Upon seeing this, even Chen Fei's pupils shrank slightly, realizing his opponent had been provoked into getting serious. Immediately after, his clothes rustled as eighteen streaks of the Sword Qi of Sanyang True Fire crawled up his arm, forming crimson patterns that pulsed with a scorching glow.

BANG! BANG!

His fist collided with Yan Zhen's twice in quick succession, sending ripples spreading out. Within those ripples, the Sword Qi of Sanyang True Fire and the Hundred Battles Spiritual Energy intertwined, sizzling and humming, making it impossible to determine a victor.

"Showing off your physical prowess in front of me!?"

Yan Zhen's eyes flickered with a menacing glint as they fixed on Chen Fei, his cold and mocking voice following swiftly. "Trying to pull a stunt like that in front of me, Yan Zhen, an Inner Sect Disciple of the War Halberd Sect? You still have a long way to go!" His sect was renowned for tempering the body, making its disciples incredibly formidable in close combat. For Chen Fei to dare to challenge him on these grounds—wasn't that just courting death?

As soon as his mocking words fell, he took a step forward, unleashing a shocking torrent of Hundred Battles Spiritual Energy as he charged toward Chen Fei. His fist came crashing down again.

This time, he unleashed an incredible volley of three consecutive punches!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

As an Inner Sect Disciple of the War Halberd Sect, known for his powerful physique and skill in close-quarters combat, Yan Zhen truly lived up to his title.

Each of his three punches carried astonishing might, enough that even an SS+ Level expert would likely be crippled by a single blow. The proof was plain to see.

In the blink of an eye, the eighteen streaks of Sanyang True Fire Sword Qi flickering around Chen Fei's fist began to waver and dim, on the verge of dispersing. Chen Fei's eyes narrowed, his expression growing solemn. Though he found Yan Zhen distasteful, the man's strength was among the most formidable he had encountered since his debut.

This level of power was likely beyond that of an ordinary Qi Refining Sixth Layer practitioner.

And this was indeed true. As the man who had risen from a common laborer to an Inner Sect Disciple faster than anyone in the War Halberd Sect in the last century, Yan Zhen's strength and talent were beyond question.

Even an average practitioner at the Peak of Qi Refining Sixth Layer from his own sect probably couldn't do much against him. But now...

What Cultivation Realm is this kid at? Can he really be the same as me, at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer!?

Although Yan Zhen currently seemed to have the upper hand, his heart was filled with profound astonishment. Only now did he truly feel that Chen Fei, who was at least ten years his junior, possessed strength nearly equal to his own. The difference between them was a mere sliver.

And what does that mean!? It means if not for this decade of age difference, wouldn't I, Yan Zhen, be no different than an ant before him!?

In that instant, a seed of regret inexplicably sprouted in his heart. Perhaps I shouldn't have waded into these troubled waters.

But it was too late for regrets. He could only grit his teeth and press on.

"Let's see you take a few more of my punches!" he bellowed.

The instant his shout fell, his body transformed into a dusky gray shadow and shot forward. His figure reappeared in a flash, high above Chen Fei's head! This time, the piercing waves of Hundred Battles Spiritual Energy emanating from his arms burst forth with an oppressive, heart-stopping brilliance, heavy and profound. It was as if his punch had blotted out all the light from Chen Fei's vision!

Chen Fei's expression changed instantly; he hadn't expected his opponent to be capable of such a bizarre technique. However, faced with Yan Zhen's onslaught, he stubbornly chose not to retreat. Instead, his eyes began to swirl with a terrifying, crimson light.

"Flame Finger."

He swiftly raised his right hand and thrust a single finger forward.

A thin beam of light, as scorching as magma, shot out from his fingertip, striking fiercely against the gray fog that obscured his sight.

A muffled grunt came from behind the fog, but Chen Fei was also struck hard by the subsequent impact and sent flying backward.

BOOM!

A ripple, blending scorching flames and dusky Hundred Battles Spiritual Energy, swept out violently. Before everyone's eyes, the area where the main battle platform had already collapsed sank even deeper, as if struck by a meteor. Several dark, deep pits of varying sizes appeared amidst the billowing smoke.

Chen Fei was blown backward by the impact. His body shook violently as his feet gouged trenches seven or eight meters long into the ground before he finally steadied himself.

He fixed his gaze on Yan Zhen, who stood not far away with an exceptionally ugly expression, blood dripping from his fingers. "So this is the power of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer?" he muttered to himself. "It's quite formidable, but amazingly, this is still within my calculations."

