Among the surrounding crowd, many knew the origins of the mini Azure Dragon. Therefore, when the mini Azure Dragon announced the start of the battle, the surroundings quickly fell silent.
At this time, Ming Qi and Zhao Fenghua were already standing in a vast open space spanning a hundred meters.
For Ming Qi, this was a crucial battle. Not only was it a significant turning point for Tianqi Academy, it also determined Ming Qi's future success within the Biyou Sect.
For Zhao Fenghua, it was equally crucial. If he lost, his reputation would be ruined, and he might even die without a burial place. If he won, everything would be easy. This might even be a great opportunity for him to enter the Xiantian realm and enter the Inner Gate.
Thus, Zhao Fenghua had no intention of holding back this time. Facing Ming Qi, a cultivator of only the seventh level of the Acquired Realm, he had an almost 100% chance of victory.
As a cultivator at the peak of the ninth level of the Acquired Realm, the Juyuan Realm, Zhao Fenghua naturally possessed a profound foundation.
As soon as they took up their positions on the battlefield, it was clear that their aura was superior to Ming Qi's.
However, Ming Qi simply smiled and remained silent, unsurprised by the aggressive aura emanating from Zhao Fenghua.
"Brother Tang Qi, can you tell me if I can win?"
Ouna, standing by, looked at Tang Qi nervously, her eyes watering with worry.
Tang Qi pondered for a moment, then said, "It's difficult. Zhao Fenghua is at the peak of Ju Yuan. Not only can he condense a spiritual energy shield, he can also unleash fist energy. Junior Brother Ming is only at the seventh level, after all. It's going to be difficult."
Hearing Tang Qi's words, Ouna's concern grew even more intense. Ming Qi's timely intervention had spared her from public humiliation, a great favor to the innocent girl. Deep within her heart, as clear as glass, her feelings towards Ming Qi had subtly shifted.
Whew!
As he spoke, the surrounding space shifted slightly, as if imbued with a strange aura. Many people's robes fluttered without even a gust of wind.
On the battlefield, Ming Qi's robes and sleeves remained motionless, but his long, freely flowing hair gently began to float.
"Such a strong murderous aura!"
Zhao Fenghua sensed it immediately. This strange aura, filled with sharpness and murderous intent, instantly darkened his expression. Anyone possessing such a murderous aura must be a great willed individual who had walked through countless life-and-death situations.
Seeing the gloom on Zhao Fenghua's face, Ming Qi smiled coldly, curved his right hand, and launched the first Wolf Fist.
Ming Qi had now mastered all five Wolf Fists, having already put them into practice in his previous battle with the Spear Master Ge Chuncheng. Their power was immense. Of course, Zhao Fenghua was more formidable than Ge Chuncheng.
Ming Qi's first punch was merely a test, employing less than 50% of his strength.
Seeing Ming Qi take the lead and feeling the power of his fists, Zhao Fenghua's gloomy expression gave way to amusement and mockery.
"Is that all you're capable of? You dare challenge me?"
Zhao Fenghua sneered, his body slid forward, and with an uncanny gait, he dodged Ming Qi's fist in the blink of an eye and appeared behind him.
Ming Qi's punch missed, and Zhao Fenghua vanished from sight. The wind whistled behind him.
Ming Qi secretly marveled at Zhao Fenghua's speed, but he wasn't surprised. His methodical probing had already allowed him to gauge Zhao Fenghua's level of skill.
Carefully, Ming Qi unleashed the Nine Steps of the Great Void, his footwork swift and deflecting, gently dodging Zhao Fenghua's palm.
The first encounter passed lightly, neither of them displaying their full strength.
"Seventh level Acquired Realm cultivator, yet possesses such uncanny agility! I underestimated you." Zhao Fenghua stood still, coldly gazing at Ming Qi, who stood ten meters away. "But no matter how powerful your agility is, it's child's play compared to my Ghostly Sky-Walking Step!"
Zhao Fenghua's secret footwork is called the Ghostly Sky-Walking Step. Its movements are like a ghost wading through the air, unpredictable and difficult to predict.
A scorching wind blew, the sun blazed down. This battle seemed far more unexpected than anyone had imagined, not as thrilling as one might imagine.
"Hurry up, hurry up! I need to get back to my fruit."
The two of them were in a stalemate, and the little blue dragon immediately became unhappy, shouting in the low-lying clouds.
Zhao Fenghua sneered, "Since that's the case, I won't waste my time with you. Go to hell!"
With that, Zhao Fenghua suddenly activated the Ghostly Sky-Walking Step, his speed several times faster than before.
"You can't wait, and so can I?"
Ming Qi's lips curled up, revealing a barely perceptible, eerie smile.
At the same time, as countless people watched in astonishment, Ming Qi suddenly raised both fists and swiftly delivered two punches into the air in front of him.
Yes, these two punches were completely untargeted against Zhao Fenghua. They seemed aimless, purely random.
"Is he crazy?"
"Hitting the air?"
"He's definitely crazy. It seems he's been overwhelmed by Zhao Fenghua's aura."
At Ming Qi's inexplicable actions, everyone murmured.
In their view, Ming Qi's actions were a complete mess, leaving no explanation beyond a state of panic.
