On the mountain path, dust and smoke billowed, and a fierce wind raged. Two powerful auras clashed like two Exotic Beasts locked in battle, startling birds into flight and silencing the insects.
The dust and smoke cleared, revealing two figures in a standoff.
"How is this possible!"
Yan Guiyun had a look of utter disbelief.
He had already reached Perfection in the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm and was starting to break through to the Celestial Essence Realm. He had thought he could easily crush Xu Yang, even with Xu Yang at Marrow Cleansing Great Success. But he never imagined that in their first exchange, they would be almost evenly matched.
Xu Yang’s foundation in the Martial Dao was actually more profound than his own. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to be an even match right after breaking through to Marrow Cleansing Great Success.
BANG!
Force exploded from their fists. Both were forced to take large steps back, cracking the ground and leaving behind footprints two to three inches deep.
Yan Guiyun was horrified. ’If Xu Yang had been cultivating for the same amount of time as me, that punch alone could have killed me.’
’And it seems Xu Yang didn’t even use his Golden Gang Qi in that punch. He clashed with me using purely his physical body.’
’I can’t let you live!’ A murderous urge erupted within Yan Guiyun, shattering his composure.
This level of talent horrified even him. He had been cultivating for two years longer than Xu Yang, after all.
Despite those two extra years, he couldn’t suppress Xu Yang.
Xu Yang had only been a disciple for a little over three years, yet not only had his Cultivation reached Marrow Cleansing Great Success, but he had also trained his body to the point where it could withstand a Half-Spirit Weapon.
BOOM!
His blood and qi boiled, and his Gang Qi surged forth. His loose hair whipped around wildly.
Yan Guiyun strode forward, his body flowing with light. His immense Gang Qi rapidly converged, gathering in his fist to form a layer of Fist Gang compressed to its absolute limit, which he then unleashed in a heavy blow.
BOOM!
The moment he threw the punch, the Gang Qi exploded outward like a crashing wave, letting out a deafening roar and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Since his Physique couldn’t overpower Xu Yang, he would win with his overwhelming Gang Qi. He was already at the threshold of the Celestial Essence Realm; the sheer volume of his Gang Qi was something Xu Yang could never hope to match.
Facing this tide-like Gang Qi attack that left no blind spots, Xu Yang simply raised his Protective Gang Qi.
His Gang Qi was not as abundant as Yan Guiyun’s, but its purity was on a completely different level.
BOOM!
Golden Gang Qi pulsed out, protecting his entire body. He let the raging, wave-like Gang Qi crash against him, standing firm like an indestructible mountain.
A golden palm shot out, instantly tearing through the torrent of crimson Gang Qi and striking Yan Guiyun’s fist.
Fuyue Bear King’s Palm—Mountain-Shattering and Mountain-Breaking!
BANG!
Fist and palm collided with a deafening thud. The resulting torrent of Gang Qi was like a tidal wave, blasted back by the immense power of the impact.
Xu Yang’s eyes were cold and sharp, his battle lust soaring as his Golden Gang Qi flared.
Yan Guiyun’s whole body trembled, his bones and tendons humming. He felt a sharp, domineering, and incredibly pure Gang Qi surge from Xu Yang’s palm, easily invading his meridians and wreaking havoc.
’Such pure Gang Qi.’
He also practiced a technique to condense his Gang Qi. Though not an Anomalous Gang Qi Technique like the one that produced Golden Gang Qi, it was still a Superior Technique. Having cultivated it to the Great Success Realm, his Gang Qi should have been no weaker than an Anomalous Gang Qi.
Yet Xu Yang’s Gang Qi was far purer than his own, and sharp as a knife.
’This Gang Qi definitely wasn’t cultivated from the Celestial Spirit Body Refining Technique or the Golden Gang Skill.’
As if shocked by electricity, Yan Guiyun hastily retracted his fist, finally cutting off the Gang Qi Xu Yang had sent into his body. His entire fist felt like it was being stabbed by thousands of needles, throbbing with sharp pain.
"If this is all you have as the third of the Ten Prodigies, then today will be the day you die."
Xu Yang’s posture was like a dragon’s. He took a step, and the very earth trembled as a boundless aura radiated from his body.
His golden palm, like an earth-shattering landslide, tore through the air and shot out once more.
Before the palm even arrived, the gale of Gang Qi it stirred up made Yan Guiyun’s face sting. He felt as if a giant boulder was pressing on his chest, making it difficult to breathe.
"You dare look down on me? You think my reputation as Yan Guiyun is undeserved?" Yan Guiyun’s eyes flew wide with rage.
With a loud RUMBLE, his Gang Qi ignited like a blazing fire. Billowing heat waves rolled off him as his entire body turned crimson, his turbulent aura kicking up a shockwave.
A series of loud cracks echoed from within his body. In an instant, he grew half a foot taller, his muscles swelling like mountain peaks until he transformed into a giant over two meters tall.
This was the Body Refining Technique he cultivated—Heaven-Burning Flame Body.
An oppressive aura emanated from him. He looked like a mass of blazing fire, making Xu Yang, at one-point-eight meters tall, seem short in comparison.
BOOM!
Flames surged from Yan Guiyun’s body and his wild hair danced. His aura grew even stronger than before. His gnarled muscles nearly burst through his loose robes as he swung a hand as large as a prayer cushion, clashing with Xu Yang once more.
It seemed neither man wanted to compete with techniques. They just wanted to see who was tougher, whose foundation in the Martial Dao was more solid.
BANG!
A tremendous sound, like an earth-shattering landslide, rang out. The ground beneath their feet rumbled, and a terrifying fissure was blasted open.
Vigorous Energy shot out, and shattered stones filled the sky. Amidst a CRACKING sound, ripples spread across Xu Yang’s Protective Gang Qi as fine fractures appeared. His bones and tendons hummed in protest.
The realm of his Unmoving Bright King Body was still a fair bit behind Yan Guiyun’s Heaven-Burning Flame Body. His flesh took on a jade-like luster, a sign that the Unmoving Bright King Body was being pushed to its limits. The roiling of his blood and qi turned his skin faintly red, as if the force of the blow was about to blast them out of his body.
He felt a tyrannical power transmit from the opposing palm, forcing him to stumble back several steps with a tightness in his chest.