Chapter 48

"Ha!" The dark force grand master roared, his entire body exuding a spirit of all-out attack as he stomped on the green bricks on the ground and charged at Li Pu. His left hand was placed at his waist, ready to unleash a domineering fist technique infused with his essence, energy, and spirit.

"Good!" Even Chi Fei, who was a level higher in martial arts, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. This Tai Chi fist technique, which was unleashed after borrowing the form and stimulating potential, pushed his mind, technique, and body to their peak. Even when he was at the dark force level last year, he might not have been able to perform such a move.

Feng Kuzhan, however, shook his head with a sigh, "Pity, Brother Chen has been living a life of luxury for too long. If he had been pushed to this point earlier and stimulated this kind of momentum, he wouldn't have been stuck at the peak of the dark force level for so many years. In the Yangtze River Delta region, those with better skills mostly have higher status and position, so they can't force him to fight with all his might. This year, even including his disciple Chi Fei, there are three young and powerful newcomers in the city, but if this punch doesn't take down the opponent... sigh."

In his view, Li Pu was clearly at ease. If he had used the whip hand punch to block the attack, the greater the force applied, the greater the counterforce would be, and Chen Yunfeng might not be able to keep his arm.

The veteran dark force grand master had put everything on the line, but Li Pu didn't go for a direct confrontation.

Faced with the potential-stimulating punch that was about to hit, the young man leaped back two zhang (about 6.6 meters) with the agility of a shrimp in water. His toes tapped the ground, and he bounced another two zhang in another direction, as if refracted by a triangle.

Chen Yunfeng's move missed, and he couldn't catch up. He couldn't keep up with the young man's lightning-fast movement.

No matter how much he tried to build up his momentum, facing this shameless kite-flying tactic, he was like a mouse trying to pull a turtle—completely helpless. His face, which had been tense for too long, had turned a liverish color.

If he didn't throw this punch, he would probably spit out blood before Li Pu even touched him.

"What do you mean by this?" Chen Yunfeng could only helplessly disperse his energy, take a few breaths to regulate his qi and blood, and then ask in displeasure.

What do you mean? I don't want to kill or cripple you. Li Pu rolled his eyes. Chen Yunfeng's all-out move, which he had stimulated by putting himself in a corner, was quite impressive. If he had followed Chen Yunfeng's advice and taken it head-on, he would probably have to use more than 60% of his physical strength to hold it off.

If they really went all out, his arm would be fine, but the other party would definitely be crippled.

"Uncle, you should just admit defeat," the young man sighed. "I can't wait anymore."

"Besides..." He stared at Zhang Shi with a burning gaze, "He might not be able to wait either."

After obtaining the "War God Armor," he had accumulated combat experience, including fighting several minor thugs, eight Ming force masters of varying levels, four armed thugs, and one dark force grand master. He had gained some experience in fighting high-level opponents.

He was stronger than all the dark force grand masters of the same level, whether they were at the middle or peak of the dark force level. However, Li Pu, who had trained in seclusion for several years, still didn't know his true potential.

"Little Fist Saint" Zhang Shi, a super genius with one-in-a-billion innate true energy, was the disciple of a Dan force martial saint. Perhaps only he could give Li Pu a truly exhilarating fight.

In an instant, Zhang Shi's eyes flashed with a fiery light, as if his essence was about to seep through the "window of the soul." He patted his cousin Qin Xia'er's delicate shoulder in a comforting manner and then walked to about two zhang in front of Li Pu.

"Do you need to rest and recover your strength?" he asked.

"Of course not," Li Pu moved his wrists and, for the first time, assumed a proper fighting stance. "I'm in perfect condition."

"That's great. My style is powerful and direct. If you can't handle it, I'll stop," Zhang Shi lowered his center of gravity.

"I'm afraid the one who will have to call it off is you," Li Pu's "verbal boxing" was a natural talent, not requiring any enhancement from the "War God Armor."

The two strongest young men in Eurasia, one in a cat-like stance with his toes barely touching the ground, the other in a solid and steady ancient Eight Extremes stance, faced each other.

Qin Xia'er didn't know who to cheer for. Her cousin Zhang Shi, who had always been good to her, or Li Pu, who often bullied people but had saved her.

Chen Yunfeng returned to the armchair he had been sitting in, his face dark and gloomy. After calming down, he knew he couldn't beat Li Pu. Since the other party had given him a way out—albeit a somewhat perfunctory one—he had to swallow his pride and take it.

The "Little Fist Saint" of the Zhang family in Nanyang could even defeat a military expert at the transformation force level who was in peak physical condition, like Chi Fei. He and his disciple secretly hoped that this kid would get a good lesson.

The attack and defense were launched simultaneously, in a split second.

Li Pu's body flickered, and he launched a sudden attack with a shrimp-like leap, his right hand delivering a drilling fist straight to the center.

Bang! The air exploded with the sound of the fist. Li Pu's right drilling fist was deflected by Zhang Shi's left hand, while Zhang Shi's hidden fist aimed at the diaphragm was blocked by Li Pu's left hand.

At a distance of less than a meter, the two men's eyes met, not looking at each other's hands, shoulders, or bodies, but straight into each other's eyes. Neither retreated, paused, or circled around.

The excitement, enthusiasm, and even joy in Li Pu's clear eyes conveyed, "Let's see who is faster and stronger."

—Exactly what I want. Zhang Shi's eyes were even more sincere and brave, radiating fearlessness and determination.

