Chapter 33: Zhao Yu’s Strength As Lin Jie’s blade, imbued with ten percent of Blade Intent, came crashing down with overwhelming force… Zhao Yu’s expression changed drastically. Lin Jie was the top inner disciple of Baiyang Sect. His strength was far beyond what someone like Fang Xu could compare to! The Blade Intent that Lin Jie had mastered was terrifyingly explosive in power! Even Zhao Yu dared not receive it lightly! His eyes narrowed. Instantly, his true energy surged within. If the situation turned dire, he wouldn’t just stand by and watch. Fresh chapters posted on n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net Seeing Lin Jie strike without hesitation, Gu Yang’s eyes narrowed slightly. He took a deep breath. In the next moment, golden light erupted from his body, enveloping him completely. Then, Gu Yang threw a punch directly forward! He didn’t hold back—his punch carried twenty percent of Fist Intent. In the sky, Gu Yang’s fist collided violently with the long blade. A terrifying shockwave burst outward. The air rang with the clear chime of metal clashing against metal. Countless onlookers stared in astonishment. Just how hard is Gu Yang’s fist…? The fierce impact exploded outward, sweeping away all the dust around them. Even the waters of the spiritual spring nearby churned wildly. Everyone present stood dumbfounded at the sight. The scene they had expected—Gu Yang being utterly crushed—had not appeared. He stood like a rock, unmoved from where he was. And Lin Jie’s strike, empowered by ten percent Blade Intent… Was forcibly blocked by Gu Yang! Both of them took two steps back at the same time. Gu Yang’s expression became serious. I have to admit, this Lin Jie truly lives up to his title as Baiyang Sect’s top inner disciple. His strength is incredibly formidable. He subtly shook off the numbness in his fist. If I didn’t have twenty percent Fist Intent… I probably wouldn’t have been able to block that strike at all! Even with twenty percent, defending against it wasn’t easy. Lin Jie, on the other hand, looked utterly shocked. His strike had actually been blocked by Gu Yang! Is this really how strong he is?! But a stalemate wasn’t what he wanted. His goal was to suppress Gu Yang! Otherwise, with Gu Yang defeating Fang Xu earlier, Baiyang Sect would be on the back foot. If he couldn’t suppress Gu Yang now… Then Baiyang Sect might really lose their chance in this Spiritual Spring battle! With that in mind, his gaze turned fierce. He raised his saber again, preparing to strike once more. But before he could act… “Lin Jie, it seems you’re not putting me in your eyes at all.” Just as Lin Jie was about to move— A terrifying aura erupted from Zhao Yu’s body. He stepped directly in front of Lin Jie. Wielding a refined steel longsword, his gaze toward Lin Jie was razor-sharp. “Your Baiyang Sect has already lost. This place now belongs to us.” Zhao Yu spoke calmly. Hearing this, Lin Jie clenched his teeth. “We haven’t even fought yet, and you’re so confident you’ll win?” As he spoke, Lin Jie’s aura grew even more intense. Peak of Qi Gathering Stage, Tenth Layer! He was just one step away from the Condensation Realm! “Hmph. Then let’s fight!” Zhao Yu didn’t bother arguing. With sword in hand, he attacked directly. Seeing this, Lin Jie didn’t hesitate either—he swung his saber fiercely. The two clashed in a violent battle. In terms of cultivation, they were evenly matched. But in terms of actual combat… Lin Jie was clearly inferior to Zhao Yu. And not just in raw true energy. There were gaps in techniques, martial skills… everything! Even Lin Jie’s proud ten percent Blade Intent… Couldn’t compete with Zhao Yu’s ten percent Sword Intent! As the fierce battle raged on… Zhao Yu gradually overwhelmed Lin Jie. He couldn’t catch his breath, forced into constant retreat! Seeing this, the disciples of Baiyang Sect began to panic. This wasn’t looking good for them at all. But just as they were worrying, Gu Yang entered the fray. He charged in directly. Then threw a punch at the already-overwhelmed Lin Jie. Panicked, Lin Jie tried to block— But he was knocked back several steps, face pale. Zhao Yu also looked a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected Gu Yang to act so suddenly. But that was fine too. They couldn’t kill Lin Jie anyway. The main goal now was to drive him away— And take control of this place. So teaming up wasn’t a problem. Lin Jie’s face turned ashen. Absolutely shameless! “You leaving or not?” Gu Yang asked rudely. As he spoke, he raised his fist again. BOOM! — Twenty percent Fist Intent surged forth! The punch was coming straight down! Seeing this, Lin Jie didn’t dare take the hit again. He kicked off the ground, launching himself far away— Putting distance between them. “Zhao Yu, Gu Yang—just you wait!” He spat out the threat— Then fled the valley without hesitation. Seeing this, Fang Xu and the others were stunned. Then quickly followed. Their leader had been beaten back—if they stuck around, they were courting death. Watching the disciples of Baiyang Sect flee in disgrace… The nearby disciples of Liuyun Sect felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction! Of course, things weren’t over yet. Zhao Yu turned to look at Gu Yang. A faint battle intent flashed in his eyes. “Gu Yang, I heard that a Heaven-Earth Spirit Flower was born here?” Hearing that, Gu Yang raised an eyebrow. “That’s right. Why? You want it?” “A treasure like that—everyone wants it. I’m no exception.” Zhao Yu nodded, admitting it openly. “How about this—we spar. If you win, the Spirit Flower is yours. And I’ll even give you a top-tier Mystic Grade martial skill.” “But if you lose, the Spirit Flower goes to me. Deal?” Heaven-Earth Spirit Flowers were incredibly rare. Even to Zhao Yu, it was a treasure that couldn’t be missed. Of course, Zhao Yu was an upright person. He wouldn’t take it by force. He wanted everything to be justified. So he proposed a fair contest. Hearing this, Gu Yang looked at Zhao Yu in surprise. Wait, I can get a top-tier Mystic martial art just for winning…? After all, his trip through the secret realm had made one thing clear: his own techniques and martial skills were far too low-level. Even with strong Intent, he couldn’t gain much of an advantage. Gu Yang agreed readily. “Alright. In that case… I won’t hold back!” “Watch yourself—here comes my sword!” Zhao Yu cupped his hand slightly toward Gu Yang— Then his gaze turned razor-sharp. The refined steel longsword in his hand thrust forward. Facing Zhao Yu, Gu Yang didn’t use Diamond Fist again. Instead, he drew a low-grade spirit sword from his waist. And swung it forward as well. Their swords collided in midair. Metal clashed against metal, sparks flying everywhere! Zhao Yu’s mastery over swordsmanship ran extremely deep. More importantly, the sword technique he used was at least a top-tier Mystic Grade! Meanwhile, Gu Yang’s Wind and Cloud Sword Technique was only low-tier Mystic Grade. They weren’t even on the same level. So as the fight grew more intense… When Zhao Yu unleashed Sword Intent— Gu Yang’s pressure skyrocketed. Even when he responded with twenty percent Sword Intent… He was still suppressed by Zhao Yu’s sharp sword strikes! There was no doubt—Zhao Yu was worthy of being the number one genius of Liuyun Sect. His strength was truly elite. Everyone agreed on that! With a perfected top-tier Mystic sword art, ten percent Sword Intent, and peak Qi Gathering Stage cultivation… All of it combined, even Gu Yang was struggling to keep up. He wasn’t willing to just hand over the Heaven-Earth Spirit Flower. As he teetered on the edge of defeat, Gu Yang’s eyes flashed with sharp determination.