Chapter Sixteen: The Power of a Spirit-Communing Master!

"Yan, are you all right?"

A slightly gaunt middle-aged man, dressed plainly like a scholar, stood there. Yet, among everyone present, not a single soul dared to look down on him.

His hand, gripping Xu Shaoguang's wrist, trembled almost imperceptibly. In the next instant, to the crowd’s shock, the terrifying fire elemental energy condensed around Xu Shaoguang's fist was shattered into nothingness, dissolving into a rippling wave of heat that swept outward.

The onlookers were thrown off balance by the blast, stumbling awkwardly before finally regaining their footing. Someone among the gathering cried out in astonishment.

"Is that... the Zhang family’s patriarch, Zhang Tai?"

"Zhang Tai actually came for that young man! I think I just heard him call Zhang Tai 'father'? So that means..."

"That’s right, I heard it too. He must be the Zhang family's third son!"

"But everyone in Jinhua City knows that the third young master of the Zhang family, due to his constitution, is unable to sense the world’s spiritual energy. If that boy is really him, how could he possibly have defeated Xu family's second young master, a cultivator at the Spirit Sensing stage?"

The crowd buzzed with speculation and doubt, but with Zhang Tai present, none dared speak openly. They could only whisper in clusters, their voices low.

"Father, I’m fine!" Yang Yan replied, joy mingled with a hint of unease in his heart.

He wondered, "Did Father notice me channeling spiritual power into my right fist just now...?"

But his concern was unfounded. First, Zhang Tai, in his urgency to save his son, had no attention to spare for Yang Yan’s hands. Second, Yang Yan’s current strength was only at the first layer of the Spirit Sensing stage—his spiritual power was faint, and water spiritual energy itself was nearly transparent. Thus, no one present noticed that Yang Yan had already cultivated spiritual power.

"It’s good that you’re unharmed. Let’s go," Zhang Tai said, smiling as he patted Yang Yan’s shoulder. His gaze then shifted toward Ziling, but she turned her head away, avoiding his eyes. She stepped forward, took Yang Yan’s arm, and said nothing more.

A trace of disappointment flickered in Zhang Tai’s eyes. He shook his head with a quiet sigh and took the lead, walking ahead.

Yang Yan’s heart ached just a little at the scene. Ziling, outwardly carefree and indifferent, actually carried a deep-seated grievance. His father had never openly acknowledged his relationship with her mother, and despite Zhang Tai’s careful attentiveness, the rift had only slightly eased over the years. She still had never called Zhang Tai "Father."

Both of them were the most important people in Yang Yan’s life. Caught in the middle, he could not say who was right or wrong—only time could heal the estrangement between father and daughter.

Suddenly, as Yang Yan was lost in thought, a cold, harsh voice rang out from behind, low but cutting through his mind like a clap of thunder. He turned, startled, feeling a searing, molten wind lash at his skin as a massive crimson flame-marked hand descended from above, carrying a torrent of heat.

"Blazing Ash Palm!"

The shout was laced with overwhelming fire elemental power, as if it came from the very heavens. For a moment, Yang Yan felt the spiritual power in his own core quail, unable to be summoned at all, as if a mouse had encountered a cat.

"So... this is the power of a Spirit Communion stage expert?"

Yang Yan was certain—such terrifying force was far beyond the reach of any Spirit Sensing cultivator. It was absolute suppression; even a peak ninth-layer Spirit Sensing master could only face one end: death.

"Destructive Seal!"

In a daze, Yang Yan saw a pale green energy handprint appear, at first only palm-sized, then spinning and expanding rapidly in the air. Cool, vibrant wood elemental energy radiated from it, like spring bursting from every bough in March, or the deep, refreshing waves of a blue-green sea. The oppressive heat was instantly swept away.

With a thunderous crash, the pale green handprint collided with the fiery palm mid-air, the impact echoing like dragon’s roar. The crowd screamed and scattered.

As the dust settled, Yang Yan’s gaze sharpened. Two yards ahead stood a burly man, arms crossed, with a thick beard, broad nose, and fleshy face marked by a scar slashing from bridge of nose to chin—a fearsome sight.

"Father!" Xu Shaoguang, who had been sprawled on the ground, finally regained his senses. Zhang Tai’s arrival earlier had stunned him to the core; he knew that if Zhang Tai wished to kill him, it would be as easy as crushing an ant.

"Hmph! I don’t have such a useless son! To need spiritual power to deal with a good-for-nothing who can't even cultivate—you’ve disgraced the entire Xu family!"

The burly man’s glare made Xu Shaoguang wilt instantly.

"Xu Tianlong, must you make insinuations and use the younger generation to air your grievances? If you’re not convinced, draw a line and I, Zhang Tai, will meet you head-on!"

Xu Tianlong’s words, though seemingly a rebuke to his own son, were in fact a cutting mockery of Yang Yan’s inability to cultivate.

Ever since Xu Tianlong had attacked Yang Yan, Zhang Tai had been furious. Now, hearing his shameless jibes, his anger only burned hotter.

Xu Tianlong was briefly startled. He had long heard that Zhang Tai doted on this adopted wastrel of a son even more than his own blood. Seeing it now, it was even more so than rumor suggested.

Moreover, though their martial techniques collided with seeming parity, Xu Tianlong knew in his heart that Zhang Tai was stronger. Among the five elements, Wood feeds Fire, yet Zhang Tai had used his abundant wood spiritual power to neutralize and overpower Xu Tianlong’s fire, showing that Zhang Tai’s spiritual power was far superior.

"I thought that having just broken through to the fourth layer of the Spirit Communion stage, I could finally match him. But it seems he’s advanced as well. I’d best join forces with the Sun family soon..." Xu Tianlong calculated inwardly, though his face betrayed nothing. He forced a laugh.

"No need for anger, Patriarch Zhang. The grudges between the young ones should be settled by them. The Clan Martial Meet is coming soon—just give him a spot on your team, and let’s see what happens! Hahaha!"

Laughing loudly, Xu Tianlong ignored Zhang Tai’s dark expression and strode away with Xu Shaoguang.