Zhang Yang took a slight step back, standing there, his gaze turning somewhat icy. This man had, right from the start, uttered words showing contempt for his Zhang family, and then, together with that man from the Li family, had goaded him into stepping onto the stage—they clearly hadn't meant well.

After that, he had demanded the fight be regardless of life or death, all while repeatedly calling him 'kid, kid,' utterly disregarding him. And now, abandoning propriety, he launched a sneak attack, intending to slap him.

Even with Zhang Yang’s good temper, anger was bound to flare up now. Huyan Peng hadn't noticed these things; he was still consumed by jealousy, a maddening, soul-consuming envy.

A surge of brutal killing intent slowly rose in his heart; he wanted to utterly destroy Zhang Yang, to crush this outstanding young man. He absolutely could not allow Zhang Yang to break through to the fourth layer of Inner Strength before he did.

This thought, once it arose, rapidly expanded. Gradually, Huyan Peng’s eyes also turned cold.

Before, to teach Zhang Yang a lesson, he had proposed the condition of no regard for life or death. However, at that time, he hadn't truly intended to kill Zhang Yang; it carried an element of intimidation and was also an expression of his displeasure.

But now, he began to feel fortunate that he had brought up this clause. With this prerequisite established, even if he truly killed Zhang Yang on the stage, no one would say much; they had, after all, signed a life-and-death pact beforehand.

Even if the Zhang family sought revenge, as long as he stayed indoors, the Zhang family could do nothing to him. Moreover, their Huyan family had more than one Elder at the fourth layer of Inner Strength; besides the one present today, another was stationed at home.

With two Elders, he feared nothing within the clan. And as long as he killed Zhang Yang, this prodigy, the lineage of the Medical Saint would not pose much of a threat to them.

Conversely, if Zhang Yang truly broke through to the fourth layer of Inner Strength, even if the Zhang family remained small, their standing would rapidly ascend, especially since Zhang Yang was so young, with much time ahead of him. That time might indeed be when their real trouble began.

Merely observing Zhang Yang challenging him today was enough to know that enmity had been forged. Thinking this way, the killing intent in Huyan Peng’s heart grew stronger, though his eyes strained to conceal it.

Zhang Yang’s heart tightened slightly. Huyan Peng had concealed it exceptionally well; at least, no one else could detect anything from his expression.

Yet, Zhang Yang sensed it—Huyan Peng intended to kill him this time. This was a feeling originating from the soul, not something discovered through observation.

Zhang Yang’s eyes slowly narrowed. Huyan Peng truly wished him dead, and his own eyes grew progressively colder.

Both stood there, facing each other, neither moving. After confirming Zhang Yang was at the late stage of the third layer, Huyan Peng retracted his contempt.

He understood that killing such an opponent would not be easy. His greatest reliance was his wealth of experience; Zhang Yang was too young.

Insufficient experience was Zhang Yang’s greatest weakness. Gazing at Zhang Yang, Huyan Peng’s body suddenly moved again.

This time, his speed was even greater; many hadn't even seen clearly before he was right beside Zhang Yang. A palm strike, fast as a blade, swept towards Zhang Yang’s neck.

This time, when Huyan Peng struck, he held back nothing. He was thinking of killing Zhang Yang; how could he possibly hold back now?

The palm strike aimed directly for the vital point on the neck. Zhang Yang’s body lurched sharply backward.

Huyan Peng changed his palm into a fist, his body suddenly sinking, slamming a punch towards Zhang Yang’s navel. Simultaneously, his leg shot out, intending to sweep Zhang Yang off his feet.

These consecutive changes in attack happened in the blink of an eye. Many hadn't perceived it clearly at all.

Zhang Yang, whose body was leaning back, suddenly pushed up with force, leaping upward. Leveraging his superior speed, he narrowly dodged the punch Huyan Peng was driving at him, retreating sideways with his whole body.

In that brief sequence of attacks, Huyan Peng had simultaneously struck high, middle, and low, targeting two vital points. His intent to kill him was now completely exposed.

Having dodged it, Zhang Yang felt a flicker of lingering fear. This old fellow truly possessed far more practical combat experience than him; the speed of his change in moves utterly surpassed Zhang Yang's expectations.

If it weren't for Zhang Yang's slightly superior speed, he might have been hit just now. After Zhang Yang retreated, Huyan Peng didn't stop, continuing to press forward with his offensive.

He no longer treated Zhang Yang as an ordinary young man; this was an expert of the same level as himself. Dealing with such an expert required absolute focus.

As Huyan Peng attacked, Zhang Yang could only continue to fall back. Huyan Peng kept up the pursuit, ensuring Zhang Yang could never shake him off.

Furthermore, his attacks consistently targeted Zhang Yang’s vital spots. Any single vital spot struck would leave Zhang Yang either dead or severely wounded.

“Something’s not right!” Long Haotian murmured quietly. His voice was low, only the Third Elder beside him catching a fragment of it.

Huyan Peng attacking first was nothing unusual, but his strikes were too vicious, almost entirely aimed at vital areas. This clearly showed he intended to take Zhang Yang’s life.

Combined with his earlier demand for a fight without regard for life or death, Long Haotian now felt a degree of worry. “Watch how things develop!” The Third Elder beside him barely moved his lips.

