With that said, the two exchanged no more words and turned to leave the tavern.
"Quick, quick! Follow them! We’ve got a good show to watch!"
"A top-tier duel! We can’t miss it!"
The Martial Artists inside the Iron Fist Tavern could no longer sit still. In a sudden rush, they all surged to their feet and followed excitedly behind the pair.
Dragon Jade, Nissan, and Ning Jing exchanged a smile and followed without hesitation.
...
The dedicated arena sector of the Fearless Zone was immense.
Thousands of giant arenas made of high-strength alloy stood here, each one enveloped in a pale blue Energy Shield, strong enough to withstand an all-out battle between Seventh-level Martial Artists.
As Qin Feng and Qin Yonglin walked side-by-side toward one of the largest central arenas, a massive crowd had spontaneously formed behind them.
The commotion quickly attracted the attention of other Martial Artists in the Fearless Zone who were training or just passing by.
"What’s going on? Why are so many people swarming toward the central arena?"
"You don’t know? Have you heard? The prodigy, Qin Feng, is going to fight the Staff Fool, Qin Yonglin, in an arena match!"
"What?! Qin Feng? That monster? Hasn’t he been a Sixth-level Martial Artist for less than a year? And he already dares to fight a real combat match with Senior Qin Yonglin?"
"Senior Qin Yonglin is a veteran powerhouse who reached the ’first major limit’ of 18,000 points long ago! They’re not using a friendly room in the Imperial Arena to lock their stats; they’re fighting a real match in reality. Isn’t that just bullying?"
"Who knows? I heard it’s a real fight! Let’s go watch! That guy Qin Feng could master a Fourth-level Killing Technique to the minor completion stage in just a month. It’s been almost a year since then, so who knows if he’s grinded the technique to Perfection! This is a duel between two geniuses who’ve achieved Perfection!"
"Let’s go, let’s go! Watching more battles is good for us too! We might run into an enemy who uses the same kind of killing technique on our next mission, and this will give us more experience in dealing with them!"
"You’re right!"
Word spread like wildfire.
The news rapidly swept through the entire Fearless Zone.
More and more people rushed over from all directions, wanting to witness this clash of titans with their own eyes.
Soon, by the time Qin Feng and Qin Yonglin stepped onto the cold alloy arena, one after the other, the area around it was already surrounded, three or four layers deep, by at least four to five hundred Martial Artists from the Fearless Warband.
From the crowd, a senior Seventh-level student with a steady aura and a life force index clearly far exceeding 20,000 points, volunteered and leaped onto the referee’s platform.
"I’ll be the referee!"
He shouted, "With both of your battle intents surging, it’s inevitable that you’ll get carried away and fight with True Fire. A referee is a must."
Atop the arena, Qin Feng and Qin Yonglin faced each other from a distance of a hundred meters.
Qin Yonglin unwrapped the long staff from his back, which had been covered in thick cloth, revealing its true form.
It was a heavy staff, dark gold in color, its shaft engraved with nine dragon patterns in different forms.
And Qin Feng, too, slowly retrieved the blue-black Long Spear that had accompanied him for eleven months from his Subspace Storage Unit—the [Raging Tide].
The air between the two seemed to freeze at that moment.
Formless battle intent collided and clashed in the air, stirring up ripples invisible to the naked eye.
Below the arena, everyone held their breath, their gazes burning as they stared at the two men on the stage.
A highly anticipated peak showdown was about to begin.
Atop the arena, the Energy Shield let out a low hum and fully activated, isolating the entire combat space from the outside world.
The Seventh-level referee raised his hand high, then brought it down abruptly.
"Begin!"
Before his voice had even faded, the battle erupted!
No probing, no maneuvering.
The moment the referee announced the start, Qin Feng moved.
He stomped his right foot back violently, and the hard alloy surface of the arena was actually dented, leaving a shallow, visible crater!
Assault Step!
Using that step as an anchor, a majestic power surged up from his feet, climbed his spine like a raging dragon, and instantly coursed through his entire body.
His body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. The [Raging Tide] Long Spear in his hand, devoid of any flashy moves, became a single, perfect black line, thrusting straight for Qin Yonglin’s chest.
The entire process was silky smooth, as if it had been practiced ten million times.
Atop the chilling spear tip, Mental Power and Spiritual Energy converged with unprecedented efficiency, forming a high-speed, rotating energy vortex invisible to the naked eye.
[Heavy Stab]!
His first move was a fourth-level killing technique!
’A killing technique at the Perfection Realm?!’
Qin Yonglin’s eyes, which burned like flames, suddenly narrowed.
He could clearly feel the perfect intent contained within that spear thrust—flawless, unobstructed, without a hint of sluggishness.
But he felt not a shred of fear. Instead, an even more fervent battle intent, like a volcanic eruption, exploded from his chest!
"Hahahaha! I knew it! You really did reach Perfection! Excellent!!!"
Amidst his heaven-shaking, maniacal laughter, Qin Yonglin advanced instead of retreating.
His footwork was equally profound. With a slight sway of his body, the [Nine Elements Staff] in his hands vanished from sight, becoming a dark-gold afterimage that, despite starting later, arrived first, striking the tip of the [Raging Tide] with absolute precision!
BOOM!!!
A booming explosion, far deeper and more terrifying than any previous clash of metal, erupted across the arena!
With the point of impact between the spear’s tip and the staff’s end as its center, a white, circular shockwave visible to the naked eye erupted outward, slamming violently into the pale blue Energy Shield and causing it to ripple intensely.
However, the outcome of this clash was the complete opposite of what had happened in the Imperial Arena a year ago.