Chapter Twenty-Six: Insights Amidst Battle!

“Buzz!”
Li Yang swung his palms, stirring up sharp, piercing winds as he launched relentless attacks toward Yang Yan.
Earth-element spiritual power, though lacking the razor-sharp, unstoppable momentum of metal-element power, excelled in its solidity, endurance, and balance between offense and defense. Compared to Wu Fenghao, Li Yang might not match his speed, but every move he made seemed to reserve endless follow-ups; his feet rooted like ancient trees, allowing him to switch instantly between offense and defense, making him nearly invincible.
Li Yang’s palms danced with the wind, covered in earthen yellow spiritual energy. Each strike carried terrifying force—if even a peak Body Tempering cultivator were grazed, they would suffer severe injury and defeat.
From their seats, the crowd watched as Yang Yan remained on the defensive, dodging and parrying, and sighed quietly, as if already foreseeing his tragic end. Those families and factions hostile to the Zhang family, on the other hand, were elated, delighted to witness such a spectacle.
Zhang Tai observed Yang Yan on the stage, dodging left and right, surviving each attack by a hair’s breadth. It seemed he could only defend, unable to counter, his situation perilous. At the far end of the Zhang family’s seats, Zi Ling stared unblinkingly at Yang Yan, her hands nervously kneading at her chest, her delicate face filled with worry and anxiety...
“Is dodging all you can do?”
On the stage, Li Yang halted, glaring angrily at Yang Yan, his voice cold.
He had believed his uninterrupted barrage would crush Yang Yan effortlessly, yet no matter how he struck—chopping, stabbing, slapping, slashing—his arms spinning like windmills, he had not even touched Yang Yan’s sleeves!
So much time had passed, and yet he, a cultivator of the second stage of Spiritual Sensing, could not defeat this Body Tempering ‘waste.’ Humiliation and anger surged within him.
Yet Yang Yan, faced with Li Yang’s furious question, acted as if he hadn’t heard, resting his chin on one hand and staring intently at the ground, not sparing Li Yang a single glance!
Seeing Yang Yan so distracted in battle against a stronger opponent, the crowd erupted in disbelief—had the third young master of the Zhang family truly been frightened senseless?
“You’re courting death!”
Seeing Yang Yan ignore him, Li Yang’s fury soared. He shouted, no longer holding back his spiritual power, channeling it all into his palms. The earthen yellow energy thickened, extending forward as if lengthening his hands. Now, dodging his attacks would not be so easy for Yang Yan!
Veins bulged on Li Yang’s forehead, his face flushed with rage, and he charged at Yang Yan with a thunderous roar!

At that moment, Yang Yan seemed to awaken from a dream. As he came to his senses, he saw Li Yang lunging at him, ferocious, the earthen yellow spiritual power extending from his fingertips like a sword, stabbing toward his chest!
“Yes, a sword, exactly a sword!”
A revelation struck Yang Yan, flooding him with clarity. He couldn’t help but cry out, feeling exhilarated.
Just now, facing Li Yang’s storm-like assault, Yang Yan had felt an uncanny sense of familiarity. Even before the attacks reached him, he could discern every move—chops, stabs, slaps—dodging them with ease, as if his body responded instinctively.
Yang Yan had pondered the source of this familiar feeling. Only when his absentmindedness enraged Li Yang, provoking a full-force attack, did he suddenly understand, as though entering a mysterious state.
All paths lead to the same truth; every move is no exception. Whether Li Yang’s palm strikes or the spiritual energy extending from his fingers, all were variations of ‘the sword.’ Even the myriad weapons of the world—saber, spear, halberd, axe, hook, fork—each attack could be traced back to the sword. The existence of these weapons merely emphasized specific methods of attack.
Thus, by comprehending swordsmanship, one could see through all forms of attack and become truly undefeated!
No one could have imagined that now, at only fourteen years old, Yang Yan had begun to glimpse the pinnacle of the sword’s path!
On the stage, Li Yang’s wild, relentless attacks seemed to Yang Yan like a trapped beast in a cage—no matter how it roared and clawed, it could not harm him.
Yang Yan’s mind was clear, his heart at ease. His feet moved nimbly, like a lone skiff amidst raging waves—danger seemed imminent, yet he never faltered!
“Ah!”
Li Yang’s rage burned like wildfire. Yang Yan’s calm and carefree attitude shattered the last remnants of his reason. With a furious roar, he channeled all his spiritual energy into his palms. As he swung, his earthen yellow spiritual energy hand-blades struck the hard white jade stage, sending sparks flying!
Li Yang had lost all reason, attacking like a madman, each move reckless and destructive, as if intent on tearing Yang Yan apart!
The crowd was in an uproar. Zi Ling trembled, her heart rising and falling with Yang Yan’s agile dodges, tears glimmering in her eyes. Zhang Tai stared intently at the stage, his face grim as water, fists slowly tightening within his sleeves.
“If anything happens to Yan’er, the Li family will have no place in Jinhuan City.”

Faced with Li Yang’s beast-like fury, attacking madly, Yang Yan’s heart steeled, his expression cold.
“This man clearly wants my life! If so, he cannot blame me for what comes next!”
With this thought, Yang Yan finally held nothing back. His ‘Qi Sea’ spun rapidly, spiritual power rushing through his meridians into his right fist, which he swung fiercely at Li Yang’s wrist!
At this moment, Li Yang’s palm was transformed into a blade, slashing down at Yang Yan, his wrist the weak point!
“Is he insane?! He’s trying to counter Li Yang’s attack head-on!”
“Though he’s not facing the brunt, with just Body Tempering strength, how can he withstand such force?”
Several cultivators in the audience saw Yang Yan’s intent and were astonished by his boldness!
“Bang!”
At last, under everyone’s gaze, Yang Yan’s fist struck Li Yang’s wrist, covered in earthen yellow spiritual energy. Yet, contrary to everyone’s expectations, Yang Yan did not retreat a single step. Instead, Li Yang’s arm was thrown back, leaving his defenses wide open!
“How is this possible?! With only Body Tempering strength, this should be impossible!”
“Look! His fist is... infused with water-element spiritual power!”