Chapter 123: Hard‑Holding a Punch

"Ye Liuyun, in front of me, you have no chance!"

Yuan Meng's towering body, as massive as a vajra, slammed onto the arena, shaking the platform to a tremor.

From beneath his feet, the hard black rock, like a spiderweb, showed fine cracks.

Just a single landing displayed his half‑step Sea Transformation realm strength.

Then, with a "shhhla" sound, Yuan Meng shattered his shirt, revealing iron‑knob‑like muscles, his whole body as if cast in bronze. A ferocious beast aura emanated from his flesh and blood, intimidating all.

Hiss!

Many disciples in the audience were shocked by the aura, inhaling a gasp of cold air, their eyes filled with terror.

Ye Liuyun merely smiled and nodded, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"Finished the display? No need to take off your pants?"

Ye Liuyun's teasing made some female disciples burst into laughter.

The male disciples were dumbfounded; it was their first time meeting someone bold enough to tease Yuan Meng!

"This Ye Liuyun, truly fearless!"

"You dare mock me?"

Yuan Meng's expression immediately hardened! He threw a punch at Ye Liuyun.

Yuan Meng's fist struck the air, producing a series of "bang—bang" explosions.

Although Ye Liuyun mocked Yuan Meng verbally, he held no contempt in his heart. His Illusion Pupil continuously observed Yuan Meng's True Essence flow lines.

At this moment, his expression was exceedingly solemn.

Yuan Meng's punch, a burst of Physical Body power and a solid True Essence foundation, made his speed far surpass Chu Li.

But his Illusion Pupil also detected that this was not Yuan Meng's full strength, so he decided to meet the punch head‑on.

The disciples below were also stunned by the punch. Its force, brimming with brutality, could instantly obliterate a Martial Cultivator of Ninth True Essence.

Purple Lightning Annihilation!

Against everyone's expectation, Ye Liuyun this time did not employ any footwork, but met it head‑on. The same single punch, without any flair, was delivered with Physical Body force, colliding directly.

Even Yuan Meng hadn't expected Ye Liuyun to change tactics. Had he known, he would have unleashed his punch at full power.

"Boom!" a deafening roar!

Fist against fist, a raw clash without technique, saturated with savage violence.

The many disciples below were rattled, eardrums buzzing, qi and blood churning, nearly losing hearing in that instant.

Thump— thump— thump…

Ye Liuyun and Yuan Meng simultaneously staggered backward, the pits and cracks on the black rock floor spreading continuously.

What surprised everyone even more was that Yuan Meng retreated one step farther than Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun stepped back three times, steadied his stance, his expression unchanged, as calm as ever.

Yuan Meng, however, took four steps back, a slight sway revealing terror in his eyes.

After Ye Liuyun's previous battle with Huang Wenxuan, everyone knew he also practiced body refinement, but no one expected him to have reached such a level.

The disciples below all seemed to have grown mouths, their shock unparalleled.

Ye Liuyun once again reshaped their perception.

Even Steward Yue showed a surprised expression.

The arena fell silent for a moment, then immediately roared again.

"Ye Liuyun actually managed to clash head‑on with Yuan Meng, seeming to have the upper hand!"

"Has this guy refined his body to this strength?"

It was a situation no one had anticipated.

The most shocked was Yuan Meng. Also a body refiner, he naturally knew how arduous reaching this stage was.

What he could not imagine was that Ye Liuyun was only fifteen, while he was a full ten years older!

The age gap was something he could never close. Once Ye Liuyun rose, he would forever be unable to surpass him.

Ye Liuyun was analyzing: if Yuan Meng also unleashed his True Essence Power, I still couldn't withstand his punch—unless I tapped the power of my bloodline.

However, this Trump Card cannot be used now. Once exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

His Illusion Pupil had just faintly sensed that Yuan Meng's True Essence flow lines seemed able to merge with the Physical Body.

If his Illusion Pupil saw correctly, then he could only resort to illusion techniques again.

If he used Immortal Overlord Body to clash hard with Yuan Meng, given his regenerative ability it might be possible. But that would be too brutal, possibly leaving hidden injuries.

"Good kid, I didn't expect your body‑refining temper to match mine. Today, you will undoubtedly lose."

Yuan Meng's expression turned cold, his muscles rippling, an even stronger aura emanating.

Ye Liuyun's Illusion Pupil saw him merging True Essence Power with his body‑refining technique, perfectly integrating True Essence into flesh and bone.

A series of crisp "ka‑ka‑ka" sounds, Yuan Meng's physique expanded another layer.

His size already could engulf Ye Liuyun; now it made Ye Liuyun appear even smaller.

Ye Liuyun's heart skipped a beat, sensing the danger of being stared down by a feral beast.

"True Essence Casting!"

Golden Light flickered across Yuan Meng's body in layers, like a great Buddha. The aura he now exuded certainly possessed the strength of a Sea Transformation tier.

"Vajra Invincible!"

Amid the terrifying roar, golden fist light slashed the void, enveloping Ye Liuyun like lightning.

Ye Liuyun's Illusion Pupil fully activated, slowing his speed, employing the Lingkong Art, merging into illusionary evasion.

Boom—!

The arena was brutally punched into a huge crater by Yuan Meng.

Yuan Meng was stunned again.

This time, he lunged at empty air!

This brat switched tactics again, not fighting me head‑on! How does he know my punch can't be blocked by him?

But at this moment he couldn't afford to think more; he just threw punch after punch, forcing Ye Liuyun to reveal himself.

Under the pressure of his punches, Ye Liuyun's footwork improved somewhat, becoming smoother and more varied.

And footwork is precisely Yuan Meng's weakness.

He is now much like Long Yue earlier, repeatedly fooled by Ye Liuyun.

However, his True Essence is abundant, and he has a Physical Body foundation, so the consumption isn't too great.

If Ye Liuyun really intends to wear him down like this, Yuan Meng will surely be the one who loses.

Ye Liuyun also wasn't thinking much at this moment; instead, he was studying the circulation path of his True Essence, figuring out how he fused True Essence with his Physical Body.

Ye Liuyun cannot use his Physical Body strength and True Essence together; this has always been his weakness.

Anyway, Yuan Meng's footwork is poor, and he can't catch up for a while; this is a good chance for him to steal some techniques.

But once he figured it out, he felt a bit discouraged.

His Illusion Pupil discovered that Yuan Meng had established many tiny links between his Physical Body and the meridians inside; each time True Essence entered the Physical Body, his whole body was covered with red filaments, which were the channels.

Although this method is simple, he couldn't replicate it right away! Then, taking advantage of his superior footwork, he sneaked in a few strikes on Yuan Meng; even if he hit Yuan Meng with a flying finger strike, Ye Liuyun couldn't break through his Physical Body defense.

"In this situation, even using illusion techniques probably won't break his defense, unless I use the Illusion Pupil to unleash moves like the Purple Lightning Prison Cage. I'll try using a sword first, and I'll use his blood to consecrate my blade!"

Thinking this, Ye Liuyun flickered his body, increased the distance, and then drew the Demon Slaying Sword.

"There's a weapon too!" The crowd below gasped, having overlooked this matter.

Yuan Meng was only stunned for a moment. To him, using fists or a weapon made no difference; neither could break his defense.

Many disciples thought the same, not understanding Ye Liuyun's purpose in doing this.

Steward Yue also became curious, wanting to see what skill Ye Liuyun had with weapons.

From what we can see so far, Ye Liuyun's abilities in every respect are top‑notch!