Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

"Brother Xu, be careful!"

He Dong, showing some martial courtesy, gave Xu Yang a warning. He leaned forward slightly, assuming the posture of a pouncing tiger. With a stomp of his right foot, he shot forward in a straight line.

The Foundation Establishment Fist Technique taught by the Tiger Roar Boxing Hall was the Fierce Tiger Fist. Like the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist, it followed a path of extreme force and ferocity, specializing in Claw Skills.

Hong Feng, whom Xu Yang had killed while standing up for the Qiu Family, and Bao Gang, who had tried to ambush him only to be killed in return, were both from the Tiger Roar Boxing Hall. Xu Yang was therefore quite familiar with the Fierce Tiger Fist, but he still had to be on guard in case He Dong had learned things from beyond the Hall.

He Dong struck with both arms. One hand curved into five fingers, like a steel claw tearing through the air with a piercing whistle. The other hand was a clenched fist, which boomed as it cut through the air.

His hands moved in a blur as his True Qi surged. He had already switched techniques several times mid-approach, trying to make it impossible for Xu Yang to tell where he would strike.

"BOOM!"

Xu Yang’s figure blurred into motion. With a single sidestep, he rendered all of He Dong’s feints useless.

The next moment, he turned to the side and swung his arm, his fist thrusting out like a great spear. He bypassed the blurs of He Dong’s fist and claw, aiming a vicious strike at He Dong’s armpit.

’Such a fast reaction.’

He Dong sighed internally. He changed his claw into a fist and struck out horizontally, switching from offense to defense in an instant.

"BANG!"

Their arms clashed with a muffled thud, the explosive force of the impact erupting into a gale.

’Bear-Bursting Strength... His arm is like iron.’

He Dong felt as if his arm had slammed into an iron pillar. A spasm shot through his muscles, followed by a bone-deep pain. The incredibly forceful Bear-Bursting Strength sent his arm recoiling.

The momentum of Xu Yang’s fist unabated, it continued its thrust toward He Dong’s body.

Fortunately, his other hand arrived just in time, clamping down toward Xu Yang’s arm like five iron pincers.

If Xu Yang didn’t pull back his attack, He Dong was confident that even if he were injured, his steel-like claw could rip the flesh from Xu Yang’s arm.

’I can’t win this too quickly!’

Xu Yang sighed to himself. With his current Physique, he wasn’t afraid of He Dong’s tiger claw grab, but it was best not to expose his Vajra Skill if he didn’t have to. After all, the bounty for Jade Butterfly in Qingyuan County was still active.

As the thought crossed his mind, his waist twisted like a great, coiling python, and he extended his arm in a sweeping rotation.

This technique, known as the Bear’s Arm Swing, was one of his most powerful.

With a boom, his arm seemed to shatter the very air, creating a deep, muffled explosion of sound as it swung like an iron pillar toward He Dong’s chest.

The moment his five-fingered claw closed on empty air, He Dong knew he was in trouble. Seeing the terrifying power of this technique, he abandoned any thought of attacking and hurriedly raised both arms to block his chest.

"BANG!"

He felt as if an iron rod had smashed into his arms. An instant of searing pain shot through him as if he’d been struck by lightning. His Protective True Qi was shattered by the irresistible Force, and he was sent stumbling backward uncontrollably.

Xu Yang pressed his advantage, his fists falling like rain as he began to dominate the fight.

After enduring seven or eight of Xu Yang’s punches, He Dong’s arms were nearly numb, and the pain caused beads of cold sweat to form on his forehead.

Most importantly, he had retreated again and again until he was at the very edge of the ring. Another two or three steps and he would fall off.

"I forfeit!" He Dong shouted.

He knew the tide had turned. If he kept fighting, he was no match for Xu Yang. It was better to preserve his strength and try to advance in the next round.

If he stubbornly held on, he would only truly anger Xu Yang and suffer a vicious blow, losing his chance to even fight in the second round.

"Thank you for the match."

Xu Yang retracted his fists and stepped to the side, giving a cupped-fist salute. He knew that based on the strength he had shown, He Dong could have actually held on for a while longer.

But a fight that would leave them both injured would benefit neither of them. It was better to forfeit and move on to the second round.

"Brother Xu, your Physique is formidable and your Bear-Bursting Strength is incredibly powerful. I am truly impressed."

He Dong offered the polite words with a cupped fist, then turned and leaped off the ring to rest, conserving his energy for the second round.

"C-18 advances!"

The proctor yelled, and the staff below the stage made a note.

Xu Yang gave the proctor a cupped-fist salute and then turned and leaped off the stage.

"Junior Brother Xu, congratulations on advancing."

Sun Tao, Zhang Hong, and Lin Wei approached with smiles, offering their congratulations.

Advancing to the next round completely unharmed was definitely something to celebrate. On the neighboring stages, fighters were already suffering broken arms and legs.

"Just lucky," Xu Yang said with a smile.

It was indeed luck. Not only was his opponent weaker than him, but he also knew how to weigh the pros and cons and didn’t fight to the bitter end.

Not far away, Liu Qian gave a slight nod, and Xu Yang returned it with a cupped fist.

They weren’t exactly friends, but during his year with the Liu Family, they had interacted a few times and were not complete strangers.

"Some people have all the damn luck," Jiang Yi said snidely from the side.

Xu Yang’s opponent hadn’t been strong, so he’d won easily, which made Jiang Yi burn with jealousy.

"Where’s that dog barking coming from? It’s so damn noisy."

Xu Yang stared at him coldly. "You know what you do when you run into a dog? You beat it to death."

Jiang Yi’s face fell. "You’d better hope you don’t run into any disciples from my Gale Hall. If you do, you’ll find that even dying will be a luxury."

"Idiot. If you’ve got the guts, make a move right now. Otherwise, shut your damn mouth. It’s always ’don’t run into people from Gale Hall.’ What, is everyone in Gale Hall your daddy?"

Jiang Yi’s eyes spat fire, but he didn’t dare to actually make a move off-stage.

"Junior Brother Xu, go recover your True Qi. Don’t stoop to his level. If you meet him in the ring, you can settle it then. Tough talk is useless."

Sun Tao knew Jiang Yi was deliberately trying to provoke Xu Yang, delaying his recovery and affecting his state of mind, so he immediately pushed Xu Yang away from the confrontation.

Although he hadn’t expended much energy, he still stepped to the side and assumed the Turtle and Snake Grand Posture, while also carefully observing the ongoing fights in the rings.

One by one, familiar faces began to take the stage. Lu Ren defeated his opponent in under ten techniques, looking utterly triumphant.

Kong Yu’s techniques were ferocious; he defeated a Mid-Stage Qi Gathering Great Success opponent in just three moves.

He also watched as Lu Ren’s lackey, Zhao Hui, was bloodied and blasted off the stage in five moves.