Hearing this, He Yunhan burst into unrestrained laughter as if he had just heard the greatest joke in the world.
"I didn’t expect you to be so humorous. I might consider giving you a quick death."
With the ruthless words out of the way, the battle officially began.
"Heart Intent Six Harmonies Fist, Chen Yuan."
"Tendons and Bones Separating Hand, He Yunhan."
As soon as his voice faded, Yunhan struck first.
His footwork was bizarre and unpredictable. Stepping forward with his right foot, his toes hooked inward as he sliced diagonally into Chen Yuan’s center guard. His fingers curled like iron hooks, striking high and low.
The upper hand aimed to lock the throat, while the lower hand sought to grapple the wrist.
The Tendons and Bones Separating Hand. Just as the name implied, once his grip secured its target, tendons and bones would instantly snap.
Chen Yuan remained completely unmoved.
He stepped forward half a pace with his left foot and buckled his knee inward. His spine twisted like a tightly coiled thick cable.
His right arm lashed out from his chest, his five fingers splayed out like a tiger’s claws, slapping diagonally downward to meet Yunhan’s grappling hand.
Tiger Form: Fierce Tiger Striking the Mountain.
SMACK!
Claw and palm collided. Yunhan felt an overwhelmingly heavy force pierce through his palm, instantly numbing the webbing between his thumb and index finger.
His heart skipped a beat.
Something was wrong. This force was completely wrong.
Since achieving Great Success in bone refining, he had fought more than one martial artist who had just entered the Hidden Force stage. Yet, no one’s fist had ever numbed his hand with a single palm strike.
With no time to overthink, he changed his technique. His left hand clawed toward the elbow joint of Chen Yuan’s right arm, while his right foot hooked outward to trip the back of his opponent’s leading knee.
Tendons and Bones Separating Hand, Sixteenth Stance: Upper Elbow Dislocation, Lower Horse Trip.
Chen Yuan’s response was so simple it bordered on brutal.
With his Elephant Bone Perfection, why would he care about such tricky maneuvers?
Stomping his right foot fiercely against the ground, he advanced instead of retreating. He raised his right knee and forcefully smashed it into Yunhan’s hooking leg.
Rooster Form: Golden Rooster Standing on One Leg.
THUD! Knee and leg clashed. Yunhan felt as if his shinbone had just rammed into an iron pillar. The intense pain made the corner of his mouth twitch.
At the exact same moment, Chen Yuan’s left hand struck out from his waist. With his fingers pressed together like a snake’s head, he violently thrust toward Yunhan’s throat.
Snake Form: Spirit Snake Spitting its Tongue.
Yunhan’s pupils shrank. He hastily withdrew his right arm to defend.
His right hand locked onto Chen Yuan’s left wrist, his fingers exerting force to twist and dislocate the bone.
But upon clamping down, shock rippled through his mind once again.
He couldn’t budge it.
Chen Yuan’s wrist felt as if it had been forged from solid iron. Even as Yunhan used every ounce of strength in his fingers, the wrist bone remained perfectly still.
A rebounding force bounced back from his fingertips, leaving his knuckles throbbing with a dull ache.
Was this really the bone density expected of someone at the bone refining stage? He even suspected he was gripping the wrist of an iron-boned muscle stage expert.
Chen Yuan did not give him any time to think.
Even with his left hand locked, his right fist erupted outward from his waist.
Beng Fist.
The fist traveled straight down the centerline. The Hidden Force was contained and withheld. As the knuckles tore through the air, they made absolutely no sound.
Yunhan let go and lunged backward, barely dodging the strike.
But Chen Yuan gave him no chance to catch his breath.
Sparrowhawk Form: Sparrowhawk Piercing the Sky. His entire body launched into the air, and his right palm chopped down from above.
Gritting his teeth, Yunhan raised his arms to block. A muffled impact rang out. The Hidden Force pierced through his forearms and directly invaded his body, leaving the bone marrow in both of his arms entirely numb.
In the blink of an eye, the two men had exchanged ten moves on the battlefield.
