Perils at Every Turn

This casual attitude only enraged Flying Ghost further.

"Hah!"

With a deep shout, Flying Ghost drove his true qi at full speed. His feet surged with full power, and he became a black shadow, racing madly around Zhu Wu.

He moved so fast that several afterimages appeared, dazzling the eye.

Yet Zhu Wu used stillness to counter motion. He closed his eyes, calmed his mind and qi, shut out all external clamor, and spread out the powerful divine sense born from his three souls.

Everything within three inches of his body lay within his control.

"A good chance!"

Thinking he had spotted an opening, Flying Ghost sent out a tricky hand, as sly and venomous as a spirit snake, straight for Zhu Wu's heart.

Zhu Wu abruptly opened his eyes, brilliance flashing from them. He caught Flying Ghost's movements a step ahead of time. Dual Qi Flow combined with the True-Absorbing Divine Formula, providing an endless stream of true qi, and his fist blasted out like a cannonball.

A tricky hand met a heavy fist; the difference was decided at once.

Flying Ghost's finger bones shattered. A heavy punch struck his chest as well, breaking his breastbone and sending him flying like a kite with its string cut. He crashed limply to the ground.

The referee, who also served as the host, stepped forward to count. "One, two, three, four... ten! I announce that the winner of this match is... Zhu Huang!"

According to the rules of the underground fighting arena, one person could fight at most three matches a day.

Having won two in a row, Zhu Wu continued his challenge.

This time, his opponent was a gaunt middle-aged martial artist who radiated a fierce, dangerous aura from head to toe.

Zhu Wu instantly sensed what was extraordinary about the man and thought, Hmm, a ninth-rank external martial artist.

From the host's introduction earlier, Zhu Wu learned that this man was known as River-Crossing Flood Dragon.

River-Crossing Flood Dragon folded his arms, speaking with utter confidence. "To defeat Black Crocodile and Flying Ghost, your strength is indeed impressive. But against me, you still have no chance of winning. As a student at a martial arts university, twenty thousand is enough for you to live comfortably for a while. Admit defeat now, take the money, and leave."

Clearly, he had taken Zhu Wu for some cash-strapped student from a martial arts university.

Zhu Wu had long wanted to face a true external martial arts expert, gain experience, and deduce martial techniques. How could he let such an opportunity slip by? He said, "For the sake of what you just said, I'll hold back appropriately. Begin."

River-Crossing Flood Dragon burst into laughter. "Hahahaha... little milk baby, just because you won two matches, you think you no longer know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth. Since that's the case, I have nothing to hold back either."

"Begin!"

At the host's command, River-Crossing Flood Dragon moved like a leopard. His cultivation of both internal and external martial arts gave him explosive power nearly comparable to Flying Ghost's.

In less than a breath, he had crossed from the other end of the ring to stand before Zhu Wu.

His iron fists pounded out in a dense barrage, like a massive, heavy wall. While sealing off Zhu Wu's room to twist, turn, and dodge, he launched a full-force assault.

Zhu Wu neither retreated nor evaded. He faced him head-on, speed against speed, strength against strength.

"Bang... bang... bang..."

Their four fists collided fiercely, neither yielding an inch, producing a rapid series of impacts.

Seeing this, both fighters increased their fist speed almost simultaneously, unwilling to leave the other even the slightest breathing room. Their attacks intertwined into a dazzling contest of boxing.

After more than a hundred hard clashes, River-Crossing Flood Dragon finally lacked the qi to recover and was knocked back by Zhu Wu's punch, inwardly shocked.

Why does this kid seem to have inexhaustible strength? This is fucking uncanny.

After more than a hundred hard clashes, River-Crossing Flood Dragon finally lacked the qi to recover and was knocked away in one stroke by Zhu Wu, whose qi flow was unbroken, leaving him filled with shock.

Why does this kid seem to have inexhaustible strength? This is fucking uncanny.

Dual Qi Flow provided an unceasing stream of true qi, while the True-Absorbing Divine Formula transformed the enemy's attacks. Zhu Wu had no concern over recovering his qi. He pressed his advantage, his fist force pouring down like a violent storm.

"What kind of monster is this?"

