Chapter 172

Chu Yu was slashed off the ring by Li Fei, and after landing, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Only then did the ordinary people watching the match react, letting out gasps of surprise.

In truth, given the speed at which Li Fei and Chu Yu were fighting, to the eyes of ordinary people, it was just a series of afterimages; they couldn't see anything clearly at all.

But that didn't stop them from watching with great interest; after all, such 'lighting and shadow effects' were rare to see, and the massive sounds of weapons clashing and the air being torn apart sounded so thrilling!

"Whoa, the one from the Martial University won!"

"I heard he only broke through his realm a few days ago, yet he was actually able to defeat his opponent across realms, and he won so easily."

"He truly is a peerless prodigy!"

"."

In fact, the vast majority of ordinary people didn't understand martial arts realms at all, but because the Wu Yi District frequently held boxing matches, in order to attract more people to place bets, they naturally had to 'popularize' some martial arts knowledge. Therefore, the audience present today were all knowledgeable, at least knowing that Li Fei had won against a stronger opponent and fought across realms.

"Is he already this powerful?"

In the crowd, Zhao Yi, sitting cross-legged on the ground, looked at Li Fei on the Dragon-Tiger Ring with a solemn expression.

Ever since Li Fei had snatched the Dream-Like Order from her, she had been thinking about how to take it back.

So, over the past two months or so, she had been cultivating very diligently.

Her talent was already very high, and she had been just one step away from breaking through her realm; now, she had finally succeeded in breaking through from the Body-Breaking Stage to the Spirit-Transformation Stage, becoming a mage!

Because she had only just broken through and Li Fei had been very busy lately, the two hadn't met yet, and Li Fei didn't know about this matter either.

This made Zhao Yi feel a bit restless.

By calculating against an unprepared opponent and using sorcery for a sneak attack, would she have a chance to take him down?

Zhao Yi had been secretly plotting for a long time, and when she learned that Li Fei was going to have a public duel here today, she had rushed over immediately.

She wanted to see to what extent Li Fei's strength had reached.

And then she saw Li Fei easily defeat a late-stage Qi-Transformation martial artist.

"The poison in my body hasn't been neutralized yet, so I can't directly go for the kill when attacking him. If I have to leave him alive, even if I exhaust all my methods, I'm afraid..."

Zhao Yi gritted her teeth, a sense of powerlessness rising within her.

When Zhao Renjie was teaching her cultivation, he had praised her talent more than once, saying she was a rare genius.

But now, looking at Li Fei on the Dragon-Tiger Ring, Zhao Yi had the thought of wanting to give up for the first time:

"Old man, this is what a true genius is."

On the fourth floor of the restaurant, Chu Bo did not intend to give up yet.

"According to the pre-arranged order, have people continue to go up on the ring and exhaust him as much as possible."

Chu Bo issued the order.

The Chu family had only begun to rise in his generation, so their foundation was insufficient. Counting Chu Yu, who had already lost, there were only three martial artists who practiced strength; the remaining eleven were early-stage Qi-Transformation martial artists. As for the Body-Breaking Stage martial artists, Chu Bo didn't consider letting them go up; that would be too unsightly, and it would be better to just admit defeat directly.

Therefore, for this wheel battle today, the total number of candidates Chu Bo could send up to duel with Li Fei was only fourteen.

After Chu Yu lost, he didn't continue to send up martial artists who practiced strength, but instead sent up an early-stage Qi-Transformation martial artist.

A martial artist and a martial artist who practices strength have a combat power difference of at least two or three times, and the Chu family's martial artists were not the kind of fierce people who could fight across realms, so there was absolutely no suspense about the outcome.

"Although Jin Gang Strength is powerful, it also consumes a lot. I want to see how long you can hold out?"

Chu Bo stared fixedly at the scene below.

Soon, the second person from the Chu family entered the ring.

After this martial artist got on the ring, he quickly ran toward the center of the ring, while simultaneously assuming a defensive posture.

He also knew his task very well; as long as he could make Li Fei throw a few more slashes and use his strength a few more times, it would be a success!

Li Fei remained in the 'Tyrant Body' state, calmly walking toward this person, and then slashed out from the upper right to the lower left.

