Li Zhexian took the initiative and drew his sword!
Three beams of sword light of completely different attributes tore through the skies!
In that instant—
For several hundred meters around, the entire area was flooded with raging, crisscrossing sword qis.
The students watching scattered in panic.
Even Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and the other five were forced to retreat repeatedly.
Yu Tianheng's pupils constricted. "Zhexian's sword is even more terrifying!"
Yu Feng and the other four nodded in shock. Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling clenched their fists.
"Not bad." Tai Tan spoke coldly.
Facing the three incoming sword lights, he simply threw a punch.
That arm, as thick as a giant tree trunk, instantly bulged with cords of muscle, veins surging like dragons.
BOOM——!
A thunderclap exploded from the ground.
The force of the punch stirred up a furious air current, brutally tearing through the air and creating a brief vacuum.
The ground cracked under the pressure of the punch, and shattered stones shot up like a rainstorm, flying backward and colliding with the three fierce sword lights.
CLANG——!
CLANG——!
CLANG——!
The three brilliant sword qis melted away like snow as they touched Titan's fist.
With three consecutive crisp sounds like shattering glass, the starlight was extinguished, the ice and fire scattered, and the fierce wind dissipated.
As expected of a super expert whose physical strength was comparable to a Titled Douluo.
Li Zhexian's three fierce sword strikes were instantly obliterated with a single blow.
And Tai Tan's fist, carrying the force of ten thousand pounds, continued its trajectory without any loss of momentum, heading straight for Li Zhexian's chest.
Seeing this, the students closed their eyes in fear.
Yu Tianheng and the others' hearts almost stopped Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling's faces turned deathly pale as they rushed toward Li Zhexian, heedless of danger.
The punch was powerful!
The force of it made Li Zhexian sway, and his black hair whipped wildly!
He gritted his teeth and let out a low growl.
A magnificent Spirit Ring with twelve engraved sword feathers rose from his feet.
"Third Spirit Ability—Qinglian Twelve Tribulations!"
The moment this mysterious ring appeared—
The watching students were stunned, eyes wide with disbelief.
What kind of Spirit Ring was this?
It overturned everything they thought they knew!
Even Tai Tan's eyes flickered with shock.
The surprises this youth brought him were greater every time.
"A pity this boy would rather break than bend…"
"A monster like this that cannot be used by me—since enmity is already forged…"
"ThenI'll cripple him. Make his wounds unhealable, let him miss his golden cultivation years—then he'll no longer be a threat in the future!"
Cruel resolve flashed across Tai Tan's face.
The force of his punch surged even higher.
Yet at that very moment—
Twelve Qinglian Swords pierced the air, surrounding him.
Within the sword formation, three strands of sword intent intertwined and collided, sharp enough that even Tai Tan's iron-hard body felt faint stings.
"What a Sword Wine!" Tai Tan gritted his teeth and praised.
BOOM——
But Tai Tan's brute force was far too overwhelming.
The sword formation held for only three breaths before it was blasted apart.
Staring at the fist that had already reached his chest,
the blood-red Qinglian Sword in Li Zhexian's hand suddenly burst with condensed starlight, cleaving forward with all its might!
CLANG——
A metallic clash rang out.
The Qinglian Sword was forced into a perilous curve.
After being weakened by the three waves of sword qi, most of the power on Tai Tan's fist was finally offset.
But the remaining force still pressed through the bent sword,
smashing brutally into Li Zhexian's chest.
PUH——!
A mouthful of blood spewed out, blossoming into a bloody mist in the air.
Li Zhexian's feet carved two deep trenches into the ground,
retreating dozens of meters before crashing into and collapsing the academy wall.
Only then did he barely manage to stop, buried in falling rubble.
"Li Zhexian!" Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling's cries carried sobs as they rushed like mad toward the ruins.
Yu Tianheng and the others followed closely behind.
"Cough… cough…" A weak cough came from the dust.
Before they could reach him, a figure propped himself up with a sword and walked out of the swirling dust.
Seeing this, the smile on Titan's face instantly froze, and his tiger-like eyes slowly narrowed into dangerous slits.
