Provocation 2

There was no testing the waters. Both favored meeting force with force, and the moment they engaged, they launched into a brutal head-on clash.

Yue Yang unleashed the Blazing Mountain Mountain-Crushing Fist, his punches heavy and fierce. Each punch set the air humming, every strike carrying the crushing weight of a mountain bearing down.

Zhou Hu was a fierce, unyielding man as well. His Fierce Tiger Fist was powerful and aggressive, his punches heavy as boulders. There were no flashy tricks; he met his opponent head-on with his own strength.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

The thunderous collisions of fists and feet came without pause, making the spectators' eardrums tremble.

The two burly figures fought in the center of the arena, trading punches in solid collisions of Qi and blood, without the slightest trickery.

Dust rose constantly beneath their feet, and the force of their punches shook fine cracks into the bluestone platform.

Zhou Hu's Fierce Tiger Fist drove relentlessly forward. He took his opponent's heavy punches head-on while constantly seeking opportunities to counterattack. Several punches struck Yue Yang's shoulder, forcing him to stagger.

Yue Yang was having a hard time as well. Zhou Hu's strength was heavy and solid, and with every collision, a dull force penetrated his flesh, depleting the Qi and blood within him.

The two remained locked in fierce combat, exchanging dozens of rounds without either managing to suppress the other.

After a while, both were breathing heavily and drenched in sweat, their skin faintly flushed. The prolonged, intense head-on fighting had consumed enormous amounts of Qi and blood and strength on both sides, and their movements were already noticeably slower than at the start.

The spectators below were in an uproar, watching with their jaws hanging open.

"They're so strong! This is the courage that belongs to martial artists alone!"

"Real men don't chicken out! Just fight!"

"Win or lose, they're both tough men!"

Below the platform, Chen Tie watched intently, silently weighing them up.

Zhou Hu had a solid foundation, but Yue Yang's endurance and explosive strength were equally astonishing. The outcome was still uncertain.

Amid their struggle, Yue Yang suddenly gave a low shout, a vicious gleam flashing in his eyes.

Just as Zhou Hu threw a punch, in the gap when his old force was spent and new force had yet to arise, all the remaining Qi and blood in Yue Yang's body erupted at once. His muscles and bones trembled as all his strength gathered into a single punch!

"Crush the Peaks and Shake the Mountains!"

This punch was the killing move of the Blazing Mountain Mountain-Crushing Fist, a sudden eruption of all his strength. Layers of force piled upon one another, abruptly surging to a new height!

Zhou Hu's expression changed, and he hastily raised his fists to block.

Boom!

The two immense forces collided. Zhou Hu felt an incomparably violent wave of force break through his guard and slam into his chest.

His entire body shuddered, his arms went numb, and the Qi and blood within him instantly fell into chaos. An unbearable, stifling pain filled his chest as he staggered backward uncontrollably.

Zhang Changfeng glanced at Zhou Hu, who was kneeling on one knee on the platform, unable to fight any longer.

"That's enough. You've already done your best."

"No, I can still fight."

Zhou Hu spoke through the intense pain.

Zhang Changfeng looked over, and Mo Hong gave Zhou Hu a slight shake of his head.

Only then did Zhou Hu cup his hands and concede.

"Yue Yang of the Blazing Mountain Martial Hall wins!" Zhang Changfeng declared loudly.

The entire crowd erupted, and cheers instantly burst from the Blazing Mountain Martial Hall's seats.

Yue Yang withdrew his fists, breathing heavily as he looked toward the Fierce Tiger Martial Hall with cold arrogance.

Pale-faced, Zhou Hu endured the discomfort of his internal injuries and walked off the platform with his head lowered.

The Fierce Tiger Martial Hall's disciples gathered around to comfort him, and Shen Yan hurriedly took out medicinal pills for Zhou Hu to swallow.

Li Shan and Yu Shi patted his shoulders.

"The Fierce Tiger Martial Hall hasn't lost yet. We're still here!"

Before Zhang Changfeng could speak, another person from the Blazing Mountain Martial Hall strode onto the platform.

The newcomer was another martial artist at flesh refining greater mastery, named Zhao Mang. His presence was heavy, his muscles and bones taut, and his gaze swept straight toward the Fierce Tiger Martial Hall's seats, his provocation utterly undisguised.

Mo Hong considered briefly, then raised his hand to signal Li Shan to enter.

Li Shan took a deep breath and leaped onto the platform.

The moment the two engaged, they again fought head-on. Fists and palms collided with one dull thud after another, Qi and blood surging within their bodies and pouring outward. Every collision left their arms numb.

They were evenly matched, trading blows in a deadlock that left many spectators holding their breath.

Li Shan defended steadily and attacked heavily, his strength solid. Several times, he forced Zhao Mang to retreat and evade, and it seemed he still had room to maneuver.

