Thunder Hidden Dragon Fury

Within the bamboo forest battlefield.

Zhan Ziyuan watched Tang Yuan in his half-beast feral state, his expression turning solemn and grave.

Under the pressure Tang Yuan exuded, threads of fierce Beast Qi began to seep involuntarily from Zhan Ziyuan's body as well.

He too entered a half-beast transformation state, further increasing his speed when using Chasing Wind Pursuing Shadow.

Only then could he keep up with Tang Yuan's current pace of attack.

Watching Tang Yuan's violent, unceasing Double Shadow Dragon Fists crash toward him like a madman's barrage—

Zhan Ziyuan was almost suppressed to the point where he had no room whatsoever to strike back. He could only retreat again and again, evading Tang Yuan's offensive.

As the two continued clashing, vast swathes of the bamboo forest toppled. Bamboo leaves filled the sky, scattering and drifting in every direction.

After wave upon wave of attacks, Tang Yuan was already showing traces of fatigue, his face covered in sweat.

Yet he had not truly injured Zhan Ziyuan in the slightest. Every Double Shadow Dragon Fist he unleashed was deftly evaded and neutralized by Zhan Ziyuan.

Tang Yuan could not help but be greatly shocked. This was not like his battle against Soaring Eagle—there was no water around them, no ripples on a lake surface to expose that flaw. By all rights, Zhan Ziyuan should not have been able to evade every attack so easily.

On the cliff edge.

Qiu Shuang wore the same puzzled expression and asked Chun Xue beside her, "A-Xue, can you tell why Mandarin Duck Daggers can evade Tang Yuan's attacks so skillfully?"

Chun Xue shook her head. She had watched Tang Yuan's attacks closely and could tell that they were not simply Double Shadow Dragon Fists. Ordinary punches were mixed in as well. From the perspective of a spectator alone, it was impossible to distinguish when a Double Shadow Dragon Fist would appear.

Yet in such an environment, Zhan Ziyuan had anticipated it every single time. It was truly unbelievable and deeply puzzling.

Judging from his consistently nimble bearing, he clearly was not focusing with utmost concentration and expending mental energy to watch the fist techniques either.

Jiang Ruoyun asked curiously at that moment, "Is it because of the bamboo leaves around them?"

Qiu Shuang was startled, then smiled with certainty. "So that's it. Those leaves must have been affected by the force of the Double Shadow Dragon Fists, allowing Zhan Ziyuan to predict them beforehand. That was why he could repeatedly seize the initiative before the enemy moved."

"Not the leaves," Lu Feng interrupted mercilessly. "Several times, Old Tang deliberately avoided the scattered bamboo leaves with his punches, but Zhan Ziyuan still evaded them with ease."

Chun Xue asked suspiciously, "If not the leaves, then what does the Azure Mountain Sect Master think it is?"

Lu Feng voiced the suspicion he had harbored throughout the fight. "Perhaps it has something to do with the Beast Path Mandarin Duck Daggers cultivates. When he fights, an invisible aura should surround him and the area around him, greatly enhancing his perception. It is like a spider weaving its web—the scattered bamboo leaves are merely points caught upon that web. Any disturbance at all, and he can sense it at once. That is how he repeatedly evades Old Tang's hidden punches."

Hong Cang Zhenren nodded approvingly and explained, "That is indeed correct. Mandarin Duck Daggers Zhan Ziyuan is famed not only for his Cross Slash, but also for the Gui Smoke Domain derived from the power of yin and yang."

"Within this invisible domain of smoke, the slightest stir of wind or grass is like plucking a strand from a spider's web. He can detect it immediately."

"One could say that the instant Little Tang raised his hand to unleash a Double Shadow Dragon Fist, Zhan Ziyuan had already caught the change in the Gui Smoke Domain. He could thus determine Tang Yuan's Calculations, guard against them in advance, and avoid the lingering force of the punch."

"This battle will likely not be easy for Little Tang to win."

Qiu Shuang said dejectedly, "When every move is predicted in advance, there's no way to win at all."

