Qin Chen's eyes glinted with icy fury as he suddenly lashed out with a kick, sending Wei Zhen flying.
*Splatter!*
A mouthful of blood sprayed from Wei Zhen's mouth as he tumbled backward, soaring several meters through the air before crashing into the wall like a rolling gourd. *Bang!* The wall shuddered, dust and plaster raining down. With his injuries from days ago still unhealed, Wei Zhen let out a wretched, pig-like squeal of pain.
Qin Chen approached Lin Tian and Zhang Ying, checking their pulses. Finding only muscle and bone damage—no life-threatening injuries—he breathed a sigh of relief.
Lin Tian and Zhang Ying stared at him, dumbfounded, once again awestruck by the strength he'd displayed.
"Watch out!"
But their faces suddenly paled, a flicker of panic flashing in their eyes as they looked behind Qin Chen.
A ferocious gust of wind roared from behind him, heavy as a mountain pressing down, accompanied by a suffocating force that locked down every inch of space around him.
"Little beast, I'll kill you!"
Wei Qin's snarling roar erupted from behind. He leapt high, his tattered robes flapping, his expression more feral than ever—like a wounded beast launching a frenzied assault from Qin Chen's blind spot.
"Hmph."
Qin Chen snorted coldly. At the last possible second, he spun around and met the attack with his own fist.
*Bang!*
Their iron fists collided in midair, a thunderclap splitting the silence. A terrifying whirlwind howled through the room, surging outward in all directions. The sheer force rattled the furniture, sending objects crashing to the floor in a chaotic clatter.
Amid the violent gusts, Qin Chen stood like a rock, unshaken. On the other hand, Wei Qin was flung back, landing heavily and staggering three steps before steadying himself.
"What?!"
Wei Qin's eyes bulged, his shocked and furious expression freezing. Qin Chen's punch had rattled him.
He was a peak late-stage Human-level martial artist, a hair's breadth from Earth-level—a true powerhouse in the making.
Yet moments ago, under his enraged strike, Qin Chen withstood it and did so with apparent ease.
"How is this possible? How…" Wei Qin stared at Qin Chen, speechless, his mind reeling in near-mad disbelief.
"Big Brother, he…" Eagerly watching his brother's attack with venomous anticipation, Wei Zhen was now utterly stunned, his excitement replaced by shock.
"How can this little beast be so strong?"
Just over ten days ago, Wei Zhen had brutalized Qin Chen on the dueling platform, nearly killing him. Yet in less than half a month, Qin Chen could now stand toe-to-toe with his peak late-stage Human-level brother. Wei Zhen's mind couldn't reconcile the drastic leap in strength.
"You think you can avenge your brother with that? A mere waste, acting like you're somebody?"
Qin Chen's gaze was sharp as he stepped forward, his eyes brimming with disdain and mockery, looking down on Wei Qin from a lofty height.
After reshaping his meridians, Qin Chen opened an unprecedented twelve—an unmatched foundation in the backwater Great Qi Kingdom.
The fearsome Nine Star God Emperor Art meant that even without relying on his past life's skills, his raw power alone surpassed Wei Qin, who was only one level above him.
In the room, Wei Qin's earlier calm and composure vanished, replaced by searing humiliation and unprecedented rage.
The intense shame set his blood boiling, smoke practically rising from his ears. "Little bastard, you broke through to mid-stage Human-level and blocked one punch, and now you think you're on my level? Today, I'll show you the unbridgeable gap between us!"
Wei Qin's fists trembled, his robes billowing as he crossed them over his chest. In an instant, an indescribable aura erupted from him—a thick, mountain-like pressure that radiated outward, so oppressive that even Wei Zhen, lying on the ground and cowering at a distance, felt suffocated, instinctively wanting to retreat.
"Yes! Big Brother's not just at peak late-stage Human-level—he's mastered countless martial techniques, especially the high-grade Yellow-tier Divine Fist of Five Peaks to perfection. With this aura, he could even rival an Earth-level expert! He was just careless before. Once he gets serious, crushing this Qin Chen will be effortless!"
Wei Zhen trembled with excitement, the pain in his body forgotten, his eyes glinting with venomous glee.
The Five Peaks were the grandest mountains in the Great Qi Kingdom, towering and majestic, reaching for the heavens. The Divine Fist of Five Peaks was named for their might.
"Divine Fist of Five Peaks—Mount Tai Crushes the Summit!"
Wei Qin roared, thrusting his fists forward. In a blur, it seemed as though a massive peak loomed before his fists, rumbling toward Qin Chen. The thick, overwhelming fist intent swept through the room, whipping up fierce winds that sent furniture clattering.
"Ha!"
A thunderous shout rolled out like a storm, his surging true qi scattering everything in its path. Tables and chairs exploded into fragments, the floor cracking under the strain. The terrifying force, paired with a howling gale, bore down on Qin Chen like an avalanche.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the stone floor, the air popping with explosive bursts as if the end of days had come.
"Hmph, petty tricks. Break!"
Qin Chen snorted, stepping forward. His body stood firm as a mountain, his cold eyes fixed on Wei Qin's onslaught. Just as the fist force closed in, he struck out with a single, unadorned punch.
This punch lacked flair—no roaring winds, no booming thunder—just a simple thrust into the heart of Wei Qin's torrential attack.
*Boom!*
A thunderclap split the air, deafening everyone, their ears ringing and minds buzzing, some nearly spitting blood from the shock!
Wei Qin's roar echoed through the room, but the clash had already decided the victor. With an earth-shaking blast, Wei Qin's burly frame flew back like a kite with a cut string, crashing into the wall amid the howling winds.
"How can this be?!"
Wei Qin bellowed, eyes wide with unwillingness, spitting a mouthful of blood.
This time, his spirit was truly crushed. This clash was different if their first exchange had been a test of raw strength, ending in a stalemate. He'd pushed his true qi to the limit and unleashed his strongest martial technique—yet he was still defeated.
Qin Chen's strike, seemingly plain, had targeted the weakest point in his assault, shattering his technique and overpowering him.
"He lost… Big Brother lost!"
Off to the side, Wei Zhen gaped, his heart pounding. A chill shot from his spine to his skull, his soul quaking in terror.
Having landed the blow, Qin Chen didn't pause. His figure stood straight as a spear as he advanced, his cold gaze locked on Wei Qin.
---