CHAPTER 78: CHAPTER 71: THE COLLAPSE

The two figures moved, each retreating half a step.

Wen Jianyuan, like everyone else, was shocked, his pupils vibrating.

Evenly matched.

But more people realized.

No, Zhou Leng was slightly better.

Because Zhou Leng was the first to strike with the second move, faster than Wen Jianyuan.

The second move was again Great River Entering the Sea.

Extending forward plainly, unadorned.

People around Tian Wenhua squinted, noticing Zhou Leng’s strategy.

Wen Jianyuan originally established strength first, but if he’s unwilling to take Zhou Leng’s palm, his spirit will falter, his momentum will break.

Zhou Leng intended to erase Wen Jianyuan’s battle experience advantage with an unstoppable momentum.

Wen Jianyuan’s eyes flashed resolutely, unhesitatingly retaliating with a direct attack, his fist meeting Zhou Leng’s.

Bang!

An instant later, Zhou Leng launched a third palm strike.

The people around Tian Wenhua wore solemn expressions.

This palm was surprisingly faster than the previous ones, and thanks to the traits of the Mystic Tide Technique and Overlapping Waves Palm, this palm carried more qi blood.

The palm momentum was stronger.

Their fists and palms collided for a third time.

Zhou Leng launched a fourth palm.

Everyone held their breath, watching in astonishment as Zhou Leng’s palm strikes were noticeably faster than Wen Jianyuan’s.

This small gap signified that Zhou Leng’s palm contained more qi blood, moving faster.

Stronger.

A glint of doubt flickered in Wen Jianyuan’s eyes, yet he still met the attack with an unwavering punch.

Bang!

This time, Zhou Leng not only didn’t retreat but neutralized the counterforce, stepping forward sharply, launching a fifth palm.

Same Great River Entering the Sea, but faster, fiercer.

His body like mighty waters, his palm like rolling tides, rushing into the sea from west to east.

The people around Tian Wenhua’s expressions changed slightly, realizing the situation was bad.

"Qi Follows Body Movement..." The top fighters understood instantly.

"He was hiding his strength earlier..."

Panic flickered in Wen Jianyuan’s eyes.

The two were too close, dodging meant taking a palm hit, but hastily punching would likely send his qi blood into upheaval, definitely leading to a counterattack and injury.

Wen Jianyuan gritted his teeth, sent out a punch.

Fist met palm.

Wen Jianyuan retreated two steps, Zhou Leng advanced two steps, both arms extending forward.

Overlapping Waves Palm, Two Dragons Emerging from the Water.

"It’s over..." The experts on Tian Wenhua’s side saw this and realized instantly.

If Wen Jianyuan accepts these two palms, his qi blood will continue to quake.

If not, his body would be hit, his momentum shattered, hard to rally.

Wen Jianyuan bent low, dodged, moved laterally.

Zhou Leng slightly adjusted his left palm, striking Wen Jianyuan’s lower back.

Wen Jianyuan grunted, rolled on the spot, and immediately got up.

Everyone saw a clear red palm print emerge on his left lower back, deepening in color.

Wen Jianyuan transported blood to heal the injury there, but for some reason, the qi blood slowed down after passing that spot.

Zhou Leng advanced, Wen Jianyuan retreated, hissing lightly, his steps slightly shaky.

Some experts squinted, the previous palm must have penetrated skin, injuring muscles or even internal organs.

After all, it was the layered Mystic Tide Technique and Overlapping Waves Palm.

"You don’t dare to take it." Zhou Leng said, launching another attack.

"I have rich experience, such trash talk is useless to me." In the end, Wen Jianyuan’s experience was abundant, once he started maneuvering, Zhou Leng found it hard to hit him.

Zhou Leng stopped speaking, pressing on relentlessly.

But Wen Jianyuan completely abandoned the fight, constantly maneuvering, using feints without revealing a flaw, showing his rich experience.

Everyone understood that Wen Jianyuan aimed to exhaust Zhou Leng’s qi blood and strength, leaving hope for comeback to his teammates.

After chasing for a while, Zhou Leng took a deep breath, opening his guard, and attacked Wen Jianyuan with a punch.

Attacking without defense.

