Ao Pan was slightly startled, a look of surprise on his face.

He thought for a moment and, realizing that he would still be fellow disciples with Tie Zheng in the future, chuckled and said, “What do you mean by that? Daoist Tie Zheng, both of us are here for the Xingyun Minor Test, so we are inherently in competition with each other.”

“Isn’t it natural to form alliances and rivalries in this situation?”

“If you must blame someone, blame yourself for being too strong, forcing me to unite the weak against the strong.”

Tie Zheng’s veins bulged on his forehead. “I don’t want to hear your explanations, you despicable villain!”

Ao Pan: “—”

Lu Zeng interjected, “Oh, you’re a foreigner, you don’t know his past. Why bother with this now? Let’s team up against him.”

Although Tie Zheng was a rogue cultivator, he came from a prominent family, starting with a high advantage.

However, he later unfortunately experienced betrayal from many people: his parents, wife, sworn brothers, and more.

As a result, disheartened, he left his family, voluntarily became a rogue cultivator, wandered for a long time, and cultivated alone in the mountains and wilderness.

Consequently, his temperament became isolated and eccentric. He often dwelled in past traumas, and even the slightest betrayal would trigger a strong reaction in him.

Ao Pan took a deep breath, his long whip slicing through the air with a piercing whistle, aiming directly at Tie Zheng.

Tie Zheng raised his weapon to parry.

Ao Pan’s arm and wrist flickered continuously, his long whip twisting like a living thing, changing trajectory to coil around the hilt of Tie Zheng’s saber.

At the same time, Ao Pan threw out another Xuanbing Jia with his other hand.

A burst of bronze light erupted, and in the next moment, a giant battering ram appeared in mid-air, pressing down on Ao Pan with overwhelming force.

Tie Zheng dodged, and the battering ram smashed into the ground, making the entire rock cavern shake violently!

But at the same time, he couldn’t protect his bronze saber, which was ensnared by Ao Pan’s long whip.

“Let go!” Ao Pan shouted coldly, pulling hard.

Tie Zheng gripped with all his might, but he couldn’t match Ao Pan’s strength. He was forced to let go, his tiger’s mouth torn and bleeding profusely.

Ao Pan was a Jindan-level body cultivator, while Tie Zheng was a martial cultivator.

There was a difference between the two.

In terms of physical quality, Ao Pan was stronger than Tie Zheng.

“Well done!” Lu Zeng exclaimed with delight.

Ao Pan coiled Tie Zheng’s weapon, holding it in one hand and suppressing it with all his might. At the same time, he used his divine sense to retract the battering ram.

This weapon was too large and heavy, more suitable for battlefields, and difficult to use effectively in a one-on-one fight like this.

Basically, Ao Pan didn’t expect it to inflict any lethal damage.

So, when Ao Pan used it, he only treated it as a feint to force the enemy to defend, with the real attack coming from elsewhere.

“I’ve taken one of Tie Zheng’s bronze artifacts, but now he’s on guard. It will be much harder for the battering ram to achieve this result again!” Cold light flashed in Ao Pan’s eyes.

Ao Pan then glanced at Lu Zeng, hesitated for a moment, and then handed the bronze saber he had just seized to the latter.

“You have too few weapons. You refine this one!”

“I’ll hold him off first.”

Lu Zeng was stunned, quite surprised.

Ao Pan’s decision was very wise. In the previous two-on-one fight, many of Lu Zeng’s bronze artifacts were damaged, leaving him with almost no suitable weapons and severely weakening his combat power.

He was not a martial cultivator or a body cultivator, but a mechanism cultivator. The more bronze artifacts he controlled, the more he could display his combat prowess.

Ao Pan’s sincerity in cooperation made Lu Zeng look at him with new respect for a moment.

One should know that Ao Pan could have easily kept the weapon for himself, adding another Xuanbing Jia to his arsenal. Such bronze artifacts were not durable and could easily be damaged in intense combat.

But he didn’t do so; instead, he voluntarily gave the advantage to Lu Zeng.

This action immediately mended the rift created by his previous attack on Lu Zeng, strengthening their temporary battle alliance several times over in that instant.

Tie Zheng was furious!

“Good! Good! Very good!” His eyes were bloodshot, and the pain and indignity etched into the depths of his life resurfaced.

He suddenly spread his arms to his sides. In his left hand, he held a bronze sword, its blade flickering, and in his right, a twelve-foot bronze spear. A menacing bronze scythe floated at his left waist, and a perfectly rounded bronze staff at his right.

Martial Art — Clash of Metal!

For a moment, sword light was like snow, spear shadows like a forest, the scythe drew deadly arcs, and the staff swept like a beast wagging its tail!

Around Tie Zheng, a storm of metal erupted.

Ao Pan and Lu Zeng retreated steadily.

The bronze saber in Lu Zeng’s hand was struggling fiercely. While forcibly refining it, he shouted, “Can you hold him off?”

Ao Pan gritted his teeth, blocking in front of Lu Zeng.

He once again conjured the battering ram, sending it crashing towards Tie Zheng.

