56: Chapter 56 targets

On the arena, following the referee's command, Lin Tian and that Xu family Disciple simultaneously surged forward and began to fight.

The Xu family Disciple was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old with a sharp, rugged face. The "Mountain-Splitting Palm" he used followed a rigid, overbearing style. As he swung his palms, they whistled with wind, carrying immense power and moving in straight lines, possessing a certain momentum capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.

He clearly held some contempt for Lin Tian, this "young Second Stage" who had suddenly appeared, and wanted to win quickly with brute force from the start. Palm shadows appeared like mountains, shrouding all of Lin Tian's vital points.

Lin Tian's expression remained calm. With his Perfection "Wind-Chasing Footwork", his figure flickered and moved like a ghost amidst the opponent's fierce palm wind, always dodging the frontal impact at the very last moment.

He was not in a hurry to attack, mostly using the more stable defensive postures of the "Metal Element Fist" to parry and deflect force, occasionally thrusting out a few sharp and swift straight punches, forcing the opponent to retract his palms to defend himself.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The sounds of fists and palms clashing were endless.

The Xu family Disciple became increasingly alarmed as they fought; the opponent's footwork was incredibly slippery. While he seemed to have the upper hand, in reality, eight or nine out of ten palms landed on thin air, and the remaining one or two were deflected by the opponent's clever use of force.

What made him even more stifled was that the occasional "Metal Element Fist" thrust out by the opponent was sharp and concentrated, with force penetrating his body, making his Qi and blood slightly stagnate each time, which was extremely uncomfortable.

"Mountain-Splitting, Rock-Shattering!" Unable to win after a long attack, the Xu family Disciple grew impatient. With a violent shout, he poured all his Qi and blood into his right palm. The edge of his palm glowed with a faint earthy yellow luster, carrying the power to split monuments and shatter rocks as it chopped down toward Lin Tian's head.

This was a very powerful Move within the "Mountain-Splitting Palm", but because of that, it lacked some versatility.

A flash of light shone in Lin Tian's eyes; this was exactly what he had been waiting for!

His footwork suddenly changed. Instead of retreating, he slid forward like a swimming fish, turning his body to dodge that palm strike which had the force to split Mount Hua.

At the same time, his right fist, like a poisonous dragon emerging from its cave, concentrated all his strength into an unadorned yet extremely condensed "Metal Element Fist—Armor Piercing".

It struck first despite being launched later, slamming fiercely into the opponent's exposed flank, which had been left open due to the exertion of his attack!

"Thud!"

With a muffled sound, the Xu family Disciple groaned. His protective Qi and blood were instantly pierced through.

He felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow, stumbling backward seven or eight steps before collapsing onto the ground, his face deathly pale, unable to muster any Qi for a moment.

"Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall, Lin Tian wins!" The referee announced in a timely manner.

"Good! Senior Brother Lin is mighty!"

"Well done!"

"Haha, a great start!"

At the Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall seating area, Liu Yunfeng, Wang Yu, and others erupted into enthusiastic cheers, their excitement evident in their expressions.

Other spectators also whispered among themselves, looking at Lin Tian with a bit more seriousness.

This young man's footwork was strange, his fist techniques were tricky, and his combat experience did not seem weak; he was not just a flashy performer who had broken through purely by luck.

Lin Tian nodded slightly to the referee, glanced at the Xu family Disciple struggling to stand up, said nothing more, and floated off the stage.

The first battle was a warm-up, and he had roughly gauged the standard of the "average" Early Stage Second Stage participants in this assessment.

The arena tournament continued. Match after match was fiercely fought, with wind from fists and shadows from palms, the flash of blades and the gleam of swords, and shouts and roars that never ceased.

Those who could reach this stage were all elites from various factions; there were few mediocrities, and the battles were often dangerous and exciting, drawing constant exclamations from the audience.

Finally, the results of another round of drawing lots were announced.

"Next match, Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall's Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang versus Liehuo Martial Arts Hall's Constable Lie Ming!"

As the voice fell, the entire arena instantly went silent, and then erupted into a wave of sound more enthusiastic than any previous match!

A direct collision between the three major martial arts halls! And it was between the Disciples recognized as top-tier in their respective halls!

"Senior Brother Zhao! Senior Brother Zhao!" The Disciples of Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall immediately boiled over with excitement, their faces overflowing with strong confidence.

In their hearts, Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang was as steady as a mountain, his strength unfathomable, far beyond what the newly broken-through Lin Tian could compare to; this battle was a sure victory!

"Senior Brother Lie Ming! Cripple him!"

