Chapter 188 - 188 185 The Next One
Chapter 188: Chapter 185: The Next One Chapter 188: Chapter 185: The Next One Qin Feng bitterly smiled within his heart, never expecting he would choose to face Yuan Powang head-on, who had the Great Strength Divine Ape as his Lifebound Spiritual Beast.
Indeed, it was a foolish move.
The Great Strength Divine Ape possessed incomparable brute strength.
Once it reached the Great Achievement Realm, moving mountains was a trivial feat for it, not something Qin Feng could withstand.
It was only because he had relied heavily on numerous resources during this period to forcibly elevate his cultivation to the Early Stage Peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage, thus surpassing Yuan Powang’s Cultivation Realm by a margin, that he was barely able to withstand the strike through his thick True Yuan.
Had his strength been slightly weaker, he surely would have suffered internal injuries from that palm strike just now.
No wonder this person had said that cultivating only his Lifebound Spiritual Beast would suffice.
…
Once his Lifebound Spiritual Beast was cultivated, it truly was formidably fierce.
Simultaneously, he remembered Yuan Powang’s identity.
This guy was a newly risen talent of the Spiritual Ape Peak, and the most vigorous one in recent years, albeit stubborn to the point of headache.
Once he was set on something, no amount of persuasion from others could make him turn back.
Just like devoting all his efforts to nurturing his Lifebound Spiritual Beast, he believed it was his foundation and saw no need for other Spiritual Beasts to encumber him.
As long as his Lifebound Spiritual Beast was strong enough, he could simply blast through all his opponents along the way.
Why would he need so many Spiritual Beasts?
Therefore, his path of cultivation was the purest, emphasizing that sheer strength could breakdown millions of methods.
Initially, his peers from the same peak often ridiculed him, but ultimately, he subdued all of them, proving himself to be a rare genius.
However, Qin Feng was no lesser in capability.
His Ruyi Golden Snake was originally an Exotic Species Spiritual Snake.
Moreover, with the power of the Demon Refining Pot, he had merged the Divine Skills of two other Spiritual Snakes into it.
While those skills—one for escaping using Earth Escape and another for changing size at will—did not significantly enhance his combat strength, they provided him with two additional paths for cultivation, thereby subtly enhancing the foundation of the Ruyi Golden Snake.
“Not bad.”
Yuan Powang was forced back a few steps, but he quickly steadied himself and, looking at Qin Feng, nodded slightly, “Now that’s more like it.
The way you fought just now was too tricky, making it hard for others to be convinced.
That’s why more and more disciples want to challenge you.
If you want fewer troubles in the future, then have an open and fair fight with me.
If you win against me, it will certainly change many people’s perception of your strength and dissuade many from wanting to fight you.
Otherwise, if you continue to fight cunningly like just now, even if you keep winning, others will only think you’re resorting to tricks and won’t truly respect you.”
Qin Feng thought about it seriously and then nodded in agreement.
“You’re right.
I did use some tricks just now.
Although I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using tricks, it indeed doesn’t convince the crowd.
Just like Lan Qinhu, he surely isn’t convinced and might come to trouble me again in the future.
Since that’s the case, why should I hesitate to have a face-to-face battle with you?”
“Good, delightful!”
Yuan Powang laughed heartily.
“Since the beginning of the year, no fellow disciples on Spiritual Ape Peak have been willing to have a head-on battle with me.
Since Junior Brother Qin has such courage, I shall satisfy you.”
With that, he stepped forward, crossing a distance of about three meters as if he was using Shrinking Ground to Inch technique, and just like before, flipped his palm downward, pressing down like Mount Tai, but with a force three times stronger than the previous palm strike.
Qin Feng chuckled lightly.
“The same move might not be of much use against me.”
Then, his stature suddenly surged, growing even taller than Yuan Powang.
He then grabbed Yuan Powang’s swiping arm and used the momentum to perform a reverse shoulder throw.
Under the astonished gaze of the crowd below, he fiercely slammed Yuan Powang onto the ground.
Just before Yuan Powang hit the ground, he lightly twisted his body.
Landing on his feet first, he then supported himself with his other arm on the ground and swiftly rolled to the side, moving like a large macaque, tumbling several meters away.
Then he rose to his feet and slowly looked at Qin Feng, a cruel smirk appearing on his lips: “Good, good, good.
It’s been a long time since anyone has thrown me like that.
Junior Brother Qin indeed has great skills.”
“I have more tricks up my sleeve, Senior Brother Yuan.
Feel free to try them out.”
“Just what I was about to do.”
Saying so, Yuan Powang roared loudly, leapt high into the air, his hands clasped together like a heavy hammer smashing viciously toward Qin Feng.
“Hey…”
Qin Feng bellowed, opting not to dodge but not foolishly standing still to take the brutal hit either.
Instead, he sprang up to meet it.
The Great Strength Divine Ape was too powerful, unmatched by the Ruyi Golden Snake at the same level.
Although Qin Feng planned to have a fair fight with Yuan Powang, he wouldn’t use his own weakness to respond to the opponent.
Instead, he would maximize the nimble speed of the Ruyi Golden Snake, demonstrating his strength where his Lifebound Spiritual Beast excelled, truly qualifying as a competent disciple of the Beast Taming Sect.
Qin Feng spread his wings behind him, reaching Yuan Powang’s front with even greater speed before the latter’s momentum peaked.
Moreover, he flew just high enough to be above his opponent, convenient for a downward attack.
Golden scales appeared on Qin Feng’s hands as he met the attack, and his wings, like two golden blades, sliced fiercely towards Yuan Powang’s head with a sharp edge.
