51: Chapter 51 A Showdown

Three days passed in a flash amidst the rising clamor and anticipation both inside and outside the martial arts hall.

On the day of the duel, before dawn had even broken, the massive training ground of the Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall was already bustling with noise and excitement.

A dense crowd of people jostled for space. Almost all the Disciples currently at the hall, whether they were on duty or not, had arrived early just to grab a prime spot to clearly see the arena.

Discussions, speculations, and excited shouts intertwined into a boiling ocean of sound.

In the courtyard where Du Fei was in secluded cultivation, the stone door slowly opened.

Dressed in a dark black martial outfit that made his figure look even taller and straighter, a sharp light occasionally flickered in his eyes. His Aura was deep and condensed, showing that he had also been meticulously adjusting his state over the past three days.

With a cold, determined smile playing on the corner of his lips, he stepped out.

"So what if we are both second-grade?" he muttered to himself, his confidence as solid as iron. "I, Du Fei, have cultivated hard for several years. How can a guy who rushed his progress purely on luck compare to my solid Foundation?"

"Today, I will let everyone see clearly who the true Genius is!"

Holding his head high, he walked toward the specially raised and reinforced arena in the center of the training ground.

Wherever he passed, the crowd parted like a dividing tide, automatically carving out a path.

"Senior Brother Du is here!"

"Senior Brother Du is bound to win!"

"Senior Brother Du, let that kid know what real second-grade strength is!"

"Du Fei! Du Fei!"

His supporters waved their arms, letting out passionate cheers and shouts of encouragement, creating a massive momentum.

Du Fei's expression remained calm. He merely nodded slightly, his gaze already locked onto the arena from afar.

On the temporarily constructed viewing platform directly north of the arena, Hall Master Chen Qingfeng, his daughter Senior Sister Chen Yu, first Disciple Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang, and several core Elders were already seated.

Seeing Du Fei's arrival, Senior Sister Chen Yu's beautiful eyes flickered as she whispered to her father beside her, "Father, who do you think will win this match?"

Chen Qingfeng's gaze was deep as he looked at Du Fei, whose Aura was deep and condensed in the distance. He said slowly, "By normal logic, Du Fei has a higher chance of winning. He has been at the Peak of the first-grade for a long time, so his Breakthrough this time was a natural progression, and his Foundation is solid."

Controlling second-grade power also takes time to adapt, but the Earth Fist he Cultivates is known for its strength—heavy, steady, and extremely solid.

"On the other hand, Lin Tian..."

He paused, a strange light flashing in his eyes. "This kid is far too 'unconventional'."

"In just over a year, going from nothing straight to the second-grade—such cultivation speed is something I've never even heard of, let alone seen. To what extent his strength has reached, how his actual combat experience is, and whether he can perfectly control the robust vital energy in his body... even I cannot see through him."

"The outcome of this match is a fifty-fifty split. Perhaps... Lin Tian might even give us more surprises."

Hearing this, a hint of surprise appeared on Senior Sister Chen Yu's cold face. Even her father couldn't clearly see the outcome?

She couldn't help but feel a deeper curiosity and expectation toward the youth who had seemed a bit dull in the study that day, whom she had also "guided."

Just then, another wave of commotion suddenly erupted from the other side of the crowd, the sound wave even drowning out the noise of Du Fei's arrival.

"Senior Brother Lin! It's Senior Brother Lin!"

"Senior Brother Lin is here!"

"Lin Tian! Keep it up!"

Liu Yunfeng, Wang Yu, and the others squeezed to the very front of the crowd, waving their arms and shouting with all their might, their faces flushed with excitement.

Behind them, many Disciples who were originally neutral also joined the cheering crowd, either out of admiration for Lin Tian's cultivation speed or dislike for Du Fei's usual behavior.

Lin Tian walked forward with steady steps through the path parted by the crowd.

He was still dressed in a simple grey-blue martial arts hall outfit. His expression was calm, and his gaze was clear, without a hint of tension or excitement, as if he were merely attending an ordinary morning practice.

However, that condensed Aura, which had been nurtured through three days of quiet meditation and was now at its Peak state, secretly startled some of the older Disciples with sharper eyes.

His arrival completely pushed the atmosphere of the scene to its climax!

On the arena, Du Fei, who had been waiting for a long time, suddenly turned around. His gaze shot toward the approaching Lin Tian like cold lightning.

His voice, carrying unconcealed Battle Intent and cold arrogance, pierced through the noisy crowd: "Lin Tian, I have been waiting for you for a long time! Why don't you come up and fight me?!"

Lin Tian looked up, his gaze colliding with Du Fei's in midair. With a slight curl of his lips, he laughed heartily, "As you wish!"

