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At this moment, Hong Yan stood opposite Xiao Yefeng, and in the park, it was just the two of them. The people Hong Yan had brought were stationed around the park. Although few came here for a stroll, the battle between Ancient Warriors still required some preparation. After all, in the eyes of ordinary people in Huaxia, what remained of Ancient Martial Arts were either charlatans or various fake masters; true practitioners of Ancient Martial Arts were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
The few masters of martial arts had secluded themselves from the world. However, if people were to see Hong Yan and his family’s lineage of Ancient Warriors, it would surely cause quite a stir. Although Xiao Yefeng did not understand why Huaxia did not develop Ancient Martial Arts, he realized that some things were simply beyond comprehension, and forcing them might not yield good results.
“Xiao Brother, I know you are a Geomancer capable of manipulating the forces between the earth. I won’t hold back!” Hong Yan swept his right leg, drawing a half-circle in front of him, demonstrating a standard gesture of invitation from the Ancient Warrior etiquette, which also signaled his readiness to attack.
“I also want to witness the Transcendence of Qimen Secret Arts!” With that, Xiao Yefeng mirrored Hong Yan's posture. This surprised Hong Yan, who thought to himself, “What’s going on? Is he really not preparing to use any Feng Shui Techniques against me? Or is it true what the records say about him being skilled in close combat?”
Hong Yan looked at Xiao Yefeng with confusion; however, the dignity of being an Ancient Warrior quickly dispelled all doubts. He thought to himself, “No one knows that my strength has already reached the Peak of Bright Strength. Even those old men in Open Door are unaware. This Geomancer, no matter how strong he is, can only match the power of Mingjing. Considering that Geomancers can defeat Ancient Warriors against the odds, I should at most be evenly matched with him. But that’s just a common person’s perspective. Since reaching Peak of Bright Strength, I have comprehended the Third Palm. I will prove that the gap between Ancient Warriors and Geomancers is not as great as they think!”
With this thought, a change occurred in Hong Yan's demeanor; he transformed from a carefree glutton into an incredibly serious warrior. Sensing this shift in momentum from Hong Yan, Xiao Yefeng exclaimed loudly, “What a powerful presence!”
At that moment, without further words, Hong Yan suddenly charged at Xiao Yefeng. His gaze was fierce, and it seemed as if a strong wind was generated between his palms. In an instant, he was right in front of Xiao Yefeng. At this point, Hong Yan bent his left leg inward and curled his right arm while stepping heavily back with his right foot. Then he swept his left palm from outside to inside and suddenly thrust his left palm directly towards Xiao Yefeng's chest.
“What a powerful technique!” Although Xiao Yefeng did not fully understand Ancient Warriors, he could see that Hong Yan's movements were fluid and graceful as he executed this strike. All his strength was channeled into his right palm; starting from his legs gathering power and transforming it into force transmitted from his feet to his waist before finally utilizing the crossing of both palms to maximize this strike's power. Seeing this palm coming at him made Xiao Yefeng feel daunted.
He wanted to experience the charm and explosive power of Ancient Martial Arts firsthand; however, Xiao Yefeng was no fool—if he could dodge instead of taking a hit, then there was something wrong with him. Moreover, while Xiao Yefeng was confident in his physical abilities, compared to someone like Hong Yan who had undergone rigorous training as an Ancient Warrior, Xiao Yefeng's physique still fell short. Not to mention that their pursuits of power were different.
As an Ancient Warrior, Hong Yan sought direct confrontation through attack; however, as a former Mercenary, Xiao Yefeng sought survival amidst life and death situations. Maximizing efficiency in killing was Xiao Yefeng's goal—if he could take someone out with one shot, he would never resort to using a knife unnecessarily. Perhaps such behavior would be looked down upon among Ancient Warriors; however, it was precisely because of this pursuit that Xiao Yefeng had avoided death several times.
So when he saw that palm heading straight for his chest, Xiao Yefeng understood he had lost on two fronts: first was explosiveness—clearly Hong Yan's speed surpassed his own—and second was knowledge; while Hong Yan had long been aware of Xiao Yefeng's information, all Xiao Yefeng knew about Hong Yan came from Liu Yiyi’s reports. These two gaps meant that from the very beginning, Xiao Yefeng tasted the bitter fruit of being at a disadvantage.
However, even so, Xiao Yefeng did not feel discouraged. Fighting through adversity had always been a Mercenary's way of survival. With keen insight into Hong Yan's attack direction, he managed to sidestep this powerful strike aimed at his chest just in time. While Hong Yan hadn’t anticipated such an easy evasion from Xiao Yefeng—thinking he would at least attempt to block—the strike missed its target entirely as Hong Yan’s palm struck down onto the gravel path instead.
"Crack!"
