167: Chapter 167 Battle Against Mighty Vajra

On the arena, two figures stood in confrontation.

The lake breeze swept over from the water, causing the cloud-patterned flags at the four corners to snap and flutter.

The noise from below the stage gradually faded away; everyone could feel the oppressive pressure that comes before a torrential rain.

Lin Tian did not let his guard down.

His hand rested on the hilt of the autumn water sword, and the moment his fingertips touched the cold, smooth hilt, Chen Yixiao opposite him had already moved.

He did not slowly close the distance; he charged over with a direct palm strike.

Although Chen Yixiao's figure was burly, he did not move slowly at all.

He stomped hard with his foot, causing a circle of fine cracks to appear on the bluestone platform, and he rushed toward Lin Tian like a cannonball fired from a chamber.

He struck out with his right palm toward the chest, the wind of the palm breaking through the air with a low, whistling sound. His palm was wrapped in a layer of pale golden Qi—the Great Strength Vajra Palm, the authentic technique of Chixia Peak, a Yellow Rank High-Grade martial art, known for its ferocity and dominance.

Chen Yixiao had practiced this palm technique to an extremely profound Realm; when he struck, the palm power remained concentrated and did not disperse, and the air where the palm wind passed was slightly distorted by the pressure.

This palm strike slammed toward Lin Tian's right arm.

It was not a vital spot, but the intention was extremely shrewd—first cripple the hand holding the sword, and see what kind of trouble you can still stir up.

Lin Tian let out a cold snort, and the moment the autumn water sword was unsheathed, he flourished it into a sword flower.

The sword edge carved a cold, clear arc in the sunlight, precisely slashing toward Chen Yixiao's incoming wrist.

This strike was tricky; if Chen Yixiao continued his palm strike, his wrist would collide with the blade on its own.

Chen Yixiao's right palm suddenly stopped in mid-air.

It was not forced to stop by the sword light; he stopped it himself—that rough, large hand stopped exactly when he wanted, transitioning from extreme movement to extreme stillness without a hint of hesitation.

Immediately after, his left palm flipped out from his waist, striking toward Lin Tian's waist and ribs from an extremely tricky angle.

The two palms coordinated seamlessly, one overt and one covert, one frontal and one flanking.

Lin Tian sidestepped, using the Cloud Shadow Step to take half a step within a confined space, narrowly dodging the flanking palm.

At the same time, he thrust the autumn water sword in his hand, and several streaks of sword light appeared, once again slashing toward Chen Yixiao's palm.

This time, Chen Yixiao did not dodge, nor did he change his move.

He let out an angry roar and struck with both palms; his two fan-like hands, wrapped in pale golden Qi, met Lin Tian's sword light head-on.

A thunderous sound exploded on the arena; the sword light collided with the palm power and was actually blocked by sheer force.

The Qi energy exploded outward from the center of the collision, and the air above the arena was shaken, creating visible ripples.

The crowd below the stage immediately erupted.

"He caught it barehanded! Chen Yixiao caught the sword light barehanded!"

"Is this physique too overbearing? With the Great Strength Vajra Palm combined with Chixia Peak's Body Refining technique, his hands are weapons! Who dares to clash with him head-on in the same Realm?"

"Lin Tian's sword light previously even split Liu Yidao's Golden Light Blade Technique, yet it didn't move an inch when crashing against Chen Yixiao's palm power. This guy's defense is harder than a blade!"

Lin Tian's expression sank slightly.

Although he had only used five streaks of sword light in that strike, with the augmentation of the autumn water sword, ordinary blades would have at least chipped upon impact.

Yet Chen Yixiao received it head-on with his bare palms, and there wasn't even a red mark left on his palms.

He stopped testing; he suddenly raised the Internal Energy in his Dantian, and the sword light on the autumn water sword surged abruptly. Seven streaks of sword light lit up simultaneously, slashing toward Chen Yixiao like a downpour.

Chen Yixiao also pushed the Great Strength Vajra Palm to its limit.

He struck with his palms in rapid succession, palm shadows overlapping; the golden palm wind and the seven-colored sword light collided crazily in mid-air, the thunderous sounds incessant.

The two sides exchanged several moves, each one a solid, hard clash.

Lin Tian was shaken back a step, his foot leaving a shallow footprint on the bluestone platform.