Zhou Leng stared into Wen Jianyuan’s eyes.

Will you take it or not!

Wen Jianyuan dodged again.

The crowd sighed, this time, Wen Jianyuan’s momentum crumbled another layer.

Li Linhan said: "It’s done."

Xue Tongming nodded.

In a martial contest, moves, experience, inner power, and the body all matter.

But in real combat, when other aspects are closely matched, willpower often decides victory or defeat.

Moreover, this is the octagon cage.

There’s no way to keep dodging.

Zhou Leng changed his steps.

Walking straight, advancing body.

Attacking without defense, a fearless stance.

A powerful momentum like dark clouds, pressed upon the Martial Arts Stage.

Mere seconds later, Wen Jianyuan staggered suddenly, stepping mistakenly.

Excessive mental tension and injury caused subtle problems in his body.

Zhou Leng pounced like a fierce tiger, fists and palms launching, engaging in close combat.

Still attacking without defense.

Wen Jianyuan had no room to dodge or maneuver.

After being dazed by a few hits, Wen Jianyuan quickly provoked his fighting spirit.

Strike, exchange injury for injury!

Their fists and palms rained down upon each other.

Because of the close distance, neither could exert full strength to resolve the opponent in a few punches.

One punch, two punches, three punches...

Bang!

Zhou Leng found the flaw and, in the instant Wen Jianyuan’s Qi Blood was fluctuating, landed a punch on Wen Jianyuan’s chin.

Wen Jianyuan’s vision went black, and instinctively he pulled back, shifting from attack to defense.

The next moment, Zhou Leng’s Qi Blood surged, and he unleashed a flurry of punches.

One move followed another with palm techniques and fist techniques, like afterimages covering Wen Jianyuan’s entire body.

Ten punches, twenty punches...

Wen Jianyuan first backed against the cage, desperately blocking, using all kinds of counterattacks including kicks and knees, but to no avail.

He suddenly lunged at Zhou Leng, wrapping his arms around Zhou Leng’s waist and abdomen, charging forward viciously, attempting the fiercest hold and slam in grappling combat.

As a martial artist’s Qi Blood increases, the effectiveness of the hold and slam diminishes the further it goes.

But in the early period of the Qi Blood Realm and when Qi Blood is exhausted, a hold and slam often comes unexpectedly, enough to turn the tide of battle.

A single slam defeats ten punches.

Zhou Leng crouched slightly, his feet gripping the ground like tree roots, slowing his retreat, barely maintaining his balance.

His left hand pressed against Wen Jianyuan’s shoulder while his right palm aimed at Wen Jianyuan’s back heart, delivering a palm strike with purple veins emerging.

Heaven Island Falling into the Sea.

Bang!

Wen Jianyuan’s heart stopped abruptly, his body stiffened, and he fell to the ground.

Zhou Leng instinctively aimed a kick at Wen Jianyuan’s head, channeling his full Qi Blood.

Thud!

Wen Jianyuan’s neck bent, his body rolled backward, hitting against the edge of the cage.

The entire arena fell silent.

Xue Tongming said, "This Wen Jianyuan has fought too many ordinary early Blood Transport stages, thinking all opponents would lose balance once grappled. But, Zhou Leng’s ’Qi Follows Body Movement’. "

"Is there a big difference?" Xue Chengsong asked.

"More than big. Before ’Qi Follows Body Movement’, if your feet are unsteady or off the ground, you can’t exert power at all, even if you hit the opponent’s vital point. What’s that called? Powerless Qi. With ’Qi Follows Body Movement’, Wen Jianyuan simply allowed his back heart to be struck by Zhou Leng."

"Save him!" Zhou Leng said.

He had already pushed to the limit, that kick was purely instinctive, with no time for judgment.

Zhou Leng looked at Wen Jianyuan, if an ordinary person’s neck were bent like this, they’d be dead for sure.

Tian Wenhua rushed onto the Martial Arts Stage to set Wen Jianyuan’s bones and use Qi Manipulation to heal his injuries.

Soon, Tian Wenhua picked up Wen Jianyuan.

"How is he?" Zhou Leng asked.

