"Glacier Plain Court's Chen Leyao pays respects to Zhang gongzi!" Withdrawing her palm, the young lady clasped her fist and returned the greetings

"Zhang Clan?" Zhang Xuan turned to the young man who had just appeared and assessed him carefully.

Zhang Qian appeared to be in his mid-twenties, and his cultivation felt deep like the unfathomable ocean. Just like the Glacier Plain Court's Chen Leyao, he had reached Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle as well.

It was no wonder why Zhang Jiuxiao could only be considered as one from the side family in the Zhang Clan. Even after receiving his guidance, Zhang Jiuxiao still paled far in comparison to Zhang Qian.

"So you're Fairy Leyao! I have long heard rumors of your affairs. A palm to subdue seven swords, a breath to freeze three thousand li.. The Seven Bandits of Shunyan City has been going wreaking havoc all around, and if not for your help, they might have really brought forth a huge catastrophe!" Zhang Qian chuckled refinedly.

"Zhang gongzi, you're flattering me!" Chen Leyao's eyebrows shot up, but her tone remained nonchalant, showing no particular emotion to Zhang Qian's words.

In order to enter the Sanctum of Sages and resolve the trauma in her cultivation, she had worked herself down to her bone, spending most of her time cultivating. As a result, the only notable affair concerning her was about how she had single-handedly brought down the vicious Seven Bandits of Shunyan City, thus saving many lives from dying in their hands. It wasn't a particularly huge affair, but the fact that Zhang Qian was aware of it showed that he had been keeping a lookout for her affairs.

"I have always been in awe of Fairy Leyao's strength and talents." Zhang Qian complimented once more. "I have heard the conversation between the two of you, and that young man over there has been really disrespectful to you that I couldn't even stand watching it anymore. Why don't I teach him a lesson in your stead, so that you don't have to dirty your hands for someone like him?"

".. I'll be leaving the matter to you then, Zhang gongzi." Chen Leyao could tell that Zhang Qian was intentionally fawning on her, and after a moment of pause, she eventually nodded. "It'll do to just teach him a lesson. There's no need to go too far."

It wasn't like there was some kind of irreconcilable grudge between the both of them, so there was no need to blow things out of proportions. She was only unhappy at how the young man had addressed the name of their young court chief so casually and it would suffice to just teach the young man a lesson so that he would never dare do it again.

"Fairy Leyao sure is kind. Don't worry, I won't go too far!"

Huala! Zhang Qian opened the foldable fan in his hand, and as he turned his gaze toward Zhang Xuan, the smile on his face vanished, replaced with frostiness in his eyes. With a disposition which suggested that he had everything in grasp, he said, "This friend over here, I'll give you two options. You can choose to apologize and compensate for the mistake you have done. I won't ask for too much, just two Saint intermediate-tier artifacts will do. Otherwise, I'll make a move and force you to apologize and compensate. Once that happens, don't expect to be able to get off with just compensating two Saint intermediate-tier artifacts!"

"Apologize? Compensate?" Zhang Xuan nearly burst into laughter.

Couldn't be bothered with that self-assuming fellow, he turned his gaze back to Chen Leyao and said, "Young lady, I didn't know that she has become your young court chief, so if there's anything I have said that has offended you, allow me to apologize to you right here. I am acquainted with your young court chief quite a while back, so I just would like to know how she's faring in the Glacier Plain Court."

Considering how Zhao Ya's current standing in the Glacier Plain Court, it was understandable why Chen Leyao would get mad at how he addressed Zhao Ya directly by her name.

While Zhang Xuan did find Chen Leyao's words and actions rather offending and reckless, he didn't come to pick a fight. In any case, an apology cost nothing at all, and if he could find out how his student was faring by apologizing, he would gladly do it.

Before Chen Leyao could say anything, Zhang Qian's face had already darkened in fury. "Brat, I am talking to you right here. Are you deaf?"

As one of the geniuses of the esteemed Zhang Clan, he was respected no matter where he went to. No one would dare to snub him even in the slightest. Yet, this brat actually ignored him altogether.. This was something that the prideful him couldn't accept.

"I'm enquiring something from the young ladies of the Glacier Plain Court, and I don't think this has anything to do with you, right? Do the members of your Zhang Clan have the habit of drifting to wherever there are ladies and rudely interject in the business of others?" Zhang Xuan glanced at Zhang Qian with cold eyes filled with contempt and disdain as he flung his sleeves. "You really should go for therapy to cure that bad habit of yours!"

Trying to use me as a stepping stone to impress the girls?

Young man from the Zhang Clan, you should already be thankful that I haven't knocked on your doorstep yet. For you to actually be getting on your high horses in front of me, do you really think that your Zhang Clan is untouchable in the Master Teacher Continent?

