Chapter 162: Crippling Your Hand

As Shen Qingyun delivered his calm yet arrogant words, the surrounding realm abruptly fell into silence. The crowd stared at him with bewildered expressions, the corners of their mouths twitching slightly. This Shen Qingyun was truly being far too arrogant!

With these words uttered, it was equivalent to Shen Qingyun provoking everyone present, declaring that no one would be able to wrest even a single contribution point from him, and that none could compare to him.

The people present exchanged glances. They felt it was not entirely unreasonable, after all, Shen Qingyun sat firmly at the top of the leaderboard; without true ability, he could not have held that position for so long. Even if he had resorted to some clever tricks, a certain foundation of strength was still required!

Yet they could not fathom why Muyan insisted on targeting Shen Qingyun, having never heard of any prior grievances between them. In fact, during previous exchanges among the three academies, the name Shen Qingyun had never even been mentioned.

He was clearly someone who had only recently emerged from obscurity.

Muyan's handsome face remained calm, showing not the slightest trace of anger at Shen Qingyun's words; instead, a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Hearing Team Leader Shen put it that way, Muyan's hands are suddenly itching for a fight."

Hearing this, a slight chill crept into the hearts of the onlookers. Were they going to resort to blows before even entering the ruins?

"My hands certainly aren't itching," Shen Qingyun said with a smile, tilting his chin toward Feng Chuxun.

Understanding the cue, Feng Chuxun stepped forward.

"The number two figure of our team, who is in the early stage of the Spirit Image Realm just like myself. His hands happen to be itching as well."

Hearing Shen Qingyun's words, the members of the surrounding teams grinned. This Shen Qingyun was outright insulting Muyan.

"Is Team Leader Shen afraid?" The mockery in Muyan's expression and tone was completely unmasked.

"Lord Wolf offered to fight you and you didn't dare, and now that Second Lord is stepping up you claim the boss is scared. Exactly who is the coward here?" The big black wolf might not have excelled at much, but its tongue was formidable. With Shen Qingyun and Feng Chuxun backing it up, it spoke its mind freely.

Many people present could not help but chuckle. This wolf pup was even more outrageous than the rumors suggested!

Muyan's handsome face finally darkened bit by bit. "Very well! I accept the fight, but simply trading blows lacks meaning. Let us place a wager. The loser shall voluntarily hand over half of their team's contribution points to the victor. What do you say?"

Just as Shen Qingyun was about to agree, a slightly angry voice rang out ahead of him.

Yan Mutou's voice was icy cold as she said, "Muyan, I don't care if you wish to make an example of someone to frighten the rest, nor will I voice any objection about who you choose to target, but what right do you have to use the team's contribution points as a stake? Exactly who is the team leader here, you or me?"

"You are," Muyan replied.

Yan Mutou sneered, "You still remember I'm the team leader? Why didn't you think of that when you used our contribution points as a gamble!"

"Muyan, you have once again successfully made me change my perspective on you."

Muyan clenched his hands until they turned white, his fingernails digging deep into his flesh. "I do not believe I will lose!"

"You still think this is merely a matter of winning or losing?"

Yan Mutou smiled—a smile so gentle, yet one that completely laid bare her utter disappointment.

"Muyan, from this moment on, I am withdrawing from the team." Yan Mutou's voice was softer than ever before, yet it swept across the entire clearing like the rising of a sudden gale, drifting into the ears of every team present.

A profound shock rippled through the crowd. Many stared at Yan Mutou in utter astonishment. Leaving a team just like that was no trifling matter in a place like this!

The members of Yan Mutou's original team turned pale with alarm. Their team relied primarily on their two strongest members, and it was precisely because of Yan Mutou that they held the second position on the leaderboard. For her to act in such a reckless manner—where did this leave the interests of the academy?

They wanted to persuade her otherwise, but Muyan raised a hand to stop them. Staring straight at Yan Mutou, Muyan said, "Very well. If you wish to leave, I will not block your path. But you must witness with your own eyes how I defeat him and prove that I am superior to him!"

Watching Muyan point directly at him, Shen Qingyun wore a bewildered expression. What on earth did this have to do with him?

