Palm Winds Raged, Fist Force Unmatched

Clang—

With a loud cry, the six martial halls of White Light Outer City each sent their prized disciples onto the arena. In an instant, swords were drawn and bows bent, the air steeped in a sharp, exhilarating chill.

"Six Schools Martial Meet, now... begin!!"

In mere moments, a frenzied clash of metal erupted across the entire circular pit, piercing eardrums.

The poor commoners who had come to watch hurriedly covered their ears, all but wishing they were dead from the unbearable pain.

General Li frowned at the sight. His body flickered, and he appeared in midair.

His five fingers hooked like claws. With a flick, yellow qi as thick as an arm surged forth in a stream, forming a nearly tangible barrier between the people and the arena.

Only then did the crowd recover their senses. Their eyes turned toward the twenty people onstage, filled with fear and unease.

Those commoners who had known little of martial arts before could not help marveling. A single move from a martial artist possessed such vast force that even the sound of their collisions could faintly endanger lives!

On the arena, both sides harbored their own intentions and showed no mercy once they began exchanging blows. They fought inextricably, and whenever their weapons struck, unbelievable sparks burst forth.

On some platforms, both sides wielded sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, fighting viciously without holding back. Hooks, sweeps, thrusts, and slashes came one after another, each terrified that the other might outlive him.

Countless sprays of blood flew through the air, and the pungent reek of blood filled the sky, adding yet more killing chill to the atmosphere.

Elsewhere, pairs fought to the death with fierce, unrestrained intensity.

One man held a heavy bow and, within several breaths, unleashed a rain of arrows, torrential and impenetrable. Every arrow flew at a vicious angle, aimed straight for vital points.

The other merely held a pair of staffs, spinning them into two masses of white light. Not even water could seep through them; they fit together so tightly that the arrow rain could not come within an inch of him.

Strangely enough, though the notices had clearly warned that "fists and palms have no eyes, life and death shall not be counted," several martial artists at the Two-Knock Blood Pass had still joined.

Of course, the most savage and deadly match was Wang Xuance against Li Mingyu.

Another match pitted a blue-clad man from Giant Whale Martial Hall, wielding a Six Harmonies great spear, against a remarkably tall and lean young man with a golden date-pit-shaped mark between his brows.

Both pairs were locked in close combat, but in the latter fight, weapons advanced and killing strikes sprang out abruptly, concealing ferocious might.

"Flying Fish Martial Hall, Li Mingyu!"

"Independent martial artist, Wang Xiu!"

Since Wang Xuance had chosen to conceal his identity, he naturally would not give his real name.

Besides, to receive General Li's reward, one needed both a high ranking and to reveal one's true face. That was not his purpose here, so he simply entered the arena under an alias.

"Whoosh!"

Li Mingyu sneered. With a tap of his foot, he skimmed forward like a dragonfly touching water and leaped before him.

"Stacked Waves Palm!"

His palm thrust out like a swordfish darting through the water, killing intent laid bare. Wang Xuance could clearly feel the icy chill of that palm force. Before it even reached his face, the gale it carried had already compressed his chest until his breathing stalled.

"Good!"

Wang Xuance gave a low shout. He planted his feet one before the other, his blood and qi surging madly. His right arm flexed, his five fingers clenched into a fist, and he charged forward with peerlessly fierce force.

Like a battering ram swinging forward, its power was immense.

Bang!

Fist force and palm force canceled each other out. A muffled boom resounded through the arena, and the two men slid sideways and staggered back dozens of steps before halting.

[True Martial Qi +80!]

[True Martial Qi +80!]

"What ferocious fist force!"

Li Mingyu remained expressionless and indifferent, but the arm beneath his sleeve trembled without cease. The contempt in his eyes vanished.

"Since you can take that palm of mine, I acknowledge your strength!"

He stomped forward. Three major acupoints shook in unison, and the powerful blood and qi unique to the Three-Knock Blood Pass coursed through both arms. Strands of icy airflow wrapped around his hands as they swept toward Wang Xuance's head with a howl.

Buzz!

His wide sleeves instantly swelled round, and he shot forward close to the ground, arriving before him in a flash.

His palms spun in a blur, their force instantly blanketing the entire platform. Like the heavens pressing down, it was irresistible.

