Come at Me Together

"Clang!"

The gong rang, and the contest began.

The two instructors could not even be bothered to call out the start, using the gong instead. It was exceedingly perfunctory.

Before the gong's echoes had faded, the young man opposite Gao Fei was sent flying off the arena, crashing straight toward where Lin Shaokun stood.

A Skin Tempering Realm fighter who had barely practiced any martial techniques was easy to deal with. Gao Fei sidestepped the spear, swept out with one strike, and ended it immediately.

As for the direction in which he had been sent flying, that had been deliberate. Still, an apology had to follow.

"Brother Lin, sorry about that. I didn't realize your Lin Family people were this weak. Good thing you caught him—if he got hurt, I'd feel terribly embarrassed!"

After saying that, Gao Linyue descended from the arena with sharp eyes and sat back down beside Gao Yan.

"Impressive, Brother. I never thought Lin Yong, who was usually impervious to swords and spears, would be so unable to withstand a single blow."

"He simply hasn't practiced martial techniques. His body is clumsy and his reactions slow, but he can still take a beating."

Only then did those below the stage snap out of the contrast and begin discussing it animatedly.

"One move to finish him—what realm is this Gao Fei in?"

"I can't tell, but his spearwork has definitely reached the point of being like an extension of his arm."

"His cultivation must be at least Blood-Qi Peak Realm, otherwise he wouldn't have that much strength."

"Maybe he's already at Middle Skin Tempering Realm or higher."

"Are you insane? I might as well say he's already reached Organ Refinement. Seven days ago, he was only at Early Blood-Qi Realm. Show me how you can improve that quickly."

"What if he's 'playing the pig to eat the tiger'...?"

"Playing the pig to eat the tiger? He'd need to be a tiger first. When have you ever seen him look like a tiger?"

Standing more than ten paces away, Gao Fei saw Lin Shaokun's group seemingly discussing something and shook his head.

What was there to scheme about? The rules were one-on-one. The last person standing would be first.

Whatever they proposed, he would refuse.

The second to take the stage was Yue Qinghe, the hall master's daughter.

Gao Fei looked at the woman brimming with confidence.

"Passing it from the left hand to the right—might as well hand it directly to her."

"Keep your voice down. What if she hears you?"

Gao Yan hurriedly tugged at his arm, but he could not stop Gao Fei before he finished speaking.

At that moment, both of them felt a faint trace of killing intent.

Gao Fei pulled his cousin beside him and made him look at the woman ascending the arena.

"What's there to be afraid of? I said it—what does it have to do with you? Unlike certain people, who put up a chastity arch while pretending to be virtuous."

He felt he had definitely been affected by the original owner's personality. He had never been this arrogant back on Blue Star. Once he returned, he needed to reflect on himself properly.

Yue Qinghe also took only one move to defeat her opponent.

Lin Shaokun was the same, ending his opponent with a single punch.

Gao Fei had every reason to suspect there was something fishy about the matchups.

After the first round, the hall master's disciples remaining were Gao Fei, Yue Qinghe, Lin Shaokun, the Zhang Family's Zhang Mingfei and Zhang Xinyu, as well as a black-clad young man named Qingmu, who had received a bye.

When Gao Fei prepared to take the stage again, the black-clad young man ran onto it first, barehanded.

Gao Fei paid it no mind. After all that discussion, their plan was simply to go onstage unarmed and not compare weapons.

Since they were fighting barehanded, he would let them taste the power of his fists.

He slowly walked up and pointed at the other four.

"You all come at me together. I'm in a hurry."

From their earlier exchanges, he had not been able to make out their cultivation, but judging by their speed, they were around Bone Tempering Peak Realm.

Since they were comparing fists, he would drag them all into it together. In any case, he would not be at a disadvantage.

He had long wanted to teach Lin Shaokun a lesson.

Gao Fei's words stirred up another commotion below the stage.

"What is he trying to do? Is he courting death?"

"The five senior brothers and sisters have challenged the instructors before and even fought them to a draw."

When Gao Linyue looked over in confusion, Gao Fei gave him a reassuring look.

"Approved! The last three people standing on the stage will be the top three."

Hearing even the instructor say so, everyone instantly fell silent.

