Two Figures

By fighting Liu Zhi, he could achieve his goal simply by displaying considerable combat prowess. At the same time, he could probe Liu Zhi's capabilities and test his own true level. Three gains in one stroke-why not?

Having made up his mind, Tang Yan said calmly, "If you want a fight, I'll oblige!"

"Yan'er..." Old Master Tang rose to stop him.

"Old Master, just let Tang Yan go. His combat prowess is greater than you imagine." Just as Tang Ling's heart burned with anxiety, Zi Yun's voice reached his ears.

As the esteemed third young lady of Purple Bamboo City, Zi Yun commanded Old Master Tang's trust. He forcibly swallowed his words of protest and turned to look at her. She gave him a reassuring glance, and he settled back into his seat, watching the arena with his attention sharpened to its utmost.

Hmm? Lin Xiao felt a slight stir of surprise. Having judged countless people over the years, he trusted his eye. Tang Yan was certainly no reckless greenhorn who knew neither the height of heaven nor the depth of earth. But with his strength at Yellow Tier Sixth Grade, what gave him the confidence to challenge Liu Zhi?

"Brother Tang, you have courage. I admire that!" Liu Zhi stepped out from the Liu Family's seating area, took two quick running steps, and pushed off hard, leaping gracefully onto the arena to stand opposite Tang Yan.

"Begin!"

Once both men were ready, Lin Xiao gave the command.

Liu Zhi seized the initiative. With a flick of the long spear in his hands, he thrust toward Tang Yan.

Tang Yan felt as though a starving wolf had locked onto him, and the hairs on his body stood on end. The spear whistled through the air, seemingly powerful enough to pierce anything.

Tang Yan drew a deep breath. Rather than dodge, he strode forward under everyone's astonished gaze, choosing to meet it head-on!

Clang!

Thud, thud!

Tang Yan immediately staggered back two large steps. The web between his thumb and forefinger went numb, and the blood within him churned.

Liu Zhi, meanwhile, stood utterly unmoved. The difference in their strength was clear at once.

Having landed the first blow, Liu Zhi pressed on without pause. His spear sliced through the air again with unstoppable force, aimed straight at Tang Yan's throat.

Cries of alarm rose from the crowd. Old Master Tang's hand abruptly clenched, and with a crack, the porcelain cup in his grip shattered.

Tang Yan remained calm. That head-on clash had given him a rough measure of Liu Zhi's strength.

He swiftly unleashed Phantom Shadow Steps, veering aside along a seemingly impossible trajectory.

"He dodged it!" Cries of astonishment rang out from the crowd.

Having evaded the spear, Tang Yan used Phantom Shadow Steps to close in, swinging his sword at Liu Zhi.

After two exchanges, he turned defense into attack!

He unleashed the full Cloudflow Sword technique. His airtight sword assault spread like a net cast across heaven and earth, bearing down on Liu Zhi from every direction.

Clink, clang, clang- A rapid succession of metallic clashes rang out. In the blink of an eye, they exchanged another three moves.

Liu Zhi felt stifled. He had thought he could defeat Tang Yan in just a few moves, yet the brat was as slippery as a loach. He had gained little advantage.

Even more infuriating, Tang Yan attacked from fiendishly tricky angles, targeting nothing but the weaknesses in his moves.

The longer Liu Zhi fought, the more alarmed he became. The spectators grew equally astonished as they watched.

The Qian Family brothers, Qian Rulong and Qian Shenghu, were particularly shaken. Remembering how they had wanted to fight Tang Yan to the death at the City Lord's Residence, they felt a surge of lingering dread. Had they truly thrown caution to the wind then, they would likely have gained nothing and might even have suffered a vicious beating.

Although Liu Zhi maintained the upper hand, he had inflicted no meaningful injury on Tang Yan. In less than a quarter of an hour, nineteen moves had passed amid their fierce exchanges.

"Young Master Liu, we're almost at twenty moves," Tang Yan said with a chuckle, offering a "kindly" reminder.

Those words certainly had their effect. Liu Zhi's heart clenched, and he began regretting his earlier promise. If he could not defeat Tang Yan with the next move, the Liu Family would truly fall flat on its face.

Driving Tang Yan back with a fierce attack, Liu Zhi said coldly, "Not bad at all. I thought Eighth Grade strength would be enough. I never expected you to force me to use my true strength.

"This final move will end it!"

The moment he finished speaking, Tang Yan felt Liu Zhi's aura surge sharply.

Yellow Tier Ninth Grade!

Tang Yan's heart gave a slight jolt. Just as he had suspected, this fellow had concealed his strength.

When he had sparred with Zi Yun before, she had suppressed him with Yellow Tier Ninth Grade strength without even using her full power.

Now he faced Liu Zhi, whose murderous intent lay bare. The danger was undoubtedly greater.

"Die!" Liu Zhi roared. His spear lunged like a dragon, heading straight for Tang Yan's heart.

The thrust tore through resistance like rotten wood beneath a crushing thunderbolt, its speed ferocious beyond compare.

A swirl of true qi hovered around the spearhead, almost taking solid form.

Everyone was shaken. He truly deserved his reputation as Cloud City's foremost talent; such extraordinary gifts were beyond the reach of ordinary people. Faced with strength this overwhelming, Tang Yan would likely struggle to evade the strike.

The spectators sighed in unison. It seemed the weaker fighter would not turn the tables on the stronger after all.

An intensely dangerous aura bore down on him. Tang Yan dared not be careless. He no longer concealed the Heaven-Earth Creation Flame within him, and a deep-blue flame suddenly appeared in midair.

The air around the flame warped slightly. The tiny flicker gradually grew to the size of a palm, gathering before Tang Yan.

The blue flame danced silently, eerie yet dazzling.

The spectators could not sense the terrifying power contained within it, however, and could only watch curiously to see how Tang Yan would respond.

"Go!"

With a furious shout, Tang Yan drained every last bit of strength from his body and pushed the ball of flame forward.

Boom! The instant the flame met the spear tip, a muffled blast erupted.

Under the violent collision of air currents, the stone slabs at the base of the once-sturdy arena were pulverized, filling the scene with smoke and dust.

The dust slowly receded. Through the haze, a figure could be seen standing in the arena.

Everyone widened their eyes and craned their necks. Once they saw that the standing figure was Liu Zhi, expressions of unsurprised acceptance appeared on their faces.

But those expressions soon froze.

As more dust dispersed, another upright figure emerged into view.

"It's Tang Yan!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

"How... how is that possible?! Someone at Yellow Tier Sixth Grade actually withstood a Ninth Grade fighter's full-power strike!" Disbelief filled everyone's eyes.

The gap between grades was like a mountain, yet Tang Yan had crossed three grades and stood firm against Liu Zhi's all-out blow!

Although Tang Yan looked battered, he still had some spirit left.

Grinning at Liu Zhi, Tang Yan said, "Sorry, but twenty moves have passed."

A cold gleam flashed through Liu Zhi's eyes. A mere Yellow Tier Sixth Grade fighter had survived twenty moves against him. In his hands, the Liu Family's reputation had taken a crushing blow.

Once again, regret struck him. Had he known this would happen, he would never have concealed his strength at the outset.

Looking at Tang Yan's smiling face, Liu Zhi felt murderous intent flash through his heart.

Suddenly, Liu Zhi sensed a strange force locking onto him. Turning his head, he saw City Lord Lin Xiao cast an almost imperceptible glance his way. Then that terrifying aura vanished, and cold sweat instantly soaked Liu Zhi's back.

With the City Lord watching, he truly did not dare do anything to Tang Yan.