"Sea-Severing Cloud-Turning Palm!"

Wang Xuance raised his left arm and smashed a fist into his right arm, swinging it backward to disperse the icy chill. Seeing how swift his opponent was, he hastily raised both fists into a drum-beating stance and followed through.

"Eight-Armed Vajra!"

Eight fist shadows, like a wild torrential downpour, struck at the palm shadows in every direction. Countless fierce gales erupted, battering the surrounding air until it shrieked with a teeth-aching sound.

The two fought at close quarters. Palm force and fist winds collided in an instant with countless crackling bursts.

[True Martial Qi +70!]

[True Martial Qi +70!]

[True Martial Qi +70!]

As the two activated their martial arts and clashed, dust billowed across the entire platform. Where they stood, pits over an inch deep exploded open time and again.

One was an elite disciple of Flying Fish Martial Hall, with a solid martial foundation. He had reached the Three-Knock Blood Pass and cultivated a palm art that was vicious, sinister, and impossible to predict.

The other was an unknown ordinary martial artist, only at the Two-Knock Blood Pass. Yet his fist force was fierce, his attacks direct and unyielding, and he showed no trace of fear.

Instead, the two fought so evenly that they could not be separated, wheeling and shifting across the arena. The six martial halls below were deeply shaken.

Flying Fish Martial Hall in particular fell silent. The female disciples who had previously chirped with mockery and ridicule no longer spoke.

Only a frost-haired old man sat in a rosewood chair, gnawing chicken feet with great relish, completely unconcerned with the situation onstage.

His snow-white brows drooped together, while his mouth worked with loud smacks. In just a few breaths, he had stripped an entire plate of braised boneless phoenix claws clean.

"Master, do you think Senior Brother Li... can he?"

A slender woman in white, with picturesque brows and eyes, spoke uneasily, her delicate brows drawn together.

"Enough, little Xue. Care breeds confusion. Such panic and disorder are not behavior fitting for you!"

The frost-browed old man opened his eyes slightly. His previous slovenly air vanished, replaced by a sea-like, surging indifference.

"That boy wearing green facial armor has some skill in the stance art he cultivates. His comprehension seems exceptional, and his attainments in fist arts are no weaker than that boy Li's!"

"But unfortunately, he lacks staying power. In the end, he is only at the Two-Knock Blood Pass!"

Hearing this, everyone greatly relaxed. After all, Li Mingyu's strength was plain for all in the hall to see; his reputation was fully deserved.

The people around them truly could not understand why someone at the same Two-Knock Blood Pass as themselves could battle their senior brother so fiercely for so long.

After the hall master's explanation, they could not help developing a keen interest in the fellow wearing green facial armor. When they looked toward Wang Xuance in his black robe, there was a measure of so he really is this formidable in their eyes.

"Hm?!"

At that moment, the frost-browed old man abruptly sat upright, his gaze fixed upon another life-and-death battle onstage.

Another black-robed young man had five fingers clamped around someone's head. The owner of that head wore a terrified expression, as though he had encountered something bizarre.

Scarlet blood flowed from the man's seven orifices. The young man casually tossed him off the arena, then called lazily.

"Come again!!"

His bearing was arrogant and composed. His upright body stretched straight, producing crackling pops like beans frying.

"Is this the strength of the six martial halls? It's nothing special!!"

The crowd only saw his fist force strike out, then sweep casually across.

The Three-Knock Blood Pass disciple from Giant Whale Martial Hall had not even achieved a single merit with his Six Harmonies great spear before its shaft snapped into two pieces on the spot. His old force was spent, while new force had yet to arise.

The fist edge smashed into his chest like bamboo splitting beneath a blade, bursting a miserable spray of blood. He was hammered to death on the spot. That so-called elite disciple had lasted only a few breaths in this man's hands.

A single arena battle had turned so brutal and bloody. The black-robed young man's awe-inspiring aura made the golden mark between his brows appear ever clearer.

One Qi Ascends Vajra!

"You brazen madman! You dare commit murder openly—you are courting death!"

A furious roar from below shook the ground and sent ripples through the air. The next instant, a black shadow flashed through the sky, shooting through the air like a flood dragon emerging from the sea as it blasted a palm toward the black-robed young man.