His arm felt slightly numb, and a wave of soreness radiated from the web between his thumb and index finger—what powerful strength.

He could clearly feel that Chen Yixiao's palm technique contained an extremely strange Internal Energy.

Every time the sword and palm collided, that Internal Energy surged over like ocean waves, one layer after another. The first layer shook away his sword momentum, the second layer crashed into his Internal Energy, and the third layer had already seized the gap in his defense to drill into his Meridians.

Lin Tian hurriedly used his own Internal Energy to set up layers of defense within his Meridians, neutralizing the residual palm power that had seeped in, only then preventing his arm from losing sensation.

Chen Yixiao's offensive became increasingly fierce.

That pair of large hands seemed to have truly become the hands of a Vajra; the golden Qi wrapping the palms grew brighter, and every palm strike carried the force to split monuments and crack stones.

Lin Tian's autumn water sword was struck until it roared incessantly; the blade vibrated, and the humming sound from the tip of the sword became increasingly sharp.

He was being suppressed.

It was not that his sword technique was inferior, but the gap in strength.

Chen Yixiao had been immersed in the Late Stage of the Fourth Rank for many years; his Internal Energy was inherently deeper than his own. Furthermore, having cultivated Chixia Peak's Body Refining technique, his raw strength combined with his Internal Energy, a head-on clashing style was naturally his greatest strength.

Lin Tian's long sword was gradually suppressed by the opponent's fierce palm power, unable to unfold its momentum, and his footsteps retreated bit by bit.

A string of shallow footprints was left on the arena, extending all the way from the center of the arena to the edge.

"Look, look! Lin Tian is being suppressed! Although he has many sword lights, he simply cannot break through Chen Yixiao's palm power!"

"Chen Yixiao is too strong; I feel no one is his match. This Team 7 captain position will surely be his."

"Lin Tian is already not weak, to be able to push Chen Yixiao to this extent, but Chen Yixiao is stronger."

The members of Team 6 turned pale.

Chen Lang clenched his fists, his nails digging into the flesh of his palms; his lips moved as if wanting to shout something, but he couldn't get it out.

Another team member was so anxious that he stomped his feet below the stage: "Junior Brother Lin, hold on!"

Ma Gang stood in the front row of the crowd with his arms crossed, his brows knitted into a knot. Watching the figure on the arena constantly retreating, he muttered to himself: Only by dodging is there a chance. Clashing strength head-on with Chen Yixiao is the most foolish strategy.

On the arena, the more Chen Yixiao fought, the more excited he became.

He could feel Lin Tian's sword momentum weakening and could sense the opponent's footsteps becoming unsteady.

Just three more palm strikes, at most three, and he would be able to knock this most troublesome opponent off the arena.

He took a deep breath, the Internal Energy in his Dantian erupting with a roar. He raised his right palm high, and the Internal Energy gathered at his palm had brightened into a ball of pale golden light.

He took a step forward, and the bluestone beneath his feet cracked directly; he struck down toward Lin Tian's chest with one palm.

Ma Gang's pupils contracted violently, and he shouted out involuntarily: "Oh no! Lin Tian is going to lose!"

Chen Lang also shouted: "Junior Brother Lin, dodge! Don't take it head-on!"

Then Ma Gang froze. Because he saw that Lin Tian did not dodge, but instead still swung his sword to meet it.

His heart sank rapidly—he was going to lose.

Even from a dozen zhang away, he could feel the pressure of the palm wind from this strike. Taking it head-on, no matter how exquisite Lin Tian's sword technique was, the gap in strength was right there; the sword light would be directly shattered by the palm power, and he would be knocked off the arena, person and sword alike.

The smile at the corners of Chen Yixiao's mouth widened a little more.

The opponent's sword technique was indeed good, but in the face of absolute strength, no matter how exquisite the sword technique was, it was useless.

After this palm strike, the position of Team 7 captain would be his, Chen Yixiao's.

Lin Tian indeed did not dodge.

He still struck with his sword, but this time, the light illuminating the body of the autumn water sword was no longer the seven-colored glow.

It was a blinding, incandescent light, like lightning.

The frequency of the blade's vibration changed in an instant from a soft, continuous tremor to an extremely high-frequency, violent oscillation. The Internal Energy rubbed against the blade at high speed, emitting an extremely sharp metallic trill.

Then, facing that massive palm wrapped in golden Qi, he thrust his sword out.