The plateau shook under Mu Yanting's rising aura.
It wasn't loud.It wasn't explosive.
It was controlled—like a sword master unsheathing only a fraction of his blade.
But that fraction alone was overwhelming.
Dozens of elite disciples felt their knees weaken.
"His aura… it's crushing…""Rank 1 is on a different level…""Even I can't stand straight…"
Zhou Shan lay flat behind a rock.
"BRO… I CAN'T EVEN BREATHE… AND I'M NOT EVEN IN THE FIGHT…"
But Lian Hong stood firm.
His breathing steady.His stance unbroken.The faint crimson shimmer beneath his skin pulsed—like a heartbeat waking from slumber.
Mu Yanting's eyes gleamed.
"Good.You can withstand my aura."
He tightened his fingers around the wooden sword at his waist.
"Now withstand my technique."
Mu Yanting Vanishes Again
But this time—he wasn't simply fast.
He was silent.
Even the air didn't ripple.
He stepped off the ground without sound,shifted his weight without friction,and accelerated without wind.
Disciples gasped in terror.
"I DIDN'T EVEN SEE HIM MOVE—!!""He crossed twenty meters instantly—without qi?""That's not a movement technique… that's mastery!"
Lian Hong sensed the danger half a heartbeat too late.
Mu Yanting appeared in front of him—
not behind,not beside,not above—
but directly in his blind spot of prediction.
The only place a master could hide.
His wooden-sword-hand was drawn back.
The strike was already coming.
A rib-breaking blow—straight toward Lian Hong's heart.
Bloodline Instinct Activates
Lian Hong's pupils widened.
Time didn't slow—
his brain accelerated.
The crimson shimmer awakened further.
[Bloodline Instinct Resonance: 4% → 7%]
Lines of prediction branched in front of him:
The angle.The velocity.The torque in Mu Yanting's shoulders.The micro-twitch in his wrist.
He's targeting the sternum.Second strike will be a sweep kick.Third strike—shoulder lock.
Lian Hong didn't think.
His body moved.
His left foot pivoted 12 degrees—enough to shift his center line away.
His right hand rose not to block—but to redirect.
His fingers brushed Mu Yanting's wrist—
and nudged it half an inch outward.
The deadly strike missed his heart by a whisper.
It grazed past him, slicing the air like a thunderbolt.
BOOM—!!
The ground behind Lian Hong exploded.
A crater appeared.
Dust blasted into the sky.
The crowd screamed.
"He avoided THAT!?""That was Rank 1's killing strike!!""I didn't even SEE him dodge—!""That wasn't luck—it was instinct!"
Mu Yanting's pupils sharpened.
"Oh?"
His smile held a trace of genuine surprise.
"You adapted mid-strike.Very few can do that."
Lian Hong shook the tingling numbness out of his arm.
"That wasn't adaptation."
He raised his eyes.
"It was prediction."
Mu Yanting Acknowledges Him
Mu Yanting's eyes glowed faintly.
"For years, no one has forced me to adjust.No one has forced my blood to heat."
He slowly exhaled.
"You might be the second."
Lian Hong spoke calmly.
"The first?"
Mu Yanting looked at him with a strange mix of respect and nostalgia.
"He died."
The air grew cold.
Even the crowd fell silent.
Lian Hong didn't answer.
Instead—he activated Shadowstep Mirage Form.
Three afterimages burst outward—
but this time, Mu Yanting didn't ignore them.
He attacked them.
All three.
At once.
Three Strikes. One Man. One Instant.
Mu Yanting's body split into three arcs of motion.
Left hand—destroyed the first afterimage.
Right elbow—shattered the second.
Knee—blew apart the third.
"WHAT KIND OF MONSTER REFLEXES—!!""He countered three illusions instantly!""That's beyond talent—that's experience!"
Zhou Shan's soul nearly flew out:
"BRO… HE'S FIGHTING LIKE HE HAS THREE BODIES—!!!"
