Pressing down, from the beginning of the engagement, Jilin, under the constant pressure of external attacks, stood firm. Nothing in his solemn expression betrayed any emotion; his feet retreated continuously, making it impossible for anyone to discern his thoughts or feelings.
The Master's Great Sage Havoc in Heaven ("") unfurled completely, its speed surpassing Qin Fen's. The strikes of his fists, legs, palms, and fingers were even more ferocious than Qin Fen's, each blow aimed precisely at the Qilin's vital points. The crushing pressure and wind from every strike could annihilate other martial arts masters of the same rank, the penetrating explosive force behaving like a scattered barrage of multi-warhead missiles.
Bang bang bang...
The Master's claws shot toward Song Wendong's Adam's apple, which the Qilin arm blocked and deflected with an elbow strike. The Master's eagle claw morphed into a palm-blade, sinking down in a horizontal slash aimed at the waist and kidneys. Song Wendong countered with the "White Crane Spreads Its Wings" from his Twenty-Four Forms Simplified Tai Chi, his left hand moving to intercept. The Master's left arm fingers condensed like a drill, his arm shaking like a spear thrust directly toward the Qilin's heart. He raised his right knee sharply, ramming into the abdomen, forcing Song Wendong to retreat again.
The Great Sage Havoc in Heaven's ("") claws, palms, fingers, fists, and legs erupted in a continuous barrage, an overwhelming storm of attacks. This seemingly chaotic flurry of critical strikes brought the essence of "Havoc" to life; in the blink of an eye, Song Wendong retreated eight times!
The Master, silent for too long, finally let his fighting spirit completely override his usual refinement. His entire state seemed propelled by a scorching battle intent, unleashing move after move, demonstrating the prowess of a Grandmaster at the Black Hole realm!
In a flash, the Qilin retreated another ten steps!
At this moment, the profound foundation of the divine beast Qilin stoked the Master's excitement even further. After unleashing the Great Sage Havoc in Heaven (""), he quickly entered a state of self-forgetfulness in combat. Usually, the Master engaged with Qin Fen more in discussion and exchange; actual fighting was infrequent. Qin Fen was one of the ten people he knew intimately, so the novelty of sparring was severely lacking. Song Wendong, in contrast, was one of the Master's best opponents currently available.
The Master, having felt this loneliness for an unknown period, whose spirit was increasingly restless watching Qin Fen's usual fights, finally had an opportunity to strike. The sheer ferocity of his initiating assault was something ordinary people could scarcely imagine!
Song Wendong focused his mind and engaged the attack. He never anticipated that a recent bout with Qin Fen would become such a pivotal fight, nor could he predict the offensive launched by the reawakened Qin Fen—a wild abandon imbued with soaring battle intent, creating a sense of a massive eruption, like a volcano that had been suppressed for eons suddenly blowing its top!
The Qilin maintained his fifteen-star level of strength but had completely forgotten about winning or losing, even forgetting that others were watching. All his focus was concentrated on Qin Fen. He poured every punch, every ounce of spirit, his entire martial path, into this single battle.
In the tumultuous clashing of fists and feet, the Qilin felt his very life essence, interwoven with his lifetime of martial understanding, beginning to ascend!
Steward Hou watched from the side, his eyes flickering with constant astonishment. He had expected that upon waking after passing the trial, Qin Fen would be quickly defeated again by the Master. Yet, he was stunned to see the awakened youth counterattack so fiercely, forcing the Earth Martial God into a purely defensive posture! Most surprising was that the Master seemed to be on the verge of another breakthrough, a breakthrough seemingly induced by Qin Fen's frenzied assault.
The Qilin, regardless of how much he suppressed his star level, was inherently one of the strongest martial artists at that tier—this was consensus among virtually all martial artists on the planet. Only other divine beasts could truly contend with the Qilin.
However, today... Steward Hou had to admit that genuine freaks existed in this world, individuals capable of suppressing a divine beast-level martial artist while fighting at the same star level!
