"Now… let's begin the second round!!"
Finn roared in rage as a single Qi meridian on his left shoulder glowed intensely, and Yuan Qi pulsed violently through the air.
------------------------
Wei King King smiled in satisfaction, then took a combat stance as six of her Qi meridians flared brilliantly, and a wave of Yuan Qi pulsed across the entire arena.
"Aaahhh!!"
Finn roared in fury and charged straight toward Wei King King with explosive force. He threw several rapid, consecutive punches, all of which Wei King King deftly evaded before countering with a spinning kick.
Finn dodged the attack and kicked Wei King King in the face.
Wei King King grabbed his leg, lifted him into the air, and slammed him brutally into the ground.
Finn crashed onto his back but sprang up immediately and attacked again.
The two then became fully engaged in a pure hand-to-hand battle, their Yuan Qi spreading violently in all directions with every strike.
"Amazing!! He's actually matching the second commander with just a single Qi meridian!!"
"What a monster!!"
"What the hell did that kid eat?! How can his body be this ridiculously strong?!"
The soldiers shouted in shock and fear, while Wei Ben watched the fierce battle with admiration.
Finn suddenly retreated several meters and stood firmly in place, panting heavily.
It had been incredible in every sense of the word.
Using Yuan Qi in battle instead of relying solely on his physical body brought an overwhelming feeling of power.
It felt as though he could destroy everything around him.
Finn felt that the power of his strikes and his speed had multiplied, and his rubber-like body could now absorb the impact of Yuan Qi attacks as if they were mere physical blows.
All of this was achieved using only second-grade Yuan Qi and by opening just a single Qi meridian.
Finn couldn't imagine what he would be capable of if he reached a higher cultivation level and possessed a stronger technique than Star Absorption.
"Well then!! Prepare yourself, because I'm about to show you hell!!"
Finn shouted with intense excitement, completely forgetting any resentment he had toward Wei King King. After all, he had once been just an ordinary human boy in New York, and now that he had come to a cultivation world and obtained such power, how could he not be thrilled to fight like characters from anime and manga?
Wei King King smirked mockingly and said, "Bring it."
Finn took a combat stance and instantly lunged forward, his arm stretching several meters backward.
"Gomu Gomu no—"
He snapped his arm forward and punched Wei King King with force, shouting:
"Pistol!!"
Wei King King crossed her arms in an X-shape and blocked the attack head-on.
Boom!!
The air exploded, and a red wave of Yuan Qi burst forth in front of Wei King King.
She was blasted backward and slammed into the wall of the training arena.
Her arms went numb, and she looked at Finn with slight astonishment.
Once again, Finn had shocked her—he had managed to merge Yuan Qi into his rubber-based attacks efficiently on his very first attempt, something she had believed he wouldn't be able to do.
"Gomu Gomu no Whip!!"
Wei King King heard Finn's voice again, then felt a sharp pain in her waist.
"Aaah!!"
She cried out in pain and looked down in shock to see Finn's extended leg striking her side horizontally.
Wei King King was sent flying toward the wall on the opposite side of the arena, but she flipped midair, landed on her feet, and dashed toward Finn at blinding speed.
Finn's eyes widened, but before he could react, Wei King King punched him hard in the stomach.
Finn staggered back several steps, but endured the blow head-on.
"What?!" Wei King King exclaimed in surprise.
Finn smirked. With the flow of Yuan Qi through his body, he could absorb the shock of Yuan Qi attacks as if they were purely physical strikes.
Finn grabbed Wei King King by the shoulders and swung his head backward.
His neck stretched several meters behind him before he snapped his head forward and roared:
"Gomu Gomu no… Bell!!"
Boom!!
Finn's head smashed violently into Wei King King's face.
She staggered back several steps, feeling as though her nose had been broken.
Finn pulled both palms backward, his arms stretching several meters.
"Gomu Gomu no—"
He thrust his palms forward with terrifying force, slamming them into Wei King King's chest as a powerful wave of Yuan Qi erupted from the strike.
"Bazooka!!!"
Finn shouted the final word with full force.
"Aaahhh!!"
Wei King King screamed as blood burst from her mouth.
She was launched into the air, flipping several times before crashing heavily onto the ground.
Silence fell over the arena as the soldiers watched in shock.
Finn had just defeated the second commander of the Tsang Lan Army—one of the strongest individuals in the Chu Empire—in a mere training session.
True, Wei King King had only used 5% of her full power, hadn't employed any combat techniques, and had restrained her physical strength so Finn could keep up—but even so, the achievement shook them to their core.
Finn panted heavily, watching Wei King King with caution.
Wei King King slowly stood up. All the injuries Finn had inflicted healed instantly, as second-level Yuan Qi attacks had no lasting effect on her.
She brushed the dust off her clothes and stood as if nothing had happened.
Wei King King exhaled slowly and looked at Finn with a trace of appreciation.
Finn's combat power had far exceeded her expectations.
At first, she had suppressed her physical strength to that of someone who had opened five Qi meridians, giving Finn a chance, and sparred with him without using any Yuan Qi.
Yet he had been stronger and faster than her.
Then she used her Yuan Qi and lowered herself to the level of someone with four opened Qi meridians, gaining the upper hand—but somehow, Finn still crushed and defeated her.
After that, she raised her power to six Qi meridians and completely overwhelmed Finn, but everything changed once Finn adapted and began using his own Yuan Qi in battle.
At that point, his combat power skyrocketed to a completely absurd level.
Wei King King was now certain that Finn could contend with someone who had opened six Qi meridians in both strength and speed, despite having opened only one.
She was convinced that if Finn were given enough time to grow and his cultivation increased to two meridians or more, no one at the eight-meridian level would be able to stand against him—except, of course, for geniuses from noble families.
Wei King King's determination to make Finn her brother's personal guard increased severalfold. They were at war with Black Poison City and the Black Poison King, and her brother's life was constantly threatened by assassins.
"Well then, Finn, I believe you've passed the test. You even succeeded in using Yuan Qi in combat on your very first attempt."
Wei King King said with a smile as the pressure of Yuan Qi vanished from her body as if it had never existed.
"Really? Is it finally over?"
Finn said with surprise and joy.
Then the Yuan Qi around him faded away, and he fell onto his back, losing consciousness instantly.
Wei King King blinked in surprise, then let out a sigh.
"It seems she may have gone a little too far."