Beside the Spirit Spring, Li Yue's fist came crashing toward Ye Feng like a steel-wrapped sledgehammer, carrying a howling gust of force.
Though he recognized Ye Feng, he held nothing back.
In Li Yue's eyes, Ye Feng was nothing more than a newcomer who had just entered the Inner Sect. Even if he had once been somewhat famous, he was still only a minor figure at the Qi Gathering Realm Third Layer. Daring to seize the Spirit Spring Treasure Flower he had set his sights on was simply asking for death.
"Brat, I'll let you see the strength of a Body Refining cultivator!" Li Yue roared. His profound-grade, high-tier Body Refining technique circulated at full power. The muscles in both his arms bulged, blue veins standing out, and even his fists began to glow with a faint earthy-yellow radiance.
This punch contained fifty thousand jin of force. Even an ordinary cultivator at the tenth layer of the True Condensation realm would not dare take it head-on, much less a cultivator in the early Qi Gathering Realm. The slightest carelessness would result in shattered bones.
Ye Feng had originally wanted to avoid fighting a fellow sect member as much as possible, but seeing Li Yue's utterly merciless stance, the last trace of compromise in his heart vanished like smoke in thin air.
He raised his brows. The aura of the peak ninth layer of the Qi Gathering Realm erupted from his body. Azure True Qi surged toward his right hand like a tide, and a thread of Fist Intent quietly clung to his fist. Facing Li Yue's punch, he struck straight at it.
"Bang!"
The instant their fists collided, the water in the Spirit Spring shook violently, sending splashes flying.
The ground beneath their feet trembled fiercely, cracking into fine lines.
A terrifying shockwave spread in every direction. The few Inner Sect disciples who had come with Li Yue hurriedly circulated their True Qi to resist it, yet they were still jolted backward again and again, their faces filled with horror.
The strength of these two was far too terrifying!
As the dust dispersed, Ye Feng and Li Yue each retreated one step. They had actually fought to a draw!
Li Yue's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. "You... How could you block my all-out punch? And weren't you at the third layer of the Qi Gathering Realm? How did you suddenly reach the peak of the ninth layer?"
Li Yue could clearly sense the Fist Intent on Ye Feng's fist. That profound power had weakened much of his attack, but what shocked him even more was Ye Feng's cultivation.
A month ago, Ye Feng had still been in the Body Refining Realm, yet now he had reached the peak of the ninth layer of the Qi Gathering Realm. This simply defied reason!
"Were you deliberately hiding your strength?"
Li Yue quickly rejected the thought.
"Impossible! Going from the Body Refining Realm to the peak of the ninth layer in one month—even taking Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures wouldn't make that possible! You must have obtained some heaven-defying opportunity!"
The flames of jealousy burned in Li Yue's heart.
It had taken him a full two years to break through to the tenth layer of the Qi Gathering Realm, yet Ye Feng had ascended to the heavens in a single step. How could he possibly accept that?
Ye Feng ignored Li Yue's shock and merely rubbed his slightly numb fist.
Li Yue's Body Refining strength was indeed formidable. If not for the augmentation from his Fist Intent, he would probably have already fallen into a disadvantageous position.
Just then, Li Yue's expression suddenly darkened. He assumed a righteous and awe-inspiring posture and shouted, "Ye Feng! Hand over the Spirit Spring Treasure Flower! That opportunity isn't something you're qualified to touch!"
Li Yue stepped forward, his tone carrying an unquestionable command. "You're only at the ninth layer of the Qi Gathering Realm. The spirit flower's effects on you are limited. I, however, am already at the tenth layer of the Qi Gathering Realm. With the flower, I can break through to the True Condensation realm and become a core disciple of the sect!"
"Could it be that you intend to defy me and hinder the growth of the sect's genius?"
His words appeared to be spoken from the sect's perspective, but in truth, they were nothing more than naked moral coercion.
Li Yue wanted to monopolize the chance to use the spirit flower to break through to the True Condensation realm, yet he dressed himself up as though he were sacrificing himself for the sect.
The few disciples following Li Yue were stunned when they heard that "the spirit flower could help a cultivator at the tenth layer of the Qi Gathering Realm break through to the True Condensation realm."
The True Condensation realm was the dividing line between Inner Sect and core disciples. Once Li Yue broke through, they, as his followers, would inevitably benefit and obtain more resources.
"Ye Feng, how can you be so selfish?" one disciple spoke first, his tone filled with reproach. "The spirit flower is useless to you, so why keep it all to yourself?"
"That's right! Are you even a disciple of the Feiyun Sect? You should be supporting Senior Brother Li Yue's breakthrough!"
