Chen Mo's words sent a shudder through the entire crowd.
Chen Mo wasn't an unknown; he'd made a name for himself after killing two Ming Jin fighters, but that had been a battle between Ming Jin fighters.
Dare he challenge a Dark Jin fighter despite the difference in rank?
Black River Town hadn't seen a Ming Jin fighter defeat a Dark Jin fighter in years.
If Chen Mo ended up badly injured like Yue Lun, then the last thin veil protecting Yin Tianqing's pride would be torn away.
Even Yin Tianqing and the others from Tianqing Martial Hall found it unbelievable.
"Junior Brother Chen is being a little impulsive."
"Even if his Comprehension is decent, a Ming Jin fighter defeating a Dark Jin fighter is pure fantasy."
Luo Hou, the other party in this match, had knitted his brows into a knot.
Did Chen Mo not know how strong he was?
Luo Hou had always been a proud man. Now that glory had practically been handed to him—how could he pass it up?
He immediately strode forward, drawing the surrounding gazes to himself. "Since that's the case, I won't hold back."
With that, he walked to the center of the arena. Chen Mo slowly stepped in after him, and the two exchanged the customary bows.
"Luo Hou, Mantis Fist."
"Chen Mo, Fuhu Fist."
After bowing, Luo Hou's lips curled into a playful smile.
He immediately took up the Mantis Fist stance. Dust rose beneath his feet as he rushed toward Chen Mo.
Mantis Fist was known for its fierce offense. With both hands hooked like claws, Luo Hou chopped down toward Chen Mo's face.
"Luo Hou is all offense, no defense. He's certain Chen Mo can't counterattack."
Yin Tianqing saw through it at once from the sidelines and thought, I hope Chen Mo can last a few rounds...
Real combat was ultimately different from sparring through techniques. Chen Mo could exchange moves with him for dozens of rounds, but against a Dark Jin fighter in a real match, all Yin Tianqing could hope for was that Chen Mo held out a little longer.
When the force of the Mantis Fist was only a foot from Chen Mo's forehead, he twisted halfway around and dodged the blow at a subtle angle.
The Mantis Fist struck empty air. Luo Hou was slightly surprised.
At that moment, Chen Mo unleashed the first half of Flowing Cloud Attack. The second half followed close behind. He stomped down hard, spun with the force, and followed up with Stone-Crushing Strike.
His fist roared through the air and swept toward Luo Hou's throat.
Luo Hou's pupils contracted!
He instinctively turned offense into defense, drawing back his fists and raising them to block.
Chen Mo thought rapidly. If Stone-Crushing Strike clashed head-on with his opponent's defense, the gap between Ming Jin and Dark Jin would be all too clear.
So he changed his move again. Halfway through, Stone-Crushing Strike quietly shifted. In an instant, his right fist took the shape of a snake, slipped through the gap between his opponent's fists at a tricky angle, and shot straight toward his throat.
Luo Hou's expression changed.
But he had plenty of combat experience. He immediately turned halfway around and took the punch on his elbow.
"Bang!"
The powerful blow drove Luo Hou back three steps. Chen Mo, in turn, was knocked back two steps by the rebounding force of Dark Jin.
The two had traded this flurry of moves in the span of a few breaths, though it had seemed dazzlingly fast.
The onlookers who'd thought Chen Mo wouldn't last a single move now held their breath, their mocking expressions gone. They couldn't afford to miss a single move.
Yin Tianqing and the other experts were the most shaken. They knew how difficult it was to chain together such a series of changes in real combat!
Even a Dark Jin fighter might not be able to match him.
A flicker of surprise rose in Luo Hou's heart. He hadn't expected Chen Mo to force him into a defensive stance after just one exchange.
But he quickly put aside his distracting thoughts and attacked again with Mantis Fist.
This time, he used a version that combined offense and defense, but his attacks were no longer as fierce as before.
Chen Mo waited for an opening. When his opponent was still ten feet away, he immediately used Luo Smoke Steps, nimbly circling to his side, and struck with the Wave-Intercepting Style he'd been building up.
