BOOM—!!!
With a muffled crash, earth and stones flew everywhere!
Ye Li shot out like a cannonball, leaping a hundred feet before crashing down in front of Wang Xian!
At that moment, Lu Yue had Wang Xian by the collar, his fist raised high.
As for Zhao Yan, standing nearby, he glared at Gao Xu and Chang Qing. A clash was on the verge of breaking out!
But Ye Li's arrival interrupted everything.
The instant Lu Yue saw Ye Li, his pupils shrank!
That leap was far faster and more forceful than he'd expected! A sense of foreboding shot straight to his head.
"Ye Li?" Tang Jian stared in astonishment at Ye Li, who had entered the arena from outside. A shiver rose from the depths of his heart!
Countless other members present were just as shocked.
After all, because of the Moon Sect incident not long ago, everyone knew Ye Li had only joined the gang recently!
Yet just a few days later, the strength he displayed was already on par with many members about to graduate!
When Ye Li approached, Wang Xian hurriedly called out, "Brother Ye, be careful! This guy has been training in the gang for five months. In a few days, he'll become a full-fledged member!"
"You're Lu Yue?" Ye Li's voice was cold!
An inexplicable pressure enveloped Lu Yue. A bead of cold sweat slowly trickled down his forehead.
It felt just like standing before Feng Yue.
What a joke. This guy only joined the gang two months ago!
Lu Yue laughed at himself for being so intimidated by the other man's presence that he'd imagined such a thing!
Seeing that the other man remained silent, Ye Li furrowed his brow and repeated, "You're Lu Yue?"
Looking at the young man before him, Lu Yue let go of Wang Xian's collar. He drew a light breath to ease the agitation rising within him for some unknown reason, then said,
"That's right. I'm—"
THUD—!
Before he could finish, a heavy punch drove deep into Lu Yue's abdomen!
"Gah—!"
Agony consumed him in an instant. Lu Yue's eyes bulged as he spewed a mouthful of blood, splattering the dirt at his feet!
Ye Li pulled his fist back and watched Lu Yue clutch his stomach and drop to his knees. "Good. Then I've got the right guy!"
"I don't like your name..."
Before he could finish speaking, his right leg was already swinging up like a steel whip!
Terrifying force poured out, sending Lu Yue spinning through the air like a top!
The locust wood shook violently as Lu Yue slammed into a pillar, spraying another mouthful of blood.
Only then did Ye Li finish what he'd been saying: "...If you're still alive, remember to change your name!"
Silence—
Everyone present stared at Lu Yue's wretched state as if someone had grabbed them by the throat.
This guy had been in the gang for five months, yet here he was, being beaten like a dead dog by Ye Li, who'd been here for less than two!
No!
That wasn't right!
Even a motionless dead dog wouldn't be beaten this effortlessly!
A moment later, an unbelievable guess slowly surfaced in their minds.
Tang Jian gritted his teeth in jealousy. "Could Ye Li have already reached..."
The Body Tempering Realm???
The terrifying reality was too much for everyone present to accept.
But looking at the stern-faced man in the arena, they could only force themselves to admit it!
"And what about you two?" Ye Li turned to the men beside Zhao Yan. "Are you coming over to get beaten, or do I have to come to you?"
Gao Xu and Chang Qing shuddered, their faces turning deathly pale.
Chang Qing stammered, "Brother Ye... this... this is just a misunderstanding."
"It's fine. Being afraid is normal!"
Ye Li grinned and strode toward them, his sturdy frame carrying the oppressive presence of a lumbering beast.
"I practice martial arts to make my enemies afraid!"
"You can't run!!! Turn your back and you're dead!!!"
The two exchanged glances. They both saw the same resolve in each other's eyes!
Without a word, they split to either side, lunging at Ye Li like ravenous wolves!
"Instead of running away, you're coming straight at me?"
A mocking smile appeared on Ye Li's face. He spread his arms and precisely caught the wrists of the two fists aimed at his temples!
SMACK!
Four hands met, and neither side budged!
"Perfect!"
A vicious glint flashed in Gao Xu and Chang Qing's eyes!
Having their wrists grabbed? Just what they wanted! The two clamped down hard on Ye Li's arms!
Wang Xian and the others watching nearby couldn't help but cry out in alarm!
Ye Li's arms were pinned, leaving him wide open!
"Die!"
With a roar, both men lifted their feet off the ground, twisted at the waist, and poured their full strength into vicious kicks aimed at Ye Li's ribs and kidneys!
THUMP! THUMP!
Dull, heavy impacts erupted against Ye Li's body, like blows landing on hardened leather!
Ye Li stood as firm as an ancient pine, taking the hits without budging!
The moment the surging force touched his Qi-Blood Network, eighty percent of its power rippled away like water, dissipating!
The remaining twenty percent crashed into his tough muscles, like wooden mallets striking an anvil!
Ye Li felt as if two children had lightly tapped either side of his waist.
Gao Xu and Chang Qing, on the other hand, felt as if their foot bones were about to shatter! The force rebounding through them brought searing pain!
Only after their kicks landed did they suddenly remember Feng Yue's occasional lessons at the Martial Arts Arena!
The gap between reaching the realm and not reaching it was like a chasm!
When a martial artist reached the Body Tempering Realm, their skin fused with their qi and blood, forming a Qi-Blood Network that blocked all outside attacks.
The entire Qi-Blood Network was one seamless whole.
Of every ten parts of force that struck it, eight would be dispersed.
Attacking with nothing but brute strength, they could beat themselves exhausted and still only leave a few bruises on a Body Tempering martial artist's skin.
It was nothing like the earlier fight between Ye Li and Li Xi, where a single blow could leave someone crippled!
Even two early-stage Body Tempering martial artists fighting barehanded would need to expend considerable effort to kill each other!
"There's still a chance!"
Thoughts raced through Gao Xu's mind like lightning as he recalled Feng Yue's further instruction:
At the Martial Arts Arena half a month ago, Feng Yue had been explaining the methods of fighting to everyone while sipping wine. "When you're fighting for the gang and come up against an enemy Body Tempering martial artist, don't be afraid!"
"Body Tempering isn't invincible. There are still weaknesses!"
"There are at least four ways to kill a Body Tempering martial artist quickly!"
Feng Yue tipped his head back for a drink of warm wine, getting more and more carried away as he spoke. "After all, the only truly hard part of a Body Tempering martial artist is that outer layer of skin. That's why they used to call it the Skin Tempering Realm!"
"The first method is overwhelming force. Hit them with several times their own strength and smash them to pieces!"
"The second is to break through a broad surface with a single point!"
"Attack with concentrated finger force, a hand blade, or a sharp weapon. Keep the impact area small enough that the force can't be fully dispersed, and you can tear through the skin."
"As for the third method, it's to target those places the Qi-Blood Network can't defend..."
"The vital points! Strike his vital points!" Feng Yue's words flashed through Gao Xu's mind like a streak of lightning!
In an instant, inspiration struck.
The two men twisted in midair and aimed their attacks at Ye Li's vital points.
But Ye Li was faster than both of them!
At that moment, Ye Li's move had actually crossed through time and space!
To satisfy readers eager for updates, he'd even crossed narrative layers to beat up the author who'd left the chapter on a cliffhanger.
He'd forced out a third update ahead of schedule!!!
Quick, thank Ye Li!!!
Ye Li: Ciallo~(∠?ω)⌒☆