Chapter 257: Invincible Strength

"Then let's begin!" At Xiao Yan's words, Liu Qing's face turned icy; as soon as he spoke, powerful Dou Qi surged into a whirlwind, the terrifying spiritual pressure causing every spectator to hold their breath.

"Such overwhelming spiritual pressure!"

"Peak Dou Ling? No—this is already Half-step Dou Wang!"

"He already possesses the aura of a Dou Wang! Though still some distance from a true Dou Wang, such thick Dou Qi and such commanding presence—even a true Dou Wang might envy him." Seeing Liu Qing's astonishing Dou Qi and spiritual pressure, the Elders on the judging platform could not help but be moved, murmuring to themselves.

Xiao Yan smiled slightly and asked, "You don't use a weapon?"

"The Split-Mountain Spear is only used against worthy opponents. I hope you prove worthy soon." Liu Qing's gaze was cold and sharp.

Xiao Yan merely smiled. Fine, you say it's so, then it is.

The Grand Elder, seeing both sides ready, roared: "Both combatants prepared—match begins!"

No sooner had the Grand Elder finished speaking than Liu Qing swung his hand toward Xiao Yan's position, fingers curled into a claw—suddenly, a giant golden energy claw materialized in midair, leaving deep fissures in the ground wherever it passed.

"It's Liu Qing's famed Dou Technique—the Heavenly Grade Mid-Rank Golden Demon Claw!"

"So powerful! No wonder it's been perfected!"

Facing the terrifying golden claw, towering several meters high, Xiao Yan's expression remained calm as still water, though inwardly he admired it—this Dou Technique alone revealed Liu Qing's rigorous training.

"If that's the case, I should show you proper respect."

Xiao Yan's Dou Qi surged wildly; instantly, blood-red flames engulfed his entire body. He roared inwardly: "Fierce Lion's Roar!"

Boom! Liu Qing's Golden Demon Claw slammed into a crimson lion's head—a deafening roar echoed as the blood-colored lion swiped its paw and shattered the golden claw.

Slowly raising his gaze, Xiao Yan stared at Liu Qing, whose body was now wreathed in golden Dou Qi. Suddenly, with a ferocious, unstoppable momentum, Xiao Yan shot toward Liu Qing amid countless scorching stares.

The distance of dozens of meters vanished in an instant—the two closed in, eyes locking. The suppressed Battle Intention erupted fully, boiling over.

Xiao Yan did not use a Dou Technique—his fist, wrapped in Strange Fire, slammed toward Liu Qing. Liu Qing sidestepped and countered with a punch. Xiao Yan, relying on his superior Soul Force Perception, tilted his head to evade, seized Liu Qing's arms, spun sharply, stomped the ground, sending shards flying, then unleashed his full strength and hurled the burly Liu Qing away.

Liu Qing twisted midair, his feet screeching across the ground, leaving two long grooves before he finally stopped.

But Xiao Yan would not give Liu Qing a moment to recover—he stomped the ground, unleashing terrifying physical strength, becoming a red blur as he charged toward Liu Qing.

Though Liu Qing had trained in close combat and understood hand-to-hand fighting better than Xiao Yan, Xiao Yan's Soul Force far surpassed his, granting superior perception—and combined with the true Earth Heart Tempering Milk, his physical strength was monstrously potent.

"Am I seeing things? In close combat, Liu Qing is being suppressed!" Yan Hao rubbed his eyes—he knew Liu Qing well, being from the same cohort, and knew Liu Qing's bulky frame was no facade.

Liu Qing's physique was second only to Zi Yan's in strength; he'd lost to Lin Xiuya only due to inferior Dou Techniques and weapons—no one, not even Lin Xiuya, dared to engage him in pure close combat.

Otherwise, Lin Xiuya wouldn't have sought out Earth Heart Tempering Milk to enhance his physique.

Lin Xiuya's expression turned grave. "Why does it feel like the Earth Heart Tempering Milk Xiao Yan used isn't the same as ours? His physique has improved drastically."

Han Yue's beautiful eyes flickered with surprise. "Perhaps because he's an Alchemist—he added medicinal principles, making the Earth Heart Tempering Milk more potent."

In the arena, both combatants, with perfect unspoken understanding, refrained from using Dou Techniques or weapons.

Xiao Yan's fist slammed down, grazing Liu Qing's shoulder by a hair's breadth—achieving nothing. Yet the instant his attack missed, Liu Qing's left claw subtly curled, then snapped outward toward his left.

That seemingly casual claw-sweep struck with pinpoint precision—hitting an acupoint on Xiao Yan's arm as his punch missed.

Xiao Yan smiled at the corner of his mouth, turned his fist into a claw, and seized Liu Qing's shoulder in a reverse grip, slamming downward—forcing Liu Qing's feet deep into the ground.

Liu Qing adapted instantly—seeing his claw miss, he shifted to a palm strike, blasting a surge of energy into Xiao Yan's chest, sending Xiao Yan stumbling backward several steps.

Liu Qing pressed forward, palm facing down, fingers curled into a fine arc like a razor-sharp beast's claw. He shook his arm—its sharp claws whipped up a biting, icy wind and slammed again toward Xiao Yan's chest.

Xiao Yan reacted instantly—fists clenched, left foot planted, then unleashed a devastating punch that met the lunging claw head-on.

Boom! The punch and claw collided violently—a deep sonic boom erupted at the point of impact; a ripple of force that made the air tremble surged outward, spreading in all directions.

Liu Qing's Dou Qi faltered—the terrifying physical force sent him staggering backward several steps, each step shattering the ground beneath him. The sheer might of Xiao Yan's physical strength was evident.

Liu Qing's eyes narrowed—he never imagined his own physique had been outmatched by Xiao Yan!

