Qi Yun took a deep breath and nodded slowly, her voice laced with lingering fear. "I felt it too. That force seemed like it could drill right into my bones. It was completely unstoppable. It felt a lot like a Half-Step Huajin Powerhouse I once met in the Prefecture City."

It wasn’t that they hadn’t fought top-tier experts at the Peak of Dark Energy. In fact, Xu Hong himself was a master at the Peak of Dark Energy.

But the moment they clashed with Li Mengchao, they could clearly feel the immense gap in power. It was simply overwhelming, completely unstoppable!

Their conversation reached the ears of the other disciples from Sun’s Martial Arts Hall, and their expressions all grew grim.

Half-Step Huajin!

That was an existence capable of crushing anyone in the Dark Energy realm. No matter how strong Yang Jing was, he was ultimately just at the Dark Energy realm... ’This time, he’s in real danger.’

In the crowd, Zhao Wenzheng’s fists clenched unconsciously.

He had been jealous of Yang Jing’s talent, jealous of their master’s high regard for him, and jealous of Qi Xue’s favor toward him.

He had also competed with him in secret, but now, looking at the figure on the stage representing Sun’s Martial Arts Hall, only one thought remained in his mind—’He has to win!’

What was a fist exchange?

It wasn’t just about the prize; it was about the face and dignity of the two families!

If it were just a simple match, a private sparring session would have sufficed. Why go through all this trouble!

Losing this fist exchange would be a heavy blow to the reputation of Sun’s Martial Arts Hall in Yuhe County!

Zhao Wenzheng’s lips were pressed into a thin line, his gaze fixed tightly on Yang Jing on the stage.

In a corner of the square, Yang An was being pushed and shoved by the crowd, but his eyes were glued to the stage.

The surrounding chatter pricked his ears like needles.

"Li Mengchao is probably at Half-Step Huajin. Yang Jing is done for."

"Even the strongest Dark Energy expert can’t beat Half-Step Huajin."

"..."

Hearing these voices, his heart sank and his palms grew sweaty. He hoped his Brother Jing could defeat the powerful enemy, but he also feared he would get hurt by trying to hold on. His heart was in his throat, his mind a chaotic mess.

...

On the stage.

Li Mengchao looked at Yang Jing across from him, cupped his fist slightly, and said, "Li Family, Li Mengchao."

The moment his voice fell, he attacked. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Perhaps it was confidence from his winning streak, or perhaps he never took Yang Jing seriously in the first place. He didn’t use his family’s ultimate technique, the Vajra Hand Seal. Instead, he simply threw a casual palm strike. The force of the palm, infused with the perfected energy of a Half-Step Huajin, shot straight for Yang Jing’s chest.

In his view, this one palm strike was enough to make Yang Jing know his place and retreat.

His father had warned him to try not to injure Yang Jing.

Although Li Mengchao desperately wanted to severely injure Yang Jing, the beloved disciple of that Old Sun, to avenge the punch his father had taken from Sun Yong, he also knew what was at stake. He just wanted to defeat Yang Jing beautifully, to let everyone in the county know that the leader of Yuhe County’s younger generation was still him, Li Mengchao!

A faint smile touched Yang Jing’s lips as he watched the incoming palm. He neither dodged nor evaded but threw a punch of his own.

The fierce power of the Mountain-Shattering Fist materialized in his hand. The wind from his fist howled, carrying the unique sharpness of Huajin, and slammed into the wind from Li Mengchao’s palm.

BANG!

A muffled thud made the stage tremble slightly.

The instant the fist and palm met, the calm composure on Li Mengchao’s face froze.

He felt a tyrannical force, far stronger than he’d expected, transmit from the other’s fist. His own Half-Step Huajin energy, his pride and joy, was like snow meeting the sun—it disintegrated the moment of contact!

The force was incomparably fierce, carrying a penetrating sharpness that shot up his arm and into his body, making his blood and qi roil.

THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD!

Li Mengchao stumbled back seven steps, only stopping when his back hit the stage’s railing. All color drained from his face, replaced by utter shock.

He stared at Yang Jing, his eyes filled with disbelief, as if seeing this person for the very first time.

"Hua... Huajin?!" he cried out, his voice trembling.

’This is impossible!’

’How could Yang Jing possibly be in the Huajin Realm?!’

’He knew all too well how hard it was to break through to Huajin. Even with his own superior-grade aptitude, he had stumbled along and had only just now touched the threshold of the Huajin Realm.’

’How old is Yang Jing? How many years has he even been training? A short while ago, he was still at the Dark Energy realm. How could he possibly break through to Huajin in such a short time?!’

’But the force from that punch just now couldn’t be faked.’

’That was true Huajin energy—condensed, sharp, and possessing a penetrating power that Dark Energy could never have. It was far more tyrannical than his Half-Step Huajin!’

Li Mengchao’s heart felt as if it had been seized by an invisible hand. A chill shot up from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

He had thought he was the cat and Yang Jing the mouse, but only now did he realize with a jolt that his opponent had long since become a tiger that could tear him to shreds!

Below the stage, in the guest seating area, there was a deathly silence.

Everyone was stunned by this scene. The unbearably arrogant Li Mengchao from a moment ago had actually been sent stumbling back seven steps by a single punch from Yang Jing?!

In the front row, Sun Yong grinned, turned his head to glance at Li Haitao who had leaped up from his seat, and couldn’t help but let out a low "heh heh" chuckle.

Li Haitao shot to his feet, the smile on his face completely frozen. The hand holding his teacup trembled slightly, and he had already squeezed it hard enough to form cracks in the cup.

Wang Kui and the other Huajin Powerhouses also shot to their feet in unison, the legs of their chairs scraping loudly against the ground.

They stared intently at Yang Jing on the stage, their eyes wide and round, faces etched with disbelief.

"Huajin! That’s genuine Huajin!" Wang Kui exclaimed, his voice filled with unconcealable shock.

The moment Yang Jing had thrown his punch, they had clearly felt the fluctuation of his energy—condensed and perfected, yet hiding a sharp edge. It was nothing like the rawness of Half-Step Huajin. This was the steady and domineering power of someone who had truly stepped into the Huajin Realm!