Yaxin Bing lunged forward again, his eyes burning with hatred, yet also flickering with confusion: how did his opponent drop his power level mid-fight, going from four-star strength down to three?
The newer recruits from the stronger regions further away all had their eyes snap open simultaneously. What was this East Asian recruit planning? A three-star fighting a four-star?
Between Yang Lie’s two sword-like eyebrows, a vertical crease had unknowingly formed. After a few exchanges of Tai Chi, the awkwardness had vanished entirely, replaced by unparalleled fluidity, as smooth as flowing water. Was this man using the West Asian recruit as practice?
Qin Fen lowered his waist and sank his hips, the speed of the surging zhenqi inside him decelerated, and his star level dropped from four to three. A move—White Crane Spreads its Wings—was placed against the wrist of the Iron Sand Palm. The West Asian recruit instantly felt a high-speed rotating gyroscope on the back of his hand, which redirected the impact force of the blow, throwing it off course.
Bang!
Due to the West Asian recruit over-exerting himself, the misdirected palm struck the steel-reinforced concrete ground, sending a shower of gravel and fragments flying from the cement surface.
Crack…
The crisp sound of fracturing bones, transmitted through the speakers by Mike, allowed the audience watching the projection screens to clearly see the twitching muscles on the West Asian recruit’s face.
The Iron Sand Palm, capable of smashing through bricks, usually required a specific point of impact; colliding directly with the ground was an entirely different concept. The freshly poured concrete had fused together almost seamlessly, and even a four-star Iron Sand Palm proved somewhat fragile against it.
“Oh? The three-star East Asian recruit is actually engaging the four-star West Asian recruit?”
“Indeed. The East Asian recruit truly surprises us with every fight.”
“This East Asian recruit is unexpectedly powerful.”
The three commentators volleyed remarks back and forth. Many audience members who hadn't noticed Qin Fen reducing his star level let out another collective gasp of astonishment.
The West Asian recruit’s face flushed crimson, unsure if it was from shame or sheer agony. Sweat was now beading on his forehead.
Qin Fen sighed softly, shaking his head while looking at his hands. It seemed his control over strength still needed improvement. Although a three-star could defeat a four-star, he couldn't achieve the complete control over his opponent’s movement and force that the King of Treachery could, reaching a state of absolute command over the battle.
He couldn't even fully control a West Asian soldier whose skill was incomplete? Qin Fen flexed his fingers. It seemed he hadn't truly integrated the Twenty-Four Simplified Forms of Tai Chi; he only knew fragments of it.
Sigh. A shake of the head. Flexing his fingers.
These three simple movements enraged the West Asian recruit, whose eyes spat fire. Qin Fen was pushing him too far—not only was he fighting at a lower star level as an insult, but he was also displaying such disdainful conduct.
“Qin Fen, I will fight you to the death…”
A roar, almost tearing his vocal cords, was amplified through the microphones, echoing across the entire arena.
Before the West Asian recruit’s words had fully faded, Qin Fen’s strength dropped again, from three stars down to two!
“What? Two stars?”
“Heavens, is the East Asian recruit insane?”
“He can’t possibly think that because his opponent injured an arm, he can look down on him like this? The difference in strength is too vast.”
The three commentators beat the West Asian recruit to the punch, announcing this staggering news to the audience members who hadn't grasped what had just happened.
“Two stars?”
“Two stars? Is that real?”
Following the commentators’ shouts, the stands erupted into an uproar. Some people actually stood up, vigorously rubbing their eyes, wondering if they were dreaming or if the East Asian recruit had genuinely lost his mind.
“Two!?”
Yang Lie’s tall back straightened once more, the crease between his brows instantly vanishing. A flash of realization crossed his eyes. “As expected, he is using his opponent to hone himself. To attempt such practice right here—what tremendous spirit, what audacious courage. I look forward to facing you in the semi-finals even more.”
“East Asian recruit…” Caesar watched Qin Fen, his fingers laced together thoughtfully. “Can you defeat the Little Dragon King Yang Lie? More than Yang Lie, I wish to spar with you. What kind of destructive power would be unleashed when someone who has practiced the Twenty-Four Simplified Forms to this extent finally unleashes their true ultimate move?”
“Two stars?”
The West Asian recruit’s anger surged to his head; a heat spread across his chest, and he spat out a jet of bloody saliva. His eyes, wide with fury, looked as if the corners might tear open.
“Come,” Qin Fen said.
The tranquility of Tai Chi seemed to infect Qin Fen himself; his tone of voice was incredibly level, utterly devoid of any trace of violent force, as if speaking to a martial artist whose star level was even lower than his own.
Without waiting for the West Asian recruit to move, Qin Fen slowly closed his open eyes, his entire demeanor becoming like that of a calm blind man.
“My God! How many tricks does this East Asian recruit plan to pull in his very first match?”
“Closing his eyes? Judging based on the movement of air currents?”
“Two stars, eyes closed, against a four-star martial artist? This is madness!”
The three commentators clicked their tongues repeatedly. Despite having commentated on hundreds of fights, they had never encountered a scene like this. Arrogant! Arrogant to the extreme.
The West Asian recruit felt as if his chest had been struck by a heavy hammer. He staggered back several paces, staring blankly at Qin Fen. The honor of the West Asian Military Zone was, at this moment, being trampled underfoot in front of countless witnesses. This humiliation had to be washed away, even if it cost him his life.
