Ling Fenglingguan's rage-filled pupils abruptly contracted—a Hydra bloodline warrior! Just like the Gryphon King, one of the Ten Great Bloodline Warriors! How old could this youth be? To possess a Battle Soul? And one nearly at the peak state of a Battle Soul!

"Are you... Pan Mengshen?" Ling Fenglingguan subconsciously guessed at Duan Fengbuer's identity.

"Pan Mengshen?" Duan Fengbuer chuckled. "The powerful younger generation among the Hydra bloodline warriors is not limited to just Pan Mengshen! I, Duan Fengbuer, will certainly become the strongest! And the only ultimate powerhouse in the history of the Hydra bloodline warriors!"

"Duan Fengbuer?" Ling Fenglingguan savored the name. The intelligence circulating externally suggested this Hydra bloodline warrior was not strong; he should be able to crush him with one hand. How had he become so terrifying now? Most importantly, how old was this young man?

An age difference of only five years! Yet, their strengths were almost identical. Ling Fenglingguan looked at Duan Fengbuer with a flicker of apprehension. This young man might become an obstacle on his path to winning the Rookie King championship. Should he find an opportunity to defeat him once and instill the psychological shadow that he couldn't win against him?

"Everyone, please step back a little further," Qian Jin turned and instructed the onlookers. "A little further back."

Back, back, further back!

The crowd understood that Qian Jin was truly about to make his move, to engage with the younger generation of the Golden Gryphon Bloodline family, one of the Ten Great Bloodline Warriors, right here and now.

"Uncle, you always wanted to prove that ordinary warriors are no less capable than bloodline warriors." Qian Jin turned and squatted before Fabredis's grave. "Today, in front of you, I will achieve what you always desired."

Ling Fenglingguan crossed his arms, watching Qian Jin. "Shall I lend you an arm?"

The casual question was steeped in confidence. At this moment, the massive Golden Gryphon Battle Soul bloomed behind Ling Fenglingguan, a pair of pristine white wings tearing through his body and spreading outward, exuding an aura of kingship.

Tenth-level Battle Soul! Peak Battle Soul! Ling Fenglingguan's confidence stemmed from his formidable strength! To occupy the third position on the Battle Conquest Academy's Hundred Battles List meant he possessed genuine capability.

Li Deyork's expression drastically changed upon witnessing Ling Fenglingguan's power. Both were at the peak of the Battle Soul level, yet facing this young Gryphon King bloodline warrior, he saw no chance of victory; the concentration of their Battle Souls was simply too far apart.

"If the Thunder Lion King hadn't attained Sainthood..." Qian Jin stepped into the battle circle, instantly creating a unique aura where stars revolved, and he was the center. "Then, Tianlian Lingguan, you might as well join as well."

One against two!

Such occurrences were not uncommon in the history of duels between Warriors and Martial Mages.

There were even instances of one fighting four or one fighting ten, and in a high-stakes event like the Rookie King Tournament, it had happened more than once that someone directly declared they would take on all three opponents in their group alone.

Even more exaggerated were the Warriors who directly challenged across groups, taking on the winner of the next group they would meet upon victory—a one-man fight against two entire groups.

However, regardless of how many opponents were involved, it had always been a Bloodline Warrior challenging a throng of ordinary Warriors. Or a Bloodline Warrior challenging several Bloodline Warriors combined with ordinary Warriors.

In short, the act of one fighting many was always a special privilege reserved for Bloodline Warriors. It was never something ordinary Warriors were expected to do.

Yet now, this ordinary Warrior, renowned across the Human, Demon, and Savage tribes, was openly declaring he would fight two Bloodline Warriors—the first and third ranked on the Battle Conquest Academy's Hundred Battles List—right in front of the dignitaries who had gathered to pay respects to Fabredis.

Shock! Everyone froze, their gazes—filled with confusion, speculation, and doubt—fixed upon Qian Jin.

Tianlian Lingguan began to laugh, his shoulders shaking more violently as his initial smile escalated into outright roaring laughter.

"Hahaha... You want to take on both of us?" Tianlian Lingguan stood with his hands behind his back, exuding the imposing, domineering aura of a Qian Zhan Xuan, looking at Qian Jin. "It's easy to insult others with malicious words, but no matter how vicious the tongue, when faced with a hard fist, one can only swallow those insults back down."

"Swallow them back?" Qian Jin suddenly advanced a step!

With just that single step, the seemingly perfect enveloping aura Ling Fenglingguan had constructed instantly revealed a massive breach, as if his impregnable fortress had been instantly shattered by the enemy.

When masters clash, they vie for life and death, seizing the initiative. The aura was a crucial component of this contest! Qian Jin took another step, his arm slightly drawn back and concealed, his body undulating subtly like the tides in the ancient desert sands, or like the turning of the stars across days and months. His five fingers were held together, slightly upturned like a battle saber ready to be unsheathed at any moment, his fingers trembling slightly, resembling a mantis raising its blade, searching for the opportunity to strike.