Brilliant golden light bloomed on the Ghost-Slaying Blade, making the demon pattern on the hilt shine brightly as well.

Clang—

Snap!

With one slash, the long blade in the Chu family martial artist's hand was broken, and he was also sent flying.

Back when Li Fei was still a martial artist, he could use Geng Metal True Qi combined with the Ghost-Slaying Blade to break others' exotic weapons; now, using Jin Gang Strength, it was naturally even sharper and more domineering!

The weapon this Chu family martial artist was holding was also a first-grade exotic weapon, so it couldn't block Li Fei's strike.

A blade mark was slashed across his chest, and the Jin Gang Strength remaining in his body made him feel as if he had been split in two!

This slowed his movement to get up by a beat, and he was kicked heavily in the waist by Li Fei, who had rushed over, sending him flying off the ring.

Li Fei won another match!

"Change the blade; from now on, everyone use that blade of Yu'er's!"

In the restaurant, Chu Bo said with an ashen face.

The blade Chu Yu used was a fourth-grade exotic weapon, sturdy enough to withstand Li Fei's strikes.

So, soon, the third martial artist went up on the ring holding Chu Yu's sword.

He wanted to adopt a hit-and-run strategy, but this move was useless against Li Fei, who possessed 'Danger Perception'. No matter which direction he ran, Li Fei could intercept him in advance and then force him back with a slash.

The area of the Dragon-Tiger Ring was ultimately too small, without much room for maneuvering.

This was inherently a ring suitable for head-on collisions.

Soon, the third martial artist was also slashed off the ring by Li Fei.

"Good!"

"Well fought—"

"Amazing!"

"."

The people watching around cheered for Li Fei one after another.

Li Fei stood on the ring and waited for a while, but didn't wait for a fourth person to come up.

"Have they given up?"

There was a commotion at the scene.

Li Fei looked up at the fourth floor of the restaurant; he had long since felt Chu Bo's gaze and deep killing intent, knowing that the other party was watching the battle there.

Their eyes met.

"What, is the Chu family going to admit defeat?"

Li Fei said in a loud voice.

"."

The scene was silent.

As the helmsman of the Zhige General Academy, who had once killed a Dao-Foundation stage super powerhouse with a single slash, the humiliation Chu Bo had received today was more than all the humiliation he had received in the past few decades combined!

He stared fixedly at Li Fei, saying word by word:

"Don't be impatient, it's only just begun!"

So, the Chu family still had a backup plan.

After Li Fei waited quietly on the Dragon-Tiger Ring for a few more minutes, he finally waited for the fourth person from the Chu family.

This person was holding a dark yellow circular shield in his hand, and a strange beast that looked very much like a rhinoceros was carved on the shield.

Obviously, during the time he was waiting just now, Chu Bo had sent people to get this shield.

This shield was named 'Rhino-Dragon', and it was refined using the body of a fifth-grade exotic beast as the main material, so it was a fifth-grade exotic weapon!

This exotic weapon was a treasure in the warehouse of the Zhige General Academy, which Chu Bo had used his authority to misuse for private purposes and temporarily borrowed.

The Rhino-Dragon Shield not only had excellent defensive power but also came with a counter-shock characteristic. In the hands of a martial artist who had mastered metal-attribute or earth-attribute Innate Qi, it could exert its maximum power and could completely block the attacks of a martial artist who practices strength.

Chu Bo borrowed this shield just to carry out the war of attrition to the end.

The Chu family's martial artist walked onto the ring holding the shield and injected Innate Qi into the Rhino-Dragon Shield in his hand; a layer of pale yellow aura covered the surface of the shield.

Li Fei strode forward and charged, then slashed down with his blade.

Bang—

A dull sound of impact rang out on the ring, and the Chu family martial artist holding the shield took two steps back and stood firm!

Li Fei looked at the shield with some surprise.

Back when he stormed the mountain gate of the Tiefeng Sect, the other party also adopted a war of attrition, sending people wearing heavy armor and heavy shields to fight him, but the defensive power of those heavy armors and shields combined was not even half of this shield in front of him!

