Whoosh!
In a sudden flash, Qin Shaofeng appeared beside Zhang Lingyun and swung a punch at him.
A faint white glow now shimmered around Qin Shaofeng's fist.
Clearly, he had strengthened the punch with Houtian Inner Qi. Its power was far greater than the one he had thrown at Zhang Lingyun earlier.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Qin Shaofeng's speed suddenly surge as he closed in and drove an Inner Qi–empowered fist at him, Zhang Lingtian didn't look concerned. Instead, a trace of disdain appeared on his face.
Smack!
He casually raised his right hand. Zhang Lingyun stretched out his palm and blocked Qin Shaofeng's punch.
Fist struck palm with a sharp smack. Zhang Lingyun didn't budge, while Qin Shaofeng was forced back several steps.
"First move!"
After catching Qin Shaofeng's punch, Zhang Lingtian remarked coolly. Then he sneered. "Qin Shaofeng, that attack of yours is far too weak! Even if I let you have ten moves, you still wouldn't be able to hurt me!"
Qin Shaofeng didn't answer. His gaze remained unwavering as the Inner Qi within him circulated rapidly, his aura growing stronger by the moment.
Whoosh!
He flashed forward again, launching another attack at Zhang Lingyun.
"Useless!"
Zhang Lingyun barked and swung his palm once more, a faint glow of Inner Qi gathering around it.
Just as before, Qin Shaofeng's punch was blocked by Zhang Lingtian.
But this time, Zhang Lingyun was slightly startled. He realized that the force behind Qin Shaofeng's attack had doubled.
Still, Zhang Lingtian was only surprised for a moment before dismissing it.
So what if it had doubled?
Even if it tripled or quintupled, Qin Shaofeng still wouldn't be a match for me.
Zhang Lingyun remained just as contemptuous of Qin Shaofeng.
As if he had sensed Zhang Lingtian's disdain, Qin Shaofeng's eyes flashed again.
"Second move! Your fate is already sealed, Qin Shaofeng!" Zhang Lingtian suddenly called out, gazing at him with cool indifference, like a lofty king looking down on a lowly slave.
"Is that so? There's still one move left, isn't there?" Qin Shaofeng paid no heed to Zhang Lingtian's words. He smiled faintly, eased back, and raised both hands, taking up an attacking stance.
What was this?
The spectators were startled when they saw Qin Shaofeng's stance.
"That stance... Could it be the Qin Family's Afterimage Fist?"
A cry of surprise rose from the crowd, leaving everyone astonished.
The Afterimage Fist was the Qin Family's secret technique, a powerful fist art. By gathering and shaping Inner Qi, the practitioner sent out a succession of afterimage punches. Yet these afterimages weren't mere illusions—they were real attacks.
With the Afterimage Fist, Old Master Qin, despite being a Xiantian Third Layer Martial Master, could contend with a Xiantian Fourth Layer Martial Master.
Everyone was stunned when Qin Shaofeng took up the Afterimage Fist stance.
That was because the Afterimage Fist required Houtian Fourth Level and the ability to shape Inner Qi before it could be used!
Yet Qin Shaofeng was only at Houtian First Layer—not even at the level he had reached before his dantian was crippled!
Could he really be using the Afterimage Fist?
Could Qin Shaofeng still perform the Qin Family's Afterimage Fist?
Watching several afterimages flicker into view, Zhang Lingtian was startled. For a brief moment, his mind went blank.
But Zhang Lingtian quickly laughed.
"Overestimating yourself!"
His expression turning cold, Zhang Lingtian raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist. A layer of Inner Qi shimmered around his knuckles.
"Extreme Collapse Fist!"
With a cold shout, Zhang Lingtian struck.
His fist moved like a flash of light, instantly smashing into the afterimages of Qin Shaofeng's punches as they rushed toward him and dispersing them.
But before Zhang Lingtian could tell Qin Shaofeng that the three moves were over, Qin Shaofeng smiled gently at him. His lips moved slightly.
Though Qin Shaofeng spoke very softly, Zhang Lingtian heard every word clearly.
You fell for it!
Before those four words had even fully faded, a streak of silver flashed between Qin Shaofeng and Zhang Lingtian on the arena.
Like a bolt of silver lightning, it cut across the spectators' vision, dazzling and brilliant!
It vanished in an instant, yet left a radiant gleam etched in everyone's eyes.
The silver streak slammed into Zhang Lingtian's abdomen—or, more precisely, into his dantian.
Thud!
Zhang Lingtian seemed to hear something inside his body shatter, followed by a dull, muffled burst.
A wave of agony struck. His face turned deathly pale.
Looking down at his abdomen, Zhang Lingtian pointed at Qin Shaofeng and cried out in disbelief, "Qin Shaofeng, you... How dare you..."
"Pfft!"
But before he could finish, the pain in his abdomen overwhelmed Zhang Lingtian. He spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsed, and passed out.
What had just happened?
What was that silver streak?
Everyone present was stunned.
They had only seen Qin Shaofeng counterattack with the Qin Family's Afterimage Fist, which Zhang Lingtian had eventually blocked.
But then Qin Shaofeng seemed to perform some move with his right hand, and Zhang Lingtian was knocked down.
The whole sequence had been far too strange!
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
Zhang Lingtian had really lost? A Houtian Fourth Level fighter had lost to someone at Houtian First Layer?
How had Qin Shaofeng managed it?
