Mutual Destruction

Shen Lian's fistwork was simple and vicious. Every punch tore through the air with a howl, and his transitions between attack and defense carried the instinct of a wild beast. He clearly had real combat experience.

Wu Yu's fistwork was rather standard, move by move, but his foundation was solid. The way he dodged, turned, and shifted showed the excellent training he had received since childhood. He was merely somewhat restrained, lacking that fierce momentum of charging forward without regard for anything else.

Still, relying on his solid basics, he managed not to fall behind for the time being.

Chu Yunhe had it the easiest. His posture was relaxed, even somewhat absentminded, yet every movement of his fists and legs flowed as naturally as drifting clouds and running water.

His speed, strength, and timing were all handled to perfection.

Li Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly. He noticed a current of air stirring around Chu Yunhe's fists.

The Yuan Drawing Realm.

He had actually succeeded in drawing the Yuan Qi of heaven and earth into his body. Though he had only just entered the realm, he was already fundamentally different from those in the Body Tempering Realm.

The gap in cultivation left his opponent with virtually no chance to fight back. After a few exchanges, Chu Yunhe lightly sent him out of the ring with a palm strike, without even disturbing his breathing.

Yu Ling'er's side also surprised Li Yuan. The girl moved with nimble grace, like a butterfly flitting among flowers. Her punches looked light, yet whenever they met her opponent's fists or kicks, a faint layer of inner breath clung to her knuckles.

It seemed she was also in the Yuan Drawing Realm, and her inner force leaned toward the yin and yielding.

As for that chubby kid who had bought himself an opportunity with money, after only a few exchanges, he quietly said a few words to his opponent. The opponent's offensive immediately stalled, and a few rounds later, the chubby kid luckily knocked him down with a punch.

Quite a few trainees showed looks of disdain at the sight, but Liu Hongyan remained expressionless, as though she had seen nothing.

Zhou Mo's fighting style was the strangest. He held no advantage in either strength or speed, and at the start, his opponent forced him back again and again.

But after several moves, everything reversed.

When his opponent threw a straight punch, Zhou Mo seemed to see through and predict its trajectory in advance. With a sideways sliding step, he barely evaded it, while at the same time precisely jabbing a finger beneath the man's ribs.

His opponent let out a muffled groan, his body abruptly stiffening. Seizing the chance, Zhou Mo swept his legs out from under him, then quickly stepped forward and pinned him down.

Li Yuan could not help recalling his earlier introduction. His talent was Analysis, and realization immediately dawned on him.

If I were facing them, what should I do? Li Yuan silently pondered.

By then, most of the fights in the arena had already drawn close to an end.

Wu Yu ultimately lacked combat experience. Under Shen Lian's fierce barrage, he was thrown into a frantic mess and took a heavy punch to the hollow of his shoulder, staggering backward.

Shen Lian pressed his advantage. A savage elbow drove mercilessly toward Wu Yu's chest and abdomen. If it landed solidly, Wu Yu would surely have several ribs broken.

"Whoosh!"

Just as the tip of Shen Lian's elbow was about to touch Wu Yu's clothes, a figure suddenly cut between them.

It was Li Yuan!

His right hand shot out like a spirit snake leaving its burrow, five fingers spread wide as it caught the outside of Shen Lian's elbow. With a sticky pull, he guided that fierce force several degrees outward.

At the same time, his left shoulder sank slightly and gently bumped Wu Yu at the waist, sending him lightly off at an angle behind him.

Shen Lian was startled. He sharply raised his head and met Li Yuan's calm, unruffled eyes.

"Student Shen, the outcome has already been decided. Why keep pursuing him?"

Li Yuan released his grip and was about to step back, but blazing light erupted in Shen Lian's eyes—the excitement of meeting a true opponent.

"Since you're here," Shen Lian growled, the dormant Sha Qi around him suddenly surging as he took his stance and fixed Li Yuan with a burning stare, "then fight me!"

By then, the other five pairs had also decided their winners.

The victors were Chu Yunhe, Yu Ling'er, Jin Duoduo, Zhou Mo, and a youth named Cheng Zhao.

Everyone stopped, their gazes turning in unison toward Shen Lian and Li Yuan as they faced off in the arena.