If Li Fei used 'Blood Rage', relying on the powerful strength enhancement, he could indeed forcibly shake the other party, but that would easily expose his strength.

If he didn't use 'Blood Rage', he would have to consume more strength to defeat the other party. If he kept fighting match after match like this, until his strength was exhausted, he would probably still have to expose his true strength.

So Li Fei simply stood on the ring.

And didn't move.

"This?"

The Chu family martial artist holding the shield was dumbfounded.

The bet between Li Fei and Chu Bo stated that 'within today, as long as someone from the Chu family can knock me down, they win'.

So, in fact, this duel didn't mean Li Fei had to fight all the experts of the Chu family; he just had to ensure that he never lost.

It was just that in the previous few matches, the momentum Li Fei displayed was too strong and he fought too domineeringly, making people subconsciously ignore this point.

The Chu family's martial artists subconsciously placed themselves in the position of defenders.

Now that Li Fei wasn't attacking, it was the Chu family martial artist on the ring who felt awkward.

They couldn't just keep dragging it out until time ran out, right?

He looked back at Chu Bo on the fourth floor, then gritted his teeth and charged toward Li Fei.

Holding the Rhino-Dragon Shield in front of him, he charged with the shield, intending to use the shield to forcibly knock Li Fei off the ring!

Li Fei leaped to the left, and he also quickly changed direction, but Li Fei suddenly turned back, exerted force, and pulled out a series of afterimages.

Swish—

Li Fei rushed behind his opponent, scaring the other party into turning around in a hurry.

But Li Fei didn't attack; he just stood in place and looked at the other party calmly.

This Chu family martial artist gritted his teeth and continued to charge, but was still easily evaded by Li Fei, and the positions of the two on the ring were swapped once again.

"."

The Chu family martial artist looked at Li Fei, who had a calm face, with some helplessness, and could only continue to charge.

Swish—

Swish—

Swish—

Thus, the audience off the ring enjoyed a high-level game of 'hide-and-seek'.

Right on this not-too-large circular ring, one chased and one dodged; both were very fast, the sound of air being torn apart was constant, and they also pulled out afterimages one after another.

Li Fei's speed was already much faster than his opponent's, and he had the 'Danger Perception' ability, which allowed him to predict the other party's moves in advance. This allowed him to dodge the opponent's lunges time and time again; the opponent chased for a long time but couldn't even touch the corner of his clothes.

Chu family martial artist: "."

Chu Bo: "."

He had originally thought that a peerless prodigy like Li Fei must be young and frivolous; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to make such a bet with him.

Judging from the previous three duels, Li Fei's fighting style was indeed very wild.

That was why Chu Bo went to borrow the Rhino-Dragon Shield.

Being young and frivolous, and with so many people watching and so many people constantly cheering and supporting him, he felt that Li Fei would definitely continue his previous fighting style and keep fighting head-on.

As a result, Li Fei suddenly changed his style, turning from a domineering and arrogant berserker into a seasoned and cunning hunter.

He suddenly started playing it safe!

This change in style made Chu Bo feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Is he really only 18 years old?"

Chu Bo asked himself if it were him at 18, with Li Fei's talent and reputation, he would definitely be much more arrogant than the other party!

To describe it in one sentence, it would probably be that if a dog on the side of the road dared to bark at him a few more times, it would have to be slapped twice.

But Li Fei was too calm!

"Liu Zheng."

Chu Bo suddenly spoke and called out a person's name.

"Family Head."

A man with a steady temperament stepped forward.

This person was a guest elder of the Chu family, with the cultivation of a peak Qi-Transformation stage, and was the strongest person in the Chu family besides Chu Bo.

For this match today, Chu Bo had initially pinned his hopes on Chu Yu being able to take down Li Fei directly.

If that didn't work, his greatest hope was placed on Liu Zheng.

He had originally intended to let the people in front exhaust Li Fei until he was almost done, and then let Liu Zheng go up to settle the matter with one blow.

But now it seemed that was impossible.

If the Chu family martial artist on the ring didn't admit defeat, Li Fei could accompany the other party until dark!

"For this match today, the Chu family cannot lose."

Chu Bo looked at Liu Zheng and said in a deep voice.

