Chapter 25: Battle with Lin Feng

The training ground was bustling with excitement. Intense battles on the various arenas frequently drew deafening cheers from the many young men and women, creating a fervent atmosphere.

As time passed, more and more new students were eliminated. However, the remaining participants were increasingly elite, and the battles that erupted naturally became even more spectacular.

In the subsequent rounds, Zhou Yuan competed in two more matches. As expected, his opponents, who had opened three meridians, all fell to him.

Consequently, his ranking entered the top twenty.

Standing before an arena, Zhou Yuan watched two figures rapidly crisscross on the stage, streams of Origin Qi swirling around them. Each clash of fists and feet caused a harsh sound in the air.

The person on stage was naturally Su Youwei, whose opponent had also opened four meridians.

If she won this match, Su Youwei would directly advance into the top ten, earning her qualification to enter the Alpha Institute.

Su Youwei's graceful figure moved nimbly, like willow catkins in the wind, while her opponent was a sturdy young man whose attacks were broad and forceful, exceptionally savage, like a ferocious ape.

Facing her opponent's ferocity, Su Youwei did not engage in a direct confrontation. Instead, she used his powerful punches and palms to her advantage, deftly dodging.

After half an hour of entanglement, the sturdy youth's fierce attacks finally showed signs of weakening. Su Youwei's beautiful eyes flashed, and changing her evasion strategy, her graceful figure suddenly closed in on her opponent.

Just then, a sharp glint appeared in the sturdy youth's eyes. His previously somewhat weakened aura surged dramatically, and with a loud shout, his iron fist, wreathed in streams of Origin Qi, carried astonishing power and a faint sonic boom as it heavily struck towards Su Youwei.

The fierce punch wind swept towards her, making Su Youwei's hair flutter. Yet, there was no panic in her beautiful eyes. Her two fingers bent together like a sharp sword, thrusting out forcefully, striking the youth's chest a step before his punch connected.

The punch wind instantly ceased. The sturdy youth's eyes widened in fury, his body trembling slightly, and his face flushed red as he gritted his teeth and said, "You've actually mastered the Jade Breaker Finger?"

Su Youwei smiled faintly, extended her delicate hand, and gently pushed. The sturdy youth's body immediately collapsed. It was then that everyone noticed Su Youwei's slender fingers, which had taken on a jade-like color, crystalline and transparent, yet emanating a sharp, cold aura.

Around the arena, the many young men and women watching erupted in exclamations.

"Is that the Jade Breaker Finger? A mid-grade Origin Art. They say it's difficult to cultivate, but I can't believe Su Youwei actually mastered it."

"This art strikes a single point to shatter a wider area, making it extremely lethal. Zhao Feng attacked powerfully just now, but he exposed a weakness and was defeated by a single touch."

"Amazing! She truly lives up to her reputation as the fastest meridian-opening genius in our Great Zhou Prefecture."

Many youths sighed in admiration, their gazes towards Su Youwei growing hotter, filled with deep adoration.

Amidst the numerous ardent gazes, Su Youwei descended from the arena and walked directly towards Zhou Yuan, a charming smile on her face, showing none of the decisive ferocity she had displayed moments ago in combat.

"How was it?" Su Youwei lightly lifted her delicate white chin, like a child showing off candy.

"Very impressive. The power of that Jade Breaker Finger is quite astonishing; even a body with four opened meridians couldn't withstand it." Zhou Yuan praised her sincerely, noting that if the power of that single finger strike had landed on him, he likely wouldn't have been able to endure it either.

Receiving Zhou Yuan's praise, Su Youwei's rosy lips curved slightly. Just as she was about to speak, a referee's shout suddenly echoed from an nearby arena.

"Zhou Yuan, Lin Feng!"

At the sound of this shout, the previously boisterous training ground fell silent for a moment, then an uproar suddenly erupted. Almost everyone surged towards this particular arena.

After his previous victories, Zhou Yuan had undoubtedly become the most dazzling dark horse in this grand examination. However, this time, his opponent was Lin Feng!

Lin Feng was extremely famous among the new students, rumored to be the one most likely to claim first place in this examination.

Among this cohort of new students, Lin Feng's strength was undoubtedly among the very best.

Would Zhou Yuan continue his dark horse run, or would he be stopped by Lin Feng, preventing him from entering the top ten? Everyone was intensely curious.

Su Youwei's pretty face also changed dramatically at this moment. She clearly hadn't expected Zhou Yuan to encounter Lin Feng. Even she knew that facing Lin Feng would likely be a tough battle, let alone Zhou Yuan, who had only opened two meridians.

Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He looked up at the high platform not far away, where Qi Yue was smiling at him, then extended a hand to pat Lin Feng's shoulder beside him.

Lin Feng also looked in Zhou Yuan's direction, his face expressionless, but a cold glint and disdain appeared in his eyes.

Lin Feng exchanged some words with Qi Yue, then with a light toe-tap, he soared out, landing gracefully on the arena, his elegant posture drawing a round of applause.

Liu Xi watched the scene, a cold sneer forming on her lips. "Let's see how he wins this time!" she muttered.

Qi Yue also nodded with a smile. Lin Feng's strength was considered top-tier even among those who had opened four meridians, so dealing with Zhou Yuan shouldn't be too difficult.

On the viewing platform, Chu Tianyang watched Zhou Yuan and Lin Feng face each other, his brows slightly furrowed. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he summoned a guard, saying indifferently, "After today, expel the chief examiner of this grand examination from the Great Zhou Prefecture."

Earlier, he had found it strange that Zhou Yuan repeatedly encountered strong opponents. Now, seeing even Lin Feng appear, he immediately understood the trickery involved and felt an extreme surge of anger. These people dared to target Zhou Yuan right under his nose.