Stars, nature, living things... Qian Jin merged these several insights with effort as he took his third step. The Raging Lotus Battle Skill instantly burst forth. He shot up into the air like a sudden gale, his palm slicing through the air, emitting a brilliant, sparkling silver light blade!

Tianlian Lingguan, whose body remained static with hands clasped behind his back, suddenly shuddered, his eyes flashing with urgency. "Be careful!"

Ling Fenglingguan's scalp tightened instantly. He felt the oncoming palm wind like thunderous sound and flashing blades; the Battle Soul within his body was boiling, threatening to erupt.

In his sight, Qian Jin's strike was no ordinary slash, and its danger lay not in the grim finality of an irreversible impact, but in the aura that enveloped the entire body.

This palm strike made him feel as if the very River of Stars within the constellations had been channeled into that single blow! As if that true River of Stars had descended into that arm.

Such a Battle Skill could not be described merely as fierce or violent; it embodied the power of nature!

So strong? In that instant, Ling Fenglingguan instinctively wanted to retreat, to evade the sharp edge of Qian Jin's palm.

In the flash of lightning and flint, Ling Fenglingguan forcefully extinguished his instinct. He was a warrior who had truly fought on the Human-Demon battlefield; he knew that if he truly retreated now, Qian Jin would launch a relentless, tide-like assault, and he would truly be at a disadvantage.

Most importantly! Ling Fenglingguan could not retreat! As a Gryphon King bloodline warrior, ranked third on the Battle Conquest Academy's Hundred Battles List, he absolutely could not yield to an ordinary Warrior who was potentially four or five years younger! To retreat once would mean continuous falling back, perhaps even a hundred retreats.

Even if he ultimately won, the honor of the Gryphon King bloodline family would be lost with every backward step!

Roar!

Ling Fenglingguan’s lower abdomen expanded rapidly, and his throat instantly widened to the size of a sea bowl. The roar of the King of Ten Thousand Beasts exploded from his mouth as sound waves, forming a wave of sonic energy that first impacted the oncoming aura, while the powerful sound waves also surged toward Qian Jin's ears.

Roaring Lion King! Beast King's Roar! This sonic Battle Skill wasn't just for show; it could also damage eardrums and disrupt the arrangement and sequence of the opponent's internal Battle Qi, causing a sudden drop in strength. This was Ling Fenglingguan's ultimate technique.

He moved his body, striking out with both hands, fingers interlocked like eagle claws or lion plates, tearing upward and downward with the unique attack style of the Gryphon, tearing toward Qian Jin's wrist. At this moment, it seemed even the stars were about to be ripped apart.

Chik chih chih chih... Bang...

Qian Jin's palm passed through the tearing eagle claws and struck directly against Ling Fenglingguan's chest. The impact sounded like clashing war drums, Battle Qi spraying wildly, vibrating and booming. The onlookers could feel the gusts of cold wind generated by the scattering energy.

Crack...

Ling Fenglingguan's chest immediately collapsed over a large area. Qian Jin switched his final palm strike to a palm press; the flat surface of his five fingers slapped against Ling Fenglingguan's chest. The tremendous spurt of Battle Qi blasted the bloodline warrior backward. White feathers and strands of golden Gryphon King hair scattered across the sky.

The robust Gryphon King bloodline battle form flew out, showing absolutely no sign of falling, possessing the momentum to potentially fly another hundred or eighty meters.

Bang!

Tianlian Lingguan raised a hand and pressed it against Ling Fenglingguan's back, his wrist vibrating rapidly to dissipate the violent impact, sparing the injured Roaring Lion King from further damage. The clotted blood inside him was expelled as he spat, but the formidable shock force was not entirely negated. Ling Fenglingguan's clothes were torn to shreds by the splashing Battle Qi during the force dissipation, revealing his solid physique and the palm print indentation on his chest.

A perfect palm print, without causing excessive damage to other areas! The strong warriors present understood how profound the control Qian Jin displayed with that single palm strike was.

Often, after breaking through an opponent's protective Battle Skill and clashing with their techniques, even if the opponent was wounded, it was impossible to leave such a concentrated palm print. More likely, Ling Fenglingguan's entire chest would have collapsed, as the force would have dispersed during transmission.

Just one strike! A single palm! Ling Fenglingguan, ranked third in the Battle Conquest Academy, was gravely injured and defeated. This outcome was entirely unexpected by those attending the funeral before the battle began.

Is it over just like that? Many people exchanged glances, observing the surprise reflected in each other's pupils. The formidable Golden Gryphon King bloodline warrior, Ling Fenglingguan, facing an ordinary Warrior five years his junior, defeated and spitting blood with broken bones after just one palm strike?

Pan Hongji smiled faintly. This result was not surprising at all. Below the level of Sainthood, few warriors and Martial Mages could truly contend with Qian Jin. At least this Ling Fenglingguan could not; his apparent domineering aura was too hollow inside, a far cry from the slumbering Lion King, Hongzhe Lingguan.

That fellow seemed lethargic, but he possessed true calm and confidence deep within. It was precisely that calm and confidence that allowed him to possess strength far surpassing Ling Fenglingguan's.