The stone in front of Hong Yan was struck by a palm, instantly cracking. This demonstrated the difference between an ordinary practitioner of Ancient Martial Arts and one who had entered the realm of energy. All Ancient Warriors began their training with basic moves, but those with a lineage could quickly sense the presence of energy, allowing them to break away from being an ordinary Ancient Warrior and embark on the path of Mingjing. At the initial stage, the most notable characteristic of someone just entering the Mingjing phase is that when striking wooden stakes or stone pillars, they feel less pain than an ordinary person. The ability to break stones is not mere exaggeration.
Within Mingjing, there are three levels: the initial Stone Skin stage, followed by the Blood Flesh stage, which allows one to withstand ordinary blades. However, this only applies to certain parts of the skin; for instance, if one has trained their palms, then at the Blood Flesh level, their palms can resist some common blade scratches. But if a knife were to stab into the chest of someone at this Mingjing second level, well, sorry, they would still be mortally wounded.
The final level is the Muscle Bone stage. At this level, for someone who has trained their palms, they can basically withstand blade attacks. Of course, vital points remain weak spots, but at this stage, could an ordinary person really stab their vital points? It is evident that as one's level increases, their hand-eye coordination and physical movements also improve. The distinction between an Ancient Warrior and an ordinary person becomes quite apparent even at the first level of Mingjing.
To illustrate with attacks on stone: a person at the first level strikes a stone with their hand and feels no pain; a person at the second level can break that stone with a punch; while someone at the third level of Mingjing can shatter stones under their punch due to the force applied. As for Hong Yan, being at the Peak of Bright Strength, which is the pinnacle of the three levels, his strike turned that palm-sized piece of stone into a true pile of rubble.
Xiao Yefeng, who had leaped back, was momentarily stunned by the sight of the shattered stones beneath Hong Yan's palm. He reflected inwardly that he could not achieve such an effect solely through his physical strength. Although he too was at the Peak of Bright Strength, his power was in refined Divine Power and mental energy. Witnessing this scene made Xiao Yefeng finally understand that there was indeed a vast difference between a Geomancer and an Ancient Warrior. One harnessed their power to its ultimate form while the other cleverly utilized the forces between earth and sky.
"Bro, I know your martial arts skills are impressive against ordinary people, but for us Ancient Warriors, those skills are merely a joke. Without a martial artist's internal energy to complement them, any martial arts technique is useless! Bro! You should use your Feng Shui Techniques!” Hong Yan remarked as he observed Xiao Yefeng's disheveled appearance.
"Haha, I understand that there’s tension between Ancient Warriors and Geomancers. I also know that when it comes to battle-changing moments, my family’s traditional Ancient Martial Arts techniques might just be able to ascend to greatness!" After standing up from his crouched position, Xiao Yefeng declared.
His words moved Hong Yan. The power of Feng Shui Techniques was indeed formidable, especially with its endless illusions. Although one knew they were fake, as humans, there was still an instinctive fear. What was even more deadly was the fact that a Geomancer's Spirit Tamer was a genuine killing move. Could an Ancient Warrior, fueled by boiling blood and heavy yang energy, withstand it? It would still be quite challenging.
"Alright then, I’ll consider this my advantage today. But let me make it clear: I’ve made a friend in you! I’ll treat you later; however, this fight isn’t over yet!" With that said, Hong Yan pushed off with his feet and soared into the air like a hawk diving downwards. His internal energy surged within him as he channeled it from his dantian through his arms and along his meridians straight to his palms. In mid-air, both palms of Hong Yan came crashing down in succession towards Xiao Yefeng, aiming for his vital points.
Fierce and ruthless! That was how Xiao Yefeng evaluated this second strike from Hong Yan. However, it was ill-timed; this attack should not have been unleashed before gaining the upper hand. The downward assault held power advantageously but sacrificed all room for evasion. Being in mid-air left him without leverage and destined to become a target for Xiao Yefeng.
As Hong Yan dove down with palms striking like machine guns towards Xiao Yefeng, instead of retreating or dodging, Xiao Yefeng stepped forward into range of the attack. This caught Hong Yan off guard; however, seizing advantage was something he could not afford to miss.
As Hong Yan saw the opportunity to strike, he pushed forward with both palms, aiming directly at one of the vital points on the human body—the Shoulder Well acupoint. This point is a crucial junction for the meridians of the arms, and a hit there would render both arms numb for a short time.
In mid-air, Hong Yan believed he was about to succeed and contemplated whether to withdraw. However, at that moment, Xiao Yefeng unexpectedly thrust a finger upward, preemptively striking Hong Yan's chest with a sword-like gesture. The seemingly soft poke made Hong Yan think he had already secured his attack, but it was only when that gentle touch landed on his chest that he realized his mistake.
It felt like an arrow piercing through his heart, like a gunshot to his throat, like a knife severing his arm. As the poke struck his chest, Hong Yan felt his powerful palm strike dissipate. When his hands landed on Xiao Yefeng's shoulder, they had transformed into two limp strands of silk. At that moment, Hong Yan sensed the weakness in his arms spreading downward; within three breaths, he felt as if all strength had drained down to his waist.
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