The difference of half a step was like the chasm between heaven and earth—enough to overturn the outcome of the entire duel.

The crowd subconsciously turned to look at Sun Yong, who was seated next to the County Magistrate.

Sun Yong had a smile playing on his lips, his eyes filled with an unconcealable pride. His all-knowing expression made everything instantly clear to everyone.

"You sly old fox, Sun Yong!" The Ye Family Patriarch on the right couldn’t help but slam his hand on the table. "You kept this secret too well! Such a huge development, and you didn’t let a single whisper get out!"

"Exactly, Old Sun! Yang Jing broke through to Huajin, and you didn’t make a peep? Were you planning to give everyone a ’surprise’? I’d say you dropped a bombshell on us!" another person exclaimed in shock.

The County Magistrate, Zhou Wenbin, took a deep breath, his gaze toward Sun Yong filled with emotion. "Hall Master Sun, this duel has been full of twists and turns. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

His words echoed the thoughts of everyone present.

At first, everyone thought Yang Jing would have the upper hand with his invincible mastery of Hidden Strength.

Then, Li Mengchao revealed he was at Half-Step Huajin, and the tide instantly turned in the Li Family’s favor.

Now that Yang Jing had revealed his Huajin-level strength, the situation had reversed once more.

This constant back-and-forth had everyone’s hearts pounding in their chests, making the spectating more nerve-wracking than the fight itself.

Li Haitao and the Li Family’s Grand Elder had faces as dark as the bottom of a pot, their fingers gripping the armrests of their chairs in a death grip.

This was especially true for Li Haitao. The mere thought of the Purple Jade Pill, the Hundred Herbs Spirit Pill, the Exotic Beast Meat, and the ten thousand taels of silver that the Li Family had put up as stakes felt like a knife twisting in his heart.

Those stakes were worth eighty thousand taels!

If they lost, not only would the Li Family be utterly disgraced, but the financial loss would be so painful it felt like he was bleeding.

"What’s there to panic about?" Li Haitao forced himself to remain calm, whispering to the Grand Elder beside him. "The winner hasn’t been decided yet. Meng Chao wasn’t using his full strength just now."

The Grand Elder nodded and murmured, "That’s right. Meng Chao hasn’t used the Vajra Hand Seal yet. That Yang Jing must have just broken through to Huajin; his foundation can’t be stable. Our Li Family’s ultimate technique is domineering and unparalleled. Few can match it within the same realm. Meng Chao might not lose!"

The surrounding Huajin Powerhouses who overheard this, however, all secretly shook their heads.

The Vajra Hand Seal was certainly formidable, but Yang Jing was a true Huajin expert, a minor realm above Li Mengchao’s Half-Step Huajin.

Such a tangible gap in cultivation realms was not something that could be easily overcome by a single ultimate technique.

...

On the fighting stage, Li Mengchao’s heart was still pounding wildly.

The shock from that last punch left a lingering fear in him.

Taking a deep breath, Li Mengchao suppressed the storm raging in his heart, his expression turning incredibly grave.

He slowly raised his hands, a faint golden glow appearing in his palms. An aura far more powerful than before erupted from his body, filled with an overbearing dominance that seemed to look down on all creation.

"Yang Jing, I underestimated you. But this duel isn’t over yet!"

Before his voice had faded, his figure moved like lightning. He thrust out both palms, the golden glow intensifying, as if they were two invisible, gigantic vajra hands crashing down on Yang Jing with Mountain-Shattering Stone-Splitting force!

This time, he held nothing back, unleashing the Li Family’s ultimate, last-resort technique and erupting with all the strength in his body!

Watching Li Mengchao attack with his full power, Yang Jing’s expression also grew more serious.

’His opponent is only at Half-Step Huajin, but if I underestimate the domineering power of the Vajra Hand Seal, I’ll likely suffer for it.’

’Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit, and this Li Mengchao is no helpless rabbit. He’s a desperate, cornered wolf.’

He took a deep breath, completely centering his mind. The Huajin energy in his body surged like a mighty river, flowing through his limbs and bones.

The raw power of the Mountain-Shattering Fist and the fluid nature of Huajin blended perfectly within him, giving rise to an aura as steady and immovable as a mountain.

"A good attack!"

Yang Jing let out a low shout and, instead of retreating, advanced. He focused all his strength into his fists and punched out to meet the two golden palms.

The instant fists and palms met, the golden glow and the force of the punches collided with a deafening BOOM.

