Meanwhile, back at Full Moon, Joel flying away had everyone looking dumbstruck. Joel was a senior in the Zen Order. He was also a strong fighter on the Heavenly Immortals. Someone like him could split rocks open with just a palm of his hand. Under normal circumstances, Dustin would have been seriously injured or even killed by his attack. However, the situation was reversed instead. What exactly happened? "Dustin, are you alright?" Scarlet rushed forward after a momentary daze. She took a good look at him."I told you, that childish brat can't hurt me. There was no need to worry." Dustin smiled."You scared me. I thought …" Scarlet didn't continue. She seemed afraid of offending him.Georgia stared at him in disbelief. "How are you so strong?" She was aware of Joel's skills. She and Bridget weren't his match. If Scarlet didn't get involved, they wouldn't have been able to take him down. They were certain that Dustin was as good as dead earlier. They didn't expect such a
"As long as you have time, you can join." Dustin smiled and nodded."That's great!" Scarlet's face lit up with joy.Obviously, she wanted to join, not to watch the tournament, but to spend more time with Dustin. She didn't know how much longer she could stay with him. … The following day, Dustin met up with Scarlet and the others. Together, they went to the martial arts alliance branch. It was located on the edge of the city. A single large building was its base, boasting modernized facilities. The martial arts alliance had two major sources of income. One was charging new students high tuition fees. The other was to put up commissions and take a percentage of the rewards. In this world, wealthy and high-ranking officials frequently needed protection from martial artists. The alliance became the top place to seek protection. They had a lot of expert fighters available. The rewards were also generous. So, plenty of martial artists were eager to accept the tasks. After
"Hey! Where are your manners? How can you all just cut in line like that?" A young martial artist who was pushed aside immediately expressed his dissatisfaction. He had waited in line for a long time. Naturally, he was unhappy to be just cut in line like that. "Why not?" With a cold smirk, a chubby woman slapped the young martial artist. She declared, "I can because I'm capable!" Her arrogant and overbearing attitude would make anyone furious. "You … How dare you slap me?" The young martial artist was stunned. Then, his anger flared. "You bitch! Take this!" He raised a fist, ready to attack. But before he could hit the woman, a muscular man quickly stood in front of her. He blocked his attack. With a loud thud, the forceful punch from the young martial artist landed solidly on the muscular man's chest. The muscular man remained completely unfazed. However, the force of that punch sent the young martial artist stumbling back. His arm hurt from the impact. He felt as
"Hah! Guess you won't cry till you see death in the eyes!" Gianna glared at the young martial artist. She said haughtily, "Devon, since this guy won't respect us, let's teach him a lesson!""Alright!" With a smirk, Devon stepped forward. He lifted the young martial artist off the ground and above his head. "Let me go!" The young martial artist struggled wildly, but it was in vain. Compared to the muscular Devon, he seemed like a weak chick. He was absolutely powerless."Don't want to give in? Well, I'll make sure you will with my fists!"Devon held the young martial artist tightly with both hands. He spun him around a few times before moving to slam him down forcefully. If the young martial artist was lucky, he would only sustain serious injuries the moment he hit the ground. "He's done for!" Many in the crowd looked on sympathetically. Just as the young martial artist was about to meet his end, a hand appeared and caught him gently. It skillfully neutralized the force o
"Ahh!" Devon screamed in despair, seeing the sword coming at him. He never could have expected the charming woman to act so ruthlessly out of nowhere. It was evident she held absolutely no regard for Boulderthorn. "Stop!" "No!" The unexpected turn of events shocked the Boulderthorn disciples. However, it was too late for them to stop her."Don't kill him, kid," Dustin said just in time. There was a sharp whistle as Scarlet's blade stopped mere inches from Devon's throat. A thin line of blood formed as it grazed his skin. Had Dustin spoken out a second later, Devon would have been lying in a pool of his own blood. Devon gulped. His face turned pale. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. The terror in his eyes never went away. He had very nearly met his end. Just where did this crazy bitch with such hatred come from? They weren't even enemies. It was scary. "Do that again, and I will send you to hell," Scarlet said icily. Devon shivered involuntarily. A wave o
"Now, who is going first?" "Me!" Gianna approached the strength tester machine confidently. The strength tester machine was made from metal. It had a flexible punching pad right in the middle designed to absorb and measure the force of the strike. Upon delivering a punch, the display screen would present the amount of strength."Guys, I'll try it out for you first." Gianna took a deep breath before delivering a powerful punch, smashing the punching pad. With a heavy thud, the punching pad slammed into the tester machine. At the same time, the red digits on the display screen fluctuated rapidly and settled at 1250."No way! A woman punched 1250 pounds of force? That's stronger than me!" "She's impressive to hit those numbers without internal energy." Whispers and murmurs spread among the crowd, expressing their surprise. It was impressive to achieve those numbers as a young lady not older than 18. "See that? This is what I am capable of!" Gianna chuckled proudly. She eve