"Let the Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall know our power!"

The Liehuo Martial Arts Hall side was also impassioned, their shouts of battle shaking the heavens.

Constable Lie Ming had disheveled long hair, his eyes arrogant and vicious. He licked his lips and was the first to leap onto the arena, looking provocatively toward the Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall direction.

Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang's expression was solemn. He cupped his fists slightly to Hall Master Chen Qingfeng and his fellow Disciples, then stepped onto the arena with steady strides.

His figure was half a head more burly than Constable Lie Ming's. Standing there, he was like an iron tower, possessing an Aura of remaining unmoved like a mountain.

"Please." Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang cupped his fists, his etiquette impeccable.

"Please? Please go die!" Constable Lie Ming grinned viciously, showing no courtesy at all, and launched the first attack!

He kicked off, the arena's wooden boards exploding with sound. His whole body was like a red meteor of fire, rushing toward Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang with a scorching and violent Aura.

His right palm was crimson like a branding iron, carrying a pungent smell of burning sulfur, and he slapped directly at Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang's face!

Fire Sand Palm—Sparking Prairie Fire!

Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang's gaze tightened. He did not dodge or evade, but sank his waist into a horse stance and gave a low shout.

His right fist clenched tightly, wrapped in a pale golden fist Aura, and he met the attack with a completely unadorned punch!

Metal Element Fist—Shaking the Mountain!

"Boom—!!!"

As fist and palm met, it was like metal and stone colliding, and also like the explosion of muffled thunder! The scorching fire energy and the sharp Metal Element Fist Aura collided and annihilated each other crazily, the exploding air waves blowing up dust even at the edge of the arena!

Both their figures shook violently, each sliding back half a step; they were evenly matched!

"Good!" Thunderous cheers erupted from below the stage.

"A bit interesting!" The vicious light in Constable Lie Ming's eyes intensified. His figure moved again, his palms flying, and the crimson palm shadows instantly turned into a scorching sea of fire, carrying a violence that burned everything, enveloping Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang within it.

His palm technique was swift and ruthless, specializing in attacking vital points. Furthermore, the fire energy was scorching and could corrode protective Qi and blood, making it exceptionally vicious.

Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang's expression was serious. He brought the rigid, overbearing, and heavy nature of the "Metal Element Fist" to its limit.

His punches were like beating drums, powerful and heavy, each punch carrying the momentum to split mountains and break peaks, crushing the incoming crimson palm shadows one by one.

His Foundation was solid, his Qi and blood were vigorous. Although he was slightly countered by the fire energy in terms of attributes, by relying on his superior strength and profound understanding of fist techniques, he was able to fight the fiercely attacking Constable Lie Ming to a draw, making it hard to distinguish who was superior.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"

On the arena, the golden and red lights constantly collided and exploded, with the sounds of air explosions never ceasing.

The two fought from the center of the arena to the edge, and then back from the edge to the center.

Wherever they passed, deep footprints and charred palm prints and fist pits were left on the solid wooden boards of the arena.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of Moves passed. Both sides had sweat on their foreheads and heavy breathing, but the Battle Intent in their eyes was growing higher.

In the eyes of everyone, this was clearly an evenly matched battle between a dragon and a tiger, and the outcome might just be within a hair's breadth.

The Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall Disciples gripped their fists tightly, watching nervously. The Liehuo Martial Arts Hall crowd was also holding their breath.

Hall Master Chen Qingfeng slightly furrowed his brows, his gaze tightly locked on the battle situation.

Lin Tian stood to the side, his eyes calm. He noticed that although Constable Lie Ming's attack was fierce, there was always a hint of cold, sinister calculation deep in his eyes, as if he were waiting for something.

Just at that subtle moment when Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang used a "Golden Spears and Iron Horses" to force Constable Lie Ming to shift half a step to the side, and his old strength was slightly exhausted while his new strength was yet to be born—a sudden change occurred!

The vicious grin on Constable Lie Ming's face suddenly widened. His crimson right palm, which had originally been attacking Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang's chest, suddenly sank downward at an extremely tricky and strange angle.

His five fingers curled like hooks, and his fingertips instantly turned a dark, heart-palpitating dark red color, his speed more than doubling!

Like a long-lurking poisonous snake, he suddenly struck with his fangs, silently yet ruthlessly digging toward the Qi Sea in Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang's abdomen, which was slightly exposed due to his exertion!

This was not the style of "Fire Sand Palm" at all! It was sinister, tricky, and carried a nauseating, fishy, hot Aura!

Fire Poison Palm!

