Unexpectedly, yet entirely within the logic of combat, came a kick aimed low! The groin strike had barely reached the Qilin's vulnerable spot when Song Wendong felt a chilling gust race up from his nether regions.

Qilin could not have anticipated that Qin Fen, whose strikes were vast and overwhelming, could shift his attack focus so completely. One moment, he unleashed the world-shattering force of the "Zhou Gang Strike," and the next, it transformed into a mean, low, yet powerfully effective groin kick.

In the flashing instant of attack and defense, Qilin was inwardly stunned. Assessing the fight based on his divine beast martial artist cultivation, he found himself subtly at a disadvantage. This Qin Fen, who had just woken from unconsciousness, was suddenly an entirely different person. His Star Level hadn't broken through the Martial Arts Master tier, but the flavor and technique in his movements belonged to an entirely different plane. This was no longer the Grandmaster realm; it was the Great Grandmaster realm, no less formidable than a divine beast! One slip, and he might genuinely be defeated—how strange! Facing Qin Fen, Song Wendong felt an inexplicable strangeness, as if some divine beast martial artist had suddenly possessed Qin Fen’s body to fight him.

In a flash, Song Wendong stabilized his spirit. His right palm struck out twice in succession, breaking free from the Master’s clinging grip. Ignoring the entanglement of true qi shockwaves with the Master, he pivoted his left ankle sharply, shifting sideways a step, and lunged his hand, shaped like a serpent’s mouth aiming for the throat, into a fierce clutch, transforming it into a hoof-shaped punch thrown obliquely. The punch force tore through the air with a booming resonance, truly resembling the Qilin, a sacred beast, galloping across the battlefield with its four hooves pounding the earth.

Instantly, the pressure from the Qilin Fist slammed into the Master's face, akin to an anvil crashing down upon his features. If it had been a solid strike, even with Qin Fen’s supreme protective art—the Compendium of World Martial Arts—his head would likely have split open.

The Master's spirit had already enveloped every corner of Qilin Summit. Despite fighting on hostile ground, the preceding "Zhou Gang Strike" had allowed him to seize dominion over the entire peak. Every inch of land, every blade of grass, every living thing on Qilin Summit served as his eyes, allowing him to sense Song Wendong’s position immediately. Qin Fen’s Electric Step was deployed again, bringing him face-to-face with Qilin once more.

Electric Step! The Master used it repeatedly, unable to suppress his admiration for Qin Fen. To create such footwork with the foundation of a Fifteen-Star Martial Arts Master was testament to Qin Fen’s comprehension ability in martial arts, surpassing even genius. This was indeed the fastest, most peerless footwork among the Fifteen-Star practitioners! Even if the Master were reduced to Fifteen-Star strength, he would have to adopt this movement technique.

The "Zhou Gang Strike" clashed again with the Qilin Fist. At the moment of contact, the mountain peak beneath them groaned louder than before, shaking countless clumps of weeds and measuring tens of meters in diameter high into the air.

Song Wendong’s right shoulder suddenly collapsed downward, his side emitting a rumbling roar, like an ox bellowing or a tiger roaring mixed with a dragon’s cry. Two plumes of visible white mist jetted from his nostrils. Two near-tangible waves of true qi erupted from either side of his right arm, forming a pincer shape, striking upward toward Qin Fen's chest.

This rotation, followed by the collapse, and then the charge! It was like a wild ox preparing for a moment before charging Qin Fen, this great dragon, armed with horns capable of shattering lions and tigers.

The drawing, pulling, and driving of this punch were completed instantly, accompanied by a panting, chugging sound reminiscent of an ancient steam locomotive pulling forward.

Song Wendong’s attack utilized one of the Qilin Fist's secret techniques: Qilin Headbutt. It was a pity he was using it at the Fifteen-Star level rather than a divine beast martial technique; otherwise, thousands of phantom Qilin horns would have materialized across the world.

Even at the Fifteen-Star level, the combination of rotation, collapse, drawing, pulling, driving, and charging—multiple forms of force exploding in one concerted effort—was incredibly explosive. Song Wendong’s strike, if it hit even a line of the most heavily armored Mobile Suits standing shoulder-to-shoulder, would certainly punch clean through all of them. This technique was one Song Wendong created when he first developed the Fist Style, specifically designed to break through an opponent’s protective aura. Years of refinement after ascending to Divine Beast Martial Artist status made it capable of shattering the auras of ordinary Martial Arts Masters, piercing their blood vessels, smashing their bones, and leaving them severely wounded.

