Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Hong Feng strode forward with the confidence of a tiger, his pace quickening as a tyrannical aura began to emanate from him.

He was indeed at the Qi Gathering Minor Achievement stage.

Xu Yang moved at an unhurried pace. The two rapidly closed the distance between them.

"Senior Brother Xue, who do you think will win?" a curious Inner Courtyard Disciple from Weiyuan Hall asked Xue Fangsheng.

Xue Fangsheng said, "They’ve both just reached Qi Gathering Minor Achievement, so their cultivation levels are equal. I don’t know who will win, but even the victor will suffer a pyrrhic victory. They might even destroy each other."

’Xu Yang’s comprehension is decent. He’s already grasped the Bear-Bursting Strength of the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist, so his combat strength should be considerable.’

’But Hong Feng has been training as a Martial Artist for nearly three years. Even if his comprehension isn’t as good as Xu Yang’s, his time spent cultivating is a clear advantage.’

’It was hard for him to say who would win, but precisely because of this situation, neither of them would have an easy victory.’

’What? Xu Yang is at Qi Gathering Minor Achievement too?’ Hong Feng was shocked when he heard this.

He had attacked Xu Yang without a word because the information he’d gathered suggested Xu Yang had only just entered the Qi Gathering stage, someone he could deal with effortlessly.

Now that Xu Yang’s cultivation was suddenly at Qi Gathering Minor Achievement as well, the situation was completely different.

Just as Xue Fangsheng had said, even a win would be a pyrrhic victory. It could even end in mutual destruction.

This was a fight he didn’t want at all. Win or lose, both sides would be grievously injured.

At this thought, Hong Feng’s running steps came to a sudden halt. He wanted to talk to Xu Yang again and try to resolve things peacefully.

But in that instant, Xu Yang made his move.

He keenly sensed the disorder in Hong Feng’s aura, the fading of his will to fight, and the halt in his steps.

Although he didn’t know what had caused Hong Feng to make such a rookie mistake at a critical moment, it didn’t stop him from seizing the opportunity.

The moment the opening appeared, he unhesitatingly launched a thunderous attack.

In an instant, he hollowed his chest and arched his back. As he raised his shoulders, the great dragon of his spine seemed to come alive, vibrating segment by segment, launching his body forward like a cannonball.

The ground beneath his feet shook, and the bluestone paving slabs immediately sank, caving in under the force of his step.

This was the Bear Pounce, the pouncing kill technique of the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist. At the same time, he used the force-generating method of Bear-Bursting Strength to increase his speed.

The air roared, and the unmelted snow by the roadside was swept up by the fierce wind. But in a flash, he had already crossed a distance of ten feet to close in on Hong Feng.

His five fingers clenched into a tight fist that tore through the air, aimed straight at Hong Feng’s throat.

"Not good!"

Hong Feng’s expression changed drastically. He had wanted to negotiate, never imagining he’d given Xu Yang an opening to strike with such a ruthless, lethal technique.

This wasn’t at all like someone who had only practiced martial arts for half a year. He was more like a hardened killer with many lives on his hands—his timing was precise, and his attacks were vicious.

At this critical moment, he retreated explosively while shaping his five fingers into a claw, trying to grab Xu Yang’s wrist. As long as he got a firm grip, with his skill in grappling, he could turn the tables in an instant.

A mocking look appeared in Xu Yang’s eyes.

’Because this punch was just a feint. How could an expert at Qi Gathering Minor Achievement be taken down in one move, even if they’d lost the initiative?’

The next moment, his fist turned into a palm. He chopped down sharply, evading Hong Feng’s grab and landing a heavy blow on his chest.

BAM!

A sound like the beating of a drum rang out. Hong Feng’s face flushed red, and he felt as if the ferocious force had nearly shattered his sternum. His qi and blood roiled within him.

’Such immense power!’

Xu Yang was like a humanoid bear standing on its hind legs; his strength seemed inhuman.

Hong Feng’s bones and sinews trembled. He stumbled backward uncontrollably, his steps making the street shake, his face a mask of horror.

’This kind of strength... it can’t just be from Bear-Bursting Strength. Xu Yang’s physique must be extraordinary.’

"Nice!" Zhang Yong roared.

