First Battle Against Bai Luhao

The entire place fell silent at his words!

Li Xuanbing, Jin Changpu, and the others' expressions changed drastically, looking at Xu Feng as if he were a madman!

How dare he speak to the Guild Master like that?

And he wants to challenge the Guild Master?!

Bai Luhao was also stunned at first, seemingly not expecting such a reaction from the other party.

But then, he looked at Xu Feng's eyes, which, though calm behind their pale red, keratinous eye membranes, were burning with an unyielding flame.

A long-lost sense of violent authority, as if his dominance had been challenged, and an excitement akin to finding a worthy opponent, surged through him simultaneously!

"Hahahahahaha--!!!"

Bai Luhao threw his head back and let out a deafening roar of laughter, his voice filled with wildness and abandon!

"Good! Good! Good! You've got guts! I like a prickly one like you!"

He suddenly stopped laughing, his fierce eyes locked onto Xu Feng, a fighting spirit blazing within them:

"Then it's as you wish! Let me see just how much you've got hidden beneath that shell of yours!"

With that, he waved his hand at Li Xuanbing and the others.

Li Xuanbing and the others immediately understood. Although still shocked by Xu Feng's arrogance, they didn't hesitate to follow the Guild Master's orders.

They quickly adjusted their spellcasting.

The staff in Li Xuanbing's hand glowed intensely. The thick ice wall that had enclosed the area was not dispelled but began to expand rapidly outward and upward!

The ice layer became even thicker, and its height continuously climbed, like a massive inverted ice bowl, enveloping a larger area.

Jin Changpu, meanwhile, manipulated the sand and stones on the ground, causing them to recede like a living tide in all directions. All the gravel and obstacles in the central area within the ice wall were pushed away and compacted.

This formed a massive circular arena with a radius of nearly a kilometer, its surface flat and solid!

Of course, the Quicksand Hands were not gone but remained encircling the outermost edge of the arena, serving as a second layer of security.

Piao Changfan's metal needle rain and the other team members retreated to the edge of the ice wall, standing by, ready for anything.

They were there to prevent Xu Feng from escaping and to serve as spectators and... witnesses for the upcoming duel between an S-class Hunter and a mysterious A-class madman.

In the blink of an eye, a colossal gladiator arena, with walls of solid ice and a floor of sand and stone, took shape in the core area of the Lava Grotto!

Scorching heat and biting cold, ferocity and tranquility, created a bizarre and awe-inspiring scene.

"Come on!"

To everyone's surprise, Bai Luhao voluntarily reined in some of his berserk aura. The white fur that had been growing wildly on his body slowly receded, and his ferocious half-beast form dissipated, returning him to his normal, imposing, iron-tower-like human shape.

He casually slipped one hand into the pocket of his tactical pants and beckoned Xu Feng with the other, a smile of almost arrogant confidence on his face:

"You go first. I'll finish you within ten moves."

"Good, good, good!"

Seeing the other party's pretentious, almost cartoonish display, Xu Feng's lips twitched. He almost burst out laughing.

"Are all S-class Hunters this cocky?"

Despite his internal grumbling, Xu Feng's vigilance intensified.

For the other party to be so overconfident, he was either stupid or possessed absolute certainty.

Clearly, Bai Luhao belonged to the latter.

Without further ado, Xu Feng's mind raced, and the Qi and Blood within his body erupted like a bursting river!

A denser, blood-red mist emanated from the surface of his dark red armor, making him appear like a demon stepping out of a sea of blood and slaughter, reaching the peak state achievable by the Blood Dragon State!

"You think that Wind Hidden One can take a few hits from the boss?"

Outside the ice wall, a B-class assassin wielding twin blades asked his companion in a low voice.

"Hard to say. Looking at his aura, he's definitely got some skills. Maybe he can force out twenty to thirty percent of the boss's strength?" the companion scoffed dismissively. "But the boss is clearly playing cat and mouse, wanting to see this guy's limits, and also... hehe, to dampen his spirit so he can be recruited later."

"That's true. How strong can an A-class who hides his identity really be? The Guild Master is mid-tier S-class!"

The surrounding team members murmured amongst themselves, their gazes towards Xu Feng in the arena mostly filled with curiosity, scrutiny, and a sense of certainty.

They had followed Bai Luhao for a long time and knew the terrifying strength of their Guild Master, so they didn't believe this mysterious "Wind Hidden One" could cause any significant trouble.

Just then, Xu Feng moved!

He stomped hard on the ground with both feet!

BOOM--!!!

Like a meteor impact!

The arena floor, reinforced layer by layer with earth elemental magic power by Jin Changpu and as hard as alloy, exploded in a spiderweb-like crater several meters in diameter centered on Xu Feng's landing point!

Gravel shot out in all directions like bullets, hitting the ice wall with a dense pattering sound.

And Xu Feng himself, using the terrifying recoil force, transformed into a dark red lightning bolt that tore through the air, streaking straight towards Bai Luhao, dozens of meters away, at a terrifying speed that surpassed the sound barrier!