“In Tai Chi, the entire body is the eye,” Qin Fen said quietly, slowly drawing his hands into a stance. “Every hair on the body can sense everything…”
Before Qin শত্রu finished speaking, the West Asian recruit suddenly rushed forward, taking a step to close the distance to less than a meter, his left hand violently drawing out from beside his right waist! The air hissed as it was torn apart—the explosive power born of rage should not be underestimated.
New Karate’s technique, Zansui (Water Cutting), derived from the Eastern Way’s Iaijutsu!
What kind of swift power would be required to cleave water?
The hairs on Qin Fen’s body stood on end. The Hunyuan power generated by his downward-pressing White Crane Spreads its Wings clashed with the Zansui. The long sleeves of both their garments snapped taut, emitting a sharp, tearing sound.
Before the Hunyuan could fully neutralize the Zansui, the attacker’s forearm suddenly retracted inward, and an iron elbow shot out with an even fiercer whistling sound, slamming toward Qin Fen’s temple.
In the face of two-star strength, all four-star power is inherently too rigid, Qin Fen thought instantly. His White Crane Spreads its Wings shifted; his left hand struck the iron elbow while his feet seemed to tread on icy water, allowing him to smoothly glide sideways.
For the first time since the fight began, the West Asian soldier had seized the advantage and certainly wouldn't yield it. He lunged forward again, his bent forearm snapping out like a switchblade—Zansui reappeared!
The audience collectively gasped, staring tensely at Qin Fen, wondering if this young man, who was so overconfident as to use only two-star power, would become the first person in this tournament to founder in the shallows.
Qin Fen did not look away. The hairs on his body acted like countless high-powered radars, sensing everything around him. He maintained his two-star level, not elevating it to three. As he slid back, his retrieving White Crane Spreads its Wings posture shifted, and his right hand pressed down again.
Bang!
The collision shuddered through Qin Fen’s body, and his feet once again began to skate, sending him sliding several meters back.
“Isn’t he going to increase his star level?”
“The East Asian recruit is playing with fire.”
“Gentlemen, does anyone want to place a bet on when this East Asian recruit will raise his power to three stars?”
The three commentators’ banter sparked curiosity among tens of thousands of spectators, who began guessing when Qin Fen would display three-star strength.
“Qin Fen…” Song Jia gripped her hands, her eyes clouded with nervous worry.
Lin Liqiang smiled and shook his head. “Jiajia, you’re letting your concern cloud your judgment. With your insight, if you were objective, could you not tell whether Old Qin currently holds the advantage or the disadvantage?”
Song Jia froze for a moment, then her tense eyes suddenly brightened. A faint blush spread across her fair cheeks as she inwardly chided herself for being so nervous that she had lost her basic sense of judgment.
While they conversed, the West Asian recruit on the stage attacked Qin Fen relentlessly, as if possessed. After every clash, Qin Fen’s body would slide several meters back, as if on ice, yet he maintained his postures—either Hand Waves Pipa or White Crane Spreads its Wings.
Yang Lie watched the fight with great interest. Qin Fen was like an air-filled rubber ball; every time he was hit by a powerful external force, his body was bounced away, but he couldn't be burst.
Can a rubber ball truly not be burst? No! Yang Lie slowly shook his head. If the external force was strong enough, it could indeed shatter the resilient sphere in one blow. However, this West Asian recruit? Yang Lie sighed. Qin Fen had already grasped so much from the Simplified Tai Chi; he absolutely could not be burst by this West Asian fighter whose control over zhenqi and strength was utterly lacking.
Bang bang bang…
After dozens of continuous collisions, Qin Fen’s Tai Chi suddenly trembled. All his yielding force instantly converted into rigid force. The same Cloud Hand strike hit the back arm of the West Asian recruit. Qin Fen’s feet seemed rooted to the spot, but the West Asian recruit’s arm visibly shook. Instantly, where the Cloud Hand struck, it was as if a steel blade had cut in, the muscles beneath the skin threatening to turn inside out.
Seizing the opening, Qin Fen stepped into the empty space before the opponent’s chest, spun his body, and slammed his back heavily into the enemy’s sternum.
Fitness exercise boxing, Arhat Fist: Turning Body Single Mountain Lean!
Yielding begets rigidity! Yielding begets rigidity! The moment Qin Fen crashed into the West Asian recruit’s chest, his mind cleared. The so-called ‘yielding begets rigidity’ didn't refer to the rigidity within Tai Chi itself, but rather the force generated when Tai Chi transformed into rigid striking arts—that was the true meaning of yielding begets rigidity.
Watching the West Asian recruit fly backward, his sternum collapsing with sounds of breaking bones, Qin Fen slowly drew his posture back and stood up. The transition from soft to hard techniques, when the two forces mutually spurred each other, generated the most formidable power.
Thud…
The West Asian recruit crashed heavily to the ground, sliding several meters, a perfect mirror image of Qin Fen’s earlier slides—only one was standing, and the other was prone.
Qin Fen looked up at the speaker announcing his victory, and then sighed heavily to himself. “A pity. I only experienced that understanding for an instant. I’ve only touched the very surface of the profound mystery of yielding begets rigidity.”