Chapter 633: With Ease

"What you mean, Martial Artist Xu..." Quasi-Grandmaster Zhou weighed his words carefully, "...is that even if the sword hadn’t broken, you still would have won?"

Xu Wuyi looked at him, offering no direct answer, but the look in his eyes said it all.

Quasi-Grandmaster Zhou asked nothing more. He took a step back, respectfully cupped his hands toward Xu Wuyi, and turned to walk back to the formation.

At the other end of the plain.

Li Xuangang stood beside Zhou Chen, his gaze crossing the five-hundred-meter distance to land on Xu Wuyi. The young man was conversing with his companions, looking calm and occasionally nodding.

Li Xuangang watched him for a long time before withdrawing his gaze and turning to Zhou Chen.

"Your Highness."

Zhou Chen looked up. His complexion had improved slightly from earlier, but his eyes remained dull. The broken sword had been sheathed, its severed blade lying silently inside, devoid of all its former luster.

"State Preceptor," Zhou Chen’s voice was hoarse. "I..."

"We will speak of this when we return," Li Xuangang interrupted him.

He turned toward the Great Liang formation. His voice was not loud, but it reached everyone’s ears clearly.

"Fall in. We are heading back."

The accompanying officials and Royal Guards immediately sprang into action. No one spoke a word, nor did anyone whisper among themselves. The fifty-man squad turned in silence and marched toward the spatial portal beyond the plain.

Zhou Chen walked in the middle of the formation, his head bowed, uttering no sound. Li Xuangang led at the very front, leaning on his cane, his steps slow and steady.

He did not look back, but he knew the spear-wielding young man was watching them leave. It was not a display of dominance, merely a silent farewell. Just as it had been from the very beginning of this duel, the opponent showed no superfluous emotion. He struck when he needed to strike, and sheathed his spear when it was time. Then, he simply watched the defeated walk away.

Li Xuangang gripped his cane tightly.

He had lived for eighty-seven years and seen countless Martial Artists. He had seen the aggressively sharp, the steadily reserved, the wildly untamed, and the carefully cautious. Yet, he had never encountered a young man quite like this one.

It wasn’t just that he was strong.

It was his completeness.

His mind, intention, technique, and strength were flawlessly integrated and unified. There were no shortcomings and no flaws, as if he had been tempered a thousand times over.

In terms of mindset, he was already a true powerhouse. To reach the Martial Saint realm, all he lacked was a bit of accumulation. In all his years of practicing martial arts, Li Xuangang had never seen a youth so absolutely guaranteed to achieve the Martial Saint realm.

It was no injustice for Zhou Chen to lose to him.

At the temporary outpost in the Federation Control Zone.

With a flash of silver light, Xu Wuyi and his party stepped out of the Teleportation Array.

The outpost was situated on high ground in Star Realm 0492, constructed overnight by the Federation engineering troops. The ground, paved with prefabricated metal plates, was flat and sturdy. Several modular buildings were scattered around, with antennas and Energy Detectors slowly rotating on their roofs.

The main building of the temporary outpost was a two-story command center. Xu Wuyi was assigned to a break room on the second floor. The room was not large and simply furnished with a camp bed, a folding table, and a single chair.

They still needed to stay here for a while to ensure that the Great Liang forces had completely evacuated this Star Realm.

Outside the window was the pale cyan sky of Star Realm 0492. The smaller of its two suns had already sunk below the horizon.

Xu Wuyi sat in the chair, leaning his Liaoyuan Long Spear against the table.

He didn’t replay the battle in his mind, because there was nothing to review.

Zhou Chen was strong—stronger than he had anticipated. Those sword flashes were indeed incredibly fast. So fast, in fact, that if this had been over half a year ago, he might not have been able to parry them.

But that was in the past.

Now, he was no longer on that level. After defeating Ye Yixin, he had carved out his own path. Though his path was still somewhat hazy, it was vastly superior to that of an ordinary Quasi-Grandmaster.

