Chapter 16 : Battle royal

"A boom!" As the voice fell, a loud noise echoed from the arena.

A violent wave of air stirred up layers of dust, and a figure leaped into the air.

This figure was none other than Zhou Xi.

"Hiss..." Under the stage, everyone gasped. Zhou Xi had actually broken through to the late stage of the Heavenly Yuan Realm!

"No wonder he's considered the number one among the younger generation of the Zhou family. He actually stepped into the late stage of the Heavenly Yuan Realm in just half a year. It's truly admirable!"

"Yes!" People nodded in agreement. Zhou Xi's talent surpassed even the senior generation's in the past. His future was unpredictable, and reaching the Elemental Dan Realm, or even stepping into the Life Profound Realm, was not impossible.

"Zhou Xi is only one step away from the Elemental Dan Realm now. I didn't expect him to conceal his strength so well!" Zhou Xuanfei squinted his eyes, serious.

"Big brother, will Fourth Brother win this time?" Zhou Yiyuan asked.

"It's difficult. Fourth Brother just broke through to the late stage of the Heavenly Yuan Realm not long ago, while Zhou Xi has been there for over half a year. He has also learned many martial arts. It will be tough for Zhou Tong this time." Zhou Xuanfei replied.

On the stage, Zhou Xi relentlessly attacked Zhou Tong. Each of his strikes carried formidable power.

Although Zhou Tong used his body to withstand Zhou Xi's attacks, it was far from easy. His cultivation was already slightly inferior to Zhou Xi's. If it weren't for refining Yang Qi these days, he would have already lost.

Zhou Tong's figure swayed left and right, facing imminent danger, constantly resisting Zhou Xi's storm-like onslaught.

On the stage, Zhou Xi paused, looking at Zhou Tong mockingly. "Zhou Tong, admit defeat!"

"I won't lose!" Zhou Tong shouted, bloodied but standing proudly, exuding a fierce aura.

"Very well. Since that's the case, let me show you the martial technique I've recently learned!" Zhou Xi's face gradually turned cold. He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing forward, and a red Qi flowed out.

"What technique is this? The elemental energy fluctuations are unexpectedly strong!"

"I don't know, but it's definitely some advanced martial art."

"No wonder Zhou Xi is confident in defeating Zhou Tong. Turns out he has a trump card."

"Alas! Zhou Tong is in trouble this time!"

The red Qi in Zhou Xi's palm grew larger and finally enveloped his entire hand.

"Primordial Flame Light Palm!" Zhou Xi shouted. The red light on his palm flourished, emitting a dazzling red glow. The terrifying high temperature burned the air.

...

"Bang!" On the observation platform, Zhou Yan stood up excitedly and asked the Elder Zhou Ming, "Zhou Ming, how could you let Zhou Xi learn a ninth-grade martial art? What do you think of the family rules?"

Without looking at him, Zhou Ming said indifferently, "Primordial Flame Light Palm was something I acquired in my early years. Later, I stored it in the scripture pavilion. This martial art is my private possession. I can teach it to whomever I want. I don't think I need to explain it to anyone else."

"You..." Zhou Yan glared at him but couldn't say anything.

"Third Brother, don't worry. With the current strength of the Heavenly Yuan Realm, it's still impossible to truly perform a ninth-grade martial art. This is just a fragment." Zhou Xuanfei said slowly.

"What a terrifying atmosphere. It seems Fourth Brother is in trouble!" Zhou Xuanfei nervously watched Zhou Tong in the arena.

At this moment, on the stage, Zhou Tong looked at the red Qi in Zhou Xi's hand with a frown. He sensed a terrifying power within that red Qi.

Zhou Xi's aura increased dramatically as he pushed forward his right hand. The red Qi quickly transformed into a massive flame palm, emitting scorching heat towards Zhou Tong.

"Huff, huff!" Zhou Xi swung his right palm, and a bright red light spurted out, directly shooting towards Zhou Tong.

