Chapter 343 (1): Unfathomably Bright Future

"Chu Qiguang has already reached the fifth state?" Wu Wei exclaimed with an incredulous expression.

Fei Yixian was also astonished. Already a fifth-state martial artist at his age? His aptitude for martial arts may even be superior to his business acumen!

"A fifth-state martial artist at just seventeen," the Huiqin Feudal Lord mused, looking dumbstruck. "Even throughout all of history, there are very few people to reach this mark so young! Is he really not one of the Eight Han Resurgence Generals?"

Inside the ring, Chu Qiguang's palm clashed against Jin Haitian's hand with a resounding thump, sending powerful shockwaves sweeping through the air in all directions.

Jin Haitian was also slightly taken aback, but his wealth of experience in battle allowed him to maintain his composure in spite of his surprise.

Besides, as far as he was concerned, Chu Qiguang was still no match for him. His reputation is only going to be enhanced now that it's been revealed that he's a fifth-state martial artist at such a young age, so I have to humiliate him even more to compensate.

Jin Haitian reveled in fighting against worthy opponents, and he loved the feeling of honing his fleshly body and growing stronger through battle, but he had been assigned a mission by the nine border military bases—knock Chu Qiguang down a peg.

With that in mind, Jin Haitian increased his power output, and his right hand abruptly turned bright red from a rapid injection of qi and blood.

He thrust his arm viciously toward Chu Qiguang like a spear, and it was met with the second of the Twelve Infernal Palms.

The two clashed once again with an almighty boom, and waves of scorching heat swept through the entire venue, forcing everyone to stumble back in retreat with stunned expressions.

Never had anyone imagined that Chu Qiguang could do something like the sight before them.

I can't keep stalling any longer, Jin Haitian exhaled, and the turbulent qi and blood inside him produced the sound of a flowing river. He intertwined his fingers and used his arms to emulate spears as he unleashed the Vast Heavens Faction's Storm Spear Techniques.

His arms were plunged toward Chu Qiguang like a pair of hunting dragons, displaying an astonishing level of mobility and dexterity, as if all of the joints within them had melted away.

In the face of Jin Haitian's fierce assault, Chu Qiguang made no attempt at evasion and continued unleashing his Twelve Infernal Palms.

Jin Haitian's hands tore through the air before administering a string of rapid strikes upon Chu Qiguang's body, striking him in the chest, the abdomen, the arms, the shoulders, the legs...

It was such a rapid and torrential barrage that the sound of the individual strikes joined together to form a single, continuous rumble, and in what seemed like no more than the blink of an eye, Chu Qiguang was struck more times than anyone could count.

To them, it felt as if Chu Qiguang had been thrown into a tsunami, and there was surely no way he would be able to emerge unscathed.

However, contrary to everyone's expectations, Chu Qiguang remained completely unharmed—no, he wasn't forced even a single step backward!

As the fierce assault continued, Chu Qiguang's figure gave off a golden glow, giving him the appearance of a gilded Buddha statue.

At this point, Chu Qiguang's physical constitution was infinitely approaching the very limits of what was possible for a human. As a matter of fact, his fleshly body was already evolving in an inhuman direction, thanks to the Sumeru King Scripture.

Furthermore, even though he wasn't actively channeling the Steel Tendon Iron Bone Arts and the Vajra Laws, the passive enhancement effects to his physical constitution were still present.

"Gold?! That is the fourth level of the Primordial High Zenith Qigong!" the Huiqin Feudal Lord exclaimed.

Even those who didn't recognize the Primordial High Zenith Qigong were astonished by Chu Qiguang's incredible physical prowess, nevertheless.

Jin Haitian revealed an excited smile; he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Unable to break through Chu Qiguang's defenses, Jin Haitian was forced to fall back in defense and block Chu Qiguang's second palm strike. At the same time, his skin abruptly tightened as he channeled some type of physical cultivation art of his own.

A resounding boom rang out; the force of Chu Qiguang's palm strike was enough to shatter the earth beneath his feet.

This palm strike is stronger than the previous one! To Jin Haitian's shock and excitement, the next two palm strikes unleashed by Chu Qiguang also continued to grow in power. To Jin Haitian's credit, he could withstand Chu Qiguang's attack, and the more power Chu Qiguang displayed, the more excited he became.

Meanwhile, Chu Qiguang's condition was improving. I gotta say, out of all of the martial artists I've fought, this guy makes the best punching bag by far!

At this point, the Huiqin Feudal Lord was already growing a little numb from all the surprises. Who is this servant? How is he able to keep up with Chu Qiguang?

All of the other spectators were also bewildered by the power displayed by both combatants.

Just then, Chu Qiguang gave a cold harrumph in the ring, and bursts of white gale force gathered over the palm of his hand, producing a high-pitched shrieking akin to the screams of the wretched souls in hell.

As more and more gale force accumulated, Chu Qiguang looked down at Jin Haitian and remarked, "The fact that you were able to withstand four palm strikes from me tells me that you must be a very accomplished martial artist, even among fifth-tier martial artists.

"You're definitely not just some no-name slouch, so why have you stooped to disguising yourself as a servant?"

Jin Haitian offered no response, merely grinning at Chu Qiguang as his qi and blood circulated faster and faster. Both Chu Qiguang's offensive and defensive prowess had gone far beyond his expectations.

Jin Haitian was confident that if he didn't have to suppress himself for a disguise, or if he were armed with a spear, then he would be able to secure a very clean victory, but given the current circumstances, he had found himself in a bit of a pickle.

He makes for a really good sparring partner, but my job is to humiliate him. However, if I go all-out, I'll be forced to revert back to my true appearance, and my identity will be exposed.

"If you're not going to talk, then don't blame me for what I'm about to do to you!" Chu Qiguang threatened in a cold voice.

In that instant, all of the fine hairs on Jin Haitian stood on end as an overwhelming sense of peril welled up in his heart. The burst of adrenaline increased the speed of the circulation of his qi and blood.

He could smell a potent, bloody odor in the air as Chu Qiguang unleashed his fifth palm strike. As soon as the palm strike was unleashed, Jin Haitian felt as if a hellish sea of blood were about to descend on him. The gale force flowing over the palm of Chu Qiguang's hand looked like vengeful ghosts itching to sink their teeth into him.

Jin Haitian's instincts were screaming at him, telling him that he couldn't hold back any longer. He let loose a thunderous roar to embolden himself, and his right hand contorted into a corkscrew shape in a completely unnatural and inhuman transformation. It was as if all of the bones and joints had melted away, forming the tip of a spear.