"Confidence is something you give yourself. Enough talk — go ahead and make your move. I'll give you a chance to show what you can do, so that when I strike first and finish you in one hit, you won't lose face entirely."
Jie Qingming stood with one hand clasped behind his back and the other held open before his chest, striking the pose of a peerless master. He deliberately raised his voice so that everyone would know — in his view, Chu Feng wasn't even worthy of facing him in battle.
"If you're being that generous, then let me test whether that one hand of yours can actually block my attacks."
Chu Feng let out a cold smile, then stepped forward and shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow. By the time he landed in front of Jie Qingming, he hadn't activated any martial art — he simply charged in bare-handed.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Chu Feng's fists whistled through the air, blazing fast, his moves shifting endlessly. The sheer speed and variation of each simple punch bewildered Jie Qingming's eyes, leaving him at a total loss as to how to defend.
"How is this possible? This kid's speed and strength — they're actually this terrifying?"
In that instant, Jie Qingming's expression changed drastically. The composure he'd worn moments ago vanished without a trace, replaced by undisguised shock. Before him, Chu Feng moved like an army of ten thousand, and with only one hand to work with, Jie Qingming couldn't block and couldn't counter — all he could do was leap backward to avoid the brunt of the assault.
Swoosh!
Jie Qingming vaulted backward, but Chu Feng stuck to him like a shadow, pressing the attack once more. Jie Qingming's brows knotted tight, yet he had no solution and could only keep retreating.
And so, across that vast open field, a jaw-dropping scene unfolded. The same Jie Qingming who'd been boasting moments ago — claiming he could defeat Chu Feng with a single hand — was now being chased all over the place, scrambling in utter disarray.
"What's going on? Why doesn't Jie Qingming fight back?"
"Isn't it obvious? Jie Qingming is clearly holding back, letting Chu Feng have his moment of arrogance. The second Jie Qingming actually strikes, he'll defeat Chu Feng in one blow and show him the enormous gap between them." Some people still placed absolute faith in Jie Qingming, convinced he was merely toying with Chu Feng.
"This Chu Feng is incredible. His attacks are airtight — speed and power are both exceptional, and his technique shifts with perfect ingenuity."
"The combat strength he's displaying is practically on par with a Xuan Martial seventh-level expert. Looks like Jie Qingming underestimated his opponent this time — he might take a serious fall."
But compared to those who blindly believed in Jie Qingming, Xu Zhongyu, who knew Jie Qingming better, had picked up on what was really happening. He figured that if Jie Qingming kept refusing to fight back, defeat was almost certain.
"I told you — Brother Chu Feng's combat strength is monstrous. You believe me now, don't you?"
"Jie Qingming may be strong, but at the same cultivation level, he's absolutely no match for Brother Chu Feng. Even if he pulls out an extraordinary weapon, the outcome is still far from certain." Seeing Xu Zhongyu praise Chu Feng, Gu Bo beamed with pride, as though the compliments were directed at him.
"Brother Zhongyu, you don't understand the power of extraordinary weapons. Chu Feng's combat strength really is something, but Jie Qingming is no fool either. If he truly activates an extraordinary weapon, I doubt Chu Feng could withstand it." Xu Zhongyu shook his head. Now that he himself wore an extraordinary weapon, he knew all too well just how terrifying their power could be.
"Brother Zhongyu, Chu Feng has his own trump cards. Back in the Shura Ghost Tower, Jie Bufan was wearing Jie Qingming's Thorn Armor, but Chu Feng still beat him like a dog. If I hadn't stepped in to stop things, Chu Feng would have killed Jie Bufan that day — not even an extraordinary weapon could have saved him." Gu Bo leaned close to Xu Zhongyu's ear and explained in a low voice.