But the next moment, everyone, including Zhao Fenghua, felt an unprecedented sense of fear and loneliness: boundless fear and eternal solitude!
Ming Qi's two punches were, naturally, the second of the Wolf Fists—the thought of fear—and the fourth—the tomb of loneliness.
Both punches contained a powerful, mind-altering fist intent. While not lethal, the fist intent spread in all directions. Under the subconscious pressure of the fist intent, the opponent's combat effectiveness was reduced by at least one level!
Ming Qi was meticulous and would certainly not make any useless moves.
Even Ji Ruyue, standing in the distance, looked at Ming Qi on the battlefield with some surprise. She could naturally sense the strange fist intent, but as a powerful innate cultivator, Ming Qi's current strength still had no effect on her.
Although Zhao Fenghua was affected, his strength, at the peak of the Ninth Level of the Acquired Realm, meant both his mental and physical resistance were formidable. At the moment Ming Qi's fist intent spread, he only paused slightly, slowing down for a moment before recovering.
Seeing Zhao Fenghua approach, Ming Qi raised his fists again, subtly practicing the Taixu Nine-Step Technique to adjust his body to optimal condition.
Suddenly, his eyes blazed with an unprecedented sharpness, like a lone wolf. His fists flexed slightly, and a moon-white phantom of a wolf head suddenly emerged.
Wolf Fist's Fifth Punch, Wolf Fist's Secret: Wolf God's Moon-Greed Wrath!
Ming Qi knew by now that ordinary moves were no match for Zhao Fenghua, so in his first all-out attack, he unleashed the most powerful and devastating move in his Wolf Fist.
At this moment, the wolf's pride, greed, perseverance, and ferocity were fully unleashed.
Ming Qi's eyes even shone with a strange, moon-white brilliance. Veins bulged in his arms, and power surged like ocean waves, converging toward his fists.
This was an unstoppable momentum, an irresistible force.
For a moment, Zhao Fenghua, who had rushed before Ming Qi, even had the illusion that the man before him was invincible!
But the next moment, Zhao Fenghua was instantly enraged. He had no idea what Ming Qi's fist technique was, yet it contained a mind-shattering fist intent. But none of that mattered.
"No one can escape this move of mine!"
A cruel smile flashed across Zhao Fenghua's face. He suddenly raised his right hand and casually extended a finger.
The finger was white and slender, seemingly no different from any other.
But as Zhao Fenghua extended this finger, Ming Qi clearly felt his soul deep within him suddenly vibrate!
Unconsciously, a flicker of surprise crossed Ming Qi's face.
This seemingly ordinary finger had the power to shake his soul!
Before the enemy could strike, the wind arrived. This simple finger, yet the sound of the wind whistled, had the power to shatter metal and split stone.
And in the distance, Meng Junyi's face paled as he saw Zhao Fenghua's white finger pointing towards Ming Qi like a phantom.
It was this seemingly ordinary finger that cost Tie Mohan his life!
Ming Qi threw a punch, his wolf-head roaring!
Zhao Fenghua's strangely ordinary finger was also imminent!
At this moment, Zhao Fenghua uttered a few words calmly: "Soul-binding Finger!" Simultaneously, a spiritual shield emerged from his body, perfectly protecting him.
"Soul-binding Finger, so this is what Senior Brother Meng deeply feared!"
Only then did Ming Qi understand the finger Zhao Fenghua had extended towards Yue Qinglong when he suddenly appeared.
Thoughts raced through his mind, but he didn't dare to slack off. Even Meng Junyi was so wary of Zhao Fenghua's move, so it must be extraordinary. But Ming Qi naturally wouldn't back down just because of such a name.
At this point, the arrow was already on the string!
Two fists met a finger, and in an instant, it seemed as if the earth and sky were shaking!
A shocking feeling washed over them, a raging wind erupting from the two of them, sweeping in all directions.
Some disciples with lower cultivation levels found it difficult to withstand the gusts and retreated to avoid them.
The wind whipped, robes fluttered, and dust billowed into the air, darkening the sky.
A few breaths later, when the dust settled, everyone wiped the dust from their eyes and found the two men still standing on the battlefield.
Zhao Fenghua's right finger accurately touched Ming Qi's fists. Ming Qi's fists, which could have split and attacked in two directions, did not separate, but instead pressed against Zhao Fenghua's slender finger.
Ming Qi's face was pale, and there seemed to be blood at the corner of his mouth.
What was most striking about Zhao Fenghua was that a bloody wound had mysteriously appeared on his left chest, as if it had been torn by the fangs of a ferocious beast. Blood dripped from the wound.
The two men were silent for a moment, then suddenly leaped simultaneously, quickly moving out of the way.
Zhao Fenghua chuckled, looking at Ming Qi. "You lose. This is a foregone conclusion. You only injured my body, but I've damaged your soul. No matter how powerful you are, your soul will be shattered within seven days!"
At this, Zhao Fenghua burst into unbridled laughter.
Ming Qi's face was expressionless, his pale face betraying no emotion. In that moment, he seemed to have returned to the cold, merciless world of a former assassin.
"It's probably too early to draw conclusions!"
He spoke calmly, his right hand flashing with light, and a long sword appeared in mid-air, grasped in his hand.