"He’ll be bedridden for at least a year." After saying this, Tian Wenhua placed Wen Jianyuan on a stretcher, and the Martial Arts Dojo’s medical staff took him away.

Zhou Leng stood on the stage, quietly watching Wen Jianyuan being carried away in the distance.

This is just the beginning.

Next, the fights will only increase.

The students of Class 01 looked at Zhou Leng, covered in minor injuries, then at Wen Jianyuan being carried away on a stretcher.

Watching someone else fight until blood is everywhere is completely different from watching someone next to you gamble on a fight.

"Why is Zhou Leng fiercer than when he’s in the Martial Arts Hall?"

"He kept saying ’not sure, not sure’ on the way here."

"Yeah, I even worried he might lose back then."

Wei Hong said, "This is what they call ’saying the most cowardly words, fighting the fiercest fights.’"

"The third person is coming up..."

"The first round of the third fight, Zhou Leng versus Zhang Bojun. Start!"

Not giving Zhou Leng any chance to catch his breath, the referee directly announced the third fight.

Xue Chengsong asked softly, "Dad, what do you think of this match?"

"Zhou Leng’s Qi Blood is overly consumed; he may not last long. But he has ’Qi Follows Body Movement’, it’s hard to say."

"Does Zhou Leng have a better chance of winning?"

"Theoretically, yes. The current question is, can his body and will hold up? However, no matter what, we still have two people behind him."

In a dark corner, Class 01’s monitor, Chang Luan, was wrapped up tightly with a mask and hat.

His Demonized Watch faced the stage, with the video mode on, watching together with Tao Bing, who had been hospitalized for the second time.

Tao Bing lay on the bed, watching with a dark face.

Under the dazzling lights, the stage was bright.

After both sides saluted with clasped fists, Zhou Leng retreated continuously.

Upon seeing this, everyone understood. Zhou Leng was going to forfeit the third fight, starting to wear down the opponent, to create opportunities for the two teammates afterward.

Yan Fenggang shouted loudly, "Take him down while he’s weak!"

Zhang Bojun was the one who had participated the most among the six.

He didn’t listen to Yan Fenggang’s command; instead, he continuously used basic moves like light punches and jab punches, not rushing at all.

Zhou Leng kept evading, his chest rising and falling more and more violently.

With two continuous bouts and no rest, his stamina was running out.

"Zhou Leng, hang in there!"

The classmates all cheered Zhou Leng.

After about twenty seconds, Zhang Bojun suddenly narrowed his eyes slightly, mustering his full Palm Power, and launched a fierce attack on Zhou Leng.

Everyone’s eyes lit up, both of them specialized in palm techniques.

Zhou Leng calmly responded with Overlapping Waves Palm, sometimes meeting palms, sometimes blocking, sometimes parrying, sometimes dodging, sometimes real, sometimes feigned...

From the outside, Zhou Leng seemed to be in the upper hand, fully demonstrating the style of ’Qi Follows Body Movement’.

Battle reports may lie, but battle lines don’t.

Zhou Leng slowly retreated, and soon, his back touched the cage.

Zhang Bojun let out a low roar, like a lion-tiger, pouncing towards Zhou Leng.

Zhou Leng sidestepped to dodge, both standing at the edge of the cage.

Zhang Bojun attacked close to the cage, but Zhou Leng used an Eight Trigrams Step to move outwards.

At this moment, Zhang Bojun was backed up against the cage, while Zhou Leng was outside.

In the audience, a few experts were lost in thought.

Zhang Bojun struck with a palm, a feint.

Little did he expect Zhou Leng to suddenly respond with ’Wind Rises, Tide Swells’, a real strike against a feint.

’Wind Rises, Tide Swells’, the fastest strike in the Overlapping Waves Palm.

By the time Zhang Bojun reacted, it was too late, forced to transform his feint into reality and retract his arm.

One strike was full power, the other changed techniques midway and retreated.

Zhang Bojun’s right arm, easily dodged.

But Zhou Leng, unexpectedly transforming reality into void, also changing techniques, turning the fastest ’Wind Rises, Tide Swells’ into the most aggressive ’Rushing Tide’.

The whole person and the right palm slammed down like a great tide.

Zhang Bojun hurriedly used his arm to block.

Crack!