At long last, the tempestuous round of attacks finally reached its conclusion. Qin Yu, who had been firmly holding his arms in a defensive cross, gradually began to ease them down. His movements were deliberate, yet betrayed the lingering tension from the recent onslaught. At this moment, his arms resembled two crimson - streaked branches, with blood steadily dripping from numerous puncture wounds, forming a macabre pattern on the ground below.
However, upon closer inspection, it became clear that these were merely superficial lacerations. The mud cones, though formidable, had managed to breach only the outermost layer of his skin. Beneath the surface, his flesh and bones remained unharmed, a testament to the extraordinary resilience of his body.
Gazing down at his skin, which was already starting to knit itself back together with an almost unnatural speed, a glimmer of trepidation flickered in Qin Yu's eyes. One must fully understand the magnitude of his transformation: his physique had undergone a staggering seven - fold enhancement. This wasn't a simple boost in strength and speed; it was a comprehensive overhaul, a complete metamorphosis that left no aspect of his physical being untouched. It was a seamless superimposition of power, with every attribute—strength, speed, endurance, and resilience—elevated to hitherto - unimaginable levels.
Just imagine: if a stone were to double in hardness, it could easily outclass steel. But what if it were seven times harder? One could scarcely fathom the implications. Even the most powerful cannonball, hurtling through the air with all its explosive might, would likely bounce off harmlessly, rendered impotent against such a super - dense material.
Of course, Qin Yu wasn't a stone, and his initial physical foundation was far from being as unyielding. Yet, with this monumental seven - fold enhancement coursing through his veins, his body had transcended the boundaries of normalcy, reaching a state that bordered on the fantastical.
And yet, despite his near - superhuman physique, his skin's defenses had been breached by a single, well - executed move from his opponent. This realization sent a shiver down his spine. Was this the true, unfathomable power of a martial artist? A power that could shatter his preconceived notions of strength and invulnerability?
As the thick, swirling dust in front of him gradually dissipated, like a veil being slowly lifted, Quan Xiaoxiao, the architect of this earth - shattering attack, stood frozen in place, her eyes widening in disbelief. There stood Qin Yu, seemingly unfazed by the onslaught. He had sustained only a few minor injuries, and what was even more astonishing was the rate at which those wounds were healing. It was as if his body was a self - repairing machine, defying the laws of nature.
Was this man even human? she wondered, her mind reeling. Withstanding a martial art with just his physical body wasn't just extraordinary; it bordered on the impossible. It was as if she were witnessing a scene from a myth or a legend, a display of power that defied all rational explanation.
Quan Xiaoxiao was no stranger to battles. She had faced countless adversaries in her time, and demons were old foes. She had dispatched no fewer than a hundred low - level demons, such as horned demons, with relative ease. Their shrieks and howls of agony were familiar sounds to her ears, and she had long since grown accustomed to the sight of their twisted forms collapsing under her powerful blows.
But this creature in front of her was something else entirely. What on earth was it? A genetic anomaly? A being with latent powers suddenly unleashed? Or perhaps a manifestation of some strange, otherworldly force? She had heard tales of demons being shaped by their environment, of different regions giving rise to unique and terrifying creatures. But never, in all her years of training and combat, had she encountered anything quite like this. The very air around him seemed to hum with an otherworldly energy, a palpable reminder that she was dealing with something beyond the ordinary.
Before Quan Xiaoxiao could even begin to make sense of this perplexing situation, Qin Yu, ever the aggressor, took the initiative. His eyes glinted with determination as he sized up his opponent. It was abundantly clear that the dachshund - eared girl before him possessed formidable long - range attack capabilities. Standing still and allowing her to maintain distance would be tantamount to signing his own death warrant. He might as well be a helpless kite, dancing at the mercy of her strings, waiting to be cut down.
With a ferocious growl, Qin Yu pushed off the ground with his legs, his muscles coiling and uncoiling like springs. In an instant, he was hurtling forward, a blur of motion. The wind whipped around him, carrying with it the scent of the earth and the sweat of battle. He moved with the speed and ferocity of a howling gale, his presence announced by the thunderous pounding of his footsteps.
