"It’s Sect Master Xiao," someone shouted from below.
All eyes turned skyward, only to realize that Sect Master Xiao had, at some point, positioned himself in front of everyone.
With a flick of his right hand, the myriad of spiritual energy in the sky coalesced and formed a cyan protective shield, enveloping all those within.
Immediately afterwards, Xu Zimei’s attack arrived with a "boom," the explosion echoing through the void.
The entire expanse of heaven and earth seemed to sink into the void.
Xu Zimei, with his hands clasped and an interested look, observed the scene within the void.
Once the attack had ended, the protective shield around Sect Master Xiao also began to crack and shatter with a "crackling" sound.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, unharmed, and they all sat in mid-air, gasping for breath.
"That’s enough, this sparring is over," Sect Master Xiao said calmly, with an indifferent gaze.
He glanced down at his right hand and was surprised to feel a bit numb.
Although there was no injury, for an attack from an Emperor Pulse Realm to make someone from the Divine Vein Realm feel this sensation was somewhat unthinkable.
Moreover, he knew that Xu Zimei hadn’t even activated his first Battle Body.
Such a thing was indeed somewhat incomprehensible.
"Hopefully, he can reach ’Becoming Emperor’ in this era," he muttered softly.
"This is not enough," Xu Zimei shook his head and said.
"The Sect Master intervened, that’s against the Sect rules, isn’t it?"
"The Sect rules didn’t allow you to kill them in a sparring match either," Sect Master Xiao retorted lightly.
"Accidents happen," Xu Zimei replied with a smile.
"But they offended me, and they should pay some price for that."
"What do you mean?" Sect Master Xiao asked with a frown.
"Let’s do this, my request is not excessive, each of them takes one punch from me," Xu Zimei responded.
"The sparring has already ended, there’s no need to fight any further," Sect Master Xiao said.
"This has nothing to do with winning or losing," Xu Zimei shook his head and said.
"I am merely upholding the dignity I should have as a Saint Heir.
Let them be filled with respect in their hearts rather than taking it lightly."
Sect Master Xiao fell silent for a moment, unable to refute the dignity of the Saint Heir.
Before the Saint Heir grew up, these direct disciples had never taken it seriously.
No one cared about this matter before, but now that it had been brought up, he found it difficult to decide.
He looked to Xu Qingshan below, hoping he would offer a way out.
However, Xu Qingshan kept his head low, pretending not to see.
It was a matter of his son’s prestige within the sect; as a father, he naturally sided with his son.
"It’s just a lesson," Sect Master Xiao finally sighed and stepped back.
Xu Zimei smiled and stepped towards these direct disciples.
The disciples were undaunted, looking up and meeting Xu Zimei’s gaze squarely.
"You should feel lucky this is within the True Martial Holy Sect," Xu Zimei said with a smile.
He kicked Xiang Qianheng down with a single foot.
For the others, he did not hold back either, kicking them one by one as if they were footballs.
It was only when it was Jiang Xier’s turn that he stopped.
He grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up.
"Actually, I’m being merciful. I should have sent both you and your master to hell."
After saying this, Xu Zimei flung her away.
Jiang Xier’s body smashed onto the arena floor, shattering half of the stage.
Clad in white like snow and covered in blood, she lay in a pool of blood.
Xu Zimei looked up, his gaze sweeping over all the disciples of True Martial Holy Sect present.
The disciples were so frightened they dared not look him in the eye.
"The Saint Heir is mighty!"
Someone shouted, and the entire Heavenly Domain erupted in a fervent cheer.
The name of Xu Zimei also became thoroughly renowned throughout the entire sect.
Even among the direct disciples, the mention of him was enough to silence the crowd.
He had almost single-handedly taken on all the direct disciples with his peerless strength.
If it weren’t for the Sect Master’s intervention today, I’m afraid it would have been difficult for these people to leave alive.
The ceremonial conclusion came to an end, leaving many with heavy hearts.
This was originally an opportunity to gain fame.
But after everything was over, they realized that aside from Xu Zimei’s name in their minds,
they seemed to remember nothing else.
It was as if the whole prelude was just a setup for that final battle.
What was more helpless was that the final battle was completely one-sided.
It was even difficult to put up a fight.
"Has the Saint Heir of this generation become so strong?" many questioned themselves.
After the ceremony, Xu Zimei returned to Goose Southern Peak.
He plans to leave the True Martial Holy Sect tomorrow, setting off alone.
Before leaving, he plucked some Leaves of Life from the Tree of Life.
He gave some to his parents as well as Lin Ruhu, including Xiao Guizi, Yao Shengnan, and a few others.
Xu Qingshan accepted them with a smile, not asking for more details.
Everyone has their own secrets.
He was proud of his son’s achievements as well.
Only his mother chattered on, reminding him of things to watch out for outside.
And about the grand event at his grandfather’s place on the Northern Continent a year later.
The next morning, as the gray dawn barely broke,
Xu Zimei left the True Martial Holy Sect, riding on the Dark Heaven Tiger.
The dawn was faint, and outside, a continuous drizzle fell.
Xu Zimei rather enjoyed the atmosphere of the light rain.
Having traveled a distance, though the day grew brighter,
the overcast weather still made it extremely oppressive.
The Dark Heaven Tiger moved slowly along the muddy road, and as it passed a pavilion,
Xu Zimei heard a melodious tune of a zither.
He looked up to see an old man in the pavilion, along with a woman.
The woman played the zither with bare hands, the pleasant music sounding like a babbling brook, the melody cheerful.
The old man held a long stick, carefully wiping the rod in his hands.
Upon Xu Zimei’s arrival, the old man looked up, eyes squinting with a smile, then fell silent.
"Quite interesting," Xu Zimei smiled with interest.
The Dark Heaven Tiger continued to advance at a slow pace.
Suddenly, a burst of rapid wind noise rose by his ear.
Several wind blades flew in from the side.
The wind blades were extremely sharp and fast.
The Dark Heaven Tiger roared, raising its paw to scatter the blades.
It cried out in pain; although the wind blades were dispersed,
they still left several wounds on its paws.
Xu Zimei turned his head towards the direction of the pavilion and said calmly, "Were you waiting for me?"
"The young master seems to have a short memory," the old man chuckled, responding.
"Have you forgotten what you did in the Shenghua Domain?"
"Shenghua Domain?" Xu Zimei frowned slightly, waiting quietly for the old man to continue.
"I come from the Fan Family," the old man hinted.
"Because of the Holy Buddha Child, right?" Xu Zimei instantly reacted.
Although the Holy Buddha Child was the Buddha Country’s saint heir,
before entering Buddha Country, he was actually a disciple of the Fan Family.
The Fan Family might not be very strong, but because it was backed by Buddha Country,
it has grown stronger in recent years, emerging as a top force.
"Are you here for revenge?" Xu Zimei asked with a smile.
"I just didn’t expect that you would be the current Saint Heir of the True Martial Holy Sect," the old man said with narrowed eyes, speaking indifferently.