The appearance of the Afterimage Fist had startled the crowd, but they were even more curious about Qin Shaofeng's final strike.
That final strike had naturally been the Little Li Flying Dagger that Qin Shaofeng had prepared beforehand.
The Qin Family's Afterimage Fist was something Qin Shaofeng wasn't very skilled at. He hadn't even learned it completely. The afterimages he had thrown out were just Inner Qi afterimages, formed by expending Inner Qi Points and following what he remembered of the technique.
In other words, they were all show and had little real power.
Qin Shaofeng's true trump card was the Little Li Flying Dagger he had obtained from the earlier draw!
Little Li's divine blade stood unrivaled beneath heaven; when it was drawn, it never missed!
That saying was no exaggeration. Even at Houtian First Layer, Qin Shaofeng had been certain he could hit Zhang Lingtian, who was at Houtian Fourth Level.
But hitting him and defeating him were two different things. Qin Shaofeng hadn't been sure he could defeat Zhang Lingtian.
After all, Zhang Lingtian, at Houtian Fourth Level, could shape Inner Qi to defend himself.
Qin Shaofeng had never used the Little Li Flying Dagger against a real enemy. Though he had absolute faith in this divine skill, he still needed to be a hundred percent certain.
So Qin Shaofeng had planned to use the Afterimage Fist to draw Zhang Lingtian's attention, then strike with the Little Li Flying Dagger while he was off guard and deliver the final, fatal blow.
But the moment the Little Li Flying Dagger struck Zhang Lingtian, Qin Shaofeng understood.
He had been far too cautious.
Judging by the power the Little Li Flying Dagger had displayed, Zhang Lingtian likely couldn't have defended against it even if Qin Shaofeng had attacked him head-on rather than catching him by surprise.
A God-grade skill really was a God-grade skill!
Its power was beyond imagination!
Regardless, the City Lord Competition in Lanjiang City had now come to a complete end.
There was no need to say who the victor was.
Qin Shaofeng had won. The Qin Family had won!
"Congratulations, player Qin Shaofeng, for completing the 'Competition' quest. You have received 300 experience points, 20 Points, and one Heart of Thunder!"
As soon as Lord Yuan announced the results of the competition, the long-awaited system notification finally rang in Qin Shaofeng's mind.
As for the Zhang Family, after Zhang Lingtian collapsed unconscious, Zhang Chongshan left with the members of his family, his face dark with anger.
Zhang Chongshan had watched two of his sons be defeated by Qin Shaofeng, and both had ended up vomiting blood and passing out. Naturally, he was furious.
He hated Qin Shaofeng, the culprit, so much that he wished he could kill him on the spot!
But he understood that although he, a Xiantian Martial Master, could kill Qin Shaofeng with little effort, Old Master Qin's gaze had been fixed on him the whole time. He had no chance to make a move.
He knew he was no match for Old Master Qin. Rather than stay there, watch Old Master Qin smile, and burn with rage, he decided it was better to leave.
Still, just as he was walking away, Qin Shaofeng clearly sensed the killing intent directed at him.
It looked like he would need to be careful around Zhang Chongshan.
Watching Zhang Chongshan leave, Qin Shaofeng pondered for a moment. But soon, he was completely absorbed by the reward for his quest.
Heart of Thunder: a Thunder-type Origin Spirit Root. After consuming it, you gain the Thunder attribute. It is a prerequisite for learning any Thunder-attribute skill!
After returning to Qin Manor, Qin Shaofeng patiently received the congratulations and admiration of Little Yue'er, who came rushing over, her face flushed with excitement. Then he shut himself in his room.
Gazing at the orb in his hand, about the size of a longan and glowing with faint purple light, Qin Shaofeng's eyes shone with excitement.
"So this is the Heart of Thunder! It's quite beautiful, but how am I supposed to use it?"
"Do I just swallow it?"
He examined the flashes of light on the Heart of Thunder again. They looked like tiny bolts of lightning.
If he swallowed it, wouldn't it burn his stomach to a crisp?
Just as Qin Shaofeng was worrying about how to consume the Heart of Thunder, the system suddenly issued a notification.
"System notification: Player Qin Shaofeng, do you wish to consume the Heart of Thunder?"
Phew!
The system's prompt put Qin Shaofeng at ease.
Since the system had prompted him, he didn't need to worry about his stomach.
"Yes!"
He silently responded to the system, and the orb in his hand instantly disappeared. The system notification sounded again.
"System notification: Congratulations, player, for consuming the Heart of Thunder and obtaining the Thunder Body!"
Was that all it took to consume it?
Hearing the system notification, Qin Shaofeng was speechless.
He had thought he would really have to swallow it!
But Qin Shaofeng soon stopped caring about that. What he wanted to know now was what this so-called Thunder Body actually was.
He quickly brought up his stats interface, and his gaze fell on Thunder Body.
Thunder Body: a Thunder-type Origin Spirit Root. Grants the Thunder attribute and allows the user to learn any Thunder-attribute skill. As the number and power of Thunder-attribute skills increase, the Thunder Body can gain even greater attributes. Innate skill—Power of Thunder!
Power of Thunder: When attacking, Inner Qi Points can be converted into Thunder Inner Qi, adding the power of the Thunder attribute to the player's attacks. The stronger the Thunder Body, the stronger the Power of Thunder.
(Note: With the Thunder Body, the player can learn any Thunder-attribute skill. Specific skills can be purchased in the System Store.)
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