Although Yan Zhen wasn't sent flying, he had stumbled back seven or eight meters. A hole had been pierced clean through his finger by Chen Fei's Flame Finger, and it was now bleeding profusely. His complexion was exceptionally foul, and a deep gloom settled in his gaze.

"I admit, I underestimated you before," he said.

Then, his icy eyes locked onto Chen Fei as he let out an extremely eerie laugh. "However, the Peak of Qi Refining Fifth Layer is still the Peak of Qi Refining Fifth Layer. No matter how outlandish your methods are, you can't possibly bridge the chasm between these levels." Hearing this, Chen Fei's pitch-black eyes, as clear as glass, flickered slightly.

"What? Peak of Qi Refining Fifth Layer!?" As Yan Zhen spoke, while many in the crowd were baffled, Liu Chudong's face went pale with alarm, and he cried out in shock. He, of course, knew what Yan Zhen's words implied.

But Chen Fei had already fought Yan Zhen to a standstill. How could he possibly be only at the Peak of Qi Refining Fifth Layer!? This completely contradicted everything he understood. In other words... someone at the Peak of Qi Refining Fifth Layer shouldn't be this formidable, right?

I didn't expect him to see through me after all.

Chen Fei glanced deeply at Yan Zhen, surprised that his concealment had been penetrated. But then he tossed the trivial matter aside, his dark eyes gazing coldly at his opponent. "Alright, let's continue. We haven't determined a winner yet, have we?"

He paused, his tone turning colder. "Also, you'd better bring out your trump card. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't be able to do anything to me with just this." Hearing this, Yan Zhen's eyes couldn't help but narrow, a grim chill passing through them.

But this time, he didn't mock Chen Fei's words.

After their recent exchange, he had indeed sensed that Chen Fei's strength far exceeded his expectations. Even he, Yan Zhen, if he didn't resort to his true last resort, might not be able to handle his opponent.

At this thought, his eyes flashed fiercely. His fingers had, at some point, reached his neck and removed the beaded necklace he wore. He pressed his thumb against one of the beads.

CRACK!

He crushed the necklace. A bead radiating blue light, about the size of his pinky finger, rolled out.

"That is…" Chen Fei's eyes narrowed as he stared at the blue light in Yan Zhen's hand.

Upon closer inspection, the blue light was a magical azure bead. Once Yan Zhen removed it from the necklace, it immediately began to swell, growing until it was two-thirds the size of a fist before stabilizing.

However, what truly caught Chen Fei's attention was the astonishing chill that slowly emanated from the magical bead. It seemed to be freezing the very air, condensing it into tiny ice crystals that hung suspended in space.

"Hehe."

Yan Zhen let out a sinister laugh, his eyes locked onto Chen Fei, his voice grim. "To force me to use this Quick Freeze Pearl... even if you lose today, you have reason to be proud!"

BOOM!

The moment his voice fell, the jade-like surface of the azure bead in his palm burst forth with an ominous pulse. A bone-chilling cold erupted, and the surrounding temperature plummeted. For a moment, the crowd felt as if they had been transported to a world of ice and snow. The sheer coldness left everyone stunned, shivering uncontrollably.

GULP. A Mid-Grade Magical Artifact!? Liu Chudong swallowed hard, his expression strange.

Others might not know what the azure "Quick Freeze Pearl" was, but as a Qi Practitioner at the Peak of Qi Refining Fourth Layer, how could he not? If Low Grade Magic Artifacts generally corresponded to their Mid Stage Qi Refining level, then Mid-Grade Magical Artifacts were typically wielded by those in the Late Stage Qi Refining—from the Seventh Layer to the Great Perfection of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining. This alone showed how precious and powerful the item was.

After all, a Mid-Grade Magical Artifact, typically wielded by a Late Stage Qi Refining Powerhouse, was not something any ordinary Qi Refining Sixth Layer practitioner could hope to obtain.

As for the rest of the crowd, while they didn't know the Quick Freeze Pearl's origin, the sudden drop in temperature of more than ten degrees was an eerie change that made them realize the azure bead was no ordinary object. It even seemed to be the monster Yan Zhen's ultimate trump card.

...

A Mid-Grade Magical Artifact?

Standing on the ruins of the main battle platform, Chen Fei's gaze locked onto the Quick Freeze Pearl in Yan Zhen's palm, his eyes flickering. Clearly, even he was surprised that his opponent could produce such a treasure.

With his strength, combined with this Mid-Grade Magical Artifact, he could probably stand undefeated even against an expert at the Peak of Qi Refining Sixth Layer, right? To think this guy could pull out something like this. So this is his real trump card…

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.