Zhou Tong's expression became serious. He gathered all his elemental energy and aimed his right fist at the flame palm.

"Bang!" Zhou Tong's fist and the flame palm collided on the stage. Suddenly, a deafening explosion spread from the point of impact, rapidly expanding around the stage. A powerful energy wave rippled out, creating a shockwave that swept through the surroundings.

Zhou Tong felt a numbness in his right arm. A tremendous force rushed from his wrist, causing him to sway, almost falling. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and stabilized his body.

"Cough, cough..." A violent coughing fit ensued, and Zhou Tong felt a blocked sensation in his chest. A trace of a sweet taste overflowed from his throat.

"Take another of my palms!" Seizing the opportunity, Zhou Xi grabbed the moment, closing

 in and waving the flame giant palm towards Zhou Tong.

"No, I absolutely can't confront it head-on!" Zhou Tong thought.

His Qi sea was already depleted at this point, and he couldn't gather enough elemental energy to resist.

"Bang!" Another earth-shattering explosion echoed as the flame palm collided with Zhou Tong's fist on the stage. Instantly, a tremendous energy wave, centered on the point of impact, spread rapidly, creating a shockwave that expanded around the stage. Many people under the stage quickly covered their ears.

When the dense smoke cleared, Zhou Tong was still standing on the stage. However, his clothes were tattered, and his body was burned by the flames. A trace of blood stained his mouth.

But everyone felt that Zhou Tong's aura was different from before. The elemental energy fluctuation emanating from him had suddenly become much stronger. A smile appeared on Zhou Tong's lips. After the recent mineral vein cultivation, under the intense pressure from Zhou Xi, Zhou Tong successfully entered the mid-stage of the Heavenly Yuan Realm.

"The mid-stage of the Heavenly Yuan Realm! How is this possible? Zhou Tong just broke through half a month ago. How could he advance so quickly?" People exclaimed by the side of the arena.

At this moment, on the observation platform, the elders were also not calm. Their eyes were fixed on the stage, showing amazement. They couldn't believe that Zhou Tong had advanced to this level during the arena battle.

"Third Brother, this..." Zhou Hong looked at the stage with astonishment, unable to believe it.

"It seems this kid has hidden a lot." Zhou Yan sighed.

On the other side, Elder Zhou Ming's face turned ominously dark. He couldn't have expected Zhou Tong to reach the mid-stage of the Heavenly Yuan Realm at this time. Originally, Zhou Xi had a great chance of winning, but with Zhou Tong's breakthrough, that hope was now in jeopardy.

...

"Zhou Tong, you broke through at this moment. The mid-stage of the Heavenly Yuan Realm, however, is not enough before me!" Seeing this,

Hearing this, Zhou Tong wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth, then laughed heartily, "It's not over until the end. Don't think you've won. Am I, Zhou Tong, so easily defeated?"

"Humph!"

Zhou Xi snorted, mocking, "A dead duck is still talking tough. Since you're holding on, let me give you my final move."

Zhou Xi's words had just fallen when he kicked his legs, hovering in mid-air, and roared, "Eternal Incineration!"

"Swoosh, swoosh!" Zhou Xi was instantly engulfed in raging flames, as if transformed into a fire god, emitting a scorching aura.

"What is this..." Everyone was astonishingly watching the surging flames around Zhou Xi.

"Can a Heavenly Yuan Realm actually perform such a martial art? How is this possible?" Zhou Yan's pupils suddenly shrank, his eyes flickering with astonishment.

"Isn't this a martial art that can only be used in the Elemental Dan Realm? Has Zhou Xi gone crazy? Isn't he afraid of damaging his own body?" Zhou Xuanfei was equally dumbfounded, abandoning his usual composure, finally completely shocked.

"Elder, aren't you worried about Zhou Xi's future cultivation?" Zhou Xuanfei rebuked Elder Zhou Ming angrily.

"I'm not worried, why are you in such a hurry?" Zhou Ming still looked calmly at the arena, but the worry in his eyes was evident to anyone.