Li Mengchao felt a force several times more powerful than before rush toward him. The golden glow of his Vajra Hand Seal was actually shaken to the point of dissipating slightly. His arms went numb, and he was forced back several steps involuntarily.

Yang Jing, however, stood as firm as a boulder. His assault didn’t stop; his left fist followed immediately, carrying the Mountain-Shattering Stone-Splitting might as it aimed straight for Li Mengchao’s center.

The ensuing exchange became a completely one-sided suppression by Yang Jing.

Empowered by his Huajin, every move of his Mountain-Shattering Fist was ferocious and every stance was solid. At times it was like a furious wave crashing against the shore, at others like a heavy hammer striking stone, sealing off all of Li Mengchao’s escape routes.

Although Li Mengchao desperately channeled the Vajra Hand Seal, his hands a blur of impenetrable golden light, he was constantly forced back by the might of Yang Jing’s fists, cutting a pathetic figure.

After a little more than a dozen exchanges, blood was already trickling from Li Mengchao’s mouth and nose. His face was as pale as paper, and his once-straight posture was slightly stooped. He had clearly suffered internal injuries.

Yang Jing marveled internally. ’This Vajra Hand Seal really lives up to its reputation.’

’Li Mengchao’s realm is clearly a step below mine, and I’m also training in the Raging Wave Kicks and the Indestructible True Skill.’

’My Raging Wave Kicks have broken through to the Hidden Strength stage, which also contributes to the sheer power of my Inner Strength.’

’Although my Indestructible True Skill hasn’t even reached the Bright Strength stage yet, it’s a legendary True Skill. Its quality is far superior to the Li Family’s Vajra Hand Seal.’

’Even though it hasn’t reached Bright Strength, this True Skill has helped me immensely, especially in tempering my body. It has raised my overall physical conditioning by a whole level. That’s why Master once said that even an ordinary Martial Artist who has just broken through to Huajin would be no match for me.’

’And yet, Li Mengchao has managed to hold on this long relying on this top-tier ultimate technique. The power of such a martial art is truly not to be underestimated.’

Meanwhile, an even greater storm was raging in Li Mengchao’s heart.

’Yang Jing was at the Hidden Strength stage just a short while ago,’ he thought. ’He must have only just broken through to Huajin. His Inner Strength has to be unrefined, and his use of Huajin can’t be fluid.’

’With my Half-Step Huajin foundation, combined with the domineering power of the Vajra Hand Seal, I thought I’d have a fighting chance.’

But after they clashed, he realized he had been outrageously wrong.

Yang Jing’s Huajin circulated with a steady, practiced ease, showing none of the clumsiness of a recent breakthrough. His Inner Strength was terrifyingly condensed, and every punch carried a devastating force.

Li Mengchao even had the strange feeling that fighting Yang Jing was as difficult as sparring with his own father!

’Yang Jing’s strength, even if it’s weaker than my father’s, can’t be much weaker. How could any ordinary Martial Artist who just broke through to Huajin have this level of skill?’

Bitterness welled up in his heart. Li Mengchao felt his organs churning, and a tidal wave of excruciating pain washed over him.

He knew he couldn’t last much longer, but the pride in his bones wouldn’t let him admit defeat. He gritted his teeth and persevered.

On the thirteenth exchange.

Yang Jing’s Mountain-Shattering Fist collided with Li Mengchao’s Vajra Hand Seal once more.

Yang Jing pushed his internal Huajin to its absolute limit, the force of his fist whistling through the air with the desperate momentum of one who has burned their bridges.

CRACK!

With a sharp snap, Li Mengchao felt an intense pain in his right arm as the golden glow of the Vajra Hand Seal instantly disintegrated.

Unable to hold on any longer, he spat out a large mouthful of blood with a sickening SQUELCH. His body flew backward like a kite with a snapped string, slamming heavily into the stage’s railing with a loud CLANG.

The railing bent on impact. Li Mengchao slid down to the floor, his aura instantly weakening. His chest heaved violently, and he was unable to get back up.

At that moment, the entire plaza fell into a dead silence.

Everyone, including the common folk who did not practice the Martial Dao, was stunned speechless by the spectacular fight and the overwhelming victory.

In the front row of the spectators’ seats, Sun Yong shot to his feet. Unable to contain his smile any longer, he burst into loud laughter.

Li Haitao’s vision went black, and he nearly collapsed. He stared deathly at the upright figure on the stage, his eyes filled with disbelief and unwillingness to accept the outcome.

And on the stage, Yang Jing stood with his fists retracted, calmly looking at the fallen Li Mengchao. His voice carried clearly across the entire plaza:

"I was fortunate."