Chapter 295: The Dan Tower Fire Incident

Bang—

It was like an ant being smashed by a giant's hammer, requiring no effort at all. Fu Xing was directly blasted into the sky amid Xu Xiaoshou's "Fan Zhen."

Layer upon layer of shockwaves stacked up, but they didn't budge Xu Xiaoshou even a step.

However, that force, after building up, was released all at once.

The terrifying fluctuation not only broke through the Ling Yuan barrier set by the guards but also ignited it, sending Fu Xing straight through several floors.

Bang, bang, bang...

Sounds of walls exploding echoed one after another, and Fu Xing vanished from sight, leaving everyone stunned and speechless.

It took a long while for the crowd to snap out of it.

"Damn, what just happened?"

"The young master flew away? When did that guy make his move?"

"No, he didn't make a move. That must be a defensive Ling Ji..."

"My heavens, what level of defensive Ling Ji could reflect the full force of 'Zi Long Yin' back completely?"

"Hiss— I hiss—"

The crowd buzzed with discussion, but the guard stood there frozen, utterly dumbfounded.

He had imagined Xu Xiaoshou being severely injured, but as long as he didn't die, the Alchemist Association could save him.

He had also considered the slim possibility that Fu Xing might be counterattacked after striking, so he had prepared thoroughly.

But what he never expected was that after Fu Xing's strike, Xu Xiaoshou didn't even move, and the other guy just flew away on his own!

What the hell was this?

If he didn't know that the young master of the city lord's mansion was a dual genius in Jian Dao and Lian Ling Dao, he might have thought Fu Xing was a total fraud.

An upper Ling Jing expert punches a Yuan Ting Jing one, and ends up flying away himself?

"Huff..."

The guard gaped in shock, staring at Xu Xiaoshou, realizing that everyone had underestimated this guy.

Recalling his earlier words, which had seemed nonsensical at the time, they now rang with profound truth!

He wasn't just spouting empty flattery; he was genuinely looking out for the young master!

He had really let the other side strike first!

And to avoid this fight altogether, he had even painstakingly designed a "Tian Dao Game" tailored for the young master...

"This..."

Thinking about it, the guard was at a loss for words.

Where else could you find someone so capable and yet so low-key?

But if you're this strong, why didn't you show it earlier to make the young master back off?

"Under suspicion, passive value."

"Under suspicion, passive value, 34."

"Under suspicion, passive value, 44."

Xu Xiaoshou sighed. He had guessed it would turn out this way, but what could he do?

The existence of passive skills wasn't something he could reveal just because he wanted to.

Even if a Jian Dao Wang Zuo stood in front of him right now, as long as he didn't touch a sword, the other might not even realize he was a Jian Xiu.

The only thing he could reveal was his cultivation level.

But even if he didn't reveal it, others would still know!

Besides, revealing his cultivation wouldn't help much. A Yuan Ting Jing might dominate the outer court of Tiansang Ling Gong, but in the inner court, it meant nothing.

The same went for the younger generation in Tiansang City.

All Xu Xiaoshou could do was, before every battle, use the most sincere and earnest words to plan a fight perfectly suited for his opponent.

But...

It always ended up like this!

Cheng Xingchu had been the same, and now Fu Xing was too...

They just wouldn't believe him. What could he do?

"Sigh." Xu Xiaoshou shook his head. "Human nature is inherently base..."

The only one still clear-headed in the room was probably Mu Zixi, standing behind Xu Xiaoshou.

The moment the "one punch" bet was proposed, she had already foreseen Fu Xing's fate.

Sure enough, miracles didn't exist.

It played out just as she expected: Fu Xing flew away, even more miserably than anticipated, soaring straight up into the sky.

But...

Was that all?

Mu Zixi felt a twinge of unease.

She vaguely sensed that if Xu Xiaoshou had really made a move, the destruction wouldn't have been so limited!

Maybe... because he hadn't actually attacked?

No!

The young girl suddenly realized something and looked up abruptly.

Gazing at the pierced ceiling, she could still catch a glimpse of the scene above. Mu Zixi quickly covered her ears.

"Be careful."

Everyone was startled, coming to their senses a bit as they looked at the young girl, confused.

In the next second, they understood.

Boom, boom, boom—

A series of explosions erupted from the upper floors, startling even Xu Xiaoshou.

Ceiling debris rained down, and everyone on site was shaken to their core.

Having visited the Alchemist Association often, they were familiar with the sounds—it was the explosion of dan furnaces!

The guard's face turned green in an instant.

He clutched his waist, nearly collapsing to the ground.

This duel he had agreed to had led to the young master being sent flying.

That was bad enough, but upstairs was the area for alchemist assessments!

How could it not cause furnaces to explode with someone suddenly bursting in like that?

The question was... how far had Fu Xing flown?

From the sound of the explosions, it seemed like even the fifth or sixth floor had been affected!

Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself that this was trouble.

He hadn't meant for the furnaces to explode at all.

He hadn't even intended to break through the ceiling—it was just that Fu Xing's attack had been unexpectedly powerful.

And also...

This "Fan Zhen" combined with "Toughness" was incredibly strong!

The damage from the opponent's attack was almost negligible under "Sheng Sheng Bu Xi."

And the counterattack had truly reflected everything back, just as he had predicted!

In places others couldn't see, Xu Xiaoshou could "perceive" that Fu Xing had flown up to the sixth floor because he was hit by a secondary burst of hidden force on the third floor!

After the explosions echoed through the floors, the dan tower descended into chaos.

"Third floor's on fire!"

"Someone come quick, put out the fire on the fifth floor, hurry!"

"You idiots, use your Ling Yuan to extinguish it! Don't shout— this is the Dan Tower, no loud noises allowed!"

"What the hell are you saying? Mine is Tian Ling Zi Fire; ordinary Ling Yuan won't put it out. Get me some Jiu Tian Chong Shui, now!"

"I need Tian Luo Xuan Di! Mine is also... damn it, my clothes—"

"Quick, you there, bring me three portions of Zi Luo Ye and some Qing Ti Guo. I think this furnace can still be salvaged..."

"Don't stop me, I'm jumping! My last eighth-grade assessment, ahhh—"

The first floor fell into dead silence.

Not a sound could be heard.

It was as if they were isolated from the world, the upstairs commotion not affecting them at all. The group's emotions were a mix of everything.

Everyone exchanged glances, then turned to the guard.

The guard's eyes were vacant, like his soul had left his body, as he looked toward Xu Xiaoshou.

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at Mu Zixi and saw the young girl crossing her arms, bouncing his gaze right back.

He chuckled awkwardly and said to the guard, "This has nothing to do with me, right? I didn't even make a move..."