Chương 88: What Is a Genius?

Zhang Huaijin's words nearly made Tian Jianmo spit blood. This young man was far too sharp tongued. Behind Tian Jianmo, the members of the Tian family stared at Zhang Huaijin, their eyes practically blazing with fury. The things he said were unbearable! Tian Jianwei was already dead, yet Zhang Huaijin refused to let him rest in peace. He was determined to drag the man's name through the mud even in death. What kind of blood feud demanded such ruthlessness?

"Young man, don't let a little success go to your head. Push too hard, and you might just trip and shatter your own foundation." Tian Jianmo's voice was grim, the killing intent in his words raw and undisguised.

"If you're not bold when you're young, when are you? You know perfectly well what Tian Jianwei did back then." Zhang Huaijin's reply was calm, almost indifferent. Tian Jianmo's breath caught in his chest. A pang of lament echoed through his heart. Back then, Tian Jianwei had stubbornly pushed to suppress the Zhang family at every turn. That arrogance had sown the seeds of this bitter feud.

"Enough talk. Let our two families settle this first." With that, Tian Jianmo stepped into the open arena, directly challenging Zhang Huaijin.

"Your Tian family has only one cultivator left in the Foundation Establishment Realm," Zhang Huaijin said coldly, stepping forward to meet him.

"Are you certain you still want to fight for Langya County Town's share? Everyone here has let the past four years slide. But what about now? Do you still plan to get everything for nothing?"

"That's none of your concern!" Tian Jianmo's face darkened. With a flash from his storage pouch, a massive yellow hammer materialized in midair. It was a brutal weapon, its surface covered in vicious iron barbs, pulsing with dense, heavy energy. A Tier 2, mid grade spirit artifact, the Gold-Earth Hammer. It was a power type weapon, slow as it came, but if that hammer ever connected with a cultivator's body, even a Foundation Establishment Realm expert would walk away broken. Boom!

Tian Jianmo's fourth level cultivation exploded outward in full force. He poured everything into the Gold Earth Hammer, and a colossal yellow phantom of the weapon appeared. The very air around it rippled as the phantom hammer smashed down toward Zhang Huaijin. Zhang Huaijin did not move. His face remained calm. In his right hand, the Blue Bamboo Serenity Sword materialized, azure sword-light gathering along its length as flames began to dance along the blade.

In his left hand, a crimson glow coalesced into a vicious looking longsword, faintly accompanied by the echo of a dragon's roar. His blood spirit weapon, the Blood Dragon Sword. Clang! Fierce sword light screamed from both blades. Twin azure fire sword-beams shot forth, flames howling as they intertwined. Then Flickering Shadows, his sword technique, erupted. In the span of a heartbeat, two beams became six. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Boom!

Rumble! Terrifying pillars of sword-light tore into the sky, azure and crimson spinning together like a tempest. Then, faster than the eye could follow, the energy reversed course and crashed downward with unstoppable force. Zhang Huaijin's third level aura flooded the arena, his qi cultivation pushed to its limit. Crack! The phantom hammer shattered like cheap glass. The real Gold-Earth Hammer shuddered violently before being blasted backward by the sword-light impact.

The sword-beams slashed horizontally across the arena at impossible speed. Tian Jianmo's eyes went wide with sheer terror. He barely managed to summon a defensive artifact to shield his body. It didn't matter. The next instant, he felt as though he had been rammed by a rampaging primordial beast. The savage force exploded outward. Before the stunned eyes of every cultivator watching, Tian Jianmo's face went white as fresh snow.

He vomited a mouthful of blood, and his body was hurled through the air like a broken doll. He hit the ground hard, tumbling awkwardly before lying there, trembling violently. Zhang Huaijin had defeated Tian Jianmo with a single, full powered strike. At only the third level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, Zhang Huaijin possessed a Supreme Grade Dao Foundation, a perfect foundation that granted him triple the normal combat power. Tian Jianmo's Dao Foundation, by comparison, was merely mid grade.

The Tian family's Qi Refining Realm clansmen rushed into the arena, their faces ashen, and helped the trembling Tian Jianmo to his feet. But it wasn't just the Tian family. Every cultivator present stared at Zhang Huaijin with undisguised horror.

'What kind of power was this?' At the third level, he had utterly shattered a fourth level cultivator in a single exchange and he hadn't even used his full strength. Even Yan Hiazan, a fifth level cultivator, couldn't help but flinch at the power Zhang Huaijin had just unleashed. He had heard the rumors, of course. Everyone had. But seeing it with his own eyes was something else entirely. Tian Jianmo was a long established cultivator in Langya County. For decades, his name had carried weight.

And yet, he couldn't withstand a single move from Zhang Huaijin.

'What is a genius?' The surrounding cultivators sat in dead silence, stunned beyond words. Gao Zenyu, the head of the Gao family, narrowed his eyes. He could feel it, a faint sense of danger radiating from Zhang Huaijin's relaxed posture. And Tian Jianmo? His whole body ached. Every breath sent a stabbing pain through his chest and abdomen. His chin was stained crimson with his own blood. As he looked up at Zhang Huaijin, his eyes reflected not just shock, but raw, primal fear.

He couldn't even block a single attack. Meaning, if Zhang Huaijin wished it, he could end Tian Jianmo's life on a whim. A deep, swallowing darkness slowly consumed Tian Jianmo's heart. Silence. Absolute, ringing silence. Even Zhang Lixian was dumbfounded. Behind him, Zhang Hanren and Zhang Liwei were frozen in place. This was the first time either of them had seen Zhang Huaijin fight. It was terrifying. Gao Zenyu whispered to himself.

"The second stage of the sword technique. An Earth Fiend Spirit Body. Why… why couldn't a talent like this be born into my Gao family?" He watched Zhang Huaijin standing in the arena, dressed in white, calm and untroubled as a spring breeze. The young man seemed utterly indifferent to the awe and terror he had just inspired. Word of Zhang Huaijin's Earth Fiend Spirit Body had already spread quietly through the entire Qingtai Prefecture. Now, he had truly begun to come into his own.

Beside Gao Zenyu, his relative Gao Zhengxin was floored. He remembered their first meeting at Blood Lion Mountain. Zhang Huaijin hadn't been nearly this ferocious back then. He couldn't afford to offend this person. He had to get on his good side. Yan Siyan of the Yan family felt the same. Zhang Huaijin was advancing far too quickly. A prodigy like this couldn't be antagonized, he could only be befriended. Yan Hiazan shared that thought too.

In fact, a quiet premonition crept into his heart: he might not even be a match for Zhang Huaijin anymore. Overcoming higher levels was the mark of a true genius. And one day soon, this young man might very well become the master of Langya County. Among the smaller families, the Qi Refining Realm cultivators watched with a new respect in their eyes. Especially the Miao and Yang families. Miao Tianhong and Yang Jing exchanged glances, both seeing the same stunned realization written on the other's face.

'Too strong.' In just twenty short years, Zhang Huaijin had reached this stage. When they first met him, he hadn't even reached the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm. Now, he had stepped into the third level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. That kind of advancement speed was astonishing, even for someone with a spirit body. From now on, the Miao and Yang families would have to cling tightly to the Zhang family. Their past connections might be the only thing standing between them and obscurity.

With a little luck… maybe they could even become Foundation Establishment forces themselves someday. Zhang Huaijin cast a cold, dismissive glance at the broken Tian Jianmo, then turned away as if the man no longer existed. Finally, he shifted his gaze toward the Yan family.