Li Tianfu's Shock

"He placed a bet of 5000 Spiritual Stones on himself, so maybe he does think that he has a shot at winning. Why else would he go all out like that?"

"It was rather pompous of him, though. There is utterly no chance for someone at the Seventh Heaven to come out on top against a Ninth Heaven warrior like Li Tianfu," Ran Qi said slowly, her gaze locked on the president.

The president nodded after hearing what she said.

"However, he is the grandson of Jing Tian. Maybe there's something going on here that we don't know about," the president said with a subdued voice, keeping his eyes on the ring.

Jing Tian was Jing Yan's grandfather, the previous Patriarch of the Jing Clan.

Jing Tian was considered a legendary figure in Dong Lin City himself.

It was worth noting that before Jing Tian's time, the Jing Clan wasn't actually one of the three major clans in Dong Lin City. Back then, the big three consisted of the Zhao Clan, the Lin Clan, and the Cai Clan.

The Jing Clan only began to grow strong after Jing Tian became the Patriarch. Eventually, they became powerful enough to throw the Cai Clan out of the three and take their place.

The president of the association apparently respected Jing Tian very much.

"Ran Qi, Jing Yan is destined to be someone extraordinary. Can you believe that he was only a Third Heaven warrior a little more than a month ago?" The president turned his eyes on Ran Qi.

"What?" Ran Qi was dumbfounded upon hearing that.

She knew that Jing Yan's level had once dropped to the Third Heaven, and he had now risen to the Seventh Heaven. However, she had no idea how little time it had taken for Jing Yan to jump between those ranks.

Now the president of the association was telling her that Jing Yan had been at the Third Heaven little more than a month ago.

How was that possible?

That growth rate was terrifying. But then again, the president had no reason to lie. He wouldn't have made the statement so confidently if the news was less than concrete. If he had said it, then it had to be true.

"That's the truth." The president nodded, seeing the look on Ran Qi's face.

Ran Qi silently took a deep breath. When she looked back at Jing Yan, her expression had changed considerably.

But then again, Ran Qi was still unable to believe that Jing Yan could take on Li Tianfu toe-to-toe. Regardless of how exceptionally talented Jing Yan was, there was too great a disparity in their levels and combat prowess.

...

Jing Yan swung his Moonbeam Sword.

His gaze remained locked on that pitch black saber, despite being right in front of the screen of the saber that was crackling with lightning.

"This is a Top-grade martial system!" Jing Yan thought, sensing the strength of the skill set that Li Tianfu was bringing to bear against him.

It was insanely powerful.

Li Tianfu might not be using the full strength of the martial system against Jing Yan at the moment, but he was using more than enough power to defeat common warriors at the Ninth Heaven.

Li Tianfu had earned his renown, that much was certain.

Boom!

Bursts of power came from both blades and clashed in the center of the ring.

Terrifying blades of wind whipped around the two fighters.

Both Jing Yan and Li Tianfu were encased in auras that had coalesced from the martial systems they employed.

Ripples distorted the air around the two. The gamblers, who were watching the battle play out on the crystal wall, lost track of the fighters for a split second.

"What's happening?"

"Has Jing Yan been cut down?"

"I can't see anything. No idea what's going on out there!"

For the blink of an eye, the bodies of both fighters were moving too fast and surrounded by too much power to see. In the next instant, both men finally became visible again.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Jing Yan was sent reeling backward several meters before he was able to steady himself. Every single step he took felt incredibly heavy, as if he was towing something of extreme weight.

Jing Yan had used Moon-Freezing Triple Waves. While the move had been adequate to block Li Tianfu's attack, the man's Vital Qi simply proved too ferocious. Even Jing Yan had been unable to take the attack head on.

Jing Yan steadied himself and glanced down at his robe.

There were actually a good number of thin gashes visible on his clothing.

"Some powers indeed!" Jing Yan muttered to himself.

He knew that if the Arch of Heaven hadn't patched all of the flaws in Moon-Freezing Triple Waves, that single clash would have left him severely injured, or perhaps even dead on the spot.

The defense that Jing Yan had constructed using Moon-Freezing Triple Waves was practically airtight, yet the residual flashes from his opponent's attack had still managed to tear into his robe.

"This Li Tianfu really is the real deal!" Jing Yan realized.

Jing Yan fixed his gaze on Li Tianfu again.

Li Tianfu remained standing where he was, as still as stone. His gaze remained locked on Jing Yan. His expression remained largely unchanged.

However, shock was raging through Li Tianfu like a tsunami over an unprotected beach.

He had never imagined that Jing Yan would actually be able to block that sort of attack. Worse still, his target looked unscathed.

He could barely believe it, yet he couldn't deny what he had just seen with his own eyes.

As they clashed, Li Tianfu had been able to confirm that Jing Yan was truly at the Seventh Heaven. However, the thickness of Jing Yan's Vital Qi was far beyond anything that a common Seventh Heaven warrior might possess.

And there was another crucial point—Jing Yan's martial system felt so seamless that Li Tianfu doubted there was anything he could do to break it.

"What the hell is happening here?" Li Tianfu wondered in confusion.

This was the first time that Li Tianfu had ever felt so uncertain in a fight. He was always confident, even when he was fighting Ninth Heaven warriors who were apparently stronger than Jing Yan.

Li Tianfu's initial assessment of Jing Yan had been terribly inaccurate. Now Li Tianfu had to accept the fact that Jing Yan could fight him as an equal.

Neither of them suffered any damage during that first clash.

However, complete and utter silence had fallen over the hall on the first floor.

The bettors gaped at the screen. None of them were able to believe what they had just watched. Li Tianfu had attacked Jing Yan with all the power and speed of a lightning strike. Yet despite that overwhelming display of power, the other man emerged totally unscathed. How was that possible?

Almost all of the people watching the fight had expected Jing Yan to end up defeated with a single strike. After all, the level difference between the two men was there for all to see. However, the first attack had played out very differently than they expected, and there was no way they could deny what had happened. It was so shocking that many felt their jaws drop to the floor.

Only the handful who gambled on Jing Yan sensed something else deep inside them.

"Wha... What is happening? How is Jing Yan not dead yet?"

"Has he died but somehow managed to remain standing?"

"No, he's not dead yet. The sword in his hand, it's moving!"

"The sword is really moving. Huh? So Li Tianfu wasn't serious with that attack? Was he toying with Jing Yan?"

Some formidable fighters actually enjoyed toying with weaker opponents. They would pull feints and hold themselves back at the start of the battle so that they could stretch the fight out. They played with their opponent's like a cat with a mouse.

They might have thought that was what was happening here, but none of the audience was watching Li Tianfu fight for the first or second time. They knew that Li Tianfu wasn't the sort of fighter who played with his enemies. He was known for dealing the killing blow right from the start, even when he fought very weak opponents.