Shi Dang’s eyes widened, his shock growing with every exchange.
’Am I going to lose my very first match?’
He roared and brandished his broadsword, the blade stirring up a vicious, howling wind as he swept and chopped madly in all directions.
But it was useless.
Though his attacks had a wide range and immense power, he lacked speed and agility. Each of his mighty, heavy-handed slashes only managed to strike the afterimages Qin Feng left behind.
Then, he was jabbed by the tip of Qin Feng’s spear, which pursued him like a persistent plague.
Shi Dang took a deep breath, wisely abandoning his assault to raise his broadsword in defense once more.
The spear moved like a dragon, and its clashes with the broadsword sent sparks flying.
"CLINK! CLINK! CLANG! CLANG!"
The sound of metal striking metal was incessant.
Shi Dang, one of the top contenders for the championship, was completely on the defensive. He was being thoroughly suppressed by Qin Feng, without even a single opportunity to retaliate.
The battle on Arena 073 immediately drew the attention of countless spectators.
After all, Shi Dang was one of the three universally acknowledged favorites to win the championship, so his first match naturally garnered a great deal of attention.
However, the scene unfolding before them made everyone’s eyes go wide.
The relevant comments on the holographic screens floating around the arena instantly exploded.
"Holy shit! What’s going on? Am I seeing things? Is that Shi Dang? One of the three favorites, getting totally dominated?"
"He’s way too fast! Who the hell is this Qin Feng guy?"
"Those are all the most basic spear Techniques! Not a single one is a finishing move. He’s performing them with such ease, completely at home. The Long Spear moves like an extension of his own arm, unbelievably smooth. Every single one of his thrusts lands in that precise instant after Shi Dang has expended his strength and before he can gather it again. This is Great Success Spear Technique!"
"Great Success Spear Technique... Is this Qin Feng guy a monster?"
"ARGHHH—!"
Atop the arena stage, Shi Dang let out a roar of indignation.
"Just... SHATTER!"
Seizing an opportunity, he channeled every ounce of his strength into the broadsword in his hands. Forsaking all defense and evasion, he adopted a stance of mutual destruction and brought the blade down violently in Qin Feng’s direction!
The ultimate technique of the *Rocky Broadsword*—Rock Shattering!
This slash carried immeasurable force, and the very air seemed to scream in protest as the blade cut through it.
It was an all-or-nothing blow!
Faced with this earth-shattering slash, Qin Feng’s high-speed movements finally came to a halt.
His gaze sharpened. The time for evasive maneuvers was over.
Faced with this ferocious attack, he didn’t retreat. He advanced!
"A worthy strike!"
With a sharp cry, Qin Feng stomped his foot. His body followed his spear, man and spear becoming one.
The Alloy Long Spear in his hands erupted in brilliant light. An indomitable, tyrannical aura, as if capable of sweeping away a thousand armies, soared to the heavens!
The ultimate technique of the *Thousand Army Spear*—Thousand Soldiers’ Evasion!
The spear struck out, its power like a collapsing mountain, a surging tsunami!
Under the watchful eyes of the tens of thousands of spectators in the arena, the brilliant point of the spear’s light and the massive arc of the blade’s glow collided with a deafening crash!
"CLANG—!!!!"
The shriek of metal on metal, loud enough to pierce eardrums, echoed throughout the entire arena!
A terrifying Energy Shock Wave radiated madly outward from the point of impact, causing the arena’s Energy Shield to ripple violently.
A blinding shower of sparks erupted.
An instant later, the outcome was clear!
A burly figure, as if struck head-on by a battering ram, was sent staggering back three large steps, sword and all, by an irresistible force!
"THUD! THUD! THUD!"
With each step he took back, Shi Dang left a deep footprint in the hard alloy floor of the arena.
By the time he managed to steady himself, the web of his hand gripping the broadsword had already split open, and fresh blood was trickling slowly down the hilt.
