Second Battle

Zhang Yan remained as calm as ever. He stomped hard, and the blood and qi within his chest and abdomen surged thunderously. In that instant, Deng Qing felt as though Zhang Yan himself had become a red-hot furnace.

The misty shadow lunged at Zhang Yan's back, just about to possess him, when the blood and qi in his chest and abdomen burst outward, his whole body seeming to be shrouded in a layer of blood-colored flames.

As though it had struck burning coals, the misty shadow let out a shrill screech and immediately recoiled halfway.

Zhang Yan struck back with a palm. The wind from his palm carried blazing blood and qi, landing squarely on that gray-black misty shadow and sending it tumbling backward.

Chen Kong snorted coldly and immediately shook the black bell, recalling the misty shadow.

Zhang Yan smiled. "Brother Chen's Yin-Blade Ghost Pet has grown sharper and sharper."

Chen Kong said coldly, "A minor trick from an unorthodox path is hardly worthy of Brother Zhang's notice. But to defeat Brother Zhang, there is no need to rely on such methods."

Before his words had faded, the two were fighting again. After several dozen rolling exchanges, they each retreated, their expressions grim.

Chen Kong sheathed his saber and looked at Zhang Yan. "Brother Zhang, there is no point in continuing this fight."

Zhang Yan snorted. "What do you propose?"

Chen Kong raised a hand and pointed at the medicine crates. "Let's change the game. Neither of us can determine a winner, so let others fight instead."

"How?"

"Each side chooses one disciple from the Skin Refining First, Second, and Third Layers to fight. Best two out of three. What do you say?"

Zhang Yan pondered for several breaths. "As you wish."

Having said that, Zhang Yan looked toward the long-faced young man to Fan Sheng's left and said heavily, "This battle carries great weight. Tan Fang, you go first."

He knew full well how important it was to fire the opening shot.

Chen Kong had not set the order of battle, merely saying that each side would send one person from the first, second, and third layers. That was undoubtedly a loophole, and Zhang Yan naturally intended to seize it.

Tan Fang was one of the strongest among those at the Skin Refining Second Layer. Zhang Yan held his swordsmanship in high regard.

Tan Fang stepped out of the crowd and cupped his hands toward Zhang Yan. "I will not fail my mission."

Zhang Yan nodded. "Be careful."

Tan Fang answered, then strode forward and declared in a ringing voice, "Skin Refining Second Layer, Tan Fang. Please instruct me."

The Golden Saber Sect side seemed to have prepared for this long ago. A lean, tall man stepped out in response.

The man was long and narrow in build, with little flesh on his face. A slender saber hung at his waist. He cupped his hands and said, "Swift-Blade Xin Wu."

Deng Qing was watching intently when Wang Wei continued serving as commentator. "Xin Wu is a renowned expert of the Golden Saber Sect. His swift saber is exceedingly fierce. He and Senior Brother Tan are evenly matched opponents."

Xin Wu wasted no words. He drew his saber and attacked. Tan Fang flicked his longsword, holding its tip horizontally before him as he steadily received the first slash.

Very soon, both sides began fighting in earnest. Saber and sword clashed, dense as a driving rain, their offensive growing fiercer by the moment.

Tan Fang's swordsmanship was steady and composed. When defending, he was impervious to wind and rain from all eight directions.

Xin Wu's saber was astonishingly fast. Its gleam glided along Tan Fang's treasured sword like a nimble serpent flicking its tongue.

At first, Deng Qing wondered why neither side was verifying their realms. What if someone used a higher realm to bully a lower one?

But once the two exchanged blows, he understood.

The moment blood and qi erupted, the skin membrane swelled and the muscles and bones bore force, making one's realm impossible to conceal.

After another dozen or so exchanges, Xin Wu used an upward groin slash, forcing Tan Fang's footwork to begin falling into disorder.

Immediately afterward, the slender saber in Xin Wu's hand suddenly slipped out from beneath the sword shadows Tan Fang had woven, stabbing diagonally toward Tan Fang's shoulder.

Tan Fang hurriedly drew back his sword to block, but he was ultimately half a beat too slow. The saber edge swept across his shoulder, bringing up a spray of blood.

Zhang Yan's eyes darkened. "Stop."

Tan Fang staggered back two steps, clutching his shoulder with an ugly expression.

The Golden Saber Sect's morale soared as they cheered loudly. Xin Wu sheathed his saber and turned away, putting on quite the air as though he had done something utterly trivial.

The smile on Chen Kong's face deepened as he sarcastically offered Zhang Yan his "concession."

