An Invincible Body

Lu Yun strode toward a table, and the martial artists around him respectfully parted to make way.

Though everyone believed Lu Yun was no match for Yang Shengrong, he was more than capable of dealing with a pack of Qi-Nourishing martial artists like them.

Not a single martial artist present dared to provoke him to his face.

"I'm betting one hundred origin stones on myself."

Lu Yun tossed a cloth pouch to Know-it-all, his expression as still as water.

"Sure thing."

Know-it-all said nothing more and recorded it directly in the ledger.

He had not expected Lu Yun to be so confident. He was not surprised that Yang Shengrong had bet on himself to win, but what gave Lu Yun the right? This baffling move left him unable to make heads or tails of it.

After all, one hundred origin stones was no small sum.

Could it be that Lu Yun did not understand just how terrifying the martial artists on the Hidden Dragon Ranking were?

The many martial artists present all wore strange expressions.

"Isn't this plainly handing money to the house?"

The vast majority had bet on Yang Shengrong to win, with only a small group of gamblers betting on Lu Yun.

The odds alone showed that Yang Shengrong's chances of victory were far greater.

Barring any surprises, the winner might be decided within just a few moves.

Quite a few of them had personally witnessed Yang Shengrong fight. Even opponents at the peak of Internal Vigor were dealt with in just a few moves.

Only such terrifying dominance could make one stand out among countless martial artists and ascend the Hidden Dragon Ranking.

Ye Quan stood quietly to one side, looking not the least bit flustered.

He had secretly bet one hundred origin stones on Yang Shengrong. To scrape together that hundred, he had even borrowed quite a bit of debt.

And he would have to pay back considerable interest.

But as long as he won this round, he would finally be able to get ashore. The thought filled him with delight.

"Boss, it's not that I don't support you. It's just that the origin stones are too tempting..."

On the arena platform.

Yang Shengrong sneered at the sight.

"I wonder whether your strength is worthy of that courage?"

"Don't lose even the pants off your backside."

Lu Yun gave a cold smile and ignored the provocation. He sprang into the air, soaring skyward before landing on the right side of the platform, where he faced Yang Shengrong.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the arena grew extremely tense.

Everyone below stared fixedly at the platform, afraid of missing even the slightest detail.

Battles between geniuses of this caliber were quite rare.

Then Yang Shengrong suddenly raised the index finger of his left hand, his gaze icy and aloof. "One slash!"

"As long as you can withstand one move from me, I'll acknowledge that you possess strength around the hundredth rank below the Hidden Dragon Ranking."

His tone was lofty, as though he were instructing a junior.

Lu Yun calmly raised three fingers on his right hand. "Three spear strikes!"

"If I can't knock you unconscious in three spear strikes, then I'll acknowledge your status as a genius."

Yang Shengrong's lofty attitude completely ignited the anger in Lu Yun's heart.

He had originally intended to leave the other man some dignity, since there was no deep enmity between them.

Yet Yang Shengrong kept pressing his face into his, pushing it too far. Even a clay figurine had three parts anger, much less a martial artist brimming with qi and blood.

"Good, good... arrogant enough. In all these years, no one has ever dared to look down on me like this..."

Yang Shengrong laughed in extreme anger.

If he did not give this man a small lesson today, others would think he could no longer lift his blade.

Lu Yun's shocking declaration left the many martial artists below the platform utterly astonished.

"Crippling a genius from the Hidden Dragon Ranking in three moves? What kind of joke is that?"

"He's blowing his own horn so hard it's about to burst through the sky. He's probably feeling guilty and trying to gain a little advantage with his mouth, but in the end, strength is what speaks."

"Deliberately provoking Yang Shengrong isn't very wise."

Quite a few people secretly shook their heads, as though they could already see Lu Yun vomiting blood.

"Brother Lu, you should settle down a little."

Ye Quan looked utterly helpless.

He had not expected Lu Yun to be so unyielding, leaving himself no room to retreat.