Quan Xiaoxiao, though startled by the suddenness of his attack, was not one to be easily cowed. She was a battle - hardened warrior, her skills honed through years of rigorous training and countless skirmishes. Instead of cowering in fear, she rose to the challenge, her eyes ablaze with a fierce determination. Lifting her leg high, she brought it down with all her might, stomping on the ground with a force that sent shockwaves rippling through the earth. Her hands, meanwhile, assumed a posture that was both majestic and menacing, as if she were a deity attempting to hold up the very heavens and shake the foundations of the earth.
"Ha! Rise!" she bellowed, her voice echoing through the clearing.
In response to her command, the ground trembled violently, as if an earthquake had been unleashed. The soil layer, which had been lying dormant just moments ago, suddenly surged up in a frenzy. It rolled outwards in a massive wave, a churning mass of earth and mud that seemed to have a life of its own. The sound was deafening, a cacophony of rumbling earth and shifting stones.
Looking at the churning, roiling mud, one couldn't help but shudder at the thought of being caught in its grasp. It was like a living, breathing monster, a swirling vortex of destruction. If anyone were unfortunate enough to be hit by this tidal wave of mud, their fate would likely be no different from that of a hapless victim thrown into a cement mixer. The mud would engulf them, crush them, and grind them into oblivion.
But Qin Yu was not so easily defeated. His speed and coordination were nothing short of astonishing, a testament to the remarkable enhancements he had undergone. Seeing the oncoming wave of mud, he reacted instinctively. With a fluid, acrobatic movement, he executed a perfect somersault, his body twisting and turning in mid - air like a gymnast. It was a sight to behold, a display of grace and agility that seemed almost out of place on his burly frame. Despite his size, which made him resemble a bear more than a man, his movements were so precise and fluid that they were nothing short of jaw - dropping.
Inversion, soaring through the air, and then landing with a thud, all in one seamless motion. The moment his feet touched the ground, he charged forward, his momentum undiminished. His movements were as smooth as silk, as if he had rehearsed this dance of death a thousand times over. Each step was deliberate, each movement calculated, as he closed the distance between himself and his opponent.
Seeing that her initial attack had been deftly dodged, Quan Xiaoxiao did not miss a beat. She stepped forward sideways, her movements fluid and practiced. Her hands, which had been poised for another attack, flipped and overlapped in front of her, the palms facing outwards like two shields. As she did so, the qi energy within her body, a force both ancient and mysterious, surged out once again. It crackled and hissed around her, a visible manifestation of her power.
A rumbling sound, like distant thunder, filled the air. The soil layers on both sides of Quan Xiaoxiao shot up with astonishing speed, like bamboo shoots bursting through the ground after a heavy rain. In an instant, they transformed into countless stone cones, each more than a meter tall. These stone cones, sharp as daggers and hard as granite, rushed towards Qin Yu with deadly intent, their tips glinting in the sunlight like the eyes of a predator.
The so - called external martial arts were a realm of infinite possibilities. They were not bound by the constraints of fixed moves or rigid forms. For martial artists, any means of attack, any manipulation of qi energy, could be considered a move. External martial arts, at their core, were about controlling the qi energy that flowed through the body and merging it with the qi of heaven and earth. Once this connection was established, the martial artist could harness the power of the elements, using them to launch attacks that were as diverse as they were powerful. There was no one - size - fits - all approach, no set formula to follow. It was a dance of energy and intention, a symphony of power and control. You could use whatever you could conceive of, provided that you had the strength and the skill to channel your qi energy precisely.
With the use of the Earth Flow technique, Quan Xiaoxiao had transcended the boundaries of ordinary combat. Her every move was a display of power and grace, a testament to her mastery of this ancient art. She was no longer just a girl with a pair of dog - like ears; she was a force of nature, a warrior to be reckoned with.