Yunhan’s breathing had fallen into complete disarray.
He stumbled backward, his arms trembling violently from fingertips to shoulders. The webbing of his hand, struck earlier by the tiger claw, had turned a bruised purple. Dark red welts surfaced across the forearms that had clashed head-on with Chen Yuan multiple times.
The Tendons and Bones Separating Hand excelled at grappling, specifically specializing in locking joints and snapping bones. Yet throughout his entire exchange with Chen Yuan, he hadn’t managed a solid grip once.
He either missed his hold or found his opponent utterly immovable.
His opponent’s punching power was absurdly heavy. Every fist seemed wrapped in thousands of pounds of force. Before his grappling hands could properly lock into place, the devastating power had already penetrated his defenses.
Speed, strength, defense—he was thoroughly crushed in every single aspect.
This was absolutely not the strength someone who had just entered the Hidden Force stage should possess. He even felt that Chen Yuan’s abundant physical power resembled that of a muscle stage expert.
"Impossible... This is impossible!" Yunhan roared in his mind.
He was a genius of the He Family, the likes of which only appeared once in a century. Possessing a Lower-Grade B Root Bone, he had achieved Great Success in bone refining and entered the Hidden Force stage after just over a year of practicing the Martial Dao. Even among the aristocratic descendants of the Inner City, very few within the same Stage could suppress him in a fight.
Just yesterday, he had beaten a Fang Family genius to death right on the spot, basking in majestic glory.
So what gave this person standing before him, who had only practiced martial arts for ten months, the right to overpower him?
A fierce, murderous glint erupted in his eyes. Pushing his final reserves of strength to their absolute limits, he thrust both claws forward in the ultimate stance of the Tendons and Bones Separating Hand: the Dragon-Breaking Hand.
This technique was the culmination of all grappling arts. It simultaneously assaulted four vital points—locking the throat, securing the shoulders, dislocating the elbows, and snapping the wrists. Anyone struck by it was guaranteed to be crippled.
Chen Yuan’s expression remained calm and indifferent.
Kicking off the ground with his left foot, he surged forward instead of retreating, winding upward like a swimming dragon.
Dragon Form: Dragon Soaring to the Nine Heavens.
Twisting his spine to generate power, he dropped his right shoulder. Wrapped in unified full-body strength, he smashed right into Yunhan’s center guard. Simultaneously, his left arm swept out horizontally, barring Yunhan’s dual claws like a heavy iron deadbolt.
Eagle Catch.
The five fingers of his right hand clamped around Yunhan’s right wrist and sharply wrenched it outward.
CRACK! A crisp sound echoed as the wrist bone dislocated.
Before Yunhan could even let out a scream of agony, Chen Yuan’s right fist blasted forward.
This punch held absolutely nothing back. Hidden Force flared out as pure physical power surged through his entire body. His Elephant Bone hummed a silent, resonant tune.
The muscles of his right arm bulged beneath his robes in an astonishing arc. As the knuckles tore through the air, they produced a muffled, suffocating howl.
Yunhan’s pupils dilated wildly.
He watched as the fist grew larger and larger in his field of vision. He saw the rough calluses on the knuckles, the slight curvature of the protruding finger bones, and the pair of eyes that had remained as placid as still water from the very beginning.
He was finally terrified.
All of his pride, his arrogance, and his insufferable conceit were pulverized into fine dust in the face of this single punch.
He opened his mouth, trying to shout something—
"Stop!"
A furious roar exploded from the He Family camp.
His face livid, He Tianxiong launched himself from the sidelines like a massive roc, driving a palm straight toward the back of Chen Yuan’s heart.
He no longer cared about any rules of the martial tournament.
Yunhan was the most outstanding descendant of the He Family’s current generation. He absolutely could not be allowed to perish here.
As for Chen Yuan? Crippling him would just be crippling him. It would serve as the perfect lesson to let the Fang Family know true pain.
This palm strike carried the full might of Great Success Hidden Force. If it landed solidly, Chen Yuan would be crippled, if not outright killed.