"What chaotic fists, what fierce momentum—is this Qin Fen's innate martial power?" Song Zhenting released his gangqi, shielding himself from the scattering debris. Watching the Master's overwhelming barrage of attacks, resembling a monkey wielding an iron staff and charging Heaven, he felt an urge to step in and test Qin Fen's true mettle.
In Song Wendong's clear mind, fleeting thoughts surfaced: he had truly underestimated this young man named Qin Fen! However, the more ferocious he was now, the worse his previous assessment scores must have been; looking back, his results in the recent assessment had only been barely passing.
Retreating a full hundred steps, Song Wendong genuinely felt that this battle was loosening the sealed shackles on his martial path. After this intense fight, he was certain a breakthrough awaited him once he entered seclusion to meditate.
The higher one climbed on the peak of the martial path, the harder progress became. Every tiny step forward created a vast gulf separating them from martial artists of the same tier.
Divine Beast martial artists stood at the apex of contemporary martial arts. For any divine beast to advance even half a step further was excruciatingly difficult. It was no longer something achievable merely by accumulating wealth or entering seclusion. Luck! In this world, luck became incredibly significant!
The Qilin was at a disadvantage, yet utterly delighted. This temporary downtrodden state was worth it; his luck had arrived!
Retreating another hundred steps, Song Wendong’s aura showed no sign of diminishing due to being on the receiving end, nor was there any trace of true defeat. Even though this battle unexpectedly presented an opportunity for a breakthrough, Song Wendong did not choose to concede.
Who was Song Wendong? The Qilin! One of the foremost top-tier martial artists in the world today! A super-practitioner whose sneeze could shake mountains! A man capable of completely disregarding federal armies, nicknamed the Earth Martial God by the populace! How immense was his power, how resolute his ambition, and how unimaginable the battles he had faced!
The Divine Beast Qilin! What a title, what an indomitable spirit!
Never defeated! Since the day he debuted, Song Wendong had never known defeat! Today, the Qilin had no intention of accepting defeat as an outcome.
"The Qilin will not lose!"
This arrogant thought flashed through his mind. Song Wendong, who had been retreating step after step, now rooted his feet into the earth, refusing to retreat any further!
"Refusing to retreat? Excellent!"
The Master's fists and feet opened fully, driving his momentum to its absolute peak, his entire body's gangqi steaming. The instant he realized the Qilin was no longer yielding, his heart felt only greater excitement. With only fifteen minutes of fighting time remaining, merely suppressing the Qilin for that duration would not yield the richest harvest for the observing Qin Fen.
Wouldn't it be incredibly dull to suppress the Qilin for fifteen minutes without seeing the Qilin utilize his true power?
No retreat! Rooted! In that instant, the Qilin's elevated martial essence—spirit, power, and the inherent body integration potential of the fifteen-star level—coalesced, ascending to a height never before reached!
Simultaneously, every muscle in Song Wendong’s body coiled! This movement drew the air, causing a deep thumping sound like spring thunder. The opposing fifteen-star Master felt his vision blur, unable to clearly track the Qilin's movement. He only sensed a dampness emanating from the fiercely powerful Qilin—like the high humidity in the air just before a storm. The Qilin's fists, palms, elbows, and knees simultaneously attacked the Master in an unpredictable array, as if casting a vast net to ensnare the rampaging monkey!
Steward Hou smiled. The Master had truly broken through today; he was even employing the "Heavy Rain Style" (Baoyu Shi) from the Qilin Fist at this fifteen-star level!
The world knew the Dragon could summon rain to flood the world, but few knew the auspicious beast Qilin also possessed the ability to command the clouds and bring forth rain. The Heavy Rain Style (Baoyu Shi) was the most explosive move within the Qilin Fist: limbs moved like ten thousand raindrops descending from the sky to envelop all life on the ground.
