After a brief clash, Wang Zhan had gained confidence.
Theoretically speaking, the Essence Energy within a level 5 Martial Artist should be at least twice that of a level 2 Martial Artist. This difference would be infinitely magnified when manifested in combat power.
However, the man in black before him was different. Wang Zhan had already noticed that his physical body was not particularly robust, which was a deadly weakness.
Essence Energy in a Martial Artist's dantian and the physical body supplement each other. If the body is not strong enough, no matter how high your realm, the upper limit of strength that can be exerted will be restricted by the body.
"You are a Resource Martial Artist, right? No, even that is giving you too much credit," Wang Zhan said expressionlessly, mocking not only the man in black but also Lv Qing and Tian Shishi behind him. "A true Resource Martial Artist wouldn't be as weak as you are. Aware of their insufficient talent for cultivating Essence Energy, they work harder to temper their physical bodies!"
The man in black's face turned somewhat unsightly. Instead of refuting, he tightly gripped his longsword and pointed it directly at Wang Zhan.
"I hope you won't regret your provocations when you die under my sword!"
"Heh, if you can manage it." Wang Zhan sneered with disdain and met the man in black's attack without hesitation.
Sharp clashes of weaponry echoed continuously within the narrow cave. After only a few breaths, the man in black's onslaught forced Wang Zhan to retreat repeatedly, and several bleeding wounds appeared on his body.
Having gained the upper hand, the man in black snickered. His speed suddenly increased as he swung his longsword like a big saber, chopping down hard at Wang Zhan!
"Boy, if you only have this much ability, then you can die now!"
CLANG!
Wang Zhan looked tense. One hand held his dagger while the other supported its blade, managing to block the man in black's attack.
However, the enormous force caused his legs to weaken, nearly causing him to collapse.
Even though he managed to steady himself, Wang Zhan was already at his limit.
Even so, Wang Zhan's face still held a smile despite the dire situation.
"What are you laughing at!" The more the man in black saw Wang Zhan's smile, the more agitated he became.
A lowly level 2 Martial Artist facing him, a level 5 Martial Artist—shouldn't he be groveling in fear?
Why is this boy laughing? Is he really not afraid of death?
The man in black was confounded, and his heart filled with growing rage.
"Heh heh, I'm laughing at your pitiful state, laughing at your weakness." Wang Zhan spat a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the ground. "You're three levels higher than me, yet this is all you can do?"
Hearing this, the man in black brandished his sword again, his face brutal. This time, however, Wang Zhan seemed to anticipate it, nimbly sidestepping the sharp blade as if he had foreseen the attack.
Moreover, taking advantage of an opening in the man in black's attack, Wang Zhan lunged forward, initiating an offense for the first time!
"Seeking your own death!" The man in black tensed up. He felt threatened by Wang Zhan.
A level 2 Martial Artist threatening a level 5 Martial Artist? How is that possible?
The man in black hastily retreated, but in the narrow cave, he couldn't use his full speed. Wang Zhan pressed on, his speed even greater than the man's!
A flash of the dagger followed by a painful cry from the man in black.
"You dare hurt me!" The man in black furiously kicked Wang Zhan away, shocked and enraged.
Meanwhile, Wang Zhan used the force of the kick to retreat three to four meters, nonchalantly dusting off his chest.
"What a joke. You're trying to kill me, yet I can't hurt you?" Wang Zhan said contemptuously.
The man in black's face darkened as he glared at Wang Zhan. "Boy, this isn't over!" He then turned to flee.
The cave is too narrow, severely limiting my abilities! But as long as I get out of here, these ignorant fools will be easy prey!
But before he could move, Wang Zhan was already pressing towards him again, shouting, "Block his retreat! He dies today!"
Even without Wang Zhan's command, Lv Qing and Tian Shishi had already blocked the cave entrance. They had found it difficult to intervene in the earlier fight between Wang Zhan and the man in black, but now, stopping him wasn't hard.
"Don't worry, he's not getting away!" Tian Shishi declared, already impatient.
The man in black frowned, rushing towards the cave entrance without slowing. In the blink of an eye, he reached it.
"Out of my way if you don't want to die!" The man in black roared furiously.
However, Lv Qing and Tian Shishi had no intention of moving. From the start, they had resolved to face death if necessary; as long as the man in black died, they were willing to sacrifice their own lives.
The man in black quickly clashed with Lv Qing and Tian Shishi. Within a few breaths, wounds appeared on both women. Their physical strength was far inferior to Wang Zhan's; a sword blow that might only cause a flesh wound to him inflicted injuries deep enough to reach their bones.
Despite this, neither woman showed any sign of backing down. They actually managed to join forces and hold back the man in black.
