21: Chapter 21 Battle against Zhou Tiancheng

As she spoke, Zhou Yuyan stepped forward quickly and then threw a punch at Xiao Yuchen's chest.

It was as if Xiao Yuchen hadn't reacted in time; he stood there motionless, letting the fist strike his chest.

Bang!

Thump, thump, thump!

Xiao Yuchen remained standing there, unmoving, while Zhou Yuyan was recoiled by the rebounding force, taking a dozen steps back before regaining her balance.

The crucial thing was that she felt like she hadn't struck Xiao Yuchen's chest, but rather a great mountain.

"How is this possible? Are you made of stone?" Zhou Yuyan was shocked in her heart.

"Young Miss Zhou, you can use a bit more strength; I can still take it."

This scene was naturally seen by Zhou Tiancheng and Zhou Yunlong. Previously, when his father said he had met a twenty-year-old Internal Strength expert, he hadn't believed it, but now he finally did. Being able to easily take a punch from his daughter, who had reached the Late Stage of External Strength, showed that the other party had truly reached the level of Internal Strength.

Although Zhou Yuyan was shocked, she hadn't used her full strength just now; it was possible that Xiao Yuchen just had strong defensive power.

"Alright, come again."

Zhou Yuyan lifted her slightly aching right hand, rushed forward once more, and struck out with a palm using all her strength.

However, this time, before Zhou Yuyan could get close, Xiao Yuchen lightly stomped his right foot on the ground, and instantly, a force spread out with Xiao Yuchen as the center.

Bang!

A gentle force blew Zhou Yuyan over ten meters away, causing her to land on her bottom.

This was only because Xiao Yuchen had controlled his strength; otherwise, Zhou Yuyan would have been dead or seriously injured from that single blow.

"You... are you really a Neijin Martial Artist? Fine, I admit defeat."

This time, Zhou Yuyan was truly convinced. From start to finish, Xiao Yuchen hadn't even raised a hand, and she had already lost. The gap between their strengths was simply too great.

Zhou Tiancheng also watched this scene in shock. Although he had always believed Xiao Yuchen was an Internal Strength expert, he hadn't been entirely sure because he couldn't discern Xiao Yuchen's true strength.

Now it seemed that Xiao Yuchen was not only an Internal Strength expert but at least at the Middle Stage or Late Stage of Internal Strength; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to use Internal Strength to injure others so skillfully.

"Good, Young Friend Xiao truly has an extraordinary demeanor. Next, let me spar a few moves with you."

"Very well, Yuchen will accompany you."

The two changed to a more spacious area, while Zhou Yunlong and Zhou Yuyan retreated to a place dozens of meters away. The aftermath of a duel between Internal Strength experts was not something they could withstand.

"Young Friend Xiao, since you are a guest from afar, you strike first." Zhou Tiancheng made a gesture of invitation.

"Alright, then Yuchen will offend you."

Facing a Mid-stage Hua Jin expert, Xiao Yuchen did not dare to be arrogant and struck out with a palm from a distance.

Zhou Tiancheng smiled and waved his large sleeve, directly altering the force of that palm strike. Most of the force was neutralized, and the remaining power was transferred to the ground, leaving a shallow palm print.

"Is this the strength of a Hua Jin Martial Artist? To think you could neutralize my power."

Although Xiao Yuchen hadn't used his full strength, that palm strike had still used sixty percent of his cultivation.

However, it wasn't just Xiao Yuchen who was surprised; Zhou Tiancheng was even more shocked. He had treated Xiao Yuchen as an Internal Strength expert and, wanting to look cool, had received that palm strike very casually.

But to his surprise, he hadn't been able to completely neutralize Xiao Yuchen's power. Fortunately, he had ended up transferring the force, or it would have been embarrassing.

"Good, come again."

Xiao Yuchen's fighting spirit was ignited. This time, he adopted close-quarters combat, and his violent power surged toward Zhou Tiancheng's chest like a flood.

Feeling the power of this punch, Zhou Tiancheng hurriedly blocked while simultaneously using his movement technique to dodge.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Bursts of fighting sounds rang out. At first, Zhou Tiancheng only defended and did not counterattack, because if he needed to strike back while blocking the attack of a Martial Artist one rank lower than him, it would be too embarrassing.

