A Fist to Defeat Liu Mang

"Bang!!!"

Their fists collided without a hint of flourish.

A thunderous boom rang out, as if two volcanoes had crashed together.

Terrifying waves of air exploded from the point of impact, sending a visible ring of shockwaves crashing into the Mystic Water Formation shielding the arena. The barrier rippled violently, wave after wave spreading across its surface.

"Crack!"

The sound of breaking bone rang out clearly.

Under everyone's disbelieving stares, Liu Mang staggered back three steps! Each footfall left a deep imprint in the hard Black Iron Arena. His fist, reputedly tough enough to withstand a True Qi Realm cultivator, now had split skin across the knuckles, and his finger bones bent at unnatural angles!

Lin Ye, by contrast, only swayed slightly. He hadn't moved an inch.

The difference was plain for all to see!

"What?!"

"Senior Brother Liu Mang was knocked back?"

"His iron fist was broken?"

"How is that possible?! Lin Ye is stronger than Liu Mang?!"

The entire arena erupted. Countless disciples stared wide-eyed, almost certain they were seeing things.

"Excellent!" On the high platform, Master Huoyun couldn't help praising him. "His fist force is honed to a needlepoint, breaking through with a focused strike. His control over his strength is exquisite! Even more remarkable, his fist technique already shows the faint beginnings of a True Meaning of 'Shattering the Sturdy'!"

"Indeed, extraordinary," Master Tiejian said gravely. "Liu Mang's Iron Wall Technique is already perfected, and its only weak point lies three inches beneath his armpit. This boy spotted it at a glance and struck directly at the node where his true qi circulates. His insight and timing are monstrous."

Yun Leizi stroked his beard in silence, but his eyes showed clear approval.

A playful smile tugged at Ye Wuchen's lips. "His fists hold true meaning, and his force pierces iron walls. This is getting more and more interesting."

On the arena, Liu Mang stared down at his bleeding, split knuckles, his face dark with fury.

What a humiliation! Liu Mang had dominated the outer sect for three years. When had anyone ever knocked him back with a single punch?

"Good! Good! Very good!" Liu Mang ground out through clenched teeth. "Lin Ye, I admit I underestimated you! You're the first to force me to use Iron Body!"

"Iron Wall Technique—Iron Body!!!"

He threw back his head and roared. His blood and qi burned wildly, and the bronze hue beneath his skin deepened at a visible pace. In the blink of an eye, he looked like a man forged from bronze! His muscles bulged, radiating an aura of terrifying, unbreakable strength.

"Iron Body! That's the Iron Wall Technique's highest level!"

"They say once he uses it, his defense surges, and his strength and speed rise together. For a short time, he'll be comparable to a body-tempering cultivator who's just entered the True Qi Realm!"

"Senior Brother Liu Mang was forced to go this far!"

Everyone could see that Liu Mang was willing to pay any price to crush Lin Ye with his strongest form and salvage his pride!

"Die!"

He unleashed both fists, his attacks sweeping across a ten-yard radius and sealing off every avenue of escape!

Faced with this terrifying attack, Lin Ye's expression finally turned serious.

He shifted his feet, blending the essence of Flowing Cloud Steps with the refined Wind Chasing Steps. His figure slipped like a ghost through the dense wall of fists at the very last instant.

At the same time, he shaped his fingers like a sword and seized the gap in Liu Mang's punch, thrusting one finger at the spot three inches beneath Liu Mang's ribs, where his Iron Body glowed faintly.

"Clang!"

His fingertip struck bronze-colored skin with the ring of metal against metal.

Liu Mang shuddered from head to toe, his charge halted and the light over his Iron Body thrown into disarray. Shock and fury surged through him. Lin Ye had struck his weak point again!

"You're asking for death!" Liu Mang roared, spinning around to sweep at him.

But Lin Ye's footwork was too fast. At the last possible instant, he always slipped past the brunt of the attack, while his hands and feet became the sharpest of weapons, striking again and again at the weak points around Liu Mang's joints!

"Bang, bang, bang! Clang, clang, clang!"

A rapid series of impacts rang across the arena.

Liu Mang couldn't even graze Lin Ye's clothes. Instead, the precise, ruthless strikes sent his blood and qi churning until he nearly vomited blood.

"He's wearing Liu Mang down!" Chen Feng stood at the edge of the arena, his eyes gleaming. "Iron Body consumes an enormous amount of energy. He can't sustain it for long. If he doesn't end the fight within thirty breaths, he's bound to lose!"

