This time, however, his close-range attacks were noticeably more hurried.
When He Ping stepped in, before he could even get close, Song Ren met him with a powerful Pigua strike.
He Ping used his elbow to knock aside the Pigua strike and pressed forward again.
Unexpectedly, Song Ren closed in at the same time.
From an angle He Ping failed to notice, Song Ren's step slipped between He Ping's horse stance.
The next moment, his foot abruptly withdrew.
It tore apart He Ping's usually solid lower-body foundation, throwing his figure off balance for an instant.
By the time He Ping reacted, Song Ren had already closed in and slammed into his side.
Baji Quan, Mountain Lean!
Bang!
A look of astonishment appeared on He Ping's face, and his entire body crashed heavily backward.
However, his ability to withstand blows and react was both quite impressive.
He braced himself with both hands behind him. Before his back could hit the ground, he had already flipped back to his feet.
The entire movement was exceptionally nimble.
But what greeted him as he rose was a blow that began with a horse stance, followed by a bow punch, and ended with a vicious elbow thrust.
Baji Quan, Top Heart Elbow!
Bang!
That strike was brutally violent.
Unlike He Ping's earlier Top Heart Elbow, which had failed to connect, this one slammed directly into He Ping's chest.
"Ugh!"
A large mouthful of blood sprayed out.
He Ping's entire body was sent flying two or three meters before crashing heavily onto the ground.
For a moment, the spectators outside the ring whose eyes had lit up dimmed again.
From the looks of it, Tyrannosaurus would probably only make it this far.
He Ping quickly climbed to his feet, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and looked even more excited rather than dejected.
"Impressive!"
"You can even use my best Baji Quan so effortlessly."
"You really are different."
It wasn't that He Ping hadn't used Baji Quan on the middle-tier ring before. It simply hadn't been necessary.
His advantages in strength and physique alone had been enough to crush his opponents.
Only when facing Song Ren had he used his best Baji Quan for the first time.
But now, it seemed just as unnecessary...
Because he still couldn't win.
However, he was flamboyant and fearless. Compared to the result, he enjoyed the process more.
Whether it was victory or defeat, life or death.
Just as he had said at the beginning.
Let's put on a thrilling show together!
An incredibly brilliant smile spread across He Ping's lips, and he pounced forward again!
Baji Quan specialized in close-range combat. However, most people proficient in Baji would also practice some Pigua.
Its broad, powerful movements made up for the awkward situation Baji practitioners faced when they couldn't close in.
Baji combined with Pigua—even immortals would be afraid.
This was exactly the situation He Ping faced now.
When he was two steps away from Song Ren, his forward momentum was met by a vicious Single Whip Kick.
He blocked it with his elbow, but the kick's tremendous force still knocked his step to the side.
Before he could close in again, Song Ren greeted him with a succession of sweeping kicks.
He Ping blocked with both arms and elbows, and he was able to withstand them steadily.
But he had fallen into a passive position and couldn't advance even a single step.
Instead, Song Ren's Tan Tui grew faster and faster!
Sweeping kicks, front kicks, side kicks, intercepting kicks, hooking kicks, back kicks, front and rear pushing kicks, high swinging kicks!
Song Ren unleashed the Twelve Tan Tui with exhilarating fluidity!
Whenever He Ping was kicked backward, Song Ren would often get carried away and add a leaping high sweeping kick.
Every strike was packed with force!
He Ping was forced back step by step, and the surging heat in his blood gradually cooled.
As the two fought, Song Ren's dazzling legwork left the spectators parched with excitement.
Once Song Ren found an opening and seized control, even Feng Yuxiu had been suppressed from beginning to end when facing him.
Compared to the explosive power of He Ping's muscular body, Song Ren's every move, aided by the Hoof Seal, carried even greater and fiercer force!
He directly suppressed He Ping, forcing him back repeatedly.
Baji Quan's greatest advantage in close combat could not be brought into play at all.