Even amid his shock, River-Crossing Flood Dragon barely managed to cope. He blocked less than half the assault and relied on his powerful body to forcibly endure Zhu Wu's fist force, wounded but undefeated.

After that burst of attacks, Zhu Wu felt waves of piercing pain from both hands.

To take the swift punches of a ninth-rank external martial arts expert head-on while only at the Essence-Tempering Realm, and for his hand bones to hold until now before breaking, was already exceedingly fortunate.

He had trained the Primordial Palm and Eight Extremes Fist to perfection, and spiritual qi had nourished and strengthened his body to a degree. Still, he could not compare to an external martial arts expert who had tempered his body without interruption for more than a decade.

With a thought, the fractures in his hands began to heal rapidly under the Holy Demon Embryo's powerful self-healing ability.

Seeing that something was wrong with Zhu Wu's hands, River-Crossing Flood Dragon laughed. "Kid, you've only just entered the ninth rank, yet you forced an old veteran like me into this state. If you had a few more months to consolidate your progress, I would certainly have already lost. But now, no matter how extraordinary your talent is, you can only break your spear and sink your banners here."

With that, he launched himself into another assault, charging at Zhu Wu in an instant.

"Troublesome."

His hands had not yet fully recovered. Zhu Wu inwardly called it troublesome, sank his body to evade his opponent's sure-kill swift punch, then unleashed the killing move he had hidden for so long.

"Divine Dragon Sweeps Its Tail!"

True qi flooded into his right leg. He spun and kicked fiercely, striking his opponent squarely in the chest.

River-Crossing Flood Dragon was immediately injured atop injury. He suffered a heavy blow, spat blood, and staggered back rapidly.

"Damn it! I don't believe you have any more moves!"

His repeated setbacks set River-Crossing Flood Dragon's anger ablaze. He exhausted the true essence in his qi sea and activated a secret technique. His body swelled massively, his muscles bulging, his imposing aura terrifying.

"Flood Dragon Crosses the River!"

As his fists swung, the wall of punches became even more formidable than before, leaving Zhu Wu nowhere to evade.

Seeing this, Zhu Wu chose to draw on more than half the true qi within the source seed and meet him head-on.

"Eight Extremes Fist!"

In another fierce exchange, Zhu Wu's newly healed hand bones broke again, slowing his fist speed slightly.

River-Crossing Flood Dragon seized the chance. One incomparably fierce punch knocked aside Zhu Wu's fists and struck him squarely in the chest.

Immediately afterward came a dense barrage of swift punches, determined to render Zhu Wu unable to fight.

"Fuck, this is the price of your arrogance and overconfidence, kid! Spend the rest of your life regretting it!"

Zhu Wu suffered the heavy strike and flew out like a cannonball. Only when the ring ropes stopped him did his momentum cease.

After that aggressive burst, River-Crossing Flood Dragon believed he had crippled Zhu Wu. His own consumption was considerable as well, so he began to restrain his breath and disperse his qi.

Yet before the referee could step forward to count,

Zhu Wu, who had suffered repeated heavy blows, suddenly rose to his feet. Blood streamed from behind his mask, but he remained standing tall and unfallen.

River-Crossing Flood Dragon was utterly shocked. Are you kidding me? He can still stand after all that?

After the shock came uncontrollable fury.

"I'll twist your head off and see whether you can still stand!"

River-Crossing Flood Dragon had never encountered such a thorny opponent. He drained every last bit of his true qi and sent out both fists together.

But Zhu Wu first leaped into the air. A qi-infused leg came down with the force of Mount Tai crushing overhead, sweeping aside River-Crossing Flood Dragon's fists in one stroke before heavily striking his face.

"Azure Dragon Leaves Its Cave!"

Without giving River-Crossing Flood Dragon any chance to recover, Zhu Wu's swift legs flashed and snapped like lightning. Four consecutive kicks hammered wildly into River-Crossing Flood Dragon's head.

"Dragons Dancing Wildly!"

Like Zhu Wu before him, River-Crossing Flood Dragon flew out limply, passed over the ropes, and landed before the spectator stands. His head throbbed as though splitting apart, and he could no longer rise.