Looking at the surging walls of stone cones on both sides, Qin Yu knew he had to act quickly. His eyes darted around, searching for a means of defense. Then, in a split - second decision, he suddenly turned sideways and launched a powerful punch at the nearby tree trunk. His fist, a blur of motion, connected with the trunk with a resounding "click". The force of the impact was so great that a tree trunk more than half a meter thick was mostly smashed by the single blow. Splinters of wood flew in all directions, like shrapnel from an explosion.
Before the damaged tree could even begin to topple, Qin Yu, relying on his prodigious brute force, reached out and tore it off. With a mighty heave, he swung the more than 5 - meter - long tree trunk round towards the front, using it as a makeshift weapon. The tree trunk, now a lethal projectile, flew through the air with great force. Spinning wildly, it created a vortex of wind and debris, a storm of its own. As it hurtled towards the oncoming stone cones, it smashed them one by one, reducing them to a pile of rubble.
Quan Xiaoxiao's face paled when she saw this display of strength. Her hands, which were in the midst of gathering qi for another attack, quickly changed their moves. With a sharp "pop", she clapped them together in front of her. In response, a powerful shockwave rippled through the air, intercepting the whistling - flying tree trunk. The tree trunk, unable to withstand the force of the shockwave, was split in half. The two halves flew past Quan Xiaoxiao, narrowly missing her.
Right in front of Quan Xiaoxiao, a sharp, erected stone - cone knife glinted coldly in the sunlight. Its surface was smooth and polished, a testament to the power of the qi energy that had shaped it. Since the area - covering attack had proven ineffective, Quan Xiaoxiao wasted no time in changing her strategy. Her eyes, now blazing with a fierce glint, fixed on the stone - cone knife. With a swift, decisive movement, she slapped the stone - cone knife with all her might. The impact was enough to cause the entire large stone - cone knife to shatter into a thousand pieces. These fragments, now deadly projectiles, shot towards Qin Yu with blinding speed.
But this was not the end of her onslaught. Quan Xiaoxiao, her determination unwavering, stepped forward. With each step she took, the dust on the ground, stirred up by the force of her movements, flew up into the air. In a display of her mastery over the earth element, the dust began to condense, forming one earth ball after another. These earth balls, each the size of a melon, hovered in the air, waiting for her command.
The next second, Quan Xiaoxiao unleashed her attack. With a series of rapid - fire slaps, she sent the earth balls hurtling towards Qin Yu. As they flew through the air, the earth balls split into pieces, transforming into a hail of earth projectiles. Each projectile was like a miniature missile, aimed with deadly precision at Qin Yu.
A dense and precise fire - power coverage was now in full swing. The air was filled with the sound of whistling projectiles and the thud of impacts. Relying on his astonishing coordination and terrifying speed, Qin Yu was forced to tumble and leap his way through the onslaught. It was a sight to behold, a dance of death. With his burly body, he was performing gymnastic movements that would have put even the most skilled acrobats to shame. Some of his movements were so outrageous, so far beyond the realm of normal human capabilities, that even a yoga master, renowned for their flexibility and grace, would have cursed in disbelief if they had witnessed them.
He somersaulted in the air, twisting and turning like a corkscrew, to avoid more than a dozen earth cones. The moment he landed upside - down, in a feat of strength and balance that defied belief, he inserted two fingers into the ground. Miraculously, he managed to support his entire body with just these two fingers, his muscles bulging with the effort.
Qin Yu, who was now upside - down on the ground, exerted force with his palms. With a sudden burst of energy, his body shot up like a coiled spring released from its tension. In an instant, he was back on his feet, his eyes fixed on his opponent. At this moment, he was less than two meters away from Quan Xiaoxiao, close enough to feel the heat of her body and the intensity of her gaze.
At this critical moment, Qin Yu launched his final attack. Descending from the sky like a meteor, his right - arm fist tightly clenched, he was a vision of fury and determination. The air around him seemed to crackle with energy, a prelude to the impending impact.