"Take our advice. Give the flower to Senior Brother Li Yue. Once he breaks through, he'll surely protect you and give you more cultivation resources. That's far better than letting you waste it by keeping it for yourself!"
These disciples chimed in one after another. They were all acting for their own interests, yet they kept justice and morality on their lips, as though Ye Feng would become a sinner of the sect if he refused to hand over the flower.
Looking at their hypocritical faces, Ye Feng could not help but sneer. "You speak of the sect's greater good, but all you're thinking about is your own little scheme. If you want the flower, come and take it with your own strength. If you can seize it, it's yours. If you can't, stop spouting nonsense here."
As he spoke, Ye Feng raised his hand and took out the Jade Box containing the Spirit Spring Treasure Flower from his storage ring. He weighed it in his palm, then looked sharply at Li Yue. "Li Yue, didn't you want to snatch it? Come and try."
"Good! Good! What an ignorant fool!" Ye Feng's contempt thoroughly enraged Li Yue, ripping away his mask of hypocrisy completely.
"You think that reaching the peak of the ninth layer means you can contend with me? What a heaven-shaking joke! Today, I'll show you just how vast the gap is between the tenth and ninth layers of the Qi Gathering Realm!"
Before his voice had even faded, a dense force of qi and blood erupted from Li Yue's body. Earthy-yellow True Qi wrapped around him, and pressure like a mountain descended over Ye Feng, making even his breathing grow somewhat labored.
Li Yue raised his fists and no longer held back. One punch after another thundered toward Ye Feng, his fists moving as fast as lightning and forming an onslaught as fierce as a storm. Every punch carried fifty thousand jin of force, as though he intended to crush Ye Feng completely.
Ye Feng did not dare be careless. He circulated his True Qi with all his strength, both fists dancing as he engaged Li Yue in a head-on clash.
"Bang, bang, bang!" The sounds of collision rang out without end. At first, Ye Feng could barely maintain a draw, but as the battle continued, his disadvantage gradually emerged.
Li Yue specialized in Body Refining. His physique far surpassed that of ordinary Qi Gathering Realm cultivators. Even with the support of Fist Intent, Ye Feng's arms gradually grew numb, his fists slowed more and more, and several times he was too late to block, leaving him no choice but to endure the blows with his True Qi as he retreated again and again.
"I told you, you can't possibly be my opponent!" Li Yue sneered, baring his teeth, his eyes filled with smugness as he increased the force of his attacks once more.
"Hand over the flower now, and I can still spare your life. Otherwise, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Ye Feng felt stifled under the suppression.
If this continued, he would sooner or later be defeated by Li Yue.
"Looks like I can only use that move." A thought stirred in Ye Feng's mind. He stopped paying attention to Li Yue's attacks and sank his mind into the system.
"System, modify my Fist Intent. Set the time to a Hundred Years Later."
As the command was issued, countless insights into the way of the fist instantly flooded Ye Feng's mind.
How to perfectly fuse Fist Intent with True Qi.
How to amplify the power of Fist Intent through the slightest movements.
How to anticipate an enemy's defenses during an attack...
These insights were as profound and clear as if Ye Feng himself had cultivated for a hundred years.
His understanding of Fist Intent soared at a speed visible to the naked eye, breaking directly through from its original ten percent to twenty percent!
"What a pity. My initial understanding of Fist Intent was too shallow. Even after modifying it by a hundred years, I could only raise it to twenty percent."
Ye Feng felt somewhat helpless, but it was enough.
Twenty percent Fist Intent should be sufficient to deal with Li Yue.
When Li Yue saw Ye Feng suddenly stop retreating, he assumed Ye Feng intended to make a last stand and immediately sneered. "What? Not running anymore? Are you planning to admit defeat?"
But when Li Yue saw Ye Feng raise his fist and prepare to unleash the Vajra Fist, he scoffed even more loudly. "Still using this move? It's useless! Do you really think the same technique can block me..."
Before Li Yue could finish speaking, golden light suddenly erupted from Ye Feng's fist, several times denser than before. A wave of Fist Intent far surpassing its previous might spread outward like a tide.
Ye Feng's expression remained calm. His arm suddenly exerted force, and his golden fist tore through the air with a howling roar as it smashed toward Li Yue's fist. He shouted, "Twenty percent Fist Intent... explode for me!"
The smile on Li Yue's face instantly froze. He could clearly sense the terror contained in this punch.
That Fist Intent was more than twice as powerful as before!
A powerful sense of crisis surged through Li Yue's heart.
But when he tried to dodge, it was already too late!
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