The crowd was silent as they stared at the red number. Looks of astonishment replaced the smiles on their faces. No one expected Dustin to have such terrifying strength. His punch was over ten thousand pounds of force! It was incredible!"Fuck! Who is this guy? How can he be so strong?""And I thought five thousand pounds was the limit. This guy broke through ten thousand!""Damn it! He's a freaking monster!"The martial artists present began discussing among themselves and expressed their surprise.The Steeljaws Fellowship disciples were in shock, unable to believe it. Desmond had exerted his full strength only to achieve five thousand pounds of force. While Dustin easily surpassed ten thousand pounds of force. Dustin completely crushed them with that display of strength. It was humiliating! "How was that possible? How could this skinny guy have such incredible strength? Did he use internal energy?" Gianna questioned. "If he used internal energy, the machine would have
After a short silence, the room erupted in cheers.Everyone looked at the numbers displayed on the screen with wide eyes. They were in disbelief.Dustin's ten thousand pound record was already terrifying. He could get promoted to the next level with that.Who would've thought that another more frightening monster would show up?Fourteen thousand pounds completely replaced the previous record!It was simply horrifying!"Hahaha. Devon is just impressive!" Gianna burst out laughing and jumped around in joy."That's God-given talent!" The other disciples were also overjoyed. They could also share some of this glory thanks to Devon's achievement."You're insane! You broke the record with just one punch!" The martial arts alliance staff's wide eyes were filled with admiration."Hmph, that was nothing. I was just warming up. Now I'm getting serious!" Devon clenched his fists, stretching his neck from side to side. Then, he gestured for the crowd to make way for him.He exhaled. Then
"We're ready for the ultimate showdown of this tournament. The winner will be crowned the Combat Tournament Champion. Now, let's welcome both contestants to the ring." Oron's voice thundered as he stepped onto the battle ring.There was thunderous applause and cheers from the audience.The long-awaited showdown was finally at hand. Today's outcome wasn't just about personal glory, but it would also decide the future of the martial world.If Glenn triumphed and claimed the crown, the Sword Union would rise as the undisputed guild. The Celestial Alliance and the Mystic Arts Order would have no choice but to bow to their supremacy.But if Dustin won, it would be even more sensational. A dark horse, without any guild affiliation, defeating the elite disciples of the major guild—such a story would send shockwaves through the martial world.Once that happened, every major guild would fight tooth and nail to claim him. It would spark a fierce battle for dominance."Dr. Rhys! Good luck!"
"H-Hold on! I-I surrender!" Abigail said urgently. With the sword inches away from her throat, she decisively raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.She didn't expect herself to win the match. Her goal was simply to take this opportunity to test Dustin's strength and also gauge her own progress. But now, it was clear that there was still a sizable gap between them."You've done well. In a few more years, I might not even be able to keep up with you." Dustin smiled and lowered his Celestial Blade. His words weren't flattery; he genuinely saw potential in Abigail.The dark Phoenix flames carried a corrosive power that even his mystical pure energy couldn't resist. In other words, Abigail's black flames were the bane of any martial artist.Her journey in the martial world was still short—barely two years. She hadn't unlocked the full potential of her Phoenix bloodline yet. But with more training and experience, the sky was the limit for her."Don't try to console me, Sir. I'm n
With a resounding bang, the golden light erupted with a burst of terrifying energy wave. In an instant, the earth trembled, and fierce winds whipped through the air.Dustin and his sword were sent flying several yards. After landing, he stumbled back several steps before finally steadying himself.He looked up and saw that Abigail's body was now covered in a layer of golden armor, though he couldn't tell when it had happened. The armor glowed brightly, and it made her look imposing and striking.It was clearly a divine artifact.The Mystic Arts Order had been around for centuries, with deep roots and countless treasures. As the Grand Sorceress, Abigail would obviously have several divine artifacts for protection.Dustin wasn't surprised, but the armor's counterforce caught him off guard. Not only did it protect her, but it also had offensive capabilities.When his sword struck the armor earlier, the blow didn't leave a scratch. Instead, the armor absorbed the hit and sent the for
