Chapter Thirteen: Battle!

"Battle!"

As soon as that word was uttered, a chilling, murderous wind swept across the arena.

Standing at the forefront was Ye Wuyin. The atmosphere around Qin Feng shifted dramatically. With a sharp snap, Ye Wuyin closed his fan, narrowed his eyes, and looked at Qin Feng again.

It was cold.

Within Qin Feng's eyes burned a fierce fighting spirit, cruel and unyielding.

What a powerful presence!

Ye Wuyin had faced many formidable opponents in his life, and it was not as though he had never encountered someone with such an imposing aura. But those had been veterans of countless battles, men tempered by blood and fire—men of his father's or even grandfather's generation. This aura was called killing intent.

Only those who truly harbored the will to kill could make their opponents' hearts tremble with fear.

Ye Wuyin was no ordinary man; on the contrary, his mind was more delicate and subtle than any woman's. Judging from Qin Feng's demeanor since stepping onto the stage, he was clearly not someone to be underestimated.

"A good-for-nothing?"

An inexplicable sense of panic crept into Ye Wuyin's heart, forcing him to steel himself completely in the face of this man who was, by all accounts, the shame of Luoyang Town.

Seeing the change in Ye Wuyin's expression, Qin Feng nodded slightly.

As expected of White Tiger Ye Clan's foremost talent—he was not to be taken lightly. Only such a man was worthy of being his opponent.

"Take this!"

With a thunderous shout, Qin Feng stomped his foot. The blue stone beneath him shattered instantly into dust, and his body surged forward. His fist, though not especially large, seemed to carry the power of utter destruction as it rapidly enlarged in Ye Wuyin's vision.

"Looking for a head-on clash? Fine. Let me see just how strong you are, to dare act so brazenly before Ye Wuyin!"

As the number one of the White Tiger Clan, Ye Wuyin had his pride.

He knew well that the disciples of the Azure Dragon Clan specialized in brute strength, but to defeat a man at his own game would bring a far greater sense of satisfaction.

To strike a man in the face was to make him truly feel pain.

So Ye Wuyin switched his fan to his left hand, assumed a graceful combat stance, and thrust his right fist forward. Blinding white light condensed around his fist, becoming almost tangible, as he struck directly at Qin Feng's incoming blow.

"Fierce Tiger Fist—Rampaging Tiger Unleashed!"

Seeing Ye Wuyin so arrogant, Qin Feng's lips curled into a slight smile.

To think he would choose a direct confrontation—such an opportunity was not to be missed.

Originally, Qin Feng's punch was meant only as a test; he hadn't fully employed his hardening or power-doubling techniques, expecting Ye Wuyin would likely dodge. But since Ye Wuyin had chosen to meet the blow head-on, Qin Feng would hold nothing back.

"Dragon Force Fist—Ten Dragons, Nine Elephants!"

A blue aura enveloped Qin Feng's fist. Beneath its glow, the skin of his fist rapidly hardened into a keratinous shell, and his fist swelled as he invoked the power-doubling technique.

Both men moved with incredible speed—one agile as a tiger, the other thundering like a storm.

Fist met fist with a deafening crash.

At that moment, a violent, explosive force erupted between their fists, shaking the entire arena.

A white-clad figure was sent flying.

Fortunately, this man possessed superb agility; twisting through the air, he managed to dissipate most of the force, landing gracefully near the edge of the platform. Any less, and he would have been knocked out of the ring entirely.

The clash had happened so quickly that most of the audience had not seen it clearly. Yet it was easy enough to guess—the one sent flying must have been Qin Feng.

But as everyone focused their gaze, they were struck dumb.

It was Ye Wuyin—the elegant, dashing figure in white—who had been blasted away!

A hush fell over the crowd.

Huo Zhengxiong's smile froze on his face.

Huo Siyan's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.

The disciples of the Qin Clan, after a stunned silence, erupted into thunderous cheers.

