215: Chapter 214 Introduction!!

Before the Yuelong Hall, undercurrents surged.

Ao Zhan stood a hundred feet away, the pale blue ice crystal light around him more intense than before, condensing into a thin layer of ice armor covering his entire body.

In his hand, the xuan bing sword was trembling slightly, the cold intent flowing on the blade causing the surrounding seawater to condense into countless tiny ice crystals.

Those ice crystals hovered within ten feet of him, rotating slowly with his breath, like a miniature world of ice and snow.

Jiang Hanzhou looked at him and did not Move.

He just stood quietly in place, his right hand resting on the tiger soul saber at his waist, his Qi and blood circulating slowly as he adjusted his state.

The exhaustion from the nine Illusions still lingered, but it was no longer a major issue.

Deep within his Dantian, that three-colored flame burned quietly, ready to awaken at any moment.

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Heart Blade trembled gently, the dark gold dragon patterns on the blade flickering slightly, as if anticipating the upcoming battle.

Ao Zhan looked at him, his brow furrowing slightly.

This youth gave him a somewhat different feeling.

Just now in the Weak Water Zone, he had sensed someone steadily catching up behind him. That person's speed wasn't fast, but it was extremely stable; every step seemed precisely calculated, without any redundant movements.

He thought it was Teng Yuzhi, or one of those Junior Brothers from Heavenly Sword Peak who hoped to charge into the inner sect.

But he hadn't expected it to be this person.

Jiang Hanzhou.

Master Xue Mu's newly recruited Disciple, who had entered the sect less than half a year ago; it was said he had performed stunningly during the Black Stone Island mission and even caught the attention of Xu Zhaoyang from the Sea Quelling Department.

But none of that was important.

What mattered was—this person made him sense a hint of a threat.

That threat was very faint, so faint it could almost be ignored, but it truly existed.

Ao Zhan did not like threats.

He was the number one person in the Heavenly Sword Peak's Outer Sect, the undefeated myth of the Dragon Abyss Palace for the past three years. Anyone who might threaten his status had to bow before him.

"Draw your blade," he said indifferently, his voice cold as frost. "I will give you three breaths of time to prepare."

Jiang Hanzhou looked at him, a smile slowly curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Senior Brother Ao, are you here to guard the pass, or are you here to put on an act?"

Ao Zhan's pupils contracted slightly.

In the next instant—

He moved!

Without nonsense or any warning, he stepped out, and the ice crystals hovering around him suddenly exploded!

Countless tiny ice crystals splattered in all directions, each containing a bone-chilling cold; everywhere they passed, the seawater froze into ice!

At the same time, the xuan bing sword in his hand slashed out violently!

With one slash, the world changed color!

That sword light was pale blue, a hundred feet long and over ten feet wide, like a massive glacier falling from the sky, pressing down toward Jiang Hanzhou's head!

Wherever the sword light passed, the seawater instantly froze, forming an ice crystal passage ten feet wide!

That passage extended from beneath Ao Zhan's feet all the way to the front of Jiang Hanzhou, completely freezing the hundred-foot distance between the two!

Ice Soul True Intent, thirty percent!

"Profound Ice Sword Canon" ultimate Move—Glacier Suppression!

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils contracted slightly.

He did not retreat.

He simply took a deep breath and violently drew the tiger soul saber with his right hand!

The moment the blade left its scabbard, a blazing aura erupted from within his body!

Deep within his Dantian, that three-colored flame suddenly expanded!

Dark gold, dark red, and invisible—the three colors intertwined, flowing frantically along his Meridians and surging into the tiger soul saber!

A layer of crimson-gold flames instantly ignited on the blade of the tiger soul saber!

Those flames were blazing and overbearing, with golden sharpness faintly flowing at the edges—the traces of Golden Sharpness True Intent.

As the flames surged, they also carried a continuous sense like the tide—the augmentation of Tidal True Intent.

Samadhi True Fire embryonic form!

He gripped the saber with both hands and slashed out!

This strike had no fancy techniques or complex Moves; it was just the purest, most direct downward slash!

But the moment this strike fell—

The crimson-gold flames on the blade collided violently with the pressing glacier sword light!

BOOM—!!!!!!

The loud noise was like a thunderclap, exploding violently above the entire Undersea Plain!

The moment the glacier sword light was struck by this slash, the blade trembled violently!

On the blade, that thick layer of profound ice began to melt at this moment!

It wasn't ordinary melting, but rather being dissolved, evaporated, and disintegrated at an incredible speed by the blazing True Intent contained within the crimson-gold flames!

Chiii chiii chiii—

Countless plumes of white steam surged out from the point of collision—the mist formed after the profound ice was evaporated by the flames! The mist spread in all directions, dyeing the seawater within a hundred feet a milky white!

