Chapter 682: I think she's a bit too old

The first attackers were two sixth-rank knights. Although unmounted, their momentum was still formidable. Their moves were simple and direct, lacking the intricate flourishes of martial artists, typical of military combat. The blades in their hands exuded a bloody aura, clearly honed on the battlefield.

Zu An met them head-on. Given his current cultivation level, these individuals were not worth him dodging. He did not use the Spiritual Insight Finger; after all, he had used it previously in his identity as Gold Medal Eleven, and if someone discerning saw it in broad daylight now, they could easily make the connection. He changed his hand posture from a finger strike to a palm strike, striking later but arriving first, hitting the sides of both their blades, one on the left and one on the right. With his current strength, if these two palm strikes had landed solidly, the blades would have broken and hands fractured at worst, or their web between thumb and index finger would have bled, causing them to lose their grip at best. Yet, the two only swayed slightly, then immediately attacked again with their palms.

Zu An met their palms. After exchanging a single palm strike, both sides retreated, leaving a gap of ten feet. Zu An frowned slightly, noticing faint blue light circulating on their bodies and some obscure runes flickering in and out of sight. He immediately realized this must be a military formation. He was not unfamiliar with this; back in Brightmoon City, the Chu family's private army, relying on coordinated military formations, had managed to withstand a Grandmaster's attack. In this world of cultivation, the reason armies could still exist was ultimately due to the existence of formations. When attacking, they could combine everyone's cultivation power, and when defending, they could evenly disperse the opponent's attacks among all individuals.

At this moment, the Prince of Qi's heir and his entourage were even more surprised. One must know that this cavalry squad under his command could be considered his personal guards, every one of them a skilled soldier, with the majority being fifth-rank, a few fourth-rank, and several sixth-rank cultivators. Coupled with the formation, they were more than enough to crush a peak sixth-rank master, yet they only fought him to a draw? Despite having overestimated him as much as possible, this fellow was clearly even more formidable than reported.

However, the Prince of Qi's heir was not concerned. His personal guard contingent had no problem encircling and killing an ordinary seventh-rank master, let alone merely Zu An. As if sensing their master's displeasure, the knights' old faces flushed. They roared and attacked Zu An again from all directions.

Many martial arts masters struggle on the battlefield because, ultimately, blades and spears come from all directions. The dodging and maneuvering techniques of martial artists are not very effective there. Instead, the key is how to eliminate enemies simply and directly while conserving stamina for prolonged combat. It was not the first time these individuals had dealt with martial arts masters. Martial arts masters found it difficult to adapt to their fighting style and were always defeated by their clever coordination.

Seeing the charging figures, Zu An knew that the opponents had sealed off most of his dodging space. The only angles left open were deliberate traps; if he dodged in those directions, their attacks would come wave after wave, directly exhausting him to death. This military formation's coordination was indeed impossible to evade, but why should he dodge?

He spread his arms, and a frosty white aura radiated from him as the center. Immediately, snowflakes descended from the sky around him. Once these snowflakes touched the charging knights, a layer of frost quickly spread across their bodies. Their rapidly charging forms seemed to be struck by a slowing spell, their steps becoming slower and slower until they were eventually frozen into lumps of ice sculptures.

Not far away, Chu Youzhao, who had been worried, widened her beautiful eyes: "Snowflake Divine Sword?" She was far too familiar with her sister's Snowflake Divine Sword. This scene indeed bore a strong resemblance, but it also seemed subtly different, though she couldn't pinpoint how. However, after a rough comparison, she felt that Zu An's Snowflake Divine Sword seemed even more powerful than her sister's. This guy is actually a genius? Chu Youzhao was utterly shocked. Given her sister's talent, it was already remarkable to cultivate the "Snowflake Divine Sword" to that level. How long had her brother-in-law been learning it? Even if her sister taught him right after they got married, it had only been a few months, right? He actually surpassed his teacher?

The gap-toothed coachman on the distant carriage frowned and said, "This doesn't seem to be the 'Snowflake Divine Sword,' yet it definitely has some of its sword intent. How peculiar."

The Prince of Qi's heir had originally been sitting proudly on his tall steed, waiting for his subordinates to beat Zu An senseless, but the next second, his subordinates were completely wiped out. He couldn't help but feel both shocked and enraged: "Indeed, he's just a kept man; even all his skills were taught by a woman."

