A relentless, frenzied assault!!

Roiling shockwaves, thundering booms, terrifying vibrations, and a dizzying array of techniques!

It was as if this wasn’t a tournament match, not a battle between two men, but a warzone raging with a hail of bullets and a storm of cannon fire!!

Forget about intervening in a fight like this—just standing in the ring required immense courage. It was no different from being on a brutal battlefield, where the slightest lapse in concentration could get you injured or even killed by the terrifying aftershocks!

The opening assault had already surpassed everyone’s expectations. This was a level of power far beyond what an ordinary person could imagine. Even the powerful Martial Artists in attendance couldn’t help but be taken aback by the strength the two displayed.

"Zhao Xuanqi’s breathing technique is incredibly similar to my Black Tortoise Sect’s Turtle and Snake Breath," Shi Huai’an said gravely. "His breath is long and steady, yet agile. A single breath seems to last forever. His explosive power, endurance, and stamina are all beyond imagination—he can attack at full strength for an extremely long time without needing to inhale. Who is this man, and where did he come from?!"

"His Beast Form is also bizarre. Tiger? Bear? Deer? Horse? Elephant? Ape? Leopard? And it isn’t just the Form of the Walking Beast; it seems to have the intent of a Flying Bird Form mixed in as well. It’s almost unbelievable that he can integrate so many Beast Forms so perfectly. Just what kind of Fist Technique is this?"

Fan Shiyan of the White Tiger Sect was also deeply surprised, not only by the foundation and explosive power Zhao Xuanqi displayed, but also by the techniques and skills he employed.

The White Tiger Sect was considered the foremost master of the era’s Walking Beast Form, possessing many Secret Transmission Beast Forms. Yet, even they couldn’t do what Zhao Xuanqi did—seamlessly transitioning to a Flying Bird Form from within a Walking Beast Form, and with such fluid agility.

No wonder the spectators couldn’t make sense of it. Right now, even he was having a hard time understanding what he was seeing.

Fortunately, these were all ordinary Beast Forms and hadn’t yet truly defied logic.

In the ring, amidst the furious exchange, Zhao Xuanqi was just as surprised as the spectators.

He had achieved Great Success in the Fierce Soaring Two Stances, Qi Circulation Throughout the Body, and an All-Body Extreme Breakthrough. Now, with the support of the Xuanwu Breath, he was confident his physical foundation surpassed that of most Inner Cultivation Martial Artists. Yet, the physical strength his opponent was now displaying surpassed his own.

’That’s right. My physical strength is actually inferior to his.’

The only reason they had fought to a stalemate over this prolonged exchange was that he was using his formidable experience, intuition, and skill to compensate for the gap in their Physical Ability.

Force Transformation, Power Generation...

A combination of all these factors had led to the current outcome.

’Western Border Gu Martial Arts... truly an incredible Secret Transmission.’

Zhao Xuanqi’s eyes grew brighter, as did Wu Yin’s on the other side of the ring. Wu Yin knew better than anyone just how strong his skin, muscles, and fascia had become under the effects of the Profound Black Line Gu.

Skin like steel, muscles like steel wires, tendons like bowstrings. With his bare hands, he could obliterate a reinforced pillbox. His body’s compatibility with the Poisonous Insect was among the highest in the entire history of the Western Border.

Yet now, someone was matching him with a body of mere flesh and blood. This truly was beyond his expectations.

BOOM!!

After a full three and a half minutes of trading blows, the Physical Ability they could exert on a single breath was almost completely depleted. With one final clash of palms, they used the momentum to separate, leaping to opposite sides of the ring.

WHOOSH!!

Zhao Xuanqi’s deeply inflated lungs contracted abruptly, and a jet of air, compressed to its absolute limit, shot from his mouth and nose, striking the ground like a sharp blade.

BAM!!

The blast of air pressure shattered the gravel on the ground, kicking up debris and carving a small pit in front of him. The audience’s eyes twitched as they witnessed this terrifying display of breath control. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

’We probably couldn’t even block a single breath from him!’

