The hulking brute grunted, reeling back two steps from the unexpected blow, only for Xu Tianguo to press the attack, relentlessly pursuing him for three and a half exchanges. With a series of Cunjin maneuvers, Xu Tianguo delivered three precise strikes, leaving a slight finger indentation on the brute’s chest, his face flushed crimson, sweat beading on his brow.

The hulking man’s eyes, fierce as a tiger’s, glared venomously at Xu Tianguo as he swallowed a mouthful of fresh blood, roared, and counter-charged.

Ye Chen calmly stated, “He intends to strike your lower regions with his left hand. Attack his foundation, use the Saotang Tui sweep, and then follow up with Beidou Zhuang!”

Having landed two successful blows in quick succession, Xu Tianguo knew that with Ye Chen’s Master-level sight, he could predict precisely how the opponent would attack the moment he raised a hand. He admired Ye Chen’s perception while instantly executing the command without hesitation.

Sure enough, as if mirroring Ye Chen’s words, the hulking brute raised his left hand in a diagonal Xie Zhang (Slashing Palm) cut, simultaneously unleashing an elbow strike. Unexpectedly, Xu Tianguo suddenly dropped his center of gravity, executing a Saotang Tui sweep that struck the brute’s leg, nearly destabilizing his lower base and causing him to fall.

“He is about to attempt a grappling hold on your head; use Nanfo Quan and Chenjia Quan, striking the middle routes,” Ye Chen advised casually.

With Xu Tianguo’s intelligence, merely hearing the names of the techniques allowed him to extrapolate and understand how to counter the opponent’s impending attack. He fought with ease and fluid grace, quickly landing two more punches on the hulking brute.

The entire crowd watched, momentarily stunned into silence.

Looking at Ye Chen, standing there, offering pointers with such casual ease, everyone couldn't help but shudder. What kind of eyesight was this? Knowing the opponent’s next move before it happened—it was nothing short of miraculous!

Murong Xue, standing nearby, glanced at Ye Chen, a gentle smile flickering in her eyes.

“Execute the third stance of Baihua Zhang, then layer it with Longkong Quan,” Ye Chen directed.

Xu Tianguo followed without a second thought, forcing the hulking brute into a clumsy retreat, taking another heavy blow to his left cheek, which knocked out a tooth.

“Damn it all!” The hulking brute exploded with rage, cursing loudly like a maddened wolf before lunging at Xu Tianguo again.

Ye Chen called out, “He’s going to use his feet; jump up now and use the Choushou Shi (Snatching Hand Style).” Hearing this, the hulking brute’s anger boiled over. What moves I use is not for you to dictate! You say I’ll kick, so I definitely won’t kick; I’ll use my hands instead—let’s see how you handle that!

The thought struck him with sudden clarity, like a splash of cold water waking him up. That’s right! He’s only talking about specific moves. Even if I don't know some of them, I recognize others. This is a massive hint! With this realization, he let out a loud laugh, immediately halting his body's momentum and stooping to attack with his fists instead.

Smack!

A sharp, crisp slap echoed. This strike carried significant force. The hulking brute’s head snapped sideways, and the world spun violently. He staggered several steps, nearly collapsing.

The entire audience gasped in astonishment, and even Xu Tianguo paused, retracting his hand, slightly bewildered.

Ordinarily, this technique was meant to strike the brute’s raised thigh as he attacked. However, the brute, determined to defy Ye Chen’s prediction, had instead lowered his upper body to punch.

At a glance, it looked as though the hulking brute had deliberately leaned in to take the hit.

“Attack,” Ye Chen commanded.

Xu Tianguo snapped back to reality, inwardly startled, but with no time to process, he surged forward to press the assault. Suffering that blow, the hulking brute sustained a mild concussion, leaving his vision and coordination hazy. At this point, Xu Tianguo could defeat him without further guidance from Ye Chen.

Minutes later, the hulking brute lay like a pile of mud, blood streaming from his nose and mouth, barely clinging to life.

Xu Tianguo felt as though he were dreaming; he hadn't expected to win, let alone with such shocking ease...

“Whore... son of a whore,” the hulking brute gasped, opening one eye, his face a wreck. He stammered, “T-Two against one... sneak attack... what kind of skill is that…”

Seeing the man still spewing vile insults even on the verge of death, anger flared within Xu Tianguo. He rushed forward, grabbed the brute’s hair, and slammed his head violently onto the ground.

Bang!

A pool of blood spread from the back of the brute’s skull...

The hulking brute dissolved into a pillar of white light, drifting toward the resurrection point.

Ye Chen sighed internally. Xu Tianguo still lacked maturity; his methods against an enemy were not ruthless enough and required more tempering.

As Xu Tianguo calmly stepped off the martial platform, a figure shot toward him from the distance—it was the hulking brute, revived. His face was contorted with fury as he cut a path through the crowd and darted right in front of Ye Chen, roaring, “If you have guts, get down here yourself! Let’s have a real match! Stop your useless yapping from below; I’ve heard enough!” Ye Chen glanced at him coolly. “Not satisfied?”

“Yes!” The hulking brute’s face was ashen, his voice tight with rage. “You just stand there barking orders. If you have the nerve, come down yourself! Stop acting like some celestial fairy from a martial arts novel!” Ye Chen shook his head slightly, his figure blurring as he leaped onto the platform. Turning, he looked down at the hulking brute. “Come up.”

The hulking brute let out an angry snort and charged onto the platform, glaring menacingly at Ye Chen. “Prepare to die!” Having been resurrected, his stamina was fully restored, and he lunged at Ye Chen the moment he stepped up.