But as they fought, Zhou Tiancheng began to feel that something was wrong, because Xiao Yuchen's strength was actually getting stronger and stronger. If he only defended, it would be difficult to block all of Xiao Yuchen's attacks.

"Young Friend Xiao, this old man was blind. Your strength has likely already reached the Great Perfection of Internal Strength."

"Is that so? Come again."

Previously, Zhou Tiancheng had been in a defensive state, so Xiao Yuchen couldn't absorb Zhou Tiancheng's power to amplify his own. But as Zhou Tiancheng began to counterattack, Xiao Yuchen used the Energy Absorption Technique to constantly absorb Zhou Tiancheng's power to strengthen himself.

So, as time passed, Zhou Tiancheng felt that something was wrong. Xiao Yuchen had been fighting for so long, yet his aura hadn't weakened; on the contrary, he became fiercer the more he fought. He actually needed to use seventy percent of his strength to attack just to hold off Xiao Yuchen.

"Let's decide the winner with one palm strike. Let me see the true strength of a Mid-stage Hua Jin," Xiao Yuchen suggested.

"That is exactly my intention. I refuse to believe that I, a Mid-stage Hua Jin, cannot easily defeat you."

Hearing that his father actually had to use his full strength to defeat Xiao Yuchen, Zhou Yunlong was shocked in his heart. Did this not mean that Xiao Yuchen was not an Internal Strength Martial Artist, but an Early Stage Hua Jin Martial Artist? Such a young Hua Jin Martial Artist—no matter how he thought about it, it felt unreal.

After the battle, Xiao Yuchen had an understanding of his own strength. His power should be around the Early Stage of Hua Jin, but his Cultivation Technique was special and suitable for endurance battles. If he were in a real fight, he could even defeat a Mid-stage Hua Jin.

Because as long as the opponent's power was not too much higher than his own, he could use the Energy Absorption Technique to absorb their power. With one's loss being the other's gain, he could definitely defeat a Mid-stage Hua Jin Martial Artist.

Just now, Zhou Tiancheng had been defending and not attacking, so he hadn't absorbed much power; otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to fight for such a long time.

Xiao Yuchen circulated his Energy Absorption Technique, concentrated all his power into his right palm, and struck down with a palm.

Seeing such a terrifying palm strike, Zhou Tiancheng narrowed his eyes. He also struck out with a palm he had been charging, using his full strength this time as well.

Bang!

A loud noise erupted as the two massive palms collided. A terrifying wave of air instantly swept across the surroundings, blowing Zhou Yunlong and Zhou Yuyan, who were standing dozens of meters away, back repeatedly.

The two forces stalemated in the air for over ten seconds. Eventually, Xiao Yuchen's giant palm of Spiritual Qi shattered, while Zhou Tiancheng's giant hand of True Qi, carrying residual power, struck toward Xiao Yuchen.

But the remaining power was simply too little. When it landed on Xiao Yuchen, it was directly absorbed by him, without causing a ripple.

"As expected, Elder Zhou is still superior. I have lost," Xiao Yuchen voluntarily admitted defeat.

Seeing that Xiao Yuchen was completely uninjured, and his clothes weren't even disheveled, Zhou Tiancheng was shocked. He had severely underestimated Xiao Yuchen's strength.

Although it seemed he had won that final strike, Xiao Yuchen had also received his attack completely unscathed. Strictly speaking, he hadn't lost. If the two were truly in a life-or-death duel, the outcome would be hard to say.

"Young Friend Xiao's strength is actually on par with this old man's. It is I who underestimated Young Friend Xiao's strength. Shameful, shameful."

"Elder Zhou is too kind. Through this battle, I have gained an understanding of my own strength. Thank you for clearing up my doubts. However, my main purpose for coming to the Zhou Family today is not to spar with you, but for another matter," Xiao Yuchen stated his purpose.

"Oh? I wonder what matter Young Friend Xiao has? If there is any place where the Zhou Family can be of use, we will do our best to help," Zhou Tiancheng promised. Xiao Yuchen's strength was worth his investment.