I quickly retreated, sweeping my right leg towards him. Bangzhi couldn't dodge in time, and his left shoulder took the full impact of the kick. However, it was as if he didn't feel it at all, as his fist came rushing towards my chest. I was both surprised by the toughness of his body and tried to sidestep the punch. But I was just a little too slow. Hastily, I raised my hand to block, but the moment my hand made contact with his fist, I felt an enormous force. That power threw me into the air, sending me flying toward the audience seats.
"Boom..." As I landed, a cloud of dust quickly rose from the audience stands. When I got back on my feet, my clothes were already a bit tattered. What was even more shocking was that the iron chairs were all twisted and bent, though not completely shattered. The largest one had been bent a full ninety degrees. This guy's strength was terrifyingly overwhelming.
On the screen, Ling Xuan let out a scream, covering her face with her hands, too scared to keep watching. Only when she saw that I had withstood such a strong impact without being seriously hurt did she finally calm down.
I nodded in satisfaction. Such a blow would be considered rare even among the warriors of Qingcheng. I wasn't sure if this was his full strength, but I was confident I wouldn't lose to him.
"That was just a warm-up. Now it's my turn. You better be careful," I said.
Compared to Bangzhi, I had far more combat experience, something he could never match. So, I didn't use my prized sword. Like him, I fought barehanded, ready for a head-on confrontation.
Bangzhi had grown up in the mountains, and the toughness of his body was something ordinary people couldn't hope to match. I was confident that my fist could shatter granite, but to him, that would only feel like an itch. My punches seemed to have no effect on him. On the contrary, his strikes were powerful, forcing me to constantly dodge and evade.
I moved nimbly around him, always staying on the move. His strength was immense, but as a result, his speed was slower. His defense was formidable, and though my attacks weren't getting through, over time, I knew I would eventually wear him down. Sure enough, when he started to get impatient, I smiled. With a light push, I sent him toppling to the ground.
While combat experience doesn't directly increase one's power, it often determines the outcome of regular matches. Although this fight wasn't exactly a standard match, Bangzhi had rarely fought anyone before. Even if his strength surpassed mine, I was confident in defeating him. Besides, his strength wasn't that much greater than mine—I hadn't even used my full abilities yet!
Bangzhi's face turned red, likely because he had never suffered such a blow to his pride before. He took off his shirt, and just as I prepared to launch a quick surprise attack, something strange happened. In the blink of an eye, he vanished. The entire area suddenly fell silent.
I cautiously surveyed my surroundings. There was no trace of him, and the silence was so profound that I could hear the drop of a pin. Suddenly, a bad premonition surged within me. At that moment, an enormous pressure descended from above. Instinctively, I jumped aside just in time to see a figure shoot down like a bullet. With a "boom," I felt the ground beneath me crack. The surrounding seats were all thrown into disarray.
Cold sweat dripped down my face as I gasped for breath, staring at the small fist imprint in the ground. Radiating out from where Bangzhi stood were massive cracks, spreading in all directions like spider webs.
The others—Lao Ba and the rest—were staring at the screen, dumbfounded. Even Lazy Child was speechless, his astonishment evident. None of them had anticipated that Bangzhi's strength would be this overwhelming. Combined with his ability to move instantaneously, if anyone were unfortunate enough to take a direct hit, even the toughest of middle managers would be pulverized into pieces.
I stared at Bangzhi in shock. He stood there, bare-chested, with his thick, muscular arms on display. He was breathing heavily, but after only a few seconds, I saw the corners of his mouth curl into a smile again.
"Damn it... this is bad," I muttered, realizing the situation was turning south. In the next moment, he disappeared once more. I hurriedly held my breath, making it easier to sense his location. But the arena was dead silent; I couldn't even hear my own heartbeat.
His strength was overwhelming, forcing me to treat this seriously. Although I hadn't yet resorted to my sword skills, blue flames ignited in my hands—anyone familiar with me knew that this was the sign I was taking my opponent seriously.
A few minutes passed, and I sensed a tremendous force gathering in front of me. Even the air currents were being drawn towards it. The pressure grew, inching closer and closer. I realized my opponent would appear any second.
Sure enough, before I could react, Bangzhi suddenly lunged at me from the front, his leap making him appear almost airborne. I focused solely on his fist, which seemed even more powerful than the last one.
"He's coming..." I murmured. My left foot shifted slightly to the side, while my right hand pointed directly at him. In one swift motion, I extended both hands forward, palms facing him. The two blue flames in my hands slowly merged, forming a rotating circle of light.
"Rahhh!" Bangzhi roared, his right fist hurtling toward my palms with a deafening "smack."
"Boom..." My palms firmly blocked his fists, but behind me, all the chairs were blown away, crashing against the walls. My hair and clothes were whipped into disarray by the powerful gust of air. Bangzhi stared at my palms in disbelief, but his energy had already been completely absorbed by me. His fist could no longer move forward, leaving him suspended in mid-air.
Everyone watching the screen was stunned. But it wasn't over yet. With a slightly cruel smile, I unleashed the force within my palms. The blue light circle spun rapidly, and within it, a faint image of a dark green Taiji symbol appeared. I stepped forward with my left foot, releasing a surge of power from my palms.
"Break!" I shouted. A beam of light shot out from between my hands, and Bangzhi's body was sent flying backward, slamming into the wall, embedding him deep within it.
"Szzzz..." The screen suddenly cut off, and the image froze. Lingzi sighed, "Here we go again. The camera's destroyed—we can't watch anymore."
The others didn't seem too surprised, as this had happened before. Only Ling Xuan, watching Lao Ba, seemed worried, as if she wanted to say something.
The training arena was almost completely destroyed by our fight. The walls were cracked, the floor shattered, and even the seats were mostly in ruins. But this was a common occurrence. I knew my last attack hadn't caused much damage to Bangzhi—his body was tough.
Sure enough, soon enough, he was back on his feet, bouncing around as if nothing had happened. He looked like a scavenger, though—his hair a mess, his face and upper body covered in dust and dirt. His pants were full of holes, and it was a wonder the key areas were still intact.