Dustin raised his hand as the black feathers rained down on him. A white energy shield flared into existence to form a wall before him.The feathers slammed into the shield and sent ripples across its surface but failed to break through. However, the black flames on the feathers spread across the shield and burned through its energy at a visible pace. In the blink of an eye, the once impenetrable barrier cracked open and left a gaping hole.Dustin couldn't hide his surprise. His mystical pure energy was far stronger than the average grandmaster's internal energy in offense and defense. It was meant to be impenetrable. He hadn't anticipated it couldn't hold up against Abigail's phoenix flame.Seeing the raw strength of her bloodline, he knew he couldn't afford to take any chances. As the black flames spread, he swiftly waved his hand to summon a furious gust of wind that sent the feathers and flames flying."Glaring Wings!" Abigail wasn't done yet. She quickly formed hand seals and
Abigail moved with lightning speed, and her figure weaved in and out like a shadow. Her swift movements left a blur of afterimages that was hard for anyone watching to keep up.On the contrary, Dustin stood still without making any movement."Fallen Fist!"After closing in, she unleashed a flurry of strikes—dozens of black palm shadows slamming toward his body, and each one was like a bullet aimed at its target.Abigail practiced a unique martial art, and it was imbued with voodoo-like properties that could kill anyone who made contact with her. But Dustin's body was immune to all poisons, so it was a perfect counter to her deadly attack.As the shadow palms closed in, he remained unshaken and thrust his palm forward.A fierce gust of wind surged and ripped through the air with unrelenting force. It collided with the black palm shadows.Abigail's black palm shadows exploded on impact and disintegrated into thick clouds of dark mist that quickly spread. Within moments, the mist e
The whole arena suddenly fell dead silent. Everyone stared blankly, and not a soul dared to breathe. Alloy shot to his feet in the main spectator seats, and his face was tense with worry. Yet, he didn't dare make a sound. He feared it might startle Glenn into making a mistake that could cost Fenley's life.After all, Fenley represented the future of the Celestial Alliance. Alloy had invested all his effort into Fenley, and he provided him with endless resources. If Fenley were to die in the match, it would deal a devastating blow to the entire guild.While Alloy was gripped with worry, Cyrus and Penelope cheered silently. They secretly hoped Glenn's sword would strike Fenley. If that happened, the Celestial Alliance would take at least a decade to regain its former glory.Fenley's body stiffened as he stared at the Fang Master hovering inches from him. A shiver ran through his spine as goosebumps prickled his skin. Sweat trickled down his face, and each drop hit the ground with a
"Glenn had only seven swords in the past. I didn't expect that in just one year, two more divine swords would recognize him as their master. This punk is much better than I was back then," Cyrus remarked. He stroked his chin with a look of surprise and approval. He had always believed in Glenn's potential, but Glenn's performance had still exceeded his expectations.After all, the more swords Glenn wielded, the stronger he became. He had already topped the Legendary List with just seven swords. Now, with nine, his strength had grown even more overwhelming."He truly is the Chosen One." Even Kaden couldn't help but sigh.The nine divine swords recognized their master and responded with ease. Glenn's talent and cultivation were leagues ahead of his peers.Every generation brought forth new talent, and the old had no choice but to step aside for the new generation. Compared to their time, today's youth were on another level—monsters in their own right."Now, this is going to be int
Compared to the second green sword, Glenn's third sword was even more powerful. As it descended, accompanied by the fury of a fire dragon, it carried the destructive force of a world-shattering storm.Fenley, whose energy flow was disrupted earlier, watched the fiery red long sword streak toward like a falling meteor. His heart raced and was gripped by a sudden sense of impending doom.With a roar, he risked the backlash effect and unleashed a powerful surge of internal energy. The ethereal divine spirit behind him instantly transformed into a figure with three heads and six arms. This was the complete form of the Four Elements of God's Technique.At that instant, he threw everything he had into the fight. He controlled the spirit to slam its giant arms into the flaming sword. With a loud explosion, the sword tore through the spirit's palms and continued its unyielding path toward Fenley. But its speed had slowed slightly.Without hesitation, he controlled the spirit to strike ag
When the spectators heard the match was about to begin, the excitement reached a fever pitch. Half of them cheered for Fenley while the other half chanted Glenn's name. Both were the Chosen Ones, and their popularity was undeniable. Everyone had been waiting for their face-off in the battle ring.Though Fenley ranked slightly below Glenn on the Legendary List, his fame and influence as the successor to the Celestial Alliance's guildmaster outshined Glenn's. Ultimately, the question of who was stronger could only be answered in the ring."I've been waiting for this day, Glenn." Fenley stared at him intently. His voice was powerful and commanding. He continued, "Others say I'm not your equal, but I refuse to believe it. Today, we'll find out whether your sword is faster or if my Four Elements of God's Technique is superior.""The moment you said that, you've already lost. Your doubt shows you lack the confidence to defeat me," Glenn replied calmly. If this were a fight-to-the-deat