When one reached the eighth stage of the Astral Realm, each punch would carry with it a might beyond 1,000 catties of weight. Such a punch could turn even stone into powder. Facing such a terrifying punch, Xiang Shaoyun did not dodge. Instead, his battle intent surged as he yelled, "Excellent!"
The stars within him started shining brightly as astral energy rippled out of him. His body dashed forward, and he met Li Tianba's punch with his own punch.
Rushing Qi Fist, full power!
Bang!
The fists collided, sending astral energy rippling everywhere. The clash forced Xiang Shaoyun to take several steps backward. He was slightly disadvantaged in the collision.
"Die!" Li Tianba's murderous intent was still growing, and each step he took caused the ground to shake. Once again, he punched out with his crimson fist. The terrifying fist carried with it a murderous and bloody aura.
"Bring it on!" Xiang Shaoyun did not cower as he sent his own punch out again.
Bang! Bang!
Punch met with punch again and again. Even the air itself seemed to be vibrating from all the clashes. The intense battle raged on, and the viewers' blood boiled with excitement.
"Strong. Both of them are so strong. I won't be able to take even one punch from them."
"Yeah. Xiang Shaoyun has actually pushed Li Tianba so hard he resorted to a forbidden technique. Xiang Shaoyun is too strong, but unfortunately, I don't think he will win."
"We don't know that yet. If Xiang Shaoyun can last an hour, Li Tianba will be the loser."
"No matter the result, Xiang Shaoyun will qualify to be one of the top 10 disciples from now on. His might is unquestionable."
"A day will come when I'm also as strong as them!"
...
Among the spectators, Lu Xiaoqing was incredibly nervous. She kept thinking inwardly, Shaoyun will win! Shaoyun will win!
"Victory to my boss! Victory to my boss!" Xia Liuhui howled as he waved the white flag repeatedly. He was completely engrossed in his role as a little underling.
On the arena, Xiang Shaoyun was still resisting Li Tianba's domineering attack. Several fists had already struck him, and a trail of blood could be seen dripping from the corner of his lips. Although Xiang Shaoyun was very powerful for someone at the fourth stage, Li Tianba was still four stages above him. Such a gap was not something that could be easily overcome. If he did not try his best, he could very well lose.
"Come on, Xiang Shaoyun! Let me show you who's the actual overlord! I, Li Tianba, am the true overlord!" Li Tianba howled madly as his attack grew even more intense. One could say that Xiang Shaoyun was already doing very well for a fourth-stage Astral Realm cultivator. But this much was not enough for him.
Xiang Shaoyun yelled, "What kind of overlord are you? Let me crush your pathetic confidence!"
Abruptly, purple qi appeared around Xiang Shaoyun's body. The purple qi seemed to have transformed into actual electrical currents carrying an extremely destructive force.
Lightning Bolt Fist!
Xiang Shaoyun moved like a rumbling thunder while his fist punched out like a lightning bolt. When the ferocity of his fist reached a certain level, a terrifying lighting bolt suddenly shot out of his fist, one that was no weaker than a lightning bolt from the heavens. At the same moment, Li Tianba unleashed all his vitality power and sent a crimson fist straight at Xiang Shaoyun.
Bang! Bang!
Continuous sounds of explosions rang out in the arena. Purple and crimson radiances seemed to have turned solid as they splashed everywhere. Even the disciples near the arena were scattering for fear of being hit by the aftermath.
Finally, a fountain of blood sprayed high into the air, and a figure was sent flying far away. When that figure crashed to the ground, everyone was stunned. The person sent flying was Li Tianba, the one who had used a forbidden technique. As for Xiang Shaoyun, he stood there motionless, still assuming a punching posture. Electrical currents swirled around his body, making him look mighty impressive.
"Truly...useless," Xiang Shaoyun said with disdain as he withdrew his fist.
Li Tianba tightly held his now badly mangled arm, and his aura started dropping rapidly. He yelled like a madman. The hour was up, and he was now suffering the repercussions of using a forbidden technique.
"Tianba!" Li Xuemeng cried out in alarm. He jumped onto the arena and stuffed a healing pill into Li Tianba's mouth.
Even the martial officer did not dare to say anything. Xiang Shaoyun did not bother stopping Li Xuemeng. He merely spoke indifferently, "You are the reason this is happening. Before long, I will extend a challenge to you as well, thirteenth elder."
Then, Xiang Shaoyun got off the arena and swaggered off under everyone's gazes. Countless young ladies gazed at his back with a smitten expression.
"Xiang Shaoyun is so strong! Is he declaring a war against the thirteenth elder? This is how an overlord should be!"
"Shit! I think I have fallen in love with him! What should I do? Am I even worthy of him?"
"I've come to a decision. From now on, I will stay by his side at all times. With my looks, he will definitely fall beneath my skirt!"
"Why don't you look at yourself in the mirror? You need to be as beautiful as me if you want to do something like that."
...
One battle shocked the entire Martial Hall Palace. The elders could see clearly that Xiang Shaoyun was still a fourth-stage Astral Realm cultivator, but he was already capable of defeating Li Tianba whose combat power had reached the eighth stage during the match. He was a freak through and through. And he was indeed worthy of the title overlord.
This match also caused Yang Gaochuan to once again call for an emergency meeting between the elders. There, he announced that they must do their best to protect Xiang Shaoyun—and to provide Xiang Shaoyun with all the resources the Martial Hall Palace had. They would give their all in nurturing Xiang Shaoyun.
Nobody objected.
Xiang Shaoyun's potential was clear for all to see. And with Elder Zhen Peng backing him up, nobody could object.
...
Since the match, Xiang Shaoyun's residence had become an extremely popular place. Numerous smitten female disciples gathered there in hope of getting to know Xiang Shaoyun.
"Sister-in-law, things are not looking very good for you! A lot of them are even inner court disciples!" Xia Liuhui said to Lu Xiaoqing at a certain corner. In Xia Liuhui's eyes, Lu Xiaoqing was already his sister-in-law, the romantic partner of his big brother, his boss.
"This only proves that I have good taste. They can freely fight over Shaoyun with me. He will only be mine," Lu Xiaoqing declared confidently. Then, instead of continuing to Xiang Shaoyun's residence, she returned to her own place. She vowed that she had to catch up with Xiang Shaoyun as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would only be further and further away from her.
As for Xia Liuhui, he stood there blanking out, not knowing if he should leave or not. Ultimately, he decided to squeeze into the crowd. "Stop pushing! Stop pushing! Oh shit, even my balls are hurting from this!"
Right after he said those words, punches rained down on him.
"Damn! Xiang Shaoyun is my boss! Who punched me? Do you want to be blacklisted?" Xia Liuhui shouted. His words worked. The girls quickly made way and gave him passage. Many of them were even smiling at him, hoping that he could bring them along as he entered.