Chen Qing's forceful counterattack, delivered without changing expression, made many eyes light up, but they soon shook their heads inwardly.
Marquis Zhenbei's face was dark and still as water. He slowly shook his head and murmured to an excited Imperial Family descendant beside him, "It is already rare for Chen Qing to withstand the pressure of his aura, but look at Shang Yuming—does he show even the slightest strain? He is calm and composed. Clearly, he still has plenty in reserve."
His voice was not loud, yet the expressions of several nobles nearby darkened once more.
Among the gathered Martial Arts Academy disciples, the previous dead silence was replaced by a suppressed stir.
"Peak Master Chen... seems to have held on?"
Someone muttered, but his tone was full of uncertainty.
"He is only holding on for the moment. Didn't the instructors say in private that Shang Yuming has not truly exerted himself at all yet?"
In the hearts of the vast majority, the scales of victory had long since tipped heavily to one side.
After his string of victories and his unfathomable display now, Shang Yuming's might had already sunk deep into everyone's hearts, impossible to shake.
At the center of the training ground, golden and blue light still clashed fiercely, neither yielding an inch, painting the vast grounds in bizarre, shifting colors.
One half resembled the Pure Land of a Buddhist Kingdom, radiant with brilliant golden light. The other was like raging waves in the deep sea, dark blue currents surging.
Shang Yuming looked at the pale golden Qi and Blood around Chen Qing, and the battle intent in his eyes grew even stronger.
He slowly exhaled, his breath long and deep like that of a whale. "What a Buddhist body-tempering art... Today, I want to see whether your