"Brother Guanshan, this Foundry Hall Disciple next to me isn’t just good at forging weapons—his Martial Arts are outstanding among the younger generation."

His large hand clapped Xu Yunfan’s back with a series of loud THUMPS as he held up two fingers.

"Second Level, at the Perfection stage of Muscle and Skin Training! Now that he’s stepped into the Outer Three Harmonies Realm, even someone in the Flesh Refining Realm couldn’t beat him."

Xu Yunfan was speechless.

The Guan Shan Taoist was a little surprised to hear this, and only then did he take a serious look at Xu Yunfan.

"Hmm?!"

His brow twitched, and he shot a quick glance at Hong Baichuan, who seemed completely oblivious.

A thought stirred in Xu Yunfan’s mind.

The Guan Shan Taoist suddenly chuckled. "My disciple here also just recently entered the Outer Three Harmonies. Why don’t the two of them have a go?"

Xu Yunfan’s outstretched chopsticks froze mid-air, his expression stiffening.

Su Zhenhe let out a soft laugh.

"Care to try, Brother Xu?"

Before the laugh had even faded, his Folding Fan was already pointed three inches from Xu Yunfan’s shoulder.

The hairs on the back of Xu Yunfan’s neck stood on end. His Thunderfire Qilin Hammer was still sheathed, but the Thousand Mechanism Threads from the device at his waist had already shot out like a viper’s tongue, wrapping around the Fan Bone Dragon Spine Pattern.

DING!

Amidst the sound of metal striking metal, the benches they were sitting on were pushed back three inches.

Su Zhenhe stroked the Charcoal Star Map on the Fan Surface, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Brother Xu, your Silk Binding Force technique really captures the essence of the Hundred Refinements Silk Binding Strength."

"Brother Su’s technique is quite exquisite as well, to be able to project force that turns into frost."

Just a moment ago, the dormant Blood Qi in Su Zhenhe’s body had erupted with earth-shattering force. His aura instantly soared to its peak—it was truly astonishing.

Xu Yunfan calmly shook the ice shards from his Thousand Mechanism Threads, glancing at the fine teeth marks on their surface.

In that momentary exchange, the Folding Fan’s thirty-six hidden Cold Iron Fan Bones had clashed with the Thousand Mechanism Threads more than seven times.

If he hadn’t used his skill with precision, the Thousand Mechanism Threads would have already snapped.

Xu Yunfan glanced at Hong Baichuan.

He saw a hint of certainty mixed in with Hong Baichuan’s hazy, drunken gaze.

Xu Yunfan understood.

At that moment, Su Zhenhe stood up, walked out of the Star-Picking Pavilion, and went to an open area, slowly tapping his Folding Fan against his palm.

"It’s too cramped inside, not enough room to move. Why don’t we try it out here, Brother Xu?"

"As you wish."

With a calm expression, Xu Yunfan rose and casually picked up the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer that was resting to the side. He walked slowly to the open area and took his stance.

Inside the Star-Picking Pavilion, Daoist Guan He, the Guan Shan Taoist, and Hong Baichuan—who no longer had a trace of drunkenness on his face—watched the field without blinking.

’Of course,’ Xu Yunfan thought.

A mountain breeze swept past the bronze bells on the eaves of the Star-Picking Pavilion. With a flick of his wrist, Xu Yunfan’s Thunderfire Qilin Hammer swung out in a three-foot arc of dark light. An invisible Qi Force burst from the hammer’s head, rapidly expanding outward.

Before the hammer head even arrived, the force of the wind had already pressed the loose strands of hair on Su Zhenhe’s forehead flat against his scalp.

"A Treasure Artifact?!"

Su Zhenhe’s previously relaxed and carefree expression finally turned serious.

A sharp blade was one thing, but a Treasure Artifact could spontaneously generate Qi Force. When wielded, it could amplify the user’s Blood Qi several-fold, making it an excellent weapon for fighting opponents above one’s own level.

"The Folding Fan in Brother Su’s hand is not to be underestimated either."

The moment Xu Yunfan finished speaking, he pushed off the arches of his feet and shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. The Heavy Hammer in his hand swept out, wrapped in wind and thunder.

CLANG!

The Folding Fan snapped open against the wind, its thirty-six Cold Iron Fan Bones managing to block the heavy blow.

Su Zhenhe’s eyes narrowed. The power behind that Heavy Hammer was far beyond his expectations.

He twisted his waist and spun, the bluestone tiles grinding to dust under his Deer Hide Boots. He used the immense force of Xu Yunfan’s swing to launch himself thirty feet into the air.

In mid-air, his Folding Fan snapped shut, its tip striking like a viper’s tongue straight for the small of Xu Yunfan’s back.

