The pressure didn't simply increase; it descended in a way that made the entire space feel heavier, as if something invisible had settled over the valley and refused to lift. The ground beneath Lin Xuan's feet cracked further, thin fractures spreading outward as dust trembled and sank instead of rising, as though even the air had lost the right to move freely.
Lin Xuan felt the change immediately. This wasn't the same force Zhao Tian had used earlier. That had been shallow, something external. What pressed against him now felt deeper, like it was trying to seep into his body and crush him from within. His breathing slowed as he adjusted, his chest rising against the weight before he exhaled through clenched teeth.
"So this is what you were holding back," he said, his voice steady, though heavier than before.
Zhao Tian stood a short distance away with one hand raised, his posture relaxed, almost casual, as if the overwhelming pressure surrounding him required no effort at all. "Holding back?" he repeated, a faint smile forming on his lips. "Not really. You just weren't worth using it earlier."
Lin Xuan let out a quiet chuckle, the sound low but genuine despite the strain pressing against him. "You really like saying that," he replied. "Makes it sound like you're convincing yourself."
Zhao Tian's eyes flickered slightly at that, the amusement still there but sharper now. "And you're still talking under this?" he said. "That's more surprising than your breakthrough."
Lin Xuan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he shifted his foot forward, and the moment it touched the ground, the stone cracked with a sharp sound that echoed faintly through the heavy air. The pressure resisted him instantly, pushing back with equal force, making even that single step feel like he was forcing his way through something solid.
Still, he didn't stop.
He took another step.
Zhao Tian's expression changed, just slightly, but enough to notice. "You're still moving," he said, this time without the earlier lightness in his tone.
Lin Xuan exhaled slowly, his muscles tightening as the pressure pressed harder against him with every inch he advanced. "What did you expect?" he replied. "For me to drop the moment you got serious?"
Zhao Tian watched him carefully now, his gaze no longer casual, tracking every movement with quiet focus. "Most people would have already collapsed," he said after a moment. "Even some at my level wouldn't stand comfortably under this."
Lin Xuan's lips curved faintly. "Then maybe you're overestimating everyone else," he said, taking another step forward as the ground beneath him cracked deeper.
The pressure shifted again.
It no longer spread evenly across the area but began to focus on him alone, tightening like invisible chains wrapping around his body. It pressed into his shoulders, his chest, his legs, trying to lock him in place completely.
For a brief moment, his body trembled.
His breathing grew heavier.
But he didn't step back.
"…You're forcing your way through it," Zhao Tian said quietly, and this time there was no attempt to hide the surprise in his voice.
Lin Xuan's gaze remained steady, locked onto him without wavering. "I didn't go through all that just to stop here," he replied.
Zhao Tian fell silent for a second, then let out a slow breath, as if accepting something. "Then let's see how far that confidence takes you."
His raised hand shifted slightly, and the pressure intensified again, becoming denser and sharper, no longer just weight but something that actively resisted movement. The space around Lin Xuan felt restricted, as if every direction had been sealed.
Lin Xuan paused for a fraction of a second, feeling the change, then adjusted his stance instead of retreating. His muscles tightened further, veins faintly visible beneath his skin as his body responded to the pressure rather than collapsing under it.
"…So this is the real part," he muttered.
Zhao Tian tilted his head slightly. "You can tell?"
Lin Xuan gave a faint smile despite the strain. "Yeah," he said. "Now it actually feels like something worth fighting."
Zhao Tian's eyes narrowed, the faint smile on his own face fading into something more serious. For a brief moment, neither of them moved, but the tension between them had already reached a point where even the air felt unstable.
Then Lin Xuan stepped forward again.
This time, the movement was slower but far more deliberate, as if every inch he gained was taken by force rather than given. The invisible restraint didn't break, but it bent just enough to allow him through.
Zhao Tian saw it clearly, and the change in his expression was no longer subtle. "…You're adapting," he said, almost to himself.
Lin Xuan didn't answer. He was already close enough.
Zhao Tian raised his other hand, and the pressure surged again, heavier than before, as if he had finally decided to stop holding anything back within this level. "You've done well to reach this point," he said, his voice calm but firm. "But this is where it ends."
Lin Xuan looked at him, his breathing heavier now but his eyes steady and clear. "You've said that already," he replied. "Try something new."
In the next instant, both of them moved.
Zhao Tian's palm descended, carrying compressed concept power that distorted the air around it, while Lin Xuan stepped in and threw a punch without hesitation. When the two collided, the impact didn't just echo—it burst outward violently, sending a shockwave across the valley as the ground beneath them shattered further.
For a brief moment, they held.
Then Zhao Tian felt it.
The force pushing back against him wasn't weakening. It wasn't struggling.
It was matching him.
His arm trembled slightly as the realization set in, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Lin Xuan with something new in his gaze.
"…So this is your confidence," he said quietly.
Lin Xuan pushed forward, his muscles tightening as he drove through the clash, his voice steady despite the strain pressing against him. "I told you," he said, "this body isn't normal."
The clash broke, and both of them were forced apart, sliding back across the fractured ground as dust rose and settled slowly in the heavy air between them.
Zhao Tian straightened, his sleeve torn and his arm still carrying a faint tremor, while across from him Lin Xuan stood firm, his breathing heavier but his posture unshaken.
Their eyes met again, and this time the silence between them carried weight.
Zhao Tian let out a quiet breath, then gave a small, almost genuine smile as he raised his hand once more. The air around him shifted again, but this time it didn't just grow heavier. Something within it changed, something deeper and far more dangerous than before, as if the very nature of the space itself was beginning to distort.
"You wanted a real fight," Zhao Tian said slowly, his gaze locked onto Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan didn't respond, but his body tensed instinctively as he felt the change.
Zhao Tian's voice lowered slightly as he continued, "Then don't regret it."
The space behind him warped faintly, like a ripple spreading through reality itself, and for the first time since the fight began, Lin Xuan felt something that his body alone couldn't simply overpower.