Facing this overwhelming Heavy Rain Style (Baoyu Shi), the Master's lips curved into a happy smile. The Great Sage Havoc in Heaven (""), previously fully extended, suddenly retracted. His body began to sway in circles starting from his toes, and in a blink, his entire skeletal structure vibrated in a circular motion. His arms formed a vast circle, somewhat resembling the Bear Hug from Hua Tuo's Five Animal Frolics, yet lacking the latter's ferocity, appearing instead soft and yielding.
The fifteen-star martial artist hiding nearby watched this change in the Master’s technique with eyes full of confusion. The previous tempest of chaotic strikes was certainly not guaranteed to lose to the Qilin's attack; why the sudden change? And to such a strange technique that looked utterly useless? Had his zhenqi been exhausted?
This retraction and framing with the circle perfectly met the Qilin's descending palm strike. Following this contact, he immediately rotated and shook, neutralizing the majority of Song Wendong's Heavy Rain Style (Baoyu Shi). It was as if the endless downpour was cushioned, shaken, and spun by this bizarre circle!
The Divine Fist Technique, "Vajra Bracelet" (Jingang Zhuo)! Derived from Lao Tzu's mythology, it was soft enough to collect all divine weapons and sharp implements, yet hard enough to stun the mind of a Vajra demon. The Yin-Yang twin dragons intertwined to form the Vajra—softly collecting all things, and fiercely indestructible when hard!
As the rain of blows subsided, the seemingly powerless circle suddenly vibrated, and immense gangjin zhenqi erupted!
Song Wendong gasped, his waist and legs shifting simultaneously, retreating a hundred meters! That Vajra Bracelet, upon its contraction, had entirely nullified the momentum of the Heavy Rain Style (Baoyu Shi). Not only was the impact force completely absorbed, but even the explosive momentum he had carefully generated was drawn away.
This absorption deeply surprised Song Wendong. Having his punch neutralized was not terrifying, but having his explosive momentum entirely drained was a grave issue.
The Qilin, seasoned by countless battles, understood better than anyone that martial artists of equal skill competed not just with technique, but also with the breath in their chests. Once momentum leaked, defeat could spiral uncontrollably.
Song Wendong never imagined that the reawakened Qin Fen's martial arts had reached such a state, where his own post-breakthrough Heavy Rain Style (Baoyu Shi) was utterly absorbed by that strange circle!
"Soft giving rise to hard, hard transforming into soft... This intertwining of hardness and softness is terrifying enough, but what is even more astonishing is the timing and control over the degree of softness!"
Admiration flooded Song Wendong's mind. The Master's Electric Steps appeared before him again. The whistle and white tracks drawn in the air by the Eighteen Divine Dragons Gathering Wind and Cloud (Shiba Shenlong Ju Fengyun) resembled a small jet plane passing by. The fierce gangjin finally forced the distant observers to close their eyes to avoid eye injury from the sharp energy.
"Explosive! Truly explosive! Excellent!"
The Qilin felt from the start that the situation was not truly under his control. The Master’s endlessly varied techniques made him feel as if his power had nowhere to go. The lingering, coiling movements, combined later with the Vajra Bracelet, created a stifling feeling of strength rendered useless.
When Qin Fen suddenly shifted from soft to hard, unleashing a violent attack, Song Wendong naturally did not retreat or evade. He spread his arms, supported his neck, stamped his legs, and twisted his waist. His magnificent spine rose and fell like a great cloud-borne dragon, unleashing explosive energy. He whipped his body and arm, breaking through the downward pressure to strike toward Qin Fen.
His majestic frame, combined with the sweeping arc of his long arm, was like a battle god bringing down a massive war hammer.
The Master's eyes flashed with sharp brilliance. This time, he chose no variation; the Eighteen Divine Dragons Gathering Wind and Cloud (Shiba Shenlong Ju Fengyun) met the attack head-on—their first genuine, full-force clash.
