Three Punches and He's Flying

Chen Jing walked forward slowly, his gaze sweeping over Guan Shan. Every time his eyes landed, it was as if he were weighing the man from the inside out.

Chen Jing had seen the exchange between Guan Shan and Xiang Lingfei with perfect clarity.

Guan Shan's blood energy was indeed more vigorous than Zhao Zonglin's, but in terms of combat experience, he was far inferior to the man who had rolled through the edges of life and death for years.

His blood energy was abundant, yet restless.

His strength was formidable, yet lacked the tempering of real combat.

Chen Jing was already confident in his victory.

Within five moves, he would certainly be able to send Guan Shan flying.

Just as Chen Jing approached, a sarcastic, mocking sneer drifted over.

"What? The one who lost is gone, so another one comes up?"

Tang Jun squinted at Chen Jing, his lips curled in disdain.

Facing Tang Jun's blunt mockery, Chen Jing's expression remained unchanged as he cupped his hands. "I am Chen Jing, the actual martial artist stationed at Zhuangyu Restaurant."

"What happened just now was merely Junior Brother Xiang feeling an itch to spar, nothing more than a casual exchange with Brother Guan."

Hearing Chen Jing mention an "itch to spar," Xiang Lingfei's face instantly flushed red.

What was Chen Jing implying? Was he saying that he was inferior to others?

If Zhuang Tao hadn't been standing right there, Xiang Lingfei likely would have already lashed out at Chen Jing.

But since he was the one who had lost, jumping to his own defense would only be more humiliating. He could only hold it in, his face turning as red as a ripe sweet potato skin.

After hearing Chen Jing's explanation, Tang Jun let out a scoff. He looked Chen Jing up and down, his mockery deepening. "You're the martial artist of this Zhuangyu Restaurant?"

"Don't tell me that after I beat you, someone else will jump out and claim they are the real martial artist of Zhuangyu Restaurant? We'd be fighting until the end of time!"

Tang Jun's words clearly showed he didn't take Chen Jing seriously at all.

Seeing Tang Jun insult Chen Jing so blatantly, Zhuang Tao could no longer hold back. He stepped forward and interrupted coldly, "That won't happen."

"This round will decide the outcome!"

The four short words caused the street to fall into sudden silence.

Hearing this, Tang Jun's laughter grew even louder. He waved a hand at Guan Shan and said, "Go, beat him down too."

Guan Shan walked up with an impatient look, his eyes scanning Chen Jing repeatedly.

In his view, whether it was Xiang Lingfei or Chen Jing, they were both just losers waiting to happen.

After all, his own blood energy had reached the peak of a First Blood Martial Artist, and he would be able to break through to Second Blood before long.

Beating a First Blood Martial Artist like Chen Jing would be as easy as pie!

"You'd better actually have some skill."

Guan Shan said coldly, "This time, I won't hold back!"

"If you're scared, kneel and admit defeat now."

As Guan Shan's voice fell, the onlookers turned their eyes toward Chen Jing with intense anticipation.

After all, Guan Shan had declared that he would use his full strength in this match.

Could Chen Jing, this unknown First Blood Martial Artist, really withstand Guan Shan's onslaught?

Chen Jing simply took a deep breath, his fingertips tightening as he gathered his strength. He slowly raised his arms, dropped his shoulders and elbows, and shifted his center of gravity. His opening stance was steady and precise, his blood energy quietly coalescing as he prepared to face the challenge with everything he had.

Seeing this, Guan Shan also assumed the signature boxing stance of the Mountain-Opening Hall.

As the two settled into their forms, the crowd erupted, their breathing growing rapid.

Everyone's eyes were locked firmly on Chen Jing and Guan Shan.

Liu Chuzhou, who had been on the second floor the entire time, now turned his gaze toward Chen Jing and Guan Shan as well.

Liu Chuzhou had no intention of intervening in Tang Jun's provocation of Zhuang Tao.

In his eyes, both Tang Jun and Zhuang Tao were nothing more than small-time characters.