Things would probably be hard to wrap up now. He had already begun imagining how he would carry Lu Yun back to the barracks.

As the people below the stage discussed among themselves, the battle between the two sides erupted in an instant.

"Die."

Yang Shengrong raised the longblade in his hand and slashed down fiercely.

Whoosh...

A dazzling glint of cold light flashed through the air, as though it could split apart everything in its path. The attack was incomparably fierce.

With the power of more than 2,700 jin behind it, coupled with a proficient mid-grade martial skill, this slash was terrifying beyond measure. It was also the peak strike born from the fusion of his essence, energy, and spirit.

He was convinced that his opponent could never block this slash.

"What a terrifying blade light. Even an ordinary Internal Strength Perfection martial artist probably couldn't withstand it."

"Is this the genius of the Hidden Dragon Ranking?"

Everyone present looked at Yang Shengrong with awe written across their faces.

"Lu Yun is done for. He can't block it. What a pity..."

Some had even begun observing a moment of silence for Lu Yun.

They imagined the scene of themselves winning their Origin Stones.

Faced with such an attack, Lu Yun's expression remained calm throughout, as if he had been "scared stupid."

It perfectly matched everyone's judgment.

Just as the blade light closed in, Lu Yun moved.

He swiftly extended his left hand, like a blue dragon reaching out with its claw, and fiercely caught the longblade in his palm.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...

The pure white blade light frantically sliced at Lu Yun's palm, letting out a piercing shriek.

In an instant, the trembling blade went completely still, firmly restrained in Lu Yun's hand.

Lu Yun did not even furrow his brow, as though he had merely done something utterly insignificant.

From Yang Shengrong's enraged attack to Lu Yun catching the blade barehanded, only an instant had passed.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible..."

Yang Shengrong's face was full of horror, as though towering waves had surged up within his heart.

He knew far too well just how formidable that slash had been. Catching it barehanded without the slightest injury—what kind of joke was that?

"At the very least, it's a mid-grade body-tempering martial art, and it's been cultivated to perfection."

At that moment, no matter how slow-witted he was, he understood.

There was simply no other explanation.

But how old was the other party? Just twenty-one, and reaching Internal Strength Perfection was already one in ten thousand.

And then adding a body-tempering art perfected to the limit—what kind of concept was that?

Had he begun practicing martial arts while still in his mother's womb?

"What... is this..."

The tens of thousands of martial artists below the stage all wore expressions as if they had been frightened stupid.

They rubbed their eyes hard, as though the scene before them were nothing but an illusion.

Never in their wildest dreams had they expected such a dramatic turn of events.

The scene they had expected, of Lu Yun being crippled, did not appear. Instead, he had effortlessly blocked that fatal slash with his physical body.

The course of events had completely exceeded everyone's expectations.

"Brother Lu is awesome!"

Ye Quan shouted, his face brimming with excitement.

But halfway through his shout, it was as though someone had seized him by the throat. His expression turned incomparably pained.

"Don't tell me I'm going to lose? That's my entire fortune..."

A faint sense of foreboding rose in his heart, making him feel as though he had fallen into an ice cellar.

On the one hand, he hoped Lu Yun would win, so that he could latch onto an unbelievably thick golden thigh.

On the other hand, losing a hundred Origin Stones was a bloody loss he could hardly bear, leaving him deeply conflicted.

A hundred Origin Stones, with interest piling on interest... wouldn't that mean he was finished?

Just as Yang Shengrong was about to widen the distance between them, the battle on the stage changed once more.

"My turn."

Lu Yun grinned.

He swung the long spear in his hand and smashed it viciously down toward the other man's head.

Whoosh...

The violent sound of air tearing shook the surroundings. Like Mount Tai pressing down from above, its force was incomparably tyrannical.

"Not good."

Yang Shengrong's expression changed drastically in an instant, all his previous composure gone.

He wanted to retreat, but the longblade in his hand was tightly gripped by Lu Yun. By the time he tried to pull back, it was already too late.