Chapter 50

"Please, please, for everything!!!"

"Is Zhang Fang okay?" Zhang Yue looked at Ye Feng and asked.

"Brother Yue, don't worry! He's just a piece of trash who practices body tempering!"

"Hmm, it's good to have confidence, but the Zhang family can't afford to lose face!"

"Zhang Fang, this is a Condensing Qi Pill. Adjust your state and don't be careless!"

Zhang Yue and the others knew about Ye Feng, a sixth-layer body tempering practitioner, who shouldn't be underestimated. In terms of strength, he was not much weaker than a first-rank martial artist. However, seeing Zhang Fang's confidence, Zhang Yue didn't say much. Zhang Lianxin then took out a pill and handed it to Zhang Fang.

"Thank you, thank you, Brother Yue, thank you, Sister Lianxin for the pill!"

While Zhang Fang and Zhang Yue were talking, Zhang Jinhuo walked up to Zhang Chao and whispered a few words in his ear.

After hearing Zhang Jinhuo's words, Zhang Chao's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he looked at Zhang Fang. "Zhang Fang, have you already lost once?"

As soon as Zhang Chao spoke, the others' gazes immediately turned to Zhang Fang, something they didn't know.

Zhang Fang's face turned red under their gazes. "I was careless earlier and he found a loophole! Otherwise, how could a body tempering practitioner be my match?"

Actually, Zhang Yue and the others weren't worried about Zhang Fang. Ye Feng was just a sixth-layer body tempering practitioner from a poor family, merely strong in physical strength. How could he be a match for Zhang Fang, who had broken through to the martial artist realm before the age of sixteen, making him a minor genius.

"Oh, is that so? Remember, it doesn't matter if you die, but the Zhang family's reputation cannot be tarnished. Take this pill; it's a reward from the sect. After taking it, you can advance one level..."

Although Zhang Fang didn't say it, Zhang Chao knew from Zhang Jinhuo that Ye Feng wasn't just a sixth-layer body tempering practitioner, and might even be at a higher level. Zhang Chao didn't care about Zhang Fang's life, but he had to consider the Zhang family's reputation.

The surrounding Zhang family disciples' eyes lit up with excitement upon hearing Zhang Chao's words. A pill that could advance one level was an absolute treasure. They never expected Zhang Fang to have such good fortune.

Only Zhang Lianxin frowned slightly upon hearing Zhang Chao's words. She knew such pills often temporarily raised one's level but had significant side effects.

Zhang Chao sneered inwardly at the gazes of the Zhang family disciples but said nothing.

………………………

Time passed, and an hour soon went by.

Zhang Fang and Ye Feng simultaneously stepped onto the stage.

"Waste, do you have any last words to say?" Standing on opposite sides of the stage, Zhang Fang looked at Ye Feng with disdain.

At this moment, Zhang Fang was full of confidence. Not only did Zhang Chao give him a pill, but he also lent him his own saber.

Zhang Chao's saber was a family treasure called the Thunderfire Saber. When used by someone practicing fire-based techniques, its power could increase by fifty percent.

An additional fifty percent attack power—Zhang Fang felt excited just thinking about it.

"Ha ha, I'm a waste, but you're even less than a waste!" On the stage, Ye Feng showed no signs of tension. His body was relaxed, as if he were just chatting.

"Die!"

"Blazing Saber Technique"

Hearing Ye Feng's words, Zhang Fang roared and swung his saber at Ye Feng.

As Zhang Fang attacked, his figure suddenly paused, and for a moment, it seemed as if a shadow split from his body, attacking Ye Feng simultaneously.

Seeing this, Ye Feng's expression turned serious. This was the first time he encountered such a technique. He knew one of the shadows was a residual image from rapid movement, but at close range, both shadows would be confusing. He couldn't help but marvel at the depth of these family techniques. Such a miraculous movement technique was something even a third-rank martial artist might not obtain.

He had killed many martial artists, including several fourth-rank ones, but had never seen such a movement technique.

Seeing Ye Feng standing still, Zhang Fang's face showed a hint of joy. He had used all his strength from the start, aiming to quickly defeat Ye Feng, as he now represented the Zhang family.

Ye Feng stood there, watching the two shadows. Suddenly, he moved, sidestepping to avoid the saber from the left shadow and slashing at Zhang Fang with his hand.