Ye Chen’s expression remained placid. He observed that while the hulking brute was furious, his arms held subtle, intricate follow-up moves. Ye Chen had fought him tens of thousands of times in the virtual world in his previous life; his combat experience was vast. He instantly discerned the brute’s entire sequence of attack.

Ye Chen didn't delay, immediately adopting a stance and launching a single punch.

Seeing Ye Chen opt for a direct clash, the hulking brute was elated, grinning ferociously as he raised his own fist and roared, “Tiangang Quan!” His arm muscles tensed, and he drove his strike forward.

Boom!

The two fists collided solidly.

Ye Chen felt his fist strike something as unyielding as an iron wall, incredibly hard. The bone in his middle finger vibrated painfully, causing him to be secretly amazed. This punch had incorporated the Liuxing Aoyi (Meteor Profundity), doubling its destructive power, yet Ye Chen felt residual damage himself?

Across from him, the hulking man felt his body shudder, his arm bones numb. The immense force propelled him backward three steps. Astonishment churned in his heart, and he stared at Ye Chen, his face filled with shock, muttering involuntarily, “How is this possible!”

He was a master of Tiangang Quan. With this half-strength move, he had defeated countless challengers on the arena; none could withstand it, all were defeated in a single blow.

Yet, Ye Chen not only withstood it but repelled him?

While the brute was still reeling in confusion, Ye Chen attacked again, unleashing another steady punch. As the blow connected, his arm suddenly tightened internally!

“Explode!” This punch slammed into the hulking brute’s chest. Under the brute’s gaze of utter horror, the fist pierced straight through his clothes, blasting a hole clear through his entire chest cavity!

The square, which had been filled with murmurs moments before, instantly froze solid.

Especially those closest—Huang Tianci, Xu Tianguo, Tosiwalsin, Misoer—their eyeballs nearly bulged from their sockets, their faces slack with disbelief. This was the Virtual World! To punch clean through another person’s chest with the same physical attributes—how could this be possible in either mechanics or medicine!

Whoosh!

Ye Chen retracted his hand, holding a bright, crimson heart.

The hulking brute’s face was frozen in shock. Before he could utter a word, his body dissolved into a cloud of white light, floating toward the respawn point.

The heart in Ye Chen’s palm also turned to white light and vanished. Suddenly, his eyes brightened as he realized that when he used the Hengxing Zibao Aoyi (Stellar Self-Destruct Profundity) this time, his arm suffered no significant aftereffects, as if he had already absorbed the backlash—only a slight numbness remained, nothing more.

The surrounding crowd, seeing Ye Chen’s gleaming eyes and recalling the image of him holding a heart just moments ago, felt an icy chill that ran from head to toe.

Just then, the hulking brute came sprinting back down the narrow path through the crowd, looking at Ye Chen with utter disbelief. “How did you do that?” Ye Chen spared him a glance. “Why should I tell you?”

The hulking brute nearly stumbled and fainted, rolling his eyes back before shouting with hatred, “What’s so great about that? My big brother can do it too! Hmph, just wait to die!” Saying this, he shouted toward the other side of the martial platform, “Big Brother! Wake up!”

Everyone followed his gaze and saw two figures reclining lazily on large chairs on the far side of the platform. One was clad in snow-white robes, refined, gentle, and exceedingly handsome. The other was powerfully built with closely cropped hair, exuding a rugged, tough aura.

Perhaps hearing the shout, both figures opened their eyes simultaneously. The muscular man rubbed his eyes sleepily and mumbled something. The white-robed youth nearby yawned and stretched leisurely. Once the sleepiness faded, he looked up languidly and immediately spotted the hulking brute standing near Ye Chen. With a sleepy gaze, he asked, “What’s wrong, Second Brother?”

The hulking brute shouted back, “Big Brother, Third Brother, we’ve run into trouble. Come take a look.”

The muscular man yawned, catching sight of Ye Chen in his peripheral vision. He paused momentarily, then his eyes snapped wide open in wild delight. “Haha, fantastic, fantastic! I’ve finally found you! Damn it, I’ve been looking for over a month and couldn't find you anywhere. To think you’d be here, haha…” The white-robed youth inquired curiously, “What is it, Third Brother?”

The muscular man exclaimed excitedly, “Big Brother, look! The person standing next to Second Brother—that’s the one who sneak-attacked me last time and got a lucky win! You must help me beat him up, leave him bruised and battered, make him realize what true strength is!” The white-robed youth turned his gaze toward Ye Chen, nodding slightly. “Good stance; he must have some skill. Third Brother, don’t be vexed. Second Brother will handle him in a moment.” “En!” the muscular man nodded heavily, his voice filled with malice. “He absolutely must be taught what true strength is! So he stops acting so arrogant and blocking the road!”

The white-robed youth smiled faintly. “Let’s go.” The two walked over.

As the muscular man approached, he turned to the hulking brute and said, “Second Brother, remember I told you about the guy who sneak-attacked me, got a lucky win, and then ruthlessly humiliated me before leaving? That’s him! Help me take him down, leave him beaten until he’s a mess, and show him what power looks like!” The hulking brute paused, then his expression turned strange. “Third Brother, are you sure you haven’t mistaken him?”

The muscular man retorted indignantly, “I’d recognize him even if he were turned to ash.”

The hulking brute sighed in resignation. “Then there’s no helping it. Your Second Brother just lost to him too. Damn it, this kid is too weird. Big Brother, you have to go yourself. Avenge Second Brother and Third Brother!”

The white-robed youth looked surprised. “You lost too?”

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