Meanwhile, Wang Zhan had quickly reached the man in black's front.
Seeing the man in black's back completely exposed, Wang Zhan's dantian suddenly contracted to its limit. Then, the Essence Energy within his body surged out like a ferocious tsunami.
The immense Essence Energy even produced a dull THUMP inside the cave. The overwhelming killing intent radiating from Wang Zhan finally sparked fear on the man in black's face.
"This is the Military Killing Technique! You're a student of the Martial Arts Academy—how do you know this technique?!" the man in black cried out.
He had encountered such dense killing intent countless times before. In Chu State, only military elites could learn such savage martial arts, designed exclusively for killing enemies.
"This is Killing Fist, the Military Way Killing Fist!"
Wang Zhan seized the moment, striking the man's back with all his might!
PFFT!
The man in black spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, staggering forward. Pressing his advantage, Wang Zhan stomped on the man's thigh!
CRACK!
AH! A scream echoed as the man in black collapsed, clutching his leg.
Seeing Wang Zhan approach step by step, he scrambled frantically towards the cave exit, as if the sunlight there was his last hope for survival.
"At this point, do you still think you can escape alive?" Wang Zhan shook his head slightly, his tone disdainful. "If you had shown even a shred of desperate resolve, I would have been no match for you. But it's a pity; you're too timid, not at all like a Martial Artist."
With that, Wang Zhan emotionlessly stomped on the man's broken leg.
"Don't... don't kill me!" the man pleaded in panic. "I have companions! If you kill me, they won't let you get away with it!"
"Do you really think threats are useful now?" Wang Zhan pressed down harder.
The man screamed again.
"As a Martial Artist, you lack even the conviction to fight to the death. I merely wounded you once, and you wanted to retreat. It's laughable."
Wang Zhan looked down at the terrified man on the ground.
"What you don't know is that the strike that injured you used up all my strength. If you had been willing to trade injury for injury, I would probably be dead by your hand now."
The man in black continued to beg for mercy in a low voice. Whether Wang Zhan was telling the truth or not, it was all in the past.
Wang Zhan reached out, grabbed the man's neck, and slowly tightened his grip. The man's face turned visibly red, then deep purple.
A choking sound gurgled from his throat, his eyes bloodshot and bulging. His mouth opened, whether to plead or curse, he couldn't say; no matter how hard he tried, he could only make unintelligible sounds.
"Scum. Go to Hell and repent," Wang Zhan said, then mercilessly twisted, snapping the man's neck.
Releasing his grip, Wang Zhan let the man crumple lifelessly to the ground, eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace.
Wang Zhan finally breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the ground.
Finally, it's over.
Wang Zhan had given this fight his all. With the enemy dead, he finally felt the exhaustion in his body; he could barely even stand.
Such was the nature of Killing Fist. The concentration of killing intent required intense mental focus, and its power came from an explosive, one-time release of all Essence Energy in the body. It was a martial art for going all out to kill an enemy, leaving no path of retreat for oneself.
As Wang Zhan had thought, this battle had been extremely perilous. If the man in black hadn't been so cowardly and anxious, the outcome would have been uncertain.
A Martial Artist must contend, yet you didn't even dare to fight for your own life.
"Wang Zhan, thank you for avenging us, for avenging Song Le." Tian Shishi bowed deeply, tears unknowingly streaming down her face.
Lv Qing also wanted to express her gratitude, but Wang Zhan stopped her with a raised hand.
"Given that fellow's strength and character, he wouldn't have dared to target the Four-Arm Giant Ape. His earlier claim about having companions was most likely true." Wang Zhan stood up. After resting for a minute or two, he had regained some strength.
He glanced at Song Le, who had finally succumbed to his injuries and stopped breathing.
"Sigh... Let's take Song Le's body with us. We should head back."
But just then, the sunlight at the cave entrance was abruptly blocked, followed by the sound of somewhat heavy footsteps.
The instant that figure appeared, the hairs on Wang Zhan's entire body stood on end, and his face paled drastically.
"Who's there?!" Wang Zhan shouted promptly.
But unlike when facing the man in black, as he confronted this towering figure, Wang Zhan felt not even a shred of will to resist. The mere presence of this person, a slight release of their aura, was enough to drain him of all fighting intent.
The opponent was simply out of his league.
Lv Qing and Tian Shishi also stood nervously beside Wang Zhan, staring fixedly at the unexpected visitor. However, as soon as the person came fully into view, all three of them let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
The newcomer was wearing the battle suit of the Martial Arts Academy—specifically, a mentor's battle suit.
"That scared the hell out of me." Wang Zhan collapsed onto the ground.