Chu Yunhe folded his arms, a hint of amused interest playing at his lips.

Liu Hongyan still stood with her hands behind her back, watching with great interest and showing no intention of stopping them.

"Fine."

Li Yuan raised a brow and assumed a simple opening stance.

A sharp gleam burst from Shen Lian's eyes. With a low roar, he shot toward Li Yuan like an arrow loosed from the bow.

His fist wind howled, fiercer, faster, and more vicious than it had been in his fight with Wu Yu!

Li Yuan neither dodged nor retreated. Only when the fist had already thundered before his face did he shift his footing and turn aside from its edge. At the same time, he held his right fingers together like a blade and swiftly chopped toward the inside of Shen Lian's wrist.

Their figures crossed in an instant, then whirled back around and clashed again.

Shen Lian's attacks were fierce and violent, charging ahead without pause, while Li Yuan's movement blended hardness and softness. His counters came from tricky, ruthless angles, targeting weak points such as joints.

Their fighting styles were completely different, yet both were equally effective, carrying an almost instinctive directness.

The people at the edge of the arena watched with bated breath. So Li Yuan's talent was not merely strange—his combat skills were this formidable as well.

"What exquisite force-dispersing techniques!" Yu Ling'er could not help praising.

"His footwork is unusual. It looks simple, but every movement places him in exactly the most suitable position." Zhou Mo also frowned as he analyzed.

The casualness on Chu Yunhe's face faded somewhat, his eyes narrowing.

Wu Yu's mouth hung wide open, as though he could scarcely believe what he was seeing.

"Enough standing around and watching. The second round begins!"

Liu Hongyan swept her gaze over them and coldly announced.

Everyone came back to themselves and sized one another up. Yu Ling'er smiled and playfully crooked a finger at Jin Duoduo.

Chu Yunhe looked at Zhou Mo and Cheng Zhao, then arrogantly said, "Which of you two is coming up?"

Zhou Mo was still hesitating when Cheng Zhao unexpectedly took a step back. He looked up in astonishment. The man had an honest-looking face, yet who would have thought he was so unwilling to follow the rules?

With no other choice, Zhou Mo could only steel himself and walk out.

Over there, Shen Lian grew more excited the longer he fought. His opponent felt like a slippery loach, impossible to get a firm hold on.

Li Yuan had no fixed forms in his techniques, yet every time Shen Lian launched a move, Li Yuan would counter with the utmost precision in the very next instant.

This was definitely not the style of academy training or inherited family martial arts. It was more like the purest combat art, distilled from countless life-and-death struggles.

"This is exhilarating!"

Shen Lian let out a long roar, and his fistwork changed again. He no longer sought to defeat his opponent with a single blow. Instead, his attacks became a raging storm, unceasing as they enveloped Li Yuan from every side. A faint current of air shimmered around his fists.

It seemed he had reached the consummate Body Tempering Realm, half a step into the Yuan Drawing Realm.

The pressure on Li Yuan immediately increased. Knowing he could no longer simply circle and maneuver, he watched as Shen Lian threw a heavy punch toward his chest. Without dodging, Li Yuan swept his left hand in an arc to meet it, seemingly slow yet actually swift.

The instant his palm touched Shen Lian's fist, the muscles in his arm rippled and pressed like waves, redirecting most of the force to his side.

At the same time, he brought together the index and middle fingers of his right hand. The moment Shen Lian's punch was led astray and his center opened slightly, Li Yuan struck at Shen Lian's chest like a venomous snake darting out its tongue.

If that strike landed, even with Shen Lian's strong physique, his blood and Qi would surge in turmoil, and he would lose his fighting ability in an instant.

A silver gleam flashed through Shen Lian's eyes. He decisively abandoned any attempt to block, and his other fist shot up from below at even greater speed, driving toward Li Yuan's jaw. It was a tactic of mutual destruction.

In that flash of lightning and spark of flint, both men made their choices.

Li Yuan's fingers continued toward Shen Lian's chest without changing direction, their speed suddenly increasing by another measure. Shen Lian's fist, rising toward Li Yuan's upper jaw, showed no mercy either.