What he said was heard only by Long Haotian, the words transmitted directly into his ear. Transmission of secret sound—this was something only top experts at the fourth layer of Inner Strength, capable of releasing their internal energy outwards, could achieve.

Long Haotian frowned slightly, then nodded after a moment. A genius like Zhang Yang was not something even the Long family could ignore.

Although Zhang Yang was helping them today, he wasn't a disciple of their clan. Zhang Yang's rapid cultivation posed a considerable threat to them.

Now that Huyan Peng harbored the intention to eliminate this genius, the Long family chose to remain completely uninvolved. In doing so, the Long family might very well be intending to use the Huyan family’s hands to erase this potential hidden danger.

Between clans, there were no eternal relationships. Long Haotian deeply understood this point once again.

He felt a measure of guilt and also some unwillingness, but unfortunately, this was a decision made by the Elders. He couldn't say much, so he sat there, motionless.

In contrast, Long Feng appeared somewhat anxious. He too noticed something was amiss, but he couldn't offer any aid.

“Bang! Bang!” Zhang Yang and Huyan Peng clashed twice more.

The sturdy bluestones beneath their feet showed signs of cracking—the result of their powerful inner energies colliding. Long Zheng watched the fractured ground with a pang of heartache.

The initial design of this Martial Arts Field was only intended for disciples of the first and second layers; they never anticipated third-layer disciples competing here. Third-layer disciples were mostly elders, and even when they sparred, they used other venues.

The two men on the stage were not only third-layer practitioners but both were at the late stage of the third layer. Their power had exceeded the platform’s capacity, and the Martial Arts Field was beginning to suffer damage.

The two figures shifted constantly across the bluestones, forcing Long Zheng to continuously adjust his own position to avoid being caught in the crossfire. After a while, he simply jumped off the platform.

He could no longer serve as the referee for these two, nor could he perform the duties of one; staying on the stage would only be in the way. By this time, Huyan Peng had been pressing the attack intensely for over ten minutes.

Huyan Peng’s assaults were gradually weakening, and Zhang Yang was beginning to adapt to them. He was no longer merely defending passively but starting to find opportunities to counterattack.

Those who could clearly follow their movements now showed expressions of astonishment in their eyes. Many perceived Huyan Peng’s underlying intention, yet no one exposed it, including the Long family.

Since Zhang Yang was not their clan disciple but a member of another ancient, thousand-year-old family, the emergence of such a genius sparked jealousy in everyone’s hearts. Simultaneously, none wished to see the Zhang family rise.

With such strength at his young age, Zhang Yang’s future development was truly immeasurable. If he were allowed to grow, he alone could make the Zhang family far more formidable than before.

At that point, the Four Great Families might very well become Five Great Families. The Zhang family would possess a strength that none of them could overlook, and with greater strength came greater say.

No one was willing to see another dominant family emerge beside them, so their thoughts were astonishingly unified at this moment; they were even silently supporting Huyan Peng. Huyan Peng, unaware that his supporters had suddenly multiplied, felt ever greater shock the longer the fight went on.

Zhang Yang’s speed was even faster than his, and his physical strength was incredibly robust. If it weren't for Zhang Yang’s undeniable lack of practical combat experience, Huyan Peng wouldn’t have been able to gain any advantage initially.

But as they exchanged blows, Zhang Yang gradually figured out his approach. Now, Huyan Peng’s advantage was shrinking, and the situation was beginning to turn unfavorable for him.

This realization made him even more anxious, and the movements of his hands involuntarily quickened slightly. Unfortunately, this acceleration did not help him; instead, he encountered several dangerous moments and was nearly knocked down by Zhang Yang.

Except for Long Feng, the experts whose cultivation was at the third layer or above all frowned now. None of them had expected that in the fight against Zhang Yang, Huyan Peng would not only fail to win but would actually fall into a disadvantageous position.

“Uncle Peng, your sword!” From the high platform below, a crisp voice suddenly rang out. A Huyan family disciple, only in his early twenties and at the initial stage of the second layer, holding a long sword, threw it forcefully towards Huyan Peng.

Huyan Peng’s eyes narrowed briefly, then he jumped forward to catch the sword, a hint of joy appearing on his face. Barehanded, he was finding it difficult to defeat Zhang Yang, and he even risked defeat himself.

It was better to use a weapon. Receiving the long sword, Huyan Peng drew it without hesitation and thrust it straight at Zhang Yang.

Seeing this, many people froze. Long Haotian glanced again towards the two Elders beside him, only to find that both of them were sitting with their eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the scene.

It wasn't just them; the two Elders from the Li family and the Huyan family were doing the same. After a moment of stunned silence, Long Haotian immediately displayed a wry smile, then closed his own eyes.

He understood—these Elders were all pretending to be blind shrimp. Zhang Yang had even brought them a considerable amount of pressure, leading them, at this moment, to internally support Huyan Peng, condoning some of his inappropriate actions.

“Stop! Help him!

He is unilaterally using a weapon during a competition—the Huyan family is violating the rules!” Long Feng was stunned, standing up and shouting loudly, while looking towards the Elders on the high platform. To his disappointment, many of the Elders had their eyes closed, and they didn't even open them upon hearing his shout.(To be continued.

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