Rage points from Zhao Zhi +444 +444 +444...

He couldn't tell the difference and subconsciously assumed it was Chu Chuyan's "Snowflake Divine Sword." Zu An had indeed just used the Snowflake Divine Sword. However, he hadn't awakened ice-type abilities, so its power when he used it was certainly inferior to Chu Chuyan's. But he could also summon the Snow Phoenix, and combining the two was enough to make it indistinguishable from the real thing. Moreover, the Snow Phoenix's power was also related to his cultivation level. With his current cultivation improvement, the Snow Phoenix's power had also greatly increased.

Hearing the other party's words, he said with a grin, "Being a kept man also requires skill, you know? Especially for a stunning beauty like Chuyan, how could she fancy an ordinary man? If you have the skill, go try it yourself. Chuyan is definitely out of your league. Who else is there... Oh, right, there's someone named Yu Yanluo, the former most beautiful woman in the capital. If you have the guts to try living off her, then it won't be too late to mock me."

The gap-toothed coachman in the distance angrily retorted, "Bastard, this fellow is utterly loathsome! How dare he slander Her Ladyship's reputation!"

Rage points from Butler Fu +666!

However, Zu An's attention was currently on the Prince of Qi's heir, and he didn't notice this rage point income in the background.

The woman in the carriage chuckled, "It's alright, this young man is still as amusing as ever."

"Oh?" Butler Fu looked back at the carriage in surprise. From the meaning of her words, it seemed they had known each other before.

At this moment, the Prince of Qi's heir also gasped, "To speak so brazenly about being a kept man, there's truly no one else but you."

Murong Qinghe, not far away, also nodded in deep agreement and quietly said to Chu Youzhao beside her, "Brother Chu, your brother-in-law is truly shameless, to use these women as examples."

Chu Youzhao's face also flushed with embarrassment. "He is indeed unlike ordinary people."

Zu An sighed, "It seems you won't be able to live off Yu Yanluo. No wonder you're so infuriated and ashamed."

The Prince of Qi's heir said proudly, "I am from a distinguished background and possess high cultivation. Countless women offer themselves to me automatically. Why would I need to shamelessly live off a woman?"

"Are they coming for you personally? They're just after your family background and your father," Zu An scoffed. "Only someone like me, who is clearly impoverished, powerless, and without influence, yet can win the affection of the most famous beauty in the world—*that* is true skill."

The gap-toothed coachman in the distance gasped. "This fellow's shamelessness truly exceeds my imagination."

The woman in the carriage smiled faintly. "You haven't seen his more shameless side." As if recalling something from the past, her rosy lips curved upwards into a perfect arc.

The Prince of Qi's heir sneered, "My family background and my royal father are both part of my personal charm. Why should they be deliberately separated? Whose fault is it that you weren't born into a good family?"

Zu An sighed, "So you can only attract common, superficial women who are after those things. Can you win the favor of a top-tier beauty in the world, someone whose family background is comparable to yours? Like the Demon Cult Master Yun Jianyue, or Yu Yanluo, who once overshadowed the capital in beauty?"

The Prince of Qi's heir's face twitched. Both of these women were famously stunning beauties throughout the land, not only for their looks but also their esteemed status, making them objects of awe. How could they possibly fancy a junior like him? He couldn't help but retort sarcastically, "As if you could gain the favor of such women."

Murong Qinghe also nudged her lover beside her with a strange expression, "Brother Chu, your brother-in-law is truly shameless, to use these women as examples."

Chu Youzhao also had a strange expression. She naturally knew that given the status of those women, only individuals of the Emperor's or Prince of Qi's caliber could be their equals. Her brother-in-law using them as examples was indeed a bit out of line.

Zu An, with a look that suggested he had been waiting for him to say that, said with a touch of humble-bragging, "The Demon Cult Master, I wouldn't dare say, but Yu Yanluo has long been deeply in love with me. However, I felt she was a bit too old, and have been slow to accept her affections."

Hearing this, the gap-toothed coachman in the distance, who had been holding a water flask and watching the show, immediately spat out a mouthful of water.

The woman in the carriage: "..."