Faced with this ferocious, all-out assault, Fang Mei remained perfectly composed.
"Frost Palm - Gently Willow!"
She slid back half a step to her left, flawlessly evading the epicenter of Fang Lie's powerful strike.
Her fair, jade-like right palm shot out silently from beneath her ribs.
It looked deceptively light and airy, yet it carried extreme danger as it pressed toward Fang Lie's wrist, which he couldn't retract in time.
Before the Palm Wind even made contact, a bone-chilling sense of danger made Fang Lie's wrist stiffen, causing his assault to falter for a moment.
"Such incredible Body Technique!"
"Senior Brother Fang Lie's fierce attack was neutralized!"
A series of hushed gasps rippled through the crowd below.
Fang Han watched with rapt attention, his mind completely captivated by the exquisite evasion and counterattack.
'So this is the power of a Muscle Refining Realm master?'
The split-second timing of her dodge, the precise target of her counter, and that deceptively light yet lethally dangerous Palm Technique—it was all a revelation to him.
"Hmph!"
Fang Lie snorted, clearly furious that his opening move had been thwarted.
He changed tactics in a flash. Before the momentum of his fist had faded, he forcibly retracted it, twisted at the waist, and swung his right leg like a steel whip straight toward Fang Mei's lower body.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The two exchanged blows in a flurry, and a rapid series of deep, muffled impacts from their clashing Qi Forces erupted across the stage.
As their fists and palms collided, shockwaves of air rolled outward, causing the robes of the disciples near the stage to billow and flap.
Fang Lie's fists were fierce and domineering, his movements broad and powerful. Each punch packed enough force to shatter stone tablets.
Fang Mei's Body Technique, in contrast, was elusive, and her Palm Technique was cunning and insidious, constantly disrupting and slowing Fang Lie's movements.
Their figures blurred as they weaved and dodged, locked in an intense stalemate that perfectly showcased the speed, power, and skill of Martial Artists at the Muscle Refining Realm.
The entire area around the stage fell silent, leaving only the fierce sounds of impact and the whistle of clothes cutting through the air.
"What a brilliant fight!"
Fang Han's heart pounded as he watched. It felt as if the blood in his veins, weary from his own Swordsmanship practice, had begun to boil once more.
The masterful techniques for deflecting force, the anticipatory dodges, the explosive, short-range bursts of power—all of it was seared into his mind.
'The rankings on the Martial Arts Stele are just a measure of one's instantaneous explosive power.'
'In a true life-or-death battle, victory often depends on one's ability to adapt, the finesse with which one applies their Martial Techniques, and their control over their own stamina and rhythm.'
"BANG BANG BANG—"
The intense battle continued for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
Both fighters had slowed slightly. Sweat beaded on their temples, and their breathing grew heavy.
Sustained, all-out combat was an immense strain, even for those in the Muscle Refining Realm.
After breaking apart from another dangerous clash, a vicious glint flashed in Fang Lie's eyes.
He took a deep breath. The qi and blood throughout his body began to boil, and veins writhed like small snakes beneath his exposed skin. He was clearly preparing to use his ultimate, trump-card technique for one last, desperate attempt!
"Tiger Roar Fist - Shattering Peak!"
With a low roar, the muscles in his right arm swelled instantly, concentrating a terrifying power at his fist, far greater than before.
The very air seemed to compress, carrying the crushing pressure of a collapsing mountain as he ruthlessly smashed his fist toward Fang Mei.
The momentum of this one punch had reached its absolute apex!
However, in the exact instant he gambled everything, concentrating all his strength into that one strike!
Fang Mei, who had been responding with an evasive, nimble grace, suddenly had a cold light flash in her eyes.
She didn't try to meet the world-shaking punch head-on. Instead, at the precise moment Fang Lie's attack launched—when his center of gravity was most committed—her footwork abruptly became ethereal and illusory.
