"Bang, bang, bang!"
Chu Feng and Jie Qingming exchanged blows, fist for fist, kick for kick. Each collision produced a sound like steel striking steel, and the ripples of energy sent tremors through the ground beneath their feet, warping the very air around them.
Their fists moved at incredible speeds, techniques shifting in countless ways. Many at the Xuan Martial realm couldn't even follow the changes in their moves or the speed of their punches. Only peak Xuan Martial experts could perceive the details.
And those who could see, all of them marveled. Because both fighters' abilities were heaven-defying. Their mastery of Mystic Force was impeccable, and their understanding of offense and defense far exceeded ordinary people.
This might be expected from Jie Qingming, as he was a recognized genius. But for Chu Feng to achieve this, and even have a slight edge over Jie Qingming, was truly astonishing. It most likely meant that in terms of martial cultivation attainment, Chu Feng surpassed Jie Qingming.
"How can this be? I'm clearly using a high-grade Mystic Art, yet I still can't gain any advantage. Could he also have cultivated a high-grade Mystic Art? Such techniques are incredibly rare and precious. How could a place like Qingzhou possibly have such a thing?"
Jie Qingming had believed that even if he couldn't defeat Chu Feng with his full strength, he could at least suppress his opponent. After all, his combat experience was vast, and his use of Mystic Force had reached its peak. He never imagined that even going all out, he would still be the one being suppressed by Chu Feng.
In truth, Jie Qingming was very strong. Among all the opponents Chu Feng had faced, aside from that purple-clad girl, Jie Qingming was the one with the greatest combat power.
The pity for him was that his opponent was Chu Feng, whose blood contained a fusion of two types of Divine Thunder. In terms of physical toughness and reaction speed, Chu Feng was indeed superior to Jie Qingming.
"Jie Qingming, using both your hands and feet now, and you still aren't that impressive. I wonder, in a few more years, when I, Chu Feng, catch up to your cultivation level, what will you have left to contend with me?"
Chu Feng mocked him coldly, his eyes glinting with a frigid light. Chu Feng's philosophy was simple: either he didn't offend people, or if he did, he offended them to the bitter end, because with enemies, there should be no middle ground.
"Hmph, catch up to me? That depends on whether you get the chance."
Jie Qingming snorted coldly. The footwork beneath him suddenly began to change, becoming even faster than before. Each step he took laid the groundwork for the next in an extremely profound manner.
At the same time, Jie Qingming's fists grew heavier, each blow descending like a mountain peak. In this state, he counterattacked, forcing Chu Feng to retreat step after step.
"Damn it, has this guy been hiding his true strength?"
Chu Feng's brows furrowed. He sensed that Jie Qingming's punches were heavier and faster, having surpassed his own. If this continued, and they only exchanged blows hand-to-hand, Chu Feng would undoubtedly be defeated.
"Haha! Jie Qingming is finally using his full power! No wonder—I said how could Jie Qingming possibly not be a match for that Chu Feng? As expected, once he gets serious, Chu Feng is done for!"
Seeing Jie Qingming gain the upper hand and push Chu Feng back, those who favored Jie Qingming were instantly ecstatic, their spirits soaring.
"How underhanded! Jie Qingming is secretly using a martial art." Xu Zhongyu frowned, seeing through Jie Qingming's methods. Then, an idea struck him, and he called out loudly, "Jie Qingming, Chu Feng is still fighting you with just his fists and feet, yet you're using Cloud-Walking Steps and Mountain-Toppling Fist? That's rather unsportsmanlike, isn't it?"
"You might fool others, but you can't fool me, Xu Zhongyu! Your Cloud-Walking Steps and Mountain-Toppling Fist both generate power from within. Externally, they don't look like martial arts, but those unique movements betray you."
Upon hearing this, the people from the Spirit World Association also chimed in, each shouting at the top of their lungs, "So that's it! No wonder Jie Qingming suddenly became so powerful—it turns out he was secretly using martial arts."
"Those movement changes are indeed the Cloud-Walking Steps and Mountain-Toppling Fist of the Jie clan. You can hide it from others, but you can't hide it from us at the Spirit World Association."
"So he was using a martial art. That explains how you suddenly got stronger." At that moment, Chu Feng also realized the truth. He immediately changed his techniques, circulating the Void Flight Technique under his feet to generate gusts of wind, and spread his fists open into palms to unleash the Illusory Palm.
"Swish, swish!" Chu Feng's Illusory Palm had already reached its highest realm. Now, as he executed it again, it was no longer just palms—it was a wall built of overlapping palm strikes, rushing forward, its real and fake forms impossible to distinguish.
"Bang!" Suddenly, Chu Feng's single palm descended, striking right onto Jie Qingming's chest. However, the moment his palm hit Jie Qingming's chest, Chu Feng's palm and arm were immediately filled with a numbing sensation. A powerful rebound force struck him, sending him stumbling back several meters, nearly falling to the ground.
Raising his hand to look, Chu Feng was shocked to find that his palm had turned purple, filled with a mass of bruised blood. This single palm strike had ended up injuring him. If not for his formidable physical body, his hand would likely have been crippled.
"What's going on? It was clearly Chu Feng who hit Jie Qingming, so why was he the one sent flying back?" This sudden turn of events caught the onlookers' attention, leaving them equally astonished.
"It's bad. It's the Thorn Armor on Jie Qingming's body. It has the effect of rebounding attacks. Moreover, it doesn't even need to be activated to provide this defensive backlash. When Chu Feng fights Jie Qingming head-on, hitting him doesn't matter. If he lands a blow, the only one who gets hurt is himself," Xu Zhongyu said worriedly.
"Chu Feng, don't attack him with your physical body! The Thorn Armor on him is very powerful. Even if he doesn't activate it, it will automatically defend and also inflict rebound damage on the attacker!" Hearing this, Gu Bo quickly shouted out.
"So that's how it is. But that's fine, it's just right for me to test that move."
Learning the reason, Chu Feng smiled faintly. Instead of retreating, his footwork changed, and he dashed toward Jie Qingming once more. Only this time, a layer of pale green energy enveloped his body.
The pale green energy covered the surface of Chu Feng's clothes, invisible unless one looked carefully. But upon closer inspection, one would discover that this pale green substance had unique patterns within it and radiated an aura of indestructibility. It was a secret technique: the Xuan Martial Shield Art.
"Hmph, truly overestimating yourself." Seeing Chu Feng charge again, Jie Qingming didn't dodge or evade, simply letting Chu Feng come at him. With his strange armor for protection, he didn't believe he could be harmed by Chu Feng. On the contrary, only Chu Feng would be hurt.
"Swish!" And just then, Chu Feng had arrived before Jie Qingming. The Mystic Force within his body surged, coordinating his waist and stance outside, and he threw a punch straight at Jie Qingming's face.
"Hum!" Just as expected, the moment Chu Feng's punch was about to strike Jie Qingming's face, a layer of faint red gas emerged from within Jie Qingming's body. If one looked closely, they could see that the gas was covered in thorns, containing the power of rebound.
Even so, Chu Feng didn't hesitate in the slightest. Instead, he deliberately increased his force. Then, with a "bang," his fist slammed into that red gas.
But after that impact, this time Chu Feng was not sent flying back. Instead, Jie Qingming's feet went light as he was blasted away by Chu Feng's punch.