Pei Zongyue raised a hand to signal the start of the match:
"First match, begin."
The moment his words fell, Wang Hechang moved.
His left foot stamped into the platform, sinking the yellow earth half an inch.
He charged toward Xu Yu at the other end of the arena, his fists hammering out in turn. Every punch carried the full strength of an early True Astral fighter who had attained the hundred-forged body.
Before his punches arrived, their qi force had already sent debris rolling across the platform.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three punches came in succession, crushing straight ahead. Wang Hechang fought just as he had when defending the arena earlier: no tricks, only brute, unyielding force.
Xu Yu turned sideways, pressed his narrow sword against the outer edge of the fist, and twisted his wrist with its momentum, guiding the force to the left.
Wang Hechang's punch struck empty air. He shifted only half a step before his left fist shot out from beneath his ribs.
Xu Yu still refused to meet him head-on.
His sword tip touched his opponent's elbow, and he borrowed the force to retreat three steps.
"Does the Profound Sword Pavilion only teach you to dodge?"
Wang Hechang grinned, throwing punch after punch.
Xu Yu said nothing.
His narrow sword circled the oncoming fists, making only the slightest contact with each collision.
However powerful Wang Hechang's astral energy was, whenever it reached his sword, it was invariably guided into empty space.
Ten exchanges.
Twenty exchanges.
Thirty exchanges.
Wang Hechang's fists had left pits all over the arena, yet the cloth boots on Xu Yu's feet had barely picked up any dust.
The murmurs below the platform grew louder.
"Xu Yu keeps retreating. Sooner or later, he'll be forced to the edge."
"Wang Hechang's punches are