The Strongest of Modern Times vs. The Strongest in History

The car door opened slowly.

Leng Hanyuan and his companions stepped out of the black sedan.

The many reporters, who had already seen his photos, saw their eyes light up the moment they laid eyes on the handsome young man stepping out.

Even though they were kept at a distance by the Federation officials who had been prepared for this, it did not dampen their enthusiasm for an interview in the slightest.

In their eyes, Leng Hanyuan had already become a massive hotspot for their bonuses!

"Your Excellency Mystic Phoenix, are you confident about this upcoming sparring match with the Sky-Propping Douluo?"

"Your Excellency Mystic Phoenix, there are rumors that Shrek Academy originally wanted this match to be held in private, but the Phoenix Family insisted on a public broadcast across the continent."

"May I ask if this is truly out of a desire for the continent's young soul masters to witness the grace of the continent's top combat power and ignite their fighting spirit, or is the Phoenix Family attempting to strike a blow to Shrek Academy's reputation through this method?"

"..."

The voices of these reporters were a cacophony of chatter, question after question, enough to make anyone's head spin.

Wu Jie frowned.

Just as he was about to order someone to lead these reporters aside, Leng Hanyuan spoke up.

"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment."

His voice carried a certain magical quality.

The reporters, who had been as frenzied as hounds catching the scent of blood, found themselves involuntarily quieting down the moment they heard his voice.

They had many questions they wanted to ask.

Yet, an invisible force of spiritual power forced them to suppress those thoughts deep within their hearts.

"I know you all have many questions you wish to ask, but time is limited, so I will select a few to answer."

"First of all, this is merely an ordinary sparring match. The Phoenix Family has no other intentions; we simply wish to ignite the fighting spirit of the younger generation in the soul master world today."

"Prior to this, I have had no interaction with the Sky-Propping Douluo, nor do I know exactly how strong he is."

"However..."

He paused, then a confident smile curled the corners of his lips.

"I don't think it will be a problem."

This sentence was like a giant boulder thrown into a calm lake, causing the entire group of reporters to erupt.

Leng Hanyuan seemed to be speaking very politely.

But this statement undoubtedly made his stance clear.

He believed his own strength was superior to that of the Sky-Propping Douluo, who was hailed as the number one person on the continent.

The reporters' eyes gleamed with excitement.

They could already smell the headlines.

They had already thought of the titles.

Mystic Phoenix Douluo declares before the battle that the mere Sky-Propping Douluo is nothing to fear.

Shocking: Mystic Phoenix Douluo claims certain victory over the Sky-Propping Douluo—is this arrogance or absolute confidence!

Not far away.

The members of Shrek Academy, who had arrived a step earlier, also noticed the commotion.

Listening to Leng Hanyuan's response to the reporters, Zhuo Shi was the first to express his dissatisfaction.

"Isn't this Mystic Phoenix Douluo being a bit too arrogant?"

"The fight hasn't even started, yet he thinks he can beat the Pavilion Master. It's simply conceited!"

"Exactly!" Feng Wuyu, who usually never saw eye-to-eye with Zhuo Shi, rarely failed to contradict him this time, nodding in agreement with his assessment.

"The people of the Phoenix Family haven't changed after all these years!"

"Still that same annoying, arrogant demeanor!"

As they spoke, the two old fellows prepared to step forward and have a proper argument.

However, they were stopped by Yun Ming.

"That's enough."

Yun Ming's expression was calm and emotionless; his thoughts at this moment were unreadable.

"Who is stronger and who is weaker—we shall know soon enough."

He raised his eyes to look ahead.

Leng Hanyuan's figure was reflected in his gaze.

He could sense a faint threat emanating from Leng Hanyuan.

Ever since stepping into the quasi-god realm, it had been many years since Yun Ming had felt this way.

He clenched his fist, a trace of excitement flashing in the depths of his eyes.

Ya Li, standing to the side, took in every one of Yun Ming's subtle movements.

As the person who understood this Sky-Propping Douluo better than anyone else in the world, Ya Li knew very well that Yun Ming's fighting spirit had been ignited.

He had never been a particularly peaceful person by nature.

The title of Sky-Propping Douluo had been carved out, spear strike by spear strike, with that very Sky-Propping Spear.

It was only after stepping into the realm of a quasi-god that Yun Ming had achieved such success and status.

Hardly any trouble dared to come knocking on his door anymore.

That was why he appeared to be without desire or ambition, as if he never contended for anything.

But the appearance of Leng Hanyuan had changed all of that.

He had allowed this Sky-Propping Douluo to rediscover the fighting spirit of his youth!

Ignoring the reporters' further questions, Leng Hanyuan did not care about their reactions after finishing those two sentences; he led Leng Yaozhu and the other woman directly toward the group from Shrek Academy.

He had noticed Yun Ming's gaze.

The people from Shrek Academy also noticed Leng Hanyuan approaching.

Zhuo Shi and Feng Wuyu were still fuming over Leng Hanyuan's earlier remarks.

They glared at him with dissatisfaction, their eyes filled with hostility.

However, Leng Hanyuan's gaze did not linger on them for even a second.

Their strength was not worth his attention.

No elephant would ever care about the hostility of two ants.

Leng Hanyuan raised his eyes to look at Yun Ming, the brilliant and talented Sky-Propping Douluo from the original story who had ultimately fallen while single-handedly tanking two Grade-12 soul cannon shells.

Because no one could compare to him before his death, and because other quasi-gods always compared themselves to him after he was gone, he was also known as the Lu Bu Douluo.

After Lu Bu died, everyone claimed to have the courage of Lu Bu.

It was indeed quite fitting.

At the very least, he was firmly above that old fellow, Qiangu Dieting.

As top-tier powerhouses who were both exploring the path to the divine realm, Leng Hanyuan could sense the strides Yun Ming had taken along that road.

Although they didn't measure up to his own, he had truly taken a significant step forward.

That was already quite impressive.

At the very least, aside from himself and those who had received divine inheritances, Leng Hanyuan had not found anyone with a deeper understanding of the divine realm than Yun Ming.

The title of the continent's number one was truly well-deserved.

Yun Ming also ignored the hostile Zhuo Shi and Feng Wuyu.

He stepped forward.

He took the initiative to extend his right hand toward Leng Hanyuan:

"Your Excellency Mystic Phoenix, I have long admired you."

"Likewise." Leng Hanyuan also extended his hand, shaking Yun Ming's lightly.

Both men wore faint smiles on their faces.

Yet, behind those gentle expressions lay a confrontation filled with the scent of gunpowder.

Behind them, it was as if the Mystic Phoenix and the Sky-Propping Spear stood in opposition, each attempting to suppress the other.

The reporters nearby clicked their soul-guided recording devices incessantly.

Flashes went off one after another, capturing every frame of this historic moment.

"Let's skip the pleasantries, shall we, Your Excellency Mystic Phoenix?"

Yun Ming narrowed his eyes, his fighting spirit fully aroused.

His entire being felt like a straight, upright spear, his spear intent awe-inspiring.

Leng Hanyuan was not afraid in the slightest, offering a slight smile:

"That suits me perfectly."

The strongest modern quasi-god vs. the strongest quasi-god in history!