He moved so fast that a trail of clear, blood-red afterimages lingered behind him!

"Oh?"

Bai Luhao's eyes held even more admiration. The hand still tucked in his pocket didn't come out, but his body slightly lowered, preparing for the impact.

In the blink of an eye, Xu Feng was in front of him!

His right foot plowed into the ground like an iron plow, forcefully stopping his forward momentum. The immense inertia caused the ground to crack again!

Simultaneously, with his left foot as the pivot, his body spun sharply like a high-speed top, perfectly combining his kinetic energy and rotational force!

Within his dantian, his surging Qi and Blood, as if hearing a bugle call for a charge, madly rushed towards his right shoulder!

Visibly, the dark red armor on his right shoulder suddenly became thicker and heavier, its edges sharp and defined, even faintly emitting a scorching golden-red light!

The surrounding air, scorched by this highly condensed, violent, and intense energy, distorted and blurred, emitting crackling sounds!

"Blood Warrior - Iron Mountain Lean!"

A roar, low like muffled thunder, exploded from beneath the armor!

Xu Feng's body, like a fully drawn siege crossbow, lunged forward fiercely!

His right shoulder, imbued with his entire Qi and Blood and strength, carrying a terrifying momentum capable of shattering mountains and splitting the earth, solidly slammed into Bai Luhao's seemingly unguarded chest!

This strike, simple and brutal, pushed Strength, speed, and the condensation of Qi and Blood to the absolute peak of Xu Feng's current Blood Dragon State!

Its power was enough to easily collapse a small mountain!

Facing such a ferocious head-on collision, Bai Luhao's golden-yellow tiger eyes narrowed slightly. He seemed genuinely surprised by the ferocity of this attack.

But he still didn't dodge or evade. He didn't even take his left hand out of his pocket.

He simply raised his idle right hand, fingers spread, palm facing forward, and casually placed it in front of his chest, meeting Xu Feng's Iron Mountain Lean, which was like a meteor strike!

BANG--!!!!!!!!!

The instant they made contact.

A muffled yet deafeningly terrifying explosion, like thousands of tons of TNT detonated in a confined space!

Visible ring-shaped shockwaves violently spread out from the two of them as the center!

RUMBLE--!!!

Wherever the shockwaves passed, the arena floor, reinforced by layers of magic power, was violently lifted as if by an invisible giant hand!

The thick, incredibly hard rock and soil layers, meters deep, rolled and shattered like waves, being thrown into the air!

Countless giant rock fragments, like cannonballs, smashed into the towering ice walls surrounding them, creating continuous, violent impacts. Ice shards flew everywhere, causing the entire ice dome to shake violently, fine cracks appearing on its surface!

"What?!"

"This power?!"

"How could it erupt so quickly?!"

The expedition team members outside the ice walls' faces changed drastically, exclaiming in shock!

They believed they could also unleash attacks of such power, but that would require long incantations, charging up, or the assistance of powerful magical equipment.

Like Xu Feng, completing such a terrifying charge-up and burst of power instantaneously during high-speed movement, condensing destructive force to a single point for instant release...

They knew in their hearts that they absolutely could not achieve this level of control over power and burst speed!

All eyes were fixed on the center of the explosion.

The dust and debris slowly settled.

The two figures had already separated, standing about ten meters apart.

Bai Luhao maintained his one-handed-in-pocket posture, slowly lowering his outstretched right hand. He shook his wrist, a playful smile still on his face, as if he had merely swatted away a fly.

He was spotless, not even the hem of his clothes out of place.

Xu Feng stood firm, the armor on his right shoulder slightly dulled in luster but otherwise completely intact.

However, within the mask, his pair of crimson eyes were now filled with unprecedented solemnity.

With that last "Iron Mountain Lean," he had held nothing back. It was the pinnacle manifestation of his strength and Qi and Blood condensation in his Blood Dragon State!

Yet, Bai Luhao had casually blocked it with just one hand!

He could even feel the condensed golden energy in the opponent's palm not only completely nullifying his impact but also causing his own Qi and Blood to churn slightly with the recoil!

"Had enough?"

Bai Luhao tilted his head, asking casually.

Xu Feng didn't answer, but his mind was in turmoil.

"The gap between S-class and A-class... is it really this vast?"

He quickly estimated.

"If D-class to C-class, and C-class to B-class, the difference in strength is about threefold.

But from A-class to S-class... it's probably fivefold, or even more! And this is just Bai Luhao's normal state!"

To contend with him, he would have to use that form.

A thought flashed through Xu Feng's mind, but he immediately dismissed it.

Bai Luhao was currently in his normal human form, not even having transformed into a half-beastman.

Even if he used his trump card, he could at best contend with Bai Luhao in his human form. Winning or escaping would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Moreover, there were so many A-class and B-class Hunters watching them with predatory eyes all around.

"It seems... I'll have to resort to some dirty tricks."

Xu Feng's gaze imperceptibly swept over the layers of ice walls and quicksand barriers surrounding them. A daring plan rapidly took shape in his mind.

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