Pan Hongji let out a sigh after a moment of silence, realizing the immense mental pressure on this young man. If he didn't fight him now to release some of it, he might truly go insane. "Just one punch..." Pan Hongji slowly assumed a stance, treating the impending Qian Jin attack with utmost seriousness. The power unleashed by a warrior operating with full consciousness was vastly different from an attack launched unconsciously. Even in the previous unconscious punch, Pan Hongji could feel a slight strain. Now, facing a punch from Qian Jin while fully aware—how terrifying would its true might be?

Qian Jin slowly closed his eyes, as if transported back to the very moment before Fabredis fell in battle. The Requiem seemed to play once more in his ears. "Qian Jin! You stay put, damn it! Just stand there and watch! This fight belongs only to me, Fabredis'! Shatter all those fighting techniques! Yu, Ying, resting among the stars, hear the requiem I pen with my life for you..."

Fabredis's magnificent frame reappeared in Qian Jin's mind. An aura of resolute tragedy mixed with heroism descended instantly upon Qian Jin's form. Suddenly! Qian Jin snapped his eyes open. His three Great Fighting Souls surged up behind him, the central figure shaped like Fabredis appearing exceptionally unconstrained. His Ultra-Void Soul's Fighting Seal activated again, forcibly recalling the three Great Fighting Souls back into his body. Fighting Souls entering the body! A feat only achievable by the highest-tier Fighting Souls, accomplished forcefully with the aid of the Ultra-Void Soul’s Seal. Qian Jin could even hear the groan of his own fighting meridians under the immense pressure. "Violent Soul Domain!"

Qian Jin roared, and the Pity Lotus Fighting Technique beneath his feet erupted once more. This time, the technique did not detonate outward. Instead, the power of this un-shattered technique surpassed anything he usually achieved upon detonation! The Wrathful Lotus seemed to connect with the other fighting techniques, making it appear less like distinct skills. Within it, a faint resonance of a Saint-level fighting technique could be discerned. The impact force on the earth rapidly spread outward. The not-so-sturdy walls of the surrounding houses could no longer withstand the violent recoil vibration; with a thunderous crash, they all collapsed, kicking up pungent dust and smoke.

At that precise moment, Qian Jin moved. This time, his fist transformed into a palm strike, imbued now with the terrifying power of the Violent Soul Domain. A palm strike carrying the essence of the previous punch, but the spirit within was completely different, and the contents wholly dissimilar. In Pan Hongji's eyes, these were two entirely distinct concepts. This palm strike seemed as if the stars themselves were roaring in anger, a strike embodying Qian Jin’s essence, spirit, and vigor. It lent an emotion to the previously hollow stars, devouring everything in its vicinity; as the palm swept past, all the swirling dust from the collapsed buildings was sucked into it.

In an instant, a hallucination flickered before Pan Hongji's eyes: the legendary Iron-Armed Mantis bloodline warrior, who fought to the death without retreat and knew only how to advance, had returned! The palm is the blade! A palm strike that gathers the stars, a blade that claims them! Pan Hongji's spirit soared to unprecedented heights. His left hand traced a circle in front of him, and his right hand pierced through the circle, which resembled another star, with the right hand acting as the very origin point of that star's birth. Palm against palm! Star against star!

It was as if two universes had collided. The ear-splitting roar of exploding battle qi kicked up countless dust motes from the ground, sending them skyward. Two seemingly human arms collided, yet produced a metallic friction sound akin to war blades cleaving against each other, while the powerful battle qi tore and shredded, generating myriad sparks.

Pan Hongji blocked Qian Jin's attack with a palm strike. The scales on his right arm, and indeed his entire right half of the body, stood rigidly erect. His wrist suddenly twisted, clinging like a venomous snake to a battle saber. With lightning speed, it transformed into nine distinct points striking Qian Jin—the Nine-Headed Serpent Assault!

Qian Jin's vision instantly filled with nine gaping maws of snakes attacking from different angles. Despite not having reached Sainthood, their speed appeared even faster than that of a Saint. Bang! Pan Hongji's strike landed squarely on Qian Jin's chest, filling him with wild elation—he finally hit the kid! Pain! Pan Hongji's second reaction was the searing pain in his own palm, more painful than hitting the wind of Qian Jin's previous palm strike, akin to an ordinary person striking solid metal with an open hand. Qian Jin's shoulder muscles momentarily collapsed, and the full power of Pan Hongji's strike was displayed at that instant.

How could this be? How could this kid's protective fighting technique be so strong? Pan Hongji had no time for further astonishment—Qian Jin’s Ascending Peak Eighteen Hammers had already materialized above his head with his left hand. The brief surprise cost him the perfect chance to evade. Pan Hongji’s left hand, which had drawn a circle, traced another circle. The smooth trajectory formed a perfect ring, as if anything touching it would simply slide off. Fueled by the Violent Soul Domain, the fist thrown by the Ascending Peak Eighteen Hammers moved faster than lightning. The mere draft of the punch swept the surroundings clean. It landed directly on the trajectory of the circle, resulting in another solid collision. The curved battle qi immediately shattered inch by inch. This time, every scale on Pan Hongji’s body stood on end, and countless cracks instantly fissured the ground beneath his feet.

