"Cultivation is sufficient — the question is how strong his combat power truly is."
Yan Xie smiled faintly, then shifted his footwork and transformed into a streak of light, arriving before Chu Feng in an instant.
He didn't deploy any martial art, opting instead for close-quarters combat.
Snap, snap, snap—
Yan Xie's palms danced through the air, seal after seal flying in a dazzling display too fast for the eye to follow.
This still wasn't a martial art — just raw physical attacks. But in his hands, they were no less devastating than any technique.
At Yan Xie's level, a finger flick could shatter the void and a single step could crack the earth. His mastery of martial force had been refined to its absolute peak; every move carried terrifying power, every gesture was executed with otherworldly finesse.
A true expert needed only one exchange to reveal his caliber. The moment Yan Xie struck, Chu Feng felt an enormous wave of pressure bear down on him. In that instant, every joint and every point on his body screamed with deadly threat.
If even one of those strikes connected, it wouldn't just injure a single spot — every joint in Chu Feng's body would be shattered beyond repair, a defeat from which there was no recovery.
This was the first time, under equal cultivation, that Chu Feng had felt such overwhelming pressure. Yan Xie was truly formidable.
But even so, Chu Feng remained calm and composed. He thrust both palms forward like twin blades — not choosing defense, but counterattack — and swung his hand blades straight at Yan Xie's wrists.
Though they were palms, they cut sharper than any blade. The wrist was a vulnerable spot; if Chu Feng's strike landed, Yan Xie's hands would be sliced clean through.
Yan Xie was an expert too. He saw what Chu Feng intended and, sensing the danger, shifted his technique — transforming his palms into fists and driving them toward Chu Feng's hand blades. He planned to use the unyielding hardness of his iron fists to shatter Chu Feng's strikes outright.
Chu Feng knew Yan Xie's iron fists were harder than his own hand blades. He clenched all ten fingers into fists as well, matching steel against steel.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—
The two fists collided, producing a rapid series of thunderous booms. Their speed was too great — in close combat, a fist was no longer just a fist, and a foot was no longer just a foot.
But that wasn't the point. What mattered was that after this head-on exchange, both of them were sent stumbling back a single step. Fist against fist — neither had gained the upper hand.
"What skill!" Yan Xie roared, his excitement plain to see. Then he swept his sleeve, and torrents of martial force surged outward, forming a golden vortex that spun with violent speed.
The vortex was so powerful that it twisted and shattered the very void. Chu Feng knew this was no longer simple manipulation of martial force — it was a martial art.
Not just any martial art, but a Forbidden technique, and an Earth Forbidden one at that. Yan Xie was finally getting serious.
Whoosh—
Chu Feng shot backward. At the same time, he pressed his palms together, and in that instant, five elements — wind, thunder, water, fire, and earth — erupted from his surroundings.
Just then, the golden vortex came sweeping in, close enough to touch.
However, the five elements also coalesced into a vortex of their own, orbiting around Chu Feng and wrapping him in an impenetrable shell.
Boom—
The two forces collided, and explosions erupted everywhere. But despite the shockwaves radiating outward, neither martial art dissipated. Instead, they hovered in the sky like two enormous, radiant compasses, spinning in opposition.
The closer they drew, the more intense the clash became. But as the pressure mounted, the golden vortex began to weaken — until finally, it dissipated into nothing.
"This…"
Every member of the Yan Clan was stunned. They had never imagined that the martial art duel would end with Yan Xie's defeat.
"Earth Forbidden Sea of Fire Technique."
But Yan Xie didn't lose heart. With a thought, his robes billowed, and in that moment he seemed no longer human but a god of fire. Boundless flames rose into towering waves, carrying savage roars as they swept in every direction, pressing down upon Chu Feng.
Boom—
In the blink of an eye, Yan Xie's Earth Forbidden Sea of Fire Technique collided with Chu Feng's Earth Forbidden Five Elements Array.
Chu Feng's Earth Forbidden Five Elements Array had already taken severe damage from its earlier clash against Yan Xie's golden vortex. Facing this new assault — Yan Xie's Earth Forbidden Sea of Fire Technique — it immediately began to falter. Under wave after wave of ferocious fire wolves crashing against it, the array grew weaker and weaker.