Mu Yanting finished dispersing the illusions—
and the real Lian Hong appeared under him, fists clenched.
Mu Yanting blocked with his forearm—and the shockwave cracked the stone beneath both of them.
The entire platform trembled.
Dust shot upward.
Two silhouettes blurred through the air—
clashing again and again—
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—!!
Each impact sent waves of pressure through the plateau.
The disciples screamed and backed away.
"This is insane!""It's like two spirit beasts fighting!""They're both monsters!!"
Mu Yanting's True Power Revealed
Abruptly, Mu Yanting jumped back.
The crowd inhaled sharply.
He placed a hand on his diaphragm—and breathed.
Just one breath.
But the air pressure changed.
"Rank 1 is getting serious—!!"
"That's his internal circulation technique!"
"He's going to boost his strength!"
Lian Hong felt it instantly.
Mu Yanting stepped forward—
and the stone beneath his foot collapsed.
He dashed—
and a shockwave trailed behind him.
He struck—
and the wind howled.
His attacks were no longer merely fast.
They were terrifyingly accurate.
Every strike aimed for a vital point.Every movement carried perfect efficiency.Every step was a potential kill.
Lian Hong's instincts exploded.
[Bloodline Instinct Resonance: 7% → 10%]
Crimson flickered beneath his skin.
Prediction lines darted like lightning.
Still—
Mu Yanting overwhelmed him.
A punch caught Lian Hong's jaw.
CRACK—!!
Blood sprayed.
A sweeping kick hit his ribs.
WHAM—!!
Air left his lungs.
A palm slammed into his shoulder.
THUD—!!
Pain erupted.
The crowd roared in shock:
"Mu Yanting broke through his defense!""That speed—he can't keep up!""Rank 1 is too strong!!"
Zhou Shan screamed:
"BROOO—PLEASE DON'T DIE—!!!"
Lian Hong staggered backward.
Vision blurred.
Chest burning.
Arm numb.
Mu Yanting approached slowly.
Not arrogantly.
Not cruelly.
But like a warrior offering judgment.
"You are strong," Mu Yanting said quietly."Very strong."
He raised his hand.
"But not enough to defeat me."
He launched the final blow—
aimed at Lian Hong's heart.
Fast.Precise.Inescapable.
The entire crowd held its breath.
The outcome seemed decided.
Lian Hong's Bloodline Surges
But—
Something inside Lian Hong snapped.
Not a bone.
A limit.
A restraint.
The dormant bloodline—
AWOKE.
[Bloodline Activation: Stage 1 – Partial Awakening][Physical stats boosted][Reflexes boosted][Predictive combat enters accelerated state]
Crimson light shot through his veins.
Time slowed to a crawl.
The incoming strike—
once unstoppable—
became a sequence of frames.
MusclesTendon tensionWeight shiftElbow angleWrist torqueFist trajectory
All of it—
visible.
Predictable.
Breakable.
Lian Hong's hand rose—
and caught Mu Yanting's fist.
The platform went silent.
Absolutely silent.
Mu Yanting's eyes widened—
for the first time.
"…You—caught it?"
Lian Hong's voice was low.
Calm.
Deadly.
"You're right."
He pulled Mu Yanting closer.
"I can't defeat you."
He twisted his body and redirected the force.
"But I can break your strike."
His shoulder slammed into Mu Yanting's chest.
BOOM—!!
Mu Yanting slid backward three steps.
Three.
Steps.
The entire elite ground erupted in screams.
"He pushed back Rank 1!!""He forced Mu Yanting to retreat!!""This is impossible—!!""That blood aura—what is he!?""He's awakening something terrifying!"
Mu Yanting steadied himself.
Touched his chest.
And began to laugh softly.
"That… was beautiful."
He raised his stance again.
"This duel isn't over."
Lian Hong wiped blood from his lip.
"I wasn't finished either."
The crowd held its breath.
Because now—
the real fight was about to begin.