Suppression

You Shahu narrowed his eyes as he watched the two contestants on the stage.

"Although Chen Fan is exceptionally gifted, he is still too young. Feng Yuancheng has mastered two first-rate strength-training manuals. Though he has yet to cultivate true martial arts, he is far stronger than Lin Qingyu. It will be difficult for Chen Fan to win..."

Li Linliu narrowed his eyes as he watched the arena, then shook his head. "Not necessarily."

He had long noticed that although Chen Fan's blood and qi were powerful, they were somewhat stagnant and had clearly not yet reached their limit. Chen Fan's sudden enlightenment yesterday had strengthened his conviction, prompting him to send over a gift that very day.

With Chen Fan's enlightenment during yesterday's battle against Lin Qingyu, along with the pill he had given him, there might yet be a chance of victory.

"Oh?"

Teng Bo of the Flying Tiger Sect frowned as he watched the two White Cloud Martial Academy disciples fight. "Master Li seems quite confident. Could it be that Chen Fan has some special hidden method?"

Li Linliu smiled. "Keep watching, and you'll find out."

You Shahu frowned deeply. "Chen Fan's raw strength is lacking. Unless he can achieve another sudden enlightenment on the spot, I can't see how he could possibly win..."

On the arena.

Facing the charging Feng Yuancheng.

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and raised a clenched fist.

He threw a punch!

Feng Yuancheng had mastered two first-rate manuals. Though he had yet to begin cultivating true martial arts, his strength was greater than even Lin Qingyu's, who had already entered the second level of martial arts!

Even Chen Fan, whose strength had improved once again, felt considerable pressure from Feng Yuancheng.

Right from the start, he used the sixth move of the Tiger Fist, the move he had practiced most often!

Smack!

Fist and palm collided.

The sixth move of the Tiger Fist was undoubtedly Chen Fan's most powerful move at the moment!

Moreover, after taking that special pill yesterday, Chen Fan's blood and qi had surged, completing another improvement and greatly increasing his strength.

Feng Yuancheng's face flushed red. The palm that had collided with Chen Fan's hurt terribly, and an overwhelming force surged through it. He staggered back several steps!

His face was filled with disbelief. "How is this possible?!"

Just as I thought, I'm much stronger than Feng Yuancheng!

Chen Fan's eyes flashed as he rushed after him and seized the opportunity to attack!

Feng Yuancheng suffered setback after setback, and his expression grew uglier. Chen Fan clearly did not look particularly muscular, yet his strength exceeded that of every opponent Feng Yuancheng had ever faced!

By far more than he had imagined.

Even Yan Lincu, whose blood and qi seemed inexhaustible, was inferior to Chen Fan in peak strength!

How could Chen Fan be this strong?! I'm actually at a disadvantage?!

He had only recently mastered the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm and had intended to challenge Yan Lincu again for the championship. He had never imagined that he would instead be forced onto the back foot by Chen Fan!

His lips twitched as he thought of Lin Qingyu, who had previously beaten Chen Fan down. That woman had actually faced an opponent like this?

This scene left countless spectators dumbfounded.

"How is this possible?!"

The crowd erupted into an uproar!

No one could believe it!

In almost everyone's eyes, Feng Yuancheng should have ranked above Lin Qingyu, and above Chen Fan, in terms of strength.

Yet Chen Fan, who had been weaker than Lin Qingyu yesterday, was now suppressing the even stronger Feng Yuancheng!

He had gained the initiative and caught his opponent by surprise!

But being able to do that was also because his strength was powerful enough.

It was truly astonishing.

"How is this possible?! Impossible! Could this kid have been hiding his strength the day before?!"

On the viewing platform.

"That shouldn't be possible. This kid's blood and qi... He only had one sudden enlightenment compared to yesterday. How could his strength have improved so much?"

You Shahu, who had previously declared that Chen Fan had no chance of winning, frowned in deep confusion.

The moment Chen Fan attacked, he displayed terrifying blood and qi. These figures immediately saw the difference.

Beside him, the master of the Flying Tiger Sect, who was also frowning, raised his brows as he recalled Li Linliu's earlier confidence. "Chen Fan's strength and blood and qi are much greater than yesterday's. But he does not seem fully accustomed to his power, so it must have risen suddenly. This matter is likely related to Master Li..."

The various academy masters all focused their gazes, then turned to look at Li Linliu.

Li Linliu had indeed behaved differently earlier.

Still smiling, he waved the folding fan in his hand. "I gave him a Blood-Nourishing Pill."

"Gasp..."

As soon as he said that, someone sucked in a cold breath.

Everyone nearby exchanged looks.

Their faces were filled with pain and regret.

"A Blood-Nourishing Pill?!"

"To think it was such a treasure. The White Cloud Martial Academy is truly wealthy..."

Li Linliu merely laughed. "It is only one Blood-Nourishing Pill. How could it be considered a treasure?"

The others' lips twitched even harder, and they were left speechless!

They all guessed that Li Linliu was likely a disciple of some reclusive sect. Only such people could casually produce a treasure like this and treat it as nothing.

The Blood-Nourishing Pill was a very special medicinal pill that could assist in increasing one's blood and qi.

In terms of value alone, the major clans could afford it.

The problem was that it was something money could not buy. It was even rarer than true essence pills. Even in all of Flying Spirit County, there was no channel through which to purchase it, and few people could obtain one!