"Bang, bang!"
The Wave-Intercepting Style collided with Luo Hou's left hand, and the surging force burst outward like waves.
At the moment of contact, Chen Mo felt the power of Dark Jin firsthand.
He felt a wave of force travel from his hand into his body, passing through him like a punch that struck across a mountain and reaching his back.
"Ugh..."
In an instant, a wave of energy churned through Chen Mo's body. He immediately used Luo Smoke Steps to retreat some distance.
Sweat had soaked him from head to toe.
So this is Dark Jin? It really is leagues beyond Ming Jin...
Chen Mo weighed the exchange in his mind. A match like this was the best way to bring out Mountain and Water Cultivation's boost to Comprehension, so he immediately began analyzing and reviewing what had happened.
The nerve-racking scene made Yin Tianqing and Yin Shanshan clench their fists.
"Dodging that one was no easy feat," Yin Tianqing murmured.
Yin Shanshan's brows knitted together too. "Father, should we stop them if this gets out of hand?"
Yin Tianqing shook his head. "Who would call a halt in the middle of a spar?"
They both looked back at the arena.
Luo Hou attacked again, hooking and striking with his elbows. His carved-hook hands swung back and forth like iron hooks, while his lower body was as firmly rooted as an ancient pine.
This was a classic opening stance of Mantis Fist. While advancing, he could peck with his hook hands, while also using elbow strikes and kicks.
But Luo Hou had only achieved minor mastery. He hadn't reached the level of mastery, and his transitions between moves still seemed a little stiff.
Chen Mo unleashed Flowing Cloud Attack and Luo Smoke Steps to their fullest. He kept twisting and changing direction, his footwork even a little faster than Luo Hou's.
After analyzing the exchange just now, he now understood Mantis Fist's moves a little better. He couldn't directly counter them, but this understanding helped him dodge many of the attacks.
"What speed!"
Someone shouted from the sidelines.
Seeing that he couldn't get close to Chen Mo, Luo Hou grew a little impatient. Then he noticed a slight disorder in Chen Mo's footwork and stomped forward, pouncing like a leopard.
Mantis Fist could be broad and sweeping or tight and compact, opening and closing at will.
But the problem was...
Luo Hou's sudden attack was too rushed, leaving his posture stiff—hard but not supple.
His carved-hook hand, curved like an iron hook, darted toward Chen Mo's face.
Ten feet.
Seven feet.
Three feet.
Two feet.
In the blink of an eye!
Chen Mo abruptly withdrew the "opening" he'd deliberately revealed. He pushed Luo Smoke Steps to their limit and dodged the carved-hook hand with a sidestep. As soon as their shoulders had just passed each other, he whipped a punch backward.
The sixth form of Fuhu Fist, Swallow Return Style!
The whip punch moved so fast it seemed to leave an afterimage, crashing into Luo Hou's back in an instant.
"Bang!"
The force of the punch combined with Luo Hou's own momentum. He couldn't stop in time and staggered toward the edge of the arena.
Chen Mo didn't hesitate. Stone-Crushing Strike was already primed in his hand. He sprang forward and, while his opponent was still off balance, unleashed the straight punch he'd practiced most and driven with the greatest force!
Zhao Huayuan's expression changed dramatically.
How could he have guessed the match would develop like this?
Luo Hou was a proper early-stage Dark Jin fighter, and his Mantis Fist had reached minor mastery. Could he really lose to Chen Mo, who hadn't even reached the peak of Ming Jin?
In the blink of an eye—
Stone-Crushing Strike came crashing down!
Luo Hou immediately raised his elbow to block. The instant they connected, his expression changed dramatically, because the force in this punch seemed to have surpassed that of an ordinary Ming Jin fighter.
At that moment, Chen Mo's expression was as deep as a still pool.
Bang, bang!
A torrent of force poured out of Stone-Crushing Strike.
Luo Hou staggered backward, step after step.
Thud, thud, thud!
Amid the crowd's uproar, both his feet crossed the boundary.
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