Xu Yang pressed his advantage, relentless. He chased after his opponent like a bolt of rushing thunder, both fists striking out toward Hong Feng’s temples.

Another killing move, aimed straight at a vital spot!

A ferocious light flared in Hong Feng’s eyes. He instantly understood that Xu Yang wasn’t just trying to defeat him—he was trying to kill him.

’I can’t let Xu Yang get close! I have to regain the advantage!’

The moment the thought formed, he threw a punch through the air.

BOOM!

A blast of True Qi shot out from his fist, heading straight for Xu Yang’s chest.

Qi Gathering Minor Achievement: killing enemies with True Qi that leaves the body!

In truth, most experts at Qi Gathering Minor Achievement rarely used this kind of technique, as it consumed too much True Qi and its power was less than ideal.

However, Xu Yang had pushed him into a corner, leaving him no choice but to use this method to buy himself a moment of respite.

Xu Yang hadn’t expected the mediocre-seeming Hong Feng to be so decisive. His major tendons tightened like a taut bowstring. With a twist of his waist, he instantly dodged the incoming blast of True Qi.

"What a fine Bear King Flip!" Zhang Yong couldn’t help but shout again.

’If it were me, I probably couldn’t have dodged that punch of True Qi leaving the body. I would have had to tank it with my own body.’

"Die!"

As Xu Yang steadied himself, Hong Feng was already pouncing, his fists raining down like hailstones. The fierce wind shrieked as if from the blows of iron hammers.

He ground his feet into the earth, sweeping his crossed arms outward as he retreated.

BAM! BAM!

In that instant, their arms collided, producing a pair of muffled thuds.

’What a hard body.’

Hong Feng’s expression changed. He felt as though he hadn’t collided with flesh and blood, but with two iron pillars cast from molten metal—they were terrifyingly hard.

The pain in his arms made him suck in a sharp breath, as if they were about to fracture. They were thrown wide, and the rebound force made it difficult for him to even sustain his True Qi.

’With such a terrifying body, even if my attacks landed, could I actually injure him?’

At that moment, Hong Feng’s guard was wide open. Xu Yang did not let this opportunity slip.

The bluestone beneath his feet collapsed. With an explosive crackle from his bones and sinews, he shot forward like a sharp arrow, closing in on Hong Feng.

Twisting his waist and swinging his arm, he thrust his fist out like a great spear, tearing through the air with a muffled boom.

Hong Feng had no time to bring his arms back. He could only watch helplessly as Xu Yang’s fist, like a great spear, stabbed into the center of his chest—right where the palm had struck before.

CRACK!

Along with the crisp sound of cracking bone, Hong Feng’s sternum caved in.

"Aaaargh..."

His internal organs were shattered by the invading Vajra True Qi. He couldn’t help but let out a blood-curdling scream as his body was sent flying.

With that blow, even if Hong Feng wasn’t dead, he was crippled.

But Xu Yang had no intention of letting him live, not even as a cripple. Since they were now enemies, he would cut the weeds and pull out the roots.

’Hong Feng trained at the Tiger Roar Boxing Hall for three years, after all. Who knows if he has connections to influential figures? I don’t want any future trouble from letting him live.’

He shot forward in a Bear Pounce, raised his hands high, grabbed Hong Feng’s legs, and slammed him violently onto the ground.

With a sickening SMASH, Hong Feng’s skull cracked open, his brains splattering everywhere. His cervical vertebrae snapped and pierced through the flesh of his neck. He went completely still.

Xu Yang stood still as his roiling qi and blood gradually calmed. The murderous light in his eyes began to fade.

’Hong Feng was even weaker than I expected. It was all over in a flash. I killed him without even using my Wind and Thunder Strength.’

’The main reason was that during the first exchange, Hong Feng had some kind of brain fart, allowing me to seize the initiative and injure him with a palm strike.’

’The credit also goes to the Vajra Skill. Not only does the Vajra Skill make my physique far tougher than others at the same level, but it also grants me immense brute strength.’

The surroundings were dead silent. No one had expected life and death to be decided so quickly, that Xu Yang would beat Hong Feng to death on the spot.

"Feng..."

Only the members of the Hong Family reacted first, letting out a piercing shriek.