The Qu Chi acupoint on a person's arm is not considered a vital point, yet it lies on the Large Intestine Meridian of the Hand, capable of channeling Yang heat energy into the limb. If struck here, while not life-threatening, it would certainly render that arm unusable for a significant period, leaving it numb and completely drained of strength.

Because the opponent targeted Qu Chi and not some other critical life-force nexus, Li Yundong immediately understood that Yue Sheng was acting out of jealousy and defiance, issuing a covert challenge. Clearly, Yue Sheng did not wish for their encounter to become deadly, nor did he want the other occupants of the elevator to notice, which is why he angled his body slightly as he lunged his finger forward, concealing the movement.

Seeing the incoming finger, Li Yundong also shifted his stance, using half his body to obscure the view of the others in the elevator. His own fingers coiled like a hook, swiftly reaching out to grasp Yue Sheng's attacking finger.

This move by Li Yundong precisely mirrored a technique he had previously contested with Shi Neng. His little finger and ring finger curled inward, his index and middle fingers slightly bent, while his thumb drove force to the tip—the entire hand shaped like an eagle’s claw.

As Yue Sheng aimed for his Qu Chi point, Li Yundong used his evasive sidestep to duck past the strike. Immediately, his other hand shot out, his thumb, index, and middle fingers aiming to strike three specific acupoints near the opponent's wrist: Yang Chi, Yang Gu, and Yang Xi.

Yue Sheng was also a cultivator, and he certainly knew the implications of having those three points seized. Without waiting for his initial finger strike to land, he instantly flipped his wrist, mimicking a posture like holding an inverted pagoda, and his five fingers snatched back towards Li Yundong’s encroaching fingers.

Seeing that Yue Sheng neither dodged nor retreated, but instead drove his hand directly into Li Yundong's attack, it was clear that his hand-to-hand skill was profound, and he possessed immense confidence in his own fingertip strength. A faint smirk touched Li Yundong’s lips as he thought: I have never lost a contest of fingertip strength; even Shi Neng’s finger bones shattered upon mere contact with mine!

Li Yundong channeled his full strength, driving his fingers to collide with the opponent’s.

With a sharp k’eng sound, their finger bones met. The collision immediately echoed with a noise like grinding steel, except that this metal was encased in flesh and skin, lending the sound a dull, muffled quality.

The white-collar workers in the elevator all froze at the noise, secretly puzzled, their gazes sweeping around as if trying to locate the source of the strange sound.

Li Yundong observed that Yue Sheng's attack was so stealthy because he was clearly wary of the secular people in the elevator. Yet, relying on his superior skill and boldness, Yue Sheng dared to engage in this magical duel right in front of commoners, evidently unconcerned about his techniques being discovered by those nearby. Consequently, Li Yundong did not retaliate ostentatiously. The moment his fingers connected with Yue Sheng's, he saw no sign of injury on the opponent; instead, his own fingertips throbbed with a dull ache!

A chill ran through Li Yundong. He knew he had encountered a formidable foe. Pushing the contest of strength further might escalate the private skirmish into an open brawl, drawing unwanted attention from the bystanders. Thus, Li Yundong instantly shifted his fingers, making them snake out towards the opponent's wrist, attempting to subdue him with a grappling technique.

If Li Yundong was surprised, Yue Sheng was even more shocked internally. He hailed from a prestigious lineage, an inner disciple who had spent his life soaking in medicinal baths and consuming miraculous elixirs. The sheer robustness of his physical training was in no way inferior to a Golden Core Reconstitution Body.

He had expected that after this move, Li Yundong would, at best, manage to withstand the impact but react a fraction slower. To his astonishment, not only had Li Yundong’s speed not diminished, but his counter-attack was actually slightly faster than before!

It was Yue Sheng whose fingers registered a sharp, momentary pain, causing his reaction time to lag by the slightest margin. Li Yundong’s hand immediately closed on his wrist.

Yue Sheng’s body hair stood on end. As a leading figure among the younger generation of the Quanzhen Longmen Sect, his reaction speed was nearly unbelievable. Seeing that his Yang Chi, Yang Gu, and Yang Xi acupoints were about to be grasped, he managed a desperate twist of his arm, narrowly missing two points. Then, flipping his own wrist, his fingers managed to hook onto Li Yundong’s Yang Xi point on his arm instead.

The exchange between them had truly occurred in a flash—fast as lightning and swift as a thunderclap. The beautiful white-collar ladies in the elevator only heard one muffled thud of colliding fingers before the two men were locked together, hands entangled, each gripping the other’s vital points.

After searching around, the elevator occupants’ eyes inevitably settled on Li Yundong and Yue Sheng.

At that moment, they stood with half their bodies turned away from the others, one hand hanging loosely by their sides, the other obscured by their torsos, engaged in some hidden action.

However, judging by their postures and the position of their hands, the office workers assumed the two were shaking hands, especially since both men were staring at each other with narrowed eyes, unblinking, like two stone statues.

Some of the more imaginative employees thought to themselves: What is the relationship between these two? Is it necessary to be this intimate in an elevator?

Other, more cynical workers entertained more illicit thoughts: They are being so close, could they possibly be... gay? Heavens, no! Such handsome men—what a waste of natural beauty!