"Split-Mountain Coffin Claw!" Liu Qing roared, palm facing down. Instantly, his smile vanished—he thrust his arm forward, and his claw shot out. Invisible force formed faint, shimmering arcs ahead of it, the spectacle astonishing.

Xiao Yan smiled faintly, exhaled, and his Dou Qi surged—his body emitted a series of cracking sounds. Facing the charging Liu Qing, Xiao Yan's right arm suddenly bulged with veins.

"Eight Extremes Collapse!"

Seeing Liu Qing finally unleash his Xuan Jie High Grade Dou Ji, Xiao Yan's expression grew serious. "That's Liu Qing's Xuan Jie High Grade Dou Technique from the Inner Court—if I'm not mistaken, he's perfected it."

"But…"

"The Dou Technique Xiao Yan used when he killed the Snow Demon Sky Ape was also an extremely advanced Xuan Jie High Grade Dou Ji. Now we'll see whose power is greater."

Under countless watching eyes, the two fists and claws—each brimming with devastating force—finally collided head-on.

Boom! A resounding burst of force erupted in the arena—a storm of energy surged from their point of contact. Where the ripples passed, the floor groaned under unbearable strain—cracks spread like spiderwebs, racing outward from beneath their feet.

The destruction caused by the force storm drew a chorus of swallowed gulps from the stands—this was pure physical strength, yet its destructive power was terrifying.

In the arena, fist and claw stuck together like glue—an invisible force continuously bled from their feet. Then the crowd saw: the extremely sturdy floor rapidly shattered, crumbling into tiny fragments, until finally—the fragments were pulverized into dust.

Boom! The entire Arena Stage sank inward. Xiao Yan stepped back two paces, glanced at the back of his right hand—three bloody gashes, oozing blood.

"I underestimated you," Xiao Yan wiped the blood, looking toward Liu Qing.

On the other side, Liu Qing had been struck eight times by hidden force—had he not quickly planted the Split-Mountain Spear into the ground, he would have been blasted off the stage.

Puff! Liu Qing spat blood—Xiao Yan's hidden force had clearly inflicted serious internal injuries.

After using Earth Heart Tempering Milk, Xiao Yan's physical strength far surpassed Liu Qing's—in pure hand-to-hand combat, Liu Qing stood no chance.

"Big Brother Liu Qing!" Liu Fei, seeing Liu Qing spit blood, stood up anxiously.

Liu Fei's face paled—she never imagined Liu Qing could lose to Xiao Yan!

Before all eyes, Liu Qing slowly raised his heavy spear toward Xiao Yan. His deep voice echoed across the arena: "You're strong. Stronger than I imagined."

"But I won't yield easily. Let me end this match with the Split-Mountain Spear's ultimate technique!"

"Liu Qing is drawing the Split-Mountain Spear," Lin Xiuya sighed softly from the high platform, watching the black spear in Liu Qing's hand.

Thud! A shadow emerged from Xiao Yan's storage ring—he gripped the Black Heavy Ruler, pointing it at Liu Qing. "Then I'll end this match with this technique too."

"Final technique decides victory," Liu Qing's expression, always stoic, now showed a stiff, unnatural smile. He slashed the Split-Mountain Spear through the air—pale golden Dou Qi left a faint golden trace in the void.

"This was my secret technique meant for Lin Xiuya—but given the situation, I'll test it on you first."

Instantly, brilliant golden light erupted from Liu Qing's body, growing fiercer until it nearly engulfed him entirely—this aura bore a faint hint of Earth Rank, suggesting this Dou Technique was nearly approaching Earth Rank.

Looking at Liu Qing, whose entire body erupted in Golden Light, Xiao Yan showed no mercy; the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame surged from his palm, and the Xuan Heavy Ruler emitted continuous beast roars.

A strange, violent surge of energy suddenly rippled across the Guang Chang; those who first sensed this disturbance were the Elders on the judging platform, their expressions instantly changing.

"A Earth Rank Dou Technique…"

The Library Pavilion indeed contained Earth Rank Dou Techniques, but Liu Qing had obtained a Cultivation Method that was infinitely close to Earth Rank—he had not received an Earth Rank Dou Technique.

"Just how many cards does this guy have?" At this moment, even the Elders' strength could not help but feel a sense of difficulty—how could Xiao Yan be covered in treasures!

Below, Lin Xiuya and the others also sensed it; Yan Hao swallowed hard and said in fear: "E-E-Earth Rank… and this power doesn't even seem like he just entered it."

Lin Xiuya's eyes darkened with seriousness as he speculated whether he could defeat Xiao Yan if they faced each other.

And the answer was exactly the same as the outcome of this match.

Liu Qing roared: "Great Rock Split!"

A thunderous roar suddenly rang out; at the tip of the Split Mountain Spear, Golden Light exploded like a mountain flood!

Watching the Golden Light hurtle toward him, Xiao Yan's gaze remained unmoved, calm as a still well—as he had said at the start, his opponent was Zi Yan, the great demon.

"Flame Division, Devouring Wave Ruler."

The Xuan Heavy Ruler came down; the Flame Division, Devouring Wave Ruler, long perfected, was Xiao Yan's ultimate technique—the terrifying Sea of Fire instantly swallowed Liu Qing's Great Rock Split.

Before the Flame Division, Devouring Wave Ruler, no matter what Mystic Rank Dou Technique Liu Qing unleashed, the result was only one: utter destruction.

The arena before Xiao Yan was completely vaporized by the Flame Division, Devouring Wave Ruler, leaving only chaos and charred blackness.

It was fortunate that Xiao Yan's control was immense; otherwise, the spectator seats nearby might have been destroyed as well.

The Grand Elder gripped Liu Qing in midair and called down to Xiao Yan: "Winner: Xiao Yan!"

(End of Chapter)