Before his voice had even faded, his foot lightly tapped the ground. Without any visible exertion, his body was like a weightless fallen leaf,

drifting lightly yet incredibly swiftly onto the five-foot-high arena. He stood thirty feet away from Du Fei, his figure as steady as a mountain.

"Excellent footwork!" On the viewing platform, Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang's eyes flashed as he praised in a low voice.

To step onto the stage with such ease showed that his control over his strength had reached a marvelous level.

Hall Master Chen Qingfeng slowly stood up and walked to the edge of the arena. His gaze swept over the dense crowd below, then looked at the two confronting each other on the stage.

Channeling his Internal Energy, his voice was not loud, yet it clearly entered everyone's ears, instantly suppressing all the noise:

"Silence!"

The training ground instantly became so quiet that a dropped needle could be heard.

"Today's duel is solely to determine the ownership of the final Imperial Guard recommendation spot from our Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall," Chen Qingfeng's voice boomed like a great bell.

"The winner will obtain this Opportunity and represent our hall in the subsequent selection. The loser is also a talent of our hall; there is no need to be discouraged, for there will be plenty of time in the future."

"However, you two must remember that while victory and defeat are important on the stage, the bond of fellow Disciples is even more important! This is a sparring match; stop when the point is made."

"I will personally supervise the battle here. If anyone dares to intentionally deliver a killing blow or intends to severely injure or cripple a fellow Disciple, do not blame me for acting mercilessly and punishing them severely!"

These words were both a warning and a reassurance. Both Du Fei and Lin Tian cupped their fists and replied, "We will keep it in mind!"

"Good!" Chen Qingfeng took a step back and returned to his seat. His eyes, bright as torches, locked onto the arena as he uttered the two fate-deciding words in a deep voice:

"Begin!"

While the lingering sound of "Begin" was still echoing around the arena, a fierce light suddenly erupted from Du Fei's eyes!

He knew very well that Lin Tian's footwork was strange and swift, and he absolutely could not allow him to fully utilize his speed advantage.

Right then, he stomped his foot heavily on the solid wooden boards of the arena, making a dull, loud boom. His Wind-Chasing Footwork at the level of Perfection was fully unleashed, and he shot forward like a cannonball,

carrying a heavy and powerful Aura, instantly crossing the thirty-foot distance to pounce straight at Lin Tian!

With a few flashing, rapid advances, he was already within five feet of Lin Tian!

"Take my punch!"

Du Fei growled, clenching his right fist as the muscles on his arm bulged. An earthy yellow glow faintly flowed beneath his skin as he threw a straightforward punch straight at Lin Tian's chest!

Before the wind of the punch even arrived, a heavy, mountain-like pressure rushed at him, as if he were facing not a fist of flesh and blood, but a small hill pressing down from the sky!

Earth Fist!

The fist technique was heavy and possessed boundless strength, most adept at overwhelming others with pure force!

Lin Tian's pupils contracted slightly, but he neither dodged nor avoided it. He also wanted to personally gauge just how strong this veteran Genius, whom the hall master had praised for having a "solid Foundation," was in terms of pure strength.

"Come on!"

Lin Tian sank into a horse stance and took a deep breath. The vital energy circulated by his Five Elements Stance at Perfection instantly surged. He clenched his right hand into a fist,

a pale golden glow covering his fist. Facing that earthy yellow fist shadow, he fiercely punched out with the most fierce and direct move of the Metal Element Fist, "Straight to the Dragon's Lair"!

The edge of his fist pierced the air, bringing a sharp whistling sound, incomparably sharp like a spear or halberd!

"Boom—!!!"

The two fists collided solidly! A deafening roar erupted!

A violent wave of air exploded outward with their fists as the center, blowing their robes into a wild backward dance. The wooden boards of the arena creaked under the unbearable weight.

The earthy yellow fist energy shook violently but remained as unyielding as a mountain. Meanwhile, that sharp, pale-golden fist force seemed to hit a copper wall and iron barrier,

letting out a sharp, wailing sound as it was forcefully rebounded!

Thud, thud, thud!

Lin Tian's body retreated three steps backward uncontrollably, leaving deep footprints stamped into the wooden boards beneath his feet before he finally stabilized himself. His right arm, which held the fist, felt numb, and his vital energy churned slightly.

"What powerful strength!" Lin Tian felt a chill in his heart. The force of the opponent's punch was steady and heavy, with a long-lasting aftereffect, definitely exceeding two thousand catties!

Moreover, the force was condensed as one, clearly tempered through thousands of refinements, incomparable to someone who had just entered the second-grade.

In terms of pure strength, he was indeed slightly inferior by half a notch.

"Haha! Nothing more than this!" Du Fei pressed his advantage. Seeing Lin Tian forced back, a flash of contempt and pride flickered in his eyes.

Exerting force with his feet once more, he pursued closely like a shadow. He threw out a succession of punches, the earthy yellow fist shadows layering over one another like a storm of soil and stone, threatening to completely submerge Lin Tian!