Pan Hongji’s knees bent slightly, his heart pounding. This nascent form of the kid's Soul Domain, combined with his Fighting Soul power, truly surpassed the peak of the Fighting Soul realm! If this continued, he might be the one getting hurt! The thought flashed through Pan Hongji's mind like lightning, and the terrifying strength of a Half-Saint awakened within his form. A grand aura burst forth along with his power—a capability utterly different from his peak Fighting Soul state. Qian Jin immediately felt that his unstoppable punch had actually been successfully blocked!

Half-Saint! Qian Jin’s pupils contracted rapidly. Possessing a Fighting Soul, he was confident he could defeat a Half-Saint expert, yet why couldn't he overcome Pan Hongji, who was currently displaying Half-Saint strength, with just one punch? "Get back!..."

Pan Hongji raised his right hand upward, like a mythological figure supporting the heavens as they collapse, forcibly lifting and sending Qian Jin's Ascending Peak Eighteen Hammers away. Bang, bang, bang...

Qian Jin retreated several steps, each footfall cracking the earth. He silently recalled the sensation of his punch being broken. If Pan Hongji had applied his Half-Saint power to anyone else, Qian Jin was confident he could have suppressed them, but he had failed to suppress him just now. This was no longer just about raw power; it was about the precise control of that power! Qian Jin looked down at his own fist. In terms of control alone, he could be proud among his peers; even claiming the title of the best in control, he dared to do so. Iron forging, compounding mysterious elixirs, potions, and runes—none of these endeavors required anything less than meticulous control, a subtlety that would baffle any contemporary expert.

Pan Hongji deactivated his Bloodline Battle Form, panting heavily. The scales sticking out on his body still ached painfully. If he hadn't elevated his strength to the Half-Saint level at the critical moment, those scales might have been violently shaken off his body. "Violent Soul Domain, truly magnificent..." Pan Hongji looked at his tattered clothing and managed a wry smile. He was actually put in such a sorry state by a junior. Was this kid really just an ordinary warrior? Even Pan Mengshen, in his peak Fighting Soul state, couldn't have made him look this ragged. Of course... Pan Hongji glanced at Qian Jin's forehead, biting his lip. Pan Mengshen reached the true peak of the Fighting Soul realm. While Qian Jin's current state wasn't peak Fighting Soul, his fighting techniques allowed him to temporarily enter a true peak Fighting Soul state, not to mention possessing a nascent Soul Domain! This state couldn't exactly be called peak Fighting Soul, and while it didn't qualify as a true Half-Saint, its power was sufficient to walk sideways under the feet of a Half-Saint. Especially the Violent Soul Domain, which suited Qian Jin's fighting style—one that only knew forward momentum and absolute refusal to retreat.

"Kid, when you have time, practice the coordination between your Violent Soul Domain and your fighting technique execution," Pan Hongji said as he approached Qian Jin. "Your control when executing fighting techniques is indeed brilliant; at your age, it’s barely below mine. A rarity among rarities. But when you activate the Violent Soul Domain, your control drops by at least two tiers. Otherwise..."

Pan Hongji flexed his fingers. "Whether I could have blocked that punch just now is truly hard to say. But even so, among warriors and spellblades below the current Half-Saint level, there is probably no one who can match you now. What frightening growth..."

Ba Huang Wusheng nodded repeatedly, his hands clasped behind his back. This rate of growth was simply too fast. How long had it been since they last met? When Qian Jin left the frontier, his strength was far inferior to this. If they didn't know for a fact that he lacked bloodline power, they would swear he was a bloodline awakened warrior. "Your two recent strikes," Ba Huang Wusheng suddenly spoke up, "If they could be synthesized into a single blow, Serpent Emperor wouldn't have lasted past the second strike."

Pan Hongji pursed his lips, offering no counter-argument. He still had ultimate trump cards he hadn't used. However, both of Qian Jin's recent strikes were imperfect prototypes. If either had been fully realized, whether he could have blocked even one of them would have been questionable. Merging two such immensely powerful strikes?

"Horse Bandit King has great spirit." "..." Pan Hongji tidied his ruined clothes. "Combining those two strikes into one? Perhaps only the Horse Bandit King could achieve that..."

"Me?" Ba Huang Wusheng shook his head decisively. "I can't do it! I was merely suggesting a direction."

Mu Ne Zhen Ce shook his folding fan, blowing the surrounding dust away, a knowing smile playing on his lips. The task these two strong figures couldn't manage, they were suggesting Qian Jin, in his current state, should attempt? They were joking too wildly.

"Qian Jin, don't listen to them..." Mu Ne Zhen Ce interrupted Qian Jin's contemplation. "I know you are anxious to find Qian Zhanxuan, but perfect those two fighting techniques first. Absolutely do not listen to their talk of merging. Each of those two strikes is born from the essence of multiple stars; you should not even think about combining them..."

"I know..." Qian Jin looked at Mu Ne Zhen Ce with slightly unfocused eyes. The release of those two attacks had drained a significant portion of his grief, yet they hadn't truly allowed him to emerge from the sorrow. Watching Uncle Fabredis die before his eyes, that pain had sunk deep into his very marrow. Every time he closed his eyes, only his uncle's image appeared.