Chapter 21

As a half-formed thought emerged in his mind, it felt as if a super high-speed crystal track train had slammed into his chest, sending him flying seven or eight meters and crashing into the wall with a "thud," scattering seven or eight straw mats and sending straw flying everywhere!

Li Yao fell heavily to the ground, his eyes, nose, and mouth spewing various fluids, his entire chest completely numb, the sensation of numbness spreading like a virus, and he felt as if he were suffocating!

"Too, too fast, I couldn't even see if it was a fist or a kick. Who is this guy? How can he be so strong and still be training in this amateur club? No wonder he can earn ten thousand yuan by fighting for three minutes!" Li Yao's mind went blank, and after gasping for breath for a long time, he finally managed to stand up, leaning against the wall.

Li Yao's legs were trembling. He glanced at the clock on the opposite wall—it had only been five seconds, but it felt like five whole minutes!

The smiling clown stood silently ten meters away, somewhat surprised, and frowned, saying, "Your resistance to attacks doesn't seem that strong. If you can't keep up, you might as well give up. There's no need to force it."

"Who said I can't keep up? I wasn't prepared just now. Come, come again!" Li Yao took a deep breath, swallowing a bitter liquid back into his throat. His eyes gradually turned red, and his mind was filled with the thought of "three minutes, ten thousand yuan"!

Ten thousand yuan could buy a dozen or so enhancement potions; or three thousand five hundred cans of star beast meat; or a complete set of special material-made, highly flexible cultivation talismans; or ten lavish meals at the Hidden Lake Small Realm!

In the Tomb of Magic Treasures, he was known as the "vulture who values money over life." How could he easily give up such a large sum? It was simply a joke!

"Come, come on!" Li Yao stood firm, assuming a defensive stance, staring intently at the other's feet, and beckoned to the smiling clown, who nodded without hesitation.

"Whoosh!" The smiling clown disappeared again!

"How is this possible? I still can't see clearly, I can't even perceive his movement trajectory!" Li Yao widened his eyes, desperately searching for the smiling clown, but found nothing. His eyeballs couldn't keep up with the other's speed, and he could only rely on his instinctive reaction to danger to defend himself.

"Thud!" It felt like a giant python had lashed out at his right side. This time, he was somewhat prepared and managed to turn his body, but the reinforced ceramic plate on his right shoulder shattered, and the inner steel plate clanged loudly.

"This strength is too terrifying!" Li Yao was drenched in cold sweat. The other had shattered the armor on his shoulder with one blow and showed no signs of stopping. Unpredictable attacks from unimaginable angles rained down on him like a storm.

Instantly, the sound of reinforced ceramic plates shattering and steel plates twisting came from Li Yao's body.

"I can't see, I can't see, I can't see at all! If this continues, in less than a minute, all my armor will be destroyed. Without protective gear, this monster will flatten me in half a second!" The image of ten thousand brand new banknotes with wings flying away flashed in his mind, and a fierce look appeared on Li Yao's face.

"Think fast, I must see through his attack pattern!"

Li Yao felt as if he were being repeatedly run over by a crystal track train, in unbearable pain.

To his surprise, this unbearable pain felt somewhat familiar and "intimate," stirring up some fragments of memory deep in his mind.

These memory fragments collided, shattered, integrated, and reformed, eventually turning into distorted images.

He suddenly remembered, in a dream, when he was a lowly servant of the Hundred Refinements Sect, being tortured day and night by the Giant Spirit God with a large iron hammer, unable to see the attacks. A companion who had been in the world for a long time told him:

"Ouye Ming, do you feel that the Giant Spirit God's iron hammer is too fast to see clearly? Come, give me all the fish fins for the next month, and I'll teach you a secret technique! What technique? It's simple—if you can't see clearly with your main eyes, try to turn your head and use your peripheral vision. Peripheral vision can capture clearer images than your main eyes!"

Peripheral vision?

Li Yao's mind raced, and without thinking, he squinted his eyes and scanned with his peripheral vision.

He saw it!

The smiling clown had curled up into a ball, like a lazy cat, hiding behind his right side. Suddenly, the lazy cat transformed into a ferocious python, delivering a simple but powerful kick to his right shin!

If this hit landed, not only would the reinforced ceramic plate on his right leg shatter, but his right leg bone would also be severely damaged, reducing his speed by at least half and completely losing his ability to support himself!

"I'm determined to get this ten thousand yuan!" Li Yao bit his lip until it bled, almost mobilizing all his motor cells, and his right calf folded up to his thigh like a folding knife!

The smiling clown's attack missed, and he lost his balance, taking a half-step forward, revealing his figure for the first time.

The relentless attack was abruptly halted, like a fast-paced song suddenly stopping just before its climax.

Li Yao twisted his waist, intending to kick the other in the leg.

The smiling clown, as if able to predict the future, dodged the attack and instantly reappeared seven or eight meters away, looking at him with a smile, his eyes showing a hint of surprise and approval: "In just fifty-seven seconds, you saw through my attack pattern? The underground black market is truly full of hidden dragons and tigers!"