But before his palm could reach its target, a figure abruptly intercepted him.
Fang Zhengde.
Patriarch Fang let out a booming laugh and met the attack with a palm of his own. "He Tianxiong! Have you lived all these years just to become a dog? This is a duel between the younger generation! What right do you have to interfere?"
Knowing exactly what kind of wretched character Tianxiong possessed, he had prepared his defenses well in advance.
BOOM! The two palms collided, blasting out a shockwave of fierce wind. Tianxiong was forcefully brought to a dead halt mid-air.
Although his strength was slightly superior to Zhengde’s, the gap was limited. With the other man intentionally blocking him, there was absolutely nothing he could do.
In the very instant he was stopped, a muffled explosion rang out behind him.
Chen Yuan’s fist smashed directly into Yunhan’s forehead.
Like a heavy hammer smashing a melon, the skull fractured on impact.
The sheer terror on Yunhan’s face froze permanently in that final moment. The residual force of the punch sent his entire body flying backward through the air. He crashed heavily into the dirt, twitched once, and then fell completely silent.
A deeply caved-in fist imprint marred his forehead. Blood mixed with brain matter oozed from the edges, slowly seeping into the surrounding soil.
Chen Yuan looked down at the corpse with total indifference and murmured, "I told you that you were going to die soon. Why didn’t you believe me?"
Dead silence blanketed the battlefield.
Staring at the corpse with the caved-in skull lying in the dirt, the members of the He Family all turned deathly pale.
That was the once-in-a-century genius of their He Family.
Tianxiong stood frozen in the middle of the grounds, his palm still suspended awkwardly in the air. He looked as if he had been immobilized by a spell.
He lowered his head and cast a look at Zhengde.
Zhengde was staring right back at him with a beaming smile, making absolutely no effort to conceal the immense satisfaction dancing in his eyes.
"Brother He, you let me win."
Zhengde cupped his hands in a polite salute, his tone remarkably calm.
Overcome by irrepressible rage, Tianxiong’s chest heaved violently like a pumping bellows. But though his lips moved, he ultimately failed to utter a single word.
The martial tournament’s rules had been established by his very own He Family. Everyone relied on their own skills, and deaths were not to be mourned or avenged.
"It’s a best of five, and there’s still one last match! Don’t celebrate too early!"
On the other side, the Fang Family camp immediately erupted into earth-shattering cheers.
The heavy anger that had been pressing down on their hearts entirely transformed into pure joy in this cathartic moment.
The gazes they directed at Chen Yuan were now filled with fanaticism and absolute worship.
Fang Minghai was the first to rush forward, the shock on his face yet to fade. "Junior Brother Chen, you... you beat He Yunhan to death with a single punch! Great, absolutely brilliant!"
He finally understood why Chen Yuan had dared to voluntarily propose the duel. As it turned out, he had been entirely confident all along.
As for that claim of having a fifty percent chance of winning, it probably meant he had a fifty percent chance of beating Yunhan to death on the spot!
The strength of those two wasn’t even on the same level. He had actually managed to recruit an absolute monster.
In the crowd, Lv Mingyuan’s jaw dropped open. His face was plastered with disbelief, leaving him speechless for a long time.
He simply couldn’t comprehend it. Just a few months ago, he could still fight Chen Yuan to a standstill. Yet now, Chen Yuan could effortlessly obliterate Yunhan, a man who vastly outclassed him.
It wasn’t like he had been slacking off!
In the end, he let out a long, drawn-out sigh. Forcing a smile, he also stepped forward to offer his congratulations.
Perhaps, many years from now, he would be able to brag about how he had once fought Chen Yuan to a draw.
Chen Yuan cupped his hands to each of them in return, offering a faint smile.
"The Fang Family has been sponsoring me for more than half a year. I am merely doing my part. It is hardly worth mentioning."
Zhengde walked over, looking incredibly refreshed as if he had just shed a dozen years of his age. His gaze was brimming with profound admiration when he looked at Chen Yuan.
He chuckled and said, "Chen Xiaoyou, thanks to your tremendous assistance this time, our Fang Family will surely reward you heavily!"