This battle had been entirely under his control from start to finish. He had seen every one of Zhou Chen’s thrusts and every variation in his technique with crystal clarity.

It wasn’t through perception, nor was it through prejudgment. He had simply seen it. Just like watching water flow downward or fire leap upward, it was entirely natural.

Xu Wuyi lowered his eyelids.

In his sea of consciousness, a dark-gold marsh slowly undulated, while a golden-red light pulsed steadily in its deepest depths. The battle with Zhou Chen hadn’t even caused a ripple in the Golden Crow.

He was too weak. No, it wasn’t that Zhou Chen was weak. It was that his current self had genuinely surpassed the level of a Quasi-Grandmaster. All he lacked was that final push, that last step.

If Xu Wuyi wanted to, he could even attempt to take that step right now and touch the Grandmaster Realm that countless people dreamed of. However, he was in no rush. On the contrary, only by figuring out exactly how to take this step could he walk his path more steadily.

Xu Wuyi opened his eyes and looked at the sky outside. With only one sun remaining, the light had softened considerably.

He suddenly recalled the bowl of chicken soup his mother had packed into a thermos before he left Red River City. He wondered if his father had watered the potted plants at home.

Picking up his personal terminal, he sent a message home. "Mission accomplished. Everything went smoothly. I’ll be back in a few days."

A few seconds later, Mrs. Xu replied. "Alright. I’ll wait for you to come home for dinner."

Looking at the words on the screen, the corners of Xu Wuyi’s mouth curled up into a faint smile.

One day later.

At the Great Liang temporary camp in Star Realm 0492.

The camp was situated on the leeward side of a hill at the edge of the plain. The accompanying personnel from the Great Liang’s Ministry of Works had set up simple tents overnight. Although they lacked the modular structures of the Federation, the heavy, sturdy tents were more than enough to ward off the Star Realm’s nighttime chill.

According to the agreement, the majority of the Great Liang army had already withdrawn, and the final contingent would soon follow. All their previous investments in this secret realm had gone down the drain, and the resources they had developed had been surrendered to others. It was inherently disheartening, leaving the overall atmosphere somewhat depressed.

Inside the central command tent, candlelight flickered.

Li Xuangang sat in the seat of honor, his cane leaning against his chair and his eyes half-closed. Xiao Pojun sat to his left, his expression solemn. He hadn’t arrived with the squad yesterday, but had rushed over from the Great Liang border at dusk, heading straight into the central command tent upon arrival.

Chancellor Song Wenyuan was also present. As a civil official, he had accompanied them to watch the duel yesterday, witnessing the entire event. A few other key officials were also there, all sitting in silence.

No one in the tent spoke a word.

Zhou Chen stood in the center of the tent. Xiao Pojun looked at him, his lips moving slightly, but ultimately, he made no sound. Song Wenyuan stroked his beard, his brows furrowed tightly.

After a long while, Li Xuangang opened his eyes.

"Your Highness." His voice was steady, betraying no emotion. "You asked this old minister how great the gap is between you and that outsider."

Zhou Chen looked up at the State Preceptor.

Li Xuangang did not answer immediately. He remained silent for a few breaths before speaking.

"If Your Highness were to fight that outsider in a life-or-death struggle, this old minister believes..." He paused. "...Your Highness would not last ten moves."

The air inside the tent seemed to freeze for a moment. Song Wenyuan’s hand stopped mid-stroke on his beard. Xiao Pojun knitted his brows but offered no rebuttal.

Zhou Chen’s face paled briefly before he regained his composure. He fell silent for a long time.

Then, he spoke. "State Preceptor."

"Yes."

"Would he kill me within ten moves, or would I simply be defeated within ten moves?"

Li Xuangang looked at him, knowing His Highness wasn’t really asking about life and death. He was actually asking what percentage of the outsider’s strength he could force out if he gave it his absolute all.

Li Xuangang remained silent for a long time.

"Fifty percent," he said. "If Your Highness fought to the death, you could force him to use half of his strength."