A Frenzied Fist Could Not Break the True Qi Wall, Yet He Grinned and Praised the Palm Strike's Power

Inside the Meditation Room.

Xia Jingtian sat cross-legged atop a cushion, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing long and steady.

The slight disturbance from earlier had already been smoothed away by the state of mind he had cultivated through years of bitter practice. At this moment, his heart was as still as an ancient well.

At his side stood a young man and woman with similar features.

The man had a resolute face and a tall, straight figure. His name was Tan Zhuo. The woman's brows and eyes were cool and serene, her bearing quiet. Her name was Tan Jing.

The two were twins, born of the same mother. They had been brought into the Wood Courtyard in their youth and could be said to have grown up under Xia Jingtian's watchful eye, disciples he had personally cultivated from the start.

Not only the two of them—even Feng Cai, Han Yang, and Du Jun had been personally selected by Xia Jingtian in his early years, groomed from their youth as his trusted foundation.

Those disciples who had joined halfway through, bringing their own skills to the sect, had been tainted by too many worldly habits. Their thoughts were mixed and complicated, and their loyalty to the sect was far less pure and dependable than these "one of our own" who had grown up in the Wood Courtyard.

The original vision had certainly been beautiful, but human hearts were like water. No matter how firm the bond, changes could still arise.

What Du Jun and Han Yang had done this time was exactly that.

Alas, the human heart is ultimately unfathomable. In the end, the only thing one can rely upon is one's own strength.

Xia Jingtian sighed faintly to himself.

Just as his thoughts shifted, footsteps sounded outside the room.

"Master." Feng Cai's voice came from beyond the door. "Junior Brother Chen has been found."

"Oh?" Xia Jingtian opened his eyes, a flicker of surprise passing through them. "That was faster than expected."

"Junior Brother Chen came with me, and Junior Brother Mo Zhen is here as well. He said he has something to discuss with Master," Feng Cai added.

"So Mo Zhen has come too."

A faint smile crossed Xia Jingtian's lips. With his cultivation, the two additional auras outside the door naturally could not escape his notice.

Though Mo Zhen had also joined the sect with prior skills, both his temperament and talent were exceptional. Furthermore, he had deep ties with the sect. Xia Jingtian thought highly of him and had even once considered taking him into the core disciples.

But at this moment, Chen Duan concerned him more.

This child possessed extraordinary talent and excellent bone structure. If he had been ruined by those two fools, Du Jun and Han Yang, Xia Jingtian would truly feel the pain of it.

"Come in, all of you."

Feng Cai answered and pushed the door open first, carrying a Wooden Box in her hands.

"Master, this is... a gift Junior Brother Chen specially prepared for you."

She presented the Wooden Box, her voice trembling slightly.

"A gift?" Xia Jingtian paused. At a time like this, why would Chen Duan suddenly think to give him something?

Yet in the next moment, his sense of smell caught a trace of blood.

At the same time, he noticed Feng Cai's pale face.

Tan Zhuo and Tan Jing, standing nearby, also sensed that something was wrong. Their gazes fell upon the Wooden Box together.

Xia Jingtian's heart sank, and a sense of foreboding surged up within him.

He reached out and lifted the lid of the Wooden Box.

The moment his gaze fell upon what was inside, his entire body froze, his movement locked in place.

Tan Zhuo and Tan Jing, standing at his side, had their pupils suddenly contract the instant they saw the scene within the box.

"Senior Disciple Brother!"

Tan Jing nearly lost her footing. She had always admired Du Jun, and upon witnessing such a horrific sight, she felt the world spinning as grief instantly crushed her.

"Junior Brother Han!" Tan Zhuo's eyes nearly split apart. He and Han Yang had been as close as blood brothers, and at the sight of his brother's head, Killing Intent nearly burst from his body.

At that moment, Chen Duan's voice came from outside.

"Master, are you satisfied with this humble gift from your disciple?"

Before his words had faded.

One wall of the Meditation Room exploded, shattered stone and dust blasting outward.

A Fist Shadow carrying terrifying force tore through the air and shot straight at Xia Jingtian's face.

A cold glint flashed through Xia Jingtian's eyes. Faced with the sudden attack, he did not even rise. He merely casually raised his Right Arm across his body.

Another muffled boom exploded.

An Air Wave burst outward from the point where the two clashed, sending every furnishing in the room flying as dust filled the air.

Chen Duan's heart tightened.

His fist had actually been firmly stopped by an invisible force, suspended half an inch from Xia Jingtian's arm, unable to advance another fraction.

At the Fist Edge, he could clearly feel a circulating current of air.

True Qi released beyond the body, condensed without dispersing.

His thoughts raced. Without hesitation, he twisted at the waist using the rebounding force, flipped backward through the air, and landed steadily several yards away, opening the distance from Xia Jingtian.

Xia Jingtian slowly rose to his feet. With a casual sweep of his sleeve, the dust was brushed away and completely dispersed.

"So this is the power of a Fifth Level martial artist's True Qi?"

A blazing light ignited in Chen Duan's eyes, and he was incomparably excited.

Xia Jingtian's robes fluttered without wind. A pale green current swirled around his body, especially around his arms, where the True Qi had nearly condensed into substance and gave off a soul-chilling pressure.

Xia Jingtian's expression remained calm, but the aura radiating from him was countless times more dangerous than usual.

Chen Duan specialized in the Fuhu Fist and was most sensitive to Killing Intent.