"Continuous Thick Earth!"

Lin Tian stopped clashing head-on.

Instantly activating his Wind-Chasing Footwork at the level of Perfection, his figure became elusive and unpredictable, like catkins in a gale, rapidly weaving and dodging through the sky full of heavy fist shadows.

When there was absolutely no way to avoid them, he would use defensive fist moves from the Wood Element Fist, such as "Vines Wrapping the Tree" and "Falling Leaves Fluttering," to neutralize and block them.

The force of the Wood Element Fist was soft yet resilient, with a long-lasting aftereffect. Although a single contact could not completely cancel out Du Fei's terrifying strength, its strength lay in continuously dispersing the force, overcoming hardness with softness.

Lin Tian's fists and palms danced, like an old vine in the forest, wrapping, entwining, dispersing, and guiding.

He repeatedly diverted and neutralized Du Fei's heavy punches, which were capable of shattering mountains and splitting stones.

Although he was forced to retreat continuously and move around the arena, seemingly at a disadvantage, he never showed any sign of defeat, maintaining a watertight defense.

"Great! Senior Brother Lin's defense is beautiful!"

"Senior Brother Du's offensive is too fierce! It's not easy for Senior Brother Lin just to block it!"

"It looks like Senior Brother Lin is being completely suppressed..."

The audience below watched without blinking, letting out continuous gasps of surprise.

In the eyes of most people, Du Fei's offensive was like a tide, pressing closer step by step, while Lin Tian only had the ability to parry and dodge without any power to strike back. Defeat seemed to be only a matter of time.

However, in the eyes of the several experts on the viewing platform, expressions of solemnity and surprise appeared.

"This kid's Wood Element Fist..." Senior Sister Chen Yu's beautiful eyes shone with brilliant colors as she whispered, "To think he has actually trained it to such a pure level?"

"This resilient wrapping force and the seamless connection of subsequent power is definitely not that of a beginner. It's at least at the level of Major Achievement! How long has he even been practicing?"

Chen Qingfeng stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes showing satisfaction and a trace of hard-to-detect anticipation. "More than that."

"Yu'er, look closely. Although he defends more than he attacks, his steps are not messy at all, and his breathing remains long and steady. He clearly hasn't used his full strength."

"Although Du Fei's Earth Fist is fierce, it has never truly broken through his defensive circle... Furthermore, this kid's trump card hasn't even been revealed yet."

"Trump card?" Senior Sister Chen Yu was startled.

Chen Qingfeng merely smiled without speaking, gesturing for her to continue watching.

On the arena, Du Fei, unable to secure a victory after a long attack, felt the fire of anxiety in his heart burn hotter and hotter.

He had originally thought he could defeat Lin Tian like dry weeds before a gust of wind by relying on his advantage in strength, but he hadn't expected the opponent's footwork to be so slippery,

and his defense to be so dense and sticky, like nougat, leaving him with immense strength but unable to fully unleash it.

"I can't drag this out! I must end this quickly!" A harsh look flashed in Du Fei's eyes, and his offensive suddenly changed!

He abruptly pulled back his fists and took half a step backward. The earthy yellow glow of vital energy around his body suddenly surged, and his Aura rose by another thirty percent,

as if he had merged with the arena beneath his feet, becoming as heavy as the earth.

He pulled both fists to his waist, then slowly thrust them forward in a slow yet incredibly heavy posture!

"Thick Earth Like a Mountain—Suppress!"

Following his fierce shout, the moment his fists thrust forward, the air above the arena seemed to suddenly solidify, becoming several times heavier!

A giant, earthy yellow fist imprint, condensed to the limit and nearly turning material, was like a mountain rising from the ground. Carrying a terrifying momentum to crush everything, it pressed down right toward Lin Tian's head!

"Wherever the fist imprint passed, the air let out an unbearable, wailing cry, and the wooden boards of the arena cracked inch by inch!"

Earth Fist ultimate move—Thick Earth Like a Mountain!

Once this move was unleashed, its force could carry a thousand jun, sealing off all directions. There was no way to dodge it; one could only face it head-on!

"Not good!"

"Senior Brother Du used his ultimate move!"

"Senior Brother Lin, dodge quickly!"

"He can't dodge it! The momentum of this punch has locked onto him!"

An instant wave of gasps erupted below the stage.

The faces of Liu Yunfeng, Wang Yu, and the others turned pale, their hearts leaping into their throats. Senior Sister Chen Yu's pretty face also changed slightly, and she said anxiously, "Father!"

Chen Qingfeng's gaze narrowed, and his body leaned forward slightly, already prepared to intervene at any moment.

The power of this punch had already exceeded the limit of what an ordinary second-grade Early Stage Martial Artist could bear. Du Fei had clearly not held back in the slightest!