Like a phantom treading on snow without a trace, she spun to the side at an astonishing speed, appearing inconceivably at Fang Lie's flank.
Her right palm, which had been building power, was held with fingers together like a blade. Silent and swift as lightning, it chopped with unerring precision toward the opening under Fang Lie's ribs—a weakness left completely exposed after his all-out punch.
Timing! Angle! Speed! The three elements combined in sublime perfection!
"Frost Palm - Jade Cutter!"
THWUMP!
With a dull thud that was quiet yet distinct, Fang Mei's hand-blade struck Fang Lie squarely beneath the ribs.
Fang Lie's earth-shattering "Shattering Peak" punch stopped dead. The vicious expression on his face froze, instantly replaced by disbelief, agonizing pain, and horror.
The agonizing pain caused his condensed qi and blood to scatter instantly, paralyzing the entire side of his body.
He couldn't help but let out a muffled groan. His body staggered backward like a kite with a snapped string, stumbling all the way to the edge of the stage before he barely managed to regain his footing.
His face was ashen. He clutched his side, gasping for breath as large beads of cold sweat instantly dotted his forehead. His eyes, fixed on Fang Mei, were filled with bitter unwillingness to accept defeat.
The match was decided!
"Stop!"
The Tutor at the side of the stage called out at the perfect moment. In a blur, he appeared between the two combatants, preventing Fang Mei from pressing her advantage.
"Fang Mei wins!"
After a moment of silence, the crowd below erupted into fervent discussion and cries of amazement.
"Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"
"Senior Sister Fang Mei's victory was beautiful! Her timing on that final strike was just perfect!"
"Senior Brother Fang Lie can't complain about that loss. Senior Sister Fang Mei's combat experience and her ability to grasp the perfect moment are simply on another level!"
"So this is the power of someone ranked tenth or eleventh?"
Standing in the crowd, Fang Han watched the two on stage. There was Fang Mei, pale but with her breathing steady, and Fang Lie, gasping for air, his face a mask of bitter helplessness. The storm in Fang Han's heart refused to calm.
'Right now, they're both far stronger than I am. But with my doubly enhanced Root Bone Talent and Swordsmanship Talent, I'm sure I'll break into the top ten sooner or later. And that day isn't far off.'
After leaving the dueling stage, Fang Han went straight back to his usual cultivation area.
He sat down cross-legged and took a black, longan-sized elixir pill from the Porcelain Bottle he carried. It was a Qi Blood Pill.
The moment the Elixir entered his stomach, it felt as if a miniature sun had detonated in his Dantian.
A searing wave of heat, like molten lava, surged through him, making his body burn as hot as a furnace.
He didn't dare delay. He immediately assumed the opening stance of the Crane Form, his muscles and bones slowly pulling taut like a bowstring.
Under the terrifying amplification of his twofold Root Bone, the vast, searing flow of qi and blood was no longer a mere stream. It transformed into a raging river, its near-deafening roar echoing through his body like a tidal wave.
Guided by the Pile Skill, it crashed against every corner of his body again and again.
His muscle fibers greedily absorbed the energy, vibrating with a low hum under the constant onslaught.
Sweat had barely seeped from his pores before it was instantly vaporized into wisps of white steam by the boiling heat radiating from his body.
Beneath his skin, his flesh was visibly growing clearer and more solid, as if it were refined iron being repeatedly forged and tempered.
He had a feeling he would break through to the Middle Stage of Flesh Refining within the next few days.
...
Time passed in a blur of focused cultivation.
One morning, several days later, Fang Han completed the final circulation of qi and blood for his Pile Skill practice.
Suddenly, all the muscles in his body began to vibrate uncontrollably, humming with a high-frequency power like countless taut strings.
As they hummed, a denser, more explosive power emerged, instantly flooding every part of his body.
The resilience and strength of his muscles had clearly risen to a new level.
Middle Stage of Flesh Refining—achieved!