*clang clang clang* —

A series of explosions erupted as the battering ram plunged into the storm of metal around Tie Zheng, sparking countless brilliant fireflies.

The might of the metal storm plummeted, while the battering ram was battered beyond recognition. After holding on for a few breaths, it was teleported away by the array of the Xuanjia Cave.

But it successfully bought crucial time for Ao Pan and Lu Zeng.

Lu Zeng quickly retreated, simultaneously refining the bronze saber, putting distance between himself and Tie Zheng.

Ao Pan, meanwhile, carefully maintained his distance from Tie Zheng, continuously brandishing his most skilled bronze whip.

The whip cracked loudly, and its shadows danced, like dragons and pythons, striking around Tie Zheng, forcibly suppressing the metal storm.

Tie Zheng’s gaze under his face mask was cold. His left shoulder twitched slightly, releasing a sixth Xuanbing Jia—a bronze bow.

The bronze bow floated above his head, drawing its string autonomously. With two *whoosh* sounds, it fired a fire arrow and an ice arrow.

The two arrows arced through the air, bypassing Ao Pan and shooting straight at Lu Zeng.

*boom, boom.*

The power of ice and fire exploded successively, creating a shockwave mixed with countless ice fragments and flames.

Lu Zeng was sent flying backward from the shockwave, landing on one knee and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

But the bronze saber in his hand was no longer struggling; it had been successfully refined by him.

Lu Zeng suddenly stood up and launched a counterattack.

Ao Pan’s long whip followed closely.

Another metal storm surged around Tie Zheng, rising vigorously.

The three Jindan cultivators fought in a chaotic melee. Although their power was suppressed by the array, they were still the top combatants in the arena.

Tie Zheng, fighting two against one, was gradually pushed into a disadvantage.

“Opportunity!” Lu Zeng swung the bronze saber in his hand, forcing Tie Zheng to dodge.

He abruptly grabbed a bronze hammer next to him and slammed it out with force. *Whoosh!* The wind from the hammer almost choked a person.

Tie Zheng used his divine sense, sending out both the bronze staff and the bronze spear.

The staff, with a muffled sound of wind and thunder, struck upwards at the hammer’s handle from below, at a precise angle. The spear, like a poisonous dragon emerging from its lair, gathered a point of cold light and thrust directly at the center of the giant hammer’s face, using a pinpoint strike to break a surface.

Two explosions erupted almost simultaneously.

The heavy hammerhead grazed Tie Zheng’s shoulder, finally falling to the ground, instantly smashing a deep pit.

The staff and spear were repelled a short distance, leaving Tie Zheng’s defenses wide open.

Ao Pan’s attack followed immediately, about to strike Tie Zheng’s chest—

“Lüeguang!” Tie Zheng roared.

One of the twelve beast-head bronze bells hanging at his waist suddenly vibrated, flying into mid-air and transforming into a blade of light attacking Ao Pan.

Ao Pan was sent flying backward by a huge force. He looked closely and saw a leopard-shaped blade-beast biting his bronze sword.

Ao Pan’s bronze sword was his seventh and most potent weapon.

He decisively let go, controlling it with his divine sense, intending for the bronze sword to fight on its own.

This choice became his most critical blunder!

The blade-beast was composed of countless blades, some thick and wide as an adult’s palm, others thin as cicada wings and extremely sharp. It suddenly spun wildly and vibrated at high speed, the blades rubbing against each other to form a bronze sphere, “swallowing” the bronze sword within its body.

Then, a series of grating metal grinding sounds, extremely ear-piercing and teeth-jarring, ensued.

In just two breaths, the blade-beast transformed back into its leopard shape, pouncing on Ao Pan again. The bronze sword, now severely damaged, was teleported out of the arena by the array.

“This is the blade-beast?!” Ao Pan’s pupils contracted sharply, feeling a deadly threat.

He frantically swung his long whip, creating layers of defensive whip shadows in front of him!

The blade-beast Lüeguang was incredibly fast, like a bolt of lightning, shooting directly into the whip shadows.

The next moment, the whip shadows shattered!

Ao Pan’s trusted bronze whip was cut into countless pieces.

Ao Pan was dumbfounded, a look of panic on his face.

The blade-beast Lüeguang, carrying residual power, pounced on him, transforming into a spherical mass of blades once more.

Ao Pan was struck. In desperation, he erupted, furiously slashing with the only remaining bronze artifact in his hand.

With a loud *clang*, Ao Pan barely managed to force the blade-beast back.

He stumbled back several large steps, his tough body covered in blade wounds. In some places, his flesh was almost minced; in others, the wounds were deep enough to expose bone.

Seriously wounded!

The horrifying injuries caused all the cultivators witnessing the scene to shrink their pupils.

The blade-beast Lüeguang somersaulted backward, landing on the ground and transforming back into its leopard shape.

The blade-beast pounced on Ao Pan again.

Lu Zeng felt a great sense of dread and quickly blocked its path. However, the blade-beast Lüeguang was extremely agile, like a bolt of lightning, it veered mid-air, easily avoiding Lu Zeng, and charged at Ao Pan.

Ao Pan’s heart was chilled, and he could only shout, “I surrender!”