Ao Zhan's expression changed slightly.

He sensed it.

He sensed the power contained in that strike—it wasn't ordinary flames, but flames fused from three different True Intents!

Blazing, overbearing, continuous—three completely different Concepts perfectly intertwined in this strike, forming a force sufficient to contend with his Ice Soul True Intent!

"Interesting," he whispered, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "But that is all."

He flipped his right hand, and the xuan bing sword pressed down violently!

That glacier sword light suddenly surged!

It surged from a hundred feet to a hundred and fifty, and from a hundred and fifty to two hundred!

The cold intent contained within the sword light also surged! Those profound ice fragments that were originally melting re-condensed at this moment, becoming even harder and thicker than before!

Jiang Hanzhou's figure suddenly sank!

The pressing force was too strong.

So strong that his arms trembled slightly, so strong that the ground beneath his feet began to crack, so strong that the Qi and blood in his body began to stagnate!

Ice Soul True Intent, thirty percent.

Late Yuanxiang Stage Peak.

This was the strength of the number one person in the Outer Sect.

But in his eyes, there was no fear.

Only Battle Intent.

He clenched his teeth, and the three-colored flame deep within his Dantian burned frantically!

Dark gold Qi and blood surged out from his blood core, flowing frantically along his Meridians and into the tiger soul saber!

The crimson-gold flames on the blade surged once more!

As the flames surged, the golden sharpness at the edges grew brighter and sharper, eventually condensing into a faint Saber Light!

Metal Sharpness True Intent, twenty percent!

Full augmentation!

He gripped the saber with both hands and violently pushed upward!

This push was not a hard resist, but rather—

Borrowing force.

Tidal True Intent, twenty percent.

He imagined the pressing glacial force as the impact of the tide.

Every time an impact hit, he used the Tidal True Intent to guide it, shedding and neutralizing the impact force layer by layer, letting it circulate once through his body before finally venting it into the ground beneath his feet.

Shedding force, not resisting it head-on.

This was his technique when facing powerful enemies.

The force pressing down from the glacier sword light was thirty percent shed and thirty percent neutralized by him, leaving only forty percent for him to bear directly.

Forty percent of the force, he could withstand.

His figure stabilized once more.

His arms no longer trembled.

A sharp light flashed in his eyes.

And then—

He seized an opportunity.

An extremely tiny, fleeting opportunity.

In the process of having its force shed and neutralized, the glacier sword light experienced a momentary disorder.

In that instant, the cold intent within the sword light did not flow smoothly, and an extremely fine crack appeared on the blade.

Although the crack was fine, it was a flaw.

A brilliant sharp light suddenly erupted in Jiang Hanzhou's eyes!

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Heart Blade trembled slightly!

An invisible pressure erupted violently from his body!

Dragon Might!

That essential suppression from the Dragon Clan instantly swept across the entire battlefield!

Ao Zhan's body suddenly stiffened!

That pressure was too sudden, so sudden that he didn't have time to react.

He only felt an inexplicable tremor from deep within his Divine Soul, as if something had suppressed his perception, his reactions, and his instincts in that instant.

Although it was only for an instant.

But this instant was enough.

Jiang Hanzhou moved!

He stepped out, his figure like lightning!

On the tiger soul saber, the crimson-gold flames suddenly retracted, replaced by a brilliant golden light!

Metal Sharpness True Intent, twenty percent!

Fully condensed!

At the edge of the blade, that golden sharpness was even sharper and purer than before, as if it could cut through everything!

He slashed out!

This strike had no flourishes; it was just the purest, most direct slash!

But the moment this strike fell—

The golden sharpness at the blade's edge suddenly surged!

It surged from three feet to ten feet, and from ten feet to thirty feet!

The golden Saber Light, like a beam of light splitting heaven and earth, slashed directly at the crack on the glacier sword light!

BOOM—!!!!!!

The moment the Saber Light slashed into the crack, the glacier sword light exploded violently!

Countless tiny ice crystals splattered in all directions, each containing a bone-chilling cold; wherever they passed, the ground, coral, and seaweed were all frozen into ice!

Ao Zhan's figure was shaken back three steps by the exploding shockwave!

With every step he took, a deep footprint exploded into the ground beneath his feet!

His expression finally changed.

It was no longer the previous indifference and disdain, but rather—

Solemnity.

He looked up at the youth standing amidst the ice crystal fragments.

Jiang Hanzhou stood in place, a faint dark gold light lingering around him.

His right hand held the tiger soul saber, the crimson-gold flames on the blade having dissipated, leaving only a few wisps of residual fire flickering slightly at the edge.

His breathing was slightly hurried, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, but his gaze—

Those eyes, sharp as a blade, were staring fixedly at Ao Zhan.

