Fierce Battle, Thunder Shatters the Enemy

"You want to settle this? Fine, get up here and fight me!"

Qin Tian looked calmly at the Bearded Man. He had never regretted knocking him out that night, and he had long prepared himself for the possibility that the man would come looking for him.

In a military base, even if conflict broke out, neither side would dare go for the kill.

Since no one would die, what was wrong with fighting him?

Winning would be best.

If he lost, he would learn from it and win it back next time.

Qin Tian was not someone who could not accept defeat. Over more than twenty years of his life, he had achieved few successes, while failure had accompanied him all along.

Yet he had never backed down before hardship, nor had he ever been defeated by failure.

It was precisely this resilience and perseverance that had allowed him to accomplish quite a bit while still young.

"Qin Tian!"

The three members of the Earth Dragon Squad abruptly turned to look at Qin Tian, their eyes filled with tension and concern.

The Bearded Man came from the ace White Tiger Legion and was himself a recipient of the Purple Thistle Medal. His strength was certainly above Xiao Yunlong's.

Although Qin Tian could now defeat Xiao Yunlong, he had trained for far too short a time. Against such a battle-hardened Psionic Warrior who possessed both experience and strength, he would most likely suffer.

"Good lad, you've got guts!"

The Bearded Man widened his eyes and shouted, "Since you agreed so readily, I'll make this clear as well. After this fight, the grudge between us is settled."

With that, the Bearded Man strode forward, gave a light leap, and landed on Qin Tian's arena platform.

"Brother Dai, beat the crap out of him!"

Bald Head shouted at the top of his lungs, then glanced at Qin Dadi and the others beside him and sneered. "Crack his skull open and vent my anger properly!"

Liu Zhaozhao and Xiao Yunlong glared furiously at Bald Head, their fists clenched as they wished they could beat him senseless right then and there. At the same time, the members of the 319th Legion nearby were also looking at him coldly.

Bald Head felt a little guilty under their stares and immediately shut his mouth, no longer daring to provoke them.

If he truly incurred everyone's wrath, they might not dare gang up on Dai Jun, a Purple Thistle Medal recipient, but the same could not be said for him.

Clang~~

Dai Jun took a training blade from the weapon rack, flicked it twice, then faced Qin Tian and said flatly, "Kid, you've got some nerve. I like that. To be honest, I was at fault that night too. I deserved that blow to the head. But I've never been able to stomach losses since I was a kid. Once I suffer a loss, I can't sleep until I get it back. So you'll just have to bear with it and get ready for a beating."

Qin Tian raised an eyebrow slightly and said softly, "You really... talk too much."

Dai Jun's expression stiffened, turning ugly. Good kid, refusing kindness when it's offered. Then don't blame me for being rude.

Whoosh~~~

Crimson psionic energy covered the blade, releasing waves of heat like flames.

"Die!"

Dai Jun roared like thunder on a clear day, making the surrounding people jump. His flaming blade slashed down, aiming straight for Qin Tian's chest.

Qin Tian's eyes flashed. The muscles in his arm bulged like tangled tree roots as he raised his blade horizontally above his head to block.

Clang!!!

The two blades collided with a ringing crash of metal, making everyone's eardrums throb as a wave of heat and wind pressure swept outward.

The Bearded Man took half a step back, a flicker of shock passing through his eyes.

What was going on?

He had blocked my strike without even using psionic energy.

Could he be a strength-type Ability User?

"A second-tier Psionic Warrior, probably above seven stars. Fire-element psionic energy."

Qin Tian swiftly formed an assessment of the Bearded Man's combat strength.

The Bearded Man moved like lightning, his long blade drawing a fierce arc through the air. The blade tore through the air with a sharp howl, and scorching waves of heat lashed Qin Tian's face, making him narrow his eyes.

Whoosh~~~

The fully charged strike cut through empty air. Qin Tian moved like a nimble cat, slipping behind the Bearded Man as his blade surged forth like a dragon emerging from the sea, driving straight at the man's lower back.

"So fast."

