All at once, every head turned toward the sound.
Over on the other side of the tavern, near the bar, a tall, square-faced young man slowly rose to his feet.
He was dressed in a simple, gray Cultivation Robe. Slung across his back was a weapon wrapped in thick cloth, looking thicker and heavier than a typical staff.
His features were plain, but his eyes were shockingly bright, as if two inextinguishable flames burned within them.
The moment he stood, an immensely powerful and incredibly pure aura radiated from him.
"It’s Qin Yonglin!"
"Qin Yonglin, the Staff Fool!"
Someone in the crowd immediately recognized him, letting out a soft gasp.
This was the very same Martial Fool, Qin Yonglin, who had previously crushed Qin Feng’s ultimate killing technique, Qian Yuan, with his superior Celestial Essence Staff technique in the Imperial Arena!
The atmosphere, already as taut as a bowstring, didn’t lessen when Qin Yonglin stood. Instead, it grew even sharper.
Ning Jing retracted the battle intent he had aimed at Qin Feng. He turned to face Qin Yonglin and made a clean "go ahead" gesture. "Since you want to go first, Senior Qin Yonglin, I have no objections. In fact, I’d also like to watch and see just how far Qin Feng has come."
His posture was open and dignified, showing not the slightest hint of displeasure.
For true pursuers of the Martial Dao like them, the value of observing a top-tier duel was no less than participating in one themselves.
"Haha, my thanks, Junior Ning Jing!"
Qin Yonglin strode towards Qin Feng’s table. With every step he took, the alloy floor beneath his feet seemed to tremble slightly.
He made no effort to conceal his surging battle intent. His gaze burned as he stared at Qin Feng, and he let out a booming laugh. "Junior Qin Feng, I’ve been waiting an entire year for a rematch!
The mere thought of it makes my blood boil, and this staff of mine is just itching for a fight!"
His rough and direct words instantly caused the crowd in the Iron Fist Tavern to burst into good-natured laughter.
"Hahaha, Qin Beast is quite the hot commodity now!"
"Isn’t that the truth! Who wouldn’t want to fight a monster like him? I’m telling you, I dream about it! Too bad I’m not strong enough. I’d just be asking for a beating!"
The atmosphere in the tavern was instantly ignited. Everyone put down their glasses and began to discuss excitedly, their gazes darting back and forth between Qin Feng and Qin Yonglin.
"Well, can you blame them? Qin Feng’s track record is just too ridiculous."
A veteran senior student remarked with a sigh, ticking off points on his fingers as if listing priceless treasures. "Just look at his record: on the entrance exam, he blew out the testing pod during the physical aptitude assessment.
Then there was the Canaan Newcomer Cup, where he earned the title ’Qin Beast’.
He opened his Primordial Acupoints in forty years, merged them in thirty, and they’re Top-grade Primordial Acupoints!"
He took a swig of ale, wetting his whistle, and continued, "And that’s not all! Just one month after reaching the sixth level, he brought the Fourth-level Killing Technique, *Heavy Spear*, to initial mastery and even went toe-to-toe with the Staff Fool, Qin Yonglin, in the arena!
Now tell me, if you saw a prodigy, a demon like that, wouldn’t you be itching for a fight? Wouldn’t you want to get in there yourself and see what he’s made of?"
His words immediately drew a chorus of agreement.
"That’s right! Just hearing about his achievements is enough to get your blood pumping!"
"That reminds me, with Qin Feng’s monstrous growth rate, do you think he could one day leave his name on the Canaan Tower?"
A young student asked, his voice filled with yearning.
The question silenced the boisterous tavern.
"That... is hard to say."
A Seventh-level Martial Artist with a calm aura pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Leaving your name on the Canaan Tower isn’t something you can do with just talent and cultivation speed.
As far as I know, the most basic requirement to leave a name up there is to push a Level 6 Killing Technique into the Control Realm!
Every single one of them has experienced at least tens of millions of life-and-death duels, knows more than ninety percent of common killing techniques like the back of their hand, and can even see through their flaws at a glance!
Those are true, living Grandmaster Level figures!"
"A Level 6 Killing Technique in the Control Realm? That’s way too far off."
The crowd drew a collective sharp breath at his words.
Amidst the crowd’s discussions, Qin Yonglin had already walked up to Qin Feng.
His towering frame exuded an immense pressure.
"Junior Qin Feng,"
he asked, his voice laced with an undeniable certainty. "A private match in the Imperial Arena, or a real-life battle?"
"Live combat."
Qin Feng’s answer came without a hint of hesitation.
’A private match can simulate all sorts of scenarios, but it’s missing the most critical component: the aggregation model of Mental Power and Spiritual Energy.’
’Through live combat, I can directly observe, feel, and analyze the way Qin Yonglin’s energy operates.’
’I need one battle after another to build my database of opponents, until I’ve faced over ninety percent of all common killing techniques!’
’The path to becoming a Grandmaster can’t be walked in isolation.’
’It must be paved with a mountain of real combat experience against a wide range of powerful opponents!’
"Good! Straight to the point! To the ring, then!"
Hearing Qin Feng choose live combat, the flames in Qin Yonglin’s eyes burned even brighter. He slapped his hands together in excitement and laughed heartily.