Yan Mutou said nothing further. Instead, she extracted all the contribution points she possessed. Seeing this, Muyan waved his hand and gathered them in. At the same time, the second-ranked name on the stone tablet in the sky instantly shifted and changed.

"Without you, I am still fully capable of leading the team to maintain our ranking!"

Hearing this, Yan Mutou smiled faintly and remained silent.

"Come forth!"

Muyan turned his gaze to Feng Chuxun. He had to prove himself—to prove that he was inferior to no one! He would defeat Feng Chuxun, and then he would defeat Shen Qingyun, all to prove himself to Yan Mutou!

Had the big black wolf known his thoughts, it would undoubtedly have sneered in utter disdain. Such a notion was nothing short of delusional!

The crowd consciously cleared a path, leaving ample space between Feng Chuxun and Muyan.

The members of Muyan's team made no move to stop him, for they firmly believed that Muyan would not lose.

Muyan's gaze carried a chilling intent. Without another word, his figure surged forward, a majestic wave of spiritual energy expanding in his wake with a formidable momentum.

Halfway through his charge, a massive saber materialized in Muyan's grip. He brought it down vertically toward Feng Chuxun, unleashing a hundred-foot-long blade radiance!

As the blade light cleaved downward, the very ground in its path was split open, leaving a deep, gaping scar.

Muyan held nothing back from the moment he struck. Such overwhelming momentum served as proof that his strength was by no means negligible. Unfortunately for him, his opponent was Feng Chuxun.

Feng Chuxun held the Scarlet Snow sword in his left hand, his arms hanging loosely at his sides. Facing the razor-sharp and intimidating blade light, his gaze remained utterly unperturbed.

The blade radiance was about to descend, yet the spiritual energy surrounding Feng Chuxun remained completely calm, causing the onlookers to wonder if he had simply given up.

"Swish!"

The blade radiance arrived in an instant. Yet, when it reached a mere two fingers' width above Feng Chuxun's head, it could descend no further.

The pupils of the onlookers constricted slightly. They saw a pair of black tentacles emerge from behind Feng Chuxun, firmly grasping the terrifying blade light.

Upon seeing these tentacles, some members of the Purple Firmament Academy instantly recalled the terror of being dominated by them.

Crack, crack...

Under the entangling grip of those tentacles, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the blade radiance before it shattered with a booming crash.

Watching the blade light dissolve into a myriad of falling spots of light and vanish, Muyan found it hard to believe. The blade radiance he had unleashed had been neutralized so effortlessly!

After crushing the blade light, the tentacles morphed, transforming into a pair of black feathered wings that pressed against Feng Chuxun's back, making him look exceptionally eerie yet striking. Such a technique caused many to click their tongues in wonder. Though its practical utility remained uncertain, the move undeniably looked cool enough!

"No wonder you had him fight in your stead; it turns out he is stronger than you."

With his blade light shattered, Muyan did not immediately press the attack. Instead, he looked at Shen Qingyun and mocked.

Shen Qingyun was unfazed. He replied calmly, "Your opponent is not me right now. Focusing entirely on your adversary is what you ought to be doing."

Muyan merely took this as Shen Qingyun's stubborn bravado, and refocused his attention entirely on Feng Chuxun.

"You are quite good," Muyan commented.

Feng Chuxun paid him no mind, saying flatly, "Courtesy demands reciprocity."

Muyan had taken the first move; now, it was his turn for the second.

With clear eyes, Feng Chuxun flapped the wings upon his back and soared into the air amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, hovering in mid-air.

Envy flashed in the eyes of many. Flight was something countless cultivators dreamed of yet failed to achieve due to insufficient realms.

The pair of wings on Feng Chuxun's back had initially amazed them; now, they filled them with burning jealousy.

A surge of sword intent burst forth from within his body. Feng Chuxun raised the Scarlet Snow sword, devoid of any flashy stances, and slashed downward with a single stroke. The sword intent soared into the clouds, as if attempting to pierce the very heavens!

This single strike and its terrifying sword intent caused Muyan's expression to shift drastically, not daring to show the slightest negligence. A vast surge of spiritual energy erupted from his body as he gripped his saber tightly and shouted, roaring as he slashed upward!