Xu Hong, standing nearby, remarked with an unchanging expression, "Isn't the Prefect's action a bit excessive?"

Chu Tianyang sneered, "You know what you've done. Besides, I am the Prefect now, and it's not your place to tell me what to do."

A hint of anger flashed in Xu Hong's eyes, but he ultimately just scoffed, saying nothing more. Although Qi Yue had exposed some individuals affiliated with the Qi Royal Family, it didn't affect the overall situation.

Amidst the many pitying gazes in the training ground, Zhou Yuan also stepped onto the arena.

Lin Feng stood with his hands behind his back, looking tall and handsome. He gazed at Zhou Yuan, a superficial smile on his face, and said, "Your Highness is truly surprising, to have made it all the way here."

Zhou Yuan glanced at Lin Feng and nonchalantly replied, "You'll be even more surprised later."

Lin Feng scoffed coldly and said indifferently, "Then I look forward to it."

Their words were already sharp and confrontational, like needle points against awns, sparking with intensity.

"Match start!" The referee's shout rang out from the arena, interrupting their conversation.

On the arena, Zhou Yuan and Lin Feng exchanged gazes, cold glints flashing in their eyes.

The next moment, Zhou Yuan and Lin Feng lunged out almost simultaneously.

Lin Feng stomped his foot, his body leaping into the air. His whip-like leg ripped through the air with a swish, containing astonishing force, like the blur of a whip, and fiercely swung towards Zhou Yuan's head.

That kick was strong enough to shatter rock.

Zhou Yuan swept out a single arm horizontally, blocking the incoming whip-kick. The formidable power made his arm tremble violently, while his other arm shot straight out, fingers forming a fist, aimed directly at Lin Feng's chest.

Lin Feng, still airborne, suddenly spun, his five fingers forming a palm, and collided with Zhou Yuan's spear-like punch.

Bang, bang, bang!

In just a few dozen breaths, the two exchanged over a dozen lightning-fast blows, each attack fierce and aimed at the opponent's vital points, leaving the spectators breathless.

On the arena, strong winds swept, kicking up dust. Both Zhou Yuan and Lin Feng's bodies trembled, causing them to retreat repeatedly.

Waves of exclamations rose from below the stage. Everyone's gaze towards Zhou Yuan had changed. In their previous exchange, neither had used Origin Qi, relying purely on their physical prowess.

Yet, Lin Feng's physical conditioning, despite having opened four meridians, had not gained even the slightest advantage over Zhou Yuan.

This left them quite shocked; they couldn't understand why Zhou Yuan's physical conditioning was so formidable.

The commotion below the stage also made Lin Feng's expression turn grim. A colder light immediately intensified in his eyes. He took a deep breath, no longer holding back: "Open four meridians!"

As Lin Feng's shout rang out, Origin Qi immediately surged from the heavens and earth, directly flowing into his body.

Instantly, wisps of Origin Qi light wrapped around Lin Feng's body. The stone tiles beneath his feet cracked slightly, creating an impressive display.

Lin Feng stomped his foot, shattering the stone tiles. His speed surged, and he instantly appeared before Zhou Yuan, his palm sweeping out with a whistling wind, heavily striking towards Zhou Yuan.

The fierce gust of wind rushing towards him made Zhou Yuan's heart subtly tighten. Lin Feng's ability to be among the very best new students indeed indicated considerable strength.

Zhou Yuan stepped diagonally, performing the Dragon Step, his ethereal figure becoming slightly blurred.

Lin Feng's palm wind swept past, narrowly grazing Zhou Yuan's chest.

"Strange footwork!" Lin Feng's pupils contracted slightly. He had seen Zhou Yuan's unusual footwork before; when his figure blurred, it seemed as though any attack would miss.

"Mid-grade Origin Art, Ox Demon Stomp!"

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes as he slammed his foot down. The stone tiles immediately burst, and a visible shockwave spread out.

The shockwave swept across. With such a wide-range attack, Zhou Yuan's footwork, no matter how exquisite, was affected. His body instantly jolted, and he paused for a moment.

"Get down!" Seizing the opening, Lin Feng roared, his five fingers forming a fist like an enraged lion, and he punched towards Zhou Yuan's chest.

A strong wind howled towards him. Zhou Yuan didn't dare to delay, stomping his foot: "Open two meridians!"

Origin Qi from the heavens and earth also surged into Zhou Yuan's body at this moment, and streams of Origin Qi light appeared on his skin.

Zhou Yuan crossed his arms, forming a defense.

Lin Feng's fist slammed heavily onto Zhou Yuan's crossed arms. Powerful force poured out, causing Zhou Yuan's feet to tremble, and his body rapidly slid backward, only barely stopping at the edge of the arena.

Immediately, gasps of surprise erupted from below the stage. Su Youwei covered her red lips with her delicate hand, her pretty face filled with tension.

"Quite tenacious," Lin Feng sneered.

Zhou Yuan gently shook his numb arms and said, "Four meridians fully opened, truly powerful."

If not for his stable lower body, that sudden burst of power earlier might genuinely have sent him embarrassingly flying off the stage with a single punch.

"Next time, you'll be off the stage!" Lin Feng said coldly.

Zhou Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He stared at Lin Feng, the look in his eyes gradually sharpening. He took a step forward, his body slightly bent, like a lion or tiger about to unleash its full power, intent on tearing its prey apart.

A dangerous aura emanated from Zhou Yuan. He grinned at Lin Feng, revealing his pearly white teeth, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

"I don't think you'll get another chance!"

The instant the words fell, Zhou Yuan's figure shot out!

He began his full counterattack.