Lei XinYi publically challenged Xiao Fang to a fight, and the young disciples became dumbstruck.

“Is this a joke? Why is big sister XinYi challenging a blind man?”.

“To be challenged by a core court disciple, whoever he is, he must not be ordinary”.

Many of the first year disciples had not yet learned about Xiao Fang. They looked down on him because they thought he was just an ordinary cripple. A few disciples, however, gave him a benefit of the doubt. 

This was one of the top sects in the 13 provinces, not just anyone could past through their gates.

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“Do you accept my challenge or not?”, XinYi asked with an innocent smile.

Xiao Fang had been silent for just a few moments, but the disciples were already whispering about him.

The Elder knew about Xiao Fang and XinYi’s relationship. Seeing Xiao Fang hesitate to accept her request he assumed he must’ve been put in an difficult situation, so he tried to save him face.

“Perhaps this can wait until after the-“, the Elder paused when he saw Xiao Fang approaching the stage. 

The Elder sighed lightly. He knew the type of person Xiao Fang was. He should have known that he wouldn’t have pass up a challenge like this so easily.

“Very well, I will oversee this battle”, the Elder said before stepping off the stage.

Xiao Fang slowly approached the stage with his walking stick in hand, tapping the ground infront of him as he walked. Despite being fairly built, he still gave off the impression of being a helpless blind man.

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“How can this be called a fair fight, what could we possibly learn from their exchange?”, the disciples complained.

“Don’t be fooled. If he’s in this sect, surely, he must have some sort of ability”.

“You must be as blind as him if you think he stands a chance of winning against her. My money is on big sister XinYi”.

The disciples discussed amongst themselves as Xiao Fang walked up to the stage.

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“Drop the act already. You’re making me look bad”, XinYi said.

“What act? Am I not blind?”, Xiao Fang feigned ignorance.

However, before anyone could even react XinYi had already appeared infront of Xiao Fang attacking him with all her strength.

Tzzzzz~

Raising his walking stick, sparks flew as Xiao Fang blocked her sword with his scabbard. 

[ The battle had abruptly begun ]

Disappointed with the result of her first attack, XinYi struck twice more before her feet could even touch the ground, but still he was able to block them without moving from where he stood.

*Boom* 

The moment her foot touched the ground, Xiao Fang had kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying back several feet away.

However, just before his kick had landed, she had hardened her core to reduce the damage she would take from it, but it also created a sound effect that resembled a hammer hitting a thick brick wall.

She placed a hand on her stomach as she stared at Xiao Fang suspectingly. 

Although his kick could easily cripple someone in the body strengthening realm, she was now in the Solid body realm, so she should have been able to brush it off as if it were nothing, but somehow it actually hurt her. 

It was in that moment that she suspected he was hiding his cultivation from her.

‘If he thinks he can hide his cultivation from me, he has another thing coming’, she thought with determination now brewing in her eyes.

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The disciples were all stupefied. XinYi’s vicious attacks were way too sudden, but Xiao Fang still managed to block them with ease while delivering a counterattack at the same time.

No one believed he was just an ordinary blind young man anymore.

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Xiao Fang was impressed by her attacks, she was far quicker than the last time he saw her, she was even a bit faster than he was now. However, after practicing with her for so long he was able to read her like a book. She was predictable, that’s why his blocks seemed effortless.

She began attacking Xiao Fang again, but this time she was a lot faster than she was before. 

Xiao Fang was now frowning. He was doing well to fend off her attacks, but he didn’t think he could keep it up for long. 

His scabbard finally clicked, revealing the incomparably sharp blade within. The sight of it in his hands sent chills down everyone’s backs, but she didn’t let it scare her. 

She continued her relentless attacks, but this time when her sword made contact with his, it made her hands feel numb, and her sword nearly shattered. 

It was as if she had struck an iron wall with a small stick. If her sword was to collide with his again it may very well break her sword.

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Xiao Fang’s grandmother was watching the battle from afar.

She clicked her tongue when she saw Xiao Fang nearly break her disciple’s sword.

‘Damn that brat, whose sword does he think he’s breaking. I can’t believe he mastered the Iron cutting Iron so quickly’, she thought. 

If his opponent was someone else she would’ve been proud of him, but that was her disciple he was going up against.

Thinking about it for a moment, she eventually decided to send XinYi a message via spirit transmission.

Very few people knew about spirit transmissions in this country, much less knew how to use it, but she had seen the outside world. There was so much out there the people of this land didn’t know about.

“Use that technique I taught you”, she told XinYi.

XinYi’s brows wrinkled, she didn’t want to use her master’s technique so soon, the fight had just begun.