This rendered Yuan Powang’s built-up strike useless, and he had to change his move immediately, otherwise, his head would definitely have been severely injured by those Golden Wings.
Although the Great Strength Divine Ape boasted supreme Divine Power and an extremely tough physical body, it wasn’t to the extent of being Vajra Unbreakable.
Thus, he had no choice but to abandon his initial attack, placing one arm across his chest to block Qin Feng’s swinging arms, while his other arm suddenly grew bigger by a third, a violent burst of Spiritual Power emerging to meet the descending wings.
With several loud bangs, Yuan Powang blocked Qin Feng’s attack.
Despite the sharpness of the Golden Wings, they still couldn’t break through his defense, so he remained uninjured.
But Qin Feng hadn’t been cautious against the sudden powerful kick to Yuan Powang’s lower abdomen that sent him flying backwards through the air.
Finding no leverage in mid-air, Yuan Powang’s body rocketed backward at high speed.
“Roar…”
Just as his body was about to fly out of the arena and hit the ground, Yuan Powang suddenly stretched out an arm and violently grabbed downwards, tearing through the protective prohibition and cracking the hard bluestone of the arena, embedding his hand deeply into the stone.
Then, with a powerful tug, he shot toward Qin Feng faster than an arrow.
Bang, bang, bang!
The two were in midair exchanging a flurry of punches and kicks, touching hands several times within moments before Yuan Powang finally landed on the ground.
He smiled crookedly, panting slightly—not from fatigue but with some excitement, “Hahaha, good, it’s been a long time since I’ve had an opponent like Junior Brother Qin.
Let’s go again.”
“Not afraid of you!”
A flash of golden light exploded around Qin Feng and he broke through the air, instantly appearing before Yuan Powang.
This time, he didn’t rely on his speed advantage to circle around Yuan Powang but chose to face him head-on.
It wasn’t that he wanted to give up his advantage in speed, but he suddenly realized that the bottleneck that was hard to break through seemed to show signs of loosening after their recent exchange.
This brought a flash of enlightenment in his heart; his rapid progress in recent times had made his realm somewhat unstable, which was why he had been unable to advance.
The fight with Yuan Powang stretched him to his limits, causing his blood and breath to surge.
His already robust vitality had unexpectedly become even more condensed, filling Qin Feng with immense joy.
It seemed his opportunity for a breakthrough was right here.
Thus, he didn’t rely on his speed again to combat Yuan Powang but chose the most straightforward approach for a head-on confrontation.
Even though this made him somewhat disadvantaged, often forced to retreat repeatedly with sore arms and several painful punches, he felt extremely exhilarated.
This thrilling battle not only uplifted his spirits but also made his flesh, already honed to its peak, even stronger under the pressure.
The fight lasted for half an hour, making it the longest battle on the platform to date.
The disciples watching the fight below weren’t the least bit impatient; instead, they found the battle exhilarating, particularly the sounds of fists meeting flesh, which deeply stirred everyone, almost making them want to jump into the fray.
On a high platform not far away, a group of Inner Sect Elders watched the fight with smiles.
A few of them felt nostalgic, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a pure battle.”
“Yes, as our cultivation deepens, we seldom engage in brute force combat.
But that young man’s use of this method to temper his vitality and purify his True Yuan is quite clever.
With this approach, he might soon reach the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.”
“Even if he advances, it will only be after the big competition.
The cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Realm requires time to temper slowly and isn’t about gaining immediate powerful strength.
This isn’t a major realm transition, just the next step of refining the Taoist Body.
He can’t refine his bones quickly, so his combat power won’t increase by much.
With his current energy spent fighting Yuan Powang, it’s doubtful he can hold on for many more matches.”
“That depends on his accumulated experience and inherent abilities.
If he has other methods to quickly recover his True Yuan and heal from injuries, perhaps he could dramatically win like Li Miao Zhen did.”
“It’s impossible.
He is far less capable than Li Miao Zhen was.
There are also several middle-stage Foundation Establishment disciples in this year’s competition; I don’t believe he can achieve that.”
“Hehe, I’m not so sure, this kid is quite cunning and uses his head in crucial moments.
He won’t continue fighting head-on like Li Miao Zhen.
With the defensive and speed capabilities of the Ruyi Golden Snake, after defeating Yuan Powang, he definitely won’t keep fighting like this but will utilize his strengths.”
On the platform, as Qin Feng felt that his body was fully tempered and his vitality was completely unified, he was unwilling to continue clashing directly with Yuan Powang; every part of his body ached from using the man to hone his cultivation, and he had taken quite a few hits.
As Yuan Powang rushed at him once again, Qin Feng’s figure also charged toward his opponent.
But in the instant just before they collided, Qin Feng’s body suddenly shrank to half its original size, decreasing from over ten feet to about four feet.
The unexpected change momentarily stunned Yuan Powang.
Although he quickly noticed Qin Feng appearing below him and swung his fist down in response, it was already too late.
Being just a moment slower in the heat of battle meant he was put on the defensive.
Qin Feng grabbed Yuan Powang’s ankles and lifted him up, slamming him straight down onto the ground.
Then, enlarging his body again, Qin Feng swung Yuan Powang’s body fiercely back onto the platform, which boomed intensely and cracked from the impact.
Even though Yuan Powang managed to protect his head in time, his internal organs still shook violently from the blow.
Before he could struggle, Qin Feng threw him far into the crowd, landing him dozens of feet away, scattering the spectators and creating a huge crater in the square.
“Next!”
On the platform, Qin Feng stood with a commanding look, gazing at the crowd.