Chapter 531: Su Yu vs. Zhao Qingyue

Gu Changfeng and Wang Jifan stood firmly on the arena, ready for battle.

Gu Changfeng wore a white martial arts suit, carrying that exaggeratedly thick wooden staff on his back. A large character for “Victory” was embroidered on the chest of his suit, looking rather delicate. Combined with his wide mouth, square nose, and thick eyebrows over large eyes, he really didn’t look like a normal human being. Up in the high stands and down around the arena, experts of the Profound Bone and Divine Storage Realms, as well as ordinary Martial Artists, were left a bit speechless.

However, he didn’t seem to notice any incongruity in his attire at all. Instead, he broke into a wide, joyous grin.

He thought to himself, “Ning Cai personally made this martial arts suit for me. I am bound to win this battle!”

He began rolling a neck thicker than a bear’s, stretching his muscles and bones before stomping his feet twice on the ground.

BOOM! BOOM!

The immense force caused the arena, built from century-old ironwood, to rumble. A massive cloud of dust billowed into the air in a shocking display of power. Without unfastening the staff from his back, Gu Changfeng crouched low. Like a wild beast, he locked his eyes on Wang Jifan across from him, ready to charge at any moment.

Feeling this tremendous pressure, Wang Jifan’s expression darkened. He assumed the opening stance of the Mountain-Suppressing Coiling Dragon Hand. His entire being resembled a small mountain, radiating an unshakable aura. His large, fan-like hands were ready to clash at any second.

Today’s referee was an expert at the late-stage of the Profound Bone Realm named Deng Bai, who hailed from the Black Stone Army. After confirming both sides were ready, he shouted, “Let the match begin!”

The moment the referee’s voice faded, the two men lunged forward simultaneously.

BANG!

BANG!

The century-old ironwood arena caved in beneath their feet, emitting agonizing groans and the sharp cracks of splintering wood as it failed to bear their weight. In the next second, they were already face-to-face.

Wang Jifan’s fan-like hands turned a startling dark cyan. The Great Tendons on his arms and palms bulged, resembling horned dragons coiling around a mountain peak.

Mountain-Suppressing Coiling Dragon Hand: Double Dragon Shaking Mountain!

Positioning one hand high and the other low, Wang Jifan thrust his palms toward his opponent’s chest, bringing with them a terrifying gale. The might of Double Dragon Shaking Mountain was so astounding that even before the strike landed, it compressed and detonated the air between his palms, producing a violent sonic boom. Judging by its sheer force, even an iron-clad brute bull would likely be smashed to pieces on the spot!

Faced with such an awe-inspiring strike, Gu Changfeng didn’t retreat. Instead, his eyes lit up as he dropped his shoulder and threw a punch straight ahead!

His punch seemed devoid of any formal technique. Rather than a profound Martial Art, it looked more like a wild hunter swinging a fist to drive away a beast. The next moment, fist and palm collided, resulting in an earth-shattering detonation.

BOOM!

A visible white shockwave surged outward in all directions like a crashing ocean wave, forcing the circle of spectators around the arena to retreat.

CRACK!

Unable to withstand the pressure once more, the arena beneath their feet splintered open. Wang Jifan’s arms shuddered violently, and he was forced three steps back. In contrast, Gu Changfeng stood perfectly still, bearing a foolish grin.

“Wang Jifan was knocked back!”

“What terrifying strength! Wang Jifan’s Mountain-Suppressing Coiling Dragon Hand is renowned for its physical power, yet Gu Changfeng actually repelled him!”

“A Spirit Tier aptitude is truly terrifying!”

A chorus of exclamations erupted from the crowd below the arena. Up in the high stands, Su Yu’s expression grew serious as he watched. Gu Changfeng’s physical body was truly astounding and enviable. He realized that if he possessed such raw strength combined with his own powerful Martial Force, he could absolutely topple any enemy.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

On the arena, the two fought relentlessly like a pair of humanoid tyrannosaurs.

Wang Jifan’s Mountain-Suppressing Coiling Dragon Hand placed extremely high demands on one’s physical foundation, particularly the hands, and its power upon mastery was formidable. As his hands flew in a flurry of strikes, augmented by the Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Coiling Stance, every blow was enough to crush experts of the same tier.

Unfortunately for him, Gu Changfeng fought less like a human and more like a monster!

The man was practically a moving mountain. In terms of defense, he was as tough as solid rock, and his strength surpassed that of a Demon Beast in the same tier. Only his speed was slightly lacking, but that was only in comparison to peak experts of the True Dragon Realm. His fighting style was equally bizarre; there were no flashy techniques or ultimate moves—just simple punches and tackles.

Yet, in less than a hundred exchanges, Wang Jifan could already feel his arms going numb and his internal Qi and Blood churning unsteadily.

Wang Jifan thought, “Damn it, I can’t drag this out any longer. This bastard was a hunter who spent his days scaling mountains. His stamina is monstrous.”