Below, Quan Xiaoxiao, sensing the danger, spread her arms wide. The soil on both sides, responding to her command, surged up once again. "Earth Flow! Combine!" she shouted, her voice filled with urgency.
With a whoosh, the tumbling soil, now moving with the speed and force of a tidal wave, gathered towards the middle. As it did so, it intersected and melded together, turning into a solid dirt wall. The wall, thick and impenetrable, directly protected Quan Xiaoxiao behind it, a shield against the oncoming storm.
Qin Yu, undeterred by the sudden appearance of the dirt wall, punched it with all his might. The impact was like a thunderclap, and cracks instantly spread all over the dirt wall. His fist, driven by the force of his seven - fold enhanced strength, directly penetrated the dirt wall. But then, as if hitting a wall of iron, it stopped abruptly, halted by the resistance of the hardened soil.
"Lock!" Quan Xiaoxiao cried out, her eyes glinting with triumph. Calculating the distance of Qin Yu's arm, she couldn't help but show a hint of a smile when she saw that the fist stopped just inches away from her, frozen in place and unable to move forward.
As she clenched her hands into claws and closed them, the mud on the dirt wall, responding to her qi - induced command, rolled and wrapped around Qin Yu's entire arm. It was like a living thing, a serpent coiling around its prey. Just as Quan Xiaoxiao was about to take this opportunity to completely subdue Qin Yu, to finally bring this fierce battle to an end, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
Another loud noise, even more deafening than the previous ones, came from the dirt wall in front. To her horror, Qin Yu's other arm, driven by a burst of adrenaline and raw power, broke through the soil. With a wild, feral howl, he punched her right arm, the impact sending shockwaves through her body.
A series of cracking sounds rang out as the crazily hardening soil and stones, unable to withstand the force of his attack, were shattered. Qin Yu, now free from the bondage of the earth, exerted force with both arms. With a final, mighty heave, he directly crashed through the dirt wall and rushed in front of Quan Xiaoxiao. His presence was overwhelming, a physical manifestation of his determination and strength.
Looking at the huge figure that instantly shrouded her in shadow, Quan Xiaoxiao, though battered and bruised, still tried to resist. With a wave of her hand, the mud at her feet, once again responding to her command, turned into a spear. The spear, sharp and deadly, stabbed towards Qin Yu along with her arm, a last - ditch effort to defend herself.
But Qin Yu was faster. His reflexes, honed by the intense battle, allowed him to anticipate her move. Before the mud spear could even come close to hitting his body, he had already punched Quan Xiaoxiao in the face one step ahead. The impact was like a sledgehammer, and Quan Xiaoxiao was punched off her feet. Her body, propelled by the force of the blow, hit the ground heavily. The next second, she was bounced up again by the huge force, like a rag - doll tossed around by a giant.
Before she could land a second time, Qin Yu, his eyes still ablaze with fury, had already kicked out. His foot connected with Quan Xiaoxiao's abdomen, the impact sending her flying more than ten meters away. She crashed through four big trees in a row, each impact leaving a trail of broken branches and splintered wood in her wake. Finally, she came to a stop, her body crumpled and broken.
Watching Quan Xiaoxiao fly away and come to rest, Qin Yu, who was now panting heavily, his chest heaving with the effort of the battle, finally stopped attacking. The silence that followed was deafening, a stark contrast to the chaos and violence of the previous moments.
Looking at his severely damaged sleeve and his right arm, whose skin was cut to pieces by the mud and the debris of the battle, Qin Yu spat hard to the side. There were a few traces of blood in his saliva, a reminder of the brutal nature of the fight. "Damn it! Controlling the soil at will? This is simply cheating!" he muttered unhappily, his voice filled with a mix of anger and frustration.
Qin Yu's words, though spoken in a low mutter, were carried by the wind and picked up by the live - broadcast equipment.
withstand the Earth Flow martial art with his brute force and pound a third - level martial artist to the ground, had similar thoughts in their minds.
Damn it! Winning against a third - level martial artist with brute force! This is simply cheating!