Chapter 30: The Unexpected

Tang Jian let out a "heh heh" chuckle, grasped the sword hilt with one hand, sidestepped Yan Zi, and strode confidently to the center of the square.

Stu Ran concealed his doubt, glanced at Qiu Batian and Tang Jian, and said, "Since you're both ready, let's begin."

Tang Jian stood with his hands behind his back, took a half-step backward, and stood in a casual stance. With only one hand, he lifted the sword, making a simple opening move, his gaze challenging Qiu Batian.

He hadn't used any magic power, and there was no change in his appearance, standing in stark contrast to Qiu Batian's impressive aura.

"Just putting on a show..." A hint of anger flashed in Qiu Batian's eyes as he snorted.

With that, he took the lead, stepping forward, his body leaping straight up. The long sword in his hand flashed with purple light, and the surrounding purple mist suddenly doubled, transforming into a heavy sword of purple fog that swung down at Tang Jian's head.

Within the purple mist, there was a faint "pop pop" sound, and a suffocating, strange odor spread.

Seeing this, Sun Yang was the first to step back several paces, waving his folding fan to disperse the odor away from himself.

The others around them also changed their expressions slightly and retreated.

Tang Jian's face showed no significant change, but his eyes flickered as he quietly held his breath.

He took a big step forward, advancing instead of retreating. He switched from holding the sword with one hand to gripping it with both. With a slight movement in his heart, magic power surged from his dantian.

Immediately, a red glow enveloped his body, and the long sword in his hand "teng" ignited with fierce flames. The edges were like saws, the momentum was like a rainbow, and the power was even stronger than when Stu Ran activated it before.

Around him, waves of red qi continuously expanded, dispersing the dust and odor on the square.

"Eighth level of Qi Refining!" Stu Ran couldn't help but exclamation in surprise.

Qiu Batian's eyebrows suddenly furrowed. Sun Yang stopped fanning. Yan Zi's face was filled with incredulity.

Although she had heard Xiao Dingdang talk about Tang Jian's heroic performance when he saved her, due to his destroyed dantian, she had always considered him a skilled martial artist with some cultivation but not a cultivator.

Moreover, if he were just an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator, it wouldn't be such a surprise. But Tang Jian was so young and had cultivated to such a level that it was naturally shocking.

Tang Jian let out a loud shout, and the long sword swept upwards from below, with the momentum of wildfire consuming the sky, slashing diagonally at Qiu Batian's purple qi sword.

"Zheng!" A sharp sound rang out!

One purple, one red, one above, one below, the two sword blades intersected and heavily collided.

The purple qi sword was shaken by the tremendous force, flying backward, carrying Qiu Batian's body with it, soaring backward through the air.

The layers of purple mist wrapping around the sword blade shook violently but didn't disperse. Instead, they poured down like quicksand, rushing towards Tang Jian's face.

Tang Jian lowered his body, and the flames on his Redbrow Sword intensified, with crimson flames burning fiercely. The rolling waves of heat rising from it formed an invisible barrier, isolating all the mist around him.

"Ha!"

Immediately afterward, he let out a low shout, his legs pushing off the ground, and his body leaped up into the air.

Qiu Batian had just landed and hadn't stabilized his body when he saw Tang Jian flying towards him like an eagle catching a snake, gripping the crimson flame sword with both hands.

Qiu Batian was startled. In a hurry, he grasped the purple qi with both hands, holding it horizontally across his shoulders to block.

"Zheng!"

With a sharp whine, the mist on the purple sword surged violently.

Tang Jian held his breath, and his Redbrow Sword directly pierced through the mist on the purple qi sword, striking the blade itself.

"Uh..." Qiu Batian let out a muffled groan, his body suddenly sinking, kneeling on one leg.

"Chi chi chi"

A series of grinding sounds that made people's teeth ache sounded. Everyone was surprised to find that the crimson flames on the Redbrow Sword were shaking violently, like a constantly moving saw, using its external flame teeth to continuously cut into the purple qi sword.

At the same time, the intense heat kept burning, causing the purple mist to evaporate continuously, soon disappearing completely.

"Don't be so arrogant..." Qiu Batian's face turned red, and he gritted his teeth, shouting angrily.

Before he finished speaking, his body glowed brightly, his arm muscles swelled, his feet pushed hard against the ground, and his bent body suddenly straightened up. He stood directly from the ground, and with a swing of his long sword, he counterattacked Tang Jian.

Tang Jian's eyes widened, unyielding, as he stepped forward, pressing down harder on his sword.