And it was Fire Poison that had been refined extremely deeply!

"Watch out!" Hall Master Chen Qingfeng's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sharply, but it was already too late!

Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang also sensed the fatal crisis, his pupils shrinking suddenly. He wanted to twist his body to dodge or change his Move to block, but his Move was already spent, and in his haste, he only had time to crazily surge his remaining Qi and blood toward his abdomen.

"Puchi!"

The dark red hand claws, like red-hot iron hooks, fiercely tore through the clothes and protective Qi and blood on Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang's abdomen, digging deeply into his flesh!

A scorching, sinister, and strongly corrosive Fire Poison energy, like a maggot attached to a bone, instantly crazily drilled along the wound into the Meridians inside Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang's body!

"Ugh ah—!"

Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang let out a painful groan. His burly body felt like it had been struck by a heavy blow, and he was thrown backward, falling heavily onto the edge of the arena several feet away.

He vomited a large mouthful of black-red blood, his face instantly turning ashen, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. From the wound on his abdomen came a burning, numb, and itchy pain, and that dark red Fire Poison was spreading under his skin like a living creature!

"Senior Apprentice!"

"Senior Brother Zhao!"

The people of Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall were incensed, with cries of surprise rising everywhere. Senior Sister Chen Yu's pretty face went pale, and she stood up abruptly.

Hall Master Chen Qingfeng's figure flickered, and he appeared at the edge of the arena, leaning down to check Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang's injuries. His expression instantly turned as dark as water.

This Fire Poison was sinister and overbearing, having already damaged his Meridians and internal organs; even if it could be dispelled, his Foundation would definitely be damaged, requiring a long period of recuperation!

"Liehuo Martial Arts Hall, Constable Lie Ming wins!" The referee announced loudly, his tone flat, as if he had not seen that sinister method.

Constable Lie Ming slowly retracted his palm, straightened his body, and shook off the little bit of black blood stained on his hand, his face wearing undisguised smugness and cruelty.

His gaze swept over the angry people of Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall below the stage, finally landing on Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang who was being helped up. He sneered, then raised his voice, and said loudly, full of provocation and insult:

"People of Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall, all of you listen to me! On the arena, fists and feet have no eyes! When you meet me, Constable Lie Ming, you had better be sensible, kneel down yourself and kowtow to admit defeat. Perhaps if I am in a good mood, I might spare your dog lives! Otherwise... this piece of trash surnamed Zhao is what your end will be! Hahaha!"

Arrogant and domineering, utterly insufferable!

"You—!" The Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall Disciples were trembling with anger, wishing they could immediately rush onto the arena. Senior Sister Chen Yu bit her teeth tightly, her beautiful eyes filled with cold murderous intent.

Hall Master Chen Qingfeng slowly straightened up, his gaze like ten-thousand-year-old ice, coldly looking toward the opposite Liehuo Martial Arts Hall seating area. His voice was not loud, but carried a bone-chilling coldness: "What a vicious method. Liehuo Hall Master, you really know how to teach your Disciples."

Liehuo Hall Master laughed, pushing his way out of the crowd, his face wearing hypocritical regret, but his tone full of provocation: "Hall Master Chen, you are overstating it. In arena duels, everyone relies on their own abilities, and life and death are up to fate. You can only blame your Disciple for not being skilled enough and reacting too slowly. My Disciple's attack was a bit heavy, but it was also to win. If you want to blame someone, blame your Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall Disciples for having bones that are too brittle and unable to withstand being beaten!"

Lin Tian stood in the crowd, his gaze coldly watching the arrogant Constable Lie Ming on the stage, then looking at the seriously injured and vomiting blood Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang, and finally sweeping over the smug face of Liehuo Hall Master.

In his heart, there was no roaring of excessive anger, only a cold murderous intent slowly settling and condensing.

He had long felt the undisguised murderous intent in Constable Lie Ming's eyes, aimed at Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall, and especially aimed at him, Lin Tian.

Since the opponent could not face him immediately, he had poured all his hatred and murderous intent for Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall onto Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang.

"Senior Brother Zhao... it is I who implicated you." Lin Tian silently said in his heart.

If he had not formed a deadly feud with Liehuo Martial Arts Hall, Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang might not have suffered this vicious hand. He had noted down this debt.

He looked at Senior Apprentice Zhao Tiegang, who was being helped down, his Aura withered, needing to immediately circulate his energy to force out the poison, and then raised his eyes to look at Constable Lie Ming on the arena, who was holding his head high and looking down on everyone like a victorious rooster.

Deep in his eyes, a glimmer of cold light quietly flashed by.