Bang!
A thunderous sound.
Xue Tian was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into the reinforced concrete wall of the Jinchuan Private Club.
The wall behind Xue Tian was covered in web-like cracks.
Qin Xuan's strike was terrifyingly powerful.
Xue Tu and the others could hardly believe it.
This Qin Xuan was simply unfathomable.
If this was Qin Xuan's strongest strike, used once and then gone, it would be understandable.
But looking at Qin Xuan's state, his crimson eyes, and his calm demeanor, there was no sign of weakness.
Perhaps, this was his true strength.
And the previous fight was merely a game of cat and mouse?
Xue Tu couldn't believe it, nor did he want to.
No wonder he had lost so miserably to Qin Xuan.
A mayfly trying to shake a tree, a mantis trying to block a chariot.
Would a person care about the ants beneath their feet?
Xue Tu gritted his teeth, his jaw clicking, and his gaze refocused on Wang Yuyan.
Perhaps, this woman was his only weakness.
And their only way to survive.
"Ugh..."
Xue Tian fell from the wall, propping himself up with one hand, kneeling on one knee.
The blood constantly flowing from his mouth indicated that his condition was far from good.
Qin Xuan's blow had struck his crown, shaking his internal organs.
Perhaps, this single strike could have taken his life.
This was a crushing display of strength.
One force overcomes ten skills.
Even with all his techniques, even entering a state of frenzied madness, he was still no match for Qin Xuan.
Or rather, Qin Xuan had never considered him a worthy opponent; he was merely a whetstone, a stepping stone.
Because only Xue Tian knew that Qin Xuan had held back at the last moment, sparing his life.
Otherwise, it would have been a fatal blow.
Xue Tian gave a bitter smile, a smile tinged with the melancholy of a hero's twilight and the desolation of his defeat.
Qin Xuan saw him as a stepping stone, but wasn't Xue Tian also using Qin Xuan as a ladder to ascend?
As Qin Xuan's unfathomable strength was revealed, Xue Tian understood that he could never defeat this young man.
In their exchanges, he had unhesitatingly amplified his obsession, gone mad, and used a desperate approach to find that opportune moment.
That moment, the chance to break through to Grandmaster.
Alas, he had ultimately failed.
Perhaps, he had found that opportunity, but in his dazed state, he could no longer grasp it.
Having missed his chance, he would never become a Grandmaster in this life.
Even if he became stronger later, reaching the peak of Master,
He would still only be a Master.
There was only one chance, and he had missed it. Heaven would not easily favor him again.
"Why..."
"You are not thinking clearly," Qin Xuan said, walking up to Xue Tian and looking down at him.
"I'll help you clear your head and face reality."
"You are not a Master..." Xue Tian wiped the blood from his lips.
"You are a Grandmaster!"
Xue Tian's words sent a tremor through Xue Tu and the others.
A... Grandmaster! That was the pinnacle of martial arts, the existence of martial supreme!
Xue Tian tried to glean something from Qin Xuan's face, but alas, besides Qin Xuan's crimson eyes and the slight, wicked smile, he could discern nothing.
"The victory and defeat are decided. Kill me or flay me, as you please."
Xue Tian had given up. He could not have dodged that palm strike from Qin Xuan; it was clearly beyond the level of a Master.
Or rather, he was a true Grandmaster who had been hiding his true strength.
It was no disgrace to be defeated by a Grandmaster.
"Answer me one question, and perhaps one of you can return alive."
Qin Xuan met Xue Tian's gaze, his eyes filling Xue Tian with dread.
Xue Tu and the others' eyes lit up; Qin Xuan's words gave them renewed hope.
As for whether Qin Xuan was lying to them, what did it matter?
As the protector of the Hidden Blade, even their strongest, Xue Tian, had been defeated. What could they do?
"Ask." Xue Tian said, somewhat dejected, turning his head away from Qin Xuan.
"Who was the person you mentioned just now?"