Because the Qilin Headbutt was too ferocious, Qilin rarely employed it. If the Master managed to gain the upper hand so easily now, and Song Wendong couldn't rapidly equalize the situation, he would face even greater passivity, and defeat was not impossible.

Qilin was an absolute top-tier Great Grandmaster in this era, and in the Master’s view, an outstanding expert even during Atlantis’s peak martial era. Unable to fully utilize his techniques at the equal Fifteen-Star state, the "Zhou Gang Strike" only managed to gain a slight advantage in the element of earth.

Amidst the drawing, pulling, and explosive force, the air echoed with continuous dragon and ox roars. The Master’s intercepting palm instantly felt like a drill boring into it, the jade-like arm stirring faint ripples of sensation.

Song Zhenting watched this and was deeply shaken. His father’s ferocious strike—even if Song Zhenting himself suppressed his power to the Fifteen-Star level—could only lead to retreat and evasion. But retreating would mean losing the advantage he had gained, allowing his opponent’s momentum to surge, causing the balance of victory and defeat to swing sharply. Coupled with the Qilin's unrivaled Qilin Steps for pursuit, retreating would instantly lead to him being caught and taken down by a relentless barrage.

Retreat meant defeat; not retreating also meant defeat! Song Zhenting’s brow furrowed, sighing inwardly. This was the power of a Divine Beast Martial Artist: even when they suppressed their star level to fight fairly, their profound martial foundation remained the key to victory.

Butler Hou’s attention was entirely fixed on Qin Fen. He knew Qilin too well; he only wanted to see if this awakened young warrior, having pushed his master to such straits, could produce another astonishing feat.

The Master’s eyes narrowed into thin slits, the light flashing within them being nothing but excitement and delight. If the borrowed body was fighting, and Qilin only possessed such limited abilities, he would be somewhat disappointed. This kind of Qilin truly embodied the spirit of a divine beast.

The Qilin Headbutt arrived in an instant. The Master didn't look at the thunderous strike. His eyes were locked onto Qilin’s eyes. His right hand pressed down towards his chest, his palm landing directly on the back of the fist involved in the Qilin Headbutt, following the wrist and arm in a clockwise rotation.

Song Zhenting scoffed upon seeing this. If the Qilin Headbutt could be stopped so easily, it wouldn't be a divine technique of the Qilin beast! However, Qin Fen wasn't bad; at least his palm strike on the back of the fist didn't cause injury from the Headbutt's true qi. But stopping the Qilin Headbutt was absolutely insufficient.

Butler Hou’s eyes focused intently on Qin Fen. The Master’s rotating palm appeared to be drawing a circle to dissipate force, yet it contained a deeper meaning. As the hand spun, the palm force and aura surged like rolling clouds, spiraling and wrapping around like a silkworm spinning silk, while the Qilin Headbutt was the cocoon itself.

The immense power of the Qilin Headbutt did not diminish in the slightest. Song Wendong’s brow twitched repeatedly, urging the force onward. This wrapping motion was unbearably difficult. No matter how he struck, he couldn't break free. The wrapping palm force contained an inescapable entanglement. If this continued, the Qilin Headbutt might be completely bound and neutralized before it even connected with its target. "What a bizarre coiling force," Butler Hou exclaimed in surprise. If this continued, it might not just block the attack, but actually reverse the situation and twist Qilin’s arm off.

The lingering, gentle entanglement! Qin Fen watched as the Master diverted the "King of Sleaziness’s" technique, instantly transforming it into a martial art called "Lingering Entanglement," which one of his instructors referred to as the most troublesome technique used by a Black Hole level martial artist.

Unlike other Black Hole practitioners, the master of the "Lingering Entanglement" focused almost entirely on one thing: entanglement. His martial arts involved virtually no outright attacks; everything centered on the single character, "Entangle" ().

The King of Sleaziness, Zeng Yicheng, once ranted ceaselessly about the King of Entanglement, Hui Yichan, cursing him constantly.