No fear, no retreat, only Battle Intent.

Ao Zhan looked at him and was silent for three breaths.

Then, he smiled.

The smile was faint, but it carried an indescribable meaning.

"Interesting," he whispered. "Truly interesting."

He raised his right hand, and the xuan bing sword spun gently in his palm.

On the blade, those cracks that had been slashed open earlier were now slowly healing. Ice Soul True Intent flowed, profound ice condensed, and after three breaths, the blade was restored to its original state.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Jiang Hanzhou."

"Jiang Hanzhou..." Ao Zhan mulled over the name, a light flashing in his eyes. "Master Xue Mu's Disciple?"

"Yes."

"You entered the sect three months ago?"

"Yes."

Ao Zhan nodded, his gaze lingering on him for a long time.

"Three months, Initial Stage of Yuanxiang, and you forced me back three steps." His voice was calm, revealing no joy or anger. "You are quite good."

Jiang Hanzhou did not speak.

He just gripped the tiger soul saber tightly, his Qi and blood circulating slowly as he adjusted his state.

He knew that Ao Zhan had not yet used his full strength.

That sword strike just now was only a probe.

The real battle had not yet begun.

Ao Zhan looked at him and suddenly put away the xuan bing sword.

The transparent longsword turned into a streak of light, merging into his palm and disappearing.

"That is all for today," he said indifferently. "Your strength is enough to enter the inner sect."

Jiang Hanzhou was slightly stunned.

Ao Zhan turned around and looked toward the Yuelong Hall.

The hall doors were still tightly closed, and the three large golden characters on the lintel flickered with a faint light in the dark seabed.

"There are thirty spots; you are the seventh to arrive." His voice was as calm as water. "The first six have already gone in."

Jiang Hanzhou's brow furrowed slightly.

The seventh?

He was clearly the earliest to break through the Illusion Zone...

As if seeing through his confusion, Ao Zhan said without looking back:

"Do you think there is only one path?"

"The Weak Water Zone has three passages, the Yao Beast Zone has four paths, and the Illusion Zone has seven ways to break through. Everyone's trial is different."

"That you could make it here means the path you took was the most difficult."

He paused, turned around, and looked at Jiang Hanzhou.

In those cold eyes, there was now a hint of a complex light.

"On the most difficult path, you could still force me back three steps. If you had taken an easy route, you would have entered the hall by now."

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment before slowly asking, "Then why is Senior Brother Ao here?"

Ao Zhan smiled.

That smile carried a bit of self-deprecation, a bit of sentiment, and a bit of an indescribable—

Anticipation.

"Because I wanted to see if there was anyone in this Dragon Gate Trial worth my serious attention."

His gaze fell on Jiang Hanzhou as he said word for word:

"I have found him."

After saying this, he turned and walked toward the Yuelong Hall.

After a few steps, he suddenly stopped and said without looking back:

"Jiang Hanzhou."

"Remember—the inner sect is not the end."

"The true battlefield is above the inner sect, in the competition for true Disciples, and within the thousand-year-old unsolved mysteries of the Dragon Abyss Palace."

"I will wait for you in the inner sect."

"I hope that when the time comes, you can make me use a second sword strike."

He stroded forward, pushed open the doors of the Yuelong Hall, and stepped into that golden light.

The hall doors slowly closed, swallowing his figure.

Jiang Hanzhou stood in place, staring at the closed hall doors, silent for a long time.

Ao Zhan's words echoed in his heart.

The true battlefield is above the inner sect.

The thousand-year-old unsolved mysteries of the Dragon Abyss Palace.

He took a deep breath and gripped the tiger soul saber tightly.

Then, he turned around.

Behind him, Teng Yuzhi was walking out from the edge of the Illusion Zone.

Her face was slightly pale and her breathing was a bit hurried, but in those cool eyes, a determined light still flickered.

She saw Jiang Hanzhou and was slightly stunned.

"You..."

"Seventh," Jiang Hanzhou said indifferently. "Ao Zhan said the first six have already gone in."

Teng Yuzhi was silent for a moment before nodding.

"I am the eighth."

She walked to his side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, looking toward the Yuelong Hall.

The hall doors were still tightly closed, but the three large golden characters on the lintel now appeared exceptionally dazzling in their eyes.

"Go in together?" she asked.

Jiang Hanzhou glanced at her and nodded.

"Together."

The two stepped forward at the same time and walked toward the Yuelong Hall.

Behind them, the white mist still surged.

In the mist, several figures could be vaguely seen struggling to walk out.

It was Zhao Yuanjing, Song Hu, Liu Ningshuang, Huo Qingfeng, and those top prodigies who were still struggling within the Illusions.

But none of this had anything to do with them anymore.

They pushed open the hall doors and stepped into that golden light.