Invincibility Begins with Mastery of Fist Techniques-Chapter 38: Hunting the Dragon

"You’re right. The only reason you aren’t bound by a single school is because your own isn’t strong enough!"

"Still, you should be proud for making it this far with a Second-class Fist Technique like the Red Falcon Fist."

Qin Baisheng spoke calmly. He swiped a hand across his face, wiping away the blood, and assumed his fighting stance once more.

He slowly tensed every muscle in his body. But unlike Zhou Yuanjue, his frame didn’t swell up. Instead, it contracted, his muscle tissue clinging tightly to his bones.

Instantly, his already defined muscles became even more prominent. His body looked leaner, more streamlined, with no excess mass. It possessed a unique, aesthetic quality.

This was another state of the Thunderbolt Rushing Palm, achieved through special training: Dragon Hiding in the Abyss, a state of Free Will.

Unlike the muscle-swelling state, which purely enhanced power and defense, this state compressed the muscles to minimize drag. It sacrificed some defense to boost speed, flexibility, and short-range explosive power.

On the other side, Zhou Yuanjue also assumed his stance. His muscles swelled as he completely unleashed his power. His palms turned crimson, like a demon’s hands reaching from Hell.

"The warm-up is over. Now it gets serious."

Gong Shouzhuo said, his tone grave.

"The warm-up..."

A Nan and Lin Heng exchanged a look after hearing Gong Shouzhuo’s words.

’That terrifying exchange... any one of those blows could have killed us instantly, and that was just the warm-up?’

"Survive this next set of techniques, and you win."

Zhou Yuanjue spoke slowly, his voice as solid as bedrock, carrying immense weight.

Then, his eyes snapped open, the light within them soul-shaking.

His stance changed. He raised his arms slightly, and the powerful muscles of his back flexed together, looking as if a pair of wings had unfurled.

Though this new stance seemed to have far more openings than the Red Falcon Fist’s, Qin Baisheng, standing opposite Zhou Yuanjue, felt a sense of foreboding.

Meanwhile, Zhao Zhengxuan, watching from his seat, saw Zhou Yuanjue’s slowly unfolding posture, and his expression turned grim.

With his keen spirit, he could sense a strange emotion and will slowly taking flight and expanding.

"Holy and Bright?!"

The next moment, Zhou Yuanjue unexpectedly took the initiative, launching an attack.

His arms trembled, and he spread his wings to soar!

His body shot forward at extreme speed.

In Qin Baisheng’s eyes, a human silhouette rapidly grew larger.

Yet, what he saw was far more than that.

He saw a vision. In a boundless, azure sky, within a hazy bank of clouds, a pair of colossal wings that blotted out the sun began to beat. A storm erupted, scattering the mist.

A head as massive as a mountain, with a pair of arrogant eyes, stared down at him. Its enormous, sharp beak lunged, violently shaking his very consciousness.

Holy and Bright, Heart Sealing Heart!!

The vision lasted but a moment, but in a clash between masters, one must be completely focused. Victory and defeat are decided in an instant.

Even the briefest lapse in concentration would become a fatal opening.

SKREEE!!

The Cloud Blade Hand, a fusion of Red Falcon Fist’s Fist Force and the Profound Heart Fist Emission Technique, once again struck straight for his face.

He twisted his head away on pure instinct, but this time, he wasn’t fast enough.

The edge of Zhou Yuanjue’s hand-blade grazed his cheek, and the shearing force of the immense impact sliced half of his face wide open.

Blood sprayed. The gash on his cheek revealed his white teeth and the red interior of his mouth, a gruesome sight.

Before he could recover from the shock, Zhou Yuanjue’s next attack was already upon him.

SKREEE! SKREEE! SKREEE!!

A flurry of Cloud Blade Hand strikes erupted. Born from intuition, they were already difficult to predict. Compounded by the mental assault, Qin Baisheng had completely lost the upper hand.

Shoulder... ribs... arm...

Qin Baisheng dodged with all his might, but having lost the initiative, his movements grew more sluggish as more and more parts of his body were torn open by the Cloud Blade Hand.

He was like a struggling dragon, unable to escape the talons and beak of the great Peng Bird.

It hunts the Divine Dragon for food and drinks only the finest nectar!

Blood streamed from Qin Baisheng’s body. His flesh was torn and peeled back—a truly ghastly sight.

This bloody scene made many martial arts enthusiasts cry out in alarm. Xu Yan was so frightened she simply covered her eyes.

As for the people of the Martial Arts Realm in attendance, they could no longer contain themselves and shot up from their seats.

Seven sonic booms. Seven Cloud Blade Hand strikes.

Qin Baisheng’s body was already teetering on the verge of collapse.

SKREEE!!

An eighth boom rang out. Zhou Yuanjue’s hand-blade stopped just an inch from Qin Baisheng’s throat, not pressing the attack further.

After a brief moment of stillness, Qin Baisheng’s blood-soaked body slowly crumpled to the ground before Zhou Yuanjue.

’Eight times... eight bursts of Fist Force, and it seems he still has power to spare...’

Gong Shouzhuo couldn’t help but give a bitter smile as he watched Zhou Yuanjue. The man stood in the center of the arena, slowly withdrew his hand, and turned to walk toward the iron gate at the entrance.

’I’ve dedicated half my life to my Fist Technique, achieving Great Success, yet the most I can manage is the Seven Tribulation Celestial Stars. But this man... how long has he even understood the Mystical Technique of the Profound Heart Fist? He’s already surpassed me.’

’In history, among those below Saint Awakening, there were masters who trained the Profound Heart Fist to the point of nine consecutive power releases, a level known as the Sun Shooting Bow. This man has likely already reached that legendary realm.’

But what shocked him even more was the instantaneous expansion of spirit and will that had erupted from Zhou Yuanjue just before the final combination.

That had already transcended the realm of fist techniques and stances, touching upon something countless Martial Artists only dreamed of achieving.

"Master... what exactly happened at the end?"

A Nan couldn’t help but ask. Lin Heng’s eyes were also filled with confusion.

They had clearly seen it. Right before the final blow, Qin Baisheng—who had been as agile and swift as a dragon—had frozen for an instant. This created a massive opening that led to his ultimate defeat.

It was something they couldn’t understand.

It wasn’t just them; most of the people from the Martial Arts Realm present were baffled and began questioning their elders.

"Holy and Bright, Heart Sealing Heart, bursting forth in an instant... Forget you, even I can barely comprehend it. It is something many seek but never find."

"The mysteries of the human body and of life itself are far more complex than we imagine. What power lies hidden at the peak of existence? No one can say. Unless you reach that realm, you cannot even begin to comprehend it. Compared to that infinite and mysterious universe, what do the chaotic entanglements of this mortal world matter?"

Gong Shouzhuo murmured softly, his eyes on Zhou Yuanjue’s figure as it slowly vanished into the shadows of the arena’s iron gate.