Xu Yunfan’s Blood Qi churned as if it were boiling. The dormant Pure Yang Inner Breath within his flesh began to circulate through his limbs, making his strength even more ferocious.

The muscles in his arms bulged, straining the loose fabric of his sleeves until they were taut.

The trajectory of the Heavy Hammer suddenly changed. He flipped it in his grip, and the Armor-Piercing Awl on the end of the handle grazed past Su Zhenhe’s ear, tearing off a corner of his Jiao Xiao sleeve.

"A fine ’Entangling’ maneuver of the Cloak Hammer technique!"

Su Zhenhe tapped his toes on the ground to retreat rapidly. As he landed, his left sleeve was already wrapped around a Profound Armor Bracelet.

The corner of Xu Yunfan’s eye twitched as he watched.

’Another Treasure Artifact,’ he thought. ’He’s really flaunting his wealth.’

Su Zhenhe’s Folding Fan became a blur between his fingers. Cold light flashed from the joints of the fan bones as twenty-three gusts of air, each capable of piercing metal and splitting stone, shot out instantly, targeting twelve of Xu Yunfan’s joints.

A white mist shot from Xu Yunfan’s nostrils as the muscles all over his body tensed and coiled like old vines.

He swung the Heavy Hammer in a full circle like a full moon. Sparks flew where the hammer’s shadow passed, and the bursting Qi Force was accompanied by claps of thunder, shattering twenty-two of the gusts of wind.

Xu Yunfan stomped his foot, and his two-hundred-pound body spun horizontally in mid-air. The bluestone tile beneath his boot exploded, sending a shower of fragmented stone like a rain of arrows toward Su Zhenhe’s face.

"Well done!"

Su Zhenhe closed his Folding Fan until it was the length of a ruler, the bones in his wrist cracking like popping beans.

With a series of taps, deflections, lifts, and parries from the fan’s bones, he dismantled the seemingly impenetrable barrage of stone fragments, clearing a three-foot gap.

Just as the last piece of stone was about to fall, he suddenly slapped his left palm on the ground. A curtain of dust rose from the cracks in the bluestone—a backup plan he had set up earlier by shattering the tiles with a Hidden Force!

?!

When Su Zhenhe saw that Xu Yunfan’s Thunderfire Qilin Hammer could actually transform into a Chain Hammer, his expression couldn’t help but go slack with surprise.

Among those seated in the Star-Picking Pavilion, Daoist Guan He was particularly amazed.

"As expected of the Celestial Craft Cave! To be able to forge such a unique Treasure Artifact by combining weapon forging with mechanical arts!"

A ginkgo tree as thick as a bowl snapped and went flying, its trunk crashing through the curtain of dust.

"Aiyah, my ginkgo tree!!"

The Guan Shan Taoist couldn’t stay seated, but Hong Baichuan grabbed him and consoled him, "It’s just one ginkgo tree, Brother Guanshan. No need to get so worked up. I’ll have a disciple from the Celestial Craft Department come over and plant a Glazed Tree for you. It’ll be much prettier than this one."

Amidst the flying wood splinters, a flash of cold light skimmed across the ground.

Su Zhenhe was actually using his Folding Fan as a blade, employing the techniques of an Earth-Slicing Saber!

CRACK!

The Thunderfire Hammer smashed half a foot into the ground. Xu Yunfan used the rebound force to flip backward into the air.

Su Zhenhe’s fan-blade scraped across his back, plowing a trail of sparks against his Profound Steel Waist Guard.

The instant they passed each other, Xu Yunfan brought his heel down like an axe. Su Zhenhe raised his elbow to block, and his Profound Iron Arm Guard erupted with a counter-shock force that actually left Xu Yunfan’s heel feeling numb.

The two went back and forth, hammer and fan clashing. Sparks flew, nearly showering the entire courtyard, and the clang of metal was incessant.

Xu Yunfan wielded his Heavy Hammer with the surging momentum of thunder and wind. His movements were grand and powerful, yet they didn’t lack subtlety. Every swing left room for adjustment, and his aura was like a tiger bursting from its cage. He hadn’t retreated a single step.

Su Zhenhe was truly worthy of being a True Disciple of the Profound Daoist Sect. His skillful use of the Folding Fan was masterful. Although he couldn’t block the blows head-on, he was adept at redirecting his opponent’s force.

A hundred moves passed in the blink of an eye.

Xu Yunfan’s hammer strikes grew fiercer. He executed the "Iron Locks Across the River" move from the Thirty-six Cloak Hammers, causing the Heavy Hammer to ripple through the air in a wave-like pattern.

Sweat appeared on Su Zhenhe’s temples. The opening and closing of his Folding Fan had become sluggish. Twelve of the fan’s bones were glowing red from the impact of the Heavy Hammer, and the repeated shocks made his grip unstable.