"Damn it, being sleazy is despicable, but at least it has a certain aesthetic to the martial art! That Hui Yichan, it’s just wrap, wrap, wrap! Fighting him is the most suffocating experience! I’d rather sleep through everything than fight that guy."

Qin Fen’s Yin-Yang Twin Dragons Indeterminate Art was derived from Hui Yichan’s techniques. Unfortunately, the concept of "Entangle" was too profound for Qin Fen to fully internalize and use at his current foundation. Seeing the Master execute the "Lingering Entanglement"—the technique Zeng Yicheng cursed so much—at the peak of Fifteen-Star power, Qin Fen was amazed. Simultaneously, he began intensely examining his own body’s current state: the flow of true qi, the firing patterns of his nerves, and the external air currents flowing from the battle. I see, I see... All the martial arts mysteries that had previously eluded him were rapidly being solved in this state. Qin Fen watched with great astonishment.

"Lingering Entanglement" wasn't merely a fighting move. In fact, the King of Entanglement, Hui Yichan, possessed virtually no singular martial technique; his entire art was encapsulated in one word: Entangle! Hands, feet, body—any part could entangle, clinging together like lovesick fools.

Hui Yichan had elevated this single character, "Entangle," to another realm. Ordinary people could never imagine it. Even at the Fifteen-Star level, this technique of entangling upon entangling still possessed astonishing destructive power.

The Master’s footwork was also entangled, but he wasn't wrapping his opponent, Qilin; he was wrapping the earth. With every retreat, he remained anchored to the ground beneath his feet, preventing his stance from becoming unstable from a single powerful blow.

Song Wendong didn't have time for much admiration. The Qilin Headbutt shifted again. The millions of subsequent strikes that should have followed could no longer be concealed. True qi shot out like razor blades, slicing through the pressure field of the "Lingering Entanglement." His Qilin Steps followed up immediately.

In a blink, the two exchanged dozens of rounds of combat. Song Wendong’s fists grew increasingly fierce and explosive, seemingly seizing complete advantage of the field. The Master, however, remained unhurried, advancing and retreating in perfect order. His left and right palms evolved, embodying the obsessive clinging of lovers, staging scenes of "Lingering Entanglement" upon Qilin.

Song Wendong was like a chivalrous hero trying to break through a sudden passion, every move an aggressive assault, every force bursting forth. Qilin Peak was already shaking violently.

Qin Fen watched, forgetting to praise, forgetting his own existence and any emotion. His entire spirit was absorbed in this truly rare and intense battle, one that happened once in a century.

The Qilin Fist surged in three rapid movements, resembling the magnificent spiritual might of the sacred Qilin. Every move was hard and strong, carrying a sense of punishing the wicked on behalf of heaven.

The Master’s fist techniques seemed to truly integrate various martial arts from across the world. In his movement, when "Entangle" wasn't dominant, his counterattacks sometimes emitted killing intent, sometimes utilized contemptible sleight-of-hand techniques, or achieved speeds faster than a swift chase.

Ten seconds, a hundred strikes; Qilin still appeared to hold the upper hand, pressing the attack relentlessly. A Martial Arts Master who had rushed over could only click his tongue in amazement, silently praising the divine beast. Even suppressed to the Fifteen-Star level, the Divine Beast Martial Artist remained unrivaled in this world!

Song Wendong, deep within the fray, felt bitter. This situation, which appeared superior to outside observers, was entirely illusory. The opponent’s "Entangle" technique was too vexing—no, it was infuriating! How could anyone apply the "Entangle" principle to such an extreme degree? This could only be described by the word "Realm" to denote the level of mastery. Butler Hou watched with a mixture of shock and a smile, thinking to himself that in all his years following his master, he had never seen a situation his master couldn't control. Could this suddenly awakened boy’s instinct be this powerful? The Master was only gaining superficial glory in this fight; if it continued, this boy might completely dominate the battlefield. Then...

Song Wendong unleashed secret moves, feeling even stranger. Could someone truly reach this level purely through instinct? If Qin Fen’s potential was this high, then his recent test barely qualified as passing, perhaps even hovering on the edge of failure.

A thought flashed through his mind. Song Wendong’s sword-like eyebrows shot up, and true qi surged into his arms. His throat suddenly thickened, becoming as wide as a child’s water bucket. Blood roared through it as he pulled a long, celestial cry from the depths of his throat—the roar of a Qilin, a sacred beast descending upon the world.