"Yes, Family Head, I will definitely do my utmost!"

Liu Zheng said with a firm face.

Chu Bo shook his head: "That's not enough."

Liu Zheng was startled: "What does the Family Head mean?"

Chu Bo took a small medicine bottle from his bosom and placed it gently on the table: "This is the Realm-Breaking Pill; take it, and then go on the ring."

"Family Head?"

Liu Zheng looked at Chu Bo with an astonished face.

A few seconds later, he gave a miserable smile.

The Realm-Breaking Pill was a pill with extremely domineering medicinal properties; after taking it, it could greatly stimulate the potential of the implant, allowing the implant to erupt with power that exceeded its limits.

But this would also cause serious damage to the implant, and this damage was irreversible!

Therefore, this kind of pill was usually only taken at a life-or-death moment, because if you didn't take it, you would die.

But once used, it meant that the path of martial arts was severed from then on!

Liu Zheng was 42 years old this year, 8 years away from 50.

He had only first incorporated an implant at the age of 17 and embarked on the path of martial arts, so in fact, by the time he was about 47, the implant in his body would enter the aging period.

The reason there was a saying about 50 years old was that in the first few years after entering the aging period, the decline in strength was not significant, and there was still a very slim chance to break through the realm. Historically, there were indeed people who broke through to the Dao-Foundation stage at 49 or 50.

However, Liu Zheng knew his own situation; he definitely didn't have the talent and luck to break through after the implant entered the aging period.

So he actually only had about five years left to break through to the Dao-Foundation stage.

The chance was extremely slim.

From the Qi-Transformation stage to the Dao-Foundation stage, the most critical point was to incorporate a new implant, and with an implant already in the body, there was actually no sufficient 'space' to incorporate a second type of implant.

Regardless of the type of implant, from the Embryo-Nurturing stage to the Qi-Transformation stage, the implant would constantly grow, eventually spreading throughout the martial artist's entire body.

Li Fei's 【Steel Armor】 implant was initially only distributed under the skin of his entire body; by now, the 'roots' of the 【Steel Armor】 had already penetrated deep into his entire body's bone marrow and internal organs.

This was the fundamental reason why his body would be strengthened every time he broke through a realm.

If one wanted to incorporate a second type of implant, the martial artist had to first gather the implant that had already spread throughout the body back into a mass; this process was called—Returning to One.

The process of gathering the implant was very, very difficult; it could neither damage the implant nor affect the exertion of one's own strength, so 'Returning to One' involved a whole set of extremely cumbersome and complex techniques.

Many people could not master these techniques in their entire lives!

This was the biggest threshold standing between the Qi-Transformation stage and the Dao-Foundation stage.

Liu Zheng broke through to the peak of the Qi-Transformation stage at the age of 30. At that time, he was high-spirited and felt that he had a great chance of becoming a Dao-Foundation stage powerhouse; he would occasionally even fantasize about the scene of himself becoming a martial arts master in the future...

But it took him twelve years to barely gather half of the implant that was spread throughout his body.

That is to say, his progress in 'Returning to One' was less than 50% complete, and this had already consumed twelve years of his time.

He had five years left to complete the remaining 50%.

So, in fact, whether he took the Realm-Breaking Pill or not, his martial arts future was basically severed.

It was just...

Liu Zheng looked at the bottle of Realm-Breaking Pill on the table with a face full of unwillingness.

Chu Bo looked at him with a calm gaze.

A moment later, Liu Zheng extended his right hand and picked up the medicine bottle on the table, trembling slightly.

Chu Bo's gaze softened, and he said in a gentle tone:

"Don't worry, as long as you can win this battle, I will take your son as my personal disciple in the future, and teach and cultivate him with care."

He was a person who had the chance to become a martial arts master, and at the same time, he was the helmsman of the Zhige General Academy; his personal disciples were naturally very valuable.

Liu Zheng cupped his hands and bowed to Chu Bo:

"Thank you, Family Head!"

After saying this, he opened the medicine bottle and swallowed the pill inside in one gulp.

PS: I have social engagements tonight, so it is highly likely there won't be a second update; everyone doesn't need to wait.

(End of chapter)