"What did you say?" Zhang Qian narrowed his eyes menacingly as veins popped on his temples.

Even though his bloodline was purer than Zhang Jiuxiao's, his standing on the Zhang Clan was actually not too high. If he could establish good relations with those from the Glacier Plain Court, he would be able to become more highly-regarded in the Zhang Clan, which would, in turn, open up more opportunities for him, allowing him to soar through the ranks.

It was for this reason that he unhesitatingly stepped forward to help Chen Leyao when he saw that she had gotten into an argument with another.

He thought that by bringing out the Zhang Clan's name, he would be able to scare the other party into submission. Yet, he never thought that the young man would actually have such a fearless attitude toward the Zhang Clan!

"Unless you are deaf, you should have heard what I have said perfectly clear. Stop sticking your nose into where it doesn't belong and scram to the side, or else I'll have to no choice but to teach you a lesson.." Zhang Xuan ordered coldly with a wave of his hand.

The other party should be thankful that he had a good temperament. If it had been anyone else in his place, he would have surely beaten the other party up by now!

"It's over.." On the other hand, Zhao Xingmo, who had been watching the entire scene from the start to the end, nearly fainted on the spot.

The young man had just said that he was extremely low profile and would avoid trouble, but in just a few moments, he had already successfully turned the disciples of the Glacier Plain Court and an offspring of the Zhang Clan against him..

If this is what you mean by low profile, are you going to tear down the entire Sanctum of Sages once you go high profile?

"You're courting death!" Unable to take Zhang Xuan's taunting, Zhang Qian roared furiously before charging forward.

In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to have become viscous. An incredibly powerful energy converged in on Zhang Xuan, shrouding him within it.

As expected of a genius from the Zhang Clan, despite being at Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle as well, his fighting prowess was nearly on par with the other Vicious he had encountered at the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows.

It was not to say that Vicious was weak, but after several dozen of millenniums to death and having barely awoken from the seal the Qingtian Emperor had cast upon him then, the strength that the other Vicious could exert was really severely limited then. Furthermore, the other Vicious consisted of only the head and the eyes, which meant that his fighting prowess would be severely limited as well.

Nevertheless, despite such factors, Vicious was still an existence which could rival Kong shi back then, so it could be said to be rather amazing for Zhang Qian to be able to wield strength on par with him.

"Hmph!" Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes coldly.

As powerful as Zhang Qian might be, there was no way Zhang Xuan would lose against him with the current strength he wielded. Just as he was about to make a move as well, a burst of sword qi suddenly flew toward Zhang Qian.

Hong long!

Noticing the burst of sword qi, Zhang Qian released a powerful ripple of zhenqi in retaliation, and the sword qi dissipated in an instant. Not too far away, a groan echoed inconspicuously, but that faint sound couldn't escape from the notice of those present here. It seemed like in the earlier encounter, the person who had made a move against Zhang Qian had been injured instead.

"Zhang Jiuxiao, you actually dare to raise your hand against me?" Zhang Qian roared furiously.

When he turned his head over, he saw Zhang Jiuxiao rushing forward to stand in front of Zhang Xuan. His slightly pale face hinted that he was the one who had clashed with Zhang Qian earlier and sustained some injuries from it.

No matter what, he was only at Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle, an entire cultivation realm weaker than the Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle Zhang Qian.

"Zhang Qian, we are here all here to participate in the final selection of the Sanctum of Sages. There's no need to make things so tense among us.." Suppressing the suffocated sensation crushing his chest, Zhang Jiuxiao clasped his fist and said.

Zhang Xuan was his benefactor, so even though he knew that he was no match for Zhang Qian at all, he couldn't bring himself to simply look away from the matter.

"You said that there's no need to make things so tense among us? That might be true a moment ago, but I do see a need for it now!" With a warped look on his face, Zhang Qian roared furiously. "I'll deal with you once we return to the Zhang Clan. Now, don't get in my way and scram!"

"If you want to make a move here, you'll have to start with me!" Zhang Jiuxiao replied adamantly, refusing to back down.

"Jiuxiao, it's fine. I'll deal with him myself." Zhang Xuan placed a hand on Zhang Jiuxiao's shoulder to indicate that it was fine before stepping forward.

He understood Zhang Jiuxiao's intentions, but he didn't think that there was a need for that.

In truth, Zhang Jiuxiao wasn't trying to play the hero here. He knew that there was a huge disparity in strength between Zhang Qian and him, and he knew that he would only be tragically defeated if a fight were to occur. However, he still chose to intervene in the conflict because that would be the only way to minimize the implications of the matter.

