Hu Zhongyuan's figure was suddenly forced back another ten-plus zhang before he could finally stabilize. In the distance, Zong Shou’s shadow flickered, rapidly retreating. Yet, the knife-like leg wind continued to sweep upwards, striking the roof and punching a deep crater directly through it. With a loud boom, a shower of debris rained down, causing the Iron Gang Hall to shake violently.

After that, no matter how Zong Shou's sword techniques shifted or how unpredictable his movements became, Xuanyuan Tong paid them no mind, not even attempting to block. Even with his entire body exposed with flaws, he didn't care; he simply launched a direct punch and a hammering kick, overwhelmingly domineering and mighty.

Hu Zhongyuan was filled with immense admiration, forced to retreat dozens more zhang continuously. Chu Xue and Zong Yuan could no longer sustain themselves, pressed back against the corners of the stone hall. It was only thanks to Zong Shou, still merely in the initial stage of the Innate Meridian realm, that he could survive intact before Xuanyuan Tong.

This City Lord of Profound Mountain unleashed torrents of fierce wind with nearly every punch he threw. Every leg sweep made the stone hall tremble. He was like a colossal mountain in human form, constantly vibrating the very ground.

In just a few strikes, Zong Shou’s form was forced back dozens of zhang. He seemed like a giant boulder rolling down a cliff, perilously close to crushing everything in its path through sheer mass!

And Zong Shou appeared to be truly angered, fearless and relentless, showing no sign of dejection or surrender, continuing to weave through the tempest of fists. The occasional sword thrust he managed was exquisite to the extreme.

When he retreated to the center of the hall, he transformed into scattered points of starlight, like a brilliant galaxy, striking back in retaliation.

Thousands of sword shadows ceaselessly sliced and carved through the overwhelming, vast gang wind before them, pushing forward even more ferociously! In the span of a breath, he reached Xuanyuan Tong’s front, seemingly intending to completely submerge his figure.

But in Xuanyuan Tong’s eyes, a cold glint flashed momentarily. Then, instead of retreating, he surged forward to meet the charge. He was not only swift as lightning and fierce as fire, but his imposing might had intensified several times over!

"Fine swordsmanship! But your strength is too weak! No matter how many paths you take, I will meet you with one! Break for me—"

A charging punch, a fist the size of a basin, slammed violently into the very center of that star-river sword cascade, colliding with the sharpest edge of the sword light.

Clang!

As the fist and blade met obliquely, the next instant, Zong Shou's figure was struck head-on as if by a giant hammer swung at a million jin. His entire body was sent flying backward like a tattered sack, only finally managing to steady himself near the hall doors. But upon landing, he slid back another several zhang.

Then, Zong Shou knelt weakly, coughing up blood. He could only remain half-crouched, propped up by the sword in his hand, preventing his body from collapsing to the floor.

Hu Zhongyuan paused, catching his breath. Though he had long anticipated that Zong Shou could not defeat Xuanyuan Tong, at this moment, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of unfairness for Zong Shou.

This was utter annihilation! An elephant using its full might to step on an ant. How merciless; this City Lord of Profound Mountain truly lacked grace.

His father, back then, had sealed ninety-seven percent of his power when sparring with Zong Shou.

This man, however, aside from the suppression of true essence within the Iron Gang Hall, was using almost all his strength. The gap between the two was nearly twentyfold!

Xuanyuan Tong seemed aware that his actions carried a hint of bullying the small. He stopped and offered an apologetic explanation: "Your mastery of the Way of the Sword surpasses my expectations by far! Even holding back slightly, I might have been defeated by you. Therefore, in this fight, I could not afford to hold back; I had to push my technique to its sharpest edge. Today's apparent defeat is not because your martial path is inferior, but simply because the gap in raw power is too vast. Do not dwell on it. If you still have strength, rise and apologize to your Uncle Tan and Uncle Luo; they are your elders and will not blame you—"

Even as he spoke, he unhesitatingly treated Zong Shou as his potential son-in-law. Xuanyuan Tong’s eyes were filled with pleasant surprise.

In ten years, he never imagined that the son of his old friend would have grown to this extent!

However, Xuanyuan Tong stopped mid-sentence, looking at the figure before him with astonishment.

Zong Shou was already staggering back to his feet. In his eyes, there was absolutely no trace of conceding defeat, only a raging, burning flame. Xuanyuan Tong froze, silently standing down, waiting quietly.

In Zong Shou's mind, one part remained hazy, lacking much consciousness. Yet, another part was intensely clear, with countless sword techniques and martial principles flashing through his brain. The areas previously inaccessible were now completely opened up. The essence he had grasped was further illuminated and refined, achieving perfect integration and continuous improvement.

His sword had always respected only the strong; it grew stronger against the strong and harder against the hard!

Apologize? What a joke! Zong Shou never uttered the word 'sorry' after striking someone!

Gradually, a gentle breeze began to stir from the ground, gathering around Zong Shou. The water-fire spiritual energy, thick as mist, caused the space spanning a few meters around him to faintly shimmer in red and white. It churned like a massive, twisting spiral.

"This spiritual energy... could it be a Spirit Art?"

Xuanyuan Tong was uncertain. At first, he assumed Zong Shou’s innate energy was overflowing, drawing the ambient Heaven and Earth spiritual energy. Then, he remembered: within this Iron Gang Hall, unless one had already half-stepped into the Celestial Rank, no innate master could force their energy outwards! Yet, Zong Shou was still able to summon the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth!