He had only come today to give some face to a talent like Xiang Lingfei.

However, based on Xiang Lingfei's performance today, Liu Chuzhou had already lowered his estimation of him by a notch.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Guan Shan's heavy, mountain-crushing fist technique slammed directly toward Chen Jing.

In the midst of their standoff, Guan Shan was the first to move.

He stomped the ground with a boom, his body surging forward like a collapsing mountain, his fist momentum wild and peerless.

No probing, no hesitation.

He unleashed his full power from the very first strike!

The air itself was blasted, emitting a sharp, explosive roar.

"Here it comes!"

Watching this scene, the crowd erupted in exclamations.

Chen Jing frowned, his arms surging with sudden force as he unleashed the River-Breaking Fist to meet the attack.

Bang!!

Fist met fist, and both men were sent reeling back by the shockwave.

Chen Jing was forced back three steps, each stride causing the floor tiles to tremble under his weight.

Guan Shan, however, only retreated a single step before stabilizing his stance completely.

Watching this, Xiang Lingfei shook his head to the side and whispered, "To think he'd seek to embarrass himself with only this much strength. I think..."

Before he could finish, Zhuang Tao glared at him fiercely:

"The first exchange has only just begun, what's the rush! Shut your mouth and watch!"

Xiang Lingfei was choked into silence, forced to swallow his words.

At this moment, Guan Shan's second punch followed in quick succession, the momentum crushing down like a surging mountain torrent. The gale force winds carried a massive surge of energy, giving Chen Jing no room to breathe!

Chen Jing's mind was as steady as iron; while continuing to parry Guan Shan's onslaught, he kept his eyes locked firmly on the trajectory of his opponent's fists.

Though Guan Shan's strikes were as fierce as thunder, the continuous barrage had already depleted a vast amount of his blood energy. His fist speed began to slow, and the openings in his defense were quietly widening.

The next second, Chen Jing suddenly raised his fist, veins bulging on his arms, and unleashed a River-Breaking Fist that tore through the air with a sharp, piercing whistle.

Chen Jing's strike was fast to the extreme, leaving behind afterimages too quick to track. The crowd only felt a blur before the force of the punch arrived!

"So fast!"

"He was just being suppressed and unable to lift his head, how did he suddenly erupt with such power?!"

The onlookers gasped one after another, drawing in cold breaths, their faces filled with disbelief.

Up on the second floor, Liu Chuzhou's expression shifted slightly, a trace of surprise finally flickering across his previously indifferent eyes.

Facing Chen Jing's earth-shattering, lightning-fast assault, Guan Shan's pupils contracted to pinpricks as a frantic alarm bells rang in his heart.

He had no time to block!

But how could he be willing to be defeated by a single punch? Gritting his teeth, he twisted his body and swung his fist, exhausting his remaining blood energy to meet the blow, attempting to force his opponent back through sheer brute strength!

"Bang!"

The dull thud of colliding fists was deafening.

Guan Shan felt his hand go numb instantly, his entire arm feeling as if it had been struck by a red-hot hammer. A sharp, searing pain spread through his meridians, his body swaying uncontrollably as he nearly stumbled to the ground.

"What?!"

For the first time, Guan Shan's eyes exploded with incredulous shock, his face a mask of horror.

Chen Jing's strength was several times greater than he had estimated!

Chen Jing would not give Guan Shan a moment to catch his breath.

He stepped forward, his blood energy surging, his fist momentum suddenly spiking. The power of the River-Breaking Fist, like a river reversing its course, carried a wind-tearing whistle as it slammed into Guan Shan's chest!

"Boom!!"

Amidst the dull impact, Guan Shan's chest tightened as if crushed by a boulder. He was sent sliding back three steps, his face instantly flushing a deep purple. A wave of metallic sweetness surged in his throat, and he barely managed to swallow back a mouthful of blood!

"Guan Shan... is actually being suppressed?!"

Seeing the sudden shift in the battle, the crowd erupted in an instant. Exclamations rose one after another, and many rubbed their eyes in sheer disbelief.