Simultaneously, the two long swords emitted surging sword energies, creating two crescent-shaped arcs of light amidst the mist and outer flames.

The purple sword energy collided head-on with the crimson sword energy.

The two forces intersected violently, producing a continuous clanging sound!

At that moment, a crisp "crack" sounded across the square.

Upon hearing it, everyone felt as if a boulder had been dropped into the calm lake of their hearts, jolting their spirits.

Immediately afterward, the crimson light receded first, extinguishing itself.

The purple light, however, snapped directly into two pieces, fading completely.

Qiu Baotian's Purple Qi Sword had been forcibly severed!

"Your humility is appreciated," Tang Jian said, wrist rotating as he drew an elegant arc in the air, holding his sword reversed behind him.

Qiu Baotian, holding the broken sword, stumbled backward several steps, a knot of upset in his chest surging up, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood and collapse.

"How could this be..."

Sun Yang tightly gripped his folding fan, eyes wide, face filled with disbelief.

Yan Zi's lips slightly pursed as she looked at Tang Jian, a strange expression emerging in her bright eyes.

Xiao Dingdang had fallen into a daze, while only Chen Guang's eyes were filled with惊喜. His spirits lifted, and he exclaimed, "Excellent!" with gusto.

As for Yao Bin, the series of "surprises" today had numbed him. His face now expressionless, he stood behind Chen Guang, silent.

After a slight hesitation, Sun Yang beckoned the Sun family members forward to help Qiu Baotian up.

"Today's sword forging challenge is won by the Yan Merchants' Association," Situ Ran, who had already regained his composure, announced directly after glancing at Tang Jian.

"Miss, we've won..." Xiao Dingdang couldn't help but exclaim joyfully.

A smile appeared on Yan Zi's face as she turned to look at Sun Yang.

"We, the Sun Merchants' Association, will fulfill the agreement stated in the contract. As for the compensation, it will take some time to prepare," Sun Yang said coldly, no longer the calm and unruffled figure he once was.

"It's no problem. Given the friendship of the sword gift from Mr. Sun earlier, a delay of ten days or half a month won't matter," Yan Zi said with a slight bow and a smile.

Sun Yang's face darkened, and he remained silent. He first silently bowed to Situ Ran, then gave Tang Jian a deep look, and led the group, supporting Qiu Baotian, towards the exit of the Craftsmanship Bureau.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned back, and walked to the Yan family members. In a voice only they could hear, he said, "Don't think that winning a sword forging challenge means you can ride this momentum to turn the tables. We'll see about that!"

With that, he revealed his white teeth, grinned, and turned to leave again.

Upon hearing this, Yan Zi's face instantly turned as cold as frost, and her whole body trembled slightly. Tang Jian, standing beside her, felt faint fluctuations of power.

When he was about to step forward to remind her, Yan Zi's tightly clenched fists suddenly relaxed, and the fluctuations in her body subsided. Her expression gradually returned to normal.

Regarding the previous misfortunes of her family, Yan Zi had long suspected they were related to the Sun family. However, she had neither the evidence nor the strength to contend with them. Today, despite Sun Yang's repeated attempts to provoke her, she had to endure it with fortitude.

Nevertheless, since they had fought a beautiful battle of resilience in today's sword forging challenge, they would no longer be in the passive position they once were.

Thinking of this, Yan Zi couldn't help but look at today's biggest heroes, Chen Guang and Tang Jian.

When her gaze rested on Tang Jian, her heart stirred slightly, and her eyes brightened.

After the figures of the Sun family disappeared through the gate at the end of the square, Situ Ran invited Yan Zi and the others back into the main hall.

After ordering someone to serve tea again, he smiled and said, "The Yan Merchants' Association truly hides dragons and crocodiles. Today, I've truly seen it."

"Master Situ is joking. Our Yan family has suffered consecutive misfortunes and has finally caught our breath now," Yan Zi replied calmly.

"Haha, Yan President, after today, the Yan family will surely usher in a new era. I hope you will allow Master Chen Guang and this... oh yes, I still don't know this young brother's name?" Situ Ran's gaze fell on Tang Jian as he asked.

"Tang Jian," Tang Jian replied after a slight hesitation, revealing his true name.

"I hope, Yan President, you will allow Master Chen Guang and Tang Jian, this young brother, to visit our Craftsmanship Bureau more often so that we can exchange sword forging skills," Situ Ran said with a smile.

"Of course..." Yan Zi replied with a smile.

After staying for a while, Yan Zi, citing Chen Guang's unhealed injuries, took her leave with the others.