‘I refuse to believe Xiao Fang could get so strong in such a short amount of time’, XinYi thought.

Reluctant to resort to her master’s technique, she attacked Xiao Fang moving as fast as she could, avoiding his blade, while looking for an opening.

Xiao Fang was a master swordsman that had a 360° field of view blindfolded, finding an opening on an opponent like him would be a near impossible task.

Sword technique after sword technique, Xiao Fang’s defended and attacked against everything she threw at him. 

In all the time he had been away, the only technique she had trained was the very technique she was hesitant to use. 

By not using that technique, Xiao Fang was practically fighting against her old self that he had defeated an innumerable amount of times before. The only difference now was that she was faster and stronger. 

She assumed her dramatic increase in strength and speed would be enough to over power him this time, but it turned out he was hiding his cultivation from her all along.

She was eventually starting to slow down, He already knew all her tricks. This was a hopeless fight and she knew it, not unless she used her master’s (Xiao Fang’s grandmother’s) technique.

She didn’t want to reveal her trump card to Xiao Fang so soon, especially before she could even master it, but it seemed like she had no choice. 

She stuck her sword down into the ground then took a few breaths to fix her state of mind. 

When she was done, Xiao Fang could tell something was different about her. Her eyes were cold and condescending. She looked as if she was preparing to crush an ant.

Finally she dashed at Xiao Fang, extending her arm out towards him as if it were a blade.

Not sure what she was planning, Xiao Fang used the dull side of his blade to strike at her, but it cut right through her.

“An afterimage?”

“No, there was something off about it”

The crowd of disciples discussed excitedly . Xiao Fang was momentarily confused because he thought he hit her, but he could feel no impact to his sword.

In that moment of confusion she had already escaped Xiao Fang’s field of view. He could sense her presence but could not see or hear her with his ears. 

‘So you’re finally using that technique’, he thought. 

It was the same technique his grandmother often used on him to discipline him when he was younger, he often tried to fight against it, but had never succeeded. 

But who was Xiao Fang? He was not going to allow her to bully him in front of so many people, not without a price. If she wished to defeat him, he was ready to make her pay for it.

He placed his sword back into his scabbard, but he left his hand on its handle. He struck a pose that gave him the impression of a crouching tiger ready to strike at any moment. 

Suddenly, a chill descended onto the stage. Body cultivators didn’t get cold very easily, but this was a chill that could be felt in the soul, making anyone that was close to him become wary. The disciples closest to the stage subconsciously took several steps back.

The ground was covered with a very thin layer of mist, but to swordsmen, they knew that to be the manifestation of extremely dense sword qi. 

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‘Has Xiao Fang already broken through to the Solid Body realm?’, the Elder thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Xiao Fang’s grandmother’s frowned. She could see through Xiao Fang’s cultivation. Though he was in the Solid body realm, his sword cultivation method had not caught up to it yet (9th stage of the Body Refinement Realm).

‘Damn that arrogant boy, is his pride really worth the risk’.

The technique he was trying to use required him to be at least in the Solid Body realm in terms of his sword cultivation method. He was practically forcing a breakthrough with this sword cultivation technique.

Eventhough he was going to use that technique against her disciple, she could only hope that he was going to be able to pull it off. The consequence of failing this technique would be too hard to imagine. 

The Elder put his attention back on XinYi.

“How can she move around without disturbing the air around her, what kind of technique is this”, the Elder asked Xiao Fang’s grandmother. 

She briefly explained it to him:

“This isn’t a technique anyone can simply  learn. XinYi possess an air spirit attribute, without it she would not be able to practice this technique”.

“Hmm, I see. To give her such a valuable gift, she is very fortunate to have you as her master. From what I know, people with spirit attributes are leagues ahead of those in the same realm. It seems Xiao Fang will likely lose this match”, the Elder said.

Xiao Fang’s grandmother didn’t respond. Instead, she continued to watch the battle but with a troubled expression. 

There was something strange about Xiao Fang’s sword qi just now, she felt as though there was a dangerous aura hiding beneath it. Though she only felt it for a moment, it was strong enough to make her body react purely out of instincts alone.

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Right now Xiao Fang was in a state of deep concentration. The very moment XinYi reveals herself, he would be ready. 

He release his sword qi to prepare for his next attack, but consequently, he discovered something else being released from deep within. It was a heavy but sinister aura.

Whatever it was, it was infused with his dantian and interwoven with his sword qi. He could not stop it, not without stopping his sword qi all together. 

He couldn’t afford to hesitate against XinYi, so he didn’t hold back and let everything out without restraint.

However, as if something inside of him had finally awoken, he could now clearly feel what it was. 

“This is…”