On the other side, Wu Yin’s display was no less impressive.

HSSS!!

As he exhaled, the pores all over his body suddenly opened and closed, countless Profound Black Line Gu breathing in unison with him.

His rapidly rising body temperature vaporized the moisture inside him, causing steam to jet from his pores. He no longer looked human, but rather like some terrible machine.

"You’re very good," Wu Yin said quietly, gazing at Zhao Xuanqi. "The warm-up ends here. You’ve earned the right to witness my true power."

"Indeed, the warm-up should be over," Zhao Xuanqi nodded slightly.

By this point in the fight, both men knew it was impossible to defeat the other in their normal states.

"I have a total of four types of Gu in my body. What you’ve seen so far was only the first. I wonder how many you’ll be able to handle?"

A terrifying smile curled Wu Yin’s lips.

’A warm-up... Four types of Gu... And that was only the first one...’

As Wu Yin’s words registered, the crowd couldn’t help but gasp, their scalps tingling with a creeping dread.

’That level of attack was just a warm-up? And he was only using the power of a single Gu?’

’If he used all three other Poisonous Insects, what level of power would he reach?’

’Terrifying. He’s simply too terrifying!’

’So this is the power of an heir to the Western Border Wu Family?’

Even the expressions of Shi Huai’an, Fan Shiyan, and the others grew solemn. This Wu Yin truly possessed a strength that made them feel threatened.

"Next up, the second one!"

Wu Yin barked.

THUMP!! THUMP!!

His heart began to beat violently, and the terrifying thumping was actually audible to everyone within a several-dozen-meter radius.

’His heartbeat is actually that powerful?!’

Even Zhao Xuanqi’s eye twitched. ’Even for a Five Qi Tongxuan master who has obtained the Heart Fire Qi,’ he thought, ’a heartbeat this powerful would probably make their blood vessels explode, right?’

Right now, if anyone had X-ray vision, they would see that Wu Yin’s heart was encased in a layer of pale red, mucous-like substance. This mucus even coated some of the blood vessels surrounding the heart.

This was, in fact, a type of Poisonous Insect living in symbiosis with Wu Yin’s heart. Once stimulated by Qi and Blood, it would naturally envelop the heart and major blood vessels, providing powerful reinforcement. This made the heart exceptionally tough and maximized the body’s ability to supply blood.

However, the Heart Gu also constantly devoured Qi and Blood, rapidly draining Physical Ability. Moreover, even with the Heart Gu’s protection, the heart would inevitably sustain damage.

This was one of the powerful Secret Techniques available to practitioners of Western Border Gu Martial Arts at the Five Qi Profound Level.

BANG!!

A terrifying surge of Qi and Blood rushed through his entire body. The capillaries in his extremities, unprotected by any Poisonous Insect, were unable to withstand such a violent impact and instantly ruptured en masse.

But the blood from the ruptured capillaries didn’t pool beneath his skin; instead, it was greedily absorbed by the Profound Black Line Gu inhabiting his muscles. Replenished by the potent nutrients in the blood, the Profound Black Line Gu erupted into a frenzy once more.

From the front, the dark purple, armor-like plating on Wu Yin’s skin writhed and bulged. It no longer resembled plate armor, but rather a coat of living scales.

THUMP!!

Wu Yin suddenly unleashed his Force, his body’s explosive power rising yet again.

Zhao Xuanqi also took a sharp breath. The various aspects of his vitality merged into one as his Spirit flared, and he entered an even deeper state of Rong.

The Fierce Soaring Two Stances merged as never before, becoming indistinguishable from one another.

Qiongqi!!

BOOM!!

The Form of the Fierce Beast struck out. Their bodies collided, but this time, Zhao Xuanqi felt as if he had been hit by a train. The Form of the Fierce Beast was shattered instantly, and his entire body was sent flying into the air!