Tang Ziyi's composure was already beginning to crumble.
The longer the battle continued, the more disorganized his stance became. A single mistake led to another, and before long, he found himself completely overwhelmed.
What truly shocked him was not Zhao Mu's strength, but his mastery of the Heavenly Halberd.
Tang Ziyi had expected the massive weapon to be cumbersome in Zhao Mu's hands.
After all, the Heavenly Halberd was a notoriously difficult weapon to wield. Its weight alone made it unsuitable for most Spirit Power Users, and even those who trained with it for years often struggled to use it effectively.
Yet Zhao Mu displayed none of those weaknesses.
His movements were fluid.
His attacks were precise.
Every strike was faster and more ruthless than Tang Ziyi's own blade techniques.
The enormous halberd danced through the air as though it weighed nothing at all.
Each stance flowed seamlessly into the next.
Every movement was flawless.
This was the result of cultivating the Introductory Halberd Technique to complete mastery.
The foundation of Zhao Mu's halberd skills had already reached perfection.
As a result, his techniques possessed no unnecessary movements, no wasted effort, and no visible flaws.
In terms of pure weapon mastery, he could already be considered among the very best.
Boom!
The Heavenly Halberd descended once more.
Tang Ziyi gritted his teeth and raised his saber.
Clang!
The impact sent shockwaves through his arms.
Before he could recover, another strike followed.
Boom!
Then a third.
Boom!
Each attack carried overwhelming force.
Tang Ziyi desperately relied on his Level 8 spiritual power to endure the assault, but even superior spiritual power had its limits.
The pressure was simply too great.
His arms trembled.
His breathing grew ragged.
His footing became unstable.
Then came the decisive moment.
With a thunderous crash, Zhao Mu's halberd smashed downward.
Clang!
Tang Ziyi's Ember Remnant Saber was ripped from his hands and sent spinning through the air.
The weapon landed several meters away.
His defense was broken.
A dangerous gleam flashed in Zhao Mu's eyes.
Without hesitation, he reversed his grip.
The blade of the halberd rotated away, and the heavy shaft crashed directly into Tang Ziyi's shoulder.
Crack!
The sound of breaking bone echoed across the courtyard.
Tang Ziyi screamed.
His shoulder blade shattered instantly.
The tremendous force drove him to one knee.
But Zhao Mu showed no intention of stopping.
Mercy was for friendly sparring matches.
This was not one of them.
The moment victory was secured, he intended to finish the fight completely.
Before Tang Ziyi could recover, Zhao Mu spun around and delivered a vicious kick.
Bang!
His foot slammed into the side of Tang Ziyi's head.
The impact launched him through the air like a rag doll.
He flew seven or eight meters before crashing into the lotus pond.
Splash!
Water erupted in every direction.
Silence followed.
The entire battle had lasted less than a minute.
Less than sixty seconds.
Tang Ziyi had entered confidently.
Now he lay unconscious in the pond.
The spectators stared in disbelief.
No one had expected such a one-sided result.
Several people immediately rushed into the water and dragged Tang Ziyi back to shore.
By the time they pulled him out, he had already lost consciousness.
Blood trickled down his face.
His breathing remained steady, but his condition looked miserable.
Many people understood that Zhao Mu had shown restraint.
If that final kick had targeted the temple instead of the side of the head, Tang Ziyi would likely be dead.
The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
Li Hanshan's face darkened.
Meng Kuohai's expression was even uglier.
Everything had gone wrong.
They had originally intended to use this gathering to humiliate Meng Qiuqiu.
Instead, Zhao Mu had humiliated them in front of everyone.
The result felt like a slap across their faces.
More importantly, neither of them could understand what they had just witnessed.
How could someone with Combat Level 5 cultivation and an E-rank talent be this powerful?
The intelligence gathered by the Meng Family had always been reliable.
Yet the Zhao Mu standing before them seemed completely different from the reports.
Even Meng Kuohai began wondering whether the information had been wrong.
Nearby, Old Master Meng stared at Zhao Mu with shining eyes.
The old man's expression was filled with admiration.
"Good!"
"Excellent!"
"What incredible natural strength!"
Meanwhile, Zhao Mu rested the halberd across his shoulder and casually glanced at the unconscious Tang Ziyi.
Then his gaze swept across Li Hanshan and Meng Kuohai.
A trace of contempt appeared on his face.
"So this is the level of Sharp Metal Camp's new recruits?"
His tone was calm.
The insult was not.
The words struck like a hammer.
Li Hanshan's face immediately turned red with anger.
"Shut up!"
"What right do you have to insult the members of Sharp Metal Camp?"
A crimson glow flashed from the golden stud attached to his ear.
The ornament transformed instantly.
Spiritual power surged.
The Ember Remnant expanded into a crimson spear decorated with a bright red tassel.
Without hesitation, Li Hanshan leapt onto the battlefield.
His spear pointed directly at Zhao Mu.
"You only won because of your weapon."
"Now fight me."
Hearing that excuse, Zhao Mu almost laughed.
The halberd was one of the most difficult weapons to master.
The saber, by comparison, was far easier to learn and use.
Claiming that Zhao Mu had gained an advantage from the weapon was ridiculous.
If their weapons had been exchanged, Zhao Mu was confident he could still defeat Tang Ziyi effortlessly.
"Fine."
Zhao Mu shrugged.
"It doesn't matter."
"One of you or all of you."
"My schedule is busy today."
His gaze swept over the gathered crowd.
"Come together if you want."
The confidence in his voice made everyone uneasy.
To Zhao Mu, Tang Ziyi's strength had been disappointing.
Compared to Shao Han, Tang Ziyi's fundamentals were weak.
His saber techniques lacked refinement.
His spiritual power control was mediocre.
Even his combat instincts were lacking.
Although Zhao Mu disliked Shao Han, he had to admit that Shao Han's strict upbringing had produced solid fundamentals.
People like Tang Ziyi simply couldn't compare.
Of course, individuals like Shao Han usually came from influential families.
They rarely lowered themselves to become someone else's hired thug.
The thought almost made Zhao Mu laugh.
After all, by saying that, he was indirectly insulting himself.
Fortunately, he wasn't here for money.
He was simply enjoying the trip.
Nearby, Meng Qiuqiu crossed her arms and sneered.
"A wheel battle?"
"Have the people of Sharp Metal Camp completely lost their shame?"
Li Hanshan's expression stiffened.
Only then did he realize the problem.
Zhao Mu had just finished an intense battle.
Even though the fight lasted less than a minute, it still consumed stamina and spiritual power.
Challenging him immediately afterward was hardly honorable.
Yet before Li Hanshan could respond, Zhao Mu waved dismissively.
"It doesn't matter."
"You people aren't worth much effort anyway."
He smiled.
"Let's finish this quickly."
"Afterward, don't forget you're supposed to show me around Qingzhou."
His words nearly caused Li Hanshan to explode with rage.
The implication was obvious.
Zhao Mu already considered the outcome decided.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)