"Incredible, it's Soul Power! Mobilizing the spirits of Heaven and Earth using his own soul energy. Besides being an Innate Martial Master, this child is also a Spirit Master—dual cultivation of Spirit and Martial arts!"

Shocked, Xuanyuan Tong’s gaze momentarily lost focus. It was precisely at this moment that Zong Shou abruptly opened his eyes, his cold gaze seeming to pierce through everything. His entire figure suddenly flowed, as if merging into that light breeze, drifting toward his opponent.

He thrust his sword from fifty zhang away, still ethereal and breathtakingly stunning, a display of perfection nearing flawlessness, exhausting the ultimate principles of the Way of the Sword!

Xuanyuan Tong’s concentration wavered only slightly before he recovered. Watching the incoming sword light, his eyes brightened again, filled with profound admiration.

"Fine sword! Truly marvelous! Your swordsmanship has improved even upon that high perch. I wonder if you were holding back before, or if you have gained new enlightenment. Truly terrifying innate talent!"

Yet, without hesitation, he still drove a single punch forward violently! Every muscle tensed, and the blood and qi within his body surged and burned. The momentum of this punch surpassed the previous one by a full third.

"What if technique approaches the Dao? Without the foundation of reliance, it is still weak! So weak! Shatter for me!"

The path of the wind from his fist aimed precisely where the sword edge was coming from. As he moved, Xuanyuan Tong’s gaze turned ice-cold, almost mechanical; all warmth vanished from his eyes, replaced only by the ruthless desire to crush everything and annihilate all confidence.

Only when he saw that Zong Shou’s sword showed no intention of evading did he show a slight surprise. But it was momentary before he smoothed his expression again. No evasion is better; this one punch can decide the victory!

Clang!

When the fist and sword clashed again, the entire stone hall immediately shook once more. Zong Shou’s figure, as everyone expected, was thrown backward. However, there was no sign of distress; he drifted back toward the stone door like a falling leaf before finally settling down.

Conversely, Xuanyuan Tong abruptly staggered back three steps with loud thuds—thump, thump, thump—shattering the Iron Gang Rock beneath him with each landing.

And within the hundreds of zhang space, the temperature fluctuated wildly between hot and cold. Where the two had previously exchanged blows, faint traces of lightning flickered.

"How is this possible? This one sword strike carries such immense force! At the mere stage of Initial Innate Meridian, where does this boy get the strength to contend with me? His Spirit Art has even reached the Night Roaming Realm—what terrifying talent! But even so, he shouldn't possess this much power! It’s almost an even match!"

A tidal wave surged through Xuanyuan Tong’s chest.

Meanwhile, Hu Zhongyuan and Zong Yuan and the others were already gaping dumbfounded.

That was the Ninth Meridian of the Earth Wheel, the peak of the Black Tortoise! Even casually in the Iron Gang Hall, they possessed strength equivalent to hundreds of thousands of jin. Had their young lord swallowed some kind of divine tonic? To force Xuanyuan Tong back three steps with a single sword strike, managing a near-even match on the field? Or perhaps he was possessed by some god or demon at this moment?

And Zhu Junhou and Tan Tao on the ground were utterly in disbelief. This sword strike had completely disregarded the difference in cultivation tiers. Unless Zong Shou was already a powerhouse beyond the Grandmaster realm, this was impossible!

Luo Yan managed to lift his head, his eyes wide open. He had been furious earlier, burning with the desire to kill Zong Shou. But now, all he felt was wave after wave of overwhelming shock. Although he didn't fully grasp it, that sword attack from the boy felt incredibly, immensely powerful!

Lin Shina, however, looked lost in thought, vaguely recalling something. After a moment, she murmured dazedly, "It’s the Unity of Spirit and Martial! It's actually the Unity of Spirit and Martial! Master, before he died, he exhausted his life's energy trying to achieve it, but he couldn't—the Unity of Spirit and Martial!"

This almost inaudible whisper landed like a bomb, causing a ripple in the minds of the two in the stone hall.

Fang Shu also paused briefly, then murmured, "How could it be the Unity of Spirit and Martial? Wait, yes, resisting the Ninth Meridian at the Initial Earth Wheel stage—if not the Unity of Spirit and Martial, then what is it?"

Xuanyuan Tong sucked in a sharp breath. Although his wife’s own martial arts weren't exceptionally strong, she originated from a major demonic sect. Her insight and knowledge even surpassed his own. He immediately fixed his gaze on Zong Shou’s surroundings. Then, when he saw the water-fire spiritual energy gathering around Zong Shou like clouds and mist, pouring into the tip of his sword, Xuanyuan Tong’s pupils instantly contracted to pinpoints.

This wasn't the usual dual cultivation of Spirit and Martial, using true essence supplemented by Spirit Arts. Instead, the two merged, Qi and Soul becoming one, interwoven without the slightest disharmony. It was as if these two elements were destined to be together, truly one entity, rather than repelling or eroding each other. No wonder that single sword strike earlier was powerful enough to contend with him!

The true essence of the Initial Innate stage, augmented by the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth—the power of this one sword strike could indeed bridge the gap, infinitely narrowing the disparity between their strengths!

Then, his gaze turned blank again. He pondered how many dual Spirit-Martial cultivators existed in this world, and how many could achieve the Unity of Spirit and Martial! And who, at the age of fourteen, in the Innate Realm, could accomplish it?