Chapter 499 497: The Might of One Punch

Lin Xuan weaved frantically between the terrifying Sharp Spikes. No matter how fast they were, his own speed was always just a fraction faster. He dodged them with perfect precision, never letting a single one so much as graze him. The sight was thrilling; just when a spike seemed certain to pierce him, it would somehow miss!

The crowd was inwardly horrified. They never expected Lin Xuan's Body Technique to be so incredible; it was a complete shock.

After swiftly dodging countless Sharp Spikes, Lin Xuan charged right up to Shi Yalong and threw a heavy punch at the thick shield.

The onlookers were stunned for a moment before their expressions turned to mockery. 'His Soul Power was useless, so is this just a desperate gamble? If that shield were so easy to break, it would have been shattered long ago. Why would he have waited until now?'

Could Lin Xuan's fist possibly be stronger than his Soul Power?

"Many have tried to break it with brute force. They were all sent flying back. Not only did they fail to destroy the shield, but they ended up injuring themselves from the recoil."

"Exactly. He's completely overestimating his own strength!"

No one in the crowd had any expectations for this punch. They were all stuck on their initial impression: since Lin Xuan's Soul Power was so strong, his other abilities must be weak. The younger a person was, the more glaring their shortcomings tended to be. No matter how much of a genius he was, it still took a great deal of time to master different aspects of Cultivation.

Thus, they were all in agreement that this was just a desperate, last-ditch effort from Lin Xuan, born from the foolish belief that his fist could actually break through.

At that moment, a golden light shot from his eyes. A brilliant golden radiance flickered across his entire body as golden Dragon Scales erupted from within, forming a suit of what looked like Golden Armor.

"Golden Dragon World-Destroying Fist!"

Lin Xuan let out a thunderous roar as a golden light flashed from his fist, transforming into a Golden Dragon that roared as it descended, seeming powerful enough to shatter space itself.

BOOM!!

The incredibly heavy punch smashed squarely against the hard shield. Golden Elemental Power began to vibrate violently, like countless Giant Dragons roaring in fury, their bellows shaking the very air and causing the shield to shudder wildly.

CRACK... CRACKLE...

Fine, web-like cracks, like those on shattered porcelain, began to appear on the shield's surface. They spread rapidly outward, accompanied by a series of sharp, crisp sounds.

BOOM!

At last, the shield shattered into countless fragments. They scattered in all directions, dissolving into motes of starlight that drifted away on the air, proving that the supposedly indestructible barrier had been broken just like that.

Shi Yalong was stunned. The entire audience was stunned. That such a sturdy shield had been shattered by a single punch... it was unbelievable.

He had been so confident in his shield, but in the face of that one punch, his confidence had utterly crumbled, collapsing into dust. The feeling was simply inconceivable.

Just moments ago, that terrifying Soul Power attack had only managed to slightly warp it. Now, a single punch had shattered it completely!

'What happened to Soul Power being his strongest asset? It looks like it's nothing compared to his fist!' Even now, he could feel that terrifying golden radiance, as if it was about to tear him in two.

The crucial point was that the punch hadn't ended there. It continued straight for his chest, the golden radiance not having diminished in the slightest, still as dazzling as ever.

Shi Yalong's expression changed drastically. At such a close distance, he felt he had no way to resist. He considered dodging, but he could feel the golden radiance locked firmly onto him, leaving no room to escape. Besides, he knew his Body Technique was nowhere near as good as Lin Xuan's—his own Sharp Spikes hadn't had any effect on him at all.

No matter how he tried to flee, he would not be able to escape Lin Xuan's grasp!

In that split second, Shi Yalong did not panic. Instead, he chose to swing a punch of his own. He was actually going to counter with his own fist. It wasn't that he was confident in his punch, but he at least considered his Physique to be decent. A body tempered by Earth Elemental Power was typically quite sturdy. Even if he couldn't win against Lin Xuan's fist, he might at least be able to offset some of the force.

Lin Xuan acted as if he hadn't even seen it. He completely ignored the incoming fist and continued his own punch, a faint, calm, and unhurried smile on his face.

BAM!

Shi Yalong's fist met the attack head-on. The moment they connected, he felt as if his bones were about to shatter. An immensely powerful recoil sent his entire arm flying back, as if it had been violently yanked.

'It's like steel!'

Shi Yalong was sent reeling back, utterly horrified. He squeezed his eyes shut, resigned to his fate. 'I'm not asking to get off with light injuries, just let it be a serious one! Please, just don't let me die!'

In that moment, he felt he was about to bid farewell to this world. That punch was simply too powerful. 'If it hits my chest, I'm dead for sure.'

But after keeping his eyes closed for what felt like an eternity, he still felt no pain. When he opened them, he found that Lin Xuan had already retracted his fist and was simply standing before him with a smile.

"You fought well," Lin Xuan said with a faint smile. He hadn't landed the final blow; instead, he had stopped his hand.

"Y-yes... I lost," Shi Yalong said, his voice incredibly hoarse. He had been terrified by that punch, having never felt so close to death.

In truth, he knew he had lost the moment his shield was shattered. That shield was the culmination of his power. With it gone, what trump cards did he have left?

"Mu Shuang is the winner!" the referee announced.

The sudden turn of events left the entire audience dumbfounded. 'What happened to his Soul Power being his greatest strength? Compared to that punch, his Soul Power seems almost insignificant!'

To shatter Shi Yalong's shield with a single punch... it was simply inconceivable. They had imagined many possible outcomes, but they had never once considered that Lin Xuan would break the shield with his bare fist. They assumed that if he were to break it, he would have to rely on some ultimate Divine Artifact or exploit a weakness using his soul.

But they had all been wrong. Lin Xuan hadn't relied on a Divine Artifact, nor on his Soul Power. He had shattered the shield with his fist!

"Isn't Soul Attack his strongest Ultimate Skill? How is his punch that powerful? Could... could Shi Yalong have intentionally weakened his shield?"

"Bullshit! They don't even know each other, why would he do that? Besides, even if that were true, it would still be a credit to Mu Shuang's strength!"

"He blew the shield apart with a single punch... good heavens, that's just terrifying..."

The spectators didn't even know how to describe what they were thinking. They wouldn't have been surprised if he had used anything else to break the shield. But the fact that he did it with his fist alone was what left them so utterly shaken.

Upon seeing this, Bu Feiyun shot to his feet in shock, his eyes filled with delight. 'This is exactly the kind of result I wanted to see! I never thought Lin Xuan possessed another ability of this caliber.' The power of that fist surpassed even his Soul Power. To have an advantage in both soul and Physique... he was incredibly well-rounded!

This was the true might of a single punch!