"He blocked it!"
Everyone present gasped. The power of that Yuan Force fist was no trivial matter — even some of the experts present had to treat it with utmost seriousness.
For that Absolute Kill Seven Wounds Fist was no ordinary Fifth-rank Martial Art. It was among the finest of all Fifth-rank Martial Arts. And yet, such a devastating attack had been blocked by Chu Feng.
However, compared to the others, Chen Wanxi was frowning deeply, her tone far from optimistic: "It won't work. Chu Feng can't hold on for long. The Absolute Kill Seven Wounds Fist — it's not just any simple Fifth-rank Martial Art. It's far more complex than you think!"
In truth, she was exactly right. Although Chu Feng had managed to withstand Ding Chou's Absolute Kill Seven Wounds Fist for the moment, he had merely blocked it. He had no capacity to counterattack.
"I'd like to see how long you can hold out."
Suddenly, the air around Ding Chou trembled. His aura shifted once more, and the Yuan Qi fist he was launching grew even stronger. Its speed increased with every strike, and its ferocity reached a terrifying extreme.
*Boom. Boom. Boom.* The semi-transparent Yuan Qi fists exploded against the golden shield one after another. The tremendous impact forced Chu Feng backward, step by step.
*Damn it — how is this guy so powerful?* Chu Feng had to take Ding Chou seriously. With his own strength, even against a Yuan Martial Second Stage opponent, he should have been able to win with ease. But Ding Chou was different — he could not be judged by normal standards.
His methods were formidable. He was the most powerful opponent Chu Feng had ever faced among his peers.
"Heh heh, dummy — want me to lend you some power?" A playful voice echoed through Chu Feng's mind. It was Egg.
"No. I can beat him with my own strength." Chu Feng was stubborn. He had not yet reached the point of desperation where he had to rely on Egg's cultivation. He wanted to defeat Ding Chou using only his own power.
A thought stirred in Chu Feng's mind, and a wave of barrier power surged forth, enveloping the golden shield. In that instant, the shield's solidity multiplied several times over. No matter how fierce the Yuan Force fists became, they could no longer break it apart.
With the barrier power boosting the golden shield's defense, Chu Feng clenched his right fist, and a golden longsword materialized in his grip. His Mystic Art surged to life, Spiritual Energy boiling within him. Not only did he halt his retreat — he began to advance.
"Look! Chu Feng is actually moving forward! He really is blocking the Absolute Kill Seven Wounds Fist!"
"Heavens — how is that possible? Just surviving such a powerful martial art would be a miracle, yet he's actually pressing forward!"
The crowd erupted in astonished cries. The entire arena, inside and out, was in an uproar. This battle had surpassed all imagination — it was the most intense fight the Young Prodigy Assembly had ever seen.
It had transcended what anyone believed the younger generation capable of. It overturned every expectation. This was no mere clash between rising stars — it was a battle between two true geniuses.
In this moment, Chu Feng held a golden shield in his left hand and a golden longsword in his right. The Yuan Force fists continued to detonate around him, yet he remained unmoved, as though nothing in the world could halt his advance.
One step. Two steps. Three steps. Four steps. Every step Chu Feng took sent a violent tremor through the combat platform, leaving deep footprints in its surface. Each step drained vast amounts of Spiritual Energy and exacted an immense price.
Yet even so, nothing could diminish his resolve. His left hand gripped the shield ever tighter; his right hand held the sword ever steadier. If one looked closely, streaks of lightning could be seen flashing through his eyes.
This was no transformation produced by the Thunder Three Forms — it was a reaction surging from deep within Chu Feng's body. In this moment, he had pushed his power to its absolute limit. This was Chu Feng at his strongest.
"How can this be? Chu Feng can actually do this — and he's only at Spirit Martial 8th Stage!" Su Hen's gaze was locked tightly on the fight, his stern face taut with tension.
Even Su Rou was so shocked that her small mouth fell open. She had long known Chu Feng was a rare genius, but she had never imagined he could be this powerful.
"I refuse to believe you can actually withstand my Absolute Kill Seven Wounds Fist!"
Seeing that his overwhelming offense still couldn't break through Chu Feng's defense, Ding Chou was consumed by fury. He roared again, and the Yuan Force around him exploded outward. His aura surged several times stronger. In this moment, he had stepped into Yuan Martial Third Stage.
"What's going on? Ding Chou's cultivation — it changed? How is he suddenly emitting the aura of Yuan Martial Third Stage?"
"Could it be that he was Yuan Martial Third Stage all along, and used some special technique to conceal his true strength? Is his current cultivation his real level?" Feeling Ding Chou's transformed aura, the crowd found it nearly impossible to believe.
"No — Ding Chou didn't conceal his strength. He enhanced it. That is the power of the Absolute Kill Seven Wounds Fist. It was the Absolute Kill Seven Wounds Fist that elevated his cultivation."
"I never imagined Ding Chou's talent was this extraordinary — to have cultivated the Absolute Kill Seven Wounds Fist to its third layer."
Chen Wanxi's face was filled with disbelief. In the eyes of many, she herself was a cultivation genius. But compared to Ding Chou, she seemed as ordinary as any common talent.
As a Core Disciple of the Lingyun Sect, she knew full well how fearsome the Absolute Kill Seven Wounds Fist was. Although it was a Fifth-rank Martial Art, it was one of the Lingyun Sect's guardian techniques — not something an ordinary disciple could hope to master.
"What? He used a martial art to boost his strength from Yuan Martial Second Stage to Yuan Martial Third Stage? How can such a powerful martial art exist in this world?"
Hearing Chen Wanxi's words, Chen Hui and the others were horrified, unable to maintain their composure. The Absolute Kill Seven Wounds Fist was simply too powerful. It was undoubtedly the most formidable martial art they had ever witnessed.
"Wait — Chu Feng's footsteps haven't stopped. He's still moving forward. But his aura hasn't changed — how is that possible? What's sustaining him? What allows him, at Spirit Martial 8th Stage, to withstand such a devastating attack?"
But when they looked more closely, Chen Hui and the others' expressions changed once more. They realized with astonishment that although Ding Chou's cultivation had risen from Yuan Martial Second Stage to Yuan Martial Third Stage — and his Absolute Kill Seven Wounds Fist had undergone a qualitative improvement — he still could not suppress Chu Feng.
"This is terrifying — is Chu Feng some kind of monster? This defies all reason!"
Everyone was left in stunned amazement, their faces pale with shock. Some were so excited that their bodies trembled, for they believed they were witnessing the birth of a peerless genius.