

Wu Mingxuan looked terrified and was about to admit defeat, but Jiang Heng didn't give him the chance to speak. A fist struck his face.

His nose instantly flattened, and a tremendous force surged into every part of his body.

Even though Wu Mingxuan instinctively used his true qi to protect himself, he was still injured under the weighty blow.

What frightened him even more was that Jiang Heng didn't stop at all. His right fist became like a pile driver, and in the blink of an eye, he delivered seven consecutive punches to Wu Mingxuan's face, throat, and chest.

Each punch was given with all his strength, each as fast as lightning.

In fact, by the time the third punch landed, Wu Mingxuan had already lost consciousness and couldn't muster the strength to protect himself.

By the fourth punch, Wu Mingxuan was completely dead.

After seven punches, Wu Mingxuan's internal organs had turned into mush, mixed with the similarly mangled flesh and blood tissues.

His external appearance was even worse, a mess of blood and flesh.

His chest had caved in significantly, almost forming a hole the size of a bowl.

"Stop!"

Elder Qin, who was overseeing the duel, shouted in shock and anger.

In the previous two fights, after defeating his opponents, Jiang Heng had stopped decisively.

So, he didn't expect that after defeating Wu Mingxuan, Jiang Heng would suddenly turn so ruthless.

His actions were so swift that even Elder Qin couldn't react in time.

As a result, the chief core disciple of the Tiangang Sect had tragically died before his eyes!

"Such audacity!"

Elder Qin moved swiftly, turning into a black shadow and leaping onto the platform.

Elder Zhou, who was nearby, also reacted quickly and joined Jiang Heng, guarding him. He looked at Elder Qin, who was brimming with murderous intent, and coldly said:

"In a gambling challenge, life and death are in the hands of fate. Elder Qin, are you trying to avenge your disciple?"

"In the name of our holy land, do not bring trouble upon the Tiangang Sect!"

Elder Qin, recovering from his shock and anger, took a deep breath and spoke indifferently:

"What a talented young man!"

"Jiang Heng, you act so arrogantly and ruthlessly, but little do you know that there are always people better than you, greater talents beyond your imagination. Someday, you will die at the hands of a genius stronger than you."

As Elder Zhou said, the holy sect controlled the rules of the world.

Not to mention him, even the sect master wouldn't dare to openly attack Jiang Heng in such a formal challenge.