This single strike fused all of his Divine Powers.

Aside from Fist Gang, all his Sword Qi condensed into one point, its might boundless.

BOOM!

A deafening roar erupted as cracks spread across the ground, inch by inch. The aftershock was so powerful that the spectators couldn’t keep their eyes open.

After the Blood Red Sword Qi and Elder Mu’s Formless Sword Qi collided, the resulting shockwave began to slice through everything in the vicinity.

Many of the observing Observatory members froze for a moment before rapidly retreating.

Deep fissures were left in the ground where they had just been standing.

’If that strike had hit me, I’d be severely injured right now.’

The Observatory members who had dodged were inwardly astonished. They all turned their gazes back to the battlefield.

They wanted to see the outcome, and they wanted to see what they had been hoping for.

Elder Mu’s strike had become a spent force, as had Shen Bai’s.

However, compared to Shen Bai, Elder Mu’s longsword was still pressing forward.

Just a moment ago, Elder Mu had felt as if Shen Bai had absorbed a portion of his Qi.

’This kid has other special abilities... No, wait. My Cold Moon seems different,’ Elder Mu thought.

Though it felt a bit odd to think of it as "my" Cold Moon, Elder Mu could clearly see that Shen Bai had somehow modified the blade.

’But this strike of mine isn’t so simple either,’ Elder Mu thought.

As the thought crossed his mind, Elder Mu gave his wrist a slight twist.

The longsword, which should have been a spent force, suddenly erupted with an even more brilliant radiance.

This time, it was no longer Formless Sword Qi. Instead, a streak of azure Sword Qi emerged, vast and heavy like the surface of the boundless ocean.

This was one of Elder Mu’s signature moves: the ability to unleash a second wave of Sword Momentum just as his technique reached its limit.

Of course, he held back slightly, worried that Shen Bai wouldn’t be able to handle the full force of the attack.

Shen Bai was also taken aback. He hadn’t expected Elder Mu to have a trick like this up his sleeve. "Elder Mu, that move is truly marvelous."

The words had barely left his mouth when Shen Bai spun Cold Moon in his hand.

Countless strands of Blood Red Sword Qi wove together before him, forming a great net.

Elder Mu’s longsword fell upon Shen Bai’s net, and the Blood Red Sword Qi shattered.

It was then that Elder Mu noticed something strange.

Shen Bai made no attempt to defend himself. He simply took a step back as a flawless, jade-white light flared to life around his body.

"You boy, are you crazy?!" Elder Mu couldn’t help but shout.

But by then, the longsword was less than an inch away from Shen Bai.

Even with his mastery of Swordsmanship, it was too late to pull back the blade.

"Dodge!"

Elder Mu roared.

The Observatory members saw what was happening, and anxious expressions appeared on their faces.

They realized something had happened in the fight that was beyond their control.

Several Observatory members even drew their weapons, intending to rush forward and help Shen Bai block the attack.

After all, the second burst of power from that strike was simply too terrifying.

But in the next instant, they were stunned by the scene before them.

The jade-white light surrounding Shen Bai shattered under Elder Mu’s longsword.

But after one layer broke, another was revealed beneath it.

’What’s happening?’

Confusion flooded the minds of the Observatory members.

Elder Mu was just as confused. He felt the momentum of his longsword weaken after breaking the first layer, but he never expected to find another one underneath.

’Just how many tricks does this kid have up his sleeve?’ A flicker of curiosity arose in Elder Mu’s heart alongside his confusion.

Thanks to the resistance from the white light, Elder Mu could now control his longsword, so he was no longer worried about injuring Shen Bai.

He didn’t add any more force, simply maintaining the thrust and pressing forward.

One layer, two layers, three layers...

A full thirteen layers of white light were shattered by Elder Mu, one after another.

But at the fourteenth layer, Elder Mu’s longsword came to a halt.

The Formless Sword Qi covering it had dissipated, its power completely gone.

Standing within the white light, Shen Bai smiled faintly. He took a deep breath, and the Qi within him began to circulate.

Sixteen layers of white light once again enveloped his body, looking as if they had never been broken.

"Elder Mu, what do you think of that move?" Shen Bai asked with a smile. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Elder Mu sheathed his longsword, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I was wondering why you didn’t try to block my strike. So you have such a miraculous Defense Technique. From the looks of it, there are a full sixteen layers, and each one has astonishing defensive power."

Sixteen layers?

When they heard this, all the Observatory members present stared wide-eyed.

They began to whisper among themselves, discussing Shen Bai’s sixteen layers of white light.

"That light’s defense is incredible. It even wore down Elder Mu’s attack."

"Sixteen layers... Each one is as thin as paper, yet its defensive power is so outstanding. What kind of ability is that?"

"Who is Shen Bai’s master, anyway? Does anyone even know?"

"No idea, but his master must be someone incredibly formidable."

They had already begun speculating about who Shen Bai’s master could be.

After all, with Shen Bai’s level of strength, there was no way he could have achieved it through Cultivation alone.

Shen Bai heard their discussions but paid them no mind. Instead, he looked at Elder Mu and asked, "In Fenglin State, what level would you say my strength is at?"

Elder Mu had already sheathed his longsword. Hearing Shen Bai’s question, he thought for a moment before replying, "Barring a few old monsters, you can pretty much do as you please in Fenglin State."

This statement was a clear affirmation of Shen Bai’s power.

These so-called "old monsters" were exceedingly rare in Fenglin State.

After all, even someone at Elder Mu’s level was considered a rarity in Fenglin State.