"Not necessarily." A gleam of trust flashed through Lu Feng's eyes as he murmured, "Predicting it is one thing. Whether he can react in time is another, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Qiu Shuang asked in astonishment.

But before Lu Feng could answer, the sudden change in the battle below gave her the answer first.

Zhan Ziyuan's figure was abruptly blasted dozens of zhang away by Tang Yuan's fist, snapping countless Green Bamboo stalks in succession.

He had actually failed to react to Tang Yuan's punch.

But how was that possible?

Hadn't everything been fine just moments ago...

Qiu Shuang suddenly realized something. Looking again at Tang Yuan's figure, her pupils abruptly contracted as she cried out in shock...

"F-fast!"

At that moment, Tang Yuan had practically transformed into lightning itself. One instant he was on one side; before even half a blink had passed, his figure flashed to the other side.

The eye could not even make out how he had moved there. All one could catch was a faint gleam flickering like a bolt of lightning.

Perhaps that was how Shimmering Steps had earned its name.

Zhan Ziyuan had been caught off guard by the bizarre burst of speed and struck in the chest by Tang Yuan's fist.

Fortunately, he crossed his arms in time to block it, preventing the Azure Gang Mirror protecting his chest from shattering.

Compared to Qiu Shuang's shock, Zhan Ziyuan, who had felt it at close range, was far more stunned, and his understanding was far clearer.

The most direct change in Tang Yuan's speed was the lightning crackling over his body. A moment ago, it had still been faintly visible on the surface, but under this bizarre, extreme speed, it had all withdrawn into his body. It was as though he had changed from being enveloped in lightning to becoming lightning itself.

He could clearly sense Tang Yuan's limbs, nearly bursting apart from the power of lightning, as well as the scarlet meridians throughout his body, as though they might tear apart at any moment.

There was no doubt that such speed was not something one could display at will.

Tang Yuan was surely bearing an immense burden at this moment. Had he not possessed a Body Refinement Technique, he would likely have long since been blasted apart by the power of lightning.

Zhan Ziyuan instinctively wanted to stop the match, but sensing the towering fighting will emanating from Tang Yuan, that battle-mad delight rising from his bones, he ultimately chose to meet him head-on.

Two dark-silver, half-curved short daggers suddenly appeared in his hands. With sharp, crossing blade radiance, he sliced apart the new wave of fist force Tang Yuan had sent at him.

At this point in the battle, he no longer dared to underestimate his opponent. Only by going all out could he withstand Tang Yuan's current battle-crazed state.

Tang Yuan remained barehanded. In response to Zhan Ziyuan's icy daggers, he merely covered his palms with some black markings.

The two engaged in fierce combat. In every fleeting blink, they collided no fewer than several times. Unless one expended mental energy to track their movements, all one could see were patches upon patches of Green Bamboo collapsing around them; their attacks themselves could not be seen clearly.

Those with weaker strength could only see two lightning-like streaks of light darting about and colliding.

Xiao Jiao'er was now completely dumbfounded. In disbelief, she said, "How could he... be this powerful?"

"Senior Brother Zhan has already erupted with such strength, yet he can actually fight him on equal footing."

"Is he even human? Didn't he already fight five times? How can he still be this fierce?"

Jin Peipei watched from the side and, unusually, said nothing. Tang Yuan truly had shocked even her.

Though she considered herself to have gained a fairly good understanding of Tang Yuan after watching him all this time, she still could not see through his repeated increases in speed. She had no idea how Tang Yuan had accomplished it, or why he could still unleash such speed—speed that was nearly enough to suppress Zhan Ziyuan.

The older generation of Beast Valley was the same.

If there was anyone present who understood Tang Yuan's current state, it was likely Lu Feng alone. Even Hong Cang Zhenren might not understand the source of Tang Yuan's current speed.

Dragon Enters Nine Underworlds, Thunder Hidden Dragon Fury!

Those eight words were the best description of Tang Yuan's current performance.

