He wore no heavy armor like the others, but rather a tailored, light garment that made him look remarkably dashing.

Chen Feng remained silent, suddenly exerting force beneath his feet; the power of the Qi Cyclone, combined with the strength of his muscles, propelled him straight forward.

Speaking before a fight—that was the action of a fool! Striking first to gain the advantage was the iron law he had always believed in.

Spencer’s fighting spirit was wind-attributed. Although its offensive power was not strong, its sheer speed was unmatched among Ninth-Rank Fighters by any other attribute.

Precisely because his advantage lay in speed, he eschewed heavy armor even on the back of a dragon.

He hadn't expected his opponent to possess no semblance of knightly decorum, initiating the attack before any words were finished. Annoyed, the wind-attributed Qi within him burst out with a soft pop, and just as Chen Feng was about to strike, his body shot backward a full five meters!

Chen Feng, having seized the initiative, naturally conceded nothing. He tapped the ground, sending a powerful thrust through the earth, causing the surrounding rocks to instantly shatter with a loud boom, sending several fragments flying! He utilized this rebound force to accelerate, instantly appearing before Spencer and unleashing two swift punches!

But as fast as Chen Feng was, his opponent’s footwork was swifter. Chen Feng’s fists seemed to strike empty air, finding no purchase whatsoever. Only then did he realize the figure before him was merely an illusion; his opponent had vanished elsewhere!

Powerful! Chen Feng drew a sharp, cold breath!

With his cultivation at the mid-stage of Sixth-Rank Fighter, supplemented by the techniques of the King of Fighters, he had believed himself capable of standing against a master of the Ninth-Rank Fighter level. Now, it seemed that assumption had been far too simplistic!

Pain suddenly flared in his back. He knew his opponent had somehow circled behind him without warning. He ducked low, executing three rapid somersaults forward, darting away.

Who knew that the opponent clung to him like venom to bone? Chen Feng leaped several times in succession yet could not shake off the palm that was about to land squarely on his back.

"Aargh..." With a long howl, the power of the Qi Cyclone inside Chen Feng surged violently. He swung his left hand backward to block the incoming strike while simultaneously clapping toward the empty space at his side with his right hand!

With two soft pings, Chen Feng used the force from his right palm to execute a sharp sidestep, finally turning his face toward his foe.

The first round appeared to be a draw, but in reality, Chen Feng had already fallen behind. To initiate the attack yet be forced back so miserably suggested the Ninth-Rank Dragon Knight was indeed formidable!

Chen Feng regulated his breathing; the fighting spirit within him swelled madly. Every muscle in his body seemed to awaken with excitement.

One-on-one combat and arena matches were precisely where the King of Fighters techniques shone. This situation perfectly ignited the King of Fighters' spirit of refusal to yield and the ferocious battle intent in Chen Feng’s mind!

"Quick reaction, but your speed is a bit slow!" Spencer paused his movements to remark.

This was the first time Chen Feng had ever been told his speed was slow. Even Xiaohu, who possessed the wind attribute, often praised his swiftness. To hear such a dismissive comment regarding his greatest asset was utterly humiliating!

Taking a deep breath, Chen Feng’s unyielding spirit flared up. He declared, "Is that so? We can certainly test it further!"

His feet shifted, unleashing the Phantom Crane Steps. The first exchange had been a mere probe, employing none of the King of Fighters techniques, relying solely on the Qi Cyclone and physical strength. Now, deploying the Crane Steps, his speed instantly more than doubled.

"Hm? What peculiar footwork!" Spencer spoke, yet his movements and speed remained unchanged. With a series of quick bangs, the two had exchanged several blows in that fleeting moment!

Their speed was too great. The surrounding fighting spirit, mingled with the wind’s momentum, whipped up a cloud of dust in the valley.

The surrounding spectators gasped, unable to believe their eyes. Was this the speed a human could possess?

Grace could only perceive two blurs constantly darting back and forth; she couldn't even make out the specific movements of either figure. Her expression grew increasingly grim until, finally unable to bear it, she threw up.

Alfred’s forehead was beaded with cold sweat. Although his cultivation surpassed Chen Feng’s, he realized now that if these two fought to the death, this young man could likely kill him several times over before his magic could even be fully cast!

What a terrifying and bizarre individual!

Austin, being a Knight, understood Spencer’s might, but even his face shifted dramatically upon seeing Chen Feng holding his own.

He counted himself fortunate for having stated his terms clearly; otherwise, he might very well be a corpse by now!

...

Chen Feng drove out a kick, and the opponent flashed away in the opposite direction, returning a kick of his own, but by then, Chen Feng had already flickered to the other side.

They both struck and immediately retreated, their forms like dancing butterflies. Chen Feng’s fully deployed Phantom Crane Steps seemed to have absolutely no effect on Spencer!

This was a situation Chen Feng had never encountered before. After gaining the King of Fighters techniques, he had arrogantly believed himself unrivaled among heroes. Today, he realized he had underestimated the Qi Cultivators; their legacy, spanning tens of thousands of years, was truly extraordinary in its power.

Exchanging punches and kicks, three minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Chen Feng discerned a flaw: although Spencer's strength was potent and his speed incredible, when it came to peculiar footwork and bizarre movements, he was still far inferior to the Phantom Crane Steps. Thus, under the influence of the Crane Steps, every time Chen Feng drove out his left foot, the opponent was forced to jump to the right, covering a distance of about three meters.

After this pattern repeated four times in succession, Chen Feng formed a plan.

The members of the Pterodactyl Knights observing the standoff began an intense discussion.

"I didn't expect this guy's speed to be so fast! He’s been fighting the Vice-Commander for so long without falling behind!" one Pterodactyl Knight commented to another.

"Indeed. This is the first time I've seen someone match the Vice-Commander's speed," the other sighed in wonder.

"But what good is pure speed? The Vice-Commander is the Empire's number one genius, the peak of Ninth-Rank Fighters! Right now, he's just playing with this kid!"

"Playing? Why would he play?" The other clearly didn't believe this.

"Haven't you seen how a powerful magical beast toys with its prey? The strongest beasts play with their food before killing it to satisfy their hunger!" this Knight explained.

"Oh, I get what you mean. The Vice-Commander finds this kid’s footwork a little strange, so he’s giving him a chance to practice?"

"That must be it. Didn't you see? He can’t even touch the Vice-Commander’s side. If it weren't for his tricky footwork, he’d already be dead!"

The more they discussed it, the more sense it made; this was a significant discovery. They were secretly smug, about to share their revelation with everyone, when they were suddenly silenced by a collective gasp from those around them. They quickly turned their attention back to the fighting ground. After just one glance, both of their eyes contracted sharply, their mouths dropping wide open in astonishment, their expressions as if they had seen a zombie in broad daylight.

Their supposedly invincible Vice-Commander, Spencer, whom they believed was merely toying with his opponent, was currently buried headfirst in a pile of rocks in the valley, his face covered in blood!

Had they seen incorrectly, or had the world gone insane?

The Empire's number one genius had been struck down by a mere youth carrying a shovel?

They shook their heads, each slapping the other across the face. When they looked back at the arena with stinging cheeks, they saw the exact same result!

What on earth had just happened?