Seeing Ye Feng's palm attack, Zhang Fang was startled. He didn't know how Ye Feng identified his true form. After all, Ye Feng was from a mountain village and was just a body tempering practitioner. How could he see through his movement technique? The Ghost Shadow Movement was an intermediate-level technique, and he had only received it as a reward from the family after saving Zhang Yue during a trial.

At first, Ye Feng didn't see through it, but when the saber approached, he felt a scorching sensation from the left blade.

Seeing Ye Feng's hand slash, Zhang Fang turned his body and raised his Thunderfire Saber to block Ye Feng's palm.

Ye Feng showed no panic, changing his hand slash to aim for Zhang Fang's neck.

Zhang Fang was about to change his move when he felt a sharp force from Ye Feng's palm. His face changed; he could feel the sharpness of the force, which his body couldn't defend against. Even if he changed his move to injure Ye Feng, Ye Feng's attack would likely be fatal. Therefore, he had no choice but to retreat quickly.

This moment revealed the gap between them. If it were Ye Feng, he would have charged forward, and Zhang Fang would have been the one retreating. However, Zhang Fang had little combat experience and, in the face of mortal danger, chose to retreat out of fear.

"Waste!"

Others might not have noticed, but Zhang Chao, a fifth-rank martial artist, saw the key point and inwardly cursed Zhang Fang.

"Kill!"

Seeing Zhang Fang retreat, Ye Feng roared, his entire body becoming like a saber, exuding a sharp aura.

Zhang Fang, seeing Ye Feng charge, felt an inexplicable tremor. It was as if he was facing not a person but a saber or a fierce beast.

Ye Feng, having spent four years in the Flying Tiger Team, had seen many life-and-death situations and had killed over a dozen people. He naturally carried a killing aura.

At this moment, the killing aura mixed with the saber aura, creating a formidable presence.

Seeing Ye Feng's hand slash approaching, Zhang Fang hastily raised his saber to block.

"Clang!"

Ye Feng's palm struck Zhang Fang's saber, producing a metallic sound.

"Ah!!" Zhang Fang let out a scream, being thrown back several meters by the immense force from Ye Feng's hand, rolling on the ground before stopping.

Although Zhang Fang tightly gripped the Thunderfire Saber, a trickle of blood flowed from the handle, indicating that Ye Feng's attack had split his palm.

"Ah! What's going on?"

"Is it the Iron Body Technique perfected?"

"What a solid body!"

"Ninth-layer body tempering?"

The metallic sound instantly ignited the stage, and the surrounding martial artists began to discuss.

Although they hadn't seen anyone perfect the Iron Body Technique, they had heard about it. When perfected, the body's skin and flesh become as hard as steel. If an ordinary person tried to cut it with a saber, it would be like cutting steel, producing a sharp sound, and even possibly dulling the blade.

They had thought it was just a legend, but hearing the metallic sound, they realized the legend was true, and the human body had indeed become as hard as steel.

"Ha ha, you're even less than a waste!" Ignoring the surrounding discussions, Ye Feng looked at the fallen Zhang Fang with a disdainful smile.

"Ah ah!!"

Lying on the stage, Zhang Fang roared in madness upon hearing Ye Feng's words.

"This is your fault!" Zhang Fang struggled to stand, looking at Ye Feng with a grim expression.

He took a pill from his pocket and swallowed it.

Originally, Zhang Fang was reluctant to take it. He had heard about this pill, called the Spirit Burst Pill, which could stimulate the body's spiritual energy, making it boil and temporarily raising one's strength by one rank. However, once the pill's effect wore off, his meridians and dantian would be severely damaged, rendering him a cripple.

But now he had no choice. If he lost, he would die, and even if he survived, losing face for the Zhang family would mean they wouldn't let him off.

Seeing Zhang Fang's state, the Zhang family disciples were initially worried, especially Zhang Chao, the heir to the family. However, when he saw Zhang Fang take the pill, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

So what if the Iron Body Technique was perfected? It was only equivalent to a second-rank martial artist. With the Spirit Burst Pill, Zhang Fang's strength would directly reach the middle of the second-rank martial artist level. Combined with his martial techniques and cultivation methods, defeating Ye Feng would be easy!

"Ah!!"

After taking the pill, Zhang Fang's face contorted in pain, and he let out a howl.

However, his aura steadily rose, and in an instant, it reached the level of a second-rank martial artist.

"Ha ha, Spirit Burst Pill?" At this moment, Ye Feng was no longer the same as before. After reading Fang Zheng's collection, he had gained considerable knowledge about pills, including the effects of many of them.