Complete Victory Over Through-Arm Fist, Bronze-Rank Fighter

Yang Ning's punch toward the lower abdomen howled through the air, carrying a low, muffled rumble, like a tiger roaring through the mountains!

Having suffered under Yang Ning's fists, Copper Twenty-One no longer dared to meet him head-on. His body suddenly leaned back, drifting like willow catkins on the wind as he evaded the punch.

At the same time, his left arm shot out like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, hooking upward at Yang Ning's ribs from a bizarre angle!

The strike was soundless, yet sinister and vicious!

Yang Ning reacted with lightning speed. His right fist, already thrown, abruptly changed direction, turning from a fist into a claw as it slammed downward!

His five fingers were like tiger claws, blood and qi flooding into them as they forcibly clamped around the wrist coming up at him!

Copper Twenty-One was greatly alarmed. He exerted force to wrench his arm back, only to find Yang Ning's fingers like an iron hoop, utterly immovable!

His reaction was swift. The captured left wrist suddenly twisted and shook, bonelessly supple, seeming as though it might slip free from the claw!

At the same time, his right leg silently flicked upward, the toe kicking directly at the side of Yang Ning's knee!

He had actually turned the forward flick, his main attack, into a feint for a straight kick. A master of Through-Arm Fist could turn every part of his body into an arm, supple and ever-changing!

Yet Yang Ning snorted coldly. The five fingers gripping the other man's wrist suddenly exerted force, yanking fiercely toward his own side!

The pull was immensely powerful. Copper Twenty-One's center of gravity immediately became unstable, and the raised leg lost all force halfway through its kick.

Borrowing the force of that pull, Yang Ning drove his entire body into the other man's chest!

This was Tiger Leans on Mountain—shoulder strike!

Shoulder sunk, elbow dropped, all the power of his body condensed into a single point, like a fierce tiger descending the mountain!

"Thud!"

It struck Copper Twenty-One squarely in the chest!

"Urgh—ah!"

Copper Twenty-One screamed miserably, his entire body flying backward off the ground like a torn sackcloth bag.

At the same time, bloody froth sprayed from his mouth and splattered over the green mask, a horrifying sight.

But he was, after all, an experienced Bronze-Rank veteran. While still in midair, he forcibly drew in a breath, twisted his waist, activated the technique of the Lumbar Vertebra Barrier, and spun both arms like windmills to shed part of the force.

When he landed again, he staggered back seven or eight steps. Though he had reached the edge of the ring, he barely managed to steady himself. Clutching his chest, he panted like an ox, his eyes filled with shock.

The stands fell silent at first, then erupted in a massive uproar!

By this point, who could fail to see that this Through-Arm Fist fighter had been beaten back step by step by Yang Ning's Tiger Soul Fist?

"Good!"

"This newcomer's got something!"

While the motley crowd below watched the spectacle, those in the private boxes above saw the deeper truth:

"Tiger Leans on Mountain, Tiger Claw Hook—whose Tiger Fist is this?

"It was truly fierce and domineering, a proper path of martial arts!"

"Copper Twenty-One did everything he should have done! He was also a favored disciple of the proper Through-Arm Fist Martial Hall, yet against this newcomer, he was clearly outmatched.

"He was not very old either, and his blood and qi were abundant. He was likely not far from the Blood Garment Barrier. This Wood Seventy-Nine was a fine prospect!"

Yang Ning stood where he was and slowly withdrew his stance.

The White Jade Mask showed no expression. Only the eyes exposed beneath it were calm as a deep pool, without a ripple.

He flexed the knuckles of his right hand slightly. Where he had gripped the other man just now, that soft, coiling force had left his fingers somewhat sore and numb.

"Through-Arm Fist was supple and enduring, skilled at deflecting force and launching sneak attacks."

Yang Ning understood inwardly:

"But because of the constraints of its realm, its martial arts could not remain hard for long, nor could its softness hold firm.

"Against it, my Tiger Soul Fist should make use of my fierce blood and qi and powerful explosive strength—using clumsiness to break cleverness, using force to crush others!"

Copper Twenty-One finally steadied his breathing and slowly straightened.

He stared at Yang Ning, his gaze turning dark and ruthless. There was no longer the slightest trace of contempt.

"Kid... I admit I underestimated you."

His voice was hoarse:

"But next, I'll show you that a Bronze-Rank Fighter of the Martial Arena isn't so easy to become!"

His feet spread slightly, his arms hanging naturally at his sides, and the aura around him abruptly changed.

Before, he had been nimble and crafty. Now, he was like an old tree rooted deep in the earth, steady and grave.

His breathing became long and deep, the rise and fall of his chest gradually slowing, yet the muscles beneath his blue training clothes began to swell slightly.