VIP Room
Tong Peipei stared at the exhilarating battle below, her cheeks flushed.
Beside her, an old man with white hair and a youthful face couldn't help praising him.
"What sharp legwork."
"He uses the Northern School's Tan Tui so tightly that not even air can pass through. His style is still somewhat wild, so he probably didn't learn it through a proper lineage."
"Still, although this man's fist and foot skills haven't reached the pinnacle, they can certainly be called extraordinary."
"The most outrageous part is the terrifying suppression he displays with every move."
"Although his true build can't be seen through his clothes, judging from his general frame, how can his suppressive power be so absurd?"
By the end, his tone inevitably carried a hint of confusion.
One could only say that the world was vast and full of wonders.
A little farther away, Du Youbang once again witnessed Song Ren's sharpness firsthand. It was different from the previous time in the shipping container.
Back then, the bald Xu Shao's level had honestly been rather average.
But this time, there was no way to explain it. The sharpness Song Ren displayed made Du Youbang's eyelids twitch.
If he wanted to suppress Song Ren and win Tong Peipei's attention in the process, Du Youbang felt he could only place his hopes on the most bloody Weapon Combat.
When it came to fist and foot techniques, he truly had no confidence.
As for Weapon Combat...
In the ring
Song Ren's sweeping kicks from both sides had already made He Ping increasingly disheveled.
Song Ren's suppression was simply too overwhelming, leaving He Ping unable to catch his breath.
His blocks grew more and more difficult, and bright red flecks of blood gradually splattered across his body.
Song Ren delivered another vicious high swinging kick.
After blocking it, He Ping still stumbled back two steps.
A sharp glint flashed through Song Ren's eyes. He suddenly stepped forward, twisted his waist, and sent a back kick through the air.
The kick tore through He Ping's exhausted defense and planted itself brutally in his chest with tremendous force.
Boom!
Amid the muffled impact of flesh against flesh, He Ping's entire body flew backward.
He had already been beaten close to the iron cage around the edge of the ring. Now his entire back slammed directly into it.
Clang!!!
The thick iron frame shook slightly.
The tremendous noise startled the nearby spectators into covering their ears.
He Ping's arms had long since swollen red with bruising and blood, and the flesh had even split open in many places.
Clear footprints marked his chest, both shoulders, and several spots on his face.
Most notably, his entire lower jaw had been dyed red by the blood spilling from his mouth.
He raised a hand and wiped the blood from his lips with his palm, then revealed another dazzling smile.
Even though his lips and teeth were stained completely red.
He struggled to lean against the iron cage. His hands and legs were trembling, yet excitement still burned in his eyes.
"Come on. Keep going."
Song Ren said nothing. He simply walked forward at an unhurried pace.
He finally stopped in front of He Ping.
He Ping tried to punch him, but his body trembled, and the fist merely grazed past Song Ren's eyes.
Instead, He Ping himself swayed and nearly fell forward. He managed to brace himself with both hands on his knees and steady his body.
Song Ren placed one hand on his shoulder and pressed down heavily.
He Ping could no longer hold himself up and collapsed face-first onto the ground.
His heavy eyelids could barely remain open. Through the blur, he could only see Song Ren turn and walk away. Unable to stop himself, he shouted.
"Hey, aren't you going to beat me to death?"
Song Ren looked back. "Are you insane? Do you really take me for a Murderous Demon?"
He Ping's mind seemed to flicker for a moment. He couldn't help grinning.
"Huh? Is that so? That's great, then."
I've had all kinds of gatherings these past few days, and it's been hard to turn them down.
So the update schedule has been a little unstable. Please bear with me.
This section is more or less done. I held back a little in the final exchange and didn't go for the kill. After all, they had no grudge against each other, and he wasn't some kind of criminal.
As for the ring, there might still be a Weapon Combat match.
But first, I need to connect a few more plot points.