Overstepping Ranks

As soon as Chen Mo spoke these words, the entire venue was shaken.

Although Chen Mo was not exactly unknown—having made a name for himself previously by killing two Ming Jin practitioners—that was, after all, a battle between Ming Jin.

Daring to challenge an Dark Jin practitioner across ranks?

Black River Town had not seen a feat of a Ming Jin defeating an Dark Jin in several years.

If Chen Mo were to end up like Yue Lun, suffering a severe injury, then the last shred of dignity Yin Tianqing had left would be torn to shreds as well.

Those at Tianqing Martial Hall, including Yin Tianqing himself, also found it inconceivable.

"Junior Brother Chen is being a bit impulsive."

"Even if his comprehension is good, Ming Jin defeating Dark Jin is a bit of a fantasy."

As for the person involved, Luo Hou, his brows were already twisted into a knot.

What kind of strength do you, Chen Mo, possess? Do you not know yourself?

Luo Hou was naturally an arrogant person; seeing such an easy opportunity to show off handed to him, how could he miss it?

He immediately took a large step forward, drawing all surrounding gazes onto himself, "Since that is the case, then I, Luo, will not be polite."

After speaking, he walked to the center of the arena, while Chen Mo slowly stepped in, and the two performed the customary salute.

"Mantis Fist, Luo Hou."

"Fuhu Fist, Chen Mo."

After finishing the salute, a playful smirk appeared at the corner of Luo Hou's mouth.

He immediately assumed his Mantis Fist stance, dust rising beneath his feet as he rapidly closed in on Chen Mo.

Mantis Fist was known for its fierce offensive; his hands were like hooks, slashing down toward Chen Mo's face.

"Luo Hou only has offense and no defense; he is certain that Chen Mo has no ability to counterattack."

Yin Tianqing, standing on the sidelines, instantly saw the situation and thought to himself, "I hope Chen Mo can hold on for a few more rounds..."

Real combat and sparring were ultimately different; although Chen Mo could trade blows with him for dozens of rounds, in a real fight against an Dark Jin practitioner, he only hoped Chen Mo could last a little longer.

When the Mantis Fist force was only a foot from Chen Mo's forehead, he instantly twisted his torso, dodging the strike at a subtle angle.

The Mantis Fist struck empty air, and Luo Hou was slightly surprised.

At this moment, Chen Mo executed the first half of his Flowing Cloud Attack, with the second half following closely behind; he stomped hard on the ground, used the momentum to spin, and followed up with a Stone-Crushing Strike.

The fist force roared through the air, sweeping toward Luo Hou's throat.

Luo Hou's pupils shrank!

He subconsciously shifted from offense to defense, retracting his stance to assume a blocking posture.

Chen Mo thought rapidly; if his Stone-Crushing Strike collided head-on with the opponent's defense, the gap between Ming Jin and Dark Jin would be particularly obvious.

Therefore, he changed his move again; the Stone-Crushing Strike, halfway through its path, quietly transformed. In an instant, his right fist turned into a snake shape, finding a tricky angle to slip through the opponent's block and strike directly toward the throat.

At this moment, Luo Hou's expression changed slightly.

But he had significant real-combat experience, so he immediately turned his body halfway to take the punch hard with his elbow.

"Bang!"

Luo Hou was forced back three steps by the powerful punch, while Chen Mo was also pushed back two steps by the rebounding force of the Dark Jin.

This series of exchanges between the two, while seemingly dazzling, had actually been completed in just a few breaths.

Those onlookers who had previously thought Chen Mo wouldn't last a single move were now holding their breath, their mocking expressions replaced by intense focus; they didn't want to miss a single move or stance.

The most shocked were the experts like Yin Tianqing; they knew deeply how difficult that series of move changes was in actual combat!

Even an Dark Jin practitioner might not be his equal in that regard.

A trace of astonishment welled up in Luo Hou's heart; he hadn't expected Chen Mo to force him into a defensive posture in just one round.

But he quickly suppressed the distracting thoughts in his heart and launched his Mantis Fist again.

This time, he had switched to a Mantis Fist that balanced offense and defense, but as a result, the offensive was not as fierce as before.

Chen Mo waited for an opportunity; seeing the opponent was still ten feet away, he immediately stepped out with his Luo Smoke Steps, nimbly circling to the opponent's side to unleash the Wave-Intercepting Style he had been brewing.