Amidst his battle cry, a blade glow as blinding as the scorching sun erupted, while a ferocious saber intent poured directly into the radiance.

The shimmering sword light descended without hesitation, colliding head-on with the saber. A crisp, metallic ringing sound echoed far into the distance.

The tempest generated by the clash of sword intent and saber intent raged outward, forcing the surrounding spectators to channel their spiritual energy in defense.

The saber and sword touched and instantly separated. When the crowd looked over, they saw Feng Chuxun landing gracefully on the ground, sheathing the Scarlet Snow sword. Opposite him, Muyan stood in a daze, staring blankly at the massive saber in his hand.

Across the body of the blade, a hairline fracture ran entirely through it.

A seventh-grade spirit artifact had actually been damaged in the collision!

A faint fracturing sound rang out, yet it did not escape the ears of the onlookers. Under dozens of gazes, and under Muyan's trembling stare, the large saber split neatly into two halves, the severed surfaces smooth and flawless.

A single strike, and a spirit artifact was ruined.

As for the victor and the vanquished in this contest, the answer was already abundantly clear.

The surrounding crowd stared dumbfounded at Feng Chuxun, wondering how he had managed such a feat. After all, he was only in the early stage of the Spirit Image Realm!

"Your sword intent has grown stronger."

Shen Qingyun offered his praise without hesitation. He alone had seen clearly what had transpired during that brief collision.

Feng Chuxun's sword had cleaved through Muyan's saber intent, but it had not made direct contact with the blade itself. What had collided with the saber was the condensed layer of sword intent wrapped around the sword at that exact split second.

A momentary burst of sword intent required a foundation of immense depth to surpass the grade of a spirit artifact and snap it asunder in a single instant!

"Impossible, no, that's impossible!"

Muyan still refused to believe it. How could a seventh-grade saber break?

"What grade is your spirit artifact?"

Muyan's handsome face distorted into a ferocious expression. Yes, only something of a higher grade than a seventh-grade spirit artifact could possibly cut it in half!

In an instant, Muyan found a justification and clung to it with absolute conviction.

"A seventh-grade spirit artifact, Scarlet Snow," Feng Chuxun replied indifferently.

"Impossible!"

Muyan seemed to descend into madness, pointing a trembling finger at Feng Chuxun. "You're lying! A seventh-grade spirit artifact cannot cut my seventh-grade saber! You must be lying!"

Witnessing Muyan's state, the surrounding crowd suddenly understood why Yan Mutou had previously expressed such disappointment in him. As it turned out, what they had previously seen was merely a carefully crafted facade; Yan Mutou alone had known his true nature from the very beginning.

"Brother, stop talking."

Unable to bear it any longer, Muy Xue stepped forward and tugged at Muyan's sleeve.

"Let go of me! You look down on me too!" Muyan violently flung Muyan Xue's hand away, nearly sending her stumbling.

"Watch out!"

Yan Mutou flashed forward, steadying Muyan Xue. She cast a cold gaze at Muyan. "Muyan, have you lost your mind?!"

"Everyone looks down on me, you all deserve to die!"

Boom!

Muyan's ferocious expression froze. He looked down at his own hand; the spiritual energy had completely dissipated, and three inches away from his wrist, the razor-sharp edge of a blade rested in quiet stillness.

"From the very beginning, I simply disliked you because the aura about you was too false, causing me to feel a sense of revulsion. Yet I said nothing. Do you know why?" Shen Qingyun walked forward at a leisurely pace, his expression detached.

"Because you were irrelevant to me."

Shen Qingyun continued, "No matter how you performed, it had not the slightest relation to me."

"But now, you have made me realize that as a human being, you are a complete failure."

"Lifting a hand against an innocent woman is something only the most worthless of cowards would do!"

"I am no coward!"

Shen Qingyun's words seemed to strike a raw nerve in Muyan, twisting his features into an even more savage expression.

"Whether you are a coward or not matters little to me," Shen Qingyun sneered. "Today, I sever one of your hands as a lesson. Should there be a next time, your life alone will not suffice to pay the price!"

"Do it."

As those words fell, Feng Chuxun, whose sword was pointed directly at Muyan, swung his blade down with a cold, unyielding expression.