Guan Shan, who had held the upper hand just a moment ago, was now being beaten without any room to retaliate.

Compared to the battle Xiang Lingfei had fought earlier, this scene was worlds apart!

At this moment, the power of the third punch erupted like the final clap of thunder before a storm.

Chen Jing's fist speed reached its zenith, leaving only a fleeting afterimage in the air as he shouted for all to hear: "River, Breaking, Fist!"

"Bang!!!"

The punch landed solidly on Guan Shan's abdomen. With a roar of immense force, Guan Shan's body was sent flying. He tumbled wretchedly through the air twice before crashing into the ground, rolling several yards further before finally coming to a stop, kicking up a cloud of dust!

"Pfft!!"

Once he landed, Guan Shan could no longer suppress the roiling blood in his body. He spat out a large mouthful of blood, instantly staining the ground in front of him red.

He collapsed to his knees, his entire body trembling violently. He lacked even the strength to lift his arms, let alone rise to fight again.

Watching Guan Shan collapse, vomiting blood in such a miserable state, the entire venue fell into a deathly silence; even the sound of breathing seemed to have vanished.

The next moment, a thunderous uproar exploded: "Guan Shan... was actually knocked away in three punches?!"

"How is this possible! What is Chen Jing's background? How can an ordinary First Blood Martial Artist be this strong?!"

In the second-floor private room, Liu Chuzhou's gaze sharpened. His previously half-closed eyelids finally lifted, and he stared fixedly at Chen Jing in the arena, a thoughtful smile curling his lips.

In his eyes, compared to the reckless Xiang Lingfei, this Chen Jing—who hid his edge and struck with such ruthless precision—was clearly more worthy of the Liu Family's investment.

"This person... is definitely no ordinary First Blood Martial Artist."

Liu Chuzhou whispered to himself, a hint of intrigue flashing in his eyes.

Meanwhile, downstairs, the smile on Tang Jun's face froze completely, as if he had been slapped hard across the cheek, leaving a burning, stinging pain.

Only moments ago, he had been mocking Chen Jing for overestimating his own abilities; now, he felt as though those very words had turned into slaps, striking his own face with force.

Chen Jing slowly raised his hand to retract his fist, his expression unchanged, his breathing not even ruffled: "I concede the win to you."

These two words were spoken lightly, yet they felt like an ice-tempered blade, stabbing viciously into Tang Jun's ears, grating and extreme.

Tang Jun's face instantly flushed to the color of a pig's liver. For the first time, his eyes were a tangle of fury and wariness as he pointed at Chen Jing and roared in exasperation: "You... you are clearly at the First Blood peak, yet you deliberately hid your clumsiness earlier—you actually dared to conceal your strength!"

Hearing this, Zhuang Tao's spirits were instantly bolstered. He hurriedly stepped forward and shouted loudly at Tang Jun: "In a martial arts spar, we compare the skill of our fists, not the bravado of our mouths."

Zhuang Tao's intimidating aura forced Tang Jun to instinctively take half a step back, leaving him momentarily speechless.

Beside them, Xiang Lingfei was completely unable to utter a word, his face shifting between pale and ashen; his previous arrogance and domineering air had vanished into thin air.

He had just told Chen Jing not to go up there and make a fool of himself.

Yet looking at it now, he was the one who had been the clown.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

At this moment, crisp applause suddenly rang out, cutting off the words Tang Jun was about to spit out.

The next instant, the noisy crowd seemed to be parted by an invisible force, automatically clearing a path. Liu Chuzhou was seen walking down from the second floor with his hands behind his back, a meaningful smile on his face. His gaze was locked tightly onto Chen Jing from start to finish, his footsteps steady, carrying an aura that could not be ignored.

"Brother Liu!"

Seeing this, Xiang Lingfei's heart tightened. He hurriedly stepped forward, wanting to speak up and attempt to salvage some face.

But Liu Chuzhou acted as if he hadn't heard his voice at all, walking straight past him, step by step, toward Chen Jing.