The head-on attack, with the power of a thunderstorm and the speed of lightning, erupted suddenly!

The heavy sounds of "whoosh, bang, whoosh, bang" shook the air, making it seem like two rubber tires were colliding, striking, and crushing each other at hundreds of miles per hour, rather than two human bodies.

Li Pu's hands were like steel whips, his fingers like iron spikes. Every four or five strikes, he would unleash a powerful hidden force, the first time his fist techniques, driven by the power of the crane, were fully realized.

This was because, since Aunt Xin left, he had encountered an opponent for the first time who, even when "seriously attacking," couldn't completely suppress him and could steadily counterattack.

If Li Pu's style was swift and fierce, like a storm, then Zhang Shi's punches were steady and powerful, like a mountain.

Indeed, Li Pu felt for the first time that he didn't have any advantage in power!

"So strong, really so strong, damn, how can he be so strong!" Li Pu's eyes sparkled. His mind was filled with admiration, and the only thing left was how to win—not just win, but turn the tide.

The core of "Little Fist Saint" Zhang Shi's power generation technique was only four words: collapse, shake, thrust, and strike!

These were the first four of the eight fundamental powers of the ancient Eight Extremes. But Zhang Shi had taken them to the extreme—his movements, breathing, and even his entire soul seemed to embody these four words.

No claw techniques, no finger techniques, only fists, palms, and elbows.

Fists, palms, and elbows with the power to shake the earth and collapse mountains!

Whether it was a horizontal punch, a chopping punch, a collapsing punch, a drilling punch, a cannon punch, or even elbow strikes, shoulder strikes, hip strikes, or head strikes, he could deliver a dominant force that intimidated all directions. His reach and movement range were like an invisible barrier, and any contact would trigger a tidal wave of counterattacks.

More frustrating was the opponent's physique, which seemed to be made of super-tough synthetic rubber, incredibly elastic, with an extremely robust flow of qi and blood—Li Pu had never seen anyone with such a body before.

He had thought that at this age, only he had such a physique! I've been training very seriously, even risking my life, after activating this alien black technology!

But compared to Li Pu, "Little Fist Saint" Zhang Shi was even more surprised.

Not only was he a world-class genius with three times the innate true energy, but he had also been nurtured with ancient secret formulas since he was a baby. He started practicing martial arts and shaping his body with his uncle, the "Fist Saint" Zhang Xiezong, at the age of five. By the age of ten, his physical strength and vitality had surpassed those of a robust adult male. Over the past eighteen years, the cost of various rare medicinal dishes and nutrients for his body had already exceeded one billion dollars.

From the age of six, Zhang Shi began practicing the two qi techniques of "heng" and "ha" to strengthen his internal organs and lungs. Later, he practiced secret esoteric techniques to refine his qi, and by the time he reached the initial Ming force level, his bones and tendons were stronger than those of a dark force grand master. After the age of twelve, he practiced the ancient and profound "Maha Elephant Throwing Power," also known as the "Great Vajra Power," a Buddhist body-strengthening technique, further refining and enhancing his already formidable physique.

The "Great Vajra Power" has three stages: the first stage is "Vajra Power," focusing on strengthening muscles, tendons, and bones, mainly cultivating the Yellow Court. The second stage is "Vajra Divine Power," focusing on strengthening internal organs, lungs, and meridians, mainly cultivating the Sea of Qi and the Gate of Mystery. The third stage is "Great Vajra Power," focusing on cultivating essence, energy, and willpower, mainly cultivating the Palace of the Mud Pill.

Achieving "Vajra Divine Power," one can throw an adult Asian elephant with ease, reaching a superhuman level.

Zhang Shi had completed the first stage "Vajra Power" and was now cultivating the second stage "Vajra Divine Power." With his extremely rare three times innate true energy, despite being just an adult, his physical strength was so formidable that even many veteran transformation force masters who had undergone bone and muscle transformation were inferior to him.

If compared to ancient times, he was like a young Xiang Yu, but one who was also very diligent and focused on practicing the art of combat.

The naturally powerful Xiang Yu was proud and arrogant, unwilling to study martial arts seriously, relying on his talent to lift a tripod and be fiercely brave, making him the most formidable general in history. If he had also trained diligently, how much more powerful would he have been?

According to his uncle, the "First Fist Saint" in Southeast Asia, Zhang Xiezong, his eighteen-and-a-half-year-old nephew was a once-in-a-century genius in both character and talent. If there were no accidents, he could touch the secrets of the Golden Elixir by the age of twenty-two and possibly achieve the path of invincibility in the world in another four to five years.

Since he achieved the dark force level at the age of fifteen, Zhang Shi had fought with geniuses of the same age from countries like South Korea, Japan, Thailand, the United States, and Europe, as well as some veteran dark force grand masters and even transformation force masters, and had never lost a single time. This time, coming to the mainland to spar with the practical elite of the "Hidden Dragon Unit," Chi Fei, he still had the upper hand.

In martial arts, he had just entered the transformation force level about a month ago (the same as Chen Xin at the age of eighteen and a half). But his combat ability had undoubtedly reached the peak of the transformation force level. When it came to direct strong attacks, most transformation force masters were no match for him.

But the young man in front of him, who was a year younger, with a somewhat immature and unrefined style, could rely on his exceptionally strong and brutal physical strength to face him head-on, without retreating, for several rounds?

"Strange, strange, this is interesting!" Zhang Shi's sincere eyes, for the first time, burned with genuine competitiveness.