The secret art Dragon Enters Nine Underworlds had now completely reverse-flowed to stimulate all nine primary meridians, reaching the limit of Tang Yuan's current strength.

Shimmering Steps had entered its second level: Thunder Hidden Dragon Fury.

The lightning power throughout his body had withdrawn inward, adding another layer of stimulation within his meridians. It drove the circulation of spiritual energy to its limit—and even beyond it. Only by relying on his Body Refinement Technique to suppress that loss of control could he erupt with such terrifying speed, far beyond his body's limits.

Tang Yuan had only discussed the combination of these secret arts with Lu Feng in private, laying everything bare out of boundless trust. Lu Feng had likewise unconditionally shared everything he knew about movement techniques such as Clear River Steps and Exquisite Steps, helping Tang Yuan deepen his understanding and application.

This was Lu Feng's first time witnessing it in actual practice as well.

Yet unlike everyone else, he felt no delight. He was instead filled with worry.

Tang Yuan's current state clearly showed several signs of losing control.

Tang Yuan still could not fully control the stimulation from reverse-flowing energy through all nine meridians at his current stage.

In truth, Tang Yuan had never intended to go this far in this battle. It was only because he had accidentally entered the half-beast feral battle state that he had lost a sliver of reason. Driven by that overwhelming desire to fight, he had taken this step.

But what he had not expected was that even after pushing himself to such an extreme, he still could not find any flaw in Zhan Ziyuan. They were still locked in an inseparable struggle.

Lu Feng was equally puzzled by this. Since both were Beast Cultivators, the beast cores Tang Yuan had refined should, more or less, have exerted some Innate Suppression on Zhan Ziyuan. Yet Zhan Ziyuan seemed entirely unaffected.

Qiu Shuang was puzzled as well, and she asked outright, inquiring of Hong Cang Zhenren about Zhan Ziyuan's path of Beast Cultivation.

"Didn't he cultivate by refining Mandarin Duck beast cores? How could he be this strong? What kind of mandarin duck can move that fast?"

Hong Cang Zhenren explained, "The beast cores Zhan Ziyuan chose were not from those ordinary mandarin ducks found in water, but from the exceptionally rare and unusual spirit beasts known as the Nine Heavens Cloud Mandarin Duck and the Nine Heavens Cloud Drake."

"When driven into a corner, such spirit beasts dare to clash with true dragons. Naturally, they would not fear that innate nature too much."

"Moreover, his cultivation method differs from that of most Beast Cultivators, such as Soaring Eagle. He did not begin by cultivating with beast cores of the same type. Rather, after reaching the Earth Soul Realm, he borrowed the power of beast cores to reverse-temper and assimilate his own spiritual energy."

"Doing so undoubtedly entails immense pain, as though all the spiritual energy in one's body were stripped away and cleansed anew."

"But in return, compared with other Beast Cultivators, the aura within him is far cleaner and purer. One could say it contains only the power of the Nine Heavens Cloud Mandarin Duck beast core, along with a trace of source spiritual power that has yet to be fully assimilated."

"Although Soaring Eagle and the others cultivate by refining beast cores of eagles, lions, and the like, they are not based on the same spirit beast. Instead, they use various different eagle-type spirit beasts, or beast cores from the same kind of eagle spirit beast at different levels of strength. Their power is built through accumulation."

"Though this enables them to control the power of many beast cores without rejection, they are still multiple strands of power. The depth of their control is clearly nowhere near that of Zhan Ziyuan's single system of beast cores, whose yin and yang are mutually complementary."

"If Zhan Ziyuan one day finds a stronger Nine Heavens Cloud Mandarin Duck beast core and assimilates the final trace of source power within his body, raising his strength by another great margin, he will undoubtedly be the strongest of the current six."

"But for now, all he can do is use intense combat to squeeze out the residual traces of unrefined Nine Heavens Cloud Mandarin Duck power lingering within his Limbs and Bones, attempting to step into the Heaven Soul Realm's fourth breath and reach saturation for this stage of Beast Cultivation."