Yet as the fight approached its end, when both had consumed most of their Qi and blood and their strength was nearly exhausted, a violent surge of Qi and blood suddenly welled up inside Zhao Mang. His strength abruptly rose, and his attacks suddenly turned ferocious.

The eruption came abruptly, without any buildup. Li Shan's rhythm was instantly shattered. As he hastily blocked, a heavy punch struck his shoulder squarely, sending him stumbling two steps and leaving him unable to steady his stance.

He gritted his teeth and fought head-on for several more exchanges, but still lost.

"Zhao Mang of the Blazing Mountain Martial Hall wins!"

An uproar swept through the crowd below.

Two consecutive matches had followed exactly the same pattern: an evenly matched stalemate at first, followed by the opponent erupting near the end to break the deadlock and win.

Chen Tie's brows knitted tightly as he stared at the faint flush on Zhao Mang's face atop the platform, feeling that something was wrong.

At the Blazing Mountain Martial Hall's seats, Zhao Mang withdrew with a smile. Immediately afterward, another disciple at flesh refining greater mastery, Shi Kui, took the platform, looking their way with mockery in his eyes.

At this point, Yu Shi was the only martial artist at flesh refining greater mastery left in the Fierce Tiger Martial Hall who could fight.

With a grave expression, Yu Shi bowed to Mo Hong and took the platform.

From the outset, he no longer relied solely on head-on clashes, instead moving around in search of openings. Yet Shi Kui continued attacking fiercely, remaining locked in combat with him for a long time.

Their Qi and blood dwindled rapidly. Sweat dripped from their chins, and their clothes had long since become soaked.

At the final moment of the fight, Yu Shi knew he could not keep dragging it out. Gritting his teeth, he drove his Qi and blood to their fullest extent. His flesh swelled as all his strength gathered into one fist, which he hurled at Shi Kui.

This was already the limit of what his body could unleash.

Yet opposite him, Shi Kui once again erupted with even greater strength at that very same point, forcibly knocking his punch aside and driving the heel of his palm heavily into Yu Shi's chest.

"Pfft."

Yu Shi gave a muffled groan and flew backward, landing heavily outside the platform. The Qi and blood in his chest churned, leaving him unable to get up for the moment.

A burst of mocking laughter rose from the Blazing Mountain Martial Hall's seats.

Bracing himself against the ground, Yu Shi slowly sat up, his face deathly pale and his heart filled with helplessness.

Chen Tie frowned, his gaze settling on Zhao Mang and Shi Kui.

The Qi and blood of ordinary martial artists at flesh refining greater mastery could not surge out of nowhere with such uniform timing at the end of a hard-fought battle. This did not seem like a secret art.

Mo Hong stared at the platform, his face dark, without saying a word.

He suddenly turned his head, fixing Yue Zhengshan with a gaze like a cold blade, his voice lowered to a whisper.

"You're pushing your Flesh Refining disciples into a pit of fire by having them take New Qi and Blood Pills!"

The smile faded from Yue Zhengshan's face, and his expression turned awkward. A moment later, he sneered.

"As long as they win!"

"These people have mediocre aptitude to begin with. They can't even touch the threshold of Bone Forging. Rather than being stuck in the Flesh Refining Realm their entire lives, why not borrow the pills' power to fight for a little fame and win resources for the martial hall? What's wrong with that?"

"You know perfectly well the hidden dangers of the New Qi and Blood Pill!" Mo Hong's brows knitted tightly. "Sooner or later, it will damage their foundation. By then, there'll be no saving them!"

"That's a matter for later." Yue Zhengshan waved a hand. "The martial path has always been a struggle for one's life. If you want benefits, naturally you must pay a price. As long as the martial hall wins today's competition and claims the prize, it will all be worth it."

Seeing this, Mo Hong said no more.

Another figure leaped onto the platform from the Blazing Mountain Martial Hall's side.

It was another disciple at flesh refining greater mastery, named Zhou Han. He knocked his fists together with dull bangs, swept his gaze over the Fierce Tiger Martial Hall's seats, and shouted, "Fierce Tiger Martial Hall! Is anyone else coming up to fight?"

Quiet murmurs rose below the platform.

"Looks like the Fierce Tiger Martial Hall is going to concede."

"They've lost another three matches in a row. They have no one left at flesh refining greater mastery. There's no point in fighting on."

"Everyone, just enjoy the show. The Fierce Tiger Martial Hall is about to suffer a crushing defeat."

The Fierce Tiger Martial Hall's disciples exchanged looks, bitterness showing on every face.

Yue Zhengshan leaned back in his chair, a faint, mocking smile curling his lips.

"What, no one left? If no one will accept the challenge, you can simply concede this round."

Mo Hong's gaze swept over his disciples before finally settling on Chen Tie.