Fan Xiaofeng had thought that Fan Xiaoxu was trying to train him, and if he reached his limits, the other party would step in and save him. Yet, contrary to his expectations, Fan Xiaoxu was actually saying that he would not interfere in the fight, and he would even let the three of them off if they could defeat him.
How in the world could he possibly defeat the three of them together in a real fight?
It would already be a blessing if he was not beaten to death!
He had thought that Fan Xiaoxu was here to save him, but it felt like the latter had just dug a humongous pit for him to leap into.
With a conflicted look on his face, Fan Xiaofeng looked as if he was on the verge of tears.
Seeing the 'this is the end' look on Fan Xiaofeng's face, Zhang Xuan could not help but chuckle a little. "Cut your hesitation and do as I say. As long as you follow my instructions, you'll surely be able to win the battle. Otherwise, don't blame me for not helping you if you get eliminated!"
It would take a miracle for Fan Xiaofeng to lose as long as the other party heeded his guidance!
"Alright then…" Seeing that Fan Xiaoxu was not joking around, Fan Xiaofeng cursed the other party countless times in his heart before taking in a deep breath and rising to his feet somberly.
The worst that could happen was his elimination anyway. He would just have to make sure to recount everything that had happened here to the clan head when he returned.
On the other hand, the group of three had realized the disparity between their strength and Zhang Xuan's, and they knew that it would be impossible to escape from the other party. Thus, they exchanged glances before turning to glare at Fan Xiaofeng coldly.
Hu!
The three of them made a move simultaneously, raising powerful gales in the area.
Six arms flashed across the air swiftly in the blink of an eye. Every single one of these arms carried the devastating might of lightning, sealing off every possible path that Feng Xiaoxu could possibly escape to.
"Is this the end?" Fan Xiaofeng felt his blood turning cold.
Previously, he had thought that the worst that could happen was for him to sustain severe injuries, but from the looks of it, even surviving would be a luxury.
Just when he was about to resolve himself to his death, a voice suddenly echoed in his ears.
"Follow my orders. Use the Third Form of the Paced Gait Movement Technique together with the Fifth Move of Enlightenment Palm and the Second Form of Seven Aperture Fist."
Fan Xiaofeng immediately recognized that voice to be from Fan Xiaoxu. While he had no idea why the other party wanted him to execute those moves, he knew that he had no other choice but to follow the other party's instructions at this point in time. Thus, he gritted his teeth as he thought,I'll pit my life against them!
To be able to survive the harsh trials of the Fan Clan and advance so far step by step, the tenacity that drove him was not something that ordinary people could possibly imagine. All it took was the blink of an eye for his heart to settle down. He swiftly went through the three battle techniques through his mind before his body moved fluidly to execute them like flowing water.
Hu!
The Third Form of the Paced Gait Movement Technique brought him into the blind spot of the coordination of the trio, and executing the Enlightenment Palm with his left palm and the Seven Aperture Fist with his right fist, he struck the chest of two of the youths.
Peng! Peng!
The jade tokens in front of their chests shattered, and with looks of disbelief on the faces of the two youths, they were swallowed by an outburst of light and vanished.
"This…" Fan Xiaofeng was taken aback by what he had just done.
He lowered his gaze to look at his hands in bewilderment, almost as if he was staring at a monster.
Following Fan Xiaoxu's orders had actually allowed him to overcome the encirclement with a single move, and he had even managed to eliminate two of them so easily…
When in the world had he become so formidable?
"Y-you…"
Seeing how two of his comrades had vanished in an instant, the youth leading the group backed away with a fearful look on his face.
Be it in terms of the sharpness of the movements, the grasp of timing, or his reaction speed, Fan Xiaofeng's earlier maneuver was so ingenious that it almost felt like an artform. If not, there was no way the other party could have eliminated two of them within such a short period of time. This was a remarkable feat that he knew he would never be able to pull off in his current state!
Just ten breaths ago, Fan Xiaofeng had been in their grasp, but in the blink of an eye, the tables had turned on them. Was this all because he was following that young man's instructions?
The youth could not help but turn to look at the young man sitting on the boulder not too far away as shock crashed down on his mind like a roaring tsunami.
Even a casual pointer from him was able to induce such a massive improvement in Fan Xiaofeng within a short period of time. Just how freaking powerful must that young man be?
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"Eliminate him too," Zhang Xuan instructed.
"Yes!"
