Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Power of the Spirit-Light Ripple Fist

Looking at Yuan hovering in midair, Qin Xiaochuan grew increasingly vexed. This fellow’s wind was everywhere, utterly infuriating. Not only could he raise walls of wind, he could also take to the sky whenever he pleased. If not for that wind, I’d have beaten you flat long ago. Lowering his still-smoking right hand, Qin Xiaochuan waved at Yuan. “Come down. Let’s keep fighting!”

Hearing the challenge, Yuan perked up his little pointed ears, clearly excited again. Although that spirit bullet had startled him just now, his wind shield had indeed done its job. Thinking of how his Invincible Whirlwind Fist had failed to work, Yuan once more began swinging his right fist. He refused to believe he still couldn’t deal with Qin Xiaochuan. After unleashing the Invincible Whirlwind Fist, he grinned excitedly down below. “Don’t rush, hehe, I’m coming. Take this! Invincible Whirlwind Fist!”

Having already felt the power of the whirlwind around Yuan’s right hand, Qin Xiaochuan’s mind raced. If he wanted to knock Yuan down, he had to strike when Yuan came closest. If he fired a spirit bullet at that moment, he might hit Yuan’s actual body and leave him no room to dodge.

With that thought, Qin Xiaochuan fixed his eyes on the descending Yuan, staring without blinking at Yuan’s right fist. The instant that fist came before him, Qin Xiaochuan raised his right hand again and, without the slightest hesitation, fired his third spirit bullet.

Two immense forces collided at once. The spirit bullet struck the whirlwind around Yuan’s right hand, and a violent storm burst forth over the arena platform, surging out toward the surrounding spectator stands. Those nearest the two men saw only a sudden flash before a fierce gale mixed with shattered stone came hurtling at them.

Miss Ruoxi, standing on the platform, was blown away in an instant. Had she not reacted swiftly enough to seize a pillar by the edge of the ring, that rushing tempest would surely have sent her straight into the sky.

When the storm on the field finally passed, Miss Ruoxi opened her eyes and saw that both fighters had vanished from the stage. No one knew where the impact had hurled them.

But just as she was searching all around for Qin Xiaochuan and Yuan, Qin Xiaochuan’s groaning voice suddenly rose from beneath the spectator stands near where Flying Flame was seated.

“Ow, that hurts!!”

Rubbing the lump on his head, Qin Xiaochuan climbed up from the ground. The impact had flung him directly out of the ring and slammed him into the concrete wall behind Flying Flame and the masked contestant. If his skull had not been so sturdy, that blow might well have cracked his head open.

“Found him! Contestant Qin Xiaochuan has been blown out of bounds, and Yuan has been blasted up into the air! Incredible—they actually created such a massive storm!” Hearing Qin Xiaochuan’s voice, Miss Ruoxi immediately began loudly announcing the situation to the surrounding audience.

At that moment Yuan’s voice also came from high in the air. It seemed the collision had sent him soaring upward. “That was dangerous! That was really too close just now.” Touching the torn cloth over his chest, Yuan sat in the air with lingering fear. “If I hadn’t set up a wind shield around my body beforehand, that guy’s spirit bullet would’ve hit me. Taking a blow from him is no joke at all. Seriously, how annoying. My clothes are even ripped. This isn’t fun. Not fun at all.”

“Can you beat him?” Looking at Qin Xiaochuan as he got to his feet, Flying Flame spoke coldly. “His body is covered by a layer of wind shield. You can’t get close to him at all, and that spirit bullet didn’t hit him either.” He glanced up at Yuan in midair and continued, “Using the upward air currents to reduce the impact to a minimum—his combat experience is extremely rich. And that clash just now did him almost no harm. Do you have a way to defeat him?”

“Nope!!” Qin Xiaochuan answered with complete frankness. Yet his face remained full of excitement. With such an interesting opponent, all he needed to do was fight—why think about methods? He flashed Flying Flame a grin, his eyes shining with exhilaration. “But until the fight is over, nothing is settled!!”

“But speaking of which, I don’t care about rules or no rules anymore. I’m already sick to death of standing here without moving. Let me say this first: if you lose, I’m making my move. And whoever dares stop me, I’ll kill them all.”

At the very moment Flying Flame finished speaking, both Qin Xiaochuan and the masked contestant suddenly felt an immensely powerful aura erupt from within him, like a dormant beast unfurling its colossal body. A crushing pressure pressed in upon them. What exactly was happening inside Flying Flame, that he contained such terrifying power?

Liu Qing, the barrier master who sensed the power bursting from within Flying Flame, had already expended a vast amount of demon power to maintain the barrier. Now that mysterious force released by Flying Flame multiplied the strain upon her. If this continued, no one could say how much longer the barrier would hold.

“...Five... six... seven...”