On the high platform, Ye Wuchen's interest deepened. "He uses stillness to control movement and finesse to overcome force. His footwork has grasped the essence of 'fluid circularity,' and his attacks target the flaws in Liu Mang's technique. His combat talent is truly stunning."

"Liu Mang's defeat is inevitable," Yun Leizi said calmly.

Sure enough, the bronze glow around Liu Mang began to dim at a visible pace. His aura weakened and grew noticeably unsteady.

Now!

Lin Ye, who had been dodging and circling all this time, suddenly let a cold light flare in his eyes!

His movement shifted from extreme motion to absolute stillness, as if he had transformed in an instant from a breeze into a mountain. His right fist rose slowly from his waist. The air parted soundlessly along its path, while a low rumble of wind and thunder gathered in the void.

The instant he threw that punch, everyone on the high platform changed expression!

"Wind-Thunder Break!!!"

Lin Ye took one step forward, and the Black Iron Arena beneath his feet exploded, leaving a shallow crater. His fist looked slow, but it was actually moving at incredible speed. It carried wind-and-thunder force compressed to its limit and slammed squarely into the center of Liu Mang's wide-open chest!

"Crack—!"

A dense series of bone-breaking sounds, enough to make one's scalp crawl, rang out.

Liu Mang roared, his eyes bulging as blood sprayed from his mouth. A fist-shaped dent visibly caved into his chest. He flew backward as if struck head-on by a primeval mammoth, tracing an arc through the air before crashing into the edge of the arena. The protective barrier buckled deeply inward from the impact!

"Pfft—" Liu Mang spat out another mouthful of blood, mixed with fragments of his organs. He struggled twice, but couldn't get back up. He had passed out completely. The bronze hue covering his body receded like a tide, and his aura sank to the very bottom.

One punch broke Iron Body and defeated Liu Mang!

The entire arena fell silent.

Everyone stared blankly at the boy standing on the arena with his fist lowered, then at Liu Mang's battered body below. Their minds went completely blank.

Liu Mang had lost just like that?

So completely, so utterly crushed?

After a brief silence, a thunderous uproar exploded!

"He lost?!"

"One punch! Just one!"

"That punch from Lin Ye just now definitely had the power of the True Qi Realm!"

"He's only at the ninth level of body tempering! How is that possible?!"

Shouts, doubt, shock, and fervor swept wildly through the disciples.

Several elders exchanged glances, each seeing the same amazement in the others' eyes.

"That punch has already grasped the rudiments of the True Meaning of Wind and Thunder, its force honed into a single point," Master Huoyun sighed. "Among those in the body-tempering realm, that punch is invincible."

"He could rank among the inner sect's top ten," Master Tiejian declared, giving him the highest praise.

Yun Leizi stroked his beard and nodded slightly, then looked toward Ye Wuchen. "What do you think, Nephew Ye?"

Ye Wuchen looked at Lin Ye, no longer hiding his admiration. He rose slowly, his moon-white robe stirring despite the lack of wind.

"Within the body-tempering realm, he broke through technique with strength and defeated his enemy with his fists. More remarkable still, he's steady of mind, decisive in battle, and knows exactly when to hold back. We want him at Qingyun Peak."

At those words, the arena went silent, then burst into excited shouts!

Qingyun Peak! The sect's main peak, home to the sect master's lineage! Senior Brother Ye Wuchen meant to take Lin Ye as a follower, or perhaps even as a nominal disciple?

What a tremendous opportunity! A single step to the heavens!

Countless envious and jealous gazes instantly focused on Lin Ye.

Faced with an offer countless people dreamed of, Lin Ye raised his head and looked toward the white-robed figure on the high platform. He replied calmly:

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother Ye. But I want to earn my way into the inner sect with my own fists, then climb Qingyun Peak openly and honorably."

He'd refused!

He had actually refused Ye Wuchen's offer!

"Arrogant!" someone below muttered.

"He doesn't know his place!"

"Senior Brother Ye personally offered to take him in. What an honor, and he actually..."

Ye Wuchen was slightly taken aback. But rather than get angry, he burst into hearty laughter.

"Good! You've got ambition and backbone!" His laughter rang out, full of delight. "I'll be waiting for you at Qingyun Peak. I hope that the next time I see you, you won't still be an outer sect disciple."