The Bearded Man quickly turned to block. After Qin Tian's strength, he was once again astonished by the flexibility and agility Qin Tian displayed.

Clang clang clang~~

The battle entered its fiercest stage. Blade shadows overlapped across the arena, and the sounds of metal clashing rang out without pause.

The Bearded Man's blade attacks were aggressive as fire, fierce and powerful. They were not particularly fast, but every strike was explosively forceful, like a continuously erupting volcano. Empowered by psionic energy, each slash was stronger than the last.

Qin Tian did not draw upon his psionic energy. His meager reserves would barely make any difference in a direct clash, so he might as well save them for the most critical moment.

To outsiders, Qin Tian had been defending the entire time. Relying on his unbelievable physical prowess and solid blade fundamentals, he had successfully blocked the Bearded Man's attacks.

However, relentless defense would eventually reveal an opening.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that as the Bearded Man gradually intensified his assault, Qin Tian was finding it increasingly difficult to hold out. His normally nimble and agile footwork was tightly constrained before such an experienced veteran.

Clang~

Qin Tian gripped his blade with both hands and blocked the Bearded Man's heavy slash. However, scarlet psionic energy poured down like scalding water splashing onto his hands. In an instant, his palms turned bright red and became covered in dense blisters.

Pain crashed through Qin Tian's nerves like a tide, nearly making him lose his grip on the blade.

Fortunately, [Steel Muscles and Bones] protected him, leaving his skin tough and flesh thick. Otherwise, blisters would have been the least of his problems.

"Not good!"

Xiao Yunlong clenched his fists nervously, his entire body taut.

"Qin Tian~"

Liu Zhaozhao bit her lip tightly. Seeing Qin Tian's reddened hands, she felt both heartache and intense guilt.

This matter had started because of her, yet Qin Tian was the one suffering in her place. She truly could not put her mind at ease.

Qin Dadi's gaze was grave. If Qin Tian was seriously injured, then even if he had to bear the pressure of attacking a Combat Hero, he would have to avenge his teammate.

"Now this is a true expert."

Qin Tian narrowed his eyes slightly. Compared to Xiao Yunlong, the Bearded Man possessed far richer combat experience. He frequently employed all sorts of dirty little tricks, like eye-gouging and groin-kicking in a street brawl. They seemed somewhat underhanded, but their effects were remarkably good.

Simply put, Xiao Yunlong's fighting style leaned more toward the academy style, emphasizing fairness and integrity, while the Bearded Man followed the battlefield route, prioritizing practicality and efficiency above all else.

Any move that could kill the enemy was a good move.

Qin Tian had learned quite a few things from the Bearded Man, but he did not intend to keep trading blows.

A prolonged defense was bound to fail.

He would stake the last of the psionic energy in his body on one decisive move.

"Just... lie down already."

The Bearded Man raised his war blade high. Scarlet psionic light blazed forth, and then he slashed down with all his might. Flames instantly condensed into a massive Fire Python, which lunged at Qin Tian with fangs bared and claws spread.

"Now!"

A flash of Purple Light passed through Qin Tian's eyes. Lightning crackled beneath his feet as he erupted with astonishing speed. Lowering his body, he swept his blade horizontally at the Bearded Man's chest with both hands.

Dark purple psionic energy covered the blade, and a mysterious power surged into it, making the slash even swifter and fiercer, like thunder descending upon the world.

Thunder Flash + Lightning Shadow Strike + Ember Critical Strike

"Not good!"

The Bearded Man's face changed drastically. Qin Tian had not used psionic energy before, yet his physical abilities had been exceptionally formidable, so he had assumed Qin Tian was a body-enhancement Ability User.

He had never expected Qin Tian to unleash a Psionic Martial Skill at this critical moment, catching him completely off guard.

His war blade was still swinging downward, leaving him no time to change moves. The Bearded Man could only gather psionic energy before his chest.

Bang!!

A dull, thunderous boom rang out as powerful wind pressure swept in every direction.

The next instant, a figure was sent flying, soaring over the edge of the arena before crashing heavily onto the ground.