Chapter 684: Power Is Not Great but Highly Insulting

He quickly pointed three fingers to the sky and swore, "I, Zhao Zhi, will have a fair duel with Zu An today. Regardless of the outcome, I swear I will not use my family's power to retaliate afterward, or else heaven and earth will reject me."

After he finished speaking, a faint golden light descended upon him, clearly signifying the oath's activation.

Only then did Zu An breathe a sigh of relief. He had just arrived in this world and already knew the sacred nature of contracts and oaths. This meant he wouldn't have to worry about the Prince of Qi's retaliation afterward—at least not openly. That was enough; whatever the other party tried in secret, he would deal with it. With his current cultivation and intelligence, he was confident as long as a Grandmaster like the Prince of Qi didn't directly intervene.

Immediately afterward, he also swore an oath: "I, Zu An, will have a fair duel with Zhao Zhi today. Regardless of the outcome, I swear I will not use my family's power to retaliate afterward, or else heaven and earth will reject me."

The gap-toothed coachman in the distance almost burst out laughing. "This kid is truly shameless," he muttered.

The Prince of Qi's heir had a powerful family to rely on, but what family power did this kid have to boast about?

The woman inside the carriage chuckled softly, nodding in agreement. "He's still the same as he was back then," she murmured.

The gap-toothed coachman's eyes lit up. There was indeed gossip to be had! He decided he needed to find an opportunity to inquire further.

Murong Qinghe tugged at Chu Youzhao's sleeve again. "Brother Chu," she asked, "with a brother-in-law like that, your sister must often be bullied, right?"

She had met Chu Chuyan before and had initially thought that someone of Miss Chu's stature could never be bullied. However, after meeting Zu An, she became unsure of that assessment.

"She is indeed often bullied," Chu Youzhao said, his face flushing. His mind involuntarily recalled the time he had accidentally walked in on Zu An playfully pinning his sister down in her boudoir. His usually proud and aloof sister had looked utterly disheveled, and the memory filled him with a pang of sadness.

The Prince of Qi's heir's face twitched. He clearly realized the cunningness in Zu An's oath, but he didn't care. He was certain he would win this time. He would use this opportunity of a fair duel to completely cripple Zu An. That way, not only the Crown Prince and Princess, but even the Emperor wouldn't be able to blame him.

"You go first," the Prince of Qi's heir said arrogantly. "Otherwise, I fear you won't get a chance to make a move." He thought highly of himself, and striking first against a "good-for-nothing" would simply lower his prestige.

Although the surrounding common folk had already left, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire, there were still some spectators present: the Chu family's heir, the young lady from the Murong family, and that carriage over there.

It was strange; what was the deal with that carriage? It knew what was happening here, yet it remained.

Could it be that some important figure was sitting inside? But its exterior looked like an ordinary carriage.

"Since you're so eager to be beaten, I'll oblige you," Zu An said without ceremony. While the Prince of Qi's heir was momentarily distracted, Zu An shot forward like a cannonball, appearing before him in an instant.

The Prince of Qi's heir was startled. How could this fellow be so fast!

Seeing Zu An's fist rushing towards him, he hurriedly threw a punch of his own. A cruel smile played on his lips; with the difference in their cultivation levels, his single punch would be enough to cause a comminuted fracture in Zu An's hand.

Just as the two fists were about to meet, Zu An's powerful and unrestrained punch suddenly transformed into a soft, yielding motion. Like a nimble serpent, his hand wrapped directly around his opponent's arm and extended upwards, then his five fingers spread, and there was a crisp 'slap!'

Everyone nearby was stunned. As a martial arts enthusiast, Murong Qinghe had been watching the battle intently from start to finish, hoping to learn something.

She had fought Zu An before and, despite a crushing defeat, knew that he was no match for an eighth-rank master. In her opinion, Zu An's wisest choice would have been to focus on defense, trying to prolong the fight and hoping for a turn of events, such as reinforcements from the Crown Prince's palace arriving to intervene.

But to her surprise, Zu An had launched such a bold, direct offensive. Not only that, but he had also managed to slap the Prince of Qi's heir with a bizarre move!

How did that move just now resemble the Feathered Silk Hand technique of the Pei family so much?