He immediately unleashed the Coiling Dragon Technique. The Great Tendons throughout his body pulled taut, emitting sharp crackles like rolling Thunder. Simultaneously, the Qi and Blood in his body boiled over, surging into his hands. In the next instant, his hands moved like an azure dragon coiling around a mountain, lunging for Gu Changfeng’s throat with a resounding roar.

Sensing the danger, Gu Changfeng stomped the ground once more and vaulted into the air, narrowly dodging the lethal strike.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” Wang Jifan roared. Having missed his target, he immediately gave chase.

Defying everyone’s expectations, Gu Changfeng didn’t meet the attack head-on. Instead, he began sprinting around the arena to evade.

“Damn it, fight me!”

But Gu Changfeng showed no signs of stopping; he simply kept running. Soon, a bizarre scene unfolded on the arena: two burly men, one frantically chasing and the other fleeing. Whenever Wang Jifan managed to close the distance, Gu Changfeng would abruptly turn and ram into him, knocking his opponent away before resuming his flight.

Gu Changfeng possessed extraordinarily sharp intuition, a trait honed from years of hunting. He could sense that his opponent was using a Blood Burst Class ultimate move, and he certainly wasn’t foolish enough to clash with it directly. Back when he hunted fierce beasts, he could kite and maneuver around his prey for days at a time. What was a few minutes to him?

A full quarter of an hour later, Wang Jifan was finally unable to sustain his ultimate technique. The moment he faltered, Gu Changfeng immediately launched his counterattack.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Several consecutive tackles left Wang Jifan feeling as if his bones had been shattered. He was eventually sent flying out of the arena, spitting out a mouthful of blood and losing the match.

“Haha, Gu Changfeng won just as expected! The guy is too cunning, don’t let his goofy appearance fool you!”

In the high stands, Su Yu gave a slight nod. He reevaluated Gu Changfeng’s strength, contemplating how he would fight him if they ever faced off.

Beside him, Zhao Qingyue was the first to stand up. Moving like lightning, he leaped onto the arena without so much as a glance in Su Yu’s direction.

Gu Changfeng had just returned to his seat in the stands and smiled at Su Yu. “Su Yu, you don’t need to fight him. I’m going to become the Martial Examination Champion Scholar, so I’ll deal with him later!”

Su Yu shook his head. Standing up, he replied calmly, “Changfeng, I appreciate your good intentions. However, I’m also quite interested in becoming the Martial Examination Champion Scholar.”

With that, he walked calmly, step by step, toward the arena.

Behind him, Gu Changfeng stood stunned. Su Yu said he was interested in becoming the Martial Examination Champion Scholar? Wasn’t he just a Little Dragon Tendon? Although he highly acknowledged Su Yu’s Martial Arts Talent, Su Yu’s Realm was simply too low. How could he possibly entertain the thought of competing for the top spot?

Though Su Yu hadn’t spoken loudly, the few people seated in the stands had heard him, as had those in the higher tier behind them.

Li Lishu, who had just picked up a copy of Military Books, set it back down, his gaze shifting to the arena. He wondered what Su Yu meant by those words. Did he really have a trump card to defeat Zhao Qingyue? Finding his curiosity piqued, he hesitated for a moment before deciding against picking up the Military Books again. He wanted to watch this match closely.

“This Su Yu is quite arrogant, actually boasting about taking the title of Martial Examination Champion Scholar,” an elder of the Zhao Family, who was at the Profound Bone Realm, scoffed from his seat in the high stands. His words were laced with obvious mockery.

Pavilion Master Qian, seated in the very center of the high stands, turned to Pang Xuan beside him. “Director Pang, has Su Yu made another breakthrough? Is he now a Middle Dragon Tendon?”

Uncertain, Pang Xuan shook his head. “Mansion Master, I am also unaware. However, Su Yu isn’t the type to speak without cause. It’s entirely possible he has broken through.”

Knowing Su Yu’s character, he had made an educated guess. At the same time, he sighed inwardly. He never expected that in the short time since Su Yu entered the Inner City, he would reach such heights. To actually vie for the title of Martial Examination Champion Scholar—even if Pang Xuan didn’t fully believe it, just having a sliver of the qualifications to compete was enough to shock him.

His regret deepened. Previously, when Su Yu rejected the Pang family’s offer of marriage, Pang Xuan’s attitude toward him had cooled, significantly straining their relationship. If there used to be gratitude for recognition and promotion, now all that remained was a standard superior-subordinate dynamic.

“Both sides, ready!”

On the arena, Su Yu calmly drew his saber, maintaining his usual serene and confident demeanor.

Seeing Su Yu act this way, Zhao Qingyue frowned. It annoyed him that Su Yu dared to assume such an effortless posture when facing him.

Zhao Qingyue thought, “Kid, with my first sword strike, I’ll send you flying off the arena severely injured!”