The blade-beast collided with his body, but was blocked by the power of the array, preventing Ao Pan from sustaining further injuries.

Ao Pan gasped for breath, looking at Tie Zheng with lingering fear. The next moment, he was teleported out of the arena.

As soon as Ao Pan was eliminated, Lu Zeng’s expression changed dramatically, and he couldn’t help but panic.

The blade-beast pounced on him.

*clang clang clang clang* —

Lu Zeng frantically activated his Xuanbing Jia, but under the relentless assault of the blade-beast, he was steadily pushed back.

When the blade-beast was in its leopard form, its strength was immense and its movements agile. When it transformed into a sphere of blades, it unleashed terrifying crushing and cutting power, easily crippling Lu Zeng’s Xuanbing Jia.

Lu Zeng quickly found himself unarmed and covered in blood, so he decisively surrendered.

Lu Zeng was teleported out of the arena, and the light slowly faded from Tie Zheng’s eyes.

The blade-beast Lüeguang returned to his side, its leopard-shaped outline, formed by countless vibrating blades, subtly rising and falling as if breathing. Steam encircled its body, like sweat evaporating after intense physical activity, but in reality, it was metal dust generated by the rapid cutting and friction of countless blades.

The cultivators who witnessed this scene all widened their eyes. Both the cultivators hosting the Xingyun Minor Test within the Xuanjia Cave and the competing participants were shocked by the blade-beast’s combat power.

Someone exclaimed, “The combat power of this blade-beast is simply too strong!”

Someone wondered, “The refining method for blade-beasts is not uncommon. Why is Tie Zheng’s so remarkably powerful?”

The cultivator surnamed Hao mused in a low voice, “Natural martial dao—”

Although Tie Zheng’s life experience was tragic, blessings and misfortunes were intertwined. His solitary cultivation in the mountains and wilderness allowed his mind to align with the martial dao, enabling him to comprehend the wildness of nature. He did not possess the art of artifact refining, but relying on the special properties of Qīngliú Tóng and Xuanbing Jia, he managed to refine this formidable blade-beast Lüeguang.

A nearby cultivator judged, “With such a blade-beast at his side, he should be the winner of this Xingyun Minor Test.”

“The only thing left to determine is whether he can secure first place.”

To win first place in the Xuanjia Cave’s Xingyun Minor Test, a cultivator needed to be the last one standing and possess at least nine Xuanbing Jia. Both conditions were indispensable.

The struggle between the three Jindan cultivators had concluded, but the Zhuji cultivators were still locked in fierce combat.

The formidable power of the blade-beast Lüeguang made Tie Zheng unchallenged. The latter began calmly collecting and refining Xuanbing Jia. Lu Zeng and Ao Pan had been successively eliminated, leaving behind several Xuanbing Jia, which, combined with those in Tie Zheng’s possession, already exceeded nine. His advantage was enormous, almost guaranteeing him first place.

The cultivator surnamed Hao looked at Ning Zhuo, Ban Ji, and others.

“The Zhuji cultivators are still fighting amongst themselves. If they could unite, there would still be suspense.”

“Is there a possibility of Ban Ji and Ning Zhuo cooperating?”

The observing cultivators understood that for the Zhuji cultivators to unite, the most crucial factor was the attitudes of Ning Zhuo and Ban Ji.

Ban Ji shouted, “Ning Zhuo, stop immediately! Now is not the time for us to fight each other!”

“If we continue, first place will go to someone else.”

Ning Zhuo snorted, “First place means little to me! I came here specifically to intercept you. Ban Ji, this is the consequence and retribution for your schemes against me.”

Ban Ji was furious. “You fool!”

His eyes were bloodshot, and he was incredibly agitated.

The Xuanbing Jia’s Xingyun Minor Test was incredibly significant to him. According to his calculations, his goal for this trip was first place.

Ning Zhuo might not care, but Ban Ji couldn’t afford not to!

However, Ban Ji was currently surrounded, and two fists could not contend with four hands.

“Damn it! Damn Ning Zhuo, damn Human Tribulation!” Just as Ban Ji was at his wits’ end, seething with anger and hatred, several cultivators suddenly shifted their targets and simultaneously launched a sneak attack on Ning Zhuo.

“What?!” Ning Zhuo cried out in alarm. Caught off guard, he was stabbed in the back, blood gushing out.

He quickly turned, retrieving his shield, but was kicked hard by one of the attacking cultivators, sending him flying backward, and his shield immediately slipped from his grasp.

The attacking cultivators worked in perfect coordination. One of them immediately grabbed the shield, holding it firmly and suppressing it with all his might.

Ning Zhuo fell like a sack, crashing against the cave wall, then quickly rolled.

The next moment, several bronze weapons slashed into the cave wall, missing Ning Zhuo by mere inches.

In a flash, the conflict among the Zhuji cultivators underwent another dramatic change.

Ban Ji: ?!

The cultivators who had attacked Ning Zhuo looked at Ban Ji and bowed respectfully.

“Young Master Ban Ji, please do not doubt us. The Ban family has always acted righteously and performed good deeds, having shown kindness to us several years ago. Today, we repay that debt here.”