Chapter 43 You Can’t Even Hold Your Sword Steady, Yet You Dare Challenge Me?

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: You Can’t Even Hold Your Sword Steady, Yet You Dare Challenge Me?

"Everyone says your swordsmanship is extraordinary, Julian Mercer. Today, I’ll challenge you personally and see whether someone who comprehended Sword Intent at the Purple Mansion Realm and earned the title of Sword Grandmaster truly deserves all the praise!"

The moment Cedric Whitmore finished speaking, he gripped his sword and lunged forward, directing a swift strike toward Julian’s arm.

Although anger burned inside him, Cedric still hoped to recruit Adrian Mercer and Ethan Mercer into the Silvercrest Order. For that reason, he deliberately avoided aiming for a vital point.

He intended to teach Julian a lesson without killing him.

Unfortunately, Julian didn’t even bother to dodge.

With nothing more than a thought, he released his Sword Intent, which had already approached the Great Accomplishment Realm!

Boom!

A terrifying Sword Intent instantly enveloped Cedric.

His movements abruptly froze. His mind grew heavy, and countless sword shadows appeared before his eyes, blurring his vision and leaving him momentarily disoriented.

Before he could recover, Julian’s right hand flashed forward like lightning.

Smack!

His palm struck Cedric’s sword-wielding hand with a sharp, resounding crack.

Cedric cried out in pain.

The strength immediately drained from his right hand, and his fingers involuntarily loosened around the hilt.

His sword flew several meters away before embedding itself in the wall.

Throughout the entire exchange, Julian’s expression remained indifferent.

He slowly withdrew his hand and placed it behind his back.

"You can’t even hold your own sword steady, yet you dare challenge me?"

The contempt in his voice made Cedric’s face alternate between pale and flushed.

He was furious, but he couldn’t find a single word to defend himself.

Only now did he realize that Julian’s strength was far beyond what the rumors had suggested.

If Julian’s palm strike had landed on his throat instead of his hand, wouldn’t he have been killed in a single move?

The thought sent a chill down Cedric’s spine.

Cold sweat began to trickle down his body.

Who exactly is this Julian Mercer? How can he possess such terrifying strength?

He defeated me in a single move without even drawing a weapon. This doesn’t seem like something an ordinary Purple Mansion Realm cultivator could accomplish!

A terrifying possibility suddenly crossed his mind.

Could he have already reached the Origin Sea Realm?

The realization completely shattered Cedric’s earlier confidence.

The Mercer Family, which he had initially regarded as an insignificant clan that he could easily manipulate, now seemed like a dangerous place from which he needed to escape as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, Darius Fenwick sat frozen in his wooden chair.

His expression had stiffened, and his entire body seemed to have forgotten how to move.

He had never imagined that Cedric, the man in whom he had placed such high hopes, wouldn’t even withstand a single move from Julian.

Cedric was a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of the Purple Mansion Realm!

How could someone of his standing be defeated so effortlessly?

Then Darius suddenly remembered something.

He himself had also been defeated by Julian in a single move.

And now Cedric had suffered exactly the same fate.

Wait... Could Julian have been concealing his true cultivation all along?

Darius swallowed nervously.

Suddenly, sitting in that chair felt like sitting on a bed of needles.

He wanted nothing more than to disappear from the reception hall.

For a while, the entire room fell into complete silence.

Not a single person dared to speak.

The atmosphere was so tense that even the slightest sound seemed deafening.

After more than ten breaths, Cedric finally began to recover from his shock.

He no longer wanted to remain in the Mercer Family residence for even another second.

His lips moved slightly as he prepared to excuse himself and leave.

However, Julian noticed his intention before he could speak.

His expression turned cold.

"You came into my family residence, spouted nonsense, and then drew your sword against me."

Julian looked down at him.

"Death would be too generous a punishment. But you won’t leave without facing the consequences."

He paused briefly before delivering his sentence.

"Slap yourself thirty times. Then get out."

Cedric’s expression changed dramatically.

He glanced at the surrounding Mercer Family members and noticed the gazes fixed upon him.

Every pair of eyes seemed to deepen his humiliation.

He was a deacon of the Silvercrest Order, a prestigious position that ordinary cultivators could only dream of obtaining.

His status was far above that of common cultivators.

How could he possibly accept being forced to humiliate himself in front of these people?

Yet the memory of Julian’s effortless strike remained fresh in his mind.

Cedric understood perfectly well that the difference between their strengths was enormous.

If he refused, Julian might not stop at thirty slaps.

He could even lose his life.

Cedric struggled internally for a moment, but in the end, his desire to survive overwhelmed his pride.

He clenched his teeth, raised his right hand, and struck his own face.

Smack!

Smack!

Smack!

One slap followed another.

The resounding blows echoed throughout the reception hall as Cedric completed all thirty slaps.

By the end, his face was swollen and covered in angry red marks. His head spun, and his cheeks burned with pain.

He didn’t dare raise his head.

Pulling his sleeve over his face, Cedric hurried toward the exit, abandoning every trace of the confidence he had displayed when entering the Mercer Family residence.

As he passed through the crowd, resentment and humiliation churned inside him.

Damn Crownfall Mountain! I’ll never come back to this wretched place for the rest of my life!

Before long, Cedric’s figure disappeared from view.

With his powerful backing gone, Darius immediately felt his scalp go numb.

His entire body trembled uncontrollably, and his legs grew so weak that he nearly collapsed to the floor.

For the first time, he truly understood how terrifying Julian Mercer was.o

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