As the number one Sage Clan on the Master Teacher Continent, the Zhang Clan wielded frightening power in its hands. While it wouldn't stoop so low as the mobilize its influence to interfere in the matters of the younger generation, it was still inevitable that there would be plenty of people in the Sanctum of Sages who were eager to butter up to Zhang Qian and the other offspring of the Zhang Clan. It was for this reason that very few people dared to cross Zhang Qian and the other offspring of the Zhang Clan, or else they could find every step they took in the Sanctum of Sages fraught with difficulties.

If Zhang Jiuxiao were to take the blame for this matter, in view that he was an offspring of the Zhang Clan as well, he would just suffer a bit of punishment and that would be the end of things.

However, what Zhang Jiuxiao didn't know was that Zhang Xuan didn't fear the Zhang Clan at all. As long as he wanted to marry Luo Ruoxin, it was only a matter of time before he became an enemy of the Zhang Clan.

Besides, he didn't fear the suppression of the Zhang Clan either. With the Library of Heaven's Path, would he have to fear anyone attempting to stifle his growth?

Since Zhang Qian was the one to start the conflict, there was no reason for him to defer meekly to the other party!

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze back to Zhang Qian and spoke with casual contempt, "Alright, hurry up and make your move. I'm in a rush for time, so I don't have too much time to waste on you!"

"You.." Seeing how lightly Zhang Xuan was taking him, Zhang Qian roared furiously and charged forward once more, sending a palm strike toward the other party.

The offense this time around was much stronger than before. The immense might behind the palm strike brought forth the slight rumbling of thunder, as if it was tearing open a vacuum in space.

"Powerful.."

"Zhang Qian might not be the strongest candidate dispatched from the Zhang Clan to participate in the final selection this time around, but his strength is still one that shouldn't be underestimated!"

"Even I would have some trouble taking on that palm strike face-on. It would better to dodge it before making another move, but it doesn't seem like Zhang Qian would allow that lad to do so.."

"That haughty fellow is in for some suffering!"

"Even if he wanted to chat those young ladies up, he should have found a better reason than that. Now that he has offended both the Glacier Plain Court and the Zhang Clan, even if he clears the final selection by some chance, he probably won't be able to survive in the Sanctum of Sages for too long.."

..

The surrounding crowd also swiftly turned their attention over to the commotion that was going on as well. There was a myriad of expressions on their faces, shocked, curious, intrigued, and much more. However, if one thing was clear, none of them thought well of the young man.

There was no one who dared to step forward to mediate in the conflict either, especially since the Zhang Clan was involved in the matter as well. There was no way they would risk getting flames on themselves just to help a stranger.

"This.." Chen Leyao also didn't expect things to blow out of proportions, and a slight frown emerged between her brows.

She thought that the young man was just a little thoughtless in his words, but at this point, conceited would be a more appropriate adjective to describe him!

She had long heard of Zhang Qian's name, even before arriving in the Sanctum of Sages.

Despite only being twenty-six this year, Zhang Qian had already reached Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle. On top of that, his aptitude toward battle techniques was astounding as well. Not only so, he also boasted vast battle experience, such that even Chen Leyao herself would be hard-pressed to subdue him. For a mere Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle lad to dare taunt him.. Wasn't that lad just asking to be killed?

Hong long!

Before everyone's astonished gazes, the sheer force of Zhang Qian's palm tore a deep gorge right through the square.

"That's the Saint intermediate-tier battle technique, Soul Shattering Palm!"

"That strike doesn't just wield overwhelming physical might, it also boasts a powerful offensive power toward souls as well! If that strike were to land on one squarely, it would jolt one's soul and instantaneously knock one out, putting one at the mercy of another!"

"Even among Saint intermediate-tier battle techniques, it can be considered as one of the strongest!"

..

A huge commotion broke out amidst the crowd once more.

But at this very moment, a slightly disappointed voice sounded from the young man standing right in front of that powerful palm strike, "This is your move? Well, I guess it's not too bad considering that it's coming from you, but I really don't have any interest in playing with you right now, so pardon me then.."

Right after saying those words, the young man took a step forward and thrust his palm forward casually.

Kacha!

There was no astounding strength or overwhelming aura from that palm strike, but for some inexplicable reason, the majestic Soul Shattering Palm actually dissipated upon clashing with it.

Following right after, with a resounding 'pa dah!', Zhang Qian found himself crushed forcefully onto the ground like a toad, as if there was a mountain weighing down on him. He struggled wildly, but his body simply wouldn't budge at all. Frenzy and rage were written all over his face.

"This.."

"He subdued Zhang Qian in a single move?"

Everyone widened their eyes in frenzy.

"H-how is this possible?" Chen Leyao widened her eyes in disbelief.

"Settled." Without sparing a glance for Zhang Qian, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze back to Chen Leyao and said, "Young lady, you haven't answered my question yet. How is your young court chief faring in the Glacier Plain Court?"