A secret technique of Through-Arm Fist—Rooting Stance.

Steady the lower body, gather blood and qi, store hidden force.

The next strike would surely shatter stone and split the heavens!

Yang Ning's eyes narrowed slightly as he felt the pressure.

He too slowly sank his waist and settled his hips, his feet clawing the ground like tiger talons, his spine slightly arched like a fierce tiger gathering its strength.

Blood and qi surged through his entire body, and the faint sound of a low tiger's roar echoed within him.

The air above the ring seemed to freeze solid.

The clamor in the stands gradually subsided. Everyone held their breath, knowing the moment of victory and defeat had arrived.

"Kill!"

Copper Twenty-One suddenly roared, his long-gathered body forcefully lunging forward!

This time, he no longer moved with light, gliding steps. Instead, each stomp landed like a rammer, leaving shallow pits in the hardened ground of the ring!

His arms were like two steel whips, one left and one right, swinging in full arcs toward Yang Ning's head! The wind screamed mournfully, the force immense and heavy!

This was the fierce side of Through-Arm Fist:

Extreme softness gave rise to hardness; whips shattered stone and split steles!

He wants to meet hardness with hardness!

Yang Ning moved at the same instant.

His right foot stomped heavily forward to borrow force, and the ring suddenly shook! His waist and hips twisted like a millstone, his great dragon spine cracking joint by joint as all his power flowed through and condensed in an instant.

He neither dodged nor retreated, both fists shooting out together!

His left fist rose in defense, meeting the lash of the other man's right arm head-on!

His right fist drove straight through the center, plunging straight for the yellow dragon as it blasted toward the other man's chest!

"Bang! Crack!"

First came a muffled impact, followed by the clear sound of bones breaking!

Yang Ning's left fist collided with the other man's right arm. His body swayed slightly, and his arm went sore and numb, but he had ultimately blocked that immensely powerful blow.

And his right fist had already stamped solidly onto Copper Twenty-One's chest!

Copper Twenty-One's forward charge came to an abrupt stop.

The eyes beneath the green mask bulged violently, filled with incredulous despair.

He heard the sharp crack of his own sternum shattering. He felt that destructive force bore through his body, as though his organs had instantly shifted and ruptured!

"Ha... ha..."

His throat made the sound of a broken bellows, blood continuously pouring from the edges of his mask.

His raised left arm dropped weakly. His entire body swayed, then toppled backward like a golden mountain collapsing and a jade pillar falling.

"Bang!"

His body crashed heavily onto the ring, sending up a faint puff of dust.

He struggled to lift his head, but it was futile.

His vision rapidly blurred. The last thing he saw was that lustrous white jade mask, gleaming with a cold sheen beneath the oil lamps, and the calm, unruffled eyes behind it.

"Through-Arm Fist has its times of hardness and softness.

"Neither hard nor soft—nothing but a laughingstock."

Those were the last words that reached his ears. Then darkness completely swallowed him.

The referee hurried forward, checked his breathing, felt his neck pulse, then rose and shouted:

"Copper Twenty-One has fainted and cannot rise!

"The victor is: Wood Seventy-Nine!"

After a brief silence, the stands exploded with cheers and curses like mountain cries and tsunami waves.

The wild joy of those who had won money and the furious roars of those who had lost were woven together.

Yang Ning slowly withdrew his fists and straightened. His chest rose and fell slightly, fine beads of sweat seeping from his temples.

A stabbing pain came from the knuckles of his right fist, the injury left by meeting the other man's whip-arm head-on.

The blood and qi within him still surged, yet he felt a thoroughly satisfying exhilaration.

He lowered his head to look at his unconscious opponent on the ground, then raised his gaze toward the stands.

Those frenzied faces, those waving arms, seemed ready to swallow him whole and turn him just as feverish and mad.

Yet it felt as though an invisible barrier stood between them.

The coolness coming from the White Jade Mask remained, lightly stimulating Yang Ning's nerves and bringing clarity back to him.

At some point, Steward Liu had appeared beside the ring. Looking up at him, his beard curled upward, and his eyes glinted with surprise and calculation.

"Your ten taels of silver as base payment, along with the others' tips after settlement, can be collected at the settlement counter later."

He spoke loudly, then lowered his voice so that only Yang Ning could hear:

"You fought beautifully. Congratulations, new Copper Twenty-One."

Yang Ning did not respond. He merely nodded lightly, turned, and walked down from the ring.

The passageway was dim, and the clamor gradually faded behind him.

He removed the mask and held it in his hand.

The warm, smooth jade had absorbed his body heat and was no longer cold.

First battle—victory.