BANG!
A dull thud echoed across the Training Ground.
Then, to everyone's utter astonishment, they saw Ling Fei's fist land squarely on the bridge of Huang Liang's nose.
Blood…
…gushed from Huang Liang's nostrils.
The immense force of the blow sent Huang Liang staggering backward, nearly knocking him to the ground.
Across from him, Ling Fei retracted his fist and stood his ground, his expression calm and composed.
The scene left Zhao Fa and the others completely stunned.
"Ling Fei actually dared to hit him?" Zhao Fa's face was a mask of disbelief.
"Did… did Ling Fei grow some guts?" the other two youths wondered, their expressions incredulous.
After all, they had spent years mocking Ling Fei relentlessly.
But he had always acted as if it didn't bother him, rarely showing anger, let alone throwing the first punch like he had today.
Ling Fei had been weak and sickly since childhood, so they had long grown accustomed to bullying him. They had no fear of him and never imagined a day like this would come.
THUD! THUD!
Huang Liang staggered backward, his heavy steps thudding against the ground.
As someone at the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering, every step he landed with immense force.
Once he regained his footing, he erupted in fury.
"Ling Fei, you actually dared to hit me?" Huang Liang roared like an enraged lion.
"And why wouldn't I?" Ling Fei's gaze sharpened, his tone unyielding. "You insult my father, you can't blame me for what comes next."
These words made Huang Liang flinch.
Nearby, Zhao Fa and the other boys also frowned.
'This Ling Fei… he seems different today,' Zhao Fa thought to himself.
It wasn't just Zhao Fa; Wu Dapang was stunned too.
The decisiveness Ling Fei had just shown went beyond anything he knew about his friend.
"Nice one, Brother Fei! You were a real man today." After a moment of shock, Wu Dapang slapped Ling Fei's shoulder, his face alight with excitement.
Ling Fei, however, remained completely composed. He was neither arrogant nor reckless, and showed no fear.
He had his own principles, his own limits.
These people could curse him, Ling Fei, and that was fine.
Don't pick fights with others, especially not before you are strong enough to win.
That was the principle his adoptive father had often taught him.
And Ling Fei had taken it to heart.
But…
But if these people insulted his family, that was something he could not tolerate.
So, Ling Fei had struck.
But Huang Liang's fury had yet to subside.
Ling Fei's punch had broken his nose.
At the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering, one's bones were refined to be like iron, making them exceptionally hard.
If an ordinary person had punched Huang Liang, not only would they fail to injure him, but their own hand would have been jolted with pain from the impact against his hardened bones.
But Ling Fei was different. He was also a Cultivator at the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering, and the force behind that punch was enough to shatter an ordinary person's bones.
"Alright, Ling Fei, so you've grown a backbone, have you!" Huang Liang said menacingly. "If you've got any guts, stop with the sneak attacks and fight me for real."
With that, Huang Liang strode forward, looking as if he was ready to fight Ling Fei to the finish.
Seeing Huang Liang's aggressive posture, Wu Dapang quickly stepped in front of Ling Fei.
Huang Liang had reached the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering four months ago.
How could Ling Fei, who had just reached the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering, possibly contend with him?
"Wu Dapang!" Seeing Wu Dapang about to interfere, Zhao Fa's gaze turned cold as he also stepped forward.
The two youths beside him stepped forward as well.
By the looks of it, if Wu Dapang intervened, they would all join the fight.
"It's fine." Ling Fei raised a hand, gesturing for Wu Dapang to step back. "I was just thinking I'd like to test my Power."
Now that he had reached the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering, Ling Fei could feel his body gradually recovering. The path of the strong was right before him.
So, he wanted to test his own strength.
After signaling for Wu Dapang to back down, Ling Fei stepped forward himself.
"After you." Ling Fei remained perfectly calm, gesturing toward Huang Liang.
Clearly, he intended to fight him head-on.
"He's actually going to fight?" Zhao Fa was taken aback.
"Something's off about that Ling Fei kid today," one of the other two youths at the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering whispered, his eyes wide.
"Good." A pleased look flashed across Huang Liang's face. 'I'm going to beat you senseless today,' he thought.
With that thought, he clenched his fists and covertly gathered his Power.
"Shattering Stone Fist!"
The words escaped Huang Liang's lips in a low growl.
Huang Liang strode forward and threw a sudden punch straight at Ling Fei.
The fist was incredibly fast, far beyond what an ordinary person could achieve, and it whistled through the air.
In the blink of an eye, the punch was right in front of Ling Fei.
As the fist came at him, Ling Fei remained completely unperturbed.
A light flickered in his eyes as he stared intently ahead.
He perfectly tracked the trajectory of Huang Liang's fist.
If one looked closely, they would see the middle knuckle of Huang Liang's clenched fist was slightly raised.
'This is the second form of Shattering Stone Fist: Stone Breaking!' Ling Fei's eyes lit up.
Shattering Stone Fist had three forms.
The first form: Stone Striking!
The second form: Stone Breaking!
The third form: Shattering Stone!
This second form concentrated the entire Power of the fist into the middle knuckle.
A single blow could crack solid granite.
If one's Cultivation was insufficient, a direct hit from this fist would undoubtedly result in broken bones.
'In that case, let's see whose bones are harder!' Ling Fei had no intention of dodging this punch.
With a flash in his eyes, he took another step forward, then threw a punch of his own to meet Huang Liang's head-on.
"Brother Liang reached the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering four months ago; his bones are incredibly hard. Ling the sickly was still at the Seventh Layer of Body Tempering just two days ago, and he dares to meet the attack head-on? Haha, I can't wait to see how many bones in his hand break." Seeing this, the two youths' lips curled into a mocking sneer.
Zhao Fa crossed his arms, settling in to watch the show.
'Brother Fei has reached the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering, so he shouldn't be in any major danger, but clashing head-on like this will inevitably lead to some minor injuries,' Wu Dapang thought, slightly worried.
'You moron, clashing with me? You're asking to die!' A grin spread across Huang Liang's face as he watched the incoming fist.
In an instant, the two fists flashed and violently crashed together.
BOOM!
The moment the fists collided, a loud bang erupted.
The fierce Power from both fists slammed into each other.
CRACK!
A dull snap followed.
It was the sound of a bone splintering.
"A bone broke?" The four onlookers were all shaken.
"Heh, a sickly weakling like him dared to be so arrogant? Wasn't he just asking for a beating?" Zhao Fa sneered.
The two beside him chimed in with agreement.
In their minds, the one with the broken bone had to be Ling Fei.
"That can't be right," Wu Dapang muttered, his brow deeply furrowed.
He knew Ling Fei had reached the Eighth Layer of Body Tempering. Even if he was a bit weaker than Huang Liang, his bones shouldn't have broken so easily.
"AHHH!" Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, a sudden scream pierced the air.
"That voice?" When the scream reached his ears, Wu Dapang's brows shot up, his expression strange. "Why does that sound like Huang Liang?"
"This…" Zhao Fa also sensed something was wrong.
Then, they looked closer, and the expressions on their faces froze completely.
"How is this possible!" Cries of astonishment escaped from Zhao Fa and the others.
They saw Huang Liang staggering backward, the muscles in his face contorted in extreme pain.
Furthermore, his right hand hung limply at his side, completely powerless.
Clearly, the sound of breaking bone had come from Huang Liang's hand.