The atmosphere on Celebration Hall's side sank. They had lost the opening battle, and their momentum had suffered a severe blow.

Before the second round even began, the Golden Saber Sect had already put forward its candidate: a large, powerfully built man.

The man carried no saber. He crossed his hands and pressed them together, his knuckles cracking dully as he said coldly, "Skin Tempering Third Layer, Xu Zhen."

Zhang Yan furrowed his brows tightly. He had originally arranged the order of fighters in his mind, but after the setback in the first round, he no longer felt his original calculations were so reliable.

After all, it was best two out of three, and they had already lost one round. If they lost the second as well, there would be no third battle.

For a moment, Zhang Yan found it difficult to decide.

Just then, hurried hoofbeats suddenly rang out from the mountain path behind them.

Everyone turned to look, only to see a white-robed rider galloping toward them.

When Zhang Yan saw who it was, his expression relaxed. Delight also appeared on Fan Sheng's face as he shouted, "It's Senior Brother Ma!"

The white-robed rider reined in his horse, then flipped down to the ground.

He looked slightly younger than Zhang Yan. His brows and eyes were open and cheerful, his build sturdy, and his footing steady when he landed.

Whispers quickly rose from the crowd.

"Senior Brother Ma Mingfei?"

"It really is Senior Brother Ma?"

"Wasn't he traveling abroad?"

"Back when Senior Brother Ma was at Celebration Hall, he was already one of its best fighters. His Iron-Clad Body Technique was trained to an exceptionally solid level."

Ma Mingfei stepped forward in a few strides and cupped his hands toward Zhang Yan. "Senior Brother, I hurried as fast as I could and finally made it."

Zhang Yan said, "You came at just the right time."

This was not the time to reminisce. Zhang Yan briefly explained the situation before them.

Ma Mingfei laughed brightly. "In that case, I'll take the Skin Tempering Third Layer match."

Chen Kong recognized Ma Mingfei and knew that he truly was a disciple of Celebration Hall, so naturally he could not stop him.

Ma Mingfei entered the arena and cupped his hands toward Xu Zhen. "Skin Tempering Third Layer, Ma Mingfei."

Xu Zhen gave a muffled snort and raised both palms, blood and qi churning within them.

Ma Mingfei, meanwhile, removed his outer robe, revealing the tightly fitted martial attire beneath.

The two attacked at the same time, and as soon as they clashed, the spectacle was far heavier than the first round.

Xu Zhen's first palm strike came with a dull boom, its palm wind descending like muffled thunder.

Ma Mingfei sank his shoulders and back, channeling blood and qi into his skin membrane. He crossed his arms before his chest and forcibly took the strike head-on.

With a muffled bang, Ma Mingfei's body swayed. The gravel beneath his feet shattered into powder, yet he himself remained completely unharmed.

Xu Zhen's gaze sharpened. Immediately after, his second palm came crashing down, sweeping up a fierce gust.

Ma Mingfei shifted his feet by half an inch, turning his shoulders and back with the force of the palm to take another strike. At the same time, he swept a palm toward Xu Zhen's brow. Xu Zhen dodged in panic, stumbled, and retreated several steps, his eyes filled with shock.

To outsiders, Ma Mingfei appeared to be doing nothing but passively taking blows.

But experts such as Zhang Yan and Chen Kong could see clearly that every time Ma Mingfei received a palm strike, he adjusted his body within an extremely small range. He was clearly using the Iron-Clad Body Technique to steadily swallow up Xu Zhen's layered force.

Xu Zhen had evidently seen through it as well. He snorted coldly, pressing forward with a chain of palm strikes, one following another.

The entire scene made it seem as though Xu Zhen held every advantage, yet the longer he fought, the less confidence he had.

Just as Xu Zhen sent out another palm strike, in the instant when his old force had run out and his new force had yet to rise, Ma Mingfei unleashed the great move he had been storing up for so long.

Rather than retreating, he advanced. His shoulders and back slammed forward, forcibly knocking Xu Zhen's arms apart.

Xu Zhen's expression changed drastically. He tried to draw his palms back to protect his chest, but was ultimately a breath too slow. Ma Mingfei stepped into the centerline, driving an elbow blow that threw Xu Zhen's chest wide open, then followed with a punch that landed squarely on Xu Zhen's chest.

Xu Zhen grunted and staggered back several steps, sending loose stones flying beneath his feet. He tried to steady himself, but the blood and qi in his chest scattered, and that chain of force could no longer continue.

In the end, his knees buckled, and he dropped to one knee.

Celebration Hall's side instantly erupted.