On the high, steep mountain ridge, the roar stirred the surrounding gravel and weeds, making them swirl continuously. Song Wendong’s muscles and skin cracked audibly.

Song Wendong vaguely felt that although he was still at Fifteen-Star, his power was subtly increasing. In his emotional surge, he tapped into the power inherent in martial instinct. His dual fists turned into palms, held slightly together as if cradling something, and then true qi surged along both sides.

The cradle formed. Song Wendong spread his arms parallel to the sides, planting one leg firmly on the ground, his gaze fixed on Qin Fen’s head as he brought the strike down!

This overhead blow instantly blasted away the expected atmospheric pressure wave, like hundreds of balloons being forcefully crushed and popped. Fierce winds whipped around the center of the battlefield. Song Jia, at her Twelve-Star level, couldn't maintain her footing. Song Wendong’s upper body clothing was shredded into fragments by the gusting qi, revealing his taut muscles. The scraps were immediately sucked into the gale.

Qilin Judgment!

The iron balls Butler Hou was turning in his hand instantly crushed into dust. The light in his eyes flared brilliantly. Had his master achieved further progress in martial arts that he didn't know about? At the Fifteen-Star level, could he deploy the Qilin Judgment?

The Qilin symbolized the ultimate fairness among sacred beasts, rumored to possess the ability to judge the evil or goodness of all things in the world. Sinners would be eliminated, and the virtuous rewarded.

It could be said that Qilin held the power of life and death! Song Wendong’s Qilin Judgment channeled this concept, but how difficult it was to pass judgment! Without sufficient physical fortitude, one had no chance.

The Master’s excited glow intensified. His lower abdomen suddenly contracted and pulled back. As his waist twisted and swayed, his Electric Step executed several shifts per second, forcefully evading the seemingly enveloping judgment disk palm. He reappeared to Song Wendong’s left side, his fingers joined like a blade, stabbing obliquely, poised to strike Song Wendong’s neck in a flash of light.

Not 'Entangle'! Qin Fen felt no surprise. He wasn't worried about whether the Master could block Qilin’s ultimate technique. He saw that Song Wendong was trying to dominate the fight through technique, echoing the strategy of the Slaying the Army technique’s decapitation strike!

The hand-blade cut through the roaring wind, a sizzling whistle slicing through the continuous boom. Song Wendong’s neck instinctively sensed danger; his muscles twitched. His martial intuition registered the instantaneous shift. He inwardly praised Qin Fen’s change; this hand-blade was like light and electricity. Though the distance was extremely short, it created the illusion of a long journey, like a swift cavalry charge on an ancient battlefield, flashing a single blade through ten thousand troops, giving the opponent the false impression that time was ample for evasion.

This high-density, true-aura strike would instantly kill a Sixteen-Star martial artist. A Seventeen-Star martial artist would have to evade unless they intended to trade injuries for the opponent's life.

Qilin did not evade. A divine beast does not evade! Suddenly, his left arm swung up diagonally, his elbow slamming forcefully against the Master’s wrist joint!

"Arhat Fist's Arhat Back Sword! The Great Dao is Simplicity Itself!"

The Master smiled at the corner of his lips, inwardly praising Song Wendong’s persistence. His wrist rotated, extending his index finger like a nail, aiming to strike Song Wendong’s pressure point at the elbow.

A martial artist trained to Song Wendong’s level was naturally unafraid of having his pressure points poked. Yet, facing this singular thrust, he dared not meet it head-on. Surprise flashed in Qilin’s eyes—this was the Seven-Star Void Finger Strike from the Seven-Star Immortal Thunder Technique! A direct hit guaranteed bodily explosion!

Even with his true divine beast body protecting him, Song Wendong dared not underestimate this supreme martial art. In battle, there was no room for carelessness, especially against a freakish opponent like this. The elevated elbow suddenly lowered, the body tilting down and to the right in a smooth motion, while the retracting right hand clenched into a claw, aiming for Qin Fen’s solar plexus.

The arriving Martial Arts Master frowned deeply, internally shouting how thrilling it was. He had struck gold! He was the only Martial Arts Master witnessing this fight. The insights gained from this viewing would be his alone!

In Qin Fen’s mind, flashes of insight came one after another. He had initially thought that gaining inspiration from observation would be far less fruitful than engaging in actual combat.