"Bang! Bang!"

The Wave-Intercepting Style collided with the opponent's left hand, and the force surged outward like a rolling wave.

Upon this contact, Chen Mo personally experienced the power of Dark Jin.

He felt a fist force travel through his hand and into his body, penetrating to his back like a strike through a mountain.

"Ugh..."

In an instant, Chen Mo felt a surge of energy churning within him, and he immediately used the Luo Smoke Steps to retreat a distance.

Sweat had already soaked his entire body.

"So this is Dark Jin; it really is worlds apart from Ming Jin..."

Chen Mo pondered in his heart; this kind of sparring was the best way to utilize the comprehension-boosting power of Mountain and Water Cultivation, and he immediately began to calculate and review the fight.

This heart-wrenching scene made Yin Tianqing and Yin Shanshan clench their fists in secret.

"It was no small feat to dodge that just now," Yin Tianqing muttered.

Yin Shanshan also furrowed her brows, "Father, if it really comes to it, shouldn't we have them stop?"

Yin Tianqing shook his head, "There is no reason for bystanders to call a halt in the middle of a sparring match."

The two looked back toward the arena.

Luo Hou launched another attack, coming in with a combination of hooks and elbows. His eagle-claw hands swayed like iron hooks, while his lower stance was as steady as an ancient pine rooted in the earth.

This was the classic opening stance of the Mantis Fist, capable of pecking strikes with eagle-hook hands while incorporating elbow strikes and leg techniques.

However, Luo Hou had only achieved minor success and had not reached the realm of mastery, so the transitions and flow of his fist techniques were still slightly stiff.

Chen Mo unleashed the Flowing Cloud Attack and Luo Smoke Steps to their full extent, his feet constantly twisting and changing direction, his pace actually a fraction faster than Luo Hou's.

After the mental calculations he had just performed, he now had a deeper understanding of the Mantis Fist's patterns; although he could not directly break them, it helped him evade many attacks.

"Such incredible speed!"

Someone on the sidelines shouted.

Seeing that he could not get close to Chen Mo, Luo Hou felt a bit impatient. Just then, he noticed a slight disorder in his opponent's footwork, so he stomped hard and leaped forward like a leopard.

The Mantis Fist can be wide and open or tight and gathered, truly capable of retracting and releasing at will.

However, the problem was...

Luo Hou's sudden assault this time was too rash, causing his posture to be somewhat rigid—hard without the necessary softness.

The eagle-hook hand, resembling an iron hook, suddenly approached Chen Mo's face.

Ten feet.

Seven feet.

Three feet.

Two feet.

In an instant!

Chen Mo abruptly retracted the "flaw" he had intentionally exposed and pushed his Luo Smoke Steps to the limit, dodging the eagle-hook hand with a sidestep. As soon as the opponent passed by his shoulder, he followed up with a whip punch.

The sixth form of the Fuhu Fist, the Swallow Return Style!

The speed of the whip punch was so fast it almost left an afterimage, landing instantly on Luo Hou's spine.

"Bang!"

The force of the punch, combined with Luo Hou's own momentum, left him unable to steady his footing, and he stumbled toward the edge of the arena.

Chen Mo did not hesitate for a second. Having already prepared the Stone-Crushing Strike, he lunged forward. Taking advantage of his opponent's unstable footing, he unleashed this straight punch—the move he had practiced most diligently and which possessed the most ferocious force!

Zhao Huayuan's expression changed drastically.

How could he have expected the match to develop to this point!

Luo Hou was a legitimate martial artist at the early stage of Dark Jin with minor success in the Mantis Fist; how could he lose to Chen Mo, who wasn't even at the peak of Ming Jin?

In the blink of an eye.

The Stone-Crushing Strike crashed down!

Luo Hou immediately raised his elbow to block. The moment they collided, his expression changed wildly, for the fist force contained within this strike faintly exceeded that of ordinary Ming Jin.

At this moment, Chen Mo's expression was as deep as a pool of water.

Bang! Bang!

The force within the Stone-Crushing Strike poured out like a torrent.

Luo Hou's feet retreated one after another.

Thud, thud, thud!

Amidst the uproar of the surrounding crowd, both of his feet stepped outside the boundary.