Shi Feng's words seemed to strike directly at Yi Kui's soul, instantly turning the latter's face an iron-grey hue.
He was indeed surprised that Shi Feng had managed to block his punch — but it was nothing more than surprise.
Because the surprise was that Shi Feng happened to be a Grandmaster of Transformative Force. Though his punch had appeared fierce and overwhelming, he hadn't used his full strength — only fifty percent of his power. After all, if things got out of hand, he wouldn't be able to smooth things over, and even Lu Tiandi wouldn't be able to protect him.
Yet he never expected that his restraint would be completely exploited by Shi Feng, turning him into a laughingstock in front of everyone present — utterly and thoroughly humiliating him.
As a distinguished Grandmaster of External Cultivation, even the heads of the world's great financial conglomerates had to treat him with courtesy and reverence whenever they met him. Transformative Grandmasters scattered at the mere sight of him. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
"You're asking for death!"
Yi Kui shifted his footwork, took a single step forward, and launched another punch with his other hand.
Half-Step Crushing Fist!
This time, Yi Kui held nothing back. His only thought was making Shi Feng regret every word he had just said.
And just like before, Shi Feng raised a palm to block it, as if he hadn't noticed at all that this punch from Yi Kui was an all-out strike with no restraint whatsoever.
A cold smile crept across the corner of Yi Kui's mouth.
At fifty percent strength, his punches were indeed no great threat to a Grandmaster of Transformative Force — they could be neutralized with raw power and technique alone. But his full-power strike was a different matter entirely. Even a Grandmaster of Transformative Force wouldn't dare take it head-on with both hands, or their bones would certainly shatter. And yet Shi Feng, blissfully ignorant of the gap between them, was trying to block the very same way.
BOOM!
The resulting shockwave from the impact was noticeably stronger than before.
But this time, Yi Kui stared at Shi Feng in utter disbelief, because the outcome was exactly the same as the first punch — blocked once again by that single palm of Shi Feng's…
Yi Kui's mind went completely blank. He couldn't fathom what was going on.
"Did I subconsciously hold back because I was worried about causing a serious incident?"
The thought crept into the depths of his mind, because that was the only explanation that made sense. Otherwise, how could a Grandmaster of Transformative Force possibly withstand one of his punches head-on?
But in the instant Yi Kui was stunned, Shi Feng gave him no time to react. Both hands shot forward, knocking Yi Kui's arms aside. In the same fluid motion, Shi Feng stepped forward and drove a palm strike straight toward Yi Kui's chest — the blow erupting with a sound like thunder splitting the earth.
The strike was so fast that Yi Kui had no time to react. Like a dragonfly skimming the water's surface, the palm merely touched him and it was over in an instant.
Yi Kui didn't consider it a threat in the slightest. His body had long since developed an instinctive defense — the moment an enemy attacked, every muscle in his body would clench tight, becoming as hard as steel while simultaneously flowing like water to dissipate the force of impact.
His training in pain resistance and physical resilience had achieved a true mastery of hardness and softness in harmony; otherwise, he could never have become a Grandmaster of External Cultivation.
Grandmasters of Transformative Force excelled in technique, while Grandmasters of External Cultivation prided themselves on their physical resilience. Put simply, they could take a beating — you could strike them hundreds or thousands of times, and they'd still be standing. But if even one of their blows landed on you, everything was over.
BOOM!
After taking Shi Feng's palm strike, Yi Kui hadn't retreated a single step. His expression remained unchanged as he quietly watched Shi Feng, as if mocking the strike as nothing more than a gentle breeze barely worth mentioning.
No one present was the least bit surprised.
That was simply how powerful a Grandmaster of External Cultivation was. Trying to injure these monsters with mere fists and legs was nothing short of a joke. This was exactly why, even in the Upper District, every major conglomerate desperately sought to recruit or curry favor with such individuals.
"Kid, I'll admit your strength isn't small — you can block my fists. But hurting me? That's impossible." Yi Kui dusted off his clothes with a look of disdain. "Meanwhile, how long can a Transformative Grandmaster like you keep up with my attacks before you run out of steam?"
It was true that Grandmasters of Transformative Force possessed extraordinary control over their bodies, but in terms of raw stamina, they were far inferior to Grandmasters of External Cultivation, who specialized in physical conditioning.
A Grandmaster of External Cultivation could fight someone for three days and three nights without issue, whereas a Grandmaster of Transformative Force would be hard-pressed to last half a day.
Because of this, Transformative Grandmasters often cursed External Grandmasters as indestructible turtles — nothing but brute thugs with simple minds and overdeveloped bodies.