"I didn't expect this, truly didn't expect this," Qin Fen thought, excitement bubbling up. Watching the battle in the spiritual space was a completely different experience from fighting outside the ring. He could clearly see every move the Master controlled, making the Master a living encyclopedia of martial arts. In retrospect, observing was even more profound and thought-provoking than fighting himself.

Although he couldn't see the Qilin’s exact routes of force application, Qin Fen could still feel much of Song Wendong’s thought processes regarding force exertion, striking, and changing moves. He knew this wasn't true sensing, but rather that he and the Master shared the same body, meaning this was simply the Master deducing Song Wendong’s principles of force and transition.

But the Master was a Black Hole level martial arts expert! Even if he couldn't fully predict the Qilin's martial philosophy, his analysis was super valuable. No one in the world could absorb more martial gains from this fight than Qin Fen.

This battle, though not fought personally, yielded far greater returns than if Qin Fen had fought himself. There would absolutely never be a second such match in the world—two supreme masters suppressing their power to the Fifteen-Star level to fight a Fifteen-Star Martial Arts Master for observation.

For someone at Divine Beast Song Wendong's level, it was beyond mere money. Even the world's richest man, spending his entire fortune, couldn't possibly hire Song Wendong and another Divine Beast to suppress their power for a match.

Of course, if the world's richest man were truly insane enough to pay for divine beasts to perform a circus show, Song Wendong or another Divine Beast wouldn't mind ripping off the rich man’s head and finding a replacement world leader.

This was the power of a Divine Beast! To witness such an intense battle was, in the common vernacular, a stroke of immense good fortune.

The Martial Arts Master secretly watching believed himself to be the luckiest person alive, unaware that the truly luckiest person was currently in a strange spiritual space, like a dried sponge meeting water, greedily absorbing the rewards of this ferocious battle.

Qin Fen knew clearly that after the fight concluded, provided Song Wendong didn't kill him, when he regained control of his body, he would still feel the residual traces of this battle—that comprehension was another form of gain.

A dual harvest from a single viewing, Qin Fen's spirit trembled with excitement.

While Qin Fen was thrilled, the Master and Song Wendong had already exchanged several rounds of offense and defense. The Divine Fist style, which synthesized mass-battle techniques like "Raging Torrent" and "Vajra Dance," now roared its counter-attack horn through the Master's hands with a force capable of overturning seas and rivers: the "Great Sage Causes Havoc in Heaven"!

In that instant, the fighting spirit that had long been suppressed by the Master’s refined demeanor was finally and completely ignited. Vibrant fighting spirit saturated every inch of space on Qilin Peak. The true qi entering his body churned and rolled, like the sound of a volcanic eruption; the muscles were taut like tightened steel strings.

Under this surge of presence, Qilin felt the sky darken, as if standing atop an imminent volcano, completely surrounded by an army of ancient archers, trapped in a desperate situation with no escape.

The Master had fully sounded the horn of counterattack, unleashing the full power of the Compendium of World Martial Arts! Fists, palms, fingers, and elbows gathered crushing force, moving with the intensity of drills and tanks! They swept like a tide, engulfing Song Wendong and every inch of the surrounding space.

The Master’s technique, though lacking the sweeping, singular dominance of The Heavens’ Sovereign, possessed a raw power far exceeding Qin Fen’s.

It was much like how the Dragon Cannon wielded by Young Master Yang Lie, the Divine Beast heir, simply could not compare to the Dragon Cannon in Qin Fen's own hands.

Likewise, Qin Fen’s Great Sage Ruckus in Heaven was in no way comparable in might to the version wielded by the Master.

At this moment, the martial arts masters observing the match were utterly transfixed; the invincible Divine Beast martial artist, Song Wendong the Qilin, was being completely overwhelmed by a mere youth!

Regarding the matter of the Mercury God, I wrote about it long, long ago, identifying him as the key figure—you can look back to when Qin Fen was establishing the Dragon Hall, and Zhang Xiangyang was briefing him on the world situation; it was all written there quite clearly: Mercury, Xuanwu, and Qiao Yiweis.

Zhang Xiangyang was a man dispatched by Qin Zhan specifically to stand beside Qin Fen, so that intelligence would certainly not be incorrect.