"Of course, do you want to know how I saw through your attack? It all started with my teacher, on a stormy night twenty years ago—" Li Yao panted heavily, desperately stalling for time.

"No!"

The smiling clown cut him off bluntly and disappeared again. This time, Li Yao also caught his attack pattern, but strangely, the smiling clown seemed to have split into two, attacking from both sides simultaneously!

...

In the tea room, the bald, tattooed man was leisurely drinking erguotou, eating chicken wings, and humming a military tune.

A man with a spider pattern on his face suddenly knocked on the door and walked in.

He was short and stocky, solid like a wall.

"Who are you?" The bald, tattooed man was taken aback, his chicken wing halfway to his mouth, the chicken bone trembling.

...

In the fighting room, two minutes and thirty seconds had passed!

Li Yao was like a small fishing boat tossed about in a storm, repeatedly slammed into the depths by massive waves, only to resurface moments later!

His body had been cleansed and tempered by Ouyezi's powerful divine soul, making every muscle fiber and cell incredibly resilient. Despite feeling the pain of each blow to the bone, he was still fighting desperately, crazily, because—

"Damn it, this bastard has been hitting me for two and a half minutes, 652 punches! If I give up now, won't I have suffered in vain?"

Two minutes and thirty-one seconds, two minutes and thirty-two seconds...

With each passing second, Li Yao's resolve to continue grew stronger. Moreover, he felt that after a long period of super-high-speed movement, the other's speed and strength had slightly decreased, and he might soon show a weakness.

During these two and a half minutes, he wasn't just taking hits but was carefully observing his opponent. He noticed that although the smiling clown's speed was incredibly fast, he had a very small habitual movement: his left leg would slightly bend before attacking from the right.

This extra movement slowed the smiling clown by about 0.1 seconds.

Li Yao was waiting for this weakness!

He wasn't a pushover who just took hits. Although the other's strength was clearly much higher, even just landing a punch to vent his anger would be good!

However, not now. The other still had strength, was still alert, and was still smiling.

No problem, Li Yao could wait, like a vulture waiting for the best hunting opportunity. His years of struggle in the Tomb of Magic Treasures had taught him how to lie in wait and the importance of patience.

While taking hits, dodging, and screaming, Li Yao's mind remained cold and calm. Memory fragments rapidly spun in his mind, the image of the Giant Spirit God performing the "108 Hands of the Cloak Chaos Hammer Technique" becoming clearer.

First move... second move...

Li Yao quickly searched his memory for the most suitable "weapon" for the current situation.

...

In the tea room.

The bald, tattooed man suddenly stood up, spilling erguotou on himself: "Are you 'Iron Turtle'?"

"I am Iron Turtle, we just contacted each other, didn't you tell me to wear the spider pattern? Is there a problem?" The short, stocky man frowned, puzzled.

"If you're Iron Turtle, who is the guy in the fighting room?" The bald, tattooed man's expression became incredibly strange. After a moment, he suddenly pushed Iron Turtle aside, took a few steps to the fighting room door, and yanked it open.

"Ai Hai, stop it!"

"Three minutes are up!" At the same time, Li Yao, covered in blood, let out a shrill scream.

Their simultaneous cries caused the smiling clown's fluid attack to hesitate. He subconsciously looked at the clock and saw that only—

Two minutes and fifty-nine seconds!

"Right now!"

Li Yao growled, lunging forward, his right hand feinting, while his left fist, hidden behind his back, crackled with tension, the knuckles protruding like a mace. He pivoted on his left heel, spinning ninety degrees, and with the centrifugal force, threw his left fist out with all his might!

"Thud, thud, thud, thud!" The fist cut through the air, producing a series of explosive sounds. Li Yao's fist, like a roaring hammer, aimed straight for the smiling clown's face!

"Cloak Chaos Hammer Technique, 94th move, Whirlwind Hammer!"

"Go easy!"

The bald, tattooed man's voice, somewhat desperate, came from the door, but Li Yao couldn't stop. His fist was about a hair's breadth from the smiling clown's nose.

Then, the smiling clown changed.

The person was still the same, not even a lash of his eyelashes moved, but the 36,000 pores on his body suddenly emitted a strong aura, as if a tangible force had enveloped him, making him "expand" and transform from an ordinary martial artist into a supreme expert!

Li Yao realized that the words "go easy" were not meant for him.

0.01 seconds later, his fist somehow changed direction, slamming into his own nose, sending him flying several meters, and he fainted before he could even scream.

The intense aura surrounding the smiling clown disappeared after half a second, and he returned to being an ordinary, harmless person.

He walked slowly to Li Yao's side, crouched down, and checked his breathing.

"How is he? Is he okay?" The bald, tattooed man ran over, somewhat nervous.

"He's unconscious, probably from severe physical exhaustion. He'll be fine with some enhancement potions," Peng Hai, the demon blade, said, touching his nose, somewhat surprised. "This guy is pretty strong, he actually forced me to break my limits and use 4% of my strength."

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