It couldn't be, could it? How could he possibly know the Pei family's martial arts?

Although she could tell that Zu An's hand, having managed to get so close to the Prince of Qi's heir, was already at its limit, and the slap carried little power, its insult factor was immense.

Sure enough, a burning sensation spread across his face, and the Prince of Qi exploded in rage. "You dared to hit me! You actually dared to hit me!"

Rage value from the Prince of Qi +999 +999 +999...

His hair stood on end, and he lunged with a punch towards Zu An's chest. He was no longer in the mood to spare Zu An's life; his only thought was to smash him to dust, to cleanse himself of this humiliation.

The gap-toothed coachman in the distance frowned. "That move just now wasn't wise, young man. That slap had no attacking power and only enraged the other party. Now the Prince of Qi's heir has murderous intent. Madam, should I save him later?"

He could tell his mistress was paying close attention to the young man, which was why he specifically asked.

The woman's calm voice came from inside the carriage. "Let's observe the situation first."

From what she knew of Zu An, he shouldn't be the reckless type.

Besides, someone who could survive the Emperor's wrath surely had some trump cards up his sleeve.

Just then, Chu Youzhao let out a startled cry. The situation on the field had changed: the Prince of Qi's heir's determined punch had struck Zu An's chest, and Zu An's entire body seemed to dissipate.

The Prince of Qi's heir, however, frowned deeply. The sensation from his hand told him that his punch had missed; he had struck only an afterimage.

As expected, Zu An had retreated several *zhang* away.

The Prince of Qi's heir found it somewhat strange how fast Zu An was, but he was too lazy to dwell on it and simply pursued him.

'No matter how fast you are, can you be faster than an eighth-rank cultivator?' he thought. 'Especially a lightning-elemental ability user known for his speed!'

Zu An quickly raised his palm to meet the attack. The two exchanged over a dozen blows in an instant, their qi blasts scattering and causing the nearby knight ice sculptures to topple. Chu Youzhao and Murong Qinghe also had to continuously retreat.

Both their eyes were wide with shock. They had never imagined that Zu An could directly confront an eighth-rank master without falling into a disadvantageous position.

Chu Youzhao secretly clenched his fists. The scene of his brother-in-law instantly killing those assassins resurfaced in his mind, and he thought, 'Brother-in-law might actually win this time.'

Murong Qinghe seemed to read her thoughts and shook her head. "Although your brother-in-law's strength is surprising, there's still a significant gap in cultivation levels between him and the heir," she said. "The higher one's cultivation, the harder it is to defeat someone of a higher rank. He might not even be able to break through the heir's protective barrier."

As if to confirm her words, Zu An transformed his fingers into a sword and struck the Prince of Qi's heir in the ribs with his Snow Flake Divine Sword.

However, a layer of purple light appeared on the Prince of Qi's heir's body, completely neutralizing Zu An's attack.

A tingling sensation ran through Zu An's fingers; it was the result of a lightning counter-attack. With a thought, Zu An used his 'Sunflower Phantom' movement technique to instantly shift three *zhang* sideways.

Almost simultaneously, the Prince of Qi's heir's lightning-infused punch struck the spot where Zu An had just been standing. Lightning flashed, creating a large crater in the ground spanning a *zhang* in diameter. The shattered bricks were covered in scorched marks, clearly caused by the intense lightning.

The Prince of Qi's heir frowned as he looked at Zu An. "This fellow's movement technique is truly too strange, but that isn't an issue," he said coldly. "Presumably, this movement technique gave you the confidence to challenge me, right? What a pity your attacks can't even break through my elemental barrier. How can you fight me?"

He was in an unassailable position. All he needed to do was deplete Zu An's vital energy. After successive battles, low-level cultivators' vital energy quickly wanes. Once Zu An showed even a hint of fatigue, his bizarre movement technique would be broken, and the Prince of Qi's heir could then finish him off completely.

Zu An sighed. "Why do you villains talk so much? You actually think I can't break through your barrier? If you're so confident, stand there and let me attack three times!"

As he spoke, he silently drew out the Tai'a Sword. This sword specialized in breaking cultivators' elemental barriers. Overcoming higher-rank opponents was an impossible task for others, but for him, it was no problem.