77: White-hot

"The rules are clear to both of you, so I won't elaborate further. However, you two must be careful to maintain appropriate boundaries. You are both the future of the Flowing Cloud Sect, and under no circumstances should you harm fellow disciples," Elder Teng said with a serious expression, his gaze lingering on Yang Kai, a strong hint in his eyes.

Neither of them spoke, both nodding in acknowledgment. Even Yang Kai, uncharacteristically, didn't crack a joke, but instead wore a serious expression, looking fully prepared.

Yang Kai had witnessed Zhao Hongyu's strength. If there was anyone among the Outer Sect Disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect who could make him feel a slight apprehension, it was Zhao Hongyu and Zhong Leshan. Yang Kai also didn't know what improvements these two had made after the trial space, but he only treated them with solemnity, without any fear. On the contrary, his Battle Intent surged. Opponents in the Martial Arts Arena usually failed to interest him, and he looked forward to this match, which could be called a Peak duel among this generation of Outer Sect Disciples.

As he usually did when facing an enemy, Yang Kai first employed a Divine Sense attack, but he didn't use his full power. It was more like a test, simply driving his Divine Sense to invade Zhao Hongyu's Sea of Consciousness space. The chaotic toxins attached to his Divine Sense began to gradually spread into Zhao Hongyu's Divine Sense defense the moment they made contact.

Just as Yang Kai thought this Move would cause Zhao Hongyu some trouble, Zhao Hongyu snorted coldly and said in a deep voice, "Yang Kai, you underestimate me too much. Use your full power; your Divine Sense can't hurt me."

Upon hearing this, Yang Kai no longer held back. The Divine Sense in his Sea of Consciousness surged wildly, and the Dawn's First Bloom above his Sea of Consciousness became even brighter. A projection of Dawn's First Bloom ignored Zhao Hongyu's constructed Divine Sense defense and descended from the air into Zhao Hongyu's Sea of Consciousness space. In an instant, Zhao Hongyu's Sea of Consciousness space became scorching hot, and even a significant amount of his Divine Sense was evaporated.

Feeling the power of Yang Kai's Move, Zhao Hongyu, instead of fearing, rejoiced, letting out a loud laugh. A mighty voice seemed to come from afar, echoing throughout the entire arena: "Now that's more like it! Yang Kai, though we Body Refiners don't Cultivate Divine Sense, we never fear any Divine Sense attack. Today, I'll show you!"

Yang Kai frowned slightly. Although he didn't know what Zhao Hongyu was going to do, it was definitely aimed at expelling his Divine Sense attack. Yang Kai immediately pushed his Divine Sense to its limit, and the power of Dawn's First Bloom increased by another three points.

"Refine Essence, Soul Transformation!" Zhao Hongyu's form suddenly changed. His already robust body swelled up again, then sharply receded. A large amount of essence Qi transformed like fuel, igniting his Divine Sense. His Divine Sense intensity increased by more than threefold. His Sea of Consciousness, which had been precarious under Yang Kai's offensive, instantly stabilized, with power to spare, and launched a fierce attack at the Dawn's First Bloom that Yang Kai had projected into his Sea of Consciousness space.

"This Zhao Hongyu can actually convert his entire essence Qi into Divine Sense. Interesting. But how could I let you so easily block my attack?" Yang Kai hadn't expected Zhao Hongyu to unleash such an incredible Divine Ability, but he was also a veteran of many battles and knew that opportunities were fleeting. While Zhao Hongyu was fully occupied with his Divine Sense attack, Yang Kai struck again, his Dragon transforming into a streak of light and slashing towards Zhao Hongyu.

"Moonfall!" After several attempts in the trial space, Yang Kai could now skillfully master the method of activating this Concept. With this sword strike, a unique Concept of sunrise and moonset descended with a roar, increasing the power of this sword by several times over.

"Good timing!" Zhao Hongyu's expression remained calm, clearly indicating that Yang Kai's current strike and even the Move he used were within his predictions. He had seen this sword before and naturally thought of a countermeasure. Now facing this sword Move, he was not flustered and responded calmly.

Zhao Hongyu's body once again erupted with endless Qi and blood power, forming a giant phantom behind him. With a clap of his hands, he actually pressed the silver moon, formed by Yang Kai's Concept and slowly descending, into his palms, rendering it unable to Move.

This truly surprised Yang Kai. In his calculations, even if Zhao Hongyu could block this sword, he would have to pay a considerable price. After all, he had crammed some Cultivation knowledge in recent days and knew that a Concept could only be resisted by another Concept. This was why Zhong Leshan, despite having no top-tier Magic Treasures and Cultivating ordinary sword arts, could still leap in combat power simply because he had mastered a Concept. Only Zhao Hongyu could barely suppress him.

"That's right, since Zhao Hongyu can suppress Zhong Leshan, he clearly has a way to deal with Zhong Leshan's Concept. It's reasonable for him to use it on me now." Yang Kai licked his lips, a little excited. Both of his conventional methods had been neutralized by Zhao Hongyu. Now, to end the battle, only a head-on clash remained.

"Zhao Hongyu, everyone in the Flowing Cloud Sect says you are a Body Refiner Genius rarely seen in a thousand or even ten thousand years. I also have some accomplishments in Body Refining. Today, I shall seek guidance from you, the recognized number one among the Outer Sect Disciples!" Yang Kai also let out a loud laugh, activated the Nine Revolutions Primordial Body Refining Art and the Hundred Refinements Protective Aura within him, stomped his foot fiercely, and unleashed a powerful punch!

"Yang Kai, that's it! For us Body Refiners, all other methods are illusory; only the body is the most powerful weapon. Take this punch!" At this moment, Zhao Hongyu had almost minimized the impact of Yang Kai's Divine Sense attack. Facing Yang Kai's surging assault, he took a deep breath, then shifted his footwork and also threw a punch, meeting Yang Kai's fist.

"Boom!!!"

Their strengths were nearly equal. In this punch, they were evenly matched. Standing face to face, they both saw the fiercely burning flames of Battle Intent in each other's eyes. They attacked almost simultaneously, fighting in a chaotic brawl. Each punch contained immense energy, causing the entire arena to tremble continuously.

"Are these two young fellows really still in the Qi Refinement Stage? Body Refiners are truly terrifying. Even if two Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators fought here for three days and three nights, they wouldn't cause such damage to this arena." Elder Teng's figure quietly appeared at the edge of the arena. He had originally been observing in secret, but seeing that the arena was about to collapse, he quickly came out to stabilize it. Watching the two still fighting vigorously, he couldn't help but marvel.

"You are very good. Without any supporting resources, you successfully Cultivated the Nine Revolutions Primordial Body Refining Art, and even reached the Peak of the first stage. You have not disgraced this Cultivation Technique." Zhao Hongyu and Yang Kai were both sent flying after a fierce clash. At this moment, Zhao Hongyu was emitting streams of steam, and his breathing was somewhat labored, clearly indicating the considerable consumption from his explosive output just now.

"You're not bad either. I didn't expect there to be someone in the Qi Refinement Stage who could fight me to this extent. Your boxing and kicking skills are superior to mine. If not for some fortuitous encounters I had, I would have already lost." Yang Kai's condition remained at its Peak, without any decline. This was also the first time he had fully unleashed his entire Cultivation. As the battle continued, he became more and more proficient, his power increasing rather than decreasing, and he subtly gained new insights into the Dao of Body Refining.