This battle had been fought with supreme vindication, beating the arrogant, domineering, and insufferably conceited Yunhan to death on the spot.
Not only did it exact bloody vengeance for the Fang Family’s fallen prodigy who had died yesterday, but it also ruthlessly crushed the He Family’s arrogance.
Now, the ownership rights to this mine had once again fallen into suspense.
If they could secure victory in this final battle, Zhengde absolutely would not be stingy in rewarding Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan smiled and cupped his hands. "Patriarch, you praise me too highly. I am grateful for your trust, and I simply did not want to fail the task you entrusted to me."
Although this battle would inevitably offend the He Family, he had continuously accepted the Fang Family’s sponsorship. He fought this fight solely to keep his Dao heart clear and untroubled.
Zhengde nodded in deep satisfaction. He then turned to Minghai and praised him.
"Minghai, you have an excellent eye for talent to have found someone like Chen Xiaoyou."
It seemed that their initiative of sponsoring talents from impoverished backgrounds was actually useful. Hadn’t it just played a pivotal role at a crucial moment?
Minghai waved his hand dismissively. "It has little to do with me. Junior Brother Chen achieved everything he has today entirely on his own merit."
However, the beaming smile spreading across his face clearly revealed how utterly delighted he was.
In stark contrast to the harmonious joy of the Fang Family, a gloomy and suffocating atmosphere blanketed the He Family camp.
Tianxiong’s face was as dark as murky water.
The losses from this battle were far too catastrophic. The tragic death of the family’s most outstanding disciple would have far-reaching consequences.
The ownership of the mine had also been thrown into suspense. Everything now hinged on the outcome of the final duel.
With the Fang Family’s morale currently soaring like a rainbow, securing a victory would genuinely be difficult.
But if they failed to seize this mine, they would end up with absolutely nothing, losing their entire investment in this venture.
At this moment, a middle-aged man wearing the robes of a He Family Tributor stepped forward and spoke in a cold tone.
"Patriarch, there is something wrong with Chen Yuan’s strength. As someone who has only just reached Great Success in bone refining and comprehended Hidden Force, it makes no sense for him to overpower Yun Han so easily. He certainly shouldn’t have been able to render Yun Han completely incapable of fighting back.
"I suspect he falsely reported his Stage in the Martial Dao. We might as well question him. If the opportunity arises, we can cripple him directly. If that fails, I will issue a challenge myself and see if this Chen Yuan dares to accept."
His name was Ge Jinhua. In his early years, he had been a Tributor for the He Family possessing muscle stage Hidden Force strength. Later, his Root Bone was damaged in a fierce battle, severely impairing his abilities and leaving him with only the strength of the Peak of Bone Refining.
However, his keen insight and vast experience remained intact. Ordinary bone-refining Hidden Force martial artists were mostly no match for him.
Tianxiong’s eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded. "That makes sense. If Chen Yuan dares to accept the challenge, with your strength, you should be able to kill this menace and return the favor."
Even if Chen Yuan refused the challenge, it would still serve to dampen their enemies’ surging morale.
Striding forward with the imposing gait of a dragon and tiger, he glared at the Fang Family crowd. His vicious gaze eventually locked onto Chen Yuan as he spoke in a frigid voice.
"Fang Zhengde, you have a lot of nerve! To think you would falsely report a combatant’s Cultivation to deceive me, resulting in the murder of our clan’s prodigy! You must give me an explanation!"
Zhengde only found the accusation ridiculous. He replied lightly, "Twisting words and forcing logic is truly your usual style. Is it really that hard to acknowledge Chen Xiaoyou’s strength? Have you considered the possibility that He Yunhan was simply useless trash?"
Tianxiong sneered coldly. "For the sake of fairness, I must inspect Chen Yuan’s Cultivation. Otherwise, I will refuse to acknowledge the results of this match!"
He would know instantly with a single touch whether the boy had crossed into the muscle stage.
Moreover, as long as he could lay a hand on Chen Yuan, he could cripple him in an instant!