"Li Zhexian!" Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling hurried to support him.
Ye Lingling's palm flared with pure white light, the healing radiance of the Nine-Hearted Begonia flooding into Li Zhexian's body.
Li Zhexian pulled out his Clear Spring Wine Gourd and took a swig.
Blood and wine dribbled together down the corner of his lips.
His breath came ragged, his chest aflame with tearing pain—yet under the dual healing of the Nine-Heart Begonia and his Wine Martial Soul, the agony slowly calmed.
He looked up, his gaze as sharp as a drawn sword, and stabbed directly into the dark face of Tai Tan.
"I took it."
"Now—kneel."
"Kid..." The terrifying pressure above Tai Tan's head condensed as if it were a physical entity. He stared at Li Zhexian, his killing intent churning like boiling water.
Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Yu Tianheng, and the others stood before Li Zhexian as shields. "A bet is a bet!"
"Tai Tan, will you really throw away the last shred of your face?!"
The killing intent in Titan's heart surged.
The level of monstrosity Li Zhexian revealed far exceeded expectation.
If allowed to grow further, the Strength Clan would never know peace again.
His eyes flickered, veins bulging on his clenched fists.
At that moment—
Three mighty pressures descended from the skies.
Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhilin, the three Board of Education members, , landed in front of Li Zhexian and shouted at Tai Tan:
"Tai Tan! What do you think you're doing?!"
Seeing the three return, Tai Tan loosened his fist. "What am I doing?"
"So this is the way of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy?"
"My Strength Clan's young master, in your academy, was bullied by outsiders colluding with students!"
"Today, this old man has come to demand an explanation for my grandson!"
The three Board of Education members turned, glancing at the blood-stained white robes of Li Zhexian, and snarled through gritted teeth:
"An explanation?!"
"This is how you demand an explanation?!"
"And what if it is?"
Tai Tan sneered, his aura pressing down.
"The academy has always claimed neutrality, refusing to take part in factional disputes. Could it be the three of you mean to strike at my Strength Clan?!"
"You…"
Meng Shenji and the others were speechless, their faces dark.
Though they did not fear Tai Tan—
the Strength Clan's ties to the long-absent Clear Sky Douluo were far too intricate.
They had no choice but to hesitate.
"Hmph!"
Tai Tan snorted coldly, seizing Tai Long by the nape. His gaze swept icily across Li Zhexian before he turned to leave.
Yet Li Zhexian's cold voice rang out once more:
"Before all these witnesses, your words are still ringing in our ears."
"Clan Leader Tai Tan, , are you going back on your word?"
Tai Tan's steps faltered, but he did not turn.
"This old man was somewhat rash today."
"If I disturbed you… heh, then next time I'll bring more courage with me."
With that—
He left without looking back, taking Tai Long with him.
As for the promise to "kneel and apologize," he had already cast it aside.
Li Zhexian stared at the direction Tai Tan had disappeared.
In the depths of his black eyes, sword-sharp light glimmered, cold enough to freeze bone.
...
That night—
"The waters of the Strength Clan run deep. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan must not intervene."
"Besides, Tai Tan did not truly try to kill you. Your top priority is to increase your strength."
Yu Tianheng trembled but stubbornly lifted his chin.
"If Grandfather will not confront the Strength Clan…"
"Then this grandson will never marry, and let Tianxin carry on the clan's line instead!"
...
In the Dugu residence—
Dugu Yan rushed into the flower garden and screamed hoarsely at Dugu Bo, who was practicing.
"Grandfather!"
"I want the Strength Clan dead!"
...
In the Ye residence's great hall—
Ye Lingling met her mother's gaze without flinching.
"Li Zhexian's injury this time was because of me!"
"If the Ye family still has even the slightest ambition to become the number one auxiliary Martial Soul…"
"Then tonight, send all our agents against the Strength Clan!"
...
In the Crown Prince's palace—
When Xue Qinghe heard the news, her face turned pale.
"I'm going to see Li Zhexian!"
She rushed out of her chambers.
From afar, her voice, icy and bone-chilling, echoed through the halls:
"The Strength Clan no longer has any reason to exist."