The four people Gao Fei had pointed at looked at each other. Lin Shaokun was the first to walk toward the arena, setting down his sword.

The hall master's daughter, Yue Qinghe, pulled Zhang Xinyu along as the two slowly stepped onto the arena. Zhang Mingfei was the last to come up.

The three wore expressionless faces. Only Lin Shaokun was somewhat excited, rubbing his fists together as he prepared for a grand battle.

After exchanging a glance with the black-clad young man, the two split apart the instant the gong sounded, charging forward from the left and right.

Their coordination was excellent. Once they closed in, one turned and swung a punch while the other swept out with a low kick—one attacking Gao Fei's lower body, the other his upper body.

The instant they made their opening move, Gao Fei took half a step with his front foot, his rear foot following close behind.

Half-Step Collapse Fist.

His bones rang in unison as his fist struck the black-clad young man in the chest.

The young man instantly flew backward off the arena, landing below and coughing up blood.

The low sweep at his legs had been forced half a step closer, losing more than half its power. Their legs collided.

Gao Fei did not budge in the slightest, though his leg hurt a little.

Lin Shaokun could clearly see Gao Fei's leg trembling.

Gao Fei took several more strides and caught up to Lin Shaokun. A punch from his right hand sent force penetrating into Lin Shaokun's body, injuring his lungs and internal organs.

His left hand changed from a fist to a palm, and he slapped Lin Shaokun across the face, sending him directly off the arena.

The moment Lin Shaokun fell, he sprang back to his feet. Ignoring the pain in his face, he pointed at Gao Fei.

"How could I lose? How is this possible? Wasn't your talent crippled?"

"Even with heaven-defying talent, there's no way you could reach Bone Tempering Perfection Realm so quickly."

"You lied to me!"

"Cough! Cough!..."

With that punch, his lungs had been damaged. Coughing was normal.

Standing on the arena, Gao Fei paid no attention to the dead man shouting below.

He had never understood why people would send blood offerings to demons.

But after snatching a demon beast's inner core from Chief Constable Liu, he understood. There would be no shortage of such transactions. What was traded was not necessarily demon beast inner cores; it could also be medicinal herbs that had grown in the wilderness for more than a hundred years.

The incidents he had encountered recently had all been connected to the Lin Family.

The original owner had been Lin Shaokun's lackey. His Four-Pillar Pure-Yang Body had been ruined, and he had been used as a blood offering—Lin Shaokun was absolutely deeply involved.

This was not solving a case. These clues were enough.

At this moment, Yue Qinghe and the three Zhang siblings exchanged glances.

"Qinghe, Xinyu, assist me. I'll be the main attacker!"

The moment he finished speaking, Zhang Mingfei planted his feet and stomped down. His muscles instantly filled out his scholar's robe, which burst apart as shredded cloth flew everywhere.

His trousers had clearly been enlarged beforehand, so nothing was exposed.

Cries instantly rang out below the stage.

"Giant Ape Body-Tempering Art! Ape-Carrying Force, unmatched in both defense and strength."

"Really, I heard the Zhang Family's Ape-Carrying Force can go straight from the Blood-Qi Realm to Organ Tempering Perfection Realm, then directly complete Foundation Establishment. After Foundation Establishment, one can transform into a giant ape, with peerless defense and boundless strength. Only the Qi Assimilation Realm can break through it."

"Ape-Carrying Force is extremely difficult to master. It has been many years since anyone saw a Zhang Family member use it. Looking at Zhang Mingfei's state, he should be in the Organ Tempering Realm, right?"

"Yes, he truly is a genius!"

Gao Fei watched the massive man charge toward him, every step brimming with power.

"Second Uncle, if you knew a technique that could burst your clothes apart, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

With that, Gao Fei charged out.

He had expected them to trade punches and kicks, but when the two drew close—

Slide tackle!

Both his feet struck Zhang Mingfei's feet squarely.

Zhang Mingfei instantly lost his balance and fell forward. He felt a punch land on his abdomen. The force was not particularly great, yet his entire body flew up and sailed beyond the arena.

The people below instantly fell silent, and even Lin Shaokun began to think.

He had fought Zhang Mingfei countless times and lost every single one. He had never imagined there was another way to win.

So his lower body was his weakness.