His gaze toward Qin Feng was filled with utter disbelief.
Qin Feng, in contrast, had dissipated all the recoil with just a slight tremor of his spear.
He remained standing in the same spot, his posture as straight as a pine tree, as still and imposing as a mountain overlooking an abyss.
In a head-on clash of ultimate techniques... the difference in their abilities was instantly clear!
Their physical conditioning was comparable, but whether in dissipating or exerting force, Qin Feng’s technique was vastly superior to Shi Dang’s.
"ARGHHHHHHH—!"
Being so utterly defeated in a head-on clash was the final straw that shattered Shi Dang’s composure.
His eyes turned crimson as he tilted his head to the sky and let out a furious, bestial roar.
An aura far more violent and primitive than before erupted from within his body!
Stone Man Bloodline!
At a speed visible to the naked eye, the skin all over his body began to rapidly harden and keratinize, transforming from its original bronze color to the grayish-white of rock.
His muscles bulged grotesquely, and he seemed to grow taller, his frame becoming even more massive, like a giant sculpted from granite.
"Stone Blood Body!"
Shi Dang’s deep voice echoed across the arena, each word laced with a metallic timbre.
"Let’s see you try to break my defense now!"
This scene once again caused the live comments to explode.
"There it is! The intel released by the Star River Army before the tournament was right! Shi Dang really does possess the bloodline of the Stone Race!"
"His whole body is petrified! How terrifying is his Defense Power? Qin Feng’s attacks are useless now!"
"How is he supposed to fight this? Qin Feng’s going to lose. It doesn’t matter how fast or powerful his spear is; if he can’t break through that defense, it’s all for nothing!"
Facing Shi Dang, whose aura had surged and who now seemed invincible, Qin Feng’s expression remained unchanged.
He simply raised the Long Spear in his hand, its cold tip aimed at Shi Dang from across the stage.
While Shi Dang was busy posing, Qin Feng made his move.
Flowing Light Chasing Shadow!
Qin Feng’s figure abruptly vanished from everyone’s sight.
No afterimage, no warning. He simply vanished into thin air.
In his place, A Point of Cold Light suddenly flared on the arena!
That Point of Cold Light seemed to pierce through space and time itself, suddenly expanding before anyone could react!
Fast!
Unbelievably fast!
So fast that the hundreds of thousands of spectators could only see a straight streak of light flash through the air!
"PFFT!"
The sound was extremely faint, almost inaudible.
The flowing light vanished.
Qin Feng’s figure had appeared behind Shi Dang.
He held his post-thrust stance, the Long Spear held level.
The entire arena was dead silent.
For a moment, it was as if time itself had been paused.
One second.
Two seconds.
Shi Dang slowly lowered his petrified head.
His gaze fell to his chest.
There, at a seam in the joint between his heavy alloy armor and his petrified skin—a location so inconspicuous it was almost unnoticeable—a hole the width of a spear shaft had appeared.
A thin stream of crimson blood jetted out from the hole.
His indestructible Stone Blood Body had been pierced in a single blow!
"I... lost..."
Shi Dang murmured, his eyes filled with disbelief and bewilderment.
He could feel his life force rapidly draining away through the wound.
That seemingly insignificant thrust had not only pierced his defense, but had also precisely destroyed the core of his body’s energy circulation.
The rock-like grayish-white color of his skin receded like a tide, returning to his normal complexion.
His massive frame could no longer support him. He staggered forward a step and finally collapsed to one knee.
No longer able to hold it, he dropped the broadsword, which fell onto the alloy arena with a loud, clear CLANG.
The sound also snapped the referee out of his stupor.
He froze for half a second before snapping to his senses, raising his hand, and announcing with all his strength:
"Arena 073, Qiming First Martial Arts High School, Qin Feng—is the winner!"
WHOOSH—
A medical team swiftly ascended the stage and began treating Shi Dang.