In the depths of the desert ruins—
BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!
Man and stone colossus clashed head-on, fists colliding in a storm of violence.
Zhao Xuan gritted his teeth, his face twisted with frenzy and determination.
From the energy nodes within his body, Armament Haki surged out in waves.
A punch! Another punch! And another!
He met every crushing blow from the stone giant's arm with one of his own, refusing to dodge, refusing to retreat.
Even when his fists were torn open, flesh and blood a mangled mess—
He still didn't stop.
He still kept punching.
Flesh and stone collided again and again, each impact erupting into a terrifying shockwave that scattered the desert sands into a raging storm.
In the blink of an eye, the man and the giant had already traded dozens of blows.
Zhao Xuan's hands were shredded beyond recognition—
but the stone colossus was far from unscathed.
Cracks marred its enormous fists—
chips and fissures spreading like spiderwebs.
Finally—
BOOM!!
With one final, thunderous punch, the stone fist shattered outright.
The thin cracks spread rapidly, widening until they were as thick as a finger—
and from there, they crawled up the entire arm.
RUMBLE—
The stone limb crumbled and collapsed, scattering into a heap of rubble.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Zhao Xuan threw back his head and laughed maniacally.
"So this is all you've got?! Tier-4? This is the mighty Tier-4?! Bah—nothing but that!"
As he laughed, he took slow, deliberate steps forward through the swirling sand.
"Rrrrraaaagh!"
The colossus bellowed in rage, lifting a massive foot to crush him.
Against its towering form, Zhao Xuan looked like nothing more than an ant—
But the power that surged from this "ant" was no less than that of the giant itself.
As the titanic foot came crashing down—
"I'm done playing with you."
Zhao Xuan stamped twice on the sand—
—and in the next instant, vanished from sight.
When he reappeared, he was already in front of the colossus's head.
Rankyaku—Tempest Kick!
BOOM!
His leg swept out in a crescent arc, carrying devastating force.
With a thundering crack, the kick smashed into the giant's head,
blowing away half its face in an explosion of stone dust.
Before it could even react—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Five consecutive strikes!
And then—
KRAAASH!
The colossus's entire left face crumbled into ruin.
The towering figure wobbled—then collapsed, shaking the desert with its fall.
A cloud of sand burst skyward.
Ding! You've experienced an intense battle. Your understanding of Shave, Moonwalk, Iron Body, Tempest Kick, Armament Haki, and the Azure Dragon Fruit has advanced tremendously. Proficiency +50 to all relevant skills!
As the system's voice echoed in his mind, Zhao Xuan dropped back into the sand with a heavy thud.
Exhaustion—
a boundless, bone-deep exhaustion—
flooded through him.
Every muscle in his body trembled, aching and spent.
After seven days of relentless combat training, Zhao Xuan's strength had skyrocketed.
Normally, he could take down a Tier-4 Desert Colossus in seven or eight minutes at most.
But just now—
After checking his status panel, he'd gotten bold.
He thought, I can do this.
He'd thought, I've leveled up enough to go head-to-head!
So, on a whim, he decided to fight one head-on.
No dodging. No tricks. Just raw power.
The fight had lasted half an hour.
Half an hour of nonstop, full-force combat.
So now—
afterward—
he was completely spent.
"Huff… huff… huff… huff…"
Gasping for breath, Zhao Xuan looked toward the fallen colossus and suddenly burst into laughter again.
"Hahaha! So this is it, huh? The mighty Tier-4? That's all you've got! Hahahahaha!"
Still laughing, he pulled out a vial of energy fluid and downed it in one practiced gulp.
Then, efficiently, he opened his status panel.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence System]
Name: Zhao Xuan
Age: 18
Spiritual Power: 22.68 / 81.11
Physique: 145.01 / 375.01
Abilities:
Shave (Master: 85 / 8000)
Iron Body (Master: 445 / 8000)
Paper Arts (Proficient: 60 / 400)
Moonwalk (Master: 72 / 8000)
Tempest Kick (Master: 800 / 8000)
Finger Gun (Proficient: 315 / 400)
Swordsmanship (Skilled: 88 / 200)
Armament Haki (Proficient: 123 / 4000)
Azure Dragon Fruit (Skilled: 1796 / 2000)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
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