What he sensed from Xia Jingtian at this moment was the most direct, bitterly cold murderous intent.

Xia Jingtian did not acknowledge Chen Duan. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Mo Zhen at the doorway, his voice calm but carrying a trace of frost.

"Mo Zhen, I have always believed that I treated you well."

Meeting Xia Jingtian's gaze, Mo Zhen's usual lazy, carefree manner vanished, replaced by stern seriousness.

He cupped his hands and said in an unyielding tone, "This disciple recognizes only right and wrong."

"What a fine 'recognizes only right and wrong.'"

A trace of complexity flickered in Xia Jingtian's eyes before turning into indifference.

"So be it. Master and disciple we may have been, and I will not blame you for this matter. But next, you must properly explain yourself to your senior brother and senior sister."

Tan Zhuo and Tan Jing were doing all they could to suppress their emotions, but the fierce grief and rage still twisted their faces slightly, making them appear somewhat savage.

Mo Zhen turned around to face the two of them, his expression unchanged.

"You two, explanations are useless, a waste of breath. Right and wrong, crooked and straight—let our fists decide."

"Just what I wanted!"

"Go!"

The figures of all three flickered almost simultaneously as they swept out of the Meditation Room to find another battlefield.

Before leaving, Mo Zhen's gaze briefly met Chen Duan's in the air. Neither spoke, but both understood.

The battlefield had now been clearly divided.

Now Chen Duan could face Xia Jingtian wholeheartedly, without distraction.

"Your vitality and blood are several times more vigorous than before. The Wood Element Art has broken through to the Third Level, hasn't it?"

Xia Jingtian's eyes were like torches, easily seeing through Chen Duan's true state.

"Yep." Chen Duan grinned. "And I have to thank my two senior brothers for their tremendous help!"

"So you know everything."

"Of course."

"Then there is nothing more to say."

Xia Jingtian raised a hand, and the pale green True Qi around it accelerated.

"Come. Since you dared challenge me, a Fifth Level martial artist, you must have something to rely on. Bring out all your strength and let me see what gives you the nerve to be so arrogant!"

Though the Killing Intent in his heart was intense, he did not hold much resentment toward Chen Duan himself.

He knew perfectly well that the deeds he and his disciples had committed could bring karmic retribution upon them at any time.

It was merely that Han Yang and Du Jun had acted without sufficient caution, kicked an iron plate, and instead lost their own lives.

"I've been waiting for you to say that!"

A sharp gleam burst from Chen Duan's eyes. Before his words had finished, his figure had already surged forward again.

Fuhu Fist, Fierce Tiger Emerging from Gate!

The simplest and most savage charging Straight Punch.

But inside his body, the Wood Element Art and the internal force of the Fuhu Fist erupted at once, reinforcing one another and making the power of this punch far exceed the ordinary.

Bam bam bam bam bam bam!

Fist Shadows poured forth, engulfing Xia Jingtian.

Xia Jingtian did not move. He merely swung one arm, his Protective True Qi blocking every attack one by one with an endless series of impacts.

The air trembled where True Qi collided with Fist Edges.

"Hahahaha! Incredible! As expected of a mighty Fifth Level expert!"

Chen Duan laughed wildly. Not only did his assault not weaken, each punch became faster than the last, each punch heavier than the last.

The exhilarating battle stirred the ferocity he had kept buried deep within his heart.

Meanwhile, Xia Jingtian, who appeared calm and effortless, was secretly astonished.

Chen Duan had not used True Qi, clearly having yet to break through the shackles of the Fifth Level. Yet the strength driven purely by his Physical Body's vitality and blood, along with internal force, was far too powerful.

Had it been a Martial Master who had only just entered the Fifth Level with an unstable foundation, they might truly have struggled to withstand it.

But Xia Jingtian had long perfected the Fifth Level. His use of True Qi had reached a miraculous level, and he needed only that final step at the threshold to glimpse the higher "extreme." Naturally, he was far beyond ordinary Fifth Level martial artists.

What was more, he was only defending at the moment. Chen Duan's seemingly ferocious offensive had not even truly shaken his True Qi defense.

If this is all the strength you possess, then obediently offer up your heart.

Xia Jingtian's defensive stance suddenly changed.

As Chen Duan threw another punch, he advanced rather than retreating, pushing a palm forward.

The pale green True Qi before his palm compressed to an extreme, then suddenly shuddered.

An invisible force burst through the air and struck toward Chen Duan's chest and abdomen.

This strike had already employed the means of sending True Qi beyond the body.

Before Chen Duan's fist could reach its target, he felt a violent jolt in his abdomen.

That True Qi was like a drill, battering his internal organs.

Chen Duan was sent flying backward at high speed, crashing through several walls in succession.

Broken stones and bricks scattered everywhere. The building swayed, its beams and pillars groaning as though it would collapse the next moment.

Feng Cai, curled in a corner with disheveled hair and covered in dust, widened her eyes as she stared at the battle in terror.

Chen Duan's earlier offensive had made her think Master was locked in a hard fight. So Master had merely been gathering force, and her heart eased slightly.

But Xia Jingtian had no time to pay attention to Feng Cai. He stared fixedly at the string of holes Chen Duan had smashed through.

The dust settled.

Within the ruins, Chen Duan still stood tall.

He straightened his back, casually brushed the dust from himself, then raised his head to look at Xia Jingtian and gave him a thumbs-up.

"That one had some real kick!"