The strike of the Eighteen Divine Dragons Gathering Wind and Cloud (Shiba Shenlong Ju Fengyun) revealed the Master's pure, rigid power. Wherever his arm's true gang passed, strange white vapors trailed.
Rumble!
The two rigid fists smashed together without pretense. Immediately, the collision of true gang, the sound of muscle and bone connecting, soared into the heavens!
The Qilin’s fist and arm were covered in a dark, bluish-black hue, resembling thick iron rods, whereas the Master's arm appeared smooth and jade-like, seemingly fragile. The two presented an extreme visual contrast.
At the instant the fists collided, the Master maintained his arrow stance, but the ground beneath his feet could not withstand the impact of these two violent forces. Fissures several yards deep rapidly tore open. All debris within a several-tens-of-yards diameter around them seemed to transform into lava from a volcanic eruption, spewing upward hundreds of meters, shooting straight into the sky. The splattering zhenqi gangjin occasionally broke through this barrier of debris, emitting piercing whistling sounds.
This exchange was more than just a single punch; both sides poured nearly every applicable martial skill they possessed into it. Although not a decisive blow meant to win the match, they both knew this strike carried immense significance.
In this hard clash, Song Wendong felt a pervasive scorching heat! The heat of zhenqi!
What was this? Nine Yang Divine Skill? No! Fiery Blade? Also no! Solar True Strength? Still not right!
Song Wendong's eyebrows shot up. He was surprised once again that Qin Fen had held back before. This time, his zhenqi carried such rapid, fiery intensity!
"Flame Mountain" (Huoyanshan)! The Master's feet slammed together again, sending the power of the earth into his waist, transmitting it to his shoulder, and directing it into his fist!
The Compendium of World Martial Arts—it gathered the essence of diverse and opposing martial ways. Qin Fen, having reached the fifteen-star level, was barely qualified to draw upon the first type of zhenqi during combat to control his martial arts: intensely hot zhenqi!
For this reason, Qin Fen's Divine Fist Technique gained an additional combat skill, the Divine Fist Technique itself! However, if Qin Fen alone were to execute this punch, he could only manifest the Flame Mountain (Huoyanshan); he could not merge the Eighteen Divine Dragons Gathering Wind and Cloud (Shiba Shenlong Ju Fengyun) with the Flame Mountain (Huoyanshan) to strike a massive Flame Mountain (Huoyanshan) formed by eighteen intertwined streams coalescing into a single torrent!
The overwhelming, surging True Solar Fire Strength relentlessly hammered Song Wendong's protective zhengang!
"What kind of internal zhenqi technique is this?"
Even Song Wendong, who was widely knowledgeable, was startled by the impact of the zhenqi. His legs bent, and his body rapidly retreated. He shook his arm, blasting away the sudden burst of fiery energy from the impact point.
This jolt made Song Wendong profoundly uncomfortable. Since becoming the Qilin, he had never once had an opponent’s zhenqi nearly invade his own body. Although his opponent had clearly been holding back and using a degree of stealth before the strike, if this move had been used from the start, penetration would have been nearly impossible. But penetration had occurred, and there was no excuse.
At least, for the Divine Beast martial artist Qilin, there was absolutely no room for excuses.
The Master fought with ecstatic abandon. The Eighteen Divine Dragons Gathering Wind and Cloud (Shiba Shenlong Ju Fengyun) concealing the Flame Mountain (Huoyanshan) only achieved minor penetration, yet his battle intent flared even more fiercely. His Electric Steps flashed again; his body swayed, and he reappeared before the Qilin. His arms moved smoothly in continuous circles, seemingly applying a weak pressure toward the Qilin's chest.
"Bone Dissolving Soft Palm" (Huagu Mianzhang)!
Song Wendong's eyelids twitched rapidly. Just how many ultimate techniques did this young man possess!
The Heaven-Enveloping Circle (Bao Mi Tian Quan)—is that how this symbol is struck? I saw your message, and I also want to update faster, but this super intense battle, you can see I wrote it with great care, not word for word, but close to it.