The sight of someone actually taking the stage sent a stir through the crowd.
"This..."
Sun Dao'an's eyes widened, his expression dazed. He knew the two men meant trouble, but he never imagined one of them would actually take the stage to issue a challenge.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, the two didn't seem to be in the same league.
Hearing the commotion, the intellectual woman and the middle-aged man, who had been turning to leave, stopped in their tracks. They glanced back, a flicker of surprise in their eyes when they saw someone had actually gotten on stage.
'Is this the recklessness of youth, or is he truly confident, deliberately choosing this exact moment?'
"Red Falcon Fist? Have you heard of it?"
The intellectual woman frowned as she watched Zhou Yuanjue on the stage.
"I think I've heard of it. It seems to be a minor style from the South? One of the Donghua Ancient Assassination Fists, but I'm not familiar with the details."
The middle-aged man replied after a moment's thought.
"A minor style? How interesting. I didn't expect such a character to be hidden in the crowd."
An amused look appeared on the intellectual woman's face.
"Red Falcon Fist? A challenger?"
Jia Liming's expression darkened noticeably. He stared at Zhou Yuanjue, sizing him up. He, too, hadn't expected a challenger to actually take the stage.
After all, there wasn't a single famous Martial Artist from Tianlu Prefecture in the audience.
Meanwhile, the other Lanhai Society disciples instantly assumed defensive postures. The air was thick with tension, the scene ready to explode at a moment's notice.
In that moment, however, Yan Hao's gaze was perfectly calm. Looking at Zhou Yuanjue standing before him, he raised a hand to stop the Lanhai Society members' defensive actions, then slowly turned around.
"Master, I am the head of the Lanhai Society now. Please allow me to handle this."
Yan Hao said to Jia Liming with a solemn expression.
Jia Liming looked at Zhou Yuanjue, then at the serious expression on Yan Hao's face. He nodded slowly, then turned to the Lanhai Society members and said, "Let's get off the stage!"
And so, the Lanhai Society members on stage followed Jia Liming down, leaving only Yan Hao and Zhou Yuanjue to face each other from ten paces away.
The atmosphere was strangely tense. Everyone held their breath, their attention fixed on this unexpected "show."
"I know who you are. A minor style like Red Falcon Fist only has two or three practitioners per generation, making you easy to recognize. I've always been in charge of the Lanhai Society's Decisive Fist program in Binjiang Celestial Sea, and I keep tabs on the data of every participating fighter. You're 'Red Falcon,' an Advanced Duel Master from Heiwei Yuan. Not long ago, in the arena, you defeated Wu Heshan, the heir to the Steel Clawed Fierce Tiger style, in under three seconds. Afterward, the person in charge at Heiwei Yuan came to my people, wanting to borrow the 'Haiyun Palace.' Shortly after that, I got a report from my men that the Duel Master called Red Falcon had single-handedly taken out several of Heiwei Yuan's armed assassins and a manager of their Decisive Fist program."
"I knew then that this Red Falcon was an expert. I just never expected to run into you here. I'm actually very curious. Logically, there's no grudge between us. Why would you choose this moment to seek me out?"
Yan Hao asked slowly.
"Because this is the only time you have no path of retreat. Your only option is to win."
Zhou Yuanjue's eyes were half-open, his breathing so faint it seemed about to disappear. His entire being was filled with a strange aura.
'This was "Stillness." In this state, a person's spirit and body could both reach their absolute peak.'
Yan Hao was momentarily taken aback by Zhou Yuanjue's words, then he couldn't help but laugh.
'Ten years of practicing martial arts, and this was the first time someone wanted to use him as a stepping stone.'
When his laughter died down, Yan Hao's expression quickly returned to a placid, emotionless state. He said calmly, "No wonder I kept feeling like this ceremony was missing something. Turns out, it was missing some bright fireworks."
RIIIP!!
He grabbed his Martial Arts Uniform and tore it with a gentle pull. The high-quality garment ripped like paper in his hands, revealing an incredibly muscular upper body. His powerful muscles and physique elicited a collective gasp from the crowd.
Zhou Yuanjue did the same, taking off his loose athletic t-shirt. He revealed a muscular frame like that of a hero from an ancient, epic myth. On his right upper arm was a very distinct, spiral-shaped birthmark.
In the audience, Li Qingxuan stared at the spiral-shaped birthmark on Zhou Yuanjuan's arm, her eyes becoming slightly unfocused. She whispered in a voice so faint only she could hear, "So that's my 'fate'…"
Zhou Yuanjue was 1.88 meters tall, and his physique was already quite strong compared to the average person. But next to Yan Hao, who stood nearly two meters tall with almost inhuman muscles, he still appeared quite "slender."
"I will make you realize you've made a mistake."
Yan Hao's body slowly sank as he assumed a fighting stance. His massive frame was as still and solid as a mountain.
The next moment.
BOOM!!!
A dull boom echoed as Yan Hao's massive body displaced the air with its violent acceleration. He crossed the ten-pace distance in an instant, moving at an unimaginable speed.
Power generated from his feet, traveling through his calves, thighs, waist, and upper arms, before finally being transmitted to his fist. Unified by his powerful spine, all this energy twisted together like a rope, erupting with tremendous force.
This was the Mystical Technique of the "Dragon" within the Dragon Elephant Unmoving Style.
The "Dragon" refers to the human spine. The spine is like a great dragon hidden within the body, regulating all of a person's movements. It is the key to unifying the body's power; an injury to it results in immediate paralysis.
By developing the power of the spine to its absolute limit, one could unify the strength of the entire body into a single point, unleashing "integrated power" to deliver a punch with terrifying force.
He drew back his arm and threw the punch!
At that moment, the muscles all over Yan Hao's body bunched and twisted, knotting together like steel rebar being wound into a single, thick cable.
SNAP!!
With this violent exertion of power, the muscles on one side of Yan Hao's body swelled up a size, like a sponge, taking on a purplish-blue hue. Veins bulged beneath his skin. He threw the punch, and it howled as it tore through the air.
Sun Dao'an couldn't help but gape. Even from so far away, the speed of Yan Hao's punch, his posture, and the sonic boom it created sent a chill down his spine. He felt that even a thick-skinned water buffalo… no! Even a ferocious tiger, the king of beasts, would be killed instantly by that blow. He couldn't imagine what kind of person could possibly take such a heavy punch.
BAM!!!
In the next instant, Sun Dao'an learned for the first time that the collision of flesh and blood could create such a thunderous sound.
The fist he had thought unstoppable was caught firmly by a single palm.