At the outset, the strongest sample in the secular world had been a Heaven-rank grand completion expert, and so the Center could only manufacture Heaven-rank grand completion fighters there. But once the people of the ancient minor jianghu appeared, Foundation Establishment and Golden Core were no longer beyond reach; and now, because Chen Dongcheng and Lu Ping'an had brought in the half-dead Chen Jiu, producing Nascent Soul was simply a matter of course.

Xue Jianming was the first test subject. As for why he had become an early Nascent Soul peak expert, there was only one reason: the sample source, Chen Jiu, was himself an early Nascent Soul peak expert.

"A road of no return? It seems you really are confident." Bing Wushuang's eyes narrowed into thin slits—his sign of getting serious. Whatever contempt he had once held for Xue Jianming, now that this creature had become an early Nascent Soul peak expert, he was a formidable enemy, no question.

"My strength is a whole tier above yours now—give me one reason I shouldn't be confident?" Xue Jianming grinned, leering with cold laughter, then abruptly whipped his sword up and struck. The blade's speed was beyond a hundredfold what it had been at Golden Core grand completion. At first glance it was no more than a streak of cold light, and in the next instant it was already pressed against Bing Wushuang's throat.

No one could have imagined that in broad daylight, Xue Jianming would so brazenly go straight for Bing Wushuang's life. After all, the last time Bing Wushuang had caught his chance to turn on him, he had merely administered punishment. This creature was the classic petty man swollen with success—every grudge repaid in full.

At the sight, Leng Leng and Xu Xiaoshuang's eyelids jumped and they broke into a cold sweat on Bing Wushuang's behalf. But this was a battle at the Nascent Soul level; both of them were merely early Golden Core and could not intervene at all.

Fortunately, Xue Jianming's sword stopped at the very last moment—not because he pulled it back of his own accord, but because a layer of ice had appeared between his swordtip and Bing Wushuang's throat. And unlike any ordinary ice, this layer was an eerie black!

Clang! A crisp ring like metal striking metal—Xue Jianming's sword was actually rebounded by that layer of black ice, and the smug man was given a start.

He was an early Nascent Soul peak expert now, so how could a full-force strike fail to break the defenses of an early Nascent Soul opponent? Especially since the moment that black ice appeared, it made one's hair stand on end without knowing why. Just what kind of sinister trick was this?

"Your realm has grown quite a bit, but a pity your strength hasn't. Your sword is a little unsteady." Bing Wushuang spoke calmly, his expression unruffled. His face showed not the slightest alarm; on the contrary, he seemed to have seen through the other's true depths with that single strike, and had grown confident again.

Xue Jianming's strike had indeed been fast—so fast that Bing Wushuang had no time to react—but at the last the swordtip had begun to drift. That was the mark of an unstable realm and insufficient foundation. No matter how heaven-defying the Center's techniques, forcibly turning Xue Jianming into an early Nascent Soul peak expert in such a short time was bound to produce side effects like this. Had it been otherwise, Bing Wushuang would have found it no easy task to block that sudden strike.

"Hmph, quit your damn posturing!" Yet even as he said it, Xue Jianming was starting to feel hollow inside. Bing Wushuang had always held him down; now even with the advantage reversed, there was honestly not that much real confidence behind it.

He was no fool, after all. He knew the drawbacks of the Center's improved pills better than anyone—especially being freshly made into an early Nascent Soul peak expert, facing Bing Wushuang, an early Nascent Soul expert. There was no denying the risk of capsizing in a ditch.

In the end, before a true peerless genius like Bing Wushuang, Xue Jianming always felt somewhat ashamed of his own inferiority. He simply deceived himself, refusing to admit it to the bitter end.

"Posturing or not, we'll know once we fight." Bing Wushuang's tone was hard and unyielding. Unlike his shock of a moment ago, his eyes now held pure aggression as he looked at Xue Jianming—like a vicious wolf eyeing a wounded leopard. Before the leopard was wounded, the wolf might well have given it a wide berth; but now that he had seen through the leopard's true state, the balance of strength had already reversed.

Under that stare, Xue Jianming's scalp went numb for a moment, and he even involuntarily took half a step back. But he quickly caught himself and forced out a cold laugh: "Heh heh, bold words. We'll see if you have the skill to back them up!"

Bing Wushuang said nothing, answering with action instead. A pitch-black ice sword silently appeared in his hand, radiating an incomparably eerie aura—seemingly sacred and solemn, yet also evil and violent, impossible to grasp, and yet enough to make the heart pound.

At the sight, Xue Jianming's heart skipped a beat. Black ice—black ice again!

Before today he had never seen such a technique from Bing Wushuang. Judging from what had just happened, this was plainly the man's trump card, his killing move—its power was bound to be extraordinary.

Just as the tension was about to snap, a group of people came hurrying from the distance, and Hong Qingyuan's voice followed: "Hold! You two, let's talk this out!"

It was not only the sect master Hong Qingyuan; Grand Elder Chi Qianqiu and the rest of the Elders' Council had all arrived en masse. They had no choice but to be anxious—this was a fight between two Nascent Soul old monsters, and once real fire was drawn, it would be a colossal disaster for the whole Snow Sword Sect. Not to mention that both Xue Jianming and Bing Wushuang were members of Snow Sword Sect, and to an ancient sect every Nascent Soul old monster was an immeasurable treasure. They had no intention of letting Snow Sword Sect lose either of them for nothing—and if both were gravely wounded, that would be even more fucked.

"Hmph, your reinforcements are here." Xue Jianming had already been stuck on the back of a tiger; he had plainly been frightened by Bing Wushuang's stance, and now here was his way out. He put on an air of magnanimity: "Out of consideration for our being fellow disciples, and for the bigger picture, I'll put last time's account on the books for now. In the future, you'd best know your place around me."

"Posturing." Bing Wushuang glanced at him as though at an idiot, but did not force a strike either. His first duty was to protect Leng Leng, and a real brawl here would only be bad for her safety.

Hong Qingyuan and the others breathed a sigh of relief. On the one hand they were still stunned by Xue Jianming's strength; on the other, they were genuinely worried sick. If these two really went at it with no holds barred, none of them would even dare to step in. In a fight between two Nascent Soul old monsters, if they dared to thrust themselves into it, even Hong Qingyuan at Golden Core grand completion would be nothing but cannon fodder.

"Since you're all here, perfect—I have an announcement for everyone. From today on, I am the First Executive Grand Supreme Elder. None of you have any objections, I take it?" Xue Jianming declared loudly and carelessly before them all.