Feng Liang hadn’t planned on speaking up.

After all, Liu Hui and Jin Sanpang had already proven to him twice in a row that his worries were unnecessary.

But Niu Kexin was different.

Just like the burly man from the Suffering Cultivation Sub-Palace, Feng Liang had also misunderstood Mo Qi’s intentions.

He thought Mo Qi’s previous actions were because he was afraid Niu Kexin would get hurt.

"Master Mo, Ascetics are far more mentally resilient than ordinary people. They’re all rigid and incredibly difficult to deal with. When they fight, they don’t know how to hold back. Do you think we could swap in someone else?"

Mo Qi smiled and shook his head. Just as he was about to speak, Niu Kexin cut in.

"Nephew, are you saying you think your auntie can’t beat that big guy?"

Feng Liang froze. Of course he wouldn’t admit it, so he quickly shook his head.

"No, no! I just think that with your status, Auntie, it would be beneath you to fight a brute from the Suffering Cultivation Sub-Palace."

"Hmph!"

Niu Kexin turned to face the flat-topped, burly man.

’How could I not see what Feng Liang is really thinking!’

’If Feng Liang thinks this way, then there must be plenty of others who also believe I’m no match for that burly man.’

This only strengthened Niu Kexin’s resolve to fight.

’I’ll show everyone that I, Niu Kexin, am not a burden to Mo Qi, not a dead weight!’

’Well then... let’s start right now!’

"Nephew, watch closely!"

Niu Kexin murmured, then walked toward the burly, flat-topped man step by step.

’It’s over!’

Mo Qi sighed heavily.

’Now Sister Kexin is definitely going to get serious.’

’The other Sub-Palaces will probably be even more terrified to accept a challenge after this.’

At this thought, Mo Qi shot Feng Liang an irritated glare and then smacked him hard on the back of the head.

’That’s for running your mouth!’

Feng Liang saw stars, completely bewildered.

’Why did he hit me?’

By now, Niu Kexin and the flat-topped, burly man from the Suffering Cultivation Sub-Palace were face to face, less than ten feet apart.

"Little girl, it’s not too late to regret this and walk away," the burly man said in a low voice, flexing a fist covered in calluses and scars.

Niu Kexin raised an eyebrow, her tone displeased. "Big guy, you think you’ve already won?"

"At the very least, I won’t lose!"

"Oh? Is that so? Then bring it on!" Niu Kexin beckoned with her hand.

The burly man frowned. Niu Kexin’s casual attitude was a constant jab at his pride.

He had originally planned to be polite, but now it seemed there was no need.

"Let’s see just how much confidence is hiding in that tiny frame of yours!"

The burly man snorted coldly, pulling his clenched fists back to his waist to gather power.

Instantly, a powerful and incredibly pure, wild aura erupted from him.

"HAH!"

With a roar, the burly man’s aura doubled in intensity. His sleeves burst apart, revealing two arms that gleamed with a metallic luster.

His powerful muscles, like the gnarled roots of an ancient tree, pulsed with a sense of strength.

That was a sign of having cultivated ascetic Body Refining to a profound Realm!

It was said that when strength reached a certain height, it could rival that of a Divine Being!

One strike to shatter all techniques!

"I won’t show any mercy! Let’s fight!"

BOOM!

The burly man stomped a single foot on the ground, the immense force causing it to shake violently.

A deep trench was forcibly gouged into the earth beneath his foot.

Using the recoil, the burly man shot forward like a bolt of lightning. His massive frame, carrying a terrifying and suffocating pressure, crashed toward Niu Kexin like a small mountain.

HISSSSSS!

Because his speed and power were too great, the friction between the burly man and the air produced a piercing whistle.

Niu Kexin, in contrast, stood motionless, simply looking up as the burly man charged at her.

She looked as if she were scared stiff.

This time, even the Immortal Ancestors of the Feng and Xiao Families, who had absolute trust in Mo Qi, couldn’t help but feel nervous.

The contrast was simply too jarring.

One was a genius from the Suffering Cultivation Sub-Palace—a hulking figure embodying brute force. The other was a delicate beauty who looked so fragile it seemed a gust of wind could knock her over.

Just as the vast majority of onlookers believed Niu Kexin was about to be tragically killed by the burly man, she moved.

Facing the burly man’s thunderous attack, she merely lifted her right hand.

THWAP!

It was a muffled sound, like a stick striking cotton—so quiet you would have missed it if you weren’t listening carefully.

"This..."

The entire arena fell deathly silent. Countless jaws dropped, and eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets.

’Heavens, what are we seeing?!’

In the center of the sparring grounds, the burly man’s hammer-like fist was caught by Niu Kexin’s single hand, his unstoppable momentum coming to an abrupt halt.

"Is that all the strength you have?" Niu Kexin asked with a light smile, the corners of her lips turning up.

The burly man, in contrast, was drenched in cold sweat, his face flushed red with exertion.

Veins bulged on his punching arm as it trembled uncontrollably.

"I... You... What do you mean?" A very bad feeling welled up in the burly man’s heart.

Just a moment ago, he had thought he could defeat Niu Kexin with a single punch, perhaps even kill her on the spot.

Who would have thought that his all-out strike would be so casually caught with one hand by this seemingly fragile woman?

When his fist met her palm, he felt as if he hadn’t struck flesh and blood, but an impossibly hard meteorite from beyond the heavens.

The rebounding force nearly shattered his bones.

If not for his many years of ascetic training and his extraordinary tolerance for pain, he would have already been overwhelmed by the excruciating agony shooting up his arm.

"It means, if you’ve already reached your limit, then it should be my turn!" Niu Kexin said with a grin.

"Huh?"

Before the burly man could even react, Niu Kexin made her move.

She twisted her wrist, her five fingers locking around the burly man’s fist. Sinking her stance slightly, she tensed her core and let out a soft shout.

"Up!"

The burly man suddenly felt his footing become unsteady as an irresistible, immense force traveled from his arm through his entire body.

His feet left the ground involuntarily. Pivoting around his fist, his body traced a perfect arc through the air.

BOOM!

By the time he realized what was happening, his entire body had made intimate contact with the ground.

CRACK! CREAK!

Countless cracks appeared in the ground, spreading outward like a spiderweb.

PFFT—

The burly man spat out a mouthful of blood, his whole body in a terrible state.

Logically speaking, with the toughness of his ascetic Body Refining, a fall from a thousand meters up should have resulted in superficial wounds at worst. It shouldn’t have been enough to harm his bones, let alone his internal organs.

But now, after Niu Kexin had merely swung him into the ground once, he felt as if his entire skeleton had shattered and all his internal organs were damaged.

"Again!" Niu Kexin’s stance didn’t change as she prepared to swing the burly man again, this time in a different direction.

"Wait, wait, wait! We can talk about this!"

The flat-topped man quickly tried to surrender, but Niu Kexin acted as if she hadn’t heard him, reversing her grip and executing a clean and brutal one-hundred-and-eighty-degree windmill slam.