Just as these varied notions began to surface, Li Yundong and Yue Sheng simultaneously channeled their vital essence (Zhen Yuan) to launch a fierce assault on each other. As soon as they invoked their essence, it was as if two massive armies had clashed, the battlefield being the space between their gripped arms and palms.

Cultivators possess incredibly vigorous Qi and blood, lending them astonishing physical strength. As Li Yundong and Yue Sheng mobilized their Zhen Yuan, their feet involuntarily pressed against the floor for leverage. But being in an elevator, this combined force was easily multiplied many times over!

The elevator immediately began to emit a terrifying, humming groan of stressed steel cables, and its upward momentum visibly slowed.

The white-collar workers, assuming the elevator car was malfunctioning, instantly shrieked in terror. Some clutched their heads, yelling wildly; others frantically mashed the buttons for the nearest floor; and a few snatched the emergency phone, shouting hysterically into the receiver.

Li Yundong and Yue Sheng, aware of their surroundings, knew they were exemplifying the saying, "When immortals fight, mortals suffer." But they were both already committed—arrows loosed from the string. Their Zhen Yuan converged in their wrists and palms like an unstoppable flood; retreating was not something that could be done on a whim.

If they had hesitated even a moment longer, the elevator produced another dreadful creak, as if the supporting steel cables above were snapping one by one.

To the office workers ignorant of the cause, this sound was utterly terrifying, like the whisper of the Grim Reaper—hideous and menacing.

They were all driven close to madness—some weeping, some screaming, and others simply collapsing limp onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

Li Yundong realized that if he and Yue Sheng continued their contest, the elevator structure would certainly fail, causing them all to plummet. While they themselves would be unharmed, everyone else in the car would surely be smashed into pulp.

Maintaining his circulation of Zhen Yuan, Li Yundong lowered his voice and said, "Shall we stop?"

Yue Sheng’s gaze flickered sideways; he gave a slight nod. Simultaneously, both men withdrew a fraction of their power. This mutual concession continued—one step back for him, one step back for Li Yundong—until their Zhen Yuan was completely retracted.

Just as they breathed a sigh of relief after ending the power struggle, a sharp k’eng sounded from the top of the elevator shaft. The car suddenly dropped, plummeting downward with terrifying speed!

A chorus of piercing screams erupted from the occupants, a sound so shrill that even the thick reinforced concrete walls could not contain it.

Li Yundong was profoundly alarmed. He swiftly released his Yang Shen (Positive Spirit Body), transformed it into a Yin Shen (Negative Spirit Body), slipped out of the car, and immediately shifted back to his Yang Shen. With a powerful lunge, he reached out to grab the frantically falling elevator cables.

But the moment his Yang Shen gripped the steel ropes, the immense downward momentum of the elevator dragged him along, causing him to stumble.

Although Li Yundong’s Yang Shen was powerful, being suspended in mid-air with nothing to brace against meant that even his spirit form was yanked downward in a dizzying plunge. He watched the elevator car hurtle down, spitting up sparks from friction, knowing that in moments it would hit the bottom, crushing everyone inside.

Li Yundong’s heart tightened. Biting down hard, he was about to channel his Zhen Yuan to expand his Yang Shen when a flash of golden light suddenly appeared. With a sharp zheng, a brilliant, golden halberd pierced through the middle of the severed elevator cable and drove straight into the opposite wall.

The force of the halberd arrested the wildly plummeting elevator, bringing its downward trajectory to an abrupt halt with a loud weng, freezing it suspended in the shaft.

Li Yundong turned his head and saw, suspended in mid-air a short distance away, a towering man clad in golden armor, wielding a gleaming golden lance. The man was as tall as an iron tower, with an extraordinarily handsome countenance, and a celestial eye shining in the center of his brow, radiating majestic authority.

Li Yundong stared, momentarily stunned, thinking: Damn it, could Yue Sheng’s Zhen Shen (True Spirit) be Erlang Shen?

Lost in his momentary lapse, the elevator's massive inertia continued to drag on the halberd. The spear tip ground against the hard concrete wall, slowly sliding downward.

Li Yundong dismissed his distraction and fiercely channeled his Zhen Yuan. His Yang Shen instantly transformed into the imposing form of Acala, the Immovable Wisdom King, complete with three heads and six arms. His transformed body was so immense it nearly filled the entire elevator shaft. Two of his arms gripped the steel elevator ropes, while the other four grasped the surrounding walls of the shaft. With a sudden surge of effort, the muscles on his Yang Shen bulged like gnarled tree roots. Red and black vapors simultaneously blasted from the nostrils of Li Yundong’s spiritual visage, creating a truly horrifying appearance.

With this exertion, Li Yundong finally managed to forcibly halt the elevator's descent.

Only then did the plummeting car finally stop completely. The white-collar workers inside, their nerves shattered, mixed tears with laughter; they had no idea they had narrowly escaped becoming collateral damage in the duel between Li Yundong and Yue Sheng!

Li Yundong, still shaken, glanced over at Yue Sheng’s Yang Shen. He saw Yue Sheng examining his own monstrous form with an expression of startled suspicion, yet clearly eager to engage further. Especially his celestial eye—it snapped wide open, emitting a wave of fervent, excited aggression, making the very air around them feel scorching hot.

Li Yundong cursed internally: Damn this bastard, he still wants to fight? Does he seriously want to die?!

============================================= Another chapter tonight~D