If Fan Xiaofeng had still harbored some doubts before, at that very moment, there was nothing but admiration left at the bottom of his heart. He charged forward in agitation and thrust his palm down on the final remaining youth.
Just like that, the two of them started exchanging blows with one another.
This time, Zhang Xuan did not give direct instructions to Fan Xiaofeng. Instead, what he did was decipher the other party's move in detail to the latter, granting the latter the freedom to choose what kind of moves he should use to counterattack.
Initially, Fan Xiaofeng's movements were still a little flustered as his thoughts struggled to keep up with the flow of battle. However, by the twentieth blow, he had already grown accustomed to the tempo, and before long, he was able to fend off the other party's attacks with minimal effort.
The youth who had cornered him earlier was no longer a match for him.
Peng peng peng!
With a powerful thrust of his finger, Fan Xiaofeng shattered the youth's jade token.
He saw an indignant look on the youth's face before the latter's silhouette was completely enveloped within a brilliant outburst of light and vanished from view.
"Xiaoxu…"
Fan Xiaofeng could hardly believe that he had actually managed to defeat a Half-Great Sage cultivator with his own strength. He turned to look at Fan Xiaoxu with awe in his eyes.
No wonder Fan Xiaoxu had told them to wait for him to come look for them. Who could have known that he would have grown so powerful over the course of a few days?
Just as Fan Xiaofeng was about to express his gratitude to the young man sitting on the boulder, the other party suddenly turned to look at the mountain stream not too far away and waved his hand leisurely. "Haven't you watched long enough? Don't you think it's about time for you to come out?"
Pah pah pah!
Resounding applause echoed in the area as seven silhouettes emerged from the shadows from the mountain stream.
Upon seeing this sight, Fan Xiaofeng's heart skipped a beat. He had actually failed to realize that there were so many people hiding in his vicinity!
Furthermore, from the looks of it, they were already allied with one another!
It suddenly dawned on him why Fan Xiaoxu had not made a move all along. It was likely that the other party had noticed that there were others hiding in the area, so he was keeping a close eye on them in case they made a move.
"I have to say, Fan Xiaoxu, you sure have improved quite a lot from back then. You were actually able to allow this ordinary fellow to defeat three men simultaneously with just a couple of pointers. With your current strength, you are qualified to join our team!" the white-robed young man standing at the forefront of the seven youths said.
He was also the one who had applauded earlier.
"He is… a descendant of Ancient Sage Zi Yuan, Yan Yixiao!" Upon taking a closer look at the white-robed young man's appearance, Fan Xiaofeng suddenly felt as if someone had gripped his heart tightly. "He's the strongest person in this entire examination. There's no one on this mountain who is a match for him."
Most clans would make sure to gather some intelligence about the examinees challenging the Great Phrontistery of Confucianism's examination each year so that their own people would have a clearer idea who their competitors were.
If there was anyone among the two thousand examinees whom everyone hoped to avoid, it was none other than the white-robed young man standing before them, Yan Yixiao!
Ancient Sage Zi Yuan was the First Senior of Kong shi's seventy-two Sages, such that even Ancient Sage Ran Qiu, who boasted the greatest fighting prowess of them all, dared not go against his words.
And the person standing before them, Yan Yixiao, was Ancient Sage Zi Yuan's descendant! Due to the incredible capabilities that he wielded, Yan Yixiao's fame had reached even the ears of the older generations.
It was truly the worst of luck for them to encounter him here.
"You want me to join your team?" Zhang Xuan did not appear to be astonished in the least by this turn of events. He simply looked at Yan Yixiao with casual nonchalance in his eyes, seemingly unfazed by Yan Yixiao's appearance and his offer.
"Indeed. Those behind me are those whom I have acknowledged, and you have also caught my eye. Join my team, and let's eliminate the other examinees together." Yan Yixiao placed his hands in the back and spoke with a light chuckle. His voice carried a domineering edge that left no room for negotiation at all.
"Pardon me, but the notion of me catching your eye sends shudders down my spine, and I am not interested in joining your team," Zhang Xuan declined curtly.
He did not expect the other party to be so narcissistic, so he could not be bothered to put up a front to gently reject the other party.
Seeing the airs that Zhang Xuan was putting on, one of the youths standing behind Yan Yixiao could stand it no longer and furiously bellowed, "It's your honor that Brother Yan invited you to join our group, you arrogant prat. Don't think that you are something huge just because you aren't utterly useless. As long as we wish to, we can eliminate you right now and strip you of your opportunity to continue cultivating!"