“Got it!” Hearing the referee counting on the stage, Qin Xiaochuan nodded at Flying Flame and sprang back onto the platform with a tap of his toes. It was not that he had never considered Flying Flame’s words, but this was still a match. Only by defeating the opponent before him according to the rules they had laid down could he thoroughly humiliate those who wanted to see him make a fool of himself. And even if he truly lost, so what? At worst he and Flying Flame could simply tear this whole venue apart together afterward. In any case, Qin Xiaochuan had already become completely disillusioned with the organizers who had made such rules for the tournament. There was no need to hold back for their sake anymore.

By now Yuan, seated in midair, had recovered as well. Seeing Qin Xiaochuan once again standing on the ring, he rose from the air to stand upright. Whatever had occurred to him, he suddenly flashed Qin Xiaochuan a smug smile and rapidly shook both arms. Two small tornadoes gradually formed around them. He could actually unleash whirlwind fists with both hands—Yuan was really going all out now.

Swinging his left arm, Yuan said with satisfaction, “Well, Qin Xiaochuan? This second whirlwind fist is to block your spirit bullets. If you fire another one, I think you know even better than I do what the consequences will be...”

This guy... he’s using both hands now? What nerve. Looks like spirit bullets are out of the question. If I want to bring him down, I can only use that move...

Looking up at Yuan in the sky, Qin Xiaochuan knew the spirit bullet had lost its usefulness. If he could get in close, the Spirit Light Wave Fist might work. It was a wide-range attack; not only could it effectively seal off Yuan’s escape route, it could also knock him down. This was the only way.

Having decided, Qin Xiaochuan hesitated no longer. Drawing up all the spiritual energy in his body, he planted himself in a horse stance, braced his left hand against his right wrist, pulled his right fist back, and assumed the opening posture of the Spirit Light Wave Fist.

Feeling the fierce fluctuations coming from Qin Xiaochuan below, Yuan’s little pointed ears twitched excitedly again. What powerful spiritual energy, Qin Xiaochuan! So that’s how it is—you’re getting ready to risk your life against me? Looking at him below, Yuan felt both thrilled and a little scared. But since it was a fight, fear was useless. At worst he’d just take one hit—what was the big deal? I’ll dive down and see what trump card you’ve got for me, hehe. If it doesn’t hit me, I’ll just run again. After all, I still have wind escape.

Having settled on his plan, Yuan twitched his ears again and laughed loudly down below. “Ha! Let me see what secret move you’ve got. Here I come!” With that, he pitched downward and flew straight at Qin Xiaochuan. He had two whirlwind fists now—let’s see who’s afraid of whom.

Qin Xiaochuan, long since prepared, stared with complete concentration at Yuan’s two fists. To strike Yuan, he first had to neutralize those fists; only then would he have a chance to counterattack. Seizing the instant Yuan struck, Qin Xiaochuan locked onto the right fist Yuan threw. His left hand shot out swiftly, spiritual energy flooding it, and smacked squarely into the center of Yuan’s fist. Then, with a forceful motion, he flung it aside to the left.

Seeing his right fist broken through, Yuan was briefly startled. Before he had time to think, he followed with his left fist, driving it toward Qin Xiaochuan’s face. After knocking aside Yuan’s right fist, Qin Xiaochuan immediately guarded his chest with his left hand, thrust forward, and powerfully blocked the incoming left punch as well. The instant he intercepted Yuan’s left fist, Qin Xiaochuan’s right hand burst forth like a shotgun toward Yuan’s abdomen, raining blow after blow upon it.

In that instant, Yuan felt as though his body had been swept by a machine gun. The tremendous force drove his belly backward through the air, and he could no longer control his body at all. Qin Xiaochuan’s fist, brimming with spiritual power, struck him countless times, sending him flying straight out of the arena and hurtling down toward the distant stands, where he finally crashed into the upper rear seating.

The spectators in the stands had bad luck once again. No one knew how many unfortunate souls were caught up in Yuan’s impact. His hurtling body smashed a huge crater into the concrete seats high above. After the dust settled, Yuan lay buried beneath the rubble, utterly motionless.

From the moment Yuan threw his punch to the moment he was blasted away, the entire exchange lasted less than three seconds. Watching Yuan fly off, Qin Xiaochuan silently prayed that the fellow would not get up again. That Spirit Light Wave Fist had consumed nearly all the spiritual energy in his body. If Yuan stood up once more, he truly had no idea how to continue fighting.

“Contestant Yuan has fallen out of bounds. The count will now begin... one... two... three... four... five...” Seeing Yuan land outside the field, the referee, Miss Ruoxi, hurried to the edge of the arena and, after confirming that Yuan was down, began the count.

“Get up, Yuan! Damn it, I bet on you to win!”

“Don’t lose to some human thing! Get up, Yuan!”

“Damn it, why do we only get to watch from outside?”

“Will someone sell me a ticket? I’ll pay ten times the price! There’s no justice in this!”

“Get up, Yuan, and kill that guy!”

“Get up, Yuan!”

...