Of course, while its medicinal power was strong, it was ultimately only an aid. If a martial artist's strength-training progress was insufficient, or their body lacked potential, the Blood-Nourishing Pill would not be so easy to absorb!

Though Li Linliu appeared calm and composed, he was also slightly surprised inwardly.

He could tell the day before that Chen Fan's blood and qi were on the verge of breaking through, but he had not expected Chen Fan to improve by so much in just one day!

It seemed the boy had absorbed quite a bit of the Blood-Nourishing Pill's medicinal power!

"How did this happen? I'm inferior to Chen Fan?!"

Feng Yuancheng's face was full of shock and confusion. The anger and unwillingness he had been suppressing inside reached their peak!

I can't compare to Yan Lincu. Don't tell me I'm not even a match for Chen Fan?!

Unwilling to accept it, he erupted in fury. His blood and qi churned throughout his body, and veins bulged across his skin.

With both palms raised, he attacked Chen Fan with all his strength, throwing caution to the wind as he unleashed move after move. His power reached one hundred and twenty percent.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Move after move of the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm shot forth. Under his rapid assault, he gradually broke through Chen Fan's advantage!

Chen Fan only had one powerful move in the Tiger Fist, the sixth move. He was mainly fighting with the Wind-Thunder Palm and the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm, and in terms of exertion techniques, he was still inferior to Feng Yuancheng!

Chen Fan had only held the advantage for a few exchanges before the situation reversed.

Yet Chen Fan was not anxious.

Feng Yuancheng was in too much of a rush. He was relying on his blood and qi to force a fierce assault, but he could not keep it up for long.

Still, faced with Feng Yuancheng's relentless, storm-like attacks, Chen Fan inevitably began to retreat!

In terms of the intricacy of his moves, Feng Yuancheng was inferior to Lin Qingyu. In terms of strength and blood and qi, he was inferior to Yan Lincu. Yet even so, when Feng Yuancheng erupted, he was far more troublesome than Lin Qingyu.

Chen Fan felt utterly helpless. In terms of foundation and blood and qi, he was stronger than Feng Yuancheng, but the basic martial arts he had learned were only second- and third-rate. He had only mastered half of the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm, so naturally he could not compare to Feng Yuancheng, who had already mastered two first-rate manuals.

In truth, Chen Fan had already realized his weakness during his previous match against Lin Qingyu. It was one thing when he faced someone far weaker than himself, but against powerful geniuses like Lin Qingyu and Feng Yuancheng, dealing with them was extremely difficult!

I have a complete advantage in strength, yet Feng Yuancheng can still force me into this state...

Of course, Chen Fan did not belittle himself. He had only been practicing martial arts for a few months.

Compared to geniuses like Feng Yuancheng and Lin Qingyu, having any area in which he surpassed them already marked him as exceptionally gifted!

In fact, if he could wait a few more days, comprehend internal breath in both the Wind-Thunder Palm and the Shattered Jade Fist, and further digest the Blood-Nourishing Pill, his strength would rise again. With the suppression of his superior strength, he could defeat Feng Yuancheng head-on.

After a round of fierce attacks, Feng Yuancheng finally broke Chen Fan's advantage and gained the upper hand. However, his reckless attacks also caused his stamina to drain rapidly. Unable to forcefully defeat Chen Fan after so long, both his moves and strength gradually began to weaken.

The gaps between his attacks grew larger and larger!

Chen Fan's eyes flashed.

Dealing with Feng Yuancheng's moves gradually became easier.

The first burst of effort brings strength, the second weakens, and the third exhausts.

Feng Yuancheng had already passed that initial burst. His strength was beginning to fail.

Chen Fan's raw strength was greater, and receiving Feng Yuancheng's attacks became increasingly easy. He still had energy to spare!

Then, catching Feng Yuancheng as he fiercely thrust a fist forward, Chen Fan met his palm head-on with the sixth move of the Tiger Fist!

Boom!

Fist and palm collided.

Feng Yuancheng's expression changed drastically. An overwhelming force surged through his palm, forcing him to retreat again and again.

Chen Fan's expression remained unchanged. He stepped forward, followed closely, changed his fist into a palm, and struck out.

The blow landed squarely on Feng Yuancheng's chest!

Smack!

Feng Yuancheng staggered back!

Chen Fan had regained the upper hand!

Feng Yuancheng's eyes were bloodshot. He barely managed to steady himself, then stood in a lowered stance and stared at Chen Fan. His hair was disheveled, and there was none of his previous elegant gentlemanly bearing left.

On the viewing platform, several academy masters shook their heads and sighed.

Everyone could see that things had reached this point. "Feng Yuancheng is going to lose..."

Below the stage.

In the area where the White Cloud Martial Academy disciples sat, no one could say a word. The atmosphere was unusually quiet.

Especially among the other contestants participating in this martial tournament.

The ones with the most complicated feelings were none other than Lin Mo and Su Qingyang.

"How could he be this strong...?"

Both were Chen Fan's classmates. At first, they had thought Chen Fan was wildly overestimating himself when he claimed he could enter the top thirty.

Yet Chen Fan had made it all the way here.

Before today, Chen Fan's matches could all have been explained with the word "luck." But now that Chen Fan was on the verge of defeating Feng Yuancheng, they naturally had nothing left to say!

After all, even if they mastered the White Cloud Pine-Crane Palm, they could only look up to Feng Yuancheng's talent.

Yet the uncouth classmate they usually did not take seriously was about to trample Feng Yuancheng beneath his feet. That contrast was even harder to accept.