"Ha! That boy Qin Feng really packs a punch!"

"I must be seeing things—how did Qin Feng suddenly become so strong? He almost knocked Ye Wuyin, a ninth-tier cultivator, off the stage! Does that mean his cultivation is—"

"Indeed, the Qin Clan has produced a true monster this time. The real show is about to begin..."

The whispers spread through the crowd. This time, it was Qin Feng—the dark horse—who had shocked them all.

Yet the most shaken of all was Qin Ba, who had just been helped to the sidelines. Seeing Qin Feng overpower Ye Wuyin, who had himself defeated Qin Ba days before, left Qin Ba's eyes as wide as saucers.

"Is this boy really the same Qin Feng I bullied just a few days ago?"

On stage—

Ye Wuyin's face was grim, his posture no longer elegant, his hair now disheveled.

In that last exchange, he had held back slightly, but the force in Qin Feng's fist had exceeded a hundred and twenty units! Even at full strength, Ye Wuyin could muster barely a hundred.

To make matters worse, this blow—greater than a hundred units of force—had come from the so-called good-for-nothing of the Qin Clan.

And most damning of all, his opponent stood unmoved, rooted to the spot!

Such a result was hard for Ye Wuyin to accept.

He had always been hailed as a prodigy in Luoyang Town; never before had anyone bested him in a direct contest. Now, to be put at a disadvantage so quickly dealt a heavy blow to his confidence.

Still, it was fortunate that the White Tiger Clan did not specialize in raw power. Otherwise, his confidence might have been shattered completely.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng was savoring the aftermath of his punch.

Ye Wuyin had wielded roughly ninety units of force! Judging from his response, he had held something back.

But to Qin Feng, even had Ye Wuyin struck with all his might, Qin Feng could have neutralized the force and remained unmoved.

As the power from their collision traveled through the point of contact, the hardened skin on Qin Feng's fist quivered strangely, instantly dissipating nearly ninety percent of the impact. The remainder was negligible to someone at Qin Feng's seventh tier.

He barely even staggered.

Thus, Qin Feng could perform so impressively. Much of this was owed to the experience of his past life; without it, he would not have mastered the hardening technique so thoroughly.

However, it was a pity that the punch had not dealt Ye Wuyin much damage—he had underestimated the strength of a ninth-tier cultivator.

Narrowing his gaze, Qin Feng looked to Ye Wuyin.

His opponent glared back, eyes nearly spitting fire.

"Hmph! So what if your strength surpasses mine? The Qin Clan is nothing but a bunch of muscle-bound fools. Now, watch how I deal with you."

Ye Wuyin's handsome face twisted with malice.

Qin Feng, unshaken, sneered. Beckoning with a finger, he declared proudly, "Come then—I’ll take whatever you’ve got!"

"Fine!"

With a shout, Ye Wuyin's body suddenly twisted, bending backward in an inhuman arc—a preparatory pose for a special movement technique. In the blink of an eye, he shot forward, appearing before Qin Feng almost instantaneously.

So fast—far faster than Qin Feng had expected.

Qin Feng had heard of the White Tiger Clan's swift movements, but to perform at such a level during the Mortal Force stage was truly the mark of a genius.

Caught off guard, Qin Feng could only shift slightly, avoiding a critical blow to his chest. Even so, a tremendous force struck his left shoulder.

Boom!

Qin Feng's body flew like a severed kite.

This time, the outcome was reversed.

Even as he sailed through the air, Qin Feng managed to stabilize himself and landed solidly, his legs absorbing the force.

Ye Wuyin was stunned.

He had expected to send Qin Feng flying out of the arena, but Qin Feng had only been knocked back a few steps before landing steadily.

His attack had not achieved the desired effect.

"Fortunately, my hardening technique absorbed most of the force. Otherwise, I'd have been thrown out regardless of injuries."

Glancing at his left shoulder, where his clothes were torn, but his skin was only slightly reddened, Qin Feng smirked.

From this exchange, both men gained a new understanding of each other's strength.

Qin Feng's forte lay in power, with surprising defenses to match.

Ye Wuyin excelled in speed and agility, catching his opponent off guard.

If they were of equal rank, Qin Feng, with his hardening and power-doubling techniques, would have little trouble winning. But with a two-level gap between them, it was not so simple.

They locked eyes for a moment, then launched back into a furious exchange.

This time, fists and legs flew; the battle was fierce beyond compare. Not a single blue stone remained whole on the stage, and the destructive clash drew cheers from the stands.

Overall, Ye Wuyin had the upper hand in offense, while Qin Feng focused mainly on defense.

"Take this—Whirlwind Iron Legs!"

Ye Wuyin's form blurred, kicking out with such speed that several afterimages appeared, each targeting Qin Feng's vital points. Qin Feng turned slightly, dodging the most dangerous strikes, and then drove his fist toward Ye Wuyin’s abdomen.

"Tenfold Soft Force—break!"

Boom!

Another thunderous impact. Both men were sent flying, dragging long furrows across the ground before coming to a halt.

On the whole, Ye Wuyin still held the advantage—Qin Feng could do little against his speed, often forced to take a blow before counterattacking.

Yet even a single hit was enough to trouble Ye Wuyin, for Qin Feng's hardening technique protected him, while Ye Wuyin defended himself with pure force.

Force defense was the basic technique for body cultivators. Upon advancing to the Human Force Realm, a cultivator could form a force shield, greatly enhancing defense—even against lesser magical weapons. But Ye Wuyin had not yet reached this stage; his force could only form localized shields, which, when depleted, left him vulnerable.

Meanwhile, though Qin Feng had taken more hits, his clothes torn and ragged, they were mostly glancing blows—at worst, superficial scrapes.

The stalemate clearly did not favor Ye Wuyin.

"It seems I must bring out my real skills to defeat this troublesome opponent," Ye Wuyin thought, casting a glance at Huo Siyan in the stands before fixing a venomous stare on Qin Feng.

His decision made, Ye Wuyin's entire body erupted in a dazzling white aura.

"Earth-grade battle technique—Mysterious Tiger Power!"

The crowd erupted in excitement.

It was time for the final showdown.

For a body cultivator, earth-grade techniques were treasures of inestimable value. Many spent their lives without acquiring even one. That Ye Wuyin could use one now was a marvel.

To fully unleash the power cultivated within, one needed a battle technique. Earth-grade techniques were especially potent, typically requiring the Human Force Realm and a refined body soul to reach their full effect. The technique Ye Wuyin now employed was even more extraordinary—a secret of the White Tiger Clan, useless to those without their bloodline.

Mysterious Tiger Power was an earth-grade technique that temporarily boosted both strength and speed.

Clearly, Ye Wuyin intended to end the fight quickly.

Qin Feng, however, was unconcerned. If there was one thing he lacked, it was not battle techniques. Whatever Ye Wuyin could do, so could he.

Having spent his childhood progressing slowly, Qin Feng had dedicated most of his time to studying techniques.

"Showing off your skills before me? Earth-grade technique—Rampaging Dragon Force!"

With a cold laugh, Qin Feng's body erupted in blue light. Feeling his strength surge, his aura soared ever higher.

"Battle! Battle! Battle!"

As the tension mounted, the crowd's cheers thundered through the arena.

The atmosphere reached its peak.

"Hmph!"

Seeing Qin Feng also display an earth-grade technique, Ye Wuyin's lips twitched, his gaze growing manic.

If even this wasn't enough, then he would add one more thing.

With a flick of his white sleeve, an enormous, strange-looking iron clasp fell out. Hanging